Movies

Oscars 2014

March 2, 2014

It’s Oscar night… Oscar, Oscar!!! Yes, I have to admit it: I love watching the Academy Awards. And this year we have many good contenders, which always makes it better. I am no film expert but a movie lover (and former Film Studies student) and will make my predictions here.

12 Years a Slave

Best Actress & Best Actor

Best Actress seems to be a done deal. Cate Blanchett has won almost every single award out there for her outstanding performance in Blue Jasmin. She is my favorite and I remember watching the movie and thinking she would actually win it. Amy Adams was very good in American Hustle (one of the only good things in the movie, actually) and Meryl should have here own category at the Oscars.

Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmin Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McCounaghey also seems like a sure bet and he really did deliver a great performance. He’s been on a very successful path, chosing the right roles and letting go of his rom-com facade. I would still very much like to see Chiwetel Ejiofor win for his work in 12 Years a Slave, but do think McCounaghey deserves the golden statue. Leonardo DiCaprio should also win an Oscar; I just don’t think this would be the right role to win. He’s a brilliant actor and his time will come. Christian Bale was very good in American Hustle, as he always is.

supporting actress & supporting actor

Lupita! Lupita! I may be biased here but I think Lupita Nyong’o was superb in 12 Years a Slave and I would hate to see Jennifer Lawrence take a second, undeserving, Oscar home. Sally Hawking was pretty good in Blue Jasmine but I don’t think she stands a chance.

Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave

Another sure win in Jared Leto for his role as a transgender woman with AIDS. I must say I wasn’t that impressed, but I did have very high expectations… I’ve always liked him, especially in Requiem for a Dream. I would like to see Michael Fassbender win but he plays such a vile character in 12 Years a Slave that I don’t believe he’ll go home with an Oscar.

best movie, director and screenplay

It is said that usually a movie wins as Best Film and Director, but this year this will probably not be the case. Alfonso Cuarón will probably go home as Best Director and take home most of the technical prizes with him. I would love to see Steven McQueen win but I think his movie, 12 Years a Slave will be named Best Movie 2014. American Hustle might take home Original Screenplay just so they won’t go home empty-handed, while I’m betting on Her. Adapted Screenplay will probably go to 12 Years a Slave.

Nominees and my predictions (in bold)

Best Motion Picture of the Year

American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale for American Hustle
Bruce Dern for Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Amy Adams for American Hustle
Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock for Gravity
Judi Dench for Philomena
Meryl Streep for August: Osage County

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper for American Hustle
Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street
Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave
Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine
Julia Roberts for August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave
Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle
June Squibb for Nebraska

Best Achievement in Directing

Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell for American Hustle
Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street
Alexander Payne for Nebraska

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Her
Nebraska
Dallas Buyers Club

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Philomena

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest et Célestine
Frozen
Kaze tachinu

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
L’image manquante (Cambodia)
Jagten (Denmark)
La grande bellezza (Italy)
Omar (Palestine)

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Prisoners
Yi dai zong shi

Best Achievement in Editing

12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Gravity
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club

Best Achievement in Production Design

12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her

Best Achievement in Costume Design

American Hustle
The Great Gatsby
12 Years a Slave
Yi dai zong shi
The Invisible Woman

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling

Dallas Buyers Club
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
The Lone Ranger

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

The Book Thief
Gravity
Her
Saving Mr. Banks
Philomena

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Despicable Me 2: “Happy”
Frozen: “Let It Go”
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom: “Ordinary Love”
Her: “The Moon Song”

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Captain Phillips
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

All Is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man Three
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Documentary, Feature

The Act of Killing
Cutie and the Boxer
Dirty Wars
Al midan
Twenty Feet from Stardom

Best Documentary, Short Subject

Cavedigger
Facing Fear
Karama Has No Walls
The Lady In Number 6
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

Best Short Film, Animated

Feral
Get a Horse!
Mr Hublot
Tsukumo
Room on the Broom

Best Short Film, Live Action

Aquel no era yo
Avant que de tout perdre
Helium
Pitääkö mun kaikki hoitaa?
The Voorman Problem

And the oscar goes to…

I’d like to see 12 Years a Slave win everything. I really don’t want American Hustle to win anything and I certainly don’t want JLAW to win as supporting actress. Have fun watching tonight!

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Art

The Favours of the Moon

February 14, 2014

The Favours of the Moon by Charles Baudelaire
Published 1869

THE MOON, who is caprice itself, looked through the window while you were sleeping in your cradle, and said to herself: ‘I like this child.’

And softly she decended her staircase of clouds and, noislessly, passed through the window-panes. Then she stretched herself out over you with the supple tenderness of a mother, and laid down her colors on your face. Ever since, the pupils of your eyes have remained green and your cheeks unusually pale. It was while comtemplating this vistor that your eyes became so strangely enlarged; and she clasped your neck so tenderly that you have retained for ever the desire to weep.

However, in the expansion of her joy, the Moon filled the whole room with phosphorescent vapour, like a luminous poison; and all the living light thought and said: ‘You shall suffer for ever the influence of my kiss. You shall be beautiful in my fashion. You shall love that which I love and that which loves me: water, clouds, silence and the night; the immense green sea; the formless and multiform streams; the place where you shall not be; the lover whom you shall not know; flowers of monstrous shape; perfumes that cause delirium; cats that shudder, swoon and curl up on pianos and groan like women, with a voice that is hoarse and gentle!

Dark half moon

‘And you shall be loved by my lovers, courted by my courtiers. You shall be the queen of all men that have green eyes, whose necks also I have clasped in my nocturnal caresses; of those who love the sea, the sea that is immense, tumultuous and green, the formless and multform streams, the place where they are not, the woman whom they do not know, sinister flowers that resemble the censers of a strange religion, perfumes that confound the will; and the savage and voluptuous animals which are the emblems of their dementia.’

And that, my dear, cursed, spoiled child, is why I am now lying at your feet, seeking in all your person the reflection of the formidable divinity, of the foreknowing godmother, the poisoning wet-nurse of all the lunatics.

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Music

Florence Welch – Not Fade Away

February 6, 2014

I absolutely adore, love Florence Welch. Her voice is magical, her songs addictive. I’ve seen Florence + the Machine twice live and wish I could hear her live at least once a month.

Found a link to this video on Pinterest and have seen it already 10 times. It’s called: Florence Welch in “Not Fade Away” by Tabitha Denholm and the song is a cover from Buddy Holly. Enjoy!

 

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Movies

Review: American Splendor

February 4, 2014

American Splendor

American Splendor by Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini

If you think Americans don’t know how to make good movies then you probably don’t know their their independent films. American Splendor,  title of the movie and also of Pekar’s original comics, is an excellent example of creativity. It is a mix of documentary and fiction, even adding a little comic book aesthetics. The film tells a little about Harvey Pekar’s story, a typical American looser who decides to turn his routine into a comic book. The actors are perfect in their roles, especially because we also get to see the real Pekar and the other characters on screen. The movie is just as sarcastic and ironic as Pekar’s. Highly recommend it.

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Cinema

Anti-herói Americano

February 4, 2014

American Splendor

Anti-herói Americano de Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini

Quem diz que americanos não sabem fazer bom cinema é pq não conhecem o cinema independente deles. American Splendor, título original e também dos quadrinhos de Pekar, é um excelente exemplo de criatividade. É um mix de ficção e documentário, adicionando ainda um pouco de quadrinhos. O filme conta um pouco da história de Harvey Pekar, um típico loser americano que decide transformar sua rotina em quadrinhos. Os atores estão perfeitos, principalmente pq temos em cena também o verdadeiro Pekar e os outros personagens. O filme é sarcástico e irônico assim como o humor de Pekar.

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People

RIP: Philip Seymour Hoffman

February 3, 2014

Phillip Seymour Hoffman by Mark Abrahams

The world lost another great talent. Philip Seymour Hoffman delivered amazing and memorable performances in movies like Almost Famous, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, 25th Hour, Capote, Doubt and many others.

photo credit: Mark Abrahams

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People

Lupita Nyong’o

January 30, 2014

Anyone who’s seen 12 Years A Slave will have noticed the intense presence of Lupita Nyong’o on screen. Her performance is very powerful and I immediately wanted who know who this actress was. This is her debut in american cinema and hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of her on the big screen.

intense newcomer

Lupita Nyong’o is a Kenyan actress born in Mexico and a Yale School of Drama graduate (her undergrad was Film and African studies). She has also directed (and produced & edited) a documentary (In My Genes) and is a model (she can be seen in Miu Miu’s latest campaign). Her work has already been recognized as she has won Best Supporting Actress at Screen Actors Guild Awards, Broadcast Film Critics and has been nominated for several other awards such as the Golden Globes, Bafta’s and Oscar.

fashion icon

This award season has been blessed with Lupita’s amazing dresses. She always looks stunning and has made some bold choices. Below you can see just how beautiful she looked at the Golden Globes and Critic’s Choice Awards. Can’t wait to see what she’ll wear to the Academy Awards (and I hope she wins Best Supporting Actress).

 

 

 

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Movies

Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

January 25, 2014

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street

I must admit I don’t like Martin Scorsese and I didn’t really want to see this movie but it was too cold to continue shopping outside until Dallas Buyers Clubwas on. My sister and my mom insisted it was a good movie, so I bought myself a ticket.

Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed The Wolf of Wall Street but I must also say it is a guilty pleasure. The movie is technically perfect: the actors are great, editing is fantastic, music, cinematography, etc etc but… this is a movie about one of the worst kind of people in this world.

Ambition at its worst, greed to extremes and disgusting life styles. And disturbingly it is based on a true story. Fascinating to watch even though it is a very long movie and the main character isn’t even likeable.

Wolf of Wall Street poster

Awards Season

It has been nominated for 5 Academy Awards: Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill), Director, Movie and Adapted Screenplay. Leonardo DiCaprio won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy. I must add that Matthew McConaughey is amazing in his short appearance.

Caution

If you don’t like nudity, sex scenes, drugs or hearing the word fuck: avoid this movie!

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Food

Recipe: Coconut Chia Pudding with Mango

January 25, 2014

A while ago I posted on my Instagram this picture of a dessert I made: Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Mango. It was delicious and everyone keeps asking for the recipe, so here it is. The recipe is not mine; I found it on Pinterest (where else?) and the original one can be found at The Roasted Root. I used maple syrup instead of agave nectar (and only one table spoon) and I used frozen mango because mango isn’t really available here in the winter.

Coconut Chia PuddingIngredients

250 ml full-fat coconut milk
375 ml almond milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
150 gr chia seeds
1 mango, peeled and cut in little pieces (dices)

Instructions

Mix the coconut milk with the almond milk and the maple syrup with a spoon. Be sure to mix your coconut milk so that the water and flesh are combined. Add the chia seed and stir well. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Serve with the mango on top. Enjoy!

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People Photography

Lena Dunham by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue

January 18, 2014

Lena Dunham and Adam Driver by Annie Leibovitz

Lena is awesome

Everyone knows (or should know) Lena Dunham and her fantastic work. She’s a talented writer, actress and director. In case you’ve missed it, please do yourself a favor and watch HBO’s Girls. Lena has often been the target of ignorant people and internet trolls. It’s awesome she’s on the cover of Vogue, a spot not often filled by extremely talented girls as Dunham. I’m sure Vogue is not changing their whole strategy but I’d like to see more Lenas out there.

Through the Lens of Leibovitz

The photographer behind these images is Annie Leibovitz, one of my favorite photographers, as I have mentioned before. The images are stunning and Lena can be seen through out New York, which makes the series even more appealing to me.

Want to see the rest of the Photos?

You can see the rest of series on my Pinterest or on Vogue.com

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