Web Hit Du Jour: Nicholas Cage Losing His Shit

It's all over the web but I simply have to preserve it in my little cyber-diary here. Behold the sidesplitting glory of Nicholas Cage losing his shit. I nearly lost MY shit after watching this and nearly dying from convulsions of laughter. "KILLING ME WON'T BRING BACK YOUR GODDAMN HONEYYY" It's officially a classic in my family now, having spent the latter part of Thanksgiving reciting this line with my siblings and cousins, though "Imma vampire! Imma vampire!" is a close second.

I want the youtube maker, hh1edits, to make a series out of this. There can be Tom Cruise Freaking Out, Leonardo Dicaprio Crying (to showcase the interchangeability of his emotions), Rebecca Hall Crying, (because she is moving as hell. I have never stayed dry whenever that woman started crying), Natalie Portman Crying (see Dicaprio) Julia Roberts Cackling, and so on and so forth.

Deathly Hallows Part I Thoughts, aka "Petition to Remake The Entire Harry Potter Series, Stat"

It was magical. It was epic, and at times reminded me of Lord of the Rings, but that's a good thing. It's by the most entertaining, alluring, strangely eerie and original of the bunch. They could have done it the easy way out and cut out 3/4 of the time spent in the woods in a desperate attempt to retain our attention, the movie kept my friends and I aware and tuned into the frustration and ennui felt by Harry, Ron, and Hermione during their time in foresty exile. (Btw, did shout-outs to the splendiferous scenery all around. The scene with the stunning cracked-rock cliffs? The camera-work and cinematography? Amazing.) The action scenes were taut, intense, and scared the crap out of the audiences. I definitely jumped a few times. The final scene left us emotional and anticipatory. You could practically hear one long, collective exhale in the theater when it ended.

And yet the one of this movie was SO different. It was just made in an entirely different vein than the other movies. Every Harry Potter movie has its unique stamp from the series' 30943285 different directors, but this version is in a different league, entirely. After watching the last movie, I predicted that the mischievous tone of The Half-Blood Prince's rabble-rousing antics was only to set up for the long, dark journey ahead for the seventh book, and I was right, but this just....rocked me. It was just so personal and strange and quietly sad, in some ways.

In this age where all movies either move at an ADHD "Transformers"-style speed or at an arthouse-style, glacial pace, enchanted with its own languidness, I simply cannot recall the last time the audience sat so absorbed for every little frame, every breath, movement, and tilt of expression. The filmmakers let the movie progress at a pace that felt organic, occasionally slow or jolting, depending on what was happening, but never boring. It took time in carving out its identity, and I seriously applaud David Yates for that kind of ballsiness. My friends and I were pleasantly surprised by the occasional injections of originality and artistic innovation (SPOILERS: the animation sequence used for the Tale of the Three Brothers, the art design for the Ministry, etc.)

There were indeed a couple of weird moments (what's a fantasy movie without one?), but at least they were a bit daring and imaginative, unlike the past weird moments when it was just plain embarrassing. I remember watching the first movie as an excited kid and cringing at the campy cliches, even as a 9-year-old. The first few were just awkward and factory assembled, like these shitty McDonald's Happy Meal plastic trinkets that you liked to toss around for five minutes but acknowledged was complete crap and in time became utterly indifferent to. It took them five movies to get the pacing right, to grow a soul (and a pair of nads) and get the tone of the books correct, but god was it worth it.

They outdid themselves. They made a crowd-pleasing movie that managed to retain its own soul and unique signature at the same time. All of the other movies should have been made this way. In my alternate universe all seven of the movies insofar are as funny, touching, and exciting in its faithfulness to the books, and lovely, strange, and artistically breathtaking in a cinematic form as this adaptation has been. Thank you David Yates and Co. Thankkkkk you for making this Potterphile very happy on Thanksgiving Day.

One of These Days

She should have died hereafter;

There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

- So trite to have a Shakespeare quote as a post, I know. But I just love this passage and I was thinking about it today.....

For instance, I thought I *was* Hermione Granger.....

It's impossible for me to think of much else while Potter-craze is dominating our lives. I keep thinking over its influence on my generation with such pride - I started reading the books when I was about 7 or 8, and the last book came out when I was 15 - so there you go, a series of books that literally spanned my childhood as I knew it, and I couldn't be grateful for better role models. Who didn't want to be brainy like Hermione, witty and irreverent like Ron, everlastingly kind and sensitive like Harry, with the occasional rivalry or loss of temper (especially when it was in the name of defending your loved ones)? I mean, I see a gang of girls at a movie theater (for 127 hours, unfortunately, not for Harry Potter), and before I can dismiss them as shallow as evidenced by their overly processed appearances, I see a dorky Gryffindor scarf or a drawn-on scar or their shining, eager eyes and I can't help but beam after them like proud parents.

Um, really what I meant to say is, I really love this elegant New York Times review of the seventh movie written by A.O Scott, the first review I've read that's incorporated what Harry Potter has meant to us into the movies' longstanding value, unlike other reviews that's just blathered on about its cinematic merits and production values.

The Cyber Fashion Ecosystem

For the past few years, it's felt like a lot of my fashion whims have received immediate gratification from the mass seasonal trends. I remember once around four years ago, I made a list of certain clothes I wanted and was prepared to hunt down in flea markets, since I was certain they certainly wouldn't be available at the typical shopping mall. A few weeks later, I started looking at the new fall products in Piperlime, and - lo and behold, my coveted items were all over their new fall fashion styles.

I had about a five-minute delusion attack where I fancied myself very prescient about upcoming fashion trends - perhaps all the leaders of the fashion industry and I simultaneously shared the same sparks of inspiration this year! - until reality settled in and it occurred to me that the ever-growing prominence of the grassroots, fashion blog community meant that more and more people were collectively soaking in the cyber-vat of ideas, influences, and inspirations. Undoubtedly, the inspiration I had for a certain style dress, or whimsical vintage object must have been distilled from a selection of fashion/style/couture blogs I read on a weekly basis, which in turn were based on the influences of a thousand other blogs. Osmosis is a wonderful process.

Whether it's two women loving the same outfit from "The Sartorialist", or girl-wunderkind Tavi Gevinson or even a low-profile teenage blogger capturing the attention of a single fashion powerhouse, it's no wonder that it feels like nowadays we're reading each other's minds.

A few influences from this summer that, much to my pleasure, seemed to take to the forefront this fall season:

The Equestrian Look

I was slightly obsessed with equestrian-chic this summer, thanks to Elaine Stritch and a certain movie about Coco Chanel....

And this fall I saw the preponderance of crisp'n'clean equestrian all over the market, including a spread in Vanity Fair that heavily featured the equestrian look in their holiday wish lists. Then there was

The Loose, Sensual, Dreamy-Romantic Look

I watched one of my favorites, The Virgin Suicides on a repeat this summer and was continually struck by the clothes, which were schoolgirlish but also had a touch of the ahem, virginal, and coyly erotic. Looking around my college campus and the pages of The Sartorialist, it seems like we've moved from the minimalist, straight-cut lines of the early 2000s to a more whimsical desire to play with movement and form.

American Apparel seems to be playing heavily off this theme in their campaigns, anyways, albeit a bit more heavily suggestive:

Dad's Oversized/80's Patterned Sweater

This trend has definitely been percolating for a few years but I feel like it's hit full blast this year. My dad's oversized green sweater gained notice in my school's hallways last year, and my friend raided the male closets in her own house and emerged with an oversized rugby shirt and a sweater vest that somehow looked appealingly charming when paired with more feminine clothes.

This summer, I just fell in love with Anna Kendrick's strawberry sweater in "Rocket Science". I think it was the combination of its dorkiness, her severely cut hair, strict collar, and a contradictory accessory that changed the entire image - a cigarette.

Not that I condone smoking, but as one of my favorite film bloggers pointed out, smoking will look eternally cool onscreen. Her look is so very Margot Tenenbaum-ish.

And of course, particular sweaters have been making a comeback - chunky ones, Fair Isle, dorky. Below: A divine sweater from Emma Watson's People Tree collection - chunky AND Fair Isle! Want it so much, but lately I've been trying to avoid products that require shipping as a personal eco-friendly initiative.

Overall, I'd observe that this season has really New England-heavy - not faux-preppy, like the burst of Gossip-Girl inspired plaid and horrible bowties we saw a few years ago, and not obnoxious Lacoste preppy either - true New England, with bean boots and hunting/equestrian related clothes - both practical and strangely chic and charming if done right.

JANE EYRE TRAILER OUT!

Stunning trailer, and I have a feeling that this will be the long-awaited definitive version of Jane Eyre. It's directed by Cary Fukunaga, his second feature after the critically acclaimed debut "Sin Nombre" (which just entered my Netflix queue). Observations after the jump...

1:52: I love that wide-shot angle of Jane being restrained. In-tense. 1:44 A hint of the supernatural! Love it. The novel continually references ghosts and goblins, elves and corpses, so I'm glad they included it in the film's tone. 1:40 Sally Hawkins is too gentle-looking for Mrs. Reed but I'm sure she will kick ass. She is ubiquitous nowadays, btw. 1:18 Mr. Rochester!!!! 1:11 His manner is very brusque. Excellent. I never liked Toby Stephen's oily delivery in the 2006 miniseries. :56 Sexual tension, um, yes. Pause to fan myself. :49 Blanche Ingram admittedly does not look like a statuesque goddess. She looks like a brunette Taylor Momsen. :38 Jane gets all feisty at Mr. Rochester. I hope it will be a continuous theme throughout the movie instead of that one obligatory explosion as all past adaptations have seen it. Don't forget her sauciness! :31 Michael Fassbender has a nicer ass than I do and I resent him for it. :21 Jamie Bell!!! :20 More kissing, yay. The novel has always been absolutely sexy despite its demureness. :19 Love, love Mia's gaze flickering upwards. It would have been criminal to under-use those expansive eyes. Also at :19 Bertha, ouch. :16 That shot of the fire is very dream-like... :11 What is with his eyes??

The first moments of the trailer featuring Jane's childhood is really quite intense and creepy-psychological isn't it? It could have been made into a separate movie about children at a mental institution.

The trailer is a bit jarring because it jumps awkwardly between the scary-action scenes ("I know what I saw!" "It must have been half-dream, half-reality") to romantic premise ("Miss Ingram is a great favorite of his!"). Nevertheless, I'm so happy that the desires I expressed in my other Jane Eyre blog post for the adaptation came true. The trailer made it clear that this is first and foremost a portrait of Jane, NOT Mr. Rochester, and promises to amp up the gothic tone/intensity of the novel as well. While reading other blogs' take on the trailer, I saw titles like Bright Star and the 2006 Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice being mentioned, and I'm sure both were influential. Each individual shot is a stunner and will definitely service the story in its own way. The shot of the beetle crawling over the book page was particularly creepy. Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender seem perfect together and she is almost exactly how I pictured Jane.

SO excited.

Stare at the screencaps of these lovely shots over at My New Plaid Pants.

Everything Harry Potter

Ok, it's only six days until the release of part 1 of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", and even though I won't be able to attend the midnight release :(, I am so, so gratified that so many people I know are planning to. I even saw someone on Facebook wondering on his status if anyone would be willing to see a 3:20 AM showing with him (they have 3 AM showings??).

The last few weeks have really seen a revival of Harry Potter-related culture re-saturation, and of course, I could not be happier. To celebrate Harry Potter is to celebrate all things magical, real or not, to celebrate sincerity, geekiness, humor, and friendship.

It seems to me that the Harry Potter fanbase differs from every other pop culture phenomenon, namely Twilight and Star Wars, because being even the most hardcore Harry Potter fan doesn't imply detachment from normal life. I may just be tooting my own horn here, but I believe it. Twi-hards and Star Wars are generally viewed as introverts who are out of touch with reality and deal with the outside world by retreating into an imaginary one. They're usually bunched into constituencies of overweight teenage girls, sad-sack housewives, and nerdy sex-deprived males (of all ages). But you'll find a Harry Potter fan anywhere. It probably has the most evenly distributed demographic of fans in the world. Boys and girls, readers and non-readers, cool kids and nerds.

The smartest girl I know is a Harry Potter devotee, as is another friend, this one a hipster socialite. Ironically, the most pathetic people I know have never had any interest in the series or "understand" it. That kind of says it all.

So in celebration of all things Harry Potter, I've embedded videos of everything Harry Potter-related going on right now. I could also post a picture of myself dressed as a Gryffindor (albeit a bit on the skanky side) from Halloween, but I'll desist for now.

The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows World Premiere in London

We've all seen the trailer, so here's the premiere video. First time I've seen Ralph Fiennes show up at one of these things, and eloquent in his brevity as always when observing the crowd: "It's the power of a good story". Heart. My friend at Princeton skipped studying for a chem test just to watch videos of Tom Felton.

Darren Criss performing "Teenage Dream" on Glee

Youtube catapults another worthy viral performer into actual stardom after Darren Criss, who got famous from writing, singing, and performing the jaw-droppingly awesome and hilarious "A Very Potter Musical" at the University of Michigan landed a guest spot on Glee. Two things happened: The world realized that Darren Criss was a charming and talented mofo, and "Teenage Dream" became Glee's best-selling song in history within a week. And hopefully, the woefully under-watched musical gained more exposure.

The Quidditch World Cup Promo

Coming to New York soon! How far will two Seekers go in order to capture the Snitch and win a Quidditch match.....through the entire city with a broomstick between their legs. I love how ripped the Slytherin seeker is, how nobody in Grand Central seems to notice the person wearing a gold lame bodysuit and wings, and I love the sequence of them in Central Park. It's amazingly funny.

The news that JK Rowling is open to writing more books set in the Wizarding world, as long as it doesn't feature Harry Potter and the old gang, which I completely agree with. Their youth was essential to the series' magic and I know how jarring it was for many people to witness Harry and his friends all grown-up in the epilogue. But why lay the beautifully-constructed world to rest?

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/11/12/j-k-rowling-more-harry-potter-books-on-the-way/

And finally, an HP-related Facebook status trend...

Put this as your status if someone you knew was killed by Lord Voldemort. As everyone knows, being killed by Avada Kedavra, having your soul sucked out by a dementor, or getting petrified by a basilisk is a truly tragic fate for anyone, muggle or wizard. 93% of people won't copy and paste this. Will you make this your status to spread awareness of this growing threat?

Love forever. Literally. My descendants will read the books and cherish them (I don't really care what happens to the movies) until the end of this world as we know it.

The Problem

It's so easy for young cynical teenagers fresh off World History class or rock metal or Neitzsche or whatever hip groovy materials they're absorbing to claim that Christianity is the root of all problems. The problem is certainly not Christianity per se. The problem is people's bewildering need to inflexibly, unreasonably, and infallibly adhere to a single source that they view as transcendent and/or worthy of reverence. It can be the Bible, or it can be the Founding Fathers of our country. It can be the power of our scientific technology or our still-limited knowledge of the universe. Either way, I think such unyielding belief in anything man-made is silly at best and an obstruction to adaptability and open thinking.