Thank You Kindly

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! In addition to being full of (delicious delicious) food, I'm also full to bursting with thanks. As is appropriate at this holiday and in light of a tumultuous year, I think it's only fitting that my next post should celebrate those things for which I am most thankful. And I gotta tell you, this year's list is a doozy.

My apartment

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As I may have mentioned before, there was a period of about a month this year where I was significantly homeless. However, thanks to diligence and sheer dumb luck, I've now been living in my first big girl apartment! This is a twofer "thanks" because in addition to being thankful for my apartment (and the potential to decorate and, well, NEST), I'm crazy thankful for my (amazing, talented) friends who put me up (and put up with me) during those weeks. I'd like to say that I don't know where I'd be without them, but I'm pretty sure I'd be on the streets. So thank you Apartment #15 and thank you friends!

Family

Well, come on. This should go without saying. My family got me where I am today, and are the reason I'm still going. I love those silly bastards more and more every day.

Vitamin D & Zyrtec

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Because apparently I'm as frail as a Mrs. Haversham [though could we argue she's quite hardy? An argument for another time (nerd jokes rule.)] and I see the sun even less - but thanks to modern medicine I can finally function.

Real Good Books

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With all the commuting I do now in my urban setting, I'm thankful now more than ever for good books. This year I got to dig into some new favorites, including Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, and Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje. Yes, ok, I'm behind several eight balls on all of those, but whatever. At least I'm reading them now. I'm starting The Hunger Games series now and I must say, having a good (or at least entertaining) book to slip into on the subway makes for an almost enjoyable ride to work.

Real Good Websites

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Thank goodness for sites like Flavorwire and HelloGiggles. I don't know how I would make it through the day without articles like "Hilariously 'Ugly Renaissance Babies'" or "Guys, I Have Brain Tumors" or "TV Characters and Their Literary Counterparts". They also give me little drops of inspiration every day, so I'm definitely glad these sites exist. Keep up the good work, guys (and ladies).

Real Good TV Shows

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New shows like Pan Am and American Horror Story (two wildly different shows, by the by...what does this say about me that I enjoy them both equally?) make my week so very bearable. I'm so glad that new shows like this are getting made and seem to be thriving, especially in the face of what seems like a an explosion of crappy reality fluff.

Adele

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Damn if I don’t love her. And not only her, but the fact that a strong female voice got the recognition that it deserved this year. That someone who said: "I love seeing Katy Perry’s boobs and bum. Love it. But that’s not what my music is about. I don’t make music for eyes. I make music for ears" is the same person whose songs my small cousins will spontaneously bust out for no reason other than they like her music. Oh, thank you thank you for Adele.

Michael Fassbender

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Ladies.

Never Fail Cry Fest

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I can't say for sure what has inspired this post. Perhaps the blame belongs to my hormones, or, perhaps to my stunning lack of vitamin D (don't worry Dad, I stocked up today). Most likely, though, I think it's fair to place the blame squarely on this article that I happened upon today. Thanks a lot, awesome girls at The Frisky. Despite the length of this list, I must assert that I don't melt in to a useless pile of mush with every movie I watch. Usually. Almost not all the time. Whatever, movies get me - in everyday life I promise I'm a stone cold bitch.

Be warned, spoilers ahead.

Saving Private Ryan

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Two words: "Earn this." When a babyfaced Matt Damon suddenly morphs into the elderly Pvt. James Francis Ryan and desperately looks at his wife, pleading with her to tell him he's a good man...well, that's just 'game over' for me. Luckily, it's 'movie over' too, so I get to sob uninterrupted through the credits. Until my roommate comes in and tells me that the movie's "been over for an hour now" and it's "time to turn off the dvd". Such a buzzkill, that one.



Schindler's List

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The little black dress of weeping uncontrollably. You're the worst kind of person if this film doesn't just wreak havoc on your soul. Seriously, if you don't cry during this movie...you belong in a mental institution. Don't you understand? He could have got more out.


Dumbo

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I can't even think of the words "baby" and "mine" without a little lip quiver. This one goes back a long time, folks. I literally used to go over to my grandmother's, plunk myself down in front of her television and demand Dumbo. And then I would cry. Like a lot. And Ninny would just laugh and shake her head (and, you know, comfort the crying child in her living room). It was a weird little ritual...but it was our ritual. She still brings it up and laughs and I still think, "It was SAD, woman!"


Up

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The first five minutes of this movie are impressive in that they managed to just decimate me. Like, really, Pixar? I came into this thinking, "Oh, balloons on a house! Cute little chubby Asian kid! Grumpy old man! Cute cute cute!" and you just have to punch me right in the soul nuggets. Blindside me with all that emotion. So rude. Yet so so beautiful.


It's a Wonderful Life

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Ok, these are happy tears, but tears are tears. George Bailey is a good man. I may or may not have machinations to name all of my hypothetical future children after him. I know that hardcore movie critics are all "Oh, Frank Capra is too sentimental - this movie is so sappy snoot snoot snoot." What I say to that is this: I will fight you. Physically. This is an incredible movie and everyone can learn something about being a human being by watching this. And I should know, I've forced all of my friends into watching this and now they're much better humans.


Atonement

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The end of this movie sucker-punched the hell out of me. I was all, "Oh good she made amends. James MacAvoy is pretty." and then Vanessa Redgrave has to be all "Psych! Everyone died horribly and I never got to make it right." Ugh, I was just not expecting that...or the onslaught of overwhelming sobs.


Children of Men

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The entire plausibility of this starkly gorgeous movie is enough to make one weep for the future. But what got (and continues to get) me is when Clive Owen's character walks through a war zone - hunching over this tiny crying baby and everything goes silent at the sound of that cry. At this point I'm mostly bawling from sheer lack of oxygen because it takes my breath away every time.



Free Willy

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WHY ARE THESE NETS SO STRONG?! HE JUST WANTS TO BE WITH HIS WHALE FAMILY YOU HEARTLESS BASTARDS! (sidenote: baller theme song)



The Pursuit of Happyness

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When Homeless Will Smith is in Homeless Church, and everyone else around him is swaying with Homeless Religious Rapture and he just scoops up his little precocious son and hugs him and hugs him and hugs him and then later he finds out that he got the job he's been working so hard on and he just sheds one manly tear and claps a lot in public. Also, when Little Precocious Son drops his Captain America and they can't go back for him because they won't be able to get a room in the shelter for the night? Just stop it.

Titanic

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Oddly enough, I don't really cry when Jack dies. I mean, that is sad. Like really really sad. And I don't, like someone I knew growing up, cry at the beginning when everyone's waving goodbye at the docks because as she tearily explained to everyone in the theater "WHAT?! You know what's gonna happen!". No. It's the little Irish mother's last bedtime story to her children. And the old couple that hug each other tight as water fills their room that makes me dissolve into tears. Damn you, Cameron.



Life is Beautiful

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Life is beautiful, but my sob-face when I'm watching this movie is not. Not to sound like a snob, but if you've only seen this movie dubbed, you haven't actually seen this movie. There's a reason that Roberto won the Oscar for his role (sidenote: holy strong best actor field, Batman!). I hate/love that this movie is also so damn funny, because once I'm done laughing and then bawling I feel significantly bipolar.

Lilya 4-Ever

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This movie could easily be named Hard to Watch: Based on the Novel "Stone Cold Bummer" by Manipulate. The story of a 16-year-old Estonian girl who lives a shitty life in Estonia and then gets tricked into being sex trafficked by her "boyfriend", then shipped off to Sweden to have unwilling sex with gross old men and then throws herself off a bridge. I should have been tipped off when it was required viewing in my Gender and Women in Communist and Post-Communist Societies class (Yeah. I took that - what's up?)


Which movies reduced you to tears?

Childhood Dreams

This is, I suppose, a bit of a companion piece to my previous post - Role Models. With a little dash of Historical Hotcakes. Recently I've been on a whole go-back-to-the-beginning kick by revisiting all my old favorite books and movies (I'll try to skirt around going back to my old nerd-child habits), and on the way I've been able to revisit all my old cinematic (and literary) childhood crushes. Was there anything more fun than pining after a fictional character when you were wee? My adolescent self didn't think so, and while it may have affected my current standards (fictional men make for very unsatisfying boyfriends - but we'll delve into that psychological quagmire...never), it is providing us now with an exhaustive list of boys I once imagined holding hands with, or exploring gloomy moors with, or fighting off evil royal henchmen with! Well, here goes:

Dickon Sowerby - The Secret Garden

Don't worry girl, I'm just calling some birds.
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Oh, Dickon. Sweet, gentle, nature-loving Dickon. Giggle-inducing name aside, I loved Dickon ever so. He appealed to the romantic in me by being British and nice, and to the shallow brat in me by having an awesome white pony. I would have done anything for a boy with a pony in my youth, just like some women my age now would do anything for a man with a nice car (I still prefer ponies to cars, by the by). I was even blissfully unaware of the bird flu, so I wouldn't have even minded his little crow companion - in fact I would have welcomed it. But no, that skank Mary Lennox had to get my man in the end. Some girls have all the luck. Post Script: I also just realized that the same actor that played Dickon in the 1993 movie (aka a masterpiece of cinema and that's not sarcasm) was also Joe Green in the 1994 Black Beauty. Do I need to reassert my love of ponies or will that do?

Theodore "Laurie" Laurence - Little Women

Inspired by the power of reading, Laurie turned into Batman
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The second literary character to make this list (what a shock.), Laurie was the wealthy yet affable neighbor of the March girls. He had the outstanding good taste to fall in love with Jo (my girl), and I have to say - Jo, you might have missed the boat on this one. He was smart, and fun and the only reason you didn't want to marry him was because you saw him as your brother? Ok, valid reason. But, the fact that Laurie eventually ended up with Amy might be the source of my bitterness towards blondes...

Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez - The Sandlot

Look at that form. No wonder he [SPOILER ALERT] made it to the majors
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Not sure I really need to back this one up. Benny The Jet might be perceived as "the jock" of the group, but in reality he was just a kid who loved his friends. And baseball. And PF Flyers. Benny had the gorgeous eyes of a sensitive poet-type, the patience and kindness of a saint, the sprinting ability of a young Jesse Owens, and the leadership of Winston Churchill. That totally makes for a heartthrob in my book.

Westley / The Dread Pirate Roberts - The Princess Bride

Men of unusual attractiveness? I don't think they exist.
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Westley had steel enough to beat a Spaniard in a fair swordfight, brawn enough to beat a Giant in a bare knuckle brawl, and brains enough to outwit a Sicilian (when death was on the line!). He traversed the world for love and literally came back from the dead to be with his Buttercup -who, by the way, treated him like poo for the better portion of their relationship (self-esteem issues much, young farmboy?). So, even at the tender, impressionable age of however-old-I-was-when-I-first-saw-this-movie, I knew that any guy who always answered with "as you wish" was a keeper, even if he did dabble in piracy now and again.

Any incarnation of Harrison Ford

What do you think would happen if they fought each other... other than the universe imploding, I mean.
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Ok, ok, ok. I know. "Harrison Ford" doesn't really constitute a character (doesn't he, though?) and he also was and is wildly age inappropriate for me, but c'mon! Indiana Jones and Han Solo? It was almost more than my young mind could handle. On the one hand we have Indy - the somehow always covered in dust, bookish yet adventurous and morally upright Nazi-puncher. On the other hand we have Han - the sharp tongued, stuck up, scruffy-looking nerf herder who, while mercenary and dashing, was also an adventurous and morally upright...space-Nazi-puncher. Dream man.



Who were the characters you used to swoon over?

Baby's First...Everything?

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Holy Hiatus, Blogosphere!

I've been just a wee bit out of touch, huh? I just don't know how you all managed to live without my insightful, incisive words of wisdom and witticism. How empty and dark these past months must have been for you. Here, here's a blankie and a hot cup of cocoa. It'll all be ok.

Seriously, though - it's been a while since I've written, and if nothing else, I've missed it. Not to say that I haven't had plenty to do. In the time since I last posted, I quit my job at the hospital, left my family and friends in Massachusetts, became obsessed with Pinterest, started an internship at Daily Candy, 'moved' to New York, bounced around from couch to couch of patient and borderline sainted friends, and am now in the process of battling absurd brokerage fees, homelessness (my own, of course - Giuliani did a good job cleaning this place up in the 90's), and the overwhelming feeling that I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Not that I'm complaining, of course. It's all very exciting!

...but it's also extremely stressful.

But, as with all things, there is always a silver lining. Amidst all this insanity in my personal life, I've managed to finagle a few things that makes my inner 5-year-old's eyes sparkle with wonder.

Baby's First Fashion Week.

Ok, so it's Baby's First Fashion Week by Default (an editor couldn't/didn't want to go and so bequeathed her invite unto myself and another intern) to a Show That Most People Have Never Heard Of - but a show is a show is a show in NYFW and I'm psyched out of my mind. The designer apparently has a fairly successful line (available at Barney's - oooh). Her last collections have consisted of mostly cozy knits and a Cool-Girl aesthetic, and, ok am I the worst person in the world if I want all of her fur pieces from the F/W 2011 line? I am? Oh, sorry, PETA....
but this season apparently "combines the tactile feeling of mid century craft design with motifs from cement sculptures by contemporary NY artist Mary Judge to create modern and compelling pieces." On top of all that excitement, I also get to attend parties for Fashion's Night Out! So, we'll have to see how tomorrow goes! I get to Tweet things! Tweet...is that the correct verbage? Oh yeah...I'm on the Twitter now. Ten bucks says Betty White knows more about that stuff than I do.

Here goes...something!

Blog's First Photo Actually Taken by...Me!

Role Models

Whilst hanging out with my young cousins this past weekend and crushing all of their hopes and dreams that sure, they can be flower girls at my wedding, they'll just be about 20 when that happens, I suddenly had a very real and violent pang of nostalgia for my younger years. For the time when I wasn't desperately searching for a job and worrying about a bank account and whether or not an extremely expensive education is going to waste. Those were good times. I looked at my little cousin's lives and I wondered who they wanted to be when they grow up (one of them wants to be a baker - a girl after my own heart), and if, like myself when I was their age, they had any heroes. Other than their awesome big cousin(s).

Hence this post. Dedicated to those (fictional) figures I looked up to as an impressionable young girl (no one want to hear me rant about the real life strong female role models in my life....yet).

So here goes:

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Marion Ravenwood from The Raider of The Lost Ark

What young, red-blooded American girl didn't want to someday grow up to be Marion Ravenwood? She was smart, funny, and pretty but accessible. And, I mean, she beat a large, ruddy-faced man in the most epic of drinking contests ever to be seen on the big screen. Ok, so maybe that wasn't the reason I loved her as a kid. She was adventurous and tenacious, and straight up punched Indiana Jones in the face. She also befriended a monkey, fended off attackers with a frying pan, seduced a Frenchman through boozery, and throughout all three of the Indiana Joneses (I said it. Three. There were only three, dammit!) she was the only woman with the gumption and substance to be not only a wonderfully entertaining character to watch, but a feminist icon. For me, at least. The movie may be called Indiana Jones and The Raiders of The Lost Ark, but the film could just have easily been named Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood Kick Nazi Ass and Take Names. Though, if it were, I highly doubt my parents would have allowed me to watch it at the tender, impressionable age of five...

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Ariel from The Little Mermaid

In my youth, I was known to walk along the shoreline at any New England beach, ponytails askew and sweatshirt comically baggy and to my knees, and belt out as loud as my little five-year-old voice could manage whatever words I could muster from 'Part of Your World'. Fishermen, allegedly, would laugh and point (lovingly, I'm told...). That's how much I love and have loved The Little Mermaid. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm twenty-three years old. I understand that this is a movie intended for children. But, the older I get, the more I totally get Ariel's longing to live a life without having to swim everywhere - and the more I totally dig her sense of adventure. Though, the curmudgeon in me gets very scrunchy-faced whenever I realize that Ariel is sixteen throughout the movie, and thusly she is only sixteen when she marries Eric (top 3 hunkiest of the Disney boys, by the by)...but still! How many sixteen-year-olds do you know who would face down a shark for a dinglehopper and/or a giant octopus monster lady to save her father and bf/the ocean? How many sixteen-year-old mermaids, for that matter, do you know that would risk swimming to the surface to consort with seagulls of dubious intelligence out of an insatiable quest for knowledge? None. That's how many.

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Princess Leia Organa from The Star Wars Trilogy

Princess Leia was a badass. How many people throughout the entire series ever spoke to Darth Vader (aka - spoiler alert - Daddy) with as much sass and confidence as she did in the first ten minutes of the film? Homegirl spearheaded the Rebel Alliance and choked the chubly Jabba to death with her own shackles. She constantly put the brash, over-confident Han Solo in his place (though, I mean, he did have his share of comebacks, and they did end up married...but it was Harrison Ford. Girl's only human). She was a take-charge kind of gal, tough as nails and smart to boot. Try to tell me who's a better role model? Princess Leia or that Bella character from them there Twilight 'books'? Psht. No contest. Leia every time.

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Belle from Beauty and The Beast

How could I not include the (fictional) woman who taught me the word "provincial"? Growing up in a small town, brunette and bookish, I obviously identified with Belle. Also, she had a horse for a best friend, and yes, I was that girl. Horses rock. But, upon further vaguely-adult reviewing of The Beauty and The Beast, I'd say Belle holds up. Sure, she suffers from a pretty severe case of Stockholm syndrome...but let's face it, she was smart enough to reason that The Beast was far less beastly than Gaston. And, in the end, she taught me that it was ok to have a dreamy far-off look and a nose stuck in a book. I was a bit insecure of my budding bookishness as a child...I needed reassurance from my cartoon friends - Belle provided that in spades.

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Esmerelda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Feisty. Esmerelda is the definition of that. Also, the symbol of inappropriate sexiness in Disney form. Esmerelda was all about justice and fairness and hitting soldiers with candelabras and shakin' what her momma gave her. She was the first person to show any kindness to poor Quasimodo, and was loyal and brave. Never mind the fact that she had the best hair/goat best friend of any Disney character - ever.



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Sara Crewe from A Little Princess

I. love. this. movie. To this day. Why doesn't anyone make movies like this for kids anymore? Why must it be all Hannah Montana and texting and skinny jeans? Sara Crewe was brave, kind and smart. She had real issues (Dad in the war, evil headmistress, Lavinia, etc. etc.), but she rose above them, and was there for her friends while she fought against the unfairness she witnessed in life. She stood up to her bullies with class and poise. Class and poise! And, most importantly, Sara taught us that it's friendship, love, imagination, and kindness - not material possessions - that are the source of true happiness. Though that sick feast with all those clothes that she and Becky wake up to ain't half bad...

Runners Up:

Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons
Matilda Wormwood from Matilda
Hermione Granger from The Harry Potter Series
Jo March from Little Women
Daine from The Immortals Series
Lizzie Bennett from Pride and Prejudice
Lois Lane from Superman (particularly Superman: The Animated Series...but mostly just Lois in general)

Who were your childhood heroes?

Movie Nerd: Films I'm Borderline Pee-My-Pants-Excited About For This Year

Borderline, people. I said borderline.

It's the time once again, folks: Summertime. The arrival of the sun, of tans, of sand getting stuck in uncomfortable places and, of course, of movies. Yes, movies. Movies of all shapes and sizes: dumb ones, smart ones, funny ones, sad ones. The thing about "Summer Movies", however, is that there are very rarely 'good' ones. More often than not, the most successful and popular movies of the summer are 'blockbusters', which usually have about all the charm and substance as a block of cheese. Actually, wait. Cheese can be very charming and substantial...

Oh well. Failed pun #1.

I shouldn't poo-poo the Summer Blockbuster, actually. One of my all-time favorite movies (The Dark Knight) was technically a 'Summer Blockbuster'. And, I guess, there have always been very funny and satisfying blockbusters around - especially in recent years past and usually starring Robert Downey, Jr. That is why I decided to include a few 'blockbusters' on my list this year as well as the 'good ones'.

Alright folks, this is going to be a long one, so I hope you're sitting down. Here goes!

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X-Men: First Class
Starring: Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, January Jones
Why I Wanna See It: It's a fairly well-kept secret of mine (well...not anymore) that I used to watch those old superhero/comic book cartoons when I came home as a kid. Like...every day. X-Men quickly became one of my favorites, and I mildly enjoyed the first X-Men movies. Also, I'm borderline obsessed with Michael Fassbender...I mean...

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Super 8
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Noah Emmerich
Why I Wanna See It: JJ. Abrams. I'm fairly positive he's some sort of evil super genius. If it's half as good as Lost, or 1/3 as good as Cloverfield, (which, judging by the teaser trailer alone, it will be) I think we'll be good.

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The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgård
Why I Wanna See It: I read the book, thought it was 'eh'. Saw the Swedish originals, though, and thought it was definitely not 'eh'. I'm very interested to see how Rooney Mara does with a character that's so well known to so many people, and just generally interested in seeing how the entire movie translates. It shall be interesting..

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The Muppets
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermie
Why I Wanna See It: I'm pretty sure that Jason Segel is the future Mr. Julie P. I'm just saying we were meant for each other and I totally think we should get married. That being said, I'm really excited to see his collaboration with the Muppets! Everyone and their mothers, apparently, are in this movie (including Lady GaGa with Ed Helms and John Krasinski reportedly playing members of her posse!) and I can't wait to see how it all pans out.

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The Ides of March

Starring: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood

Why I Wanna See It: Um, please imdb the cast if you honestly have questions re: why this movie looks good. George Clooney. Ryan Gosling. Paul Giamatti. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Evan Rachel Wood? Yes, please thank you. And it's based on a play about political corruption and intrigue?!

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Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
Why I Wanna See It: The last of the last Harry Potter films (which I think as a whole have turned out quite well, don't you??) which will feature the epic battle between good and evil, wizard-style. If the poster of Hogwarts in fiery ruins doesn't pique your interest, I don't know what will. Also, I just cannot wait to see Molly Weasley kick Bellatrix's ass.

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Drive
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks
Why I Wanna See It: For those who have been reading along, have you begun to notice a common theme in the list of films I want to see? They all have outstanding casts, the majority of which star Ryan Gosling. What can I say? The boy's a stud. And one of the better actors of our generation. I mean, did you see Half Nelson? Blue Valentine? Young Hercules? Ok, well, even if it weren't for him, I'd still want to see this movie. Carey Mulligan is bomb, and Christina Hendricks is actually one of my idols, AND it won for best director at Cannes the other week. Seriously, this should be a good one.

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Immortals
Starring: Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto, Mickey Rourke
Why I Wanna See It: Ok, this movie will probably be miserable. Not Clash of The Titans miserable, but probably somewhere between that and, say...Troy. However, it stars Henry Cavill. As in Charles Brandon. As in the future-man-of-steel. As in dashing, charming, handsome. And British. So, it'll be worth it. It will.

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Cowboys and Aliens
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde
Why I Wanna See It: Five words - Indiana Jones and James Bond. In the Old West. With aliens. Ok, more than five words, but still. This will probably be one of those really bad movies, but hey, who knows? Maybe they'll go all District 9 on us and use this film as a platform to have a serious discussion about immigration. Maybe. But judging by the gratuitous naked Olivia Wilde in the trailer...I'm gonna go with not.

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Bad Teacher
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake
Why I Wanna See It: 1.) Jason Segel. 2.) Yelling at children. 3.) Possible Justin Timberlake/Cameron Diaz tension. 4.) Phyllis from The Office

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A Dangerous Method
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley
Why I Wanna See It: Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung, Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud. CHECK PLEASE.

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50/50
Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick
Why I Wanna See It: This is a risky one, folks. It's the story of a 27-year-old's fight with cancer. As a comedy. Risky. But, judging from the trailer, it looks like it might play out. I mean, Joseph Gordon Levitt's character tries to pick up girls using his diagnosis.

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Crazy, Stupid, Love
Starring: Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling (again, I know), Emma Stone
Why I Wanna See It: Ladies....Also, it looks both funny and heartfelt. And Emma Stone is in it, and I like her. And Steve Carrell bails out of a moving vehicle. And Kevin Bacon plays a douche. Sounds great.

And Finally:

Contagion
Starring: Everyone in the world that rocks.
Why I Wanna See It: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. About a deadly disease and the international team of doctors working with the CDC to fight it. I smell Oscars. Lots of them.

Can You Cannes-Cannes?

Ohh, I bet you no one ever thought of that pun before, huh? Oh, well.

This year's awards saw a slew of controversial, boring, new, old, thrilling, explosive, and implosive films - and red carpet style that followed the same guidelines, it seemed.

The Festival is such an exciting time of the year, not only for film, but for style. It's one of the few truly international red carpet events, and with the relaxed (well, more relaxed) media presence,
I think the actors and actresses feel more able to take bigger risks than they would at say...the Oscars. There were a lot of great looks from Cannes so without further ado...

Hottest. Couple. Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson. I'm not even going to fault Mr. Jackson his shoe choice because a.) I kinda love them and b.) No one is looking at him with that German beauty next to him

Uma Thurman in possibly my favorite look of the week

Ms. McAdams in a very daring red and nude look

Best Actress Winner Kirsten Dunst rocking it in a vintage-inspired dress

Carine Roitfeld (formerly of French Vogue and all around fashion genius) and Kanye West. I can barely handle all the awesome in this one photograph.

I think this look could have gone very boring were it not for the slit or the fact that inside said dress there was an Angelina Jolie.

Gwen Stefani looking mad glamorous in her midnight black gown

Anja Rubik in a dress that only one of the most successful models of our time could pull off.

Salma Hayek looks crazy beautiful and old Hollywood stylish in this dress. Reminds of why I love that woman so...



So who do you think wore it best?