Anticipated film of the summer...

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Defaults

I have always thought that to ask someone their favourite song, movie, band et al was rather ignorant. Considering we explore creativity through a myriad of emotions, elements and desires, the answer to the aformentioned question would change depending on any number of characterisitics.

Having said that, there always seems to be defaults that we fall back on, not necessarily classing them as our favourites, though we're happy to oblige them over and over again in our short lives.

I couldn't tell you what my favourite film was, though I can divulge that I have seen Sound of Music more times than I have counted. I first saw it when I was a little girl; we had taped it from the TV on our 1980s VCR- I was 4 years old. I went to Salzburg, just to see some of the film set. Sound of Music delivers everything I covet- song, romance, secrets, history, freedom.

I also seem to have a couple of default songs, that I listen to over and over again. One is for nostalgic reasons and the other, well perhaps it's the meloncholic melody uprising that I love to bear.

My mum used to sing 'Little Ray of Sunshine' to me, well for as long as I can remember really. It's from Axiom, an Australian band and was released in 1970. Even now, it features heavily on my playlists. It's a beautiful song, take a listen.



The second song is by Regina Spektor, called 'Samson'. I've blogged the lyrics before, though I thought I'd give you the clip. It's stunningly beautiful, passionate though whimsical. I had the good fortune is see Regina play this live, then fuck up the lyrics, then stop suddenly to say 'fuck', then start all over again. So I have heard the beauty 1.5 times. I could play this song on the hour, every hour and not tire of it.



Care to share your defaults?

Eat, Pray, Love film trailer

A couple of entries ago, I blogged about a book I was reading called Eat, Pray, Love.

Well now that I have finished the book, onwards to the film. I noted that it probably won't honour the book and it's good name (and I maintain this), though I do believe it will try. Watch the trailer above to come to your own conclusions.

Alice at the Barbican

Last Saturday, I saw the much-anticipated Alice in Wonderland 3D.

Since I visited Tim Burton's exhibition a few weeks back at the MoMA (below) in New York, I was keen to see how his images translated to Alice. He isn't my favourite director by any stretch, though I love his designs, illustrations and intriguing ideas. He's the original ideas man, perhaps.

Watching Alice felt like a visual trip, encrusted in a rainbow and blended with sugar. It was ridiculously detailed and even if the film ran at half of its intended speed, you would still miss elements of its mis en scene. Alice was a rich exploration of one man's mind, combing through a classic and making it into the bizarre.

On a general scale, Alice in Wonderland was not entirely my cup of sweet tea, though I was absorbed beyond the story. Getting something out of this story is certainly inevitable.

Young Hollywood

Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood edition sees the above bevy of beauties pose for Annie Leibovitz.

The cover features Abbie Cornish, Rebecca Hall, Anna Kendrick, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone and Mia Wasikowska. Interestingly, two Australians in the mix.

I loved Rebecca Hall in Frost/Nixon, though found her trying in Vicky Christina Barcelona. I am intrigued to see Alice in Wonderland, which Mia Wasikowska stars as the eponyomous character. Mulligan was pretty good in An Education, and Cornish was very comprehensive in Bright Star. Well, relatively speaking.

I'm not really one to praise actors, finding their endless ego driven pursuits (Emmy's, Oscar's, SAG's, can we stop...) pointless given the nature of their work is to entertain, not save the world. However, I do adore the Hollywood Vanity Fair issue; I suppose I enjoy the glamour that VF translates to the cover, regardless of it dripping from their subjects pores anyway.

I think this cover is lovely. Will I buy the magazine? Of course not.

Remember when...

...you used to tape your favourite movies on your VCR, wearing the tapes thin after endlessly watching them, quoting the lines with the characters?

Here are some of my favourites movies doing the circuit in the 80s.

Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985)

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Goonies (1985)

The Parent Trap (1961)

Cracks

I missed this at the London Film Festival and am loathe to miss it during its theatrical release.

Set in the 30s, Eva Green plays a school mistress at an elite English boarding school. With the arrival of a new pupil, secrets are unravelled and darkness presents itself.



It seems, right up my alley.

The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival

OK, so I have an invested interest in this particular post, however my entry comes from a completely relevant place- film is food for the soul...or something like that.

The London Film Festival runs from 14-29 October, a little under a month away now. With so many great films, docos and shorts to choose from, you'll need one of those fancy delegate passes to manage them all. For the plebs among us, you'll just have to settle for my recommendations.

In the interest of saving time, below is my top ten films for the LFF...bearing in mind my tastes may not be your tastes, rendering this post useless.

An Education60s, Peter Sarsgaard seducing a bored school girl, smokey bars and supper clubs. Look out for Peter at the Gala screening, and hopefully the beautiful Maggie G as well!

La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet
An insightful behind the scenes glimpse at the Paris Opera Ballet. Decidedly beautiful.

Mother
A South Korean gem, telling the story of a mother proving her son's innocence of a brutal murder.

No one Knows About Persian Cats
Tehran indie scene? Who would have thought.

Precious
I cried at the trailer. Chances are, I'll cry throughout the whole film, though at least I'll be prepared. An African-American teenager's journey to leave her abusive background behind.

Lourdes
More than a pilgrimage, it's enlightenment. Nominated for the Golden Lion at Venice.

Alexander the Last
An honest study on relationships, intimacy, deception. Produced by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Life Aquatic) makes me intrigued.

Eyes Wide Open
A Jewish Orthodox gay love story. So voyeuristic.

Shed Your Tears and Walk Away
The West Yorkshire community is seemingly idealistic, though is laden with unemployment, alcohol problems and drug dependency. A very personal exploration.

Adrift
A Vietnamese tale of sexual dependency and liaisons.

Italia! Italia!

When I was about 16, my older sister and I used to watch Stealing Beauty religiously.

It was almost like a cinematic trainride out of the suburbs, transporting us to the magical Italian countryside where we could drink red wine elegantly and mull around an artist's colony whilst dabbling in a bit of romance.

I've been feeling the Italian pull lately, more so because I am within an hour's plane ride from all its gloriousness.

I say more so because of distance, though what I mean is more so because of the acres of meandering I shall partake in and the mountains of pasta and fresh tomatoes I shall ingest. And the fact that it seems like I would be able to dance in the Trevi Fountain or ride in fast cars, or sit under the shade and sleep with a smile on my face. In a word, relax.

Summertime is just like a drip in the arm, wouldn't you say?

Quiet night in

I've taken a trip back to 1953 Rome tonight to watch the adorable, Roman Holiday. As pixie cute as Audrey Hepburn is, Gregory Peck has stolen my show.