Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Media: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Image from imdb.com

I really enjoyed this science fiction film directed by Rupert Wyatt.  James Franco plays a scientist, Will, who is experimenting with genetic engineering.  He discovers a medicine that helps people to advance at an extremely rapid rate and could possibly be the cure to Alzheimer’s disease.  As a result of a malfunction, Will (Franco) is stuck with adopting one of the apes, Caesar, from the research lab.  A relationship develops between Will and Caesar and the film depicts how strong love can be between man and ape.   

Image from imdb.com

Media: Special Effects

All the apes in the film are created by special effects.  It is absolutely incredible to see how it works.  Andy Serkis is the actor that plays Cesar and his movements are used in front of a green screen so that the visual effects team can then transfer Serkis’ movements and make them look like they are that of an ape’s. Take a look at this awesome video:

 

Design: SF Houses 

 

The film takes place in present day San Francisco, one of my favorite cities.  I adore SF and the charm the city has to offer.  It is green, hilly, and foggy which makes it so unique.  It is so beautiful and the towns across the Golden Gate Bridge are even more spectacular.   Although SF is famous for its Victorian style houses, I love the more classic and modern exterior look.  Throughout the movie, we see tons of great shots of the city and the G.G. Bridge.  It inspired me to share some photos I’ve taken myself during my travels through the city.

Taken with instagram and set up with diptic

My Likes: Tiburon

Tiburon, a town in Marin County, is only two exits off the G.G. Bridge. It is also magnificently beautiful and it has amazing views of SF and the Bay area.  Here is a pic I took:

Casino

Media: Casino (1995)

Image from scorethefilm.blogspot.com

This Martin Scoresese film portrays the alluring life of power, money, and glam in Las Vegas.  Starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci, Casino reveals the greedy and dangerous lives of mob involvement in casinos during the 1970’s and 80’s.  The acting is incredible and De Niro’s narration throughout the film makes things more personal and real.  I agree with Rotten Tomatoes’ score of 80%

Image from movieweb.com

Image from photos-films.blogspot.com

 Ace Rothstein (De Niro) plays the casino manager who falls in love with Ginger, (Stone), a hustler.  Their relationship is one-sided love in which Ace does absolutely anything for Ginger. 

Image from photos-films.blogspot.com

Image from movieweb.com

After they get married, Ace rewards his wife with an immense amount of glittering gold jewelry. 

Images from imdb.com

Art: Jewelry Boxes

One’s jewels need to be put away somewhere safe and pretty.  Here are some photos of unique jewelry boxes I’d like to keep my jewelry in:

Louis Vuitton Travel Case

R & Y Augousti Chest

R & Y Agousti Chest

 R & Y Agousti is one of my favorite designers. Check out more of their collection here: Barneys

Design: Hotels

Of course the hotels in Las Vegas are best known for their casinos, but check out these incredible suits at two of the most popular hotels on the strip:

The Bellagio

Images from bellagio.com

The Wynn 

Image from wynnlasvegas.com

       

Rudo Y Cursi

M.A.D. : Rudo y Cursi (2008)

Directed by Carlos Cuaron, this Mexican film stars one of my favorite actors Gael Garcia Bernal.  The movie is based on two half brothers, Tato and Beto who live in rural Mexico and work on a banana plantation farm.  They are scouted by Batuta, who provides them with a rare opportunity to play soccer for different teams in Mexico City.  We watch as the brothers are exposed to a completely different life than they are used to: money, cars, women, etc. But with success comes failure and Cuaron does an excellent job portraying how one’s passions can interfere with talent. 

I really enjoyed this film and agree with Rotten Tomatoes score of 72%!

Image from abimorella.webs.com

When they become famous soccer players Tato gets the nickname Cursi (Corny) and Beto gains the title Rudo (rough).

Image from imdb.com

Cursi’s real dream is to be a singer and here is his one of a kind music video:

I seriously adore Gael Garcia Bernal…. I mean, can you blame me??

All images from imdb.com

These three movies are some of favorites that Gael stars in: Amores Perros (2000) directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) by Alfonso Cuaron, and The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) directed by Walter Salles.

Here is a list of a few other films where you can see Gael:

The Science of Sleep (2006)

Revolucion (2006)

The King (2005)

La Mala Educacion (2004)

Dot the I (2003)

Crazy Stupid Love

 Media: Crazy Stupid Love

I just came home from seeing “Crazy Stupid Love” starring Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling.  The movie portrays the ups and downs of being in love and makes the audience question if there really is such a thing as true love.  While Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a pretty high rating of 75%, in my opinion, I’d only give it about a 50%, at most.  It definitely was a cute movie but some of the jokes were just a little bit too silly.  Regardless, It is still entertaining and if you are in the mood to see a movie, why not, go see it. 

Image from imdb.com

I'm sure the movie will make you think of this song:

 Crazy Little Thing Called Love 

Art & Design: 

There were a few things I noticed during the movie that I wanted to point out.

Bottega Veneta makes the beautiful bag you see Emily (Julianne Moore) carrying throughout the film: The Woven Trapezoidal Hobo

Image from imdb.com

 

You can buy this bag @ Saks Fifth Avenue

Another thing I noticed was Jacob’s (Ryan Gosling) manly accessories.  I think it is really sexy when guys can pull off masculine jewelry.  In the film, Ryan wears a long chain around his neck and a bold ring on his finger.  

Image from imdb.com

 I found a few things that I think would look great on a guy...

I am a huge fan of Chan Luu’s Jewelry Collection. I have a bunch of her wrap bracelets and am literally obsessed with every single one.  She also has a great collection for men and the following pieces would add the perfect touch to make any man look sexy:

   Onyz Pendant Necklace

Single Wrap Bracelet

You can buy these items @ chanluu.com

My Likes: Jonah Bobo

Robbie (Jonah Bobo) plays Emily (Julliane Moore) and Cal’s (Steve Carell) adorable son.  He is the cutest middle school boy ever and is brave enough to confess his love to a girl three years older than he is! He refuses to give up and continues to declare his love.  I definitely think everyone is going to fall in love with Jonah and he is going to be the next big thing!

Image from imdb.com

Amélie

Media: Amélie

  

Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie, (original French title Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain) is a film that blends together fantasy and reality.  The film follows Amélie, the main character, as she goes about her everyday routine in the charming city of Paris. The mise-en-scene of the film illustrates the dramatic changes Amélie brings to certain individuals.  Through its unconventional, quirky depiction of characters, pervasive non-diegetic sound, and unusual camera work, Amélie completely engages the audience with its dream-like visuals.  With his precise and distinct vignettes, fantastical use of color, and detailed and enhancing set, Jeunet encourages the audience to give more meaning to the seemingly insignificant things in life.     Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90 % 

Image from http://scarebearwendy.blogspot.com/2009/11/fabulous-destiny-of-Amélie-poulain.html

Screen Shot Image

 

                        

Art: Props        

Throughout the film, Jeunet uses interesting props to demonstrate that the seemingly insignificant things in life are what matter. 

This tin box was found behind a loose tile in her bathroom. It contains childhood artifacts belonging to a tenant that lived in Amélie’s apartment before her. She makes it her mission to return the box to her owner. When she does this, she changes this stranger’s life forever.          

This cute little gnome played a quirky role in the film.  Amélie gave the gnome to her flight attendant friend who took pictures of the gnome at various famous sites all around the world.  Her friend sent the pictures anonymously to Amélie’s father, allowing him to travel vicariously through the gnome.     

 

Amélie constructs a letter for her concierge Mrs. Wellss.  After being completely heartbroken over her husband’s discrepancies, Mrs. Wells is overjoyed when she receives this love letter.  Amélie pretends the letter got lost in the mail, but in reality she was the one to send it.     

All Images are Screen Shots

 Design: Saturated Color        

Amélie is a film of saturated colors, specifically green and red. The entire movie is like a beautiful picture book with its picturesque imagery and vibrant color palette.  The character’s costumes and the film’s set all blend together making it a very cool and interesting reality.  Because the film is predominately red in color, it inspired me to find pictures of red dominated interiors. Take a look:         

All 4 Images from Alkemie.blogspot.com

Image from Jubella.com

Image from thedecorologist.com

Image from elledecor.com

Image from apartmenttherapy.com

My Likes:  

While researching, I came across a really cute and unique blog, “Inspired by Amélie.” This blog is devoted to encouraging bloggers to discover the small details in life that sometimes go unnoticed, but are present in the film.  The blog creates several challenges, such as creating letters like Amélie’s love letter in the film.  By participating in these activities, people are extending Jeunet’s message to the greater community that lies beyond the reality of the film.       

 http://inspiredbyAmélie.blogspot.com/