Peter: Downton Abbey

One of my all time favourite films is Robert Altman's Gosford Park, which is why I was psyched to catch the new British series Downton Abbey - an upstairs/downstairs period drama staring Maggie Smith. I would pay to watch Maggie Smith read the yellow pages. As always she steals the show as a snobby aristocrat who, in one of the best bits, asks "What is a weekend?". I sat down on Saturday and watched 7 hours straight.


Nymag have collected some of the best bits here.

Sarah: Peter, I'm sorry, i've never seen Gosford Park! Can we still be friends...? (I'l rent it this weekend! Downtown Abbey looks great!) x

Peter: Sarah, as long as you watch You Me and Everyone We Know first – you already own it. More on Miranda July's latest film too when I get a chance. I think it is an omen that you should adopt that stray kitten.

Sarah: HAHAHA!!! I actually laughed out loud just now! Thank Goodness i'm not married to you - we would have a whole barnyard full of adopted animals by now! x

All is right with the world

Check out this remix – loving this track now!


Sarah: Ok, you've got me with this one! I am officially converted - what an excellent remix! Can't wait to download - it's going straight into my "workout mix!".
Peter: I never expected that!! It's a pretty sick remix isn't it. 

Now this is a Vogue cover

Sarah: I read somewhere recently that Lara Stone is the patron saint of French Vogue. So I went home to investigate (by hauling out my somewhat limited but much loved collection of French Vogue). Turns out the rumours are true - Craine loves her a pasty, big breasted, gap toothed English rose! I would love if she would get some eyebrows though... x

Paris Hilton on the cover of Turkish Vogue - shot by Terry Richardson!

Peter, I'm not sure what i'm more shocked about: Paris Hilton on the cover of Turkish Vogue, Paris Hilton wearing a turtle-neck sweater on the cover of Turkish Vogue or the fact that there is such as thing as Turkish Vogue?

In any case, I found this newsworthy... from me to you, with love!

x

...And now I like Carey Mulligan

And Here Is a Giddy Carey Mulligan Describing To Catch a Predator

Top 5 of 10: Music

Here are the songs that wore out on my Ipod in 2010.

5. We Are Born / Sia

Why: Actually lives up to the hype.

Best Track: Oh Father

4. Body Talk / Robyn

Why: Some of the best dance music this year. 

Best Track: Dancing On My Own

3. Record Collection / Mark Ronson and The Business International

Why: This album feels like listening a play list of awesome songs you’ve never heard made by your cool friend. It’s surprisingly cohesive and catchy.

Best Track: Somebody to Love Me

2. Soldier of Love / Sade

Why: It’s not everyday you hear new music from Sade and after nine years, they did not disappoint. Even Kanye got excited.

Best Track: Babyfather

1. Here Lies Love / David Byrne and Fatboy Slim

Why: A concept album about the life of Imelda Marcos bringing together David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and featuring  22 guest vocalists? Against the odds, this works. You have to give them credit for that.

Best Track: A Perfect Hand

Summer of Movies: Black Swan

I squashed myself into a crowded theatre to see an advance screening of a film that was already wildly circulating on the office intranet. Why? A pretty awesome trailer. And I wanted to see properly the film that is already the most talked about this award season.

Hit:

Beautiful – Just like the trailer, the film is dark, sexy and beautiful to watch.

Winonna – I got to see five great minutes with Winonna Ryder. More please. Vincent Cassel and Barbara Hershey also gave strong performances.

Mila Kunis – I was surprised by all the hype but Mila was very good in her role (Vanity fair described her as 'yummily caramel'). I would even say better than Natalie Portman. 

Ballet – First off I’m always skeptical of films based in a dance environment. Usually they are just an excuse to show people dancing, which filmakers seem to think audiences find interesting. We don’t. But here the dancing didn’t distract too much from the story.

Miss:

The story – Unfortunately this film turned out to be an 100 minute version of the trailer and not much else. It had some interesting insights into obsession but after you worked out what was going on it became predictable. With a better storyline, this could have been great.

Verdict:

Beautifully shot and well acted. Unfortunatley  I still like to see a good story when I go to the movies, not just Natalie Portman going nuts.   

6.5/10

Summer of Movies: Spiderman

We haven’t reached the end of January yet, but Sony are already assaulting us with first images of the Spiderman reboot – a film that doesn’t open until July 2012.

Full disclosure upfront: I’m not a big Spiderman fan and haven’t actually seen any of the previous films. Still, I am left wondering is there that much demand to see Spiderman on the big screen that Hollywood needs to remake a film from three years ago?

Yes there is a new director and a new cast, but it just feels dirty. And boring. I don't care how much pilates Andrew Garfield does or what colour Emma Stone's hair is. Save it for next year when we can actually see the film.

We all know the motivation here is money and the studio is building up for a big opening weekend. Are there really no original idea’s left? And do people still care?

Yeah, they probably do. People suck.

Sarah: Haha! You're right - this is the stupidest idea and people do, in general, suck. I heart you Peter! x

Top 5 of 10: Cinema

Now that 2010 is well and truly behind us, its time to look back and name our favourite films of the past year. 

The Academy (and to a lesser extent the Hollywood Foreign Press) will be all up in our face with their choices, but as time has proven over and over again, they often are way off.

So instead here are the films that you talking about and the reasons why they made my list. 

I love films and I love going to the cinema, and 2010 was a good year for that.

5: Never Let Me Go

Why: It reminded me how short life is.

4: Please Give

Why: My love for Nicole Holofcener - the new Woody Allen. 

I even loved the unresolved infidelity, because we are all adults here.

3: The Kids Are Alright

Why: When Annette Bening sang All I Want, my heart broke.

This film never forced any agenda but instead used humour and nuance to subtly explore modern relationships.

2: I Am Love

Why: When Edo says: Happy is a word that makes you sad.

Everything from the opening titles to the sets were breathtaking. This was more than cinema, this was art. And Tilda of course! She’s amazing.

1: Cairo Time

Why: A small film that made little impact but was the most enjoyable two hours of my 2010.

Golden Globes Cheat Sheet

Check out this brilliant site to see expert predictions for the Globes.

Congratulations Annette Bening!

It's Britney Bitch

Ok, so I don't LOVE the song ... (it's not Gimme More), but I do agree with what Lainey said about Brit today:


No matter how badly she f-cks up, and how much fun we have over her f-ck ups, I have always contended that Britney is what none of her peers, and most of the current crop of child factory twats, could be. If there ever was a star that had IT, IT is Britney. And IT means that you stick around, that you take your fans with you, that they start at 14 and continue to 24 and 34 and beyond. Avril, who sold SO many records, couldn’t do it. Christina has not proved she can do it. And it is certainly not a slamdunk that Justin Bieber will be able to do it.

But Britney, she continues to do it.

The new single Hold It Against Me is a smash, breaking records for downloads and radio play. Let me repeat: breaking records for downloads and radio play. I LOVE THIS SONG. I can run to this song. I can roll down the windows in the car and bop to the song. I can have a dance party in the living room to this song. It’s a strong, strong song yes. But it has the added value of being a strong song BY BRITNEY SPEARS. Britney is always a factor.

And while others have to cart out their asses on carpets and shows and up in your face, tricked out and tucked in packaging, to move their products, all Britney had to do was tease it on Twitter… and it exploded on iTunes. 


Hopefully we'll see something amazing at the Grammy's.

All Hail! French Vogue has a sexy new Editor...

I have made room in my heart for a new Queen... I know she will never be Carine, but I have a good feeling about Emmanuelle Alt...

The case for Anna

I recently watched The September Issue. Again. Love it. Especially the scene when Candy Pratts Price declares "September is the January of Fashion". I'm more interested in the office dynamic than the fashion. Scary as it is, it is not so different from my on experiences.


Having said that, whenever anyone mentions the documentary, they end up gushing about much they love Grace (Sarah, you especially). In fact it has happened twice this week already. 


See, for me, The September Issue (like Vogue) is Anna's show. Maybe it is because I come from working in a creative environment, but every time i watch that film, I can't help but admiring (and yes liking) Anna, not Grace. How can you not after hearing her recount the contempt of her siblings (and daughter)? After all, she's the most powerful woman in the world!! She's efficient, she knows what she wants and even funny. 


The fact is you can't always be the nice guy. So Anna cut some of Grace's shoot. Welcome to my world.


Just read this charming account of Anna from political columnist Paul Sheenan:


Life trumps fiction. Wintour also starred in my own experiences at the Paris fashion shows, transient and marginal as they were. As I was leaving the tent during one of the first shows, I noticed on the floor beneath Wintour's front-row chair her invitation, cast aside. I collect interesting ephemera, and picked it up. It said, ''Anna Wintour, seat A1''. The queen's invitation. From Dior.

After the next show, I noticed the same thing and retrieved a second invitation. This time, entirely by accident, I found myself shoulder to shoulder with the queen in the scrum shuffling out of the tent and on to the next show. I said something about keeping her invitation as a keepsake, and showed what I had in my hand. She looked at me as if I were a stalker.

The relationship evolved. Wintour kept discarding, I kept collecting. The fourth invitation I asked her to sign. She did. I left promptly. When I went to retrieve a fifth invitation it was not there.

Outside the tent she handed it to me. She had saved it. She did so again for the next show, and the next. Finally there was the final show of the season. Yves Saint Laurent.

After it was over I found the queen, and she had done her duty. She handed me the invitation. She even smiled. When I looked down at my final treasure I found the words, ''To Paul, bon voyage, love Anna. 

Now Grace Coddington is a different story:

The one time I encountered Coddington first-hand, while covering the Paris fashion shows in the mid-1990s, I found her cold and aloof, not even remotely interested in talking to a stranger, and not even remotely interested in hiding the impression that she was royalty in the fashion tents and I was a nobody.

The fact is I don't think of Grace as such an amazing stylist, not  compared to Carine Roitfeld or Emmanuelle Alt. You have to admit American Vogue can't compete with French Vogue.(More on Carine later.)


So Sarah, have I converted you?

Summer of Movies - I'm a little bit nervous about "Desert Flower"

Pete, i'm confused.

I love Liya Kebede. I know this story (about Waris Dirie - a Somalian desert nomad who fled a forced teen marriage to a man old enough to be her grandfather, only to end up in London where she was discovered and became a top model in the 90's. She then went on to tell her story about female genital mutilation - phew!), and I totally respect this story. But I am not sure if I am excited about this film?
Perhaps it is because I haven't read the book (Sin, i know.) I am vehemently against "watching the film before you have read the book" as it almost always ruins it (Hello - everyone who went to see Eat Pray Love? Shame on you).
I just can't put my finger on it.

I don't know if I will see it at the cinema - or maybe I will if I manage to finish the book before it goes to DVD. I didn't even know this film had been made (thank goodness for my excellent local film house - The Nova in Cartlon! - who showcases all the films that I would otherwise not know about).

I must admit - the stills of this film are gorgeous, even though the trailer leaves me a little dry.

Liya Kebede and Waris Dirie are uncanny lookalikes, and it will be refreshing to see a true story of such weighty subject matter make it to the big screen. Maybe i'm a little worried about Liya Kebede's acting skills.

What do you think?



Peter: I watched the preview and it looks like a made for Hallmark film to me, no wonder your not excited. It does have Sally Hawkins in it so it must not suck. Hmm. 


I never read the book first - who has time? Besides, if you like the film then you can read the book.

Summer of Movies: Never Let Me Go

I couldn't wait to see this film, even if all the initial buzz failed to translate into award nominations.

Hit:
This resonated. And it had a great tension thanks to the slow-burning story and the strange, alternative-reality sci-fi England. 


The supporting cast: Memorable performances from Charlotte Rampling and Sally Hawkins.

The Cast. Usually I have a love/hate relationship with all three cast members ...
Kiera Knightley: I rooted for her in Pride and Prejudice but she is starting to look like a preying mantas
Carey Mulligan: she deserves to always make the best dressed list, but I can't see her relevance when we have Mia Wasikowska??
and Andrew Garfield: he's great playing the same character but he is becoming a bit of a one-note lately
...but collectively here they all worked (even if they didn't prove me wrong).

Mark Romanek. The director of One Hour Photo and iconic music videos like Janet Jackson’s Got ‘Til It’s Gone has succeeded in making a beautifully understated film.

Miss: 
No real revelations here. We’ve seen versions of this story before, although not so poignantly told. The script brilliantly hinted at an elephant in the room the entire first half without ever acknowledging it to the audience and built the suspense right until the end of the film when it went out gently and without any surprises. I wouldn't have minded this so much except that the premise was not that new. But maybe it is the characters acceptance of it which is the revelation her.


Verdict:
A beautifully painful story that reminds us of the limitations of our own lives. 
7/10

What the experts say:
What is, however, intriguing about Never Let Me Go is the way that the medical police state is imagined to be so entrenched, so invisibly embedded in this tatty, provincial fantasy-England that there is no flash of horror or vertigo when the secret is revealed. Everyone is very English about it: phlegmatic, accepting, melancholy, and this is arguably a shrewd, real insight into how people would actually be — or, indeed, how they actually are.
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian 

Happy Wednesday Sarah

Summer of Movies - Exciting sneak peek at Hanna

Yay! I love a film with excellent actors - no matter what the genre! I just stumbled accross this trailer for a film called Hanna, which stars Eric Bana, Cate Blanchet and Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones - she is hot property!).
It's the story of a young girl, Hanna, who was raised in the woods of Finland to be an assasin (!!!) . Her Father is played by Eric Bana and is an ex-CIA Agent, Cate Blanchet plays a current CIA head who wants to find Eric Bana, but finds Hanna first (and Hanna subsequently kills everyone in her path to get away).

It sounds Kick-Ass-ish (which, I still haven't actually seen, so I could be wrong?) but the trailer is absolutely thrilling, and I can't wait for this to come out!

I love looking forward to a film opening!

Enjoy.

Peter: This looks like it has potential. Kick-Ass must have paved the way for this new breed of assassin kids. Joe Wright is directing (Pride and Prejudice, Atonement) so hopefully it won't turn out like some shitty Bruce Willis film. I would really like to see this be another Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but that seems unlikely. Am I the only one thinks Cate Blanchett needs to sex up her career? Even Judy Dench has more sex appeal.

It's also interesting that it has a score by the Chemical Brothers. I didn't hear great things about the Tron/Daft Punk soundtrack. 

Sarah: Bored to Death

So, after havign watched all of Mad Men, Arrested Development and needing a break from 30 Rock, I was rummaging through the messy shelves of my very lame local DVD store (I miss Mondo Video in Annandale!) when I came accross Bored to Death.

Now, the fact that it stars Jason Schwartzman (who can do no worng) and Zach Galafianakis (I'll admit it - even though he can only play that one character, I really love that character!) meant that I was either going to be extremely excited by this show, or extremely let down.

Thankfully, it's a hit!

I think I hadn't heard of it previously because it's the kind of show where, to like it, you have to already be a huge fan of all the actors involved. Luckily for me, this recipe meant that I can add another brilliant series to my every-growing list of TV addictions (who knew that amongst all the reality crap that has been produced in the last few years, some of the best real TV was being made alongside it!).

The show is about Jonathan Ames (the writers real name) - who is left with nothing to do after his girlfriend breaks up with him and his career as a writer starts to wane. He is inspired by a Raymond Chandler detective novel and lists himself on Craigslist as an "unliscened private detective - with reasonable rates".

The episodes take us all around Brooklyn and often feature interesting cameo's - director Jim Jarmusch being one of my favourites from Season One.

Ted Danson plays Jonathans old and bored Magazine Editor boss, who has a drinking problem and likes to involve himself in as much trouble and adventure as possible.

Zach Galifianakis plays Jonathans loser best friend, who struggles to convince his girlfriend to have regular sex with him, because she thinks his being a career "illustrator" is highly undesireable.

The storylines are comical and intersting - who knew a modern day faux-detective sitcom with a pot head Jewish lead character would work?

Well, it does, and I think everyone should go out and rent this series immediately if not sooner.

S.

Sarah: Somewhere - Response

Hello! Happy New Year!

I also went and saw Somewhere the other night. It wasn't a hot day, and I didn't have a cold Asahi in hand - but there was still a thick air of extreme expectation that this film would be awesome - and for me, it did not dissappoint!

I am surprised that I liked this movie, as I am a self confessed Gen-Yer with ADHD and the attention span of a fish; who usually likes entertainment that is quick and witty (think 30 Rock - which I just spent my entire Christmas holidays watching!).

The opening scene of the car doing laps almost made me walk out before the film had even started - I was not prepared to sit through over an hour of "beautiful scenery" shot to the cool sounds of the "latest" Pheonix soundtrack (which never made it's debut, unfortunately).

But as I stuck in there, the poignant character development drew me in, and left me so satisfied in the end. I actually left with a smile on my face!

Miss:

I hated the opening scene, of the car doing laps. And I didn't like how much time we all spent in that stupid car driving from A to B all film. I understand that we were experiencing the mundane and "normal" aspects of Johnny's life, but it was a little too normal for me, and I wanted him to stop the car so I could get out.

Hit:

For me, there were more hits than misses in this film.

I loved all characters and actors - even Stephen Dorff, who I expected to fall madly in love with (as a nostalgic nod to my teen years) but didn't, and Elle Fanning - who was spectaculary innocent and perfectly subtle in her interpretation of an 11 year old Celebrity Spawn.

The thing I like most about this film was how Sofia Coppola manages to linger in a scene just long enough to make us feel like something uncomfortable or devestating is about to happen - but never actually takes it there.

Others might see this as the art of the anti-climax. One friend said it was just boring that nothing ever happened. I like that her films don't venture into the morbid parts of human reality.

For example - when Cleo and Johnny's best friend are drawing on the guitar together - there is a certain feeling in the air that the scene could take a turn for the worst and something sinister could happen between the characters, as their interaction is so close. But it doesn't, and you are almost left feeling guilty that your mind had to take such innocent interaction and expect the worst!

I find Sofia Coppola the Master of Purity (A big title, I know, but one I think she has earned over her last few films) and I find her films refreshing becuase of this aspect.

I also loved the sweet lightness of being that was evoked from a heavy subject matter. "What am I doing with my life " is not an easy crossroads for anyone to arrive at; famous, rich, common or poor. I loved that Johnny asked that question and it didn't feel painful - yet it still felt real.

Finally, I loved how it ended abruptly, which is to be expected with Sofia Coppola films.

Verdict:

Much has been said about Somewhere being a let down, but I think if you can appreciate that it's an indulgent look at a human experience that most people don't get to see, then it can be a beautiful and very enjoyable film.

If you are expecting a cult classic, this doesn't have enough substance to be watched more than once.

Summer of Movies: Somewhere

I retreated to the Palace one hot summer day with a nice cold Asahi in hand to catch the new film by the Queen of cool Sofia Coppola, which is exactly the way this film deserves to be seen.

Miss:
Stephen Dorf - despite the rave reviews, I wasn't impressed by his performance and couldn't help thinking this would have been much better with Colin Farrell in the lead, who the character was actually based on.

The Chateau Marmont – apart from attracting celebrities (who now it appears are just there for all the available sex), this legendary hotel looks run down and old.

The supposed Phoenix soundtrack - a new Sophia Coppola movie is just an excuse for an even cooler soundtrack that is usually better than the movie itself. So what happened? They promised us new Phoenix and instead they just played Love Like A Sunset over the opening and closing titles and threw in some Gwen Stefani. 

Hit:
Helmut Newton references – My favourite part were all the small nods to the famous resident of the Chateau, such as the topless model smoking the balcony.


Verdict:
While it was far from another Lost in Translation (or even a Marie Antoinette), it was still poignant and just because Sofia made it, i'll lie and say its awesome.

Summer of Movies

Welcome back after our Christmas hiatus.


To get you ready for award season, we are starting the Summer of Movies series where we will be reviewing all the must see films this summer. We will also be counting down our favourite Top 5 films and albums of 2010. So stay tuned.