Alguna vez han querido vivir en una película de Sofía Coppola, hablar francés, ser refinado y fanático de la haute couture? Pues si es así, esta debería ser la banda sonora de su vida.

A pesar de tener un nombre y una portada dignos de una banda punk con un cantante que escupe a sus fans en los conciertos (por eso bajé el disco en primer lugar), la propuesta de The xx me sorprendió por su sofisticado sonido dreamy, pop y atmosférico, todo en un empaque exquisitamente bien hecho.

Grabado en un pequeño garage en los estudios XL, este grupo de chic@s (ninguno llega a los 25 años) del sur de Londres han logrado un disco sumamente catchy a pesar de tener unas bases rítimicas leeeeentas, que ocasiones incluso recuerdan a The Cure. Pero además de su instrumentación, son los arreglos R&B de las voces de Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft, los que le imprimen una personalidad distinta a la banda.

Sin una nota de más o algún ritmo que suene rarófilo, este podría ser el debut del año, a pesar de que  todas las canciones suenan muy parecidas entre sí. Ahora si me permiten voy preparar una cena fancy mientras bailo un poco de manera minimalista pop.

torrent

rapidshare

Acá les dejo los dos videos que han sacado para promocionar el disco

]]> http://doscorazonesblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/lost-in-translation-2003/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:32:15 +0000 Dos Corazones http://doscorazonesblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/lost-in-translation-2003/

Ein Rheinländer kann sich in Bayern schon mal schwerlich zurechtfinden, den eigenen Akzent abzuschalten und den des Gegenübers zu ignorieren und sich irgendwie verstehen zu können, fällt da nicht immer leicht. Das ist aber kein Vergleich zu dem Kulturschock, den Bill Murray und Scarlett Johansson in Sofia Coppolas oscarprämierten Film erleben.

Zwei amerikanische Bürger stranden in einem Hotel in Tokio. Bob Harris (Bill Murray), ein ehemaliger Filmstar, dreht aus der lieben Not heraus Werbung in der Millionenmetropole. Seine Familie lässt er in der Heimat zurück und vergisst zu allem Übel auch noch den Geburtstag seines Kindes. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) hat sich aus Langeweile entschieden, ihren Ehemann John (Giovanni Ribisi, Phoebes Halbbruder in “Friends”) zu begleiten. Der hat allerdings keine Zeit, sich mit ihr ins Stadtleben zu stürzen, da sein Job ihm jede Minute und eine Menge Energie kostet.

Ganz abgesehen davon, dass in Großstädten die Bewohner vollkommen anonym neben sich her leben, haben die beiden Amerikaner noch ein weiteres Problem: Sie sprechen kein Wort japanisch. Um diesem Manko vorzubeugen, steht Bob stets eine Dolmetscherin zur Seite, deren Übersetzung Bob aber ins Stutzen bringen – anscheinend haben Japaner sehr lange Wörter. Charlotte langweilt sich zwar nicht mehr in der Heimat, sitzt dafür den Tag über im Hotelzimmer, bis sie abends in der Bar Bob über den Weg läuft. Schnell merken sie, da haben sich zwei gesucht und gefunden. Denn von der Schauspielerin Kelly (Anna Farris) und Freundin von John ist viel zu oberflächlich und die Bekannte in Tokio vorerst uninteressant. Doch mit dem Aufeinandertreffen der zwei verlorenen Seelen ändert sich der Aufenthalt der beiden schlagartig.

Bob: What are you doing?
Charlotte: My husband’s a photographer, so he’s here working. I wasn’t doing anything so I came along.
Bob: What do you do?
Charlotte: I’m not sure yet, actually.
—————————
Charlotte: You’re probably just having a mid-life crisis. Did you buy a Porsche yet?
—————————
Bob: Can you keep a secret? I’m trying to organize a prison break. I’m looking for, like, an accomplice. We have to first get out of this bar, then the hotel, then the city, and then the country. Are you in or you out?
Charlotte: I’m in. I’ll go pack my stuff.
Bob: I hope that you’ve had enough to drink. It’s going to take courage.

Quelle: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335266/quotes

Bob und Charlotte lernen sich in einer schwierigen Phase ihrer beider Leben kennen. Der in die Jahre gekommene Filmstar sieht sich der Midlifecrisis gegenüber und sucht nach einer neuen Erfüllung in seinem Leben. Auch die Ehe hängt nur noch an losen Fäden. Ständige Reisen haben das Ehepaar auseinander getrieben. Die Kinder halten die Ehe scheinbar als letzte Instanz zusammen. Charlotte hat ihr Philosophiestudium abgeschlossen und sucht nun nach ihrer wahren Berufung. Ihr Ehemann hat keine Zeit sich auch noch mit ihren Problemen herumzuschlagen, auch wenn er sie liebt. Die junge Frau scheint zu begreifen, dass Liebe allein nicht ewig eine Beziehung am Laufen halten kann.

Langsam kommen sich die beiden Herumirrenden näher, vertrauen sich gegenseitig an, da sonst niemand da ist, dem sie sich öffnen können und wollen. Auf einen Schlag wird der Aufenthalt in Tokio zu einem wunderbaren Erlebnis für beide und die schönste Zeit ihres Lebens.

Trotz des relativ großen Altersunterschied der beiden Hauptdarsteller Scarlett Johansson und Bill Murray, die durch das Drehbuch allerdings auch vorausgesetzt wird, überzeugt die Beziehung der beiden Zueinander auf ganzer Linie. Ohne Abzüge nimmt man den beiden ab, dass sie Seelenverwandte sind, die beide verloren in der großen weiten Welt umher irren. Wenn man es so lapidar ausdrückt, wirkt der Film ein wenig banal, ist er jedoch überhaupt nicht.

Sofia Coppola führt nicht nur Regie, sie hat auch das Drehbuch verfasst. Für diese Arbeit erhielt sie auch den Academy Award und man kann ihr ihn nicht verdenken. Um Bob und Charlotte wird japanisch geplappert, wenn es nur möglich ist. Sind die beiden alleine, beherrscht eine drückende Stille den Raum. Wenn sich die beiden Treffen, berühren die sanften Dialoge und das fröhliche Lachen den Zuschauer. Dass die Bilder den Eindruck noch verstärken, dass die beiden “verloren” sind, muss bei ihrem Können wohl kaum  noch erwähnt werden. Die Bildsprache beherrschte Sofia Coppola schon vier Jahre zuvor wirklich gut, steigert in Tokio die Impressionen aber noch weiter.

“Lost in Translation” ist ein humorvolles Drama um zwei Menschen, deren Leben auf den Kopf gestellt wurde, ohne es selbst verursacht zu haben. Diese Lebenssituationen passen aber zusammen wie die beiden Schauspieler, die sich in ihrer Leistung gegenseitig wundervoll ergänzen – ein durch und durch gelungener Film in einer fremden Kultur.

I’m currently watching this, It’s unbelievable how visually beautiful this movie is.

I couldn’t help but start my morning off watching it and eating apple jacks.

Later today I’ve got a little update of what I’ve been working on.

Film a tinte personali ed intimo per Francis Ford Coppola e il suo padre-padrone , un bel po’ autobiografico diciamo, che con la sua luce e fama offusca i figli e tutti coloro che gli stanno attorno in un tragico vortice autodistruttivo. L’utilizzo del bianco e nero magistrale , bè vorrei ben dire visto cotanta esperienza eh, racconta il presente dei protagonisti alcuni privi di frammenti della loro storia personale e quindi alla ricerca di verità altri troppo consapevoli per dimenticarne anche una minima parte. Il colore ,capovolgendo la prassi, viene usato per ricostruire i pezzi del puzzle perduti, lampi flashback che ridipingono uno scenario ancor più difficile da accettare ma che finirà col riavvicinare gli ultimi superstiti di una famiglia in macerie. Il protagonista è Tetro, un ispirato Vincent Gallo fuggito dal suo passato e che una visita inaspettata riporta al tempo dei fatti, notevole anche Alden Ehrenreich di cui sicuramente sentiremo parlare in futuro, eggià . Che sia un auto-confessione dei peccati del regista non ci è dato saperlo, certo convivere con un padre così famoso non è  facile per nessuno ed a veder bene il Giardino delle Vergini Suicide della figlia Sofia Coppola forse un collegamento lo si trova. Parlare di segreti di famiglia non è mai facile si sa, ci sono , si sanno ma non si vedono.

☺☺☺☺☺

6FDD4A98668H

Victorian is my favorite Era… I want to live in it merely for the fashion…. but Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette reallllly ups it up a notch :] It’s one of my favorite movies simply because of how GORGEOUS it was.

Inaugurando a sessão “Achei Isso em um Filme”, a música de Elvis Costello, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding”. Há tempos passa pela minha cabeça escrever sobre músicas, bandas,  lugares, escritores, livros, comidas, etc, que conheci vendo filmes. Afinal, muitas vezes ouvimos uma trilha, ou vamos atrás do autor do livro que inspirou ou é citado no filme, ou até um prato diferente de uma culinária de outro país. As referência agregam muito valor a qualquer obra, e rastreá-las sempre traz bons frutos para mentes mais atentas e curiosas.

Existem determinados filmes, quando assistimos pela primeira vez, percebe-se que provavelmente é daqueles ‘atemporais’, ou um ‘novo-clássico’, e se daqui a 20 anos você parar para assistir, sentirá muito confortável fazendo isso. Não que “Encontros e Desencontros” (Lost in Translation), seja algo tão extraordinário, para muitos é até um filme ‘parado demais’. Mas sua relevância destaca-se por trazer em ótima forma, o na época esquecido, Bill Murray. Não conheço todos os seus filmes, mas com certeza esse se destaca em seu currículo. Podemos listar o Oscar de melhor roteiro para também diretora Sofia Coppola, e o primeiro grande sucesso de ninguém mais que Scarlett Johansson, exibindo toda sua sensualidade quase juvenil, sem muito esforço.

Existem várias passagens marcantes em “Encontros e Desencontros”, mas eu destaco aqui duas cenas onde as musicas foram utilizadas magistralmente. Apesar de ter ouvido uma ou outra coisa de Elvis Costello, nunca fora me apresentada a musica “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding”. Na cena do Karaokê, quando Bill Murray a canta, além de “More Than this” (musica original de Bryan Ferry e sua banda “Roxy Music”, regravada por “10.000 Maniacs”), fiquei muito curioso, pois além de muito engraçada a forma que Bill solta sua voz, a musica soava forte e cheia de energia. Para quem não conhece Elvis Costello, ele começou sua carreira junto com o movimento punk na metade dos anos 70,  percorreu a new wave, soul, country entre outros estilos, foi parceiro de Paul MacCartney no final dos anos 80 e casou-se com a cantora Diana Krall em 2003. Já concorreu ao Oscar de melhor canção, além de ser a voz de “She”, tema de “Um Lugar Chamado Notting Hill” (Notting Hill, 1999).

A outra é o encontro final entre Scarlett e Bill, “Just Like Honey” da banda Jesus and the Mary Chain, preenche totalmente os espaços (se você começar a contar as batidas desde o início da cena, elas sincronizam quando a música começa), criando um desfecho ‘cult’ e ‘ melancólico’ para o filme.

Como nada é por acaso, e este mundo é muito pequeno, após trocar alguns vídeos desta música com meu irmão, eis que me deparo com uma apresentação ao vivo, onde Elvis Costello divide o palco com Jakob Dylan (filho do Bob e líder do The Wallflowers, depois descobri que eles já regravaram esta música), Jenny Lewis e ninguém mais do que Zooey Deschanel. Mas fica questão: Quem seria essa tal Zooey Deschanel? A estrela de “500 Dias com Ela” (500 Days of Summer, 2009). Além de atriz é cantora e possui uma dupla chamada “She & Him”, mas sobre isso só no prometido e atrasado post de “500″.

Infelizmente não encontrei a sequencia completa onde Bob Harris (Bill Murray) desfila toda sua voz para Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), mas na segunda metade do trailer tem a música de fundo e uma pequena amostra desta cena.

Abaixo a apresentação ao vivo da ’superbanda’ de Elvis Costello, reparem como tem vários guitarristas, dois bateristas e principalmente um ‘passinho legal’ de Zooey e Jenny nos backing vocals.

Site oficial de Lost in Translation.

‘Para não dizer que não falei das flores’, eu não conheço muito a discografia do Elvis Costello, por isso nem poderia dizer que sou fã ou coisa parecida. Mas esta música em especial, acho muito divertida e todas as versões que encontrei são excelentes.

Stacey Battat, I adore your work!

Oui je sais je suis complètement loin de l’évènement qui c’est passé chez Louis Vuitton, lorsque Sofia est venu pour créer sa ligne de sacs et chaussures, je dis ça comme si c’était ma pote… non non je vous rassure je me suis pris un vent bien glacial quand je lui ai dit bonjour, mais c’est pas grave je suis pas rancunière et ce moment c’est le sac que je voudrai avoir il est tellement beau. Encore une petite lubie, comme tant d’autre.

***

Yes I know I am completely far from the event which it is spent at Louis Vuitton, when Sofia came to create its line of bags and shoes, I say that as if it was my friend, but not I reassure you I took myself a very icy wind when I said hello to her, but it is not grave I am not vindictive and this moment it is the bag that I shall want credit note it is so beautiful. Another small whim, as so much the other one.

so the three films i’m going to talk about are (in the order they are to be viewed, not in the order in which i love them):

in the mood for love

marie antoinette

wings of desire

these films are all favorites of mine, all time favorite favorites, best movies ever and i can’t pick which one would be my all time #1. it’s too hard. they have influenced how i think, feel, dress and view the world. i could do a full on blog for each one. the only way to settle it would be to have them fight for my favor but no matter who won i would be disappointed. sigh.

so instead i’m going to focus on the amazing fashion/style of each movie and talk about how to pick out an outfit from each one. now, this is an imaginary internet shopping outfit, i’ll list real prices but nothing is really affordable. i imagine the outfits i pick out to be like inspiration for you to go out and find your own at your local vintage shops and nordstrom racks.

i wish, sometimes, that this blog was one of those blogs where i am like a maria von trapp of  fashion and i can say “hey! remember that amazing white coat rachel weiss wore in the brothers bloom???? well, here is how to make it in a half hour with the fabric from your old sofa and six nickels”. but guys, i am just not that girl. so enjoy.

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE

as i mentioned before, this is a movie that is seriously up for best movie ever award. it’s so beautiful and tragic with the most amazing costumes and music that it might melt you into the floor. it did me. hong kong 1960’s. hot, hot, hot tony leung. unrequited love that is so soft you can barely hear it but it’s deafening. is this another one of my quiet films? you betcha.

wong kar wai, i think, is all about the skin tight, crazy, crazy tight cheongsam. it’s what he puts all his ladies in and they all look amazing. if you are going to try this look, be sure to either have gone to the gym and dieted for at least two years before. like that all grapefruit diet. it was really hard to find cheongsam that didn’t look like bad prom night, but here it is a beautiful one clocking in at $129.99:

if you are looking for a gorgeous cheongsam of your own, please do not be deterred by the picture of paris hilton that instantly pops up when you google “cheongsam”. there are a lot of affordable ones and to achieve the full wong kar wai treatment, you’ll have to take it to be tailored. but you really can’t argue with those lines. they are beautiful. from here i’ll take you to proper accessories to give yourself the look of the heroine mrs. chan at the climax of the movie: stark reds and blacks.

stella mccartney red trench for $658. love those classic sharp lapels.

14k white gold and black pearl dangle earrings for $312

a black miu miu leather nappa shoulder bag for  $1,150

and dont’ forget your pumps! beautiful christian louboutin new decoltissimo 85 patent pumps for $565:if you want to go chan to the max, you’ll also need some silk stockings, a beehive and some killer black eyeliner. i suggest calvin klien for lingerie, mac for make up and some aqua net for hair (i used to have a roommate with a beehive and she swore by that stuff).

MARIE ANTOINETTE

so if you have been reading this blog for a bit you will know i am obsessed with sofia coppola’s marie antoinette. i have already talked a lot about how incredibly ornate yet quiet this film is. it’s really astonishing. and it is so, so beautiful and detailed. eating with your eyes, i call that. but i’ll shut up now and let you see for yourself, if you have not already.

now, all the blogs and magazine articles i checked out in prep for this blog in regards to marie antoinette inspired fashion, which seemed to peak around 2006 (but in my opinion is always in style) were all like “OMG! don’t over do it, pick ONE color you like or do ONE loud thing that is MA inspired and tone the rest down or you’ll look costume-y.” and you know what i say to that? FUCK THAT SHIT. i think if you’re going to pull together a marie antoinette inspired number you better look DECKED. it’s marie antoinette for crying out loud! i don’t want to see that you put on a jeweled cameo necklace over your black turtle neck because you were “inspired” by marie antoinette. no, no. if you are channeling the great MA, you better turn it out. that being said, i give you my marie antoinette outfit….waist up first:

first, pompadour your hair until it looks like candy floss.

then some tarina tarantino tulle flower clips scattered about in baby blue, clocking in at $70

pretty dangling pink earrings from betsy johnson for $41

next, a stack of fake pearls. necklaces, from top: pearl-and-chain necklace, $1488, pearl-and-safety-pin necklace, $963, tom binns; single-strand pearls, price upon request, mikimoto. stolen from marie claire, i think.

personal fave, the ostrich-feather vest, $3,275,  givenchy by riccardo tisci

underneath which will live this beautiful knit corset by ditu who only gives you prices and sizes on requests.

now waist down all valentino, poor you…

valentino red silk organza miniskirt for $495

then scare yourself up some baby blue tights and finally, finally, stuff your pretty manicured tootsies into…

these beauties are hot off the spring 2010 runway and i don’t have a price. i’m guessing they will cost you some kind of organ or access to your dna.

last step, powder your nose and rouge your cheeks. mac can help there (they don’t pay me to promote them so hard and i don’t work there, i swear, i just believe in the goodness of mac). and you have marie ala 2009. voila!

WINGS OF DESIRE

i feel like wim wenders, the director of wings of desire, would not be super happy to see his beloved ode to berlin end up on a blog that is mostly-ish about fashion but, whatever. this film isn’t especially fashion heavy like the other two but it is so beautiful, every word, every picture. it’s a love story to a city. it’s a love story to love. it’s a love story to life.

mostly black and white, it will occasionally blast into color and give you the greatest of shocks. “the world is such an amazing place!”,  you will think, “i didn’t know!”. set with adoration in the bleakness of berlin late 80’s (with a surprise nick cave guest spot! could this movie BE cooler?) it follows the story of an angel who becomes fascinated  by a circus performer, the etherial marion the acrobat. played beautifully by solveig dommartin. columbo is also in it. it’s amazing. there’s really no key outfit to this movie, just some fun bright circus colors, the colors of berlin and the graffiti and the architecture there. so i just had fun playing with what i thought marion would dress like.

it was hard to post something that didn’t look like porn off the american apparel website (which, sadly and gladly? i don’t know how i feel about that place, is where you go for 80’s inspired basic pieces) but i found this cute red turtle neck dress for $32…but remember when buying from AA always buy like 6 sizes bigger then you are. okay, enough with the AA frowning upon.

i loved this beautiful, exquisite burberry coat (can i get enough burberry coats? no i cannot) in purple over the red, having fun with my circus theme but not going too far. plus, marion wears trenches in the film. everyone wears trenches in the film. this coat is $1,084.

next we got some steve madden duffled boots with a fun fringe that isn’t too western for europe i don’t think clocking in at $159.90

finally, accessories. well, she’d need some sensible black stockings for that outfit because berlin is COLD in the winter time, she could pop into KaDeWe for those suckers and you could fly to berlin and do the same (or go to macys). marion loves big red lips, so again i’d send her to mac, because they do that well for people who understand lipstick (not me, sad to report).  then we have silver art deco earrings by hq design for $157

and last but not least for that wild red, pre-tori amos (tori amos copied it) hair i have some fun peacock feathers. marion needs feathers because she is an acrobat and closer to angels then she knows.

even though this picture looks very fancy, i can guarantee that YOU who are probably closer to bankruptcy then a glam career with the circus, can make that headband for under $7. why do i say this? because despite my earlier “i’m not maria von trapp” bit, i did make two feather headbands with a friend this summer that are NICER then the ones i see for sale for $30 and we made them for under $5. so there’s my dab of thrify this post. and here’s my dab of columbo, who really makes the film.

and please, please, pretty please, go check out these movies if you have not yet! they are so wonderful and beautiful and will make you feel all kinds of sad pangs and wild joys. if you watch them for the first time, i would love to hear you thoughts.

ain’t art grand?

So much has been said about the girls over the years. But we have never found an answer. It didn’t matter in the end how old they had been, or that they were girls… but only that we had loved them… and that they hadn’t heard us calling… still do not hear us calling them from out of those rooms… where they went to be alone for all time… and where we will never find the pieces to put them back together.

– Narrator

Sofia Coppola’s feature film debut The Virgin Suicides has flew under my radar for years. With the subtle title like this, you know there will be multiple characters that will commit suicide. The review will have spoilers to explain the entire story. At the end of story, what was the message of the movie?

Based on the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, the action takes place in the summer of 1974 where the hypercritical, ultra-conservative Catholic parents Mr. and Mrs. Libson, (James Woods, Kathleen Turner) have been overly protective on their five daughters; Cecilia, Lux, Bonnie, Mary and Therese (Hanna Hall, Kirsten Dunst, Chelse Swain, A.J. Cook, Leslie Hayman).

Giovanni Ribisi narrates the movie after the fact. He tries to piece together the events that lead to the titular suicides of that particular summer.

The youngest daughter, Cecilia is found in the bathtub with her wrists slit. Found beside her is a tarot card of The Virgin Mary with the movie number inscribed on it, “555-MARY.” The neighborhood is gossiping about why she did it. The family is sent into a tailspin. Cecilia is sent to therapist, Dr. Horniker (Danny DeVito) to figure out what is wrong with her.

The doctor concludes that her suicide attempt was a cry out for help. He suggests having a social gathering outside of school. The parents relent to have a small party in the basement of the house. The party in her honor, but Cecilia is still not having fun and wants to be excused. Few moments later, Cecilia finally kills herself by impaling herself on the iron fence in the front yard.

The parents think that overprotect the girls from the world would help them be safe, but their actions are driving them away. Lux is the rebellious girl out of the group. She wants to be like the typical teenager, but she can’t. The popular guy at school, Trip Fountaine (Josh Hartnett) wants to be with her. She plays coy.

Until one day at the prom, they hook up. The parental units put the girls under makeshift house arrest. With nothing to do, the girls were left with no other choice.

Not being aware of this plot of the movie, except for the title, I thought that there would be a pact between the kids to commit suicide. That didn’t exactly happen. The aesthetic on the movie was reminiscent of the seventies with the golden yellow hues filling the frame. I appreciated that. What’s up with the extreme close-ups of Kirsten’s Dunst’s face? Was there supposed to be a correlation between the diseased trees getting cut down in the neighborhood and the suicides? Subtle. I have one final question. When Lux and Trip hooked up, did they have sex? ‘Cause the title wouldn’t apply to her.

Judgment: An interesting take on teenage angst, but it leaves you confused.

Rating: **1/2

On en entend parler à tous les coins de rue, c’est le nouvel objet à la mode à apporter dans les diners : le cupcake. Tout a commencé il y a quelques années, lorsque les scénaristes de Sex and the City ont eu la bonne idée de faire dévorer des cupcakes aux héroïnes lors d’une scène de confidence, associant brutalement cette alternative anglo-saxonne à nos petits fours à des instants de partage et de proximité.

Difficile de ne pas penser en parallèle à l’augmentation fulgurante de la consommation des macarons depuis leur featuring entre les doigts délicats de Kirsten Dunst by Sofia Coppola mais ceci est un autre débat…

Le cupcake nous raconte en outre la problématique de la cognition alimentaire. Ou comment les hommes (et les femmes) préfèrent manger des choses belles et bien disposées plutôt qu’un salmigondis d’aliments mal arrangés. C’est une des explications du nombre incalculable de publicités qui “jouent avec la nourriture” (sourires en ketchup, escargot dans le potage à l’aide de crème fraiche liquide, bonhommes en légumes…) afin de donner envie…

Le cupcake, c’est une petite gourmandise, qui rassure par ses dimensions modestes et son ornement chouchou/cuty/kawaï, opposées aux imposantes parts de gâteau disposées dans les vitrines de pâtisseries.

Le cupcake contribue à humaniser les héroïnes télévisuelles. Il révèle la relation qui les unit (on ne mange pas un cupcake, on se retrouve sur un banc pour gossiper) et atténue leurs images de sex symbol anorexiques et sculpturales.

En outre, ces gourmandises résonnent avec la tendance du Do it yourself rabattue à l’envi en temps de crise. Les gens restent chez soi et font la cuisine.

Cerise sur le gâteau, le cupcake est allègrement personnalisable. Il devient média personnel de son auteur.

En clair, le cupcake est un objet très humain. Il autorise la relation de ses consommateurs, est fabriqué par des gens “comme nous” et nous rassure par son apparence friendly, inoffensive et sur mesure.

Miam Miam. Bravo aux malins qui contribuent à réconcilier la mode et la gourmandise. La route est longue mais on dirait que la décennie des 00’s placée sous le signe de la taille 34et de la perfusion s’éloigne…

Bonus : une petite galerie de cupcakes rigolos :

SOMEWHERE

Director: Sofia Coppola

Reparto: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Benicio del Toro, Michelle Monaghan, Laura Ramsey

Sinopsis: Narra la historia de un actor cuya vida de excesos cambia por completo al aparecer su hija de once años

I remember not rushing off to the movies theater to see Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation when it came out in 2003. Probably because I was in Asia at the time. But later I did see it. My initial reaction was that the film was dark and depressing. It was like witnessing a collision of automobiles at an intersection only instead of cars – Love and Life collided with Lost and Lonely.

I’ve since watched this film a few more times. Maybe to see if my understanding of the film had changed because of my own experiences in Japan, as well as my connections to Japanese culture via many Japanese TV drama series that I’ve seen.

Of course when you make a long-haul flight like that  going to Japan from New York or from San Francisco, you will have that kind of physical/mental disorientation that can’t be avoided.

Then factor in the language barrier, with the possibility of insomnia, and it can be daunting. Staying in a hotel like The Park Hyatt in Tokyo in a room high above the streets  can only add to one’s sense of isolation.

Bob Harris commented: Sure we have neon in the states too, only there, I can read the signs.

Of course, Tokyo is not the only city on the planet, where your senses undergo an assault from blazing neon.  Nor are skyscraper hotels, karaoke clubs, strip clubs, and strobe lighted discos unique to Japan.  But these are what Coppola presented to us on screen.

But Coppola also presented plenty of feelings for you to connect with by thinking about what you are seeing.  Both Bill Murray’s portrayal of Bob Harris

- an actor being paid an enormous sum of money to do a commercial for a Japanese whiskey, and Scarlett Johannson’s Charlotte -

a young married woman left to her own devices while her photographer husband went off to work in Japan, gave us a visual perspective, which had to be digested mentally, of what it is to be isolated, lonely, and in an alienating environment.

Let’s see, I’ve been to Japan more than a few times; loved riding those bullet trains. But the country is more than just great trains that arrive on time.  My own experiences were different to a degree. Early in the film, we have Murray as Harris a crowded elevator.

He is head and shoulders above all the Japanese men in the elevator.  I too am quite tall, and experienced that sense of my size being quite different.

But walking in the streets in Shinjuku, I often felt invisible. I mean that despite my size, most Japanese in Tokyo, didn’t find me unusual enough to warrant them paying me any attention at all. I was just another foreigner in their city.

However outside of Tokyo. Things were different. In Nikko, I was surrounded by a pack of about 20 7th graders all eager to talk to the gaijin – in short they wanted to practice their English. On my way to Miyajima to see the historic and beautiful Torii Gate in the sea, an elderly Japanese woman spoke to me in Japanese asking me if Miyajima was my destination,  in  Osaka local people spoke to me on the trains, and in Kyoto, a few Japanese people asked me directly in English if I was lost, or needed directions to somewhere.

The country is a visual feast. Oh sure, the cities have their issues of blocky, ugly city buildings chock-a- block with the more traditional buildings that you could see within the cities in parks, shrines, temples, and gardens that are just wonderful.

Mt. Fuji II by Jeremy Barlow

In fact one of my favorites artists – Jeremy Barlow – has done  a wonderful series of paintings set in Japan. I offer these as contrast to the Japan that Coppola showed us. It’s not that Coppola’s view is wrong, or that Barlow’s view is right.

Himuro Pond, Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto

They represent just two perspectives of the same place. And Coppola knew that as well. She had Charlotte visit some temples and gardens as a break from the kinetic Tokyo that we saw in the Shinjuku or Roppongi street scenes in the the film.

Gion Corner Kyoto by Jeremy Barlow

Barlow’s works seemingly are much more respectful of Japan’s beauty than was Coppola’s film. Maybe I mistook Coppola’s intentions, but as one of the film’s taglines line said, “Friendship needs no translation.” Which is fine as a concept, but in the film, this concept was represented only between the characters of Bob and Charlotte.

Shukkeien Garden Hiroshima by Jeremy Barlow

And that’s how I feel about Barlow’s Japanese paintings. There’s no culture clash in these artworks. Nor may we say that there’s a lot of painterly flourishes in them either.

Kyoto Geisha by Jeremy Barlow

Barlow’s work’s both clarify and explain Japan as far as the artist’s perception. There’s no mistaking the admiration and awe.

Torii Gate Miyajima by Jeremy Barlow

Just as there’s no mistaking that I enjoy Barlow’s paintings.

cindy crawford de biquini, sofia coppola, spike jonze, kim gordon, moda indie.

anos 90, amigos.

sofia coppola

wes anderson

michel gondry

gus van sant

jim jarmusch

harmony korine

ingmar bergman

jean-luc godard

vilgot sjöman

woody allen

Tematrion handlar om film och jag gör det enkelt för mig genom att fokusera på filmer som är lika bra eller bättre än boken. Alltså där filmen är ett eget verk med konstnärligt värde.

1. Virgin suicides. Sofia Coppolas debutfilm, på Jeffrey Eugenides roman.

2. Harry Potter. JK Rowlings skrev, regissörerna har varit olika.

3. The Hours. Filmen med Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore och Meryl Streep är fantastisk. Michael Cunningham skrev boken, Virginia Woolf skrev Mrs Dalloway.

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Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om bok blir film, Jeffrey Eugenides, Sofia Coppola, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, The Hours, Michael Cunningham, Harry Potter, Sirus Black, Gary Oldman, Daniel Radcliffe, Mrs Dalloway, meta, Virginia Woolf, J K Rowlings, Virgin suicides

Do debiutu pełnometrażowego Sofii Coppoli podszedłem z dozą niepewności. Właściwie to nie tyle podszedłem, co “podchodziłem”, bo była to próba kilkukrotna. Z jednej strony fajnie, bo córka mistrza, poza tym dane mi było zobaczyć wcześniej “Między Słowami” – a to film conajmniej dobry. Z drugiej jednak, ten (w sumie sam nie wiem czemu) odpychający mnie tytuł, pastelowe kolory i Kirsten Dunst (nie jestem pewien, w którym momencie się do niej zraziłem – najpewniej przy okazji Spidermana, ale głowy sobie nie dam uciąć). Jednak ostatecznie się udało.

Właściwie to chciałem napisać, że to film kobiecy – w sensie, zrobiony bardzo wyraźnie przez kobietę. Tak to widziałem od samego początku projekcji. Szybko jednak zdałem sobie sprawę, że historia nie została wymyślona przez Sofię Coppolę, tylko przez autora książki, która posłużyła jako pierwowzór. Autorem tym jest Jeffrey Eugenides – zdecydowanie chłop i zdecydowanie nie doszukałem się znamion jakoby wcześniej był płci przeciwnej. Co prawda nie wiem ile z książki pozostało w filmie, co zostało pominięte a co dodane przez reżyserkę, ale zakładam a priori, że wymowa i ogólny koncept pozostały bez zmian.
“The Virgin Suicides” (czy tam te debilne “Przekleństwa Niewinności”) pokazuje świat balansujący na granicach wieku i płci. Widzimy tu magiczny, trochę beztroski (przewrotnie) świat nastolatków zamknięty w kloszu otaczającej, koszmarnej dorosłości, rodziców tyle kochających co niemądrych, tyle zapatrzonych w swoje dzieci co nie mających o nich pojęcia. Widzimy świat enigmatycznych sióstr, dziewczyn, odstających pod zwględem dojrzałości o całe lata świetlne od chłopców z naprzeciwka (prowadzących w filmie narrację). I cały film przebiega jakby w tonie hołdu dla dojrzewających kobiet, piętnując bagatelizowanie ich problemów, wskazując na ich, niejako przymusową, banicję na margines społeczny, przez brak zrozumienia zarówno wśród rodziców jak i mniej dojrzałych, prostszych z natury rówieśników.

Dodatkowo dochodzi trauma domowa. Siostry żyją w rodzinie standardowych amerykańskich zjebów – ojciec nauczyciel siedzi pod pantoflem matki, która jest konserwatywną chrześcijanką. Pojawia się tu coś na kształt biografii Marilyna Mansona lub Lady Gagi tyle, że z diametralnie innym i  bardziej tragicznym końcem. Jak życie pokazuje, na siłę do Boga się dzieci nie zaciągnie, więc córki bardziej przypominają feministki lub hippiski niż bywalczynie koła różańcowego. Pojawia się tu masa klasycznych scen w stylu palenia płyt rockowych czy kłopotów z chłopcami na licealnym balu.

W takie oto kłopoty pakuje swoich bohaterów i bohaterki Coppola ale robi to całkiem sprawnie. Film płynie a wszystkiemu towarzyszy spójna i stylowa muzyka. Kirsten Dunst ma u mnie plusa za ten film, bo nie dość, że jest w nim przekonywująca, to jeszcze, o dziwo, urocza. The Virgin Suicides dostaje ode mnie 2/3 z minusem bo jednak momentami nudzi i jest nieco tendencyjny. Tak czy inaczej, niezły debiut, pani Sofio.

The film Lost In Translation gives the over-all feel of loneliness and solitude. Out of the 17 amazing tracks off the official sountrack, one song always gave me the feeling of content. And that track would be “Alone In Kyoto” by AIR. The title already explains it all. This is the one song that captures my attention from the visual to the audio part of the movie everytime. It’s tune full of emotion, paints the scene almost just by itself. If there should be a theme song for the movie, this one is it.

Funny thing is, I hear this song and fall in love with it everytime I watch this movie (I’ve lost count of how many times…) but I never bothered or even thought of looking it up until yesterday when I decided to put on something more relaxing on itunes and the track came on while jumping through AIR’s “Talkie Walkie” record.

You can find this track in the movie at 01:10:42 where Chalotte (Scarlett Johansson) is on the train checking out the scenery.

Have a listen, there’s absolutely nothing to hate.

Live Version

This one is a lovely piano cover by composer Scott Tobin that I found on Youtube