We've just signed up to Netflix at home and the whole personalised profile thing has me very excited. Nashville and Orange is the New Black are top of the list - and I haven't even got to the movies list yet!
I just love a night at the movies and have seen two chick flicks advertised in the last week that have me leaping off the couch and rushing to the box office.
And the best bit? The Australian influence in each!
I heart a Disney movie like noone's business and especially love their 'real life' adventures (not to take anything away from their animations though, of course).
Doesn't Cate Blanchett look amazing? Gorgeous costumes, hair and makeup. And Helena Bonham Carter looks like a fabulous Fairy Godmother. A bit quirky and whimsical, not the grandmotherly type that is depicted in the animation.
Did you know Kenneth Branagh is the director?
This is sure to be a hit - I need to borrow me a child to take along to the movies!
There are those moments in life that stick with us forever.
Tragedies that strike a chord with the world over even if you're not personally involved.
In recent times, the ones that stick with me the most include the Port Arthur, the 9/11 attack in New York, the Bali bombings, the Thredbo landslide and the Beaconsfield mine disaster.
I was glued to the TV, desperate for a snippet of hope and a survival story or two to cherish.
The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami is another event that captivated the world.
I have to say though, that I don't know much about it.
I was in Paris for Christmas that year, celebrating with a group of friends, and we heard snippets of news come through but it didn't affect us the same way it would've if we were home.
So it's with great interest that I see 'The Impossible' is being released in cinemas tomorrow. I saw the trailer on New Year's Eve before Les Mis and I was a mess in the preview. I can only imagine how heartbreaking the full length movie is.
Apparently Naomi Watts is brilliant in it and she scored both Golden Globe and Oscars nominations for her performance.
I know one thing, I'll need a full box of tissues.
Warm weather . . . lovely friends . . . hot BBQ . . . courtyard dining . . . DIY Pimms bar . . . decadent desserts . . . striped straws . . . gorgeous South Australian sparkling . . . new outdoor chair covers . . . lots of yellow . . . and Hugh.
(As in Hugh Jackman. The one and only)
Yes, this sums up my beautiful New Years Eve celebrations.
I had a delish NYE dinner with a gorgeous friend and then we headed to the movies to see Les Miserables.
It's three times as fabulous as everyone says it is.
Go see it. Now.
Happiest of happy new years cheer to my friends - new and old. Here's to an even bigger and better 2013 full of love, laughter and lots of colour.
xoxoxo
PS. Here's the recipe for that delicious, colourful salad. It was a winner and has kept me going all week! Thanks to Love and Lemons via Camille Styles
Sweet potato and pomegranate salad salad components: 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed, plus olive oil, salt & pepper for roasting 2 cups baby salad greens (baby kale, spinach, arugula, etc.) 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds 1/3 cup crumbled feta 1/4 cup toasted pistachios, toasted & chopped handful of chopped cilantro 2-3 chopped scallions, white and green parts dressing: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 clove minced garlic 2 teaspoons honey 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar salt & pepper, to taste
Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Chop the sweet potato into bite sized cubes. Drizzle with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until they start to edges start to turn a darker brown. Make the dressing: Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, salt & pepper. Taste & adjust. Set aside. Assemble all salad ingredients, toss lightly in the dressing.
I applaud creative types who don't just sit back and comment, but actually do something good with their time.
Here's cheers to those who put the Rad into Radelaide!
Enter the team behind the Little Road Racquet Society - a great new pop up outdoor theatre that's creating awesome vacay fun for holiday makers on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
"The Little Road Racquet Society presents 3 films over 3 nights with 4 different winemakers and pop up local food stalls on a lawn tennis court tucked away amongst the Vineyards of Whites Valley, between Aldinga and Willunga."
How cool!
I'm heading off tonight to watch Amelie with some friends who are staying down at the beach. It's the perfect halfway spot to meet and the weather should be gorgeous.
Only because there was nothing else on and I am ever so slightly intrigued by a couple of those young girls' voices. Bella, is it? Wow, she's a bit talented isn't she!?
Plus, GCB follows it and I LOVE those girls. So wrong, but so right.
Anyway, I was so excited to see the trailer for the sequel to one of my favourite movies during X Factor - Taken.
Have you seen it? If you haven't, you must hire it.
Just don't watch it before you let your daughter go overseas on her own.
Lucky for me, Mum and Dad watched it after I'd returned home safely from two years abroad. Dad said he would seriously have to reconsider letting me trapse across the globe after the horrors of that film.
Is it time to tell him about my planned USA adventures next year?
Not in a reach for the tissues kind of way, but in a 'that could happen to me' kind of way.
Wish You Were Here is an amazing Australian movie - they call it a 'psychological drama' but I think that makes it sound scary.
I didn't know anything about it, hadn't seen the trailer, didn't read the review. I knew Joel Edgerton was in it (I'm a Secret Life of Us fan from waaaay back so this excited me to no end!) as was one of SA's fave exports Teresa Palmer, but that's it.
And I was impressed. The acting was really good and the storyline was so unexpected. I think it was the fact that I have holidayed in South-East Asia and so have most of my friends (and the fact that my brother, sister-in-law and niece are in Bali at the moment . . . ) that they story seemed so real.
It made me realise how flippant Australian tourists are, so carefree and easy going and how any of my friends could've been characters in this story. That scares the life out of me.
Any mothers out there, please make your children see this movie before they leave for a South-East Asian adventure.
(Gosh, don't I sound old and boring?!?)
Anyone else, I can't say it's an enjoyable movie, but it's clever and there's some gorgeous scenery and the kids in it are super cute! And above all else, support the local film industry.
I am no sci-fi or fantasy fan, I'm definitely not in the teenage target market and I'm squirmish when it comes to war.
But I'm hooked.
I feel like a giddy 12 year old who hides under the quiltcover with their torch at all hours of the night, desperate to read just one more chapter . . . maybe another, just a few more pages, nearly finished!
Comparisons to Twilight or Harry Potter are unfair - perhaps all they have in common is the fact they're a cultural phenomenon - but their stories, themes and concepts are worlds apart.
I grew up in the Tomorrow When The War Began generation and The Hunger Games reminds me of that series. Brave female heroine, confused love, loyalty and friendship. Oh, and war.
In a matter of a week, I've read the first book, seen the movie and am now halfway through the second book. It's all consuming. I'm giving up my usual Sunrise viewing in the morning to stay in bed that bit longer and read a new chapter.
I even stopped reading a Nicholas Sparks lovey dovey novel in favour of The Games.
What has become of me?! I'll be wearing cargo pants soon. Ergh.
It's not a movie - or book - you feel good about, you don't really enjoy it - in fact, I cried a number of times throughout the movie - but it pulls you in and gets you thinking. It's clever, it's action-packed and it's confronting.
Okay, enough of rediscovering my teenage self (hello Tencel jeans and Canterbury rugby tops!). I'll be back to posting all things bright and happy next week. It's about time for a recipe methinks. And some more pink.
Until then . . . may the odds be ever in your favour.
I was long overdue a mushy romance sob or two, so I think Ad forgave me. I brought treats, so that bought me some cred!
Gorgeous movie, and the two leads were divine. I'm waiting for my knight in 'Channing' armour.
Anyway, I digress.
Their Chicago apartment was ah-mazing. Not my usual style, but I loved the hipster feel.
The big lofty, bachelor pad vibe had me going. Makes me want to rough up my pad a little.
But when it comes to the crunch, I think my style is more Paige pre Leo (pearls and mojitos etc) even though I badly want to ooze the same nonchalance and charm of arty Paige in her eclectic apartment.
I love movies and since moving into a place of my own, I've taken a new interest in looking beyond the actors to discover a very important player in the cast and crew.
The movie set is my new favourite star.
I saw 'The Change Up' the other night and found myself googling 'the change up movie set' after a wee while (once I'd composed myself after the first scene - hilarious potty humour!).
Jason Bateman's house was GORGEOUS and I found a great blog post by Cote de Texas in which the Texan author painstakingly broke down each scene to highlight the design wins of this movie set.
Below are a few of my faves . . .
Love the sea grass mat in the entrance foyer, and the single chair in the corner of the room.
You can't really see it in this pic, but that table in the left hand bottom corner is a gorgeous focal point as you walk in the front door and serves to separate the kitchen from the family room - love how it's open plan yet still distinct in its purpose.
The bathroom is breathtakingly big. And I love the bath in the bay-like window. Wooden floors too, gorgeous.
Beautiful chairs in the dining room. And as I get older, I'm starting to pine for a china cabinet.
Great serving platters too - love that someone would go to this much effort for a simple weeknight family dinner.
Love love love the yellow striped couch. And I'll say it again - I love a house that looks lived in.
That huge kitchen bench - awesome! And love the breakfast nook under the window.
And the star of the show - the bedroom. This is actually what had me googling the movie at first - I was desperate for that bed linen. It is GORGEOUS!
It's from John Robshaw Textiles and boy, was he flavour of the month after this movie was released! Not sure if you can still get it, but JRT featured heavily in a number of scenes.
For a wonderful description of each and every room in the house, visit Cote de Texas because her analysis is a lovely read.
Cannot WAIT for Baz Luhrmann's latest masterpiece, The Great Gatsby.
What a wonderful cast Baz has to play with. I think Jude Law could've been fabulous in the lead role as well.
Sydney's Centennial Park looked a treat in all its blooming glory on the weekend. Long Island it is not, but our film industry sure knows how to make it work and has proven we can mix it with the best of them.
Vogue has put together a list of six must-see wedding movies . . . and I, the eternal bridesmaid who prides herself on all things wedding, have to admit I haven't seen them all!
I've actually only seen three - looks like I'm going to have to rethink my 'professional bridesmaid' title and hand back my bouquet until I've picked up the slack!
Now, I think there are some gaps in this list. Number one, of course, is my all time favourite wedding movie, maybe even movie full stop . . .
I could watch it over and over and over again.
And then there's my autobiography . . .
So much for always the bridesmaid, never the bride - she snags the hotbox journalist at the end.
Is anyone as excited as me about this movie? Read the book, and LOVED it!
I do have to put it out there though - I'm completely devastated about the choice of Anne Hathaway as Emma. It needed to have been a British actress. Her accent is shocking. Perhaps a Kate Winslet?
And Dex looks okay, but how fabulous would Jude Law have been in the role?
I just got home from the movies and feel kind of blugh.
Loved catching up with Gem (wish the previews had gone on longer so we had more time to chat!) but can't put my finger on whether I liked the movie or not.
Has anyone else seen Something Borrowed?
PS. Great eye candy. Hello Dex! Where have you been my whole life?
I love food. I love entertaining. I especially love the colour pink. So The Polkadot Pantry is a collection of all of my favourite things, all wrapped up in a pretty bundle to inspire and entertain.
Magnolia Bakery, steak on the barbie, candlelit dinners, Sunday roasts, Croatian summers, Pimms at the cricket, Notting Hill markets, Maggie Beer ice cream. This is me and the things I love.
