A Single Man, or How Tom Ford's debut looks gorgeous

I already voiced my (albeit sceptic) anticipation for Tom Ford's debut film A Single Man(based on Christopher Isherwood's novella of the same name) but after this trailer, well... I can't wait to see this. Colin, Julianne, Matthew, Lee, Ginnifer & Nicholas all look gorgeous and considering I love them all from giving me things I adore (Shakespeare in Love, Boogie Nights, Match Point, Pushing Daisies, Big Love & Skins) I don't know how their cumulative endeavor won't win me over.

That every screengrab looks likes a beautiful photographs is probably not incidental but golly aren't they all mouth-watering?

Up in the Air, or How after TYFS and Juno, Reitman can do no wrong

Seriously, the buzz might be deafening but doesn't this look amazing?

Nic and Eva, or How I'm Seeing Double

[via]

Nic Cage floating head? Check!

Eva Mendes floating head? Check!

Shit going down below their floating heads? Check!

Shakira, or How there's a Chic-Wolf in your closet!

[Source]

She-Wolf? More like Chic-Wolf!

Dreams for Women, or How this is me getting my feminist on

My friend Amanda Reaume has this amazing magazine based out of Vancouver called Antigone which you should seek out and read if you care about anything politically progressive and feminist. I know I should keep up with their great blog more often but whenever I do, it makes me smile (just their last blog post talked about President Laura Roslin - BSG FOREVER! - so you know you're in good hands) mostly because of the campaign "Dreams for Women" (which I spotlit already way back when I was getting mavericky and anti-Palin-ey).

The campaign is very simple:

What are your dreams for women?

What are your own dreams for yourself, your friends, your sisters, your daughters? Paint, draw, write, sketch or decoupage your dreams on a postcard and send it to the address below
Antigone MagazineC/O WILLA UBC
Box 61-6138 SUB Boulevard

Vancouver, BC, CanadaV6T 1Z1

We are raising the money in order to help launch the Antigone Foundation, a national foundation that will encourage young women aged 10-30 to get politically and civically engaged. Help support Antigone as we help to make the dreams of young women come true! We want submissions from all over the world – so forward this on!

Last time I did a Tina Fey/Sarah Palin 'dreams for women' postcard and continuing my love for Pop Culture (and inspired by this hilarious Twilight-based one I've attached below) here's a new one:

Pixar's Shorts or How Everything I Know I Learnt from Animation

Okay, so I am a PIXAR nut, sue me, okay? I already devoted a hilarious (if I say so myself) post to what I learnt from PIXAR's full-length motion pictures, but have any of you seen all the shorts? They are equally fantastic (duh!) and so I decided to showcase them (cause you SHOULD be looking out for each of 'em) and see what they can teach all of us.

Catch: I reduced it to one lesson per short.

(Oh, and if you're looking for the shorts based on the films, I decided they could wait - and also, you're already aware of those so...)

Everything I Know I Learnt from Animation - Pixar Shorts Edition

The Adventures of Andre and Wally B

3D Animation has come a loooong way.

Luxo Jr

Bigger balls are more fun to play with... BEACH balls people, c'mon!

Red's Dream

Clowns are scary.

Tin Toy

Babies are scarier!

Knick Knack

Souvenirs are only acceptable in PIXAR shorts, not in your home.

Geri's Game

Old people are easily entertained: they don't even need chess partners!

For The Birds

Being different is hard. So if you're tall and lanky and wear feathers, well, I'll be making fun of you with the rest of the bird-gang.

Boundin'

In the American imagination, even their mythological characters are plush toys.

One Man Band

Children should never be trusted with money.

Lifted

Fat, ugly supervisors with no facial expressions and a clipboard are hell to work with/for.

Presto

Don't piss off bunnies (see also Bugs Bunny).

Partly Cloudy

Animal babies are cute. Though of course puppies are cuter than baby alligators.

Julia, or How Tilda will fuck you up!

Julia

Written by: Michael Collins, Camille Natta, Aude Py & Eric Zonca

Directed by: Eric Zonca

Starring: Tilda Swinton

What's scarier than Tilda in a mask with a gun?

Mexicans with guns!

It's like Babel meets Tilda Swinton. A-

Men Who Stare At Goats, or How look! It's Ewan!

As I was typing up my list of Top 20 Actors, I bemoaned to myself that Ewan McGregor (who I can't NOT-love after Moulin Rouge!) hasn't had the greatest track record (why must he play second-fiddle to Oscar winners in thankless roles? Yes, I'm looking at you Miss Potter and Amelia!) And then, as if answering my prayers, come the trailer for The Men Who Stare at Goats (which seems like it'd make a great triple feature alongside A Serious Man and The Informant! no?)

I love me some Clooney comedy and some rugged Ewan, so here's hoping the film delivers.

Jamie & Eliza or How I'm extra-excited about Dollhouse now

"We are kickass"

Need we say more?

[src]

The 20 Actors Meme, or How my name is mB and I'm an actressexual

Goes to show how much I love actresses that when Nat posted his list of Top Favorite Actors and beckoned for our own lists... well, I gotta say I sat in front of my MacBook scratching my head, imdb-ing and wikipedia-ing more than I should have. And even then I could barely make a Top 20, but here goes:

Top 20 Actors

It's a hodge-podge mix of Old & New, Rising and Established, TV & Film

(see the list of ladies here)

(Clockwise) Clive, James, Alec, James, Ralph, Ian, Ewan, Michael, Johnny, Marlon, Aaron, Jim, Ryan, Neil, Jake, Leo, Jude, George, Matt & Cary.

Victor Victoria, or How Julie Andrews is a Diva!

Diva (n.) A celebrated female singer. Derived from the Italian/Latin adjective diva for "divine female person." The basic sense of the term is "goddess."

Diva: Julie Andrews as Victoria Grant in Victor Victoria (1982)

First let's do a simple checklist, a good diva needs:

1. A powerful entrance.

Nothing says "diva" like capturing the camera's attention from the moment you're on screen.

Lucky for Victoria she gets two "entrances." For the first one (and continuing a trend in introducing divas) we only at first hear her voice as we follow the camera along before finding her mid-audition (sadly, she doesn't get the job). Not a good start. It's a good setup though.

But later! Oh later does she get her diva entrance in full!

As 'Victoria' she makes a splash with her iconic shimmering frock to the tune of 'Le Jazz Hot' (one of my all-time favorite musical sequences in film) - I mean, she gets a spotlight, a closeup, a shimmering gown: what else does a diva need for an entrance?

2. A great wardrobe (including an amazing headdress!)

I mean, what better way to capture anyone's looks than by drawing attention to your body?

It seems being a diva and being costumed by an Academy Award nominated Costume Designer go hand in hand: Ms Andrews' Oscar-nominated frocks came courtesy of Ms Patricia Norris and they ran the gamut from flashy (Le Jazz Hot's silvery sensation) to mutely appropriate (the flamenco ensemble). The fact that they sway from overly feminine (Victoria) to faux-masculine (Victor) adds to the allure and caché of Ms Norris' designs. That we're located in the showbiz world allows for wildly accessorized ensembles that quickly draw attention to themselves (I mean, is she wearing a chandelier on her head, perchance?).

3. A loving entourage (read: a lovely audience)

What's a diva without an adoring fan-base?

Always able to escort and dance around 'Victoria' the dancers from her ensemble are like a little dancetourage (and look! aren't they pretty?). But of course Victoria also has adoring fans outside of the thea-tah (most notably 'Toddy' who keeps her secret to her success, and King Marchand who seems oddly attracted to that 'man in drag' - even Norma becomes a fan once she sees 'Victoria' perform!)

To create one iconic character (Mary Poppins) would be a thrill for any actress, to create two (Maria from The Sound of Music) would be a blessing... but for Julie Andrews, so 'late' in her career to knock this one out of the park, well, that just proves how great talent sometimes really is rewarded in Hollywood (Notice how all three performances were nominated for an Oscar, with a win coming for her film screen debut in that Disney flick).

Oh Julie, when you play me "le jazz hot" baby, you're holding my soul together too!

Leo's One-Two-Punch Rule, or How Shutter Island gets a 2010 release

Speculation about Paramount's decision to move Scorcese's Shutter Island from Oct 2009 (primed for Oscar season) to February 2010 (Oscar no-man's-land) range from idiotic ("it's no good!" - uh, hello, DiCaprio + Scorcese + crazy Patty Clarkson? Riiight) to industry-savvy ("it makes more sense financially to not spend $50M+ for an Oscar campaign") but I think I figured it out: Leo's just gotten used to having 2 big releases per year.

Don't believe me? Let's group Leo's biggest (post-Titanic) "hits" by year:

2008

2006

2004

(Okay one, but didn't it feel like TWO?)

2002

My theory fails me in 2000/2001

Noticeably absent or not grouped at all: The Beach (2000), cause... let's just forget about that one, shall we? and Don's Plum (2001) which I had never heard about before...

1998

This way, Leo can have Scorcese's Shutter Island nicely paired alongside Nolan's Inception and make 2010 another banner year where we'll probably be asking ourselves: "What film will he be nominated for...?"

Back to the Future, or How I'm Seeing Double

Has any other franchise kept their marketing as faithful to the original as this one?