Marie Antoinette (2006)

Let them eat cake! The most famous words of queen Marie Antoinette come alive in the motion picture Marie Antoinette. Directed by Sofia Coppola, the stunning shots and lavish imagery are reminiscent of candy and cake photographs of David La Chapelle.  Marie Antoinette is a period drama starring a pale skinned Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette, and boyish Jason Swartzman as Louis XVI. The story is of Marie (an Austrian princess) who weds the dauphin of France (Jason Swartzman) for the two countries to become allies. There are problems consummating the marriage, and of producing a new heir to the thrown. The consequences of an un consummated marriage hang over Marie as she tries to inspire the dauphin. As a viewer you cant help but love her honest efforts.   Marie has a habit of gambling, constant parties, and a bad choice of friends. She is a rebel and the viewer falls in love with the character, even though at one time she was the most hated person in France.  She is awkwardly learning the rules of being a queen, and breaking all of them. Dunst did an amazing job portraying this beautiful young woman. The movie is a little slow, and the story is not very gushy however, the movies new age twist will hook you. There is gossip, champagne and sweets galore, things that are very hard not to like. But the best quality of this film is the things that set this period drama aside from every other period drama ever produced. The royal lives are set to post punk music, with only a dash of Vavaldi, and the sets are just absolutely magnificent. 

It is set in 1768 in France and mostly takes place at the beautiful palace of Versailles. The crew was given access to the palace, and most of the filming was actually in the palace its self. Only the real thing can give life to a drama like this, the only worry one would assume is getting frosting from all of the cupcakes and macaroons in the movie on the historic walls of the castle. The patterns and designs of the wallpaper and the intricate detail of the moldings, is truly only fit for royalty. The beautiful landscapes and the picture perfect timing of all of the shots bring up memories of vacations and good times. The clothing is something that Coco Chanel would die for. The dresses are beautiful hoop skirts made out of vibrant velvets and satins made to match perfectly with the colorful sets and the pale skin of the actresses. The shoes are insane! Colorful heels, crystals, feathers and plushy comfy insoles are to die for. Any shoeholic would go crazy watching this film, considering Manolo Blahnik designed the shoes himself. The hair is absolutely outrageous. Pin curled stacked a foot tall on top of these ladies heads, it must have taken hours in hair and makeup to get the complete period look. The detail that was created in this movie is incredible, Pink and blue are the color scheme through out the entire film, contrasting well with the period making this movie something like no other period drama ever produced. The clash between the colors and the time, and the soundtrack of our century overlapping the 18^th century really make an amazing combination.

The music is so fitting for this film, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the time in which the movie is set.  Dramatic films often are set to serious dramatic orchestras. Although Vavaldi can be herd a few times in the film, the audience doesn’t turn into a period drone. The incorporation of the new age music in the old time setting breaths new life into the cold dramatic film category, it gives the movie a very youth like feel to it. There are instances through out the film where the music completely energizes the feeling one should have while watching a film like this. For instance, while at a masked ball the music played over the court dancing is “Hong Kong Garden” by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Clearly the song was not around during Marie Antoinette’s reign of France, the only connection that could be made could possibly be the updo’s of the actresses, and of course Siousxie Sous hair sprayed goth fro.  Hearing the tune really makes the audience connect with the actresses, it seems as though it is a real party, one that we would attend today. It creates a modern, human connection one can achieve best with music that one can relate to. Another instance is during her 16^th birthday party when The Cure is playing in the back round while drunken royalty stays up all night partying until sunrise. This song, herd at many parties strums up memories of good times had at parties with friends, and the audience realizes that these people are actually real, and not just names and history.

Marie Antoinette is such a great film. There is so much creativity in every aspect of the film, the clothing, the towers of hair, the jewels and even the masterpieces that are made out of frosting and chocolate are stunning. The velvet, hoop skirts and the corsets are so vibrant, just like the film. The historic palace of Versailles and the landscapes of old France mixed with new wave and post punk is one of the most creative ideas a filmmaker has ever created. With this recipe for a movie it can’t leave a bad taste in your mouth.  You will desperately seek sweets during this film, so eat your cake and fall in love with Marie Antoinette.

Katherine 

Vice.com/picture-perfect is an awesome website that features documentary webisodes of different photographers. The episodes are about 20 minutes long with only one 15 second commercial in the beginning that you can choose to skip over. Webisodes are nice because there is no rating so they can literally show anything on them. In one particular webisode they feature Donald Webber, A famed Australian photographer. He goes to Fukushima to photograph the after effects of the earthquake, tsunami and also the after life of the nuclear zone where everyone was evacuated. It was a lot realer than watching a documentary on television, some of the content would never be featured on TV. It’s nice because it’s a different medium to show the things that have never been made before. Picture-perfect is great because it has all of the videos ready to watch, unlike other sites like hulu where you have to wait to see all of your favorite television episodes. Just click on the bottom of the screen and there are 20 more videos to choose from. The ad space is around the webisode, no interrupting the show just advertising on the sides that can be removed just by clicking full screen. It is nice to have a television with a remote to switch back and forth through stations some times, but picture perfect is so cool that you want to watch the entire episode without even thinking of moving the mouse. Another great thing about webisodes is that there are thousands of them, and anybody at all can make them. If you want to find a webisode about weirdoes doing a show in the middle of a street, you can find it and watch it. Try doing that on cable. 

The Killing

AMC is going to make a killing with their new show “The Killing’. It is one of the most creative dramas on television at this time. It’s an old idea, the crime scene investigation type drama without the corny characters and banter. The pilot starts with a woman running in the eerie woods screaming. The filming reminds the viewer of the mothman prophecies or even the movie the ring with the dark colors and murky lighting. Another woman is going on a jog in the woods during a split scene and comes across a dead bear, reminiscent of the X files. The beginning 2 minutes of the pilot let the viewer know that they are in for a journey with a Twin Peaks type of style. The pilot takes place in a very rainy Seattle with a woman named Sarah Linden who is lead detective in the Seattle homicide department. As she is called in to take a glimpse of a crime scene she is bombarded by a going away party for her. She is planning on moving to Sonoma California in about 12 hours, but is called on one last minute case to figure out the whereabouts of a person that belongs to a bloody sweatshirt found in the woods. When the opening credits start and they are almost exactly like the 6 feet under credits, obviously this series is going to be bleak, but in an awesome and interesting way. You meet the characters after the credits. Detective Linden is working on the new case all the way to her flight that leaves at 9:30. Its really great to see a strong female lead in television today, considering all the television shows out now that just degrade women. She is Smart, and strong and is willing to always be there to do her job, only later in the season we will see if that is actually a downfall. Having the lead role, and such a confident women, with a great job, should be inspirational to girls these days. Although it is not a recommended television show for children.  The entire show is mysterious, when it is dark outside, whether it is nighttime or just storming the show is very creepy. There are great film and sound tricks made throughout the show to make the viewer wait with anticipation and jump at the right time. Grab somebody to cuddle with because it is a really shocking show. When the sun is shining in the episode you feel that everything is ok, and then something happens. When it gets dark, grab your blanket because it gets really creepy and scary. The show leads the viewer into thinking many conclusions and leaves you feeling really smart, until they throw a twist at you and you realize that you had no idea in the first place. The other characters that you meet in the pilot are also really great, the partner Stephen Holder is new to the homicide department, but he doesn’t look or act it but only because he looks like a junky, he’s a dirt bag with poor grammar that acts as though he has been arrested many times. Detective Holders creep side really makes him an interesting character in the mix, a character that the crime scene investigation shows have never had before. It's going to be exciting watching the development of his character. You meet a few other characters during the episode but it is unclear whether or not they are going to be a crucial part of the rest of the season. The ending leaves many questions for the audience. Will Sara move to California? Will there be many cases to be solved throughout the entire season, or is the one they are working on in the pilot the case that will be studied throughout the entire season. The only thing that the viewer knows is that Detective Linden has a plane to catch at 9:30 is she going to catch it? Or is she going to continue on solving this great murder mystery. “The killing” is the show to watch this season, or you may be next.

Katherine 

The Aqua

A building made of waves of water is not exactly the safest material for walls of an apartment complex. The aqua hotel/resident building is a new Chicago skyscraper landmark. Designed by Jeanne Gang and created by Studio Gang Architects, the team created a building like no other in the city of Chicago. Women should be proud because Jeanne Gang has made a name in Chicago for women architects all around. The building is called Aqua for a reason. Standing far from the building during the day the blue windows reflect a beautiful blue/turquoise hue while the rounded white protrusions of cement on each floor make a rippling effect throughout the building. Each floor has a balcony made of the white cement. Each is varying in rounded shapes creating a pattern when each are put together it looks like it is constantly undulating. It looks like the building was in one white chunk, and sliced a bunch of times horizontally, then each piece placed on top of a square of blue windows creating the towers height.  In event of an earthquake, the building looks as though it would just sway side to side just like its unique and beautiful shape suggests it should. Looking at it, blocking out the rest of the prolific skyscrapers in Chicago, you would think this magnificent building were located in Vegas, or even Dubai.  Even though this building is a wonderful addition to the Chicago city skyline, the best place to look at the skyscraper is right underneath it. When you stand under and look up to the sky, the separated slabs become one, and the building no longer looks like it has windows. It looks like a Chunk of cement beautifully sculpted by a true artist. From underneath the three dimensional oblong shape really takes effect. It no longer looks like the building is stuck in perpetual motion, but static bulges of cement.  Even like a slab of cookie dough that has not been fully rolled out to flat. Truly an original design. When standing on Columbus drive, there are two hotels that are in front of the aqua, both of these hotels are black and are angled inward the building. If this is a coincidence then it is a great one, but it is nice to think that the buildings around the aqua were a part of the design of the skyscraper. A line is created by the two black hotels that showcase one beautiful line of the Aqua all the way op to the top of the sky. Only one wave can be seen from this angle, but it is magnificent. The juxtaposition of the blackened windows to the white and blue oblong shape highlights the Aqua’s beautiful architecture. The only thing that chops of the buildings succession of waves is the story of flat windows. But this part reminds the viewer that you are looking at a hotel/apartment building, a building like no other in the city. The only thing that comes close is the institute of Jewish studies on Michigan Ave.  It too is a building that is oblong in architecture but is not fluid as the Aqua. This building could have been what the Aqua was birthed from, with its wavy features and beautiful blue glass.

If you are looking to rent a studio in downtown Chicago, Aqua may be the place. For 1,600 dollars a month to live in a gorgeous Chicago staple is highly affordable for the lively area the building stands in. And compared to other buildings in the area charging 2,500 dollars for a studio, why wouldn’t one pick a beautiful place to show off to their friends. Unless you get motion sickness easily, the Aqua is the most satisfying building to look at in the entire city. Aqua is the kind of building that completely stands out from the conformed straight lines of the Chicago city skyline. It’s a wonder why most architects make buildings with straight lines when there is so much beauty in oblong shapes. Chicago needs more architects with unique structural ideas. It means a lot to women in this city seeing that one has created the most beautiful structure in the city. This building is truly inspiring, one can only hope that the Aqua will inspire other women architects to create beautiful structures in this city.

Black Dogs

Everybody has at least one friend that disappears for a few days, and when they come home, they have a ridiculous story to tell about their whereabouts. Usually the story is so epically exaggerated it is hard to believe that it actually happened, and you are not entirely convinced that it did. Black Dogs by Jason Buhrmester is a story that whether it is true or not, is extremely entertaining. Crack open a can of beer and put on your favorite Sabbath album, this book will hook you like a drug. The story is about a group of troubled teenagers trying to make money by doing illegal scams while living a rock and roll lifestyle. Their main goal is to rob their most hated band Led Zeppelin, while they are on tour in the United States. Once you find this out, you realize that you are in for a ride. Buhrmester creates a real rock and roll feel to these characters lifestyles, complete with booze, women and vinyl. The book starts off easy, the boys get drunk and rob houses of the girls that they are hooking up with. You never for a second think about them being terrible people, you only tap your finders anxiously waiting for them to just get out of the house while they still can! The story slowly leads you into the big plan. Led Zeppelin refuses to be paid by check after a concert, only cash. The boys’ plan is to take the cash after the concert before it can be put in a bank. To be able to get near that cash they have to steal a guitar in order to be able to get close to jimmy page. A 58’ Les Paul is a rare guitar that only 700 were made, a collectors item that jimmy page is willing to buy off of the boys. While their shenanigans unfold they get deeply tangled in a mess with motorcycle gangs and other robbers. The gang members want to kill them because they have accidentally stolen a safe while they were stealing the guitar. The contents of the safe are unknown but the gang members are willing to kill in order to get the safe back, and the person who has the unopened safe is holding it at ransom. These characters have so much luck, good and bad, the good when they find a way out of their messes, and bad luck when getting out of one thing gets them even more tangled in the situations that they have gotten themselves into. Even though breaking the law is wrong, you root for the robbers and anxiously await the outcomes of their adventures. You befriend the characters and what to be at the parties with them in ashtray smelling houses listening to rock getting wasted. You don’t even think twice that they could potentially be dangerous robbers, but you know that they are just really awesome dudes with long hair and beer stained tee shirts. You also don’t think twice about the danger that they get themselves into because they are so cunning that you as a reader know that they can get themselves out of the messes that they have created. They get in so many situations that are hard to get out of, many twists and turns a long the way make the story seem as though it is never going to end. The boys just get deeper and deeper into trouble. This book is so hard to handle but once you find your bad boy side of your personality, it is hard to put the book down. There are so many parts in this book where you will laugh, want to take a drink and just listen to some Black Sabbath. There is crude language, sexual references, drugs, breaking the law, and rock and roll. Perfect story if you want to feel like a badass for the night, only the night because you will finish this book in one sitting. Everybody says they should write a book about the best story they have, even if the story may or may not be true. This story was one of the only ones that is worthy of being a book. This story will grab you and you will not stop reading until it is over.

The Artist

The Artist is a unique film in terms of societies view of what normal movies are these days. Director Michel Hazanavicius created a film where the actors play their characters without using voice as a medium, otherwise known as a silent film. The movie takes place in the late 20’s and early 30”s. The set is spectacular, It really makes you believe that this film has been collecting dust on a shelf for the past 80 years.  The clothing, hairstyles, mustaches and even down to the props are all perfectly dated. Even the tap moves that are performed, such as the Shim Sham Shimmy (the most popular tap dance in the early 30’s ) were historically correct. However the aspect that makes this movie so realistic is the old school font that is used on the blank shots with words written on them to move the story along. There are arguably 3 main characters in the film, George Valentin played by Jean Dujardin, whose character is a famous silent movie actor that looses his fame when hollywoodland starts producing voice movies. And there is Peppy Miller played by Berenice Bejo, who is a cute young lady who is trying everything she can to be an actress. Her Dresses in this film are stunning. Low wasted, sequined, fringed flapper dresses that look exactly like designer ones from the 20’s that can be found on EBay. If anybody deserves an award for this film, everybody in wardrobe deserves props for the magic they created on the screen. Even though The Artist is a black and white film, its hard not to watch this movie and see it in color. The costumes are so dazzling that colors are forced into the imagination. Both Dujardin and Bejo are what every actor should strive to be, since there is no talking in the film these actors have to literally make the audience believe their story by pantomime. Yes this means a little bit of over exaggeration through expressions, but Dujardin and Bejo know how to push their acting to such a great extent, and not go overboard to make their emotions comedic. Where the director gets really clever, is making the dog the third main character. The idea of silence being a barrier is a large concept in this film, and Hazanavicius breaks this barrier using an animal as a character. Since animals do not speak to begin with it was simple to make the animal a main role. When thinking of a silent movie being made in 2012 it sounds like it would be a novelty, However The Artist couldn’t be any further away from that idea.

Review 1

Wierd records started as a crazy dance party in Brooklyn, New York, specializing in cold wave and minimal synth music. The party became so popular among music enthusiasts, Pieter Schoolwerth started a record label by the name Wierd, highlighting the rare sounds of his friends and other noise/synth/cold-wave artists that gave partiers the music to dance their asses off to. Wierd records began with compilations of these performers and later started producing limited edition wax pressings of the highlighted artists albums. Of the many Wierd noise/synth albums, Martial Canterels “You Today” is by far the album that has heightened Weird Records status, and given party people a reason to go out.

            This is not music for your average trench coat, spiked collar dude with cheap runny eyeliner. Those gross teenage goths, lingering in their high schools freak hallway making out with their fat girlfriend kind of music. Martial Canterel is for all the “cool goths” with perfectly parted gelled hair, wearing some sort of crucifix pinned to their vintage, black designer fitted jacket, looking for a killer album to add to their collection of rare vinyl.

Being signed to Wierd records automatically means Martial Canterel is a rare find. So any hipster out there that says they are “not a hipster”, and “oh you wouldn’t know who I listen to anyways”, This is the perfect album for you. He is becoming popular, so you can find his work if you want it, you just might have to do some digging in an intimidating record store in LA. “You Today” is the record that will complete that play list for any awesome dance party. A party where the music will get people dancing, the druggies staring into space, and the wastoids slowly bobbing their heads in a drunken attempt to dance, ready to puke. It is the record to play once the party is getting to its peak, just to highlight its awesomeness, and basically everybody at the party will think whoever put the record on is a rad person.

 If you want to listen to the most danceable, coolest sounds of  the time, or impress any cool goth/synth/noise fanatic, you better have martial Cantrell in your vinyl stack. If not, than at least check out his other band xeno and oaklander (his real “sexy” stuff), or basically you are not interested in good music. Go back to listening to The Cure.

test

test