I came across the trailer for Noah Baumbach's new film, Frances Ha, starring Greta Gerwig and was pretty smitten with it! Gerwig's character, Frances seems to have all the best intentions to really do something with her life, but has become lost in the mix of trying to figure it all out (which we all should know by now is easier said than done!). Despite a lot of things being (hilariously) imperfect, Frances remains continuously optimistic and tells a story of "...a young woman in crisis that turns self-consciousness into an exalted form of authenticity...."
p.s. Check out Landmark Theater's interview with Greta Gerwig here
a little bit of beauty and talent comin' at ya this morning....this piece is from my dear friend's talented sister, director Kaliya Warren, who has collaborated with an up and coming NYC designer, Anna Kathleen and two dancers from Bklyn Beast.
I love how this fashion film transcends the idea that clothing lines should be presented strictly on the runway. Fashion for me, truly is an art and "Revelation" has a way of capturing the magic in the clothing itself, as well as in the movement of the dancers.
(Check out another Warren & Kathleen collaboration here!)
I hope all of you were able to take advantage of your weekend-I know I tried to fit in what I could! On Friday night I met a friend for some eats at Milwaukee spot, the Eatery-I went with the portabella mushroom sandwich and sipped on a cold Lakefront Brewery IPA. After catching up for awhile, we headed down to the Urban Island party at the Lakeshore State Park, a small park that is close to the Modern Art Museum & Discovery World in downtown Milwaukee.
I actually never even knew about this park, so I was really excited to be able to check it out. I do wish we could have been able to be a part of the event during the day because they did kayaking, paddle board demos, and even a hula performance, but we weren't able to get down there til later on in the evening. Still, it was a lot of fun to hang out for a bit and be a part of something new. After that, we met up with some other friends and grabbed a drink at one of the local bars, Hotel Foster...they serve their drinks in mason jars, enough said.
The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun too! I finally went to see Beasts of the Southern Wild-beautiful story & acting (had a good cry), and I went on a three hour bike ride on Sunday around town and out to the bluffs for an awesome view of lake Michigan! It has been waaayyy too long since I have made biking a part of my routine, so despite some challenging hills and maybe getting lost (I'm directionally challenged!), it felt really good to spend the afternoon cruising around.
My Monday flew by, which is great because my sister is coming home Friday AND my dearest friend from college will be in town on Saturday! So there is plenty to look forward to as the week goes on :)
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had some time to something fun/inspiring/relaxing/exciting this weekend! Ryan and I went to one of our favorite spots, the Northern Waters Smokehaus, for a quick bite to eat-he had the Cajun Fin (House-smoked Cajun salmon, green onion cream cheese, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini and lettuce on stirat) and I opted for the Buffalo 06, their oldie, but a goodie corned beef sandwich (swiss, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing).
I totally forgot to snap a shot of our eats, but luckily other visitors to the Smokehaus have posted pics for me to share with you :)
If you ever visit Duluth or are driving through, you HAVE to go to the Smokehaus-it is deeelicious and if smoked fish is your thing, you can even order from them online! After chowing down on our sammys, we went to the Zinema 2 to (finally!) see Moonrise Kingdom. I really love supporting the Zinema, a locally owned theater here that is known for showing indie flicks/film festival hits and having quirky showings like Bloody Sunday films (horror movies and a bloody mary bar of course!). But anyways, Moonrise was such a sweet and endearing film, seriously. The two main characters, Suzy and Sam, are just awesome and I think everyone can relate to feeling different and not quite normal at some point in their life and these two capture the awkwardness perfectly. Great performances by every person in the cast-Wes Anderson, you sure do know how to make a film! It was a lot of fun and I'm definitely glad we took the time to go check it out...
Other weekend activities:
-apartment searching online (what did people do before craigslist?!)
-a lil shoe shoppin'! Two pairs, $46! Bargain shopping success.
-went on a very hot run with Reef
-P90X yoga with Ry, which was basically hot yoga since the house was 85 degrees
-visited with our roommates family up the shore, too much fun! Made me miss my family, near & far!
-had a verry lazy Sunday: Game of Thrones watching, frisbee throwing with Reef, and reading
Happy Monday everyone! It's going to be one of those crazy busy weeks, but I thought you should join me in starting of your morning by taking a peek at what is sure to be an amazing movie that my girlfriend (thanks Jani!) told me about last night....Beasts of the Southern Wild.
I got chills just watching the preview and immediately fell in love with the little girl who plays the lead, Quvenzhané Wallis, who is clearly one talented actress, even at the age of 8 years old! The film has been getting rave reviews since it's debut at the Sundance Film Festival and I cannot wait til I can get a chance to see it for myself!
"...Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under, in this tale of a six year old named Hushpuppy, who lives with her daddy at the edge of the world..."
Well, Ry is off in the Boundary Waters for a canoe/camping trip with the boys, so I'll be on my own for the weekend, but I've got some fun things to look forward too! Tonight I am hoping to make it to one of our local galleries, Prove Collective, which is hosting an event for the Duluth Superior Film Festival! The show will feature the latest collection of art that has been curated by the Collective, as well as a special cinema installment by local filmmakers, Kathy McTavish and Jacob Swanson. I haven't been to Prove as often as I would like, but every time I am there it reminds me of gallery shows I have been to in Chicago-always a good DJ and tasty beer (this time FREE beer from the local Lake Superior Brewing Co.)
As I mentioned yesterday, I will be volunteering for the film festival this Saturday and I am really looking forward to being a part of this event. I am stationed at the Zinema and they will be featuring the following films: "Northern Lights," "We Run Sh*t," and "Holiday Beach"...all of the films have interesting stories to tell, some documentaries and others based on true events. You can watch the trailers for these films and all the others on the festival's site here.
I'm also hoping to get some major organizing done, I know reallllyyy exciting, but sometime it is just necessary! Other than that, hopefully relaxing and catching up on some reading will get accomplished as well : ) What are your plans for the weekend?
Last night kicked off the start of the annual Duluth Superior Film Festival! This is my first year attending and I was definitely impressed with the opening night events a the Clyde Iron in West Duluth. I am actually volunteering for the event on Saturday night, which has the perk of getting an all access pass for all the films, special events, and music performances! Note: if you can volunteer for events/music festivals/etc., seriously do it! You always meet some great people and get to participate in the event for little to usually no cost...a good deal all around :)
The feature film for opening night was a Norwegian comedy called, King Curling. It follows the story of a competitive curling player, Truls Paulsen, who was once the reigning champion; but due to his obsessive compulsive and juust a little bit of mental instability, he is banned from playing the sport for ten years. He returns to the game in hopes of winning money to save his beloved coach and the film follows him as he rounds up his old team and meets some interesting characters along the way. Check out the trailer below....
I really enjoyed King Curling-so did the rest of the attendees as well; clapping and laughing out loud throughout the whole film! Truls is ultimately a lovable character despite his OCD and the cast of friends is hilarious (all with their own issues going on). I would absolutely recommend checking this movie out...still trying to figure out where you can view it other than film festivals, but I am sure there are some internet savvy people out there who can find a way to come by it! I'll be checking out more of the events and films the rest of the week/end, so I'll be sure to update you as it goes on!
Have any of you seen any great films lately? Feel free to share :)
HBO premiered part one of its' "Weight of the Nation" documentary this week and I encourage you all to take some time to watch it for yourself! You don't have HBO you say? No worries, HBO is allowing the general public to view the film online because the reality is, is that the issue of obesity in our nation is very real.
I personally try to maintain a healthy life style, but of course end up with more days not at the gym then I would like and of course, working a desk job doesn't help anything either! Regardless, I do my best to buy organic when I can, incorporate a good variety of veggies and protein...it's the little things that can either add up to help or hurt in the end when it comes to healthy living.
A little more about the film series.... "The centerpiece of THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION campaign is the four-part documentary series, each featuring case studies, interviews with our nation’s leading experts, and individuals and their families struggling with obesity. The first film, CONSEQUENCES, examines the scope of the obesity epidemic and explores the serious health consequences of being overweight or obese. The second, CHOICES, offers viewers the skinny on fat, revealing what science has shown about how to lose weight, maintain weight loss and prevent weight gain. The third, CHILDREN IN CRISIS, documents the damage obesity is doing to our nation’s children. Through individual stories, this film describes how the strong forces at work in our society are causing children to consume too many calories and expend too little energy; tackling subjects from school lunches to the decline of physical education, the demise of school recess and the marketing of unhealthy food to children. The fourth film, CHALLENGES, examines the major driving forces causing the obesity epidemic, including agriculture, economics, evolutionary biology, food marketing, racial and socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity, American food culture, and the strong influence of the food and beverage industry."
Visit HBO to watch part 1 & 2 of the film series and feel free to share your thoughts!
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