navigate schitt's creek - no paddle necessary

Now for the funny stuff: I am not an avid movie watcher by any means. I really, really, really love some movies, but most movies do not tickle my fancy in any way and I fall fast asleep as soon as they begin. Most of the movies I really enjoy are very visually pleasing, have outrageous characters, and have little to no special effects. I think it helps me stay awake when I can either relate to something happening, or picture it happening in real life. One of my all-time favorite movies is Best in Show, directed by Christopher Guest, and two of my favorite characters in said movie are played by Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. (Stay with me people.) Well, I learned this morning these two amazing actors are involved in a comedy tv series called Schitt's Creek and it premiered on the network Pop last night! I have no idea if we have that channel - though for how much we pay for cable we better - but I am going to do everything in my power to tune in. I also hope it's possible to DVR it because it is on at 10:00 p.m. and that is my bed time. Without saying too much, it is a story about a very rich and out of touch family who loses everything and must start over in a town they own, bought on a whim because of its name. Yes please. 

I spy a famous person on the street corner

I saw someone famous this morning and actually recognized him, which doesn't usually happen because I watch so few movies and television programs! Victor Garber and I passed directly by one another in the West Village. I know him from Titanic (Thomas Andrews), which came out in 1997. He has done about a million other things since then, but leave it to me to recognize someone because of something he/she did seventeen years ago. He is very handsome (if you ask me) and looked like he was on his way to the gym. He was also wearing a shirt that said "Power", which I was curious about until I found him on the IMDb website and learned he is staring in a show called (wait for it...) Power. I thought he had a cameo in Boardwalk Empire, but I must have either been hallucinating, or made it up in one of my dreams. An exciting morning after a wonderful weekend with family and friends!

how could I know I was lost without you

Such a great part of the movie.
I really want to watch it now.

I had a moment on the ferry last night that made me think of the movie Pretty Woman. No, I was not dressed up like a hooker, coming home from a long night at the Blue Banana; I had an event at work and had to stay in the city until ten o'clock. I ride the ferry now on a daily basis, so hearing the men make the daily announcements is not really any kind of surprise. However, last night the guy talking sounded exactly like the pilot on the plane Edward and Vivian take to the opera. He says, "well, it should be a pretty smooth flight, Mr. Lewis. The weather is clear all the way up to San Francisco. We should be there in about 50-minutes". The scenes surrounding the trip to the opera are accompanied by the song "Fallen" by Lauren Wood and when I heard the pilot/captain voice it instantly started playing in my head. It is one of the sweetest songs I have ever heard. Talk about one-liners:

• You're a dream coming true
• I can't believe how I have fallen for you
• You should know you are life in my veins
• ...and the sweetest line in the universe (in my opinion):  How could I know I was lost without you

Why don't more people use this song as their wedding song? I want to get married again and play this on repeat for hours. It is SO romantic. Although you don't hear the entire song, you can hear the pilot talking at 1:03 on this YouTube video. Click here to listen.

let's make it wes anderson week

I really like Wes Anderson movies. They are my absolute favorites, along with Amelie. I know I have mentioned it before, but I really enjoy visually pleasing movies with fun characters that are semi-realistic and lack explosions and blood. I am going to declare this week Wes Anderson Week, or WAW. I just Googled WAW and it is a letter, it can be used in any sense if somehow affiliated with something orgasmic, and it stands for the airport in Warsaw. I consider it safe to use.

I don't actually have things to talk about each day of the week pertaining to Wes (yes, we are apparently on a first name basis), which makes the fact that it is already Wednesday super helpful. I actually have two items and I want to start with something I came across while looking at House Beautiful. I love decorating, so I check this site on a weekly basis and to my surprise and delight, I found an article titled How Wes Anderson Can Help You Decorate. Score. The article uses paint palettes from his movies. Um, we only have three more rooms that need paint in our home. Why couldn't they have published this in the fall of 2012? Click here to read this amazing article.

two films that are worth watching

I am not very good at watching movies, but I have seen two in the last couple of weeks that I really enjoyed - The Great Gatsby and Blue Jasmine. I started watching Gatsby when I was stuck on a plane leaving Toronto for work. We sat on the runway for two and a half hours because there were delays in the New York area airports (not awesome or fun). I started my flight watching episodes of the Mindy Project (which is a hoot) because I didn't think I was going to have enough time on such a "short" flight to begin a semi-lengthy movie. Tricked again. After watching three episodes I decided it was movie time. Of course, just as I started it the pilot made the announcement about us leaving momentarily, but I kept at it. I watched the rest of it On Demand one night when I was home. I loved it. I am huge fan of visually pleasing movies and between the homes, the dresses, and the scenery, I was all about this movie. As for Blue Jasmine it wasn't quite as sparkling, but I really enjoyed the characters. Both movies weren't the types you leave the theater laughing and skipping down the street after, but sometimes movies can still be good and not make one overly joyous. I am trying to be better at watching them and trying to give different types of movies a chance, but the ones I seem to enjoy most are made by either Wes Anderson or Woody Allen.  

golden laughter and great taste

her's are skinnier than this one,
I just liked the picture

I watched the movie Bridesmaids for the third time last week during my little Easter break.  If you haven’t seen that movie, watch it, and I am not just talking to the ladies.  It is hilarious for everyone – like gut-busting laughter the entire time.  It never stops being funny.  The characters in it are perfect.  I especially like the main character, Kristen Wiig, from Saturday Night Live.  Is it because she is so freaking adorable?  Probably.  Is it because she is freaking hilarious and compliments Maya Rudolph in the most perfect way possible?  Yes.  Is it because she has the best name of all time (with the best spelling)?  Of course. 

I am writing about this because I noticed her rings the last time I watched it.  She wears a skinny, solid gold band on her pinkie and pointer fingers and it looks wonderful.  It is delicate, simple, and I love it.  Nice job costume/jewelry person.  You have great taste!

my weekend double feature

The Da Vinci Code did not come in on time for my weekend viewing pleasure.  However, I was able to watch Angels & Demons (based off of Dan Brown’s book).  It was very good, but I was a little nervous about getting nightmares.  The same actor who plays Martin Vanger in Girl with a Dragon Tattoo (Stellan Skarsgard) played Commander Richter (head of the Swiss Guard) in Angels & Demons.  I recently had a very vivid nightmare where he played the lead role.  He was in my house telling me he was going to kidnap me.  Thankfully, he hasn’t visited my dreams since the nightmare, and I had another movie to watch after I finished that one:  Water for Elephants.  I read this book many months ago, and have been meaning to see the movie.  I was glad I did.  It was a good movie and it helped calm me down, so my night was nightmare free, although I have such a hard time looking at Robert Pattinson (Jacob) as anything other than a vampire.

eat (spaghetti), pray, love

I saw Eat, Pray, Love right before I left for Florida and I think it is worth mentioning.  I read the book months and months ago, and loved it.  The movie is absolutely beautiful and if I had to recommend one or the other, I don’t think I could choose.  Read it, then see it.  It is well worth your time, in my opinion.  Just make sure you see it on a full stomach because the food in it looks divine, especially the spaghetti.     

I also have a mild obsession with Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts.  Even though he is an odd looking man, I love the characters he plays in films.  I blame the movie Pretty Woman for my love of Julia.  It was our mom’s favorite movie and I have probably seen it upwards of twenty times.  You might be thinking “how scandalous!”, but don’t worry - every time it was on she made my sister and I shield our eyes during the piano scene.  I guess the fact that she and her bff Kit Deluca were prostitutes, didn’t matter.

I know I have mentioned it before, but I really love reading a book and then watching a movie.  This weekend I am viewing the Angels & Demons movie, as well as the Da Vinci Code.  Those books were great, too. 

wes is giving us another

Wes Anderson and taxidermy

As I wrote in my last post, I really love reading a book and then seeing the movie.  I also love all Wes Anderson movies.  I never fall asleep for his movies – ever. 

I found out the other day he is coming out with a new movie called Moonrise Kingdom.  (Click here to see the trailer.)  I cannot wait.  The Royal Tenenbaums was definitely my favorite of them all, but The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited also tickled my fancy. 

Never got into Rushmore – maybe I should try again. 

reading with a movie reward

Lisbeth Salander, the Girl
With the Dragon Tattoo

I have never really been into movies.  I get bored easily and nine times out of ten, fall asleep halfway through.  I have only been obsessed with a few movies in my day, which includes and is not limited to:  Mannequin, Braveheart, Amelie, the Little Mermaid, and the Royal Tenenbaums.  I have seen each of these movies at least twelve times.  My all-time favorite is Amelie.  I love everything about that movie.  I remember going to the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA to see it, and my friend and I left feeling so happy and full of glee we held hands and skipped down Main Street together - I vote people should skip more often, like whenever they are happy. 

I have recently become more interested in movies since I began reading, which was September of 2009.  This past holiday weekend (shout out to MLK, Jr.!) my husband and I saw Girl With a Dragon Tattoo.  It was a pretty darn good movie (also highly recommend the books).  There were definitely some disturbing parts, but it was so well done that you really didn’t have to read the book to understand what was going on.  I also think I am going to try and find time this weekend to watch The Help – another great book.  And of course, I am counting down the days until The Hunger Games movie comes out - it can't come soon enough. 

I think a movie is such a great reward to a good book.  Also, me knowing the outcome helps out with the whole staying awake issue - I want to see how things are portrayed and see how events are carried out.  It makes all the difference in the world if I am "watching" a movie as opposed to "waiting" for a movie because I already know what is going to happen.