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Movie Review: The Dressmaker

The Dressmaker - Kate Winslet

Imagine a small town in Australia. It’s 1951. A young woman returns home with her Singer sewing machine and a sophisticated attitude that all her old friends lack. It’s been several years since she’s been home and she’s concerned that the whole town thinks she’s cursed, but she can’t fully explain why. Soon enough, it is revealed that she was sent off to boarding school because the town suspected she murdered a young boy.

When a woman who looks like Kate Winslet shows up out of the blue, everyone takes notice. As a clothing designer, Myrtle AKA Tilly (Kate Winslet) has beautiful taste in fashion and she distracts all the football players when she arrives at a game looking like a knockout in a red dress. Teddy (Liam Hemsworth), one of the football players, quickly becomes Tilly’s love interest and he’s a charming one at that.

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September 25, 2015 by

Movie Review: Inside Out

Inside Out - Carbon Brew

Core Memories. Personality Islands. Imagination Land. These are just a few of the driving forces behind protagonist Riley Anderson’s thought process in Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out. The original concept takes viewers on a behind the scenes tour of a young girl’s mind as the script explores how her emotions affect her behaviour. Five emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear – run an intense operation and guide her through life’s challenging moments like being the new girl at school.

The characters clearly express their feelings through their large eyes and energetic voices. For example, Disgust (Mindy Kaling) has extra long eyelashes and her sassy personality makes her quite entertaining. No matter which emotion they represent, every character speaks with conviction.

Meanwhile, Amy Poehler’s character Joy is the woman in charge. She’s not bossy, but eager. She wants Riley to be happy.  All of the emotions have a symbiotic relationship that helps Riley function like a typical preteen. When that gets disrupted, chaos ensues. Midway through the movie, I was so engrossed that whenever Joy and Sadness stood at the edge of a cliff, I felt nervous for them. That’s a tell-tale sign of good storytelling.

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June 17, 2015 by

Movie Review: Iris

Iris Apfel

Photo Source: ELLE Decor

Style icon Iris Apfel initially entered my radar as a blogger when I interviewed a former Sears employee for my Behind the Brand series. The new documentary Iris portrays her lifestyle as a collector of couture and costume jewellery.

With support from her husband Carl, Iris fills her apartments (and a storage locker) with pieces from around the world that reflect her eclectic yet stylish taste. Their residences look clean, but purposefully cluttered. In addition to garments and accessories, they also have a large collection of books. Iris prides herself on knowing what’s happening in economics and politics. She recognizes how fashion trends reflect historical events and has lived long enough to confirm that eventually everything becomes trendy once again.

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May 28, 2015 by

Adrian Grenier Visits Toronto

Meet and greet alert! Entourage’s Adrian Grenier is coming to Toronto on Wednesday to meet fans at Hudson’s Bay (176 Yonge Street) across from the Toronto Eaton Centre. This is an exciting opportunity to meet the star and ask him about his career or personal life. There is a minimum purchase requirement for a photograph with him, but if you buy jeans and a t-shirt, then I’m sure you’ll be all set.

The event is only two days away so start shopping and thinking about what you’ll say to him!

 

Adrian Grenier Hudson's Bay

May 11, 2015 by

Treat Yourself And Fly Solo

Movies Alone

How many concerts have you missed because your friends have different music taste? Don’t let that be an excuse anymore. When I was at Western, I flew solo to a Barenaked Ladies concert, which I was reviewing for the Gazette. My intention was to listen, enjoy and take notes. It didn’t matter who sat next to me.

Likewise, when award show season was at its peak in the winter and I needed to watch nominees, I waited for no one. I spent an afternoon at Cineplex Odeon Varsity theatre, treated myself to a Yogen Fruz smoothie (I’m addicted!) and never looked back. Still Alice is an introspective film about aging that I was content to watch alone and I didn’t feel an urgent desire to discuss it with anyone afterwards.

A new study from the University of Maryland found that many individuals don’t spend time alone in public because they fear what observers will think. It’s sad to imagine how people are missing out on opportunities to enjoy themselves simply because they value opinions of strangers.

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May 1, 2015 by