I'm a sucker for romantic stories, and I am an Anglophile, so you know I would love "About Time." Plus, it's from the creator of "Love Acually," and "Notting Hill," two movies I am very fond off. And did I mention that it is set in London, which is probably my most favorite European city, so all in all I was expecting a lot from this movie. Maybe because my expectation was too high that I found myself underwhelmed by it. It's a "time travel" story. Tim, played by Domhnall Gleason is summoned by his father on his 21st birthday, telling him that all the male members from his family can travel backwards in time, at specific times in their lives. So when he meets Mary (Rachel McAdams, luminous here) he pulls out all the stops, making sure their cute meet is perfect. The cute meet is my favorite part of a romance, so I was very happy that in here, they have several cute meet stories. But after they marry, the film loses its steam for me. While the story line between him and his father is earnest, it seems to belong in another movie. I have a major problem with Gleason's performance. While his nerdy, geeky persona was cute in the beginning, I felt it stilted the story later on, and I thought he lacked leading man screen presence that I was ambivalent about what would happen to his character. Plus, the message towards the end was a little too saccharine that I found myself rolling my eyes. But the movie made me think: we all have moments in our lives that we wish we could change, scenes we hoped we could change, but we should also realize that everything else changes after we do so. I wonder if this movie would work better for me on second viewing. Perhaps there was a lot I missed. For now, though, I could only half-recommend this.
You have to really believe in magic when you read a book that has a lot of magical and enchanting elements. I guess you can say my taste gravitate more towards the raw and real. That is probably the reason why I didn't really enjoy Susan McBride's "The Truth About Love & Lightning." It's a fine novel: simple and charming. It has a great heart, but I just didn't get it. I couldn't connect to it, and thought the characters were underedeveloped. I know I am supposed to just give in to the unbelievable aspects of the story. I know that this is supposed to be illogical, and you just go with the flow. I blame me. I couldn't wait for the book to finish, and knew about its "twist" a couple of pages in. The funny thing is that I wanted to like it and gave it a couple of chances. Still, no sell.
A trip to the mall means a trip to Sephora, and as always, I am interested in some of the commercial perfumes. I walk up and down the aisle, but nothing calls, so I just spritz on See by Chloe, which I see was out at the end of last year. This is one of those perfumes that just by looking at the ad campaign, you can sense what kind of smell it will be. So, look at the print ad above: a young girl, wearing a leather jacket and panties. My take ? This would cater to a that girl, you know, the one who goes out at bars, shops at Bleecker Street, and pretends to eat a cronut. This makes sense, because See is Chloe's diffusion line, marketed towards a younger clientele. So, Voila! - the initial burst is fruity. Apples - more green apples - and a hint of pears. It's sweet, syrupy, a bit screechy. I sense just a hint of bergamot and ylang ylang, and I wish there were florals, but the tart apple dominates. This is fruit all the way, almost like a Hello Kitty fragrance, but in all fairness with more quality ingredients. I wore it and rolled my eyes, because, frankly, this is not just me. As it dried down, it turned more nutty, but I don't know if what I am smelling was my olive scented dry oil underneath. This is not an offensive fragrance by any means, but it is far from the most creative, so it is exactly how I expected it to be. Would I wear it? Sure, why not. I would never buy a full-priced bottle of it. But if I were, say, going to the mall, this may be the appropriate thing to wear then.
I was intrigued by the blurb of the book:
"This is a love story.
But it’s not what you think. This is not a first kiss, or a first date.
This is not love at first sight. This is a boy and a girl falling in
messy, unpredictable, thrilling love. This is the complicated route to
happiness that follows.
This is real. This is life. This is how to love."
Isn't that ripe for satire? But Kati Cotugno's "How To Love" isn't a bad as it is pretty...mundane. I thought it was more ordinary than anything else. Reena is a sixteen year old high school student who gets pregnant. Her boyfriend is her best friend's boyfriend before the bestie died. So, yes, there are complications. A story like this could have been so much better in execution and details, but here it just falls flat. It would also be easy to fall into the trap of getting mad at the character for falling again for the boy who is bad for her, but we all know that, in her case, bad will always be good.
I don't know about you, but for me, Johnny Mathis is synonymous to Christmas music. He has recorded a couple of them (if I am not mistaken eight album) And here he is, at age 78, releasing another one. And the voice, by gollly, is still there. It has thinned out just a little bit, it's still warm, supple, and perfect for these Christmas chestnuts. Even though I have heard all these songs before (some may be even by a younger Mathis) I never felt bored by him. As an album, I can't think of a bad track, and he is joined by very special guests that just make the album even better. Starting off the album is a duet with Billy Joel on "Christmas Song" and they show a connection in their duet. Later on, a duet with Gloria Estefan, though blandly arranged, is still not a throwaway because they blend well together. He also duets with Susan Boyle and the lilting arrangement here gives a lift to Boyle's wonderful soprano voice, and the over all effect is not as "heavy." It's a standout on an album of standouts. There are even swell originals here: a track with and composed by Jim Brackman, the title track, and "Decorate The Night," a modern soul track. But my favorite track is his "Merry Christmas Darling," which he sings with less sentimentality than normal, and the message of the song comes just a little more clearly. If you have loved and cherished your old Johnny Mathis albums, prepare to add another more to your collection.
Sometimes you just read a book, and you get into it, and then you are finished with it and then you feel like, yeah, that was that. I wasn't expecting Theresa Paolo's (Never Again) to be a life-altering experience for me, but I wanted a little something with my time spent, too. This book almost made me feel like my time was wasted. Liz is in college and she sees her ex-boyfriend, the one that got away. Well more like the one who moved away and never called her black. Liz felt like she never had closure, and she is right, and this made Zach, her ex, much more attractive for her, of course. Oh, but she has a boyfriend, Joe. As the reader, you kind of know that Liz and Zach are probably meant for each other, but a little conflict would have been nice. Instead, we get a cardboard character out of Joe, her current boyfriend, so you are left with no struggle. There's a sub-plot about a school shooting to mix things up a bit, but the writer doesn't take a stand about the issue so I was shaking my head wondering what was the point. I mean, at least make the reader think a little bit about the issue. All these half-baked ideas really just made me shrug and want to move on to the next book.
Even though I love Tom Ford scents, I don't succumb to them. Maybe because of his gall with regards to pricing his scents. A private collection bottle, 1.7 oz, has a price point north of two hundred dollars at least, and I always say, even Serge Lutens is cheaper. I mean, who does Tom think he is? But I will admit - he does great scents, and I feel (because I do not know for sure) that he is one of these designers who actually *loves* scents. Even his creations with Estee Lauder and YSL were all stellar. I mean, we can credit (or blame) him for creating the oud phenomenon. So, where was I? Oh yes, today, I tried his Urban Mask for maybe the third time, and again, I liked it a lot, but wasn't emotionally attached to it enough to get it. Maybe I really do need a "proper" wearing of this, meaning, getting a separate sample and using it for a whole day. Today, it seemed weak. Last time I remember it was dirtier, skankier, and today it seemed almost...tame. There's musk in the beginning and it's glorious, I admit. But as I wore it, the scent became, for like of a better word, "cleaner."I get the black pepper in the beginning, but today it just disappeared instantly (maybe the slightly balmy weather is the culprit?) Then I got amber, and it's a weak one, the musk actually dulled it. This time 'round, too, I didn't get the jasmine, which I remember to be on the indolic side last time I wore it (That was its big appeal to me then) As time progressed, the musk became whiter, which kind of make sense from the packaging and bottle - and I am just projecting now, of course. Is this one of those scents that you become less and less enamored as you wear it? Maybe, and that is on the practical side a good thing, because it is saving me money.
You can never judge a book by its cover. I thought Natalie Standiford's "The Boy On The Bridge" was a nice light read, a young adult love story that's cutesy. Set in 1982, it tells a story of a young exchange student named Laura who accidentally meets a Russian boy named Aloysha (Alexei) and they fall in love. Pretty simple, right. But this is in the middle of the cold war, so we get into an internal conflict as to whether Alyosha's love is genuine, or is he just using her so he can get to the United States. It was going all well, and the book gave you a nice feeling until the last eighth of the book where it goes kind of dark and unexpected. It was stirring. I found myself deeply and unexpectedly affected by the fate of their love story. I also enjoyed the local flavor as I have been to St Petersburg in Russia and some of the places they visit are familiar to me. I found myself attached to the characters and the endign is heartbreaking.
I will never apologize for liking moat of Susan Boyle's *recordings*. She has a voice that is perfect for records. It's an accessible soprano, and she (or her producers) has a knack for choosing the best vocal arrangements that highlight her voice. Plus, she makes record that have an element of "old fashioned" flair while still appealing to modern tastes. She already has a previous album, and she has released another one for this year, titled "Home For Christmas." And maybe because she has home on the title of her album, I imagined this record as set in the villages outside London, England: you know those hearthy wholesome Christmas scenes like we see on those miniature villages. Most of these songs can be fitting music for those scenes. I especially love her slight lilt in her "I'll Be Home For Christmas," the person singing is upbeat and positive, in anticipation of a reunion with loved ones. And I love that she covers "I Believe in Father Christmas," a "controversial" Christmas song that is kind of bitter and angry. She duets with Johnny Mathis (the ultimate Holiday song singer, in my opinion) in "When A Child Is Born" and it's a perfect match. A slight misfire is her 'duet' with Elvis Presley in "O Come All Ye Faithful," because the track sounds just like two people singing together with no connection between them. But the rest of the album is a keeper: an angelic choral lifts up "Hark The Hearald Angels Sing," melancholia reigns supreme on "In The Bleak Midwinter," and the sparse arrangement highlights Boyle's beautiful instrument on "The Christmas Waltz." I think I mentioned recently that I have experienced a little bit of saturation with regards to Holiday music, but I listened to this straightaway and felt light and joyful afterwards. I think that's close to what truly is the real meaning of Christmas, ain't it?
You want to learn about the ins and outs of fashion? Read Simon Doonan's "The Asylum." Before I started reading the book, I thought this was fiction, but really the book is a collection of essays about Mr. Doonan's experience working in the fashion industry. (He has been responsible for Barney's windows for the past 20+years) I thought the book would be fluff, to be honest, but it is insightful, witty, and he talks about a lot of truths. It was like spending a nice afternoon at the Barney;s restaurant with this fabulous guy who knows and has worked with some of the giants in the fashion industry. I mean, name it - he has an anecdote about them: Diana Vreeland, Suzy Menkes, Anna Wintour, Tom Ford. Some of my favorite stories include a story about his adventures friend's boyfriend, who is a dancer from The Gaiety (I actually know that man, believe it or not) and his involvement with Rei Kawakubo as she was developing her first scent for CDG. I feel like Mr. Doonan and I were in the same New York City at the same time and have fond recollections about his reminiscences. The book reads like the wind. I couldn't stop reading it, and found myself finishing it in the wee hours of the morning, sleep be damned.
Last night's episode, "Hitting The Fan," of The Good Wife (CBS, Sundays at 9 pm) was the game changer for this series, which I think is one of the best on television right now (Michael Ausiello of TV Line says it is the best show on television right now) Things have been boiling slowly but surely for the first four episodes of the season, and last night everything exploded! Diane Lockhart (played by the hottest cool intensity by Christien Baranski) finds out that Alicia Florrick has been planning to leave the firm and told Will Gardner (Josh Charles, his best performance on the series yet) and Will explodes: firing Alicia on the spot. Hell ensues and not even five minutes has passed in the episode. What happens next is a master class of fine storytelling, with everyone miles away from where they started at the start of the episode. Is there a more nuanced actress on television right now than Julianna Marguilles? Her Alicia is vulnerable, strong, hurt, bull headed, strong and weakened all in one episode, and she goes through all these emotions so effectively, and you re a viewer are torn between loving her, protecting her, getting scared for her, and joyous at her freedom. Josh Charles has always been competent in the series btu last night he showed a ferocious intensity that is almost scary. And I mentioned Baranski, and she is magnificent, her eyes icy and menacing. they all play off each other so well, you root for all of them at once. Matt Czuchry has always been an underutilized here, and still is, in my opinion. Hopefully they let him flex his chops soon. This story/show ill just keep on getting better, and we all benefit. I cannot wait.
Michael Thomas Ford's novel, "The Road Home," reminds me of the fiction I used to read in the 90s. (Even the front cover is very 90s styled, I think) Well, maybe because I have been reading Mr. Ford's work since then. This is a recent novel , though, published in 2010. It tells a story of a middle-aged gay man who has a car accident on his birthday. He badly injures his knees, and has to be in a cast. And since he is single and alone, he has to go back to his childhood home with his father (and his new girlfriend) to recuperate, forcing him to face old demons. Along the way, he finds a new version of himself. It's your run-f-the-mill story, but Ford knows how to craft modern characters: Burke, the main character, is instantly likeable, if flawed. You will want to instantly follow his plight. He even touches upon issues such as gay midlife crises, marriage equality, even how closeted youth in this day and age. His situations never seem contrived, and he doesn't resort to lazy writing just to propel the story forward. There's a mildly interesting subplot of a gay relationship during the civil war, and it helps beef up the slim storyline. I liked this book a lot.
You know that time when you are watching something, and yo u are confused and it ends and you ask, "what just happened?" That seems to be the perfect description of my experience watching "The Counselor." There's such a dearth of (in my opinion) interesting movies for me to watch and the all-star cast here drew me to see this movie. Michael Fassbender. Penelope Cruz. Cameron Diaz. Brad Pitt. these are all marquee names, and they are well worth the money. Each one, especially Fassbender, give star performances. You can tell they try their amndest, and combined with their star power, they, in the words of Tim Gunn, "make it work." And they almost succeed. Ultimately, the confusing, pretentious screenplay bogs then down, and the film, for me is more a miss. The worst thing about the movie? Cormac McCarthy's screenplay. I haven't read any of his novels, so I don't know if he usually makes his characters talk this way: flowery, vague, all generic life lesson mumbo jumbo. All you can think of is that normal people don't speak this way. Sure, he has peppered the movie with characters that are all vividly colored, but without a straight man in the center, it all becomes a muddled mess. You don't know who you are rooting for, and when each gets their fate, you don't care either way. Plus. the set up of the story takes half the movie hat if you aren't patient, apathy will take over. And the complex plot never really gels. I still don't know who did what and what happened in the end. There's a lot of sex and violence here: Diaz has sex with a yellow convertible, and on the last eighth of the movie, it turns too gory for my taste. Director Ridley Scott keeps the action going, and he keeps you in suspense until the last frame, but you don't really understand how or why.
A couple of pages in Karen Buscemi's "The Make Over," I grumbled and thought to myself, not another novel that's a rip off of "The Devil Wears Prada." This tells the story of Camilla Rhodes, a monster editor in chief of a fashion magazine. She is shrewd, ruthless, impeccably dressed...and well, a couple more pages in, she gets fired from her job at the magazine. This story tells of her fall, and how she rebuilds her life. It's sort of a fairy tale story in reverse, and interesting. But, also a little bit unbelievable. For example, someone with that stature will not be shunned that easily. But if you ignore some of holes, you will find that this is a pleasant read - it's easy to get into, and there's even a heavy handed morale that you can rally behind. The characters are easy to like, and the conflicts are engaging enough. I wish there were a little more weight to it, but I really wasn't looking for that in the first place.
Juliette Has A Gun's Miss Charming reminds me of the story of Cinderella. I think this would be the scent Cinderella would wear to the ball. She would be picking strawberries earlier in the day, and then she would wear her gown, and Prince Charming would give her a rose corsage, and she would dance the night away, and her natural musk would come out, and then she would go home with her glass slipper. The story would be in that order. As you spritz Miss Charming on, the first thing that I got was strawberries. Most strawberry note perfumes in the market has that plastic-y strawberry smell, but this one is not screechy, and that is because it is accompanied by a rose, in full bloom. There is a slight lychee here too, that gives this coldness, and the full effect is really quite elegant, for a fruity floral. This stays with you for a long long while, before white musk sets in to round it up. The longevity is massive, with a decent almost-quiet sillage. I think it's a "pretty" scent and works better, for me, in the colder weather. If this was a designer fragrance, it would be a grand slam. But the fact that it is from a niche label, and done by Nina Ricci's grandson, well, I kind of expected more from him. It's well done, for sure, but really not the most imaginative thing. Wear it, and you may end up with a Prince.
