matouenpeluche

Ten Great Years

I thought this poster by Argentinian graphic designer Max Dalton was pretty neat. You can see more of Max's work and posters here --> Max Dalton.

In other Beatles news, I see that Yellow Submarine has been cleaned up and restored. Ah! I have such fond memories of that fine film! When it was having a re-run at the Roseville cinema, my Dad used to take me to see it most weekends. It was a very enjoyable way to fill in a few hours together. The music's fantastic and the fab animation certainly appealed to a me as a small girl. You can see the trailer here.

Poster image from here. Yellow Submarine from here.

Down By Law

I was having a surf through one of those 1000 films you must see before you die books and it was arranged by year. It was actually very interesting. I was particularly struck with the mid to late '80s. 1985 had My Life as a Dog, Pee - Wee's Big Adventure, A View to a Kill, Brazil and European Vacation. I only remember that 1987 had Withnail and I which is probably all you needed to see that year anyway. However, 1986 had the super fine Jim Jarmusch film Down By Law. I remember going along to the cinema and seeing it quite a few times. I don't think I'd ever seen anything quite like it.

Set in Louisiana, it is the story of two wrongfully imprisoned men who meet for the first time in their cell: Jack a pimp played by John Lurie and Zack a DJ played by Tom Waits. A third man, Italian tourist Bob (Roberto Benigni), is also put in their cell. Speaking barely any English but an incredibly chatty person nonetheless, Bob is the exact opposite in temperament to the other two uber cool cats. Jack and Zack don't get along terribly well, but they somehow all end up escaping the prison together thanks to Bob. They wade through Louisiana swamps, walk on foot quite a bit and eventually end up at a house owned by a woman named Nicolleta. Bob instantly becomes smitten by Nicoletta and he stays on at her house while Jack and Zack continue on their way.

Why it's one of my favourite films of all time:

1. Its unhurried character driven plot is by turns meditative, hilarious and intriguing.

2. The humour is central to the appeal of this movie for me. It is not only provided by the effervescent Benigni but also by the laid back Jack and Zack. Jokes are not set up like they would be in a traditional comedy, they unfold.

3. Shot in black and white, it's very lovely to look at.

4. John Lurie and Tom Waits provide the fab music score to the film.

If you haven't already seen it, you are in for a treat!

Images from here, here and here.

Masked (penguin) Ball and other scenarios

So this is a drawing I did a few weeks ago: Masked (Penguin) Ball. I haven't really got much to say about this print as I think it speaks for itself.

However, I have been thinking about the sort of masked ball or fancy dress party I would like to go to and I have decided on these two themes:

1) A James Bond fancy dress party.

Can you imagine? Fine, fine John Barry/ Shirley Bassey e.t.c. music playing all night long and heaps of opportunities to be over the top silly. All. Night. Non. Stop! I suppose everyone would either come as Blofeld or James himself circa Sean Connery. I'd like to think someone would have the chutzpah to come as Jaws (Moonraker) or Christopher Walken (A View to a Kill). I wouldn't mind going as Solitaire in Live and Let Die (v.snazzy long haired Jane Seymour in '70s New Orleans/ New York Bond). I quite like Tiffany Case in Diamonds are Forever (favourite all time Bond film my friends - give it a watch - it is magic!). Then again, I think I'd like to come as Sean circa You Only Live Twice as in wet suit clad and arriving in a toy helicopter thingy. Or perhaps I'd come as Odd Job (Goldfinger baddy). Although, I wouldn't mind actually being Goldfinger, come to think of it, as I could go around all night saying "Goodbye Mr. Bond" in my best heavily accented German/ English. I'm just rambling now...pardon.

2) *Ahem* The other party I was thinking of would be a Beatles party and you'd have to dress as your favourite era of Beatle.

I think I'd come as John Lennon circa Hamburg with a quiff and a leather jacket and smoking a rolled up cigarette or perhaps a white suited Lennon with long hair and a middle part à la Abbey Road (favourite album after all). Then again, would it be permissible to come as George Martin? Hmmm...that's possibly a bit tricky...

 

Bill Cunningham New York

Happy Monday folks! I've had a fab weekend. Saturday was absolutely glorious here in Sydney! I managed to get in the sort of epic walk you reminisce about for years later with family and friends. Well, that's possibly a slight exaggeration, but it was pretty good. I also managed to finally get to see this doco: Bill Cunningham New York.

The 82 year old Bill Cunningham has been photographing New York street style for years. He was out and about long before The Sartorialist was even a twinkle in his mother's eye. For over 40 years his decoupage of street styles have been a fixture at The New York Times and other publications such as the now defunct Details Magazine. He is quite a character although he is obviously well loved and respected by the serious fashion crowd in Europe and North America as there are cameos by Anna Wintour, Anna Piaggi and Tom Wolfe to name but a few.

It's fun weekend viewing and is as much about New York as anything else which can never be a bad thing!

Images from here.

My favourite Oscar looks

I guess any internet surfer worth their weight has already fully scrutinised the Oscar frocks. After all, it was a full day and a half ago that the net was saturated with all things Oscar! However, I'd like to add my two cents too! So, here are my favourite looks from the evening...

Much has been said about Angelina Jolie's Oscar frock....and that leg. Well, I'd like to think the woman has a sense of humour and that she's vamping it up as some sort of comment on previous press about her choice in red carpet looks or...something. Well, that's what I'd like to think anyway. But, really, at the end of the day, I think she looks pretty sensational in all that plush black velvet. Emma Stone, to my mind, looks super stylish and that colour is stunning on her.

Absolutely adore Gwyneth's cape - she is the red carpet super hero! Milla Jovovich is Hollywood personified!

I am a huge Rose Byrne fan. Not just because she's a local Sydney gal, but because she's incredibly pretty and a fab actor to boot! This liquid sequin black number is ravishing on her.

Happy Wednesday all! :0)

All images from here.

John Cheever: The Swimmer

First of all, apologies all round for the lack of posts of late. I have been in a bit of a blogging funk. However, I have now made a full recovery and am keen to recommence blogging activity!

So, this morning I was doing a bit of impromptu spring cleaning of a particular cupboard that I have been skillfully ignoring for maybe 4 years. It is full of novels, cartoon books and art books I haven't looked at forever. It was a revelation! I found so many gems and books dear to my heart that I got quite emotional and had to stop half way through and have a sit down. One of the best finds was a book of short stories by John Cheever. It is absolutely enormous at 892 pages and packed with 60 or so stories. If you have not read the works of John Cheever, you could do worse than spend a lazy weekend getting acquainted him.

  In this fine book is one of my favourite short stories ever which was made into an equally fine movie staring Burt Lancaster called The Swimmer. This is how the story begins:

 "It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, 'I drank too much last night'. You might have heard it whispered by the parishioners leaving church, heard it from the lips of the priest himself, struggling with his cassock in the vestiarium, heard it from the golf links and the tennis courts, heard it from the wildlife preserve where the leader of the Audubon group was suffering from a terrible hangover."

It is a mystery story (sort of) set in an upper class suburb of New York. Neddy Merrill, the protagonist, appears one day in the yard of a neighbour's/ friend's place which has a large pool. The friends have not seen him in some time and they exchange friendly chat. Ned swims the length of the pool and realises that it would be possible to swim back to his home using the pools of his friends. We then follow him through the back yards and swimming pools of this wealthy neighbourhood. The interactions with his neighbours and Ned's own reflections reveal more and more of Ned's past until finally he reaches his home and all is revealed.  

Anyway, I know what I'll be doing this hot, humid, steamy weekend: taking it easy and reading my rediscovered John Cheever short stories!

Happy weekend all!

Images from here and here.

Interview with Nan Lawson

Nan Lawson is surely the queen of cute, quirky, nerdy art, yet she is so much more than that! Her whimsical prints seem to be very personal: they are full of purpose and thought and love. I think this is what makes them such a hit! People want in on the love! I have been an admirer of Nan Lawson's work for some time now, so over the holidays, I decided I'd ask her if she'd do an interview for my blog. Imagine my delight when she said she'd love to! Without further ado then, I present Nan Lawson...

Richie

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello! My name is Shannon, but my nickname is Nan. I'm an illustrator living and working in Los Angeles. I live with my boyfriend and two cats in a cozy craftsman apartment that I like to decorate in my spare time.

When did you first decide to become an artist?
My first real decision to become an artist was when I was in college. I knew I wanted to create things. I studied film making there, which is a great way to learn how to write, act, and create visual art. My decision to become an illustrator came later when I was working a boring day job. I started my Etsy shop as a creative outlet and that's where my illustrating really took off.

What are a few of your favorite things?
I love to watch great movies and television shows. I am always inspired by the characters I see in them, and find myself drawing them more and more often. I also love great interior design. A clean and well decorated space is a beautiful thing to me.

Lizzie and Darcy

Who are your favourite artists at the moment?
I've always loved Ashley G's artwork, and I'm a big fan of Vera Brosgol and Emily Carroll. All three are great lady illustrators/cartoonists. I'm also pretty obsessed with anything by Jon Klassen.

What are your top five favourite movies at the moment?
The Royal Tenenbaums, In The Mood For Love, Moulin Rouge, Pride & Prejudice (2005), Harold and Maude


Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
I hope to still be illustrating and making a living off of it. That's the most important thing to me. Maybe I'll have branched out to do more editorial work and licensing at that point. I'd love to be living in a modest home with my boyfriend (perhaps husband by then?) in Los Angeles.

The Photographer

Thank you so much Nan! For more Nan Lawson loveliness, you can visit her Etsy shop here--> Nan Lawson and her website here---> Nan Lawson Illustration.

Peter Finch

This is Peter Finch. The Peter Finch above is no relation to that other Peter Finch who was famously very angry and wasn't going to take it any more (if you can tell me which movie that quote comes from, I'll be suitably impressed!). This Peter has many interests. His favourite, though, is singing his heart out at dawn and dusk.

After a fairly cool start to summer, I think it's finally decided to be hot. Very hot. Here's hoping we don't have several days of 40 plus degree heat like we had last year. That sort of heat can really take it out of a person!

I hope everyone has a terrific week!

Dainty Goth Goddess

I chanced upon a superb post by the folks at Cat Party the other day. It chronicled the many lovely looks worn by Winona Ryder on the red carpet in her hey day. *sigh* It made me feel a bit wistful for the late 80s and 90s and wish that we saw more of that type of gothic glamour today...

All photos from Life via Cat Party.

Goodbye Ken Russell

I was saddened to hear that the grand old man of British cinema, Ken Russell, had passed away this week. I have seen most of his films and enjoyed them immensely. My favourites are the great composers series he did for the BBC such as Elgar, Strauss and Delius, "Lair of the White Worm" (absolutely hilarious!) and the documentary he made about his own life which stared his little son (so sweet!). Bits of The Who's "Tommy" were also pretty terrific but my all time, hands down favourite Ken Russell film is the musical "The Boy Friend". Have you seen it? It's set in the 1920s and tells the story of the stage production of a musical by an English theatre troupe. It is very, very funny, beautifully acted and exquisite to look at. Think Georges Barbier meets Busby Berkeley via swinging sixties London! Twiggy, its star, is ravishing as are the costumes and sets. There is a a very good review of it here.

I was lucky enough to actually see Ken Russell being interviewed on the stage at the State Theatre many moons ago as part of the Sydney Film Festival. It was an absolute honour to hear him speak and answer questions. He was totally naughty, disobedient and hilarious!

Goodbye to a great British artist.

Top image from here and the others from Le Cinema Dreams.