64th Cannes Film Festival

The official selection of films to be screened at the 64th Cannes Film Festival was released today! The festival will take place from May 11 to 22. I'm super excited! Here are some of the films I'm looking forward to (slash these are pretty much all the trailers that I could find and I pretty much like all of them...):

Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris will be opening the festival and be Out of Competition.

This seems like a very fun, spontaneous film. I love the ensemble cast. In case you were wondering, yes! French First Lady, Carla Bruni, is in this film! I love how Woody Allen is making these beautiful cities the backdrop of his films; Barcelona in 2008 and now Paris.

Australian novelist Julia Leigh makes her debut as a director with Sleeping Beauty which will be In Competition.

With Jane Campion's name attached to it, this shall be amazing! I must know what happens in this film!

American director, Terrence Malice's The Tree of Life will be In Competition.

Absolutely stunning! Stupendously cerebral! Of all these trailers, this one is definitely my favorite. Just from the trailers, I will be placing my bets on Terrence Malice winning the Palme d'Or. I'm a bit surprised by Brad Pitt's involvement in this film. I always think of him as a box office superstar but never an award winning actor. But the choices he has made lately are phenomenal! Babel, Benjamin Button, and now this.

Habemus Papam (We Have a Pope) by Italian director Nanni Moretti will be In Competition.

Not quite certain what this film is about without a synopsis or subtitles. But I appreciate what seems to be a whimsical, lighthearted, and touching film on an institution that is all too serious.

The Yellow Sea by South Korean director Na Hong-jin will be competing in Un Certain Regard.

A dramatic, intense trailer that had me on the edge of my seat. Seems to be a heart gripping thriller. If you, like me, is still interested in the film after the trailer please read the synopsis here!

Jodie Foster's The Beaver will be screened Out of Competition.

I like Jodie Foster. I really do, mainly because of her role in The Silence of the Lambs. Let's just face it--she's probably never going to be as great as when she starred as Clarice, but I'm still rooting for her. This could be a comeback from both Jodie and Mel!

One last film that I am looking forward to is called We Need to Talk about Kevin directed by British film director Lynne Ramsay and starring Tilda Swinton. Although it has yet to release a trailer it sounds to be a promising film. The premise of the film, as taken from Wikipedia, is about "a mother recount[ing] the events leading up to and following her son's massacre of students and teachers at his high school." Intriguing, right? The film will be In Competition.

And so that is that! Looking forward to May 11!

It's been a while...

Dear all,

As I write this post on this nearly forgotten blog, I am drinking chicken noodle soup. I have a very unfortunate cold. Since my last post, many things have changed. I am now in Boston in hopes of finding a job (that very very elusive job. My dear readers in Boston, if you know of any job opportunities please let me know). I am not longer subscribed to Netflix. And I am eating a lot more canned soup and frozen food that are on sale. To follow my journey through chronologically organized photos, please click here!

On the movie front, we all know that the Golden Globes and SAG Awards took place. Congrats to my favorites in winning: Laura Linney, Glee, Modern Family, Temple Grandin. And although I put my Netflix account on hold, I have seen a few movies since moving away from home.

The Savages

Such wonderful performances by both Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's a quietly emotional and subtly funny film. A more polished, well-scripted version of The Squid and the Whale.

The King's Speech

Fantastic performance by Colin Firth. Absolutely loved Helena Bohnam Carter. Her performance as the Queen Mother really puts into perspective what a wide range of roles she can play. I loved the lightheartedness that Geoffrey Rush brought to the film. But I can see how this film won't win the Best Picture at the Oscars this year.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

What an imaginative film! Totally not what I expected. Love the displacement of time and live-action animation. The closest film I can think of similar to Scott Pilgrim is (500) Days of Summer, but it really doesn't even come close.

Favorite Moments of 2010

With the year ending, a lot of people and publications have been coming up with their Top 10 lists of 2010. Time Magazine named its Person of the Year as Mark Zuckerberg which I personally disagree with. I despise Facebook's ever changing layout and its lack of "Reply to Sender [Only]" feature in its message section.

The Onion published its list of The People who Mattered in 2010. My favorite person on the list is Glenn Beck and his blurb reads: "Glenn Beck - The Lone Voice Of Reason In An Age Of Hysteria. Every single day of 2010, Beck's quiet words of humility and reason have touched the hearts of all Americans, healing countless wounds and elevating the level of our national discourse."

So before 2010 ends in a few hours, let me squeeze in my list of my favorite moments of 2010. I can't remember much of the first half of the year, so my list only contains two items:

1. Sofia Vergara on Ellen







2. Everything Florence + the Machine related

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

The Pillars of the Earth

Update: I just finished watching the 8 part mini-series since starting it last night. What a great series! I absolutely love John Adams from 2 years ago and now The Pillars of the Earth. I have a new found appreciation for mini-series. Each episode of The Pillars of the Earth was so enthralling with each part being like a really good movie. And, unlike tv shows, it doesn't drag on. What makes it all even better is the rewarding ending of the series.

So, I definitely recommend it. It's on Netflix instant watch right now. Go watch!

I decided to find out what The Pillars of the Earth is all about after seeing it on the list of nominees for the Golden Globes.

It has quite a star ensemble that includes actors and actresses whose faces are familiar but whose names are difficult to recall. So, it features:

• Hayley Atwell - Lady Julia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited
• Eddie Redmayne - Antony Baekeland in Savage Grace
• Matthew Macfadyen - Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice
• Rufus Sewell - he's been in a score of films like A Knight's Tale, but I know him best from Paris, je t'aime's first short film.
• Alison Pill - who looks so familiar, but I haven't seen any of her films
• Donald Sutherland - who needs no introduction (Yes, Mr. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice).
• Sorry, lists are so boring.

The set, cinematography, and special effects kind of remind me of the History Channel, which is not necessary the best thing. But I think the story line is quite engaging. At first, the story was a bit confusing. There are two seemingly disconnected story lines--one about the shifting power in the monarchy and one about a master builder who is trying to build a cathedral. Ultimately, these stories become intertwined and characters bond and fight. After watching the first episode, I really want to know what happens next.

Favorite time of the year!

It's my favorite time of the year! No, it's not Christmas (although I do love Christmas). It's award season which kicked off on Tuesday by the Golden Globes! Yesterday, Screen Actors Guild came out with its nominations for the SAG Awards. So after a whole year of cinema-going, we finally get to see which films are considered the best by industry insiders. But, of course, since most nominated films are shown at the end of the year, close to the nomination consideration period, we I really haven't seen any of the films (I'll just speak for myself. I've only been to the movies a handful of times this year including the time to watch the god-awful Clash of the Titans--I predict it will earn several Razzies this year. And with Netflix, I just don't want to pay more to watch a film.)

So the top nominees this year for both the Golden Globes and SAG Awards are...The King's Speech (which I mentioned on this blog after it won the Toronto Film Festival's People's Choice Award) and The Fighter. Other notable nominees are The Social Network, Black Swan, andThe Kids Are All Right.

How's the view, Geoffrey Rush?

Déjà vu???

I am particularly happy for Natalie Portman for her Best Actress nomination in a Leading Role for Black Swan at both the Globes and SAG. She seems so genuine, smart, and amiable. And I think it's about time for her to be in the spotlight after her roles in Garden State, Closer, and V for Vendetta.

What the what? Who is who?

A real black swan that I shot at Leeds Castle.

Natalie, what are you doing? It's like what you did in Closer but classier.

On the television front, I am hoping to see The Big C take home some awards at the Globes especially for Laura Linney. Strangely, The Big C is not nominated at all that the SAG Awards. I would also love to see Modern Family, which is the top nominee at the SAG with 4 nominations, win some awards. Modern Family is a show that I've been trying to catch up with on Netflix, and it's been giving me some great laughs.

Gabourey, your career is lasting a lot longer than you expected, huh! Oprah's prediction came true!

What a lovely neighborhood you live in!

Oh, hi everyone.

Temple Grandin, a made-for-television movie, was a big winner at the Emmy's earlier this year and again a big nominee for the SAG and Globes. Having seen Temple Grandin in person, I can testify that Claire Danes' performance was a perfect portrayal of Grandin. Read my thoughts on Temple Grandin here.
I am little bit disappointed to see Dexter nominated for so many awards. I am a huge fan of Dexter in the past. I absolutely loved seasons one through four, but season five is just awful, so much so that I stopped watching half way through. Michael C Hall should have done what Katherine Heigl did and withdrew from award consideration.

Sadly, the on-screen siblings and real-life couple recently filed for divorce. Awkward~

Anyways, I wish I can go on and on but this post has already gone on too long! So last two things: I was particularly intrigued by Nicole Kidman's nomination for Best Actress for her role in Rabbit Hole. I definitely want to see what this film is all about.

Looks interesting right?

And when will Julianne Moore ever win her big prize???

Oh WhAt! Julianne, I didn't know you were the La Grande Odalisque in real life! You sure are popular around here! Can you hear a thing?

The Eden Project II

Over a month passed since my first post on my vegetable garden. Here are some new photos!

The peas have gotten really tall. The trellis I set up isn't quite enough, so I found them all bend over one morning. The peas have been blocking the sun from reaching the sweet potatoes on the left. Those little guys aren't doing as well these days.

They're quite pretty, aren't they?

The first pea!

Tangled

I'm going to harvest the lettuce when I get the chance.

The beets are peeking through the soil.

I watched a Youtube video on Fibonacci numbers and how they apply to nature the other day. I can't help but think of how they're applied to these carrot leaves. On a different note, I think they are almost ready for harvest!

Tomato blossoms

Tomatoes--I'm quite surprised that they are growing! Oh California weather.

Guava

Some lemons are ripe. The lemon blossoms smell really good.