This weekend was pretty busy, at least for me. Friday night we had Eric's parents over for a movie. They brought pizza from one of our favorite local pizza places, which always makes movie nights better. Then on Saturday I had an adoption shower followed my a Starbucks date with my girlfriends. And obviously, Sunday was the super bowl. In order to keep from getting too bored, I helped a friend make paper flowers for her wedding. Super bowls don't get much better than good food, a craft, super bowl commercials and a Madonna show?
Tank: H & M // Tee: Forever 21 // Cardigan: Silence + Noise // Jeans: H & M // Booties: Target
This week is looking to be pretty typical, play dates, zumba, the gym, girls night, and even a date night on Friday! Looking forward to a good week and a great weekend. Happy Monday!
I'm not sure if anyone cannot love Paul Newman, myself included. The guy is a stud, the man who Ryan Gosling probably models himself after. Whether he's 25 or 55, he's just one good lookin' guy.
This love rant about Paul is prompted by my recent viewing of The Hustler and The Color of Money, two movies starring the man himself as a pool shark (as in the game). Although they were made 25 years apart, The Color of Monday was a sequel to the Hustler.
In The Hustler, Paul is a young and talented pool player who has to learn the art of taking peoples' money. He's a pool addict, with a little too much confidence and not enough control to know when to call it quits. He wants to be the best, even if it means losing all he has. He meets another addict, Sarah, although she's more interested in her drink of choice than pool. The movie, made in 1961, is a little slow, but the characters are interesting to see develop. By the end of the film, Newman discovers what is truly important to him and learns a valuable lesson at a high cost.
The Color of Money, on the other hand, finds Paul as a pool shark turned liqueur salesman who discovers a unique talent in Tom Cruise. Cruise is a small time pool shark, but Paul takes him under his wing and shows him all he knows. Because both men are smart and talented, conflict arises as they argue over how to do things what constitutes a good con. Cruise strongly desires Newman's help, but at the same time, believes he knows everything and isn't very willing to accept any criticisms. By the end of the film, we have the two bests battling it out in Atlantic City at a major pool contest. You'll have to find out who, if either, wins by watching the film for yourself.
Although they are connected, each film can stand alone, but I really liked watching them sequentially. There are a few references in Color of Money about the story in The Hustler, but you wouldn't be lost if you watch them separately. If I had to choose, I think I like The Hustler more than the Color of Money, but I usually prefer films from the 50's and 60's over the 80's.
Sundays, for us, have always been about being with family and eating delicious food. But lately they are being done while wearing comfy, oversized sweaters and I don't plan on breaking this streak anytime soon. Paired with some jeans and boots, it's just the perfect "I'm going to relax and just hang out all day, maybe even take a nap" outfit.
Probably the second best thing about these sweaters, aside from their comfiness, is the ease at finding them at thrift shops. So having oversized sweaters in several different colors doesn't even come close to breaking the bank.
And in random news, as I write this, two days after these photos were taken, it's over 50 degrees here and the snow is almost gone. That is just how this season has gone, less than two weeks of snow before it gets oddly warm and all melts. But I'm not complaining :)
Since it's theatrical release, Eric has been wanted to see Tree of Life. The film stars Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn and Brad Pitt. Despite an impressive cast, this film has received polarized reviews. There isn't really a story or linear dialogue. Eric best described it as watching a poem. He mentioned this before we started the movie and it really helped me. There is a focal story of a boy and his family during the 1950's. Sean Penn plays the boy as an adult. The movie begins with the death of his brother and the film's narrative dialogue seems to revolve around life, death, dying and eternity.
This definitely isn't your typical film and scenes don't always follow each other. One moment you're seeing a glimpse into the boy's life and the next you are watching images of the origins of the universe. Aside from it's practically nonexistent storyline, the imagery is absolutely breathtaking. Scenes in the ocean, of volcanoes, of the cosmos, in the forest are all beautiful. If you don't mind not understanding a film, this one is worth watching.
Throughout the film, I felt like I was watching poetry. And a lot of the dialogue is very poetic too. Oh, and the music. The music was simple incredible. There was so much emotion in most of the music, which definitely enhanced the poetic feeling of the film.
It's a movie that can really get a discussion going between those who have seen it. I have my own ideas about some of it's meanings and have probably interpreted it differently than anyone else. But this film is probably not best for the occasional movie-goer who primarily sees the box office hits. If you enjoy odd, obscure or just different films, you may like it. Or you may not. It's definitely one that you either love or hate, there's really no landing in between.
