MOVIN' ON UP!

I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF MOVING! That's why I haven't been posting lately! Things have been really chaotic over here. The good news is, my new apartment is only a few blocks from THE LINCOLN CENTER! Now there will be zero excuses to not queue for rush tickets for every single operatic performance! Hip-hip-hooray!

I was hesitant about moving to the yuppie epicenter of the city (upper west side of Manhattan) but I think I'm really going to like it there actually. It'll be a change but I think it'll be a good one. PLUS, construction has begun on the apartment building next door to my current one and I really really loathe being awaken by the roar of drills at 8am every morning!

And my new apartment has a garden!

And a roommate! (But that's a good thing....I think living with someone will force me to be more disciplined....and not spend my nights gorging myself into a diabetic coma of sugary treats while watching movies on TCM that I've already seen 20x, repeating Bette Davis' dialogue aloud while mouthful of caramel popcorn like the sad sobs you see in satirical singles commercials. ;-)

I WILL RETURN WITH NEW ENTRIES SOOOOON. I PROMISE!!

Head in the Clouds (2004)

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 8
Performances/Direction = 5.5

Last week I watched for the very first time Head in the Clouds (2004) and was left puzzled, gutted and uncomfortably unnerved by the time the credits rolled. I was uncomfortable with it because I could see what it was trying to be and while its lofty ambitions were admirable, I couldn’t help but cringe and roll my eyes as I witnessed the agonizing progression of this lengthy 2-hr cinematic failure. It promised things it couldn't deliver and it wasted the talents of two of the most mesmerizing actresses working today. It was unconvincing, unnecessarily exhaustive, and disgracefully maudlin. And the ending epitaph left me tossing in bed for days, even after I learned that the entire story was fictionalized. I don't want to give it away but let's just say it was very disturbing, added merely for shock value, and historically preposterous.

But hey, at least everyone looked pretty.



The story centers around three lovers, Gilda (Charlize Theron), Mia (Penélope Cruz), and Guy (Stuart Townsend) in the 1930s up through the end of WWII. It begins with an effervescent Gilda chancing upon shy, virginal Guy one stormy night while they were both students at Cambridge and follows them to Paris where a sultry Mia is added to form the unconventional ménage à trois, and then to the desolate snow-laden battlefields of Spain during the Spanish Civil War and finally back to Paris for the German occupation of France.

You too can look nerdy and naive by brushing your bangs forward and slapping on a bow-tie and sweater vest.


Does my head-to-toe magenta outfit scare you, virginal freshman?


I am cute as a button!


But I can also be fierce!


(Love that camel colored coat. thought it was leather at first but it's not.)


So fierce!


Gilda is the girl who we all secretly kind of wish we could be for a day - tall, blond, gorgeous, and wealthy. She's brazenly bisexual, fiercely feminist, defiantly artistic and oh, she lives in Paris, works as a photographer, and spends her nights dancing the tango with her lesbian lover in seedy smoke-laced cafes. How lovely.



Check out the back to this mustard colored velvet dress.




Check out the back to this dress.


When you live in France, it is mandatory that you own at least two dozen berets in various colors.


And a collection of artsy, whimsical hats.


Gorgeous wine colored suit worn with long black leather gloves.


Loving the sheen and the ribbed texture of the suit fabric.


Actually, Gilda wears quite a lot of suits. It's interesting because while a lot of her outfits have that masculine edge, they still look very sexy and feminine on her. Expressive and empowering are two words that come to mind. A bit Marlene Dietrich.





I want to BE you, Gilda. No, on second thought, I'll just take your camera instead.


Going all sort of crazy over that leather camera bag!


Ignore that hideous puke-green+brown wool dress her assistant is wearing and focus on Gilda's low-cut gray velvet double breasted suit.


She may even look better here than the model.


She wears this headscarf so well.


Here's a shot of the rest of the outfit.


In the "3rd phase" of the story, we see Gilda abandon her pants-suits in favor of more traditional dresses that emphasized her femininity. We can look at this outward shift as a parallel to an inner shift where she no longer upholds the kind of control she had over herself, over her relationships, and over her "fate" as the movie would like you to believe before the Nazis invaded France.



Pretty floral dress + ivory chiffon scarf + hat.


Tiny hat. Love the earrings + necklace.


On the arm of a Nazi.




She's actually using cream to take off the line drawn on the back of her legs to mimic the appearance of hosiery. A lot of women during the war era did that due to a shortage of stockings.


Are you swooning over her hair yet?


You should be!


Channeling Veronica Lake.


It's hard to describe Gilda's "transformation" without giving away the twist to the movie, as if it wasn't blatantly transparent already. This movie is so predictable you have to inhale half a box of cinnamon toast crunch just to keep from falling asleep...oh no? the phagocytic cereal eating was just me?
- - - - -

And because Stuart Townsend's character Guy is totally and utterly boring, I'm going to unapologetically skip over him and move onto Penelope Cruz's Mia.

I mean, just look at this face!


And this body!


And this attitude!


Even though she was only in a third of the movie, Penelope Cruz carried her part as the crippled lesbian lover/muse to Charlize Theron's Gilda well. She was the only redeeming feature in this ridiculous melodramatic saga.





- - - - -
Moving on, lastly, to the set. I know that much of it was shot on location in Paris but some of the exteriors looked as if they were recreated in a sound stage. In fact, it looked like something out of An American In Paris (1951). And I’m left to question – Why? Was there some deeper, artistic significance that I'm not catching? Look, there's not a speck of dirt on those fake cobblestones and the ballerinas appear out of place. Did someone just say, "let's condense all the possible stereotypes you might encounter on a Parisian street together, side by side within this small stretch of 20 meters!" Because that's what it looks like and the resulting mise-en-scène is both awkward as it is artificial. Actually, you could use those two words to describe the entire film altogether.



Just take a look at how this shot is lit and you see what I mean. Doesn't this scream 1950s Gene Kelly musical? I feel like he should break out in song and dance routine any second. And the ballerinas are already perfectly positioned to join in the musical interlude!



Here are some shots of Gilda/Mia/Guy's apartment in Paris. It's actually very cute.



The spiral staircase confused me because I never once saw it used. All the action took place on the first level.


Their kitchen. Nice blue tiles over the stove.




What is up with this lighting?? I can't get over it. It's just so harsh and poorly executed!


Loved the sunburst sculpture on the console table.


I don't know why but that ostentatious coat+hat rack (left) kind of appeals to me. I generally make it a rule that if something looks like it could belong in Donatella Versace's home, then it should never pass the threshold into mind. But oddly enough, I'm liking that gnarly piece.



Bedroom. I like the dried roses in that silver vase on her vanity.


Gorgeous green silk embroidered bedspread.


I want that peacock lamp! (right)


And finally, my favorite set piece - french doors with gorgeous peacocks painted over the glass.


Also, I just discovered that the director for this picture was John Duigan, the same man who ruined Wide Sargasso Sea (1993) for me. Double fail, John.

A boring update in place of a real post...sorry!

Update on me: I'm sorry I haven't been posting as frequently. I've been extremely busy and well, blogging takes up a lot of time! I've also been reading an immense amount of film criticism these past 2 weeks so my energy has been transferred over there. I really love reading criticism actually because I studied it back in college but never made a go of it myself because my writing was never up to par. And I don't have the patience to sit down and draw up a lengthy discourse of my views...because you know, there are always other things that need to get done. Plus, I haven't seen a lot of the films from the 1970s which everyone loves to reference to and I always squirm in my chair whenever that decade comes up. :-/

I've also been catching up on my "recently released" queue of movies that everyone else seems to have seen except for me, and yes, that list includes a long line male-oriented action-thrillers that I am a little shy to admit that I'm actually really into...like District 9 and Inglorious Bastards. So many movies. So little time!!

AND I'm eagerly awaiting for the DVD releases of An Education, Cheri, and My One and Only. I can't wait to watch those and bring you the screen captures!!

Meanwhile, don't fret, I am still going to keep blogging. I'll have a new post up in a couple of days.

So what have you been up to? What movies have you seen recently? Which ones are you looking forward to the most?

Agatha Christie's Poirot - Sad Cypress S9E2 (2003)

I was recently alerted to the fact that my obscure little blog got mentioned in a vintage hair community. So that's why so many of you vintage minxes have found your way here! Welcome, welcome! I'll keep you all in mind when I'm selecting images now that I know there are hair enthusiasts reading. And just for you, here are a few caps of a recent Poirot episode I just watched today. I sort of have a love-hate relationship with this show, as did Agatha Christie did with the character but I do love watching it for style inspiration though.

Why yes, that IS Kelly Reilly whom we saw in my post on Mrs. Henderson Presents. I love her hair here.


Orange-reddish sweaters = perfect for the coming autumn!


View from the side.


A more formal, mature hair style. Love the rhinestone barrette.


And for my design people, check out the tiny cameo behind the handle of that side table on the left!


I like the glass on these interior doors. Great way to let more light flow through a dark space.

Manhattan townhouse of William Ivey Long

I've been posting too much about fashion lately. Feeling the need to go back to posting about interior design.

William Ivey Long is an acclaimed 5-time Tony award winning costume designer who has worked on over 50 Broadway productions, including Hairspray, The Producers, Guys and Dolls, and Chicago just to name a few. I came across photos of his NYC townhouse and just fell in love. Fell in love!!! It's rare that I come across a house which I would move in immediately and keep everything as it is. This is one of them. The aesthetic is mostly traditional, with some Victorian flourishes, and a few whimsical keepsakes.

The entry opens to a wide hallway lined with framed photos and prints. Because the furnishings are kept traditional and understated, the large crystal chandeliers don't make the space seem ostentatious at all and fit right in quite nicely.


This is the front parlor.


Another view of the front parlor. Gorgeous moldings. Notice the ceiling!




This is the second, back parlor. Love the dark wood wainscotting and trim.


Another view of the same back parlor.


China cabinet with an assortment of teacups.


Hallway. Love how there are books everywhere, much like my own place.


The library. Surprisingly simple and cozy. Tony awards line the mantel.






The master bedroom. Ancestral 1835 American Renaissance four poster bed.


Another shot of the bedroom.


Another view of the canopy bed and table accessories.


The guest bedroom. Don't you feel like you're at a quaint country B&B?


Bathroom on the top floor. I like the claw-foot tube but I would've installed a separate walk-in shower for convenience.


Now, some miscellaneous items:

Some grooming collectibles on the dresser in the bedroom and his grandfather's stickpin doll.


Hat pins and vintage cigar cases.


Bikes stored in the front parlor, next the entry.


And finally, Mr. William Ivey Long himself, sitting in his bedroom.

source: NYSD