Judy's Moxie

I watched In The Good Old Summertime this evening. A classic Judy Garland film, if you haven't seen it. If you like Meet Me In St. Louis, you will adore this film. It was the perfect and cozy choice for a blustery fall evening.

I love Judy's performance of "I Don't Care" in the film (video above). I am adding this to my Girl Power Mix, which includes "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music and "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl (the Barbra version only).

I need some moxie this week and am taking my inspiration from only the best and the brightest!

Waking Us Up

Viola Davis deftly portrays the role of Aibileen

Some things snap you awake. They make you feel uneasy. Make you wonder if they are right. If they are good. But in the end, you appreciate them for that glimmer of truth they provide. And just by the fact of being there, of telling a story, they make people aware. They shake us awake to realities that have lain dormant in our minds. They remind them of a history that we sometimes forget. I feel this way about The Help. The book by Kathryn Stockett and the film, which I finally saw last night.

I devoured the book in less than a week. Reading at lunch and in the evenings. The characters became like old friends and I was sad to leave them at the end. I identified most with Skeeter of course - unruly hair, writer aspirations, not following the expectations of her society, sort of a tall, awkward girl who's not afraid to be a bull in the china closet. But my favorite character was Aibileen (Viola Davis nailed this role in the film - flawless - and Cicely Tyson as Constantine was so haunting and lovely that her scenes brought me to tears). Her quiet strength. Her acceptance of everybody. I would consider my feminine power fully developed if I could have her grace. 

This book was written by a white woman. White women telling black women's stories. In the book, it was the only opportunity at that time to get the voice of the black maid heard - someone white had to connect with the all-white publishing industry. In the case of Stockett writing this book, well, she grew up with a black maid and knew it from that perspective. This book and film have generated a lot of discussion about this rarely touched upon aspect of history and that is a good thing. For us to remember and feel uncomfortable about the fact that a group of people were so horrible to another group of people. Any maybe that's what racism is: not white versus black, but a group of people who choose to demean and debase another "group" of people for ludicrous reasons. The truth is so easily distorted, and people take this fact and bend it to their will to gain power over others. 

I have heard people say that we live in a post-racial society. I only wish. But sometimes I can't help but wonder if that we ever be possible. There's just too much pain, too much history. Here in DC, there is a great deal of poverty and most of the people I see living on the streets, that I see in the homeless shelter where I volunteer, are black.  Most of the people on the cleaning staff at my work are black. Are these people here by choice? Or are they here as a residual effect of historical prejudice? Is this the fallout that has been perpetuating for generations? When will the cycle stop? 

We've made such strides. First and foremost, electing a black president (and then demanding he present his birth certificate - an unprecedented act). DC will dedicate the long overdue Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, memorial in the coming weeks.  

I am not even sure if I can justly comment on the topic of racism as a white woman. It makes me feel uncomfortable. But I think that is just about right. I should be uncomfortable because this is not a resolved issue by any means. But this book and film are getting us talking and making us aware, which is the first of many steps.

Image can be found here.

The Romantics

I finally saw this film and really enjoyed its gentle, playful tone. It is frothy with its carefree band of characters - late 20-something friends gathering for a wedding. Formal liberal arts majors. So there are literature references galore, which I love. What I found most surprising and enjoyable were the moments of intense, beautifully written dialogue that carried on a bit longer than most dialogue in movies tend to go. At least, it felt that way.  

And the clothes. So pretty and funky. I think my favorite was Malin Ackerman's character's black and white strip dress she wears to the rehearsal dinner. The shot above shows the cast modeling J.Crew clothes - a style that definitely matches with the film's fashion! I found the movie entertaining and lulling with it's soundtrack of chill tunes.

Image found here.

Love Versus Life's Pursuit

I finally saw The Adjustment Bureau this weekend and was really moved by the existential nature of this film. Despite the bad reviews, I thoroughly enjoyed the film with its Inception-like tone and the surprising chemistry of stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (side note: Blunts boho chic style rocked!).

What struck me the most about this film was its discussion of finding love versus attaining your life's purpose, your vocation.  Questions are raised if you can have both true love and the career of your dreams.  If your career path might prevent you from being with the one they love or vice versa.  David (Damon) is a rising politician and Elise (Blunt) an rising dance star.  Before they found each other, each character dedicated themselves to their career to "fill the void of love." When they meet and fall for each other, a question arises if they can continue to ascend in the same career direction with this weight of their new-found love.

When two people have divergent career paths but have such strong feelings for each other, how do you make that choice? In some cases, maybe you don't have to make that decision, but in the film, these two are asked to consider these choices. It made me think about my own career choices and if there will come a point where I will have to make that choice between my dreams and a love who has dreams of his own. My career is very important to me, but I want to know that great, deep love.  I suppose I must hope for have both, and the opportunity to adjust my dreams to include that special person and a fulfilling vocation.

Original photo found here.

Design Inspiration: Jane Eyre (2011)

The exquisite movie poster for Jane Eyre

I finally made it to the theater to see the latest adaptation of Jane Eyre. Friends, I am much more an Austen girl versus a Brontë girl, but give me a period English film and I am at the theater regardless of my literary preferences.  The day was perfect to see such a film - blustery and moody, dark clouds dispersed with stray lines of sunlight. I felt as though I was traversing an English moor as I crossed the Mall to get to the Landmark Theater in downtown DC.

I think the film did a service to Brontë's novel while casting it in a new, interesting light. Mia Wasikowsa does justice to the role of Jane -- being both reserved and revealing of her inner passions. Michael Fassbender as Rochester...well, let's just say I really enjoyed watching him smolder on screen in this role. Their passion was evident and well-portrayed. And Judy Dench was just adorable as Mrs. Fairfax.

Jane and Mrs. Fairfax looking lovely with their lace fashions

I adored the film's soundtrack by Dario Marianelli, which perfectly captured the mood of the film. The set and costume design were spot on, and I was so inspired by their use of lace -- curtains, dress embellishments. It made me consider how I can use lace in my own apartment in tribute to this fine English tradition. I could not find an image of the scene where Jane looks out a window decorated with the most exquisite lace curtains, but it was in that moment that I found inspiration.

The film also had the most beautiful flowers -- violets, cherry blossoms, and others -- a true tribute to an English spring. A floral influence is a heavy theme for my apartment decoration plan.

Jane and Rochester flirt amongst the blooms

Images found here, here, and here (copyright by Focus Features).

On Becoming a Professional Woman

Picture a Friday night in late summer. The air is thick and hot, and those August crickets are crooning their evening tunes. In an effort to stay cool, my fourteen year-old self can be found camped out on the hardwood floor of my family's two hundred year-old Maine farmhouse, watching television and enjoying a quickly melting bowl of cookie dough ice cream (as if there was any other flavor).

 

There's not much on, so I put in a video (yes, as in VIDEO CASSETTE) rented from my local video store (what is that, you ask?). The movie in question happens to be My Best Friend's Wedding. A Julia Roberts event. 

Over the next two hours, my eyes would be opened to a multitude of concepts I had rarely considered: the notion of being a successful, independent professional woman, the clothes you get to wear when you are said woman (note: while Julia's fashion in that film might be called into question in current times, the idea of wearing a suit of any kind intrigued me), what my wedding would look like, what my husband would look like -- aspects of being a woman.

 

Prior to seeing this movie, I had never really considered any of these things, focusing more on more adolescent pursuits.  But for whatever reason, this movie opened a floodgate of ideas about being a woman in the modern age. The image of Julia's character in that movie became a symbol, a beacon of sorts, that I sort of moved toward ever since that first viewing. 

A few months later, I saw the movie Stepmom. Another Julia extravaganza, this time a sad one. But again, I saw Julia play a successful professional woman who had done quite well for herself (loft in the city, Land Rover, nice clothes). Now I must admit that much of what had appealed to me in these movies are the material objects. Together they visualized a lifestyle that my teenage self thought she might like to have.

 

As I approach my late 20s, I feel in many ways I have become a version of that professional woman. But perhaps something better than Julia's food critic and photographer characters because I became me. Success and a comfortable life are still important to me, but I think the overt display of material wealth that once seemed attractive no longer appeals. I want to do well in my life but also live one that is modest and good.

 

I do see my beautiful new apartment and my new job in my new city, and cannot help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment of those adolescent longings. 

I achieved much of my independence and success on my own, but really, what I have learned is that this life of mine would not have been possible without the incredible people supporting me - chiefly, my parents. They are incredibly kind, loving, fair people. And my friends - all bringing something unique to my life and giving me incredible support and laughter.

 

All of this is to say that being a professional woman is about your independence but it is also about learning to acknowledge your vulnerabilities and accept help from those who love you. The riches that come from those connections can yield a wondrous existence for any woman.

Image found here. 

Summertime

{Hepburn and Brazzi embrace in a Venetian courtyard}

{The lovers enjoy the Italian scene}

{Hepburn admires a gorgeous Italian shoe (a prelude to Carrie Bradshaw)}

All I wanted to do this evening was relax and watch a good film, and the Turner Classic Movie channel did not disappoint by airing Summertime or Summer Madness (1955), starring Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi (Emile de Becque in South Pacific). Hepburn's character is Jane, an American woman traveling to Europe for the first time. The film is rich with quiet, breathtaking scenes of Jane's solitary character walking around Venice. It made me long for that special stillness only found on an Italian street.  Brazzi plays Ronaldo,  a dashing Italian antique dealer who woos Jane into an affair.

My favorite scene is set in St. Mark's Place: Jane sits at a cafe, snapping pictures and enjoying the scene while Ronaldo admires her from a nearby table. Once she realizes he is watching her, she quickly puts on her sunglasses and nervously tries to pay her cafe bill. The scene is so comical and, I must admit, is reminiscent of a similar event that happened to me the other day. Why must we women be so awkward when attractive men pay us attentions?! It just proves that certain human qualities are timeless.

I do recommend this film -- a fun frolic in Venice, with lots of meaningful moments and a rich tribute to 1950s fashion.

Images found here. 

Rochester

There Is No Debt
Jane Eyre at MOVIECLIPS.com

I have never been a fan of the Brontes - I find their novels too dark and moody. I appreciate their art but I never actively reread their novels (unlike Austen or Montgomery).  And I never really enjoy movies made based on their novels. Until now. They remade Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska as Jane and the ruggedly handsome Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester.  Check out their electric chemistry in the clip above. I have read a few articles on this movie and I think the director used a different kind of treatment that I am excited to see. And of course, to see Fassbender smoulder as Rochester.

Trailer is here.

Video clip found here.

Real Love

I saw Blue Valentine over the weekend. Wow. It ripped at a deep part of myself -- to see these heart-wrenching lovers. You feel the weight of their lives and see their struggle to meet on the same plateau. So much of themselves and their history gets in the way. It was beautifully sad.

In other news, starting work again has been so great but so exhausting. I haven't felt altogether blog inspired lately - my mind is preoccupied with new job, new city, finding a permanent place to live - so this space might be quiet in the next few weeks.


Image found here.

Winter's Mantle

A Winter Dawn Above the marge of night a star still shines,  And on the frosty hills the sombre pines  Harbor an eerie wind that crooneth low  Over the glimmering wastes of virgin snow.  Through the pale arch of orient the morn  Comes in a milk-white splendor newly-born,  A sword of crimson cuts in twain the gray  Banners of shadow hosts, and lo, the day! ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery The house and yard appear in a alabaster mantle of newly fallen snow. I am tucked into a cozy home, fires sparkling merrily and Julia Child's coq au vin simmering in the dutch oven. Rich, comforting smells waft throughout the house. The day will be spent reading Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky (based on the recent film), watching The Young Victoria (and craving an English Spring), and perhaps a game of Scarbble or two! Hoping you are cozy wherever you are!

The Wall Décor of The King's Speech

I saw The King's Speech over the weekend and adored it! Such a wonderful film about the King George VI/the Duke of York and his speech impediment. Colin Firth (I simply swoon over his kind eyes and dashing countenance) plays an incredible, nuanced role as do Geoffrey Rush as his voice coach, Lionel Logue, and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen/Lady Elizabeth. What I love most about Lionel Logue is that he truly believed in his technique and skill despite all the naysayers. A truly inspiring character.

One aspect that jumped out to me was the way director Tom Hooper shot the movie, including several shots with vibrant walls behind the characters. Indeed, the walls -- especially the chipped paint and wallpaper of Logue's office -- became characters in the film to me. Beautiful retro textures and designs were used and I am nominated the set design crew for their Oscar right now! Here is an interview with the director, where he goes into detail about using the wall space in the film. 

Images found here, here, and here.

To Lead an Extraordinary Life

I've written about my family's love of the book and 1994 film Little Women before, but after watching it per holiday tradition last evening, I found renewed inspiration in the lovely words of the screenplay, translated from Louisa May Alcott's sacred text. I think of years more in terms of birthdays than calendar or school years. So as I begin this next year on my birthday today, I seek to keep in mind some of the most sacred sentiments expressed in the film. In the coming year I want to lead an extraordinary life.


The film is a perfect medium to stimulate creativity and passion for one's work.


Marmee always knows what to say:
"Oh, Jo, you have so many extraordinary gifts, how can you expect to lead an ordinary life?
Go, and embrace your liberty. And see what wonderful things come of it."


Every time I watch the film, Gabriel Byrne as Friedrich Bhaer becomes sexier and sexier:
"You must write from life, from the depths of your soul!"


I so admire Jo's passion and longing to live fervently through her art:
"Late at night my mind would come alive with voices and stories and friends
as dear to me as in the real world.
I gave myself up to it, longing for transformation."


Marmee's moralism is quite infectious and aspirational:
"I only care what you think of yourself. If you feel that your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear 
that someday you might find yourself believing that is all you really are.
Time erodes all such beauty, but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind,
your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage.
These are the things I cherish so in you."

Image found here.

I Am Love + Happy Weekend

I watched I Am Love last evening. Wow. Leaves you with an unsettled feeling, a sort of wonderment. Starring Tilda Swinton, this Italian film was seriously stunning in so many ways. It's gorgeous cinematography and use of Milan as the setting (the opening Christmas scene still haunts me in its ethereal beauty). The plot is so unexpected and at times shocking that the viewer finds herself completely wrapped up in the story's events. The acting is impeccable. I read somewhere that the film has been called a "modern-day Madam Bovary," a label I think to be fitting. Just a thought-titillating film that is well worth your time (that is, if you don't mind subtitles)!

I am thankful for the weekend. A friend is visiting (at last, someone my own age!!), who's thinking of moving to Maine so I'll play tour guide and pretend that I am on a mini holiday! After that visit, I will be going to one of my favorite restaurants, El Camino (voted best cocktail - their Pomegranate Margarita - by GQ), for an early birthday dinner! Wishing you all a delightful weekend!

Image found here.

Blue Valentine

I really want to see this movie. Not only because of Ryan Gosling (but of course!), but because it is supposed to be an ardent cinematic depiction of a couple, the progression of their relationship, both good and bad. It's looks raw and intense (especially with its production company currently petitioning a NC-17 rating, which could kill its Oscar chances and broad release in theaters).  I love this kind of a fierce movie-making. Films that make you cry and grip your chest in the sorrow and emotion of it all. Of course, most things make me cry these days. Strange, the courses our characters take, non?

Here's hoping they get the film to a R-rating. Regardless, I can't wait to see it!

Cutest trailer with Ryan singing and Michelle Williams tap dancing!



Image found here.

A Harry Potter Giggle

I am beyond excited to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 this weekend! I have been a fan of the series, books and movies, since I first picked up the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the ninth grade. I started reading the books because all the extra credit questions on my physics exams were about the Harry Potter books. And between you and me, I needed all the extra credit I could get! What started as a practical reading activity soon became a delightful journey into J.K. Rowling's ingenious world.

The video above is from BuzzSugar, featuring all the awkward moments in the Harry Potter movies. Hilarious!

Something to See

The film Secretariat, just like the horse for millions of Americans in 1972, took me by surprise. I knew going into the film that it would be an inspiring Disney movie about the greatest racehorse that ever lived. But what I did not expect was the feeling of self-confidence that arose within me after watching the horse win the 1973 Triple Crown. I mean, I think horses are stately, enchanting creatures but I am not a horse person, per se.

I love movies. And my family loves to go to the movies, so much of my life relates and connects to that cinematic feeling one gets when watching the majesty of a well-made feature film projected on a large screen in a darkened theater. It's humbling. You exit the film and that grand place of a movie has so ensnared you in its plot you feel you lived the story with the characters. You endure their lives.  In watching Secretariat, I felt the belief, the perseverance embodied by that stately thoroughbred.

In 1973, he knew he had it in him to win. His female owner, Penny Chenery, knew he had this power. She sacrificed much and ignored all the male chauvinism that fell across her path in order to see her horse to victory. It's something to see.

And somehow, in watching that film, I began to know once again that I have it in me to be successful in my life. I have my power. It's long been sheltered by heaps of insecurity and fears of commitment. But lately, I've felt fledglings of ancient feelings that I once so deeply loved - adventure, romance, possibility, and a clear sense of right that's worth fighting for. It's all there and I am going to rush in and grab it like a champion's title I always knew was mine.



Image found here.

Ondine

I saw Ondine at our local independent movie theatre - the kind with tattered, cushy couches and homemade cookies for sale at the box office. The film was a beautiful tale that married the lore of the Irish selkie (a seal turned woman) with the fate of a downtrodden Irish fisherman and his incorrigible young daughter. The film pulls you into this place with the luscious cinematography and haunting soundtrack. Colin Farrell gives the best performance of his career (and looks smoking hot with his long, flyaway hair and wounded facial expressions). I loved Ondine's (Alicja Bachleda Curus) wardrobe - a hodge podge of Syracuse's (Farrell) deceased mother's clothing and the bits of clothing she collects along the way.

See the film - it's time well spent if you enjoy moody, quasi-inspiring pieces set in breathtaking locations.

Image found here.

Broken English

My friend Emily recommended the film Broken English to me. And I am so glad that she did. Parker Posey leads a quirky ensemble cast as she portrays Nora Wilder, a 30-something woman living in New York City with a liberal arts degree and a job at hotel that she hates. She feels unlucky in love until she has a random meeting with Julian, a Frenchman who traveled to the US for love and then lost. The center of the film is about their growing connection and navigation of each other's understanding about dating and being in relationship. He wants to live in the moment and just have fun. She wants to label it, lock it down, determine if this is for keeps or something to throw away. However, through their time together, Nora unwinds and becomes a calmer, freer version of herself. It is my guess that this is the person she always wanted to be and never had the right ingredients of people, place, and circumstances.

I resonated greatly with her as I watched the film. Both of us going through transitional periods, struggling with "what we want to be when we grow up," and then the inevitable quandary of a single woman in her twenties and thirties: will I ever get married?

But what I enjoyed most about this film is that, in the end, it became less about the man and more about the woman and her making peace with herself. Find the peace, and the rest will come.



Image: The New York Times

Where I Go

A scene from Carousel: A Dance

Everyone has his or her own relationship to music. Why they listen to it. How they listen to it. Some people pay close attention to the lyrics, while others are in it for the rhythm. I fall into the latter category. To be honest, I have to listen to a song MANY times before I remember the lyrics.

The world seems kinder to me with music playing. Life needs a soundtrack! Music serves as a salve to heal my woes and revitalize my spirit. A vehicle of catharsis. I take refuge in the worlds created through each note. I think that's why I have always loved soundtracks. Listening to the orchestral music makes me feel as though I have escaped into another world. I can become a different character - feeling relief from reality for a brief moment.

Below is "Ballet" from the Carousel (1957) soundtrack - a song where I often go for relief and catharsis. Now, I must clarify that I rarely listen to the entire song. If you listen to the first part, the notes are sprightly and mischievous (fun to listen to at times). Then, they grow to be grandiose as the Carousel Waltz plays (oh, I wish we had more waltzing in life).

Then, the rhythm tempers to a gentle beat. I most often go to the place that begins at 5:37 and ends at 6:47. Seventy seconds. I have curled up into those 70 seconds more times than I can count. Violins swell to a dramatic crescendo of grace and strength. It is the part of the ballet where Louise falls in love with the carousel barker - one of the most romantic and beautifully-executed dance sequences. The music here feels like the full-blown manifestation of my inside. And there is such solace in hearing your feelings played back to you. A sort of affirmation - however transient - settles in my heart and I am little bit more whole than I was before visiting this clinic of musical solitude.

Does my love of these seventy seconds seem a bit to particular and quirky? Or do you have moments in a song that resonate? Why do you listen to music (if you do)?



The 1957 film version:




Image found here.

The Land of Golden Chariots

I watched The Happiest Millionaire (1967) the other night, remembering those summer evenings from my childhood doing the exact same thing - lying in front of TV with a bowl of ice cream and watching an old movie, nothing in the days before me but swimming and riding my bike around the neighborhood. One of the songs from the Disney musical is "Detroit," which praises the city as the "land of golden chariots" and the promise of a new American future in automobile manufacturing. The movie takes places in the early 1900s, so it makes sense that there would be much anticipation over this Michigan city.

However, I could not help but reflect sadly on the irony of this song in the context of today's Detroit. If you are not already aware, Detroit has become one of the worst cities to live in the country - overrun by high crime and depressed real estate and job markets. Oh, how the mighty has fallen. We are at a critical point in the US. We are so far behind much of the world in terms of innovation and sustainable development. For a view into how we compare to other places in terms of our transportation infrastructure, read this article by The New York Times' Thomas Friedman. We need to make some changes and improve our nation's infrastructure. This article suggests putting more resources into our public transportation system instead increasing the number of automobiles that our world will eventually be unable to sustain. Coming from someone who rides a packed and dilapidated subway system each day, I wholeheartedly agree. What we need - and I think we are developing - is the kind of enthusiasm in the video clip below for innovation and a new way of (sustainable) living.