Tuesday, February 28, 2012

off the beaten track '80s horror: a guest post by karen g.



For me, there was nothing better than going to the video store on a Friday night after another uneventful week at school. In our video store we had a very special section called: “Blue Band Movies”. These were usually 25 cents per rental and had a selection of some of the most obscure, campy and fun horror and sci-fi movies I’ve ever had the pleasure of stumbling across. This section was what I used to call “rejected cinema” and sadly today, some of these titles are virtually impossible to find. I felt like such a rebel for watching them when my schoolmates were watching more “refined” movies like E.T. and The Goonies. Even though I may never have the opportunity to watch some of these again, the incredibly artistic video covers will be burnt into my memory forever.

- Karen G.


Deadly Friend (1986)




The Stuff (1985)



The Initiation (1984)



Pin (1988)



Humanoids From the Deep (1980)



Edge of the Axe (1988)




Don’t Answer The Phone (1980)




Blue Monkey (1987)



Galaxy of Terror (1981)




Silent Madness (1984)



Alone in the Dark (1982)



The Prowler (1981)




Fright House (1988)



Pieces (1982)




Dead and Buried (1981)



Killer Party (1986)



Curtains (1983)

Monday, February 27, 2012

oscar dress faves 2012

Michelle Williams in coral Louis Vuitton peplum dress.  I also love her jewelry.





Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji.






I really like that Natalie Portman did a vintage dress (1954 Dior).  Though is there something cheesy about the jewelry and hair?





Another dress I liked in a shade of red: Livia Giuggiol in Valentino.




Sunday, February 26, 2012

my dream oscar picks: the jdb awards

Sometimes they are pretty lame, but I guess I'm a sucker for the Oscars every year. Here are some of my favorite films and performances of the year I would have nominated.  Some were overlooked and hopefully some will get some recognition tonight.






BEST PICTURE






nominees:






BEST DIRECTOR


Nicolas Winding Refrn, Drive



nominees:

Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Steve McQueen, Shame
Alexander Payne, The Descendants





BEST ACTOR


Michael Fasssbender, Shame



nominees:

George Clooney, The Descendants
Tom Cullen, Weekend
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Ryan Gosling, Drive




BEST ACTRESS

Charlize Theron, Young Adult



nominees:

Viola Davis, The Help
Yoon Jeong-hee, Poetry
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Anna Paquin, Margaret




BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR


Christopher Plummer, Beginners



nominees:

Albert Brooks, Drive
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life




BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

J. Smith-Cameron, Margaret



nominees:

Sareh Bayat, A Separation
Jeannie Berlin, Margaret
Mary Page-Keller, Beginners
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants






ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, & Jim Rash, The Descendants




nominees:

Everything Must Go
Incendies
Jane Eyre
Moneyball




ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Asghar Farhadi, A Separation




nominees:

Beginners
Midnight in Paris
Weekend
Young Adult






ENSEMBLE

Margaret




nominees:

Beginners
The Descendants
Midnight in Paris
A Separation





FOREIGN FILM

A Separation




nominees:

Incendies
Le Havre
A Screaming Man
Tomboy





CINEMATOGRAPHY

Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life





nominees:

Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia
Lech Majewski & Adam Sikora, The Mill and the Cross
Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist
Newton Thomas Sigel, Drive






FILM EDITING

Mat Newman, Drive




nominees:

Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Hayedeh Safiyari, A Separation
Joe Walker, Shame





ORIGINAL SCORE

Ludovic Bource, The Artist




nominees:

The Chemical Brothers, Hanna
Cliff Martinez, Drive
Alexandre Desplat, The Tree of Life
John Williams, War Horse




ORIGINAL SONG

"Think You Can Wait," Win Win




nominees:

"Masterpiece," W.E.
"Piledriver Waltz," Submarine





ART DIRECTION / SET DECORATION

The Mill and the Cross




nominees:

The Artist
Midnight in Paris
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Tree of Life




COSTUMES

Sonia Grande, Midnight in Paris






nominees:

Mark Bridges, The Artist
Michael O'Connor, Jane Eyre
Anaïs Romand, House of Tolerance
Dorota Roqueplo, The Mill and the Cross



VISUAL EFFECTS

Mission Impossible - The Ghost Protocol




nominees:

Attack the Block
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
The Tree of Life



SOUND

Drive




nominees:

Incendies
Mission Impossible - The Ghost Protocol
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Tree of Life





SOUND EDITING

Drive





nominees:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Mission Impossible - The Ghost Protocol
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Tree of Life




DOCUMENTARY FILM

Bill Cunningham New York




nominees:

The Black Power Mixtape 1967 - 1975
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Project Nim
We Were Here