What I've Been Watching

Julie and Julia

The last time I went to the movies I saw the preview of the movie, and I couldn't resist looking for the book - once I found out it was based on one, that is.

Here's the blurb for Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell:

With the humor of Bridget Jones and the vitality of Augusten Burroughs, Julie Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saved her soul. Julie Powell is 30-years-old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother+s dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes. In the span of one year. At first she thinks it will be easy. But as she moves from the simple Potage Parmentier (potato soup) into the more complicated realm of aspics and crepes, she realizes there's more to Mastering the Art of French Cooking than meets the eye. With Julia's stern warble always in her ear, Julie haunts the local butcher, buying kidneys and sweetbreads. She sends her husband on late-night runs for yet more butter and rarely serves dinner before midnight. She discovers how to mold the perfect Orange Bavarian, the trick to extracting marrow from bone, and the intense pleasure of eating liver. And somewhere along the line she realizes she has turned her kitchen into a miracle of creation and cuisine. She has eclipsed her life's ordinariness through spectacular humor, hysteria, and perseverance.

For a memoir, I enjoyed it. It was funny and insightful, and full of yummy french recipes - it's not a cook book, but she does go into detail, and most of the time it left me hungry . Ok, it didn't make me want to go out and try them, but it was interesting to see how the author managed to create them. At times I thought she had beaten more than she could chew, but I found her tenacity, her need to complete her goal inspiring.

After reading the book, I definitely want to watch the movie. I'm wondering how it will turn out. Here's the trailer, you can also find it here.



Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell (4/5) Memoir; Published: Little, Brown and Company (9/2005); 2009 100 + Reading Challenge (80);

Oscars Nominations

Once upon a time I used to be a movie buff. I used to go to the movies every weekend, I would watch the Hollywood blockbusters, romantic comedies, action, thrillers, documentaries, and everything in between. Now, I'm lucky to catch a non-family friendly movie. The last time we went to the movies, we watched Bedtime Stories. And before that...I can't really remember.

But the one thing I haven't stopped doing is watching the Oscars. I absolutely love the Oscars! Every year, I make a big deal out of the Oscars. I'm getting ready to mail out the list of nominees to a group of friends. To participate we all put in money, $5 each. The one with the most correct answers/guesses gets a Cinaplex gift card.

This year's nominees are:

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Milk
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen River, Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Reader, David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
''Down to Earth,'' (WALL-E)
''Jai Ho,'' (Slumdog Millionaire)
''O Saya,'' (Slumdog Millionaire)

Now for the hard part I have to choose my picks...Ideas?!

For the complete list of nominations, click here.

Best Kisses

I recently watched North and South, which I loved. But what stood out was the way it ended on the platform of the train station.

I got inspired to search on YouTube for a video of the best kisses from period dramas, and I found this little montage:



Enjoy!

Jane Eyre

5 Minutes for Books is hosting a Classics Bookclub, this months selection is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

I first read Jane Eyre in high school, and back then I thought it was too dark, and boring. I liked Jane, but thought she was too nice and that Mr. Rochester was a despicable man who manipulated situations to suit him.

But now, I have a somewhat different view. I still find Jane too nice, but I also find her to be such a strong individual, physically, emotionally and morally. Mr. Rochester has grown on me, I can understand better the reasons behind what he did, and why he hid Bertha from Jane and his staff. I can see his love and almost obsession with Jane. But I can also see his kindness towards Adele, even when he kept her at arms length.

What I enjoyed the most was Jane’s growth. The way she became the woman that lived her life the way she wanted, and not the way Mr. Rochester or Mr. Rivers wanted her to. She made her choices and lived with them. She wouldn’t corrupt her morals for the sake of her hearts desire. I found that very commendable.

And although the ending is bittersweet. Jane and Mr. Rochester lived happily ever after. And I’m a sucker for a HEA ending.

Since I read this book, I've already ordered the BBC's production of Jane Eyre starring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens. I think J sees a new obsession starting...these BBC dramas are wonderful.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (4.5/5) Classic Literature; Originally published 1847; 100 + Reading Challenge (70); Classics Book club (2); Fall Into Reading 2008 (3); Keeper shelf;

R.I.P.

"Every single art form is involved in film, in a way."
Sydney Pollack (1935-2008)

North and South

I jumped on the North and South bandwagon, and I'm loving every moment of it. And what is not to love?!

It's the story of Margaret Hale, a young woman from the beautiful farm lands of the south England, who moves with her family to the industrial town of Milton in the north of the country. At first she's repulsed with the ugliness of the town, and she also becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the mill-workers. And there's John Thornton, owner of a mill. He's a hard man, but also just and fair. Although Margaret and John have different views that doesn't stop their attraction towards each other.

The setting was unbelievable, it was scary, dark and filthy. You saw what it was really like in the cottons mills. I love the way Margaret made friends with the mill-workers and it broke my heart when her friend passed.

Aside from the social concern of the time, it was a beautiful love story....Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe were perfect in their roles of John and Margaret. John feeling that he wasn't worthy of Margaret's love, and her ow prejudices against his position as the "master" of the mill. But she slowly falls for him. It was wonderful to watch.

One of my favorite scenes, was when Margaret was leaving Milton, John is watching her leave, and he just wants her to look back at him...It was heart wrenching. I was hoping along with him.

And there's the ending at the train station. Oh my word! Wonderful!

It came!

It's here.

I'll be having a Sissi marathon....

Sissi

Read this as part Callapidder Days Fall Into Reading challenge.

I started my obsession with Empress Elizabeth of Austria when I was eleven or twelve. That's when I watched a series of movies starring Romy Schneider as Sissi (the Empress's nickname). At that time I didn't care about historical accuracy, I thought that the setting was so beautiful (Bavaria, Vienna, Venice, Madeira), the actors were amazingly attractive, and they had a great love story. And of course I thought all of what happened in the movies were true fact... Was I ever wrong!



The biography, The Lonely Empress: Elizabeth of Austria by Joan Haslip, shows us the young girl who fell in love, the young woman who lost something precious and the loneliness that she felt throughout her life. No longer I am the starry eyed girl who fell in love with the movies, but the woman who can (sometimes) understand the intricacies of life and love.



Has the obsession quiet down? No, not really. I will still watch the movies, and read about the actress that portrayed that special character that I love so much. Actually I just ordered a five DVD box set, The Sissi Collection from Amazon. I cannot wait to cuddle up on the couch and watch all five of those movies.

Rate: 4.5/5 Keeper Shelf

Me and Mr. Darcy

....Yep, sure. Wishful dreaming... Seriously why is it that Mr. Darcy is so beloved by Jane Austen fans? Is it the character in the pages of Pride and Prejudice or maybe it's more the portrayal of Colin Firth's or Matthew McFadyen's Darcy that set hearts a flutter... What do you think?

I first fell in "love" with Mr. Darcy when I was fifteen. I was going through those awful teenage years, ignored by those awful creatures known as teenage boys. I read the book and to me Mr. Darcy was what my dream man was supposed to be, strong, opinionated, rich with a heart of gold. Well, I grew out of it... sort of...


Then Mr. Darcy sparked my curiosity again with the help of the BBC's miniseries P&P, ok, it was Colin Firth that did it for me. I'm not afraid to admit it, here's this gorgeous creature walking across a wonderful estate wet and oh so yummy. Ladies, you know which scene I'm talking about.


And just recently, alright not really recently, two years or so, we had another Darcy sighting, this time portrayed by Matthew McFadyen. Here he's walking across the morning mist and looking oh so yummy, as well.

Personally I think that it's the character itself that women love so much, and the actors are just the bonus. Now which actor do I see "my" Mr. Darcy as, well, I think I have to go with Matthew McFadyen, there's something about him...his eyes...

And all this thanks to Me And Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter.

Here's the blurb:

Dreams come true in this hilarious, feel-good fairy tale about life, love, and dating literature’s most eligible bachelor!

After a string of disastrous dates, Emily Albright decides she’s had it with modern-day love and would much rather curl up with Pride and Prejudice and spend her time with Mr. Darcy, the dashing, honorable, and passionate hero of Jane Austen’s classic. So when her best friend suggests a wild week of margaritas and men in Mexico with the girls, Emily abruptly flees to England on a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead. Far from inspiring romance, the company aboard the bus consists of a gaggle of little old ladies and one single man, Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist writing an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date.

The last thing Emily expects to find on her excursion is a broodingly handsome man striding across a field, his damp shirt clinging to his chest. But that’s exactly what happens when she comes face-to-face with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. Suddenly, every woman’s fantasy becomes one woman’s reality. . . .

I really enjoyed this book, I thought that the it was funny, witty, great dialog and fast paced. All my favs! The characters were very good, Emily the book store manager very much like Elizabeth Bennet and Spike very much like Mr. Darcy. I enjoyed how the author made Emily realize the error of her ways through reading P&P, and her resolve in apologizing for her prejudice.

I read this book through the library, but I'm adding it to my shopping list. I would love to have a copy on my keeper shelf.

Rate: 4/5

Downfall

My husband is a huge fan of WWII movies, so when he mentioned that he wanted to watch Downfall (one more for the collection!), I thought, "great, here we go again". "But this one is different", he said, it's a German movie about Hitler's last days. Hmm, subtitles! Bring it on!

I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the movie. I thought the actor that portrayed Hitler, Bruno Ganz, did a superb job, even if he doesn't particularly look like him. Here was this so called "Great" man, the savior of the German people, acting irrationally, ok maybe more insane like, paranoid, and super controlling. Here was someone who would rather take his own life than suffer the consequences of his actions. I knew before hand I would feel angry and mad, but I never thought I would feel sorry for him.