we come in peace

This weekend, District 9 opened at No. 1 with an impressive gross revenue of $37 million. The opening is even more successful when you consider that the film was budgeted at a mere $30 million. So in addition to receiving extremely positive reviews, it's already a financial success for TriStar. A big congratulations is in order for 29 year-old South African director Neill Blomkamp, as well as producer Peter Jackson. Reviews and box office performance almost guarantee a sequel, and it sounds like this is a film that actually deserves a follow-up. I haven't made it to the theater yet (manfriend was out of town over the weekend, and probably would've broken up with me if I'd seen it without him), but have been following the marketing campaign religiously for months. Can't wait to see this movie, which some critics are already calling the best science-fiction movie of the generation.

"District 9 proves that there's intelligent alien life in the movie universe this summer." -Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

"This baby has the stuff to end the movie summer on a note of dazzle and distinction." -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"District 9 is the most exciting science fiction movie to come along in ages; definitely the most thrilling of the summer; and quite possibly the best film I've seen all year." -Sara Vilkomerson, The New York Observer

"This might go down as the year that science-fiction cinema, despite the deafening crash and clangor of sparring robots, began to rediscover its brains, heart and soul." -Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News

"District 9 has the aesthetic trappings of science fiction but it's really more of a character drama, an examination of how a man responds when he's forced to confront his identity during extraordinary circumstances." - Christy Lemire, Associated Press

New York Times movie critic A.O. Scott calls the movie smart and swift, and the special effects tight and inventive.

District 9 is current running at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

for the love of scifi

they did what?

I guess this is old news, but since it’s news to me, I still find it relevant and rant-worthy. The ending of the film of adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife was changed due to test audience feedback. Apparently the focus groups who first screened the film thought the original ending was kind of a downer, so in true Hollywood fashion, the studio replaced it with something a little more happy endingy. The ending was re-written, re-shot, re-edited, and now, we have a completely dumbed down adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife to look forward to. Awesome. I’m thrilled to see a beautiful and powerful novel completely bastardized with a gift-wrapped ending. Said the director: “So we made the choice to say, ‘OK, we know what we need to do. We’re smarter now.’ It’s a process when you make a film. We hadn’t been dated or anything, so we felt like, ‘OK, let’s do the right thing. Let’s finish the movie properly.’” Grrrr. Team Niffenegger!!



My bitterness is only slightly assuaged by the trailer for The Lovely Bones, Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel of the same name. From what I can tell from the preview and Jackson’s comments in interviews, the director is committed to making the film as faithful to the book as possible. A few scenes are just as I’d pictured them when reading the novel, almost disturbingly so. And Saorsie Ronan Continues to be one of the awesomest young actors working today.

it was mrs.white! in the study! with the candlestick!

Be sure to check out Minneapolis auteur Rob Callahan's piece on the Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer collaboration, Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

And be sure to check out Jahna Peloquin's interivew with Glamorama Fashion Director Laura Schara for letoile magazine, as well as her Minneapolis What to Wear Guide for August.

models sans makeup

Kristen McMenamy

Shalom Harlow

Amber Valletta

Claudia Schiffer

photographs by Peter Lindbergh for Harper's Bazaar

gaga for rilke

Another reason to love Lady Gaga. She got a freaking Rilke tattoo! In the original beautiful German! I have long considered getting a tattoo of a few sentences on my forearm, and my top two choices have always been a Vonnegut quote that I’m particularly fond of, or anything by Rainer Maria Rilke. Dude is my fave.

“In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?”

Tangent: Lady Gaga’s hair in this above photograph totally reminds me of Lady Lovely Locks and the Pixietails. Cute little hamster pixies with tails made of pastel hair! And you clipped them into Lady Lovely Locks’ curls! It was quite creepy, actually.

take another little piece of my heart

2009 marks the 10 year anniversary of The Iron Giant, one of my favorite movies of all time. Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) has hinted that this critical darling and box office dud may have a short theatrical release to celebrate the occasion. I’ve never seen this movie in the theater, so if this re-release comes to fruition, I’ll be the first in line to purchase my ticket. For anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, you need to rent or buy the DVD immediately. It’s one of the most touching stories, animated or live action, ever put to film. If you don’t cry, you’re probably a robot. And not a sweet and sensitive robot like the Iron Giant himself, but a cruel and cold-hearted robot who kills puppies for its own amusement. Because for real, you’re going to cry like a tiny baby when you watch this. And then you’re going to be flabbergasted because Vin Diesel (who voices the Iron Giant) TOTALLY MADE YOU CRY.

mmm...art

During Art-A-Whirl this spring, I was completely taken with a few pieces in the Rogue Buddha Gallery by local artist Margaron. I have a thing for creepy deer, so I picked up "Elysium," a mixed media piece. After chatting her up about some of her work on scratchboard, she offered to commission a piece just for little old me. She asked me what I wanted and I told her pretty bluntly: deer, fangs, and blood. I picked up the piece a few days ago, and this is what she came up with...

I am smitten with this piece. She even put a "B" on the collar (since A Tiny Machine is actually a Beth). Sadly, my photos don't do it justice, but you get the idea.

baby wants her bottle

When manfriend and I watched the trailer for Grace, we experienced opposite reactions. We both said, "EEEE!" but his "EEEE!" was more freaked out, disturbed and frightened, while mine was a bit more, "Yeah! Zombie Baby!" Grace follows Madeline, a pregnant woman who has struggled with conception and suffered through multiple miscarriages. Only weeks before the due date, Madeline is involved in a car accident and loses the baby. Despite the wishes of family and doctors, she insists on carrying the baby to term. The child is born stillborn, but after a few seconds in her mother's arms, she miraculously comes to life. You know where this is going. Beautiful Miracle Baby is totally a zombie that needs blood to survive. And Madeline, a loving and devoted mother, will do anything to keep her daughter healthy. Cue corpses being dragged into the nursery! I realize that Dead Baby Horror isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for me. Though I fear that this movie might put me off childbirth forever. (As if learning the twist in Orphan wasn't bad enough. Now I can't even adopt). So ten years from now when you see me pushing around puppies and kitties in a pram and calling them my children, you'll know the long-term effects of loving horror movies.

i see a red door and i want to paint it black

Coco Rocha had me drooling when she dyed her hair red. And this June, just when I was considering going full-out red myself (my friend calls me a daywalker, since I'm only half ginger), she dyed her hair black. Now I'm missing the goth locks I rocked three years ago.