Lars and the real girl (2007)
Ryan Gosling plays the painfully awkward and shy Lars Lindstorm who brings home his new girlfriend, Bianca. Only problemo is Bianca is a sex doll Lars customised and ordered off the internet, however he doesn't want sex,(Bianca is 'very christian') more so company and a relationship. He truely believes she is real, and as advised by the small towns doctor, the people of the town go along with it and pretend his new love interest is real. With his eyes set on Bianca, Lars doesn't pay much attention to the cutie, Margo, at work who is obviously interested in him.
The movie was really funny, and I personally really liked it, but there were some kind of slow parts that might not be your thing if you're into action packed movies. Ryan Gosling played Lars so well, and it was kind of nice to see him in a roll where he wasn't playing the heart throb, dangerous or badass character. Kelli Garner is ridiculously cute as 'Margo', and Patricia Clarkson (love the lady, I'm a big fan) is brilliant as Lars' doctor.
John Cusack plays Rob, the thirty-something year old record store owner whose recent fights and breakup with his girlfriend, Laura, inspire him to look back over his past relationships, reviewing his "top five worst break ups". (The list is a theme throughout the movie, as he and his two colleagues at work often make top five music lists). Upset by his breakup, Rob looks at his past relationships to see where he went wrong, in the mean time Laura starts seeing the sleazy Ian 'ray' Raymond.
The movie is brilliant, and I absolutely loved it. This was probably 30% thanks to the music throughout the film. The record stores stocks excellent bands and the soundtrack is equally as good. The combination of the three guys at the record store, Rob, Barry (Jack Black) and Dick (Todd Louiso) is perfect. Barry plays the sex driven male character, while Dick perfectly plays the sensitive soul, and Rob fits somewhere in between. Definitely worth a watch, the perfect mix of sad, funny and interesting.
"we never meant our music to come with a pre-programmed emotional response. we don’t want to tell anyone how to feel and what to take from it. with the films, we have literally no idea what the directors are going to come back with. none of them know what the others are doing, so hopefully it could be interesting."
The main reason I'm not 100% sold on the outfits is because I wouldn't personally wear them. And while that can be a pretty common response to the majority of catwalk collections opposed to ready to wear outfits, I would have given my left arm to be able to strut around in some of Miu Miu's earlier creations. The more masculine styled suits aren't particularly my taste, but generally I like them. I would have been in love with the burgundy suit pictured, but I have a deep seated hatred of black and bright coloured square print fabric thanks to the teenage scene phase. The striped suit is a favourite, but I love the overall use of pattern on pattern. The main source of my love for the collection isn't necessarily because of the designs aesthetically, but more so because of what they remind me of.
As far as run way fashion goes, there's a lot of designs that people may love, but wouldn't really wear in every day life. Like in this Fall-Winter 2011-2012 collection (pictured left). While I absolutely adore the pieces individually, they seem like they'd be too intense to wear together like this anywhere other than the runway. Which is why I am swooning over Mary Katrantzou's clothing line for Topshop. While most of the dresses I adore have been scooped up already, there's still some cool pants and scarves left. They aren't too pricey, and with a bit of saving maybe one day I'll have my hands on one of her designs!
The Valentino Fall 2012 collection breaks my heart. I think it's way too harsh with the black thick leather being included in most pieces. Maybe I just fell too in love with the sheer and light fabrics Valentino brought back during the late 2000's, but the silhouette of these are really unflattering and to be honest leave me imagining the matrix rather than haute couture. Even when they do manage to add laces and a more feminine look (spring 2012 collection pictured on the right), it still doesn't quite hit Valentino's standards- The neckline and sleeves give a kind of boxy look, and the material in the opaque parts of the dress seem too think. They've got a hell of a lot to live up to, trying to continue the brand without the original designer, and while the new designs can be beautiful in them selves, I inevitably find myself comparing them to Valentino's and the new ones lose, ever. single. time.
