Saturday, January 21, 2017

Who's That Girl?


Women synchronizing knee lifting, 1930’s

Art: Edward Valigursky

Sara Blomqvist


A day in the life, Jan 18


A day in the life, Jan 18, Christmas decoration still up

Romy Schneider


in: Les choses de la vie (1970)

New York


Old Pennsylvania Station, New York City

Natalie Portman


First Lines: Jon Krakauer - Into Thin Air


Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind, and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet.

Caroline Brasch Nielsen


ph: Henrik Bülow

A day in the life, Jan 17


A day in the life, Jan 17, window display

Lotte Verbeek


New Stuff: Frank Zappa



Paula Bertolini


Smart People (2008)



Into the life of a widowed professor comes a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother.

Mildly entertaining and well played, but unspectacular story with a simple message: smart people don't have it easy, too.

Halliwell**1/2: "Bittersweet comedy-drama isn't uninteresting but the script feels undernourished."

Jessica Stam


ph: Willy Vanderperre

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Xiao Wen Ju


ph: Richard Burbridge

First Lines: Beryl Markham - West With the Night


How is it possible to bring order out of memory?

Lara Stone


ph: Inez & Vinoodh

A day in the life, Jan 15


A day in the life, Jan 15, snowing

Kate Grigorieva


The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)

 
A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant, and soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.
 
Sappy fairy-tale-like story is nicely done, but without focus, and the nannying parents are a bit unnerving.

Maltin**: "Well-intentioned fable from the Disney studio is played with conviction by the leading actors, but every time the film shifts focus to a supporting character or subplot it sputters. Too bad."

Ji Hyun Jeong


ph: Ahn Jooyoung

New Stuff: The XX



Audrey Hepburn


Loulou (1980)



When a middle-class Parisian housewife, married to possessive husband, meets street thug Loulou , her middle-class respectability is thrown out the window and she leaves her husband for Loulou.

This movie offers two brilliant lead performances and works as an in-depth milieu study, but the plot meanders without a clear focus.

Halliwell (no star): "Curious but not particularly interesting character study, watchable mainly for its detail."

Maltin***1/2: "Two leads have terrific sexual rapport in dynamic star vehicle."

Who's That Girl?


Line of ballet dancers on their toes, 1931

Art: Santiago Caruso

January Jones


A day in the life, Jan 14


A day in the life, Jan 14, little snowman

Annabelle Harbison


New York


New York City, 1970

Isabella Rossellini


ph: Steven Meisel

First Lines: Edward Abbey - Desert Solitaire


This is the most beautiful place on earth.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Anja Leuenberger


A day in the life, Jan 13


A day in the life, Jan 13, the Moon

Grace Coddington


Lovelace (2013)


The story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband, before taking control of her life.

Despite good production and some excellent performances this attempt of depicting the actual tragedy falls short on offering any depth to the story.

Maltin***: "Absorbing biopic...Evocative performances and first-rate period atmosphere help make this credible - except, perhaps, for a brief, artificial portrayal of Hugh Hefner by Franco." 

Felicity Jones


New Stuff: The New Yorker


(art: Kadir Nelson)

Mariacarla Boscono


ph: Peter Lindbergh

Avatar (2009)


A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Spellbinding ecological science fiction with great visuals and a simplistic message.

On renewed viewing: great to warch, but the White Saviour plot is still disconcerting.

Maltin***: "Innovative, futuristic fable, set in a rich computer-generated environment and populated with strikingly designed creatures...Thrilling at times, with a cornucopia of wonders to behold. Cameron's parable about imperialism too often resorts to B-movies cliches and goes on too all long, but the visual experience trumps most of its flaws."