Being Elmo

Being Elmo opens in Detroit on Thursday! I've heard such good things about this documentary and I can't wait to go! I hope you all have been able to watch it too.

Fitzgerald

I'm currently reading through The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald that I borrowed from the library. I'm making my way through them slowly and relishing every detail. Fitzgerald has such a seemingly effortless way of setting a scene with his carefully crafted words. For me, his lyrical language has been the epitome of great American writing ever since I first read The Great Gatsby in my 10th grade English class.

Anyway, my reading material appears to have found me at the perfect time. As I'm in a Fitzgerald state of mind, news is breaking out everywhere that Carey Mulligan has just been cast as Daisy Buchanan in the Baz Luhrmann-helmed version of Gatsby. She'll be playing opposite to Leonardo DiCaprio's Gatsby and Tobey Maguire's Nick. The casting, though, is really of minimal concern to me. I am generally wary of when my favorite books are made into movies (so, no, I won't be dressing up for the midnight showing of Harry Potter tonight), but sometimes I'm more than pleasantly surprised. So I'll keep an open mind about this as long as it is as gorgeous and heartbreaking as it has always been in my imagination and that it preserves my favorite line in the book (and perhaps one of my favorite lines in all of literature):

--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--

(all photos from the 1974 movie) 

Teen Angst

Being back in Ann Arbor has inspired both a hazy nostalgia and a desire to critically examine myself juxtaposed to the girl I was when I first came to know this town. Though often surrounded by dense undergraduate crowds, my daily walk to work through campus in all of its collegiate splendor framed by vibrant foliage, is usually the second best part of my day - the first being lunch (of course).

I kind of couldn't resist this when I came across it. How overly emotional and perfectly angsty is this? I have to admit that I never overwhelmingly felt a great chasm between my expectations and realities ever in my life. This is due in large part to the fact that I intentionally try not to have grandiose expectations. In fact, I tend to have very low expectations so that reality can pleasantly surprise. However, the combination of these two lists pretty much sums up my entire college experience. I wonder what it means that I'm only reflecting on it now?

On another note, doesn't this list remind you so much of this? I loved this particular scene...

(list by (Speak) via Satellite Heart, photo via weheartit)

The Romantics

Ok, I know I've been home for almost 5 days now and still no updates of Asia. Apologies in advance because this still isn't it. I also apologize for the lack of phone calls to all of you since my return. For the scant few who have spoken with me, you know I currently sound like a serial killer who has a pack-a-day smoking problem. I got sick in Taiwan, got even sicker in Korea, and now I'm slowly recovering. My voice is mysterious, scratchy, and... phlegmy. Anyway, I promise that I will be slowly updating about my travels as we go along.

I did, however, come home to find this: the enchanting trailer for The Romantics.



Such an attractive ensemble cast and I'm looking forward to be wowed by all them. The storyline is laced with potential for great emotional depth and nuanced acting. And for even more eye candy, I also found that J.Crew has them modeling!

Don't the pictures just make you wish you were part of their group of friends? Stunning. Thank you, American cinema and style, for this lovely welcome home!

(photos from InStyle)

PS. Everyone wish her luck on her first days of Law School orientation! She will be so, so great.

Stop Motion Goodies

 

I love stop motion videos. See? This one by Oren Lavie is so mesmerizing. Charming and sweet. The tune certainly doesn't hurt either.  Wouldn't something like this make a unique engagement announcement?

It reminds me of the Kindle commercial that I love so much. If you also like its song, you can actually download it for free from Amazon! Enjoy!

Somewhere

For whatever reasons, I never understood Lost in Translation when I watched it in my cousin's basement one low-key night during a Christmas break. But I think my intrigue for Sofia Coppola's new movie Somewhere, due in December, is a good sign that I might like it better. It seems to have kept the qualities I did like in Lost in Translation and exchanged the storyline of two strangers abroad for a slightly more relatable, family-centric storyline. Understated, layered, and subtle: typical Sofia Coppola. Also, I do love me some Phoenix.

I am a girl with glasses!

I love every. single. thing. about this video.

Swoon. My "freedom summer" project is to become these women with a slight mix of Zooey Deschanel's character from 500 Days of Summer (in an aesthetic way, not a personality way). I'm seriously considering getting her bangs but I don't want them to turn out like this. Yeesh. Thoughts?

PS. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

A Thousand Words

Here is something that gets it just right: haunting, beautiful, and hopeful. The score is perfect too. Happy Friday.

A Thousand Words from Ted Chung on Vimeo.

(via Susannah)

Storytelling at its finest

Every night I'm glued to my TV watching the Olympic coverage. So I know compelling TV... And this little thing just kills me! (Also, her bob with bangs is so French!) If only I could tell stories like this...

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.