Netflix Pick: Celeste + Jesse Forever

Have you seen the romantic dramedy Celeste + Jesse Forever? 

It's a fascinating and funny love story about a married pair of best friends who are going through a divorce. Their cute and quirky marriage is already over by the end of the opening credits and the rest of the movie explores the various complications and entanglements that come with separating from your best friend. 

With Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg in the lead roles, the movie strikes a great balance between humour and honesty. Jones plays the protagonist with aplomb and Samberg is surprisingly earnest and endearing in an uncharacteristically serious acting role.  

The movie also has a stellar soundtrack that's pretty much the quintessential heartbreak mix for the cool kids.  

The story is a bit heartbreaking, but it also has a lot of heart. Jones co-wrote the script with her writing partner Will McCormack (and no, not Will from Will & Grace...that's Eric McCormack - don't worry, I got excited too.) She also included a lot of her own real-life dating experiences for some wickedly fun cringe-worthy moments that enriched the story and made it more intimate.

See it if you're a fan of love stories that aren't afraid to dive into the nitty gritty details of a complicated adult relationship and skip it if you can only stomach meet-cutes and happy endings.

Movies that are similar in tone include Sarah Polley's Take this Waltz and Richard Linklater's famed trilogy, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and the recently released Before Midnight. 

If you're on the fence, I highly recommend you give it a shot as Celeste & Jesse Forever has given me a new found admiration and respect for Jones as both a writer and a leading lady. 

(Photos via Pinterest)

Roshambo.

Although I hated seeing Charlie getting walked all over by Marni through most of his time on Girls, I'll still be sad to see his character go since it now leaves us with only Adam, Ray and a rotating carousel of seemingly random male guest stars.

In the meantime, I'm glad to see that Christopher Abbot has re-surfaced in this gorgeously shot video for Free People. I hope his departure from Girls due to "creative differences" doesn't hinder his chances of scoring other high-profile projects in the future.

What did you think of the season 2 finale of Girls? (I was a bit frustrated and sceptical of the whole romanticized tying up of loose ends.) How do you think they'll write Charlie off the show in season 3?

♥

Battle of the Pugs

I unfortunately haven't had time to see The Avengers yet, but I was surprised to hear Disney's blockbuster hit has already been bumped into the #2 spot by Men in Black 2: Back in Black. 

This is bad news for the first pugvenger, who was spotted by Caleb Goellner (senior editor of Comics Alliance) at the Oregon Humane Society Pug Crawl just a couple of weekends ago. 

Photo: Caleb Goellner

Which of course only begs the question, which character deserves to be top pug at the Hollywood box office? 

Photo: Caleb Goellner

VS.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Who do you think is the best pug to save the day? 

♥

Disclaimer: In real life, Captain America is sadly not played by a pug, but by actor Chris Evans. I hear people say he's pretty cute too ;) 

(Images 1, 2: Caleb Goellner for Comics Alliance / 3: Columbia Pictures via Cineplex.com)

Fashion Friday: Marilyn Monroe

Photo Credit: Marilyn Monroe by Otto L. Bettman

Doesn't Marilyn look simply stunning in the poster for this year's Cannes Film Festival? 

I love the interplay of soft gold with the simple black and white photograph and the way that the light seems to illuminate not only from the birthday candle but from Marilyn herself. 

What do you think of this year's poster?  Do you think Marilyn is a good choice for the festival's 65th anniversary?

♥

Image Credit: 

MODEL ::: Marilyn Monroe

PHOTOGRAPH ::: Otto L. Bettman

ARTWORK ::: agence Bronx

for Festival de Cannes via Notebook (MUBI)

Looking for more images of iconic leading ladies from Hollywood's Golden Age? Check out this exquisite archive of Cannes Pin-Ups Through the Ages on The Telegraph.co.uk!  My favourite photos are of Gene Tierney, Brigitte Bardot, and Elizabeth Taylor :)

Countdown to The Five Year Engagement...

Can it be April yet? Because I can't wait to see this movie!

Jason Segel (Tom) and Emily Blunt (Violet) look like they have brilliant comedic chemistry together and Alison Brie takes a supporting turn as Violet's sister too :)

Until then, check out the couple's hilarious fake wedding website, which should keep us chuckling all the way to the box office on April 27!

Pixar's "La Luna"

Pixar's next full length feature Brave won't be coming out until the summer, but it looks like the studio has already released a sneak peek of their newest short that will play during the previews!

I adore the 'clink clank' sound that the stars make on the ground and any wonderstruck character with a newsboy cap instantly earns an A+ with me :)

What do you think of the sneak peek for Shooting Star? Are you excited to see Brave? :)

Snapshots from the Weekend...

Queen West / Parkdale

The Drake's Chicken & Waffles

(A review in haiku: a touch too much jam, but the fried chicken was crisp, leggo my eggo.)

best. car. film. ever.

(and oh so much ryan gosling <3)

How was your weekend? 

xo.

(Images 1, 2: Lai Mai Ng, 3: FilmDistrict via Wikipedia)  

Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions

Don't. Freak. Out. But the master of Italian cinema, Federico Fellini, is the subject of the next big exhibition at the TIFF Bell Lightbox!

Visual Art

Curated by Sam Stourdze and produced by NBC Photography, the exhibition will feature 400+ works that "explore the obsessions that recur throughout his films and life" and no doubt informs the iconography that we admire and still long for so much today.

Dream Double Bills

What would an exhibit on Fellini be without some moving pictures? TIFF invited nine filmmakers, critics, and programmers to slate a series of double bills that pair a Fellini film with another work that complements, contrasts, or inspires a conversation with it.

Incorporating picks from Atom Egoyan, Isabella Rossellini, Deepa Mehta, the film programme also has the added thrill of having Guillermo Del Toro introducing James Schamus' selections on July 2!

Masterworks of Italian Neorealism

A retrospective of classic and rare films by Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti and Pier Paolo Pasolini. If you're new to the movement, I highly recommend starting with De Sica's definitive "Bicycle Thieves"and plunging forward from there.

Clearly, it's an exciting summer to be a film lover in Toronto! What are you most excited to see? :)

For additional details, full schedule, and pricing, check out: http://www.tiff.net/fellini#

Let's start at the beginning...

Mark your calendars! It looks like "Page One: Inside the New York Times" will be released in Toronto on July 8, 2011.

An official selection for the 2011 Sundance film festival, this documentary gets unprecedented access to the iconic paper's newsroom and vigorously explores the evolving business of journalism and the impact of new technologies.

A definite must for anyone interested in journalism, media, culture and the overall production of news.

See you on opening night!

Toy Stories

I'm utterly charmed by the sweet little owls adorning this home in the premiere issue of Trad Home magazine!

Designed by Suysel dePedro Cunningham and Anne Maxwell Foster for their joint design venture, Tilton Fenwick, the look is 'Country Cosmopolitan' and nearly pitch perfect.

The only thing I'd be tempted to do is swap out the owls for cuter and even chubbier Totoro plushies (!)

What do you think? Are you more of an owl or a Totoro fan? :)

Image 1: Tilton Fenwick for Trad Home. Photography by Patrick Cline.

Image 2: Screenshot of Hayo Miyazaki's 'My Neighbour Totoro' via Inhabitots.

Sweet dreams are made of this

A polka-dotted petite patisserie pincushion from KupKup on Etsy and the Kings of Pastry documentary currently playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox until January 3.

No. 16 | Fabric, Felt, Beads | USD $33.00

Certified 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes

Stay tuned as there's a rumour floating around that my friends may be challenging each other to a macaron throw-down Bobby Flay style in the kitchen afterwards!

Feist: Look at What the Light Did Now

Image via Gallery AC

Hooray! The newest documentary featuring Feist and her creative process is now out on DVD and just in time for the holidays. Entitled 'Look at What the Light Did Now', the film will also showcase many of Feist's regular collaborators; a total boon as the movie offers up a more comprehensive and intriguing view on how this charming artist keeps composing songs that we can't stop falling in love with.