Since I am lazy busy I have not had the chance to do live blogging during this season (I hope to do better for 2010 haha). Anyway, I do think that Patricia Papen looked great at the Belgian Grand Prix. Some may say her outfit was an overdose of black, but I happenned to like it. Overall the look was chic though I do think her tunic should have been wee bit longer as I subscribe to the “tights/leggings are not pants” mantra.

Items that I can ID from this outfit:
Sunglasses: Tom Ford Raquel (I think… but these are definitely by Tom Ford)
Leather jacket: Rick Owens Fall 2008

Patricia dear.. if you tire of your RO jacket, would you kindly donate it to me? I’d love to have it.

The debut film of fashion designer Tom Ford, A Single Man, which is an adaptation of a 1964 novel of the same name by author Chistopher Isherwood (I had no idea of that) has been garnering tons of praise and even if the film doesn’t connect on an emotional level–which I don’t think is the case here–it sure will look amazing!  Just based on this –quite effective–trailer, the cinematography and just the production design looks breathtaking, stylish….. just plain beautiful:  everything you would expect from a film shot by Tom Ford.

Colin Firth is said to give the performance of his life in the role of his career and Julianne Moore (I’m a huge, HUGE fan of hers) looks ravishing on every shot and I have my fingers cross that she will finally get her oscar at long last.  Really looking forward to this one.

News & Trends: Decadent designer Tom Ford has designed the ultimate in aviator sunglasses this season, taking a classic style to a whole other level. Ford’s new Pablo model, recently spotted on Brad Pitt, comes with two sets of lenses: one that fits right into the metal frame and the other set in plastic inserts giving the luxurious look of combination shades. Sunglass connoisseurs will notice the similarities to the Tom Ford Hawkings aviator, no longer being made, from his debut line.

The Pablo represents an evolution of the earlier Ford design in that they are much better proportioned, enabling a fine fit for both men and women. True sunglass history buffs will notice the influence of an old (1970’s) Ted Lapidus aviator with the plastic inserts in, and the Porsche Design Aviators from the 1980’s with the plastic inserts out. The Pablo is offered in three colors: gold / light havana (pictured above), gunmetal / dark havana, and gold /black, priced at $450 per pair at select eyewear retailers such as Eyegoodies.com. for JustLuxe

A Single Man (2009)

Dir. Tom Ford

Things learned from A Single Man: Fashion designers-turned directors do not observe things like subtlety. Stick Julianne Moore in non-contemporary clothing and settings and you’ve already guaranteed yourself respectability.  Colin Firth has never shown talent like this in his entire career.

A Single Man is uneven, as is to be expected from a debut film, especially of this stature.  There are times, especially early on in the film that it seems just a bit too pleased with itself and its audacious visual design; (we’re talking dream sequences, slow-motion underwater shots, and even a dramatic color palette shift during certain symbolic scenes).  Add to that an emotional heft that is both moving and manipulative in its over-arching symbolism.

Then it hit me; A Single Man is essentially the history of queer cinema wrapped up in one evocative package.  The film evokes everything from Pink Narcissus in its provocative twist on the male gaze, to the pop culture imagery of Scorpio Rising, to even the re-appropriations of Sirkian melodrama of Far From Heaven.  Tom Ford certainly knows his film history, but if this sounds like faint praise, it honestly shouldn’t, because Ford maintains an unwavering hand throughout the film, so much that it’s honestly quite hard not to get swept up in the operatic cockiness at display here.  It does not hold a very intimate emotional grasp I must say, but Firth and Moore do provide a much-needed grounding to the grandeur.   (It must be noted also that Nicholas Hoult, the awkward young boy of About a Boy-turned GQ-ready man-meat, provides an impressive performance as well, one that shows a talent for ambiguity.)

So here we have it: a very impressive debut from the most unlikely of candidates.  Tom Ford clearly has a cinematic intuition and an eye to match, and he even has a gift for finding the perfect performance out of Colin Firth, an always pleasant but never, until now, great actor.

Oh, and how about this trailer… Cocky bastards…

Will Colin Firth be nominated for an Oscar in this one? Will he win an Oscar? Who knows, but he has been getting rave reviews for it.

George Falconer (Colin Firth) is a 52-year-old British college professor struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner, Jim (Matthew Goode). George dwells on the past and cannot see his future as we follow him through a single day, where a series of events and encounters, ultimately leads him to decide if there is a meaning to life after Jim.

It is the directorial debut of Tom Ford and stars Colin Firth, Juilanne Moore and Matthew Goode. It opens on 11 December 2009.

Source: Collider

I just watched the trailer for Tom Ford’s A Single Man, and I have to say that I cannot wait to see this movie! The trailer brings back memories of L’Eclisse (The Eclipse) by Michelangelo Antonioni, which was a great movie . L’Eclisse was amazing with it’s musical score as well as the artfulness of the scenes, I have a feeling that A Single Man will have similar points. I believe that Tom Ford wouldn’t miss a single detail and the characters’ dress will be immaculate.

View some clips from L’Eclisse after the jump.

Basically, that we all want to go to there.  ”There,” of course, being Tom Ford’s visually stunning drama set in the 1960s in which Colin Firth gives one of the year’s best performances as a professor morning the loss of his lover, who is played by Matthew Woode.

Ooh, or a land where everybody’s hair, makeup, and accessories always look as dazzling as Julianne Moore’s.  I could be just fine with that “there” as well.

All my love to Movieline for this beaut.

At least you know it will look good.

We are getting ready to go back to the Pet Corporates and seek sponsorship for our “Make a 3-legged dog into a movie star campaign.” You can help me in a really simple way…

Each of these incredibly talented 12 finalists now have their own face-book fan pages. By becoming a FAN of your favourite tripod you will help be helping us and your tripod more than you can imagine.

More fans means more leverage with Pet Food companies… No pressure but if you want too you can also encourage your friends and fellow dog lovers to support their favorite tripod on facebook too. Click on the links below…

Aussie Red – Australia
Bean Collins – Canada
Bradley Montana – USA
Chopper Keys – USA
Jinks Gardner – USA
Maty Kerstetter-Ouchida – USA
Mickey Bassant – New Zealand
Rocky Nuzzolilo – USA
Smudge Woods – USA
Tom Ford – USA
Torpedo Contreras – West Indies
Wit’l Van Brunt – USA

Copyright © Kalle Gustafsson

There’s a lot of amazing talent coming out of Scandinavia lately and Kalle Gustafsson of Sweden is leading the pack with his highly stylized photography. There’s a real cold aesthetic to what he does, it’s almost like walking into one of those ultra modern homes with stainless steel kitchens and tiny furniture. It’s about minimalism and I think particularly during a time when the last thing people want to look at is anything overly garish, Gustafsson’s work stands out. His pictures look so luxe in such simple settings, viewing his work reminded me of the trailer for the new Tom Ford film, A Single Man. A series of images flashes that are so richly textured without any hint of trying too hard.

Copyright © Kalle Gustafsson

Those new aviator shades Brad Pitt’s been sporting lately are by his favorite designer Tom Ford, naturally.

[via JustLuxe]

I wanted to see this movie because of Colin Firth, though I wasn’t crazy about the notion of a sad, mopey Firth when I like him awkward and silly as in Love Actually and the Bridget Jones movies. But his performance in A Single Man (limited release, Dec. 11) proves he’s a first-rate actor who can make grief not only watchable but compelling.

Set in 1961 and based on Christopher Isherwood’s novel, Man deals with college professor George Falconer’s (Firth) struggle to cope with the death of his long-time partner Jim (Matthew Goode) in a car accident. The whole movie takes place on the day George decides to commit suicide. We see him putting his affairs in order and internally saying goodbye to his students and best friend Charly (Julianne Moore). Ironically, as he prepares to die, he becomes more alive, taking in details about his surroundings he hadn’t bothered to absorb during his grief-stricken stupor.

And that’s about it as far as plot goes. Being a fan of plot-driven stories, I was greatly surprised I wasn’t bored by some tedious navel-gazing. Most of the credit goes to Firth, who’s in every scene and holds my attention in all of them. He pulls off the difficult act of covering up feelings you suspect are roiling inside George, but he doesn’t bury them so deeply that the character becomes inaccessible. You can see his thoughts as they flit behind his eyes, the mental screams he’d like to release. For all his graceful suffering, George should bring Firth his first Oscar nomination.

Moore is also impressive; is that news to anyone? She plays a woman in mid-life crisis, feeling worthless because her husband and son have left her and her looks are fading (she’s still gorgeous to me). As strong as her performance is, though, I’ve seen better from Moore—in The Hours, for example. If she does get an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, she has no chance (no one does) of beating Mo’Nique for Precious.

Hoult in SINGLE MAN

The biggest surprise here is Nicholas Hoult as a conflicted student of George’s who slowly awakens the older man to feelings he thought he no longer had. Hoult is so impossibly pretty with his golden hair, flirty baby blues, and pink pout, I was shocked to realize he’s the same actor who played Marcus,

Hoult in ABOUT A BOY

the plump, awkward kid who pestered Hugh Grant in Almost a Boy. Well, he’s all grown up and ungainly no more.

First-time director and co-screenwriter, Tom Ford, known primarily for his work as a fashion designer for Gucci, knows a thing or two about beauty. All his actors are ridiculously good-looking and he made sure you know it. It got to be a bit much after a while; I actually chuckled when the camera zoomed in for the umpteenth time on Hoult’s and Firth’s naked bodies floating in slo-mo in the ocean, or lingered on a starlet’s bee-stung lips exhaling cigarette smoke seductively.

Ford said during the post-Variety-screening Q & A (more on that below) he wanted a Bernard Herrmann-esque score as homage to the composer known for his work in Hitchcock movies, but the plaintive strings are too overpowering for such an introspective film. Ford needn’t try so hard; he has potential as a filmmaker and was smart enough to cast superb actors who added class to a project that could’ve been dismissible.

When Ford showed up for the Q & A, he was soft-spoken, articulate and unexpectedly vulnerable. He told a lot of personal stories which he said informed the movie. Some details:

• He first read the book 25 years ago when he was living in West Hollywood and working as an actor.
• George didn’t want to kill himself in the novel but Ford added that plot point because of a suicide in his family.
• Firth originally turned down the film so Ford cast another actor. When that actor dropped out 3 weeks before production, Ford flew to London, pitched Firth personally instead of going through his rep and this time Firth said yes.
• The film was shot in 21 days, with only 3 of rehearsal. Ford simply had Firth watch a clip of Bill Clinton denying he’d done certain things to Monica Lewinsky, then told Firth to have George cover up his emotions like that.
• In a scene where George is supposed to chastely kiss Charly, Firth wouldn’t stop kissing Moore, resulting in several unusable takes. Ford had to keep reminding Firth he was playing a gay man.

Nerd verdict: Man is imperfect but Firth is impeccable

Since I don’t feel like getting some much needed sleep, I’ll properly write a post here. of course ive been extremely bad at this business called blogging, and have always wondered what to post really (other than my rather pointless meanderings of the mind).

(via here)

am feeling rather vulnerable after finding out that its only a idea-concept here. but a brilliant one yet! especially useful for me as i don’t tend to wake up and have breakfast, which in theory, is, my favorite meal of the day. that is, before i’m reduced to getting chinese takeaways nearly days in a row now ….. 

its going to be the american thanksgiving and i need a break.

or halloween, can you come back again? I’ll put in the effort to dress up really.  

and now even thats an impossible dream huh?

*

On another note, quite looking forward to this festival of stylistic indulgence treat that is A Single Man. Perhaps a bit more after Tom Ford trash talked yves saint laurent. Still, the dead can’t talk back, which is certainly true, but maniac depressives and geniuses can really afford to be “evil” after all, right? methinks its equally valid.

I tried something different with all my sample perfumes and made the most of my abuelita’s candy dishes.

Most of these samples are from Nordies.

Notice the 3 bottles of Tom Ford for Estee Lauder ~ another great one discontinued but I stocked up just in time.

If you are like me and living in Chicago far from family obligations, then Thanksgiving can become a great day for watching films. This Thursday I will be thankful for a day to enjoy Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman at Facets Multimedia.

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, Visual Acoustics celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away this year, captured the work of modern architects since the 1930’s, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Pierre Koenig. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California’s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of a talented artist who chronicled it with his unforgettable images. Featuring: Julius Shulman, Frank Gehry, Tom Ford.

Directed by Eric Bricker, U.S.A., 2009, 84 mins.

About Julius Shulman, 1910-2009
(NPR, Art in America)
Photographer of architecture, naturalist, educator, and commentator on urban form. One of the leading architectural photographers of the 20th century, Shulman developed close association with the modernist architects, principally those active in Southern California such as Gregory Ain, John Lautner, Richard Neutra, and R.M. Schindler. Shulman’s images played a major role in crafting the image of the Los Angeles and “Southern California lifestyle” to the rest of the nation and world during the 1950s and 1960s. A prolific author, consultant, lecturer, exhibitor, and editor of his own vast archive, Shulman remained active up until his passing away in July of 2009.

Showtimes:
Fri., Nov. 20 at 7 & 9 pm
Sat.-Sun., Nov. 21-22 at 3, 5, 7 & 9 pm
Mon.-Thurs.. Nov. 23-26 at 7 & 9 pm

Tickets:
$9 general admission
FREE for Facets Members!

For all Cinémathèque inquiries, contact Charles Coleman at
773.281.9075 or charles@facets.org

– via Facets Multimedia