The Goodbye Girl apartment

This kitchen is so stunningly organized and spacious (a dining table in the middle)

I love movies. During my college years, I used to be a movie theater manager and got to watch all the movies I wanted for free. Sometimes, when the movie was a big blockbuster, we used to play it, the night before it opened, for our employees, mostly kids in college too. That's when my love for movies began. Dinner and a movie was something I did with all my boyfriends back in the days, and with my now husband as well. And part of the love I feel for movies, is the production set decoration and film photography, which becomes a very important piece of the whole film. The other day, I was flipping channels and came across The Goodbye Girl, a 70s movie based in NYC starring a single mother (Marsha Mason) and her 7 year old, who live in Manhattan and become close friends with a theater actor (Richard Dreyfuss). This movie is so witty and romantic.  But it's her apartment I really love. She redecorates it half way through the movie, in a style that's making the rounds in many current design magazines. I apologize for the picture qualities, they were taken with my phone. The real location of the apartment in New York City.

I love the soft beige colors in this corner of the apt.

Before renovation

After renovation

The fireplace mirror is gorgeous, and the hanging plant by the window was so late 70s.

This hanging tapestry is beautiful, and gives the bedroom its distinctive flair

I was trying to capture her low standing vanity, it's so old Hollywood, isn't gorgeous?

The tapestries on the wall bring texture and dimension to the living room

I was going for the mirror in this shot

Movies on love

Image credit Liza Hirst

Sometimes you come across a quote or passage in a movie or a book, or a billboard and it leaves you breathless.  The other day I was watching The English Patient, one of my favorite movies and this passage spoken by Juliette Binoche, the nurse, is so haunting.  I wrote it down the first time I heard it.  

   "Betrayals in war are childlike compared with our betrayals during peace. New lovers are nervous and tender, but smash everything. For the heart is an organ of fire."

Photo credit Mar, Amar, Amor

My second favorite passage,

 "My darling. I'm waiting for you. How long is the day in the dark? Or a week? The fire is gone, and I'm horribly cold. I really should drag myself outside but then there'd be the sun. I'm afraid I waste the light on the paintings, not writing these words. We die. We die rich with lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we've entered and swum up like rivers. Fears we've hidden in - like this wretched cave. I want all this marked on my body. Where the real countries are. Not boundaries drawn on maps with the names of powerful men. I know you'll come carry me out to the Palace of Winds. That's what I've wanted: to walk in such a place with you. With friends, on an earth without maps. The lamp has gone out and I'm writing in the darkness."

The historical context of this passage goes somewhat like this:  The protagonist's lover (K) is dying in a cave.  In the dawn of WWII a group of historians, including the protagonist, are in Egypt on a archeological mission and some of the men are secretly employed by the British government, as in the case of K's husband, with the ground mission to basically alter history: They are redrawing the boundary lines of former colonies with soon to be modern states.  Of course, we now know that these boundaries are at the heart of some of the bloodiest  ethnic and religious conflicts in Mediterranean lands.

Have a cozy weekend

Hi friends! What are you up to this weekend? Have you seen the movie, Beginners, starting Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer?  I'ts such a good feel movie, I highly recommend it.  I was so happy when Mr. Plummer won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.  And can you believe it's already March.  I hope you are getting Spring fever, I sure am.  In fact, I caught a whiff of Spring this week, as the temperatures reached 70 degrees here in DC.  Also, I want to apologize this week for not stopping by your blogs as often as I normally would; all of the sudden the week seemed too short.  I have been writing Emilu's birth story and it's taking me longer than I'd like, so I hoping to be done with it this week.  I can't wait to share it with all of you.  Speaking of Spring, I've found the perfect cupcake recipe for a Spring feast, and will be trying it out this weekend. And if you are in need of inspiration, check out the links below.  

 How to take better pictures

This DIY on Heart-shaped crayons is cool if you got a thing for crayons

Love jam?  how about designing your own jam labels! 

Charming:  San Fran through polaroids

My new Babble addiction

A riveting Spring tablescape

Smitten with this flag canvas necklace

Sometimes saying goodbye is the bravest thing to do

On my wish list

House crush of the week: this renovated farm house in Italy is lovely!

{Image credits: Focus Features, production designer Shane Valentino}

Silence is golden

Congratulations to the artist ensemble of The Artist, a silent film, for winning the Academy award for Best Picture.

Moonrise Kingdom

Coming soon to a theater near you is Wes Anderson's latest flick and I can't wait to see it.  (Before I knew my husband, I wasn't a big fan of Wes Anderson's films, but I now I'm such a convert). 

What's not to love? Here are some Anderson's most notable films I have come to love:

Images: Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

My Top 10 Christmas Films

Part of the fun of Christmas is watching the films that celebrate it.  Deep down, a part of us rejoices when the magic of this holiday is captured in films. For a fleeting moment, our spirits are lifted like dust in the air and a little light is switched on, and remains this way, as we partake in family get-togethers, holiday ceremonies and all-around fun and laughter. I cannot think of any other holiday that can transform us this way and makes us feel like a child all over. With so many great and funny movies out there, I can confidently narrow down my favorite Christmas  movies:

10.  The Shop Around the Corner

Did you know The Shop Around the Corner was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"?  I love this movie and Jimmy Stewart is a holiday treat you can't miss. 

9.  A Charlie Brown Christmas
Good grief! Good, ol' Charlie Brown is shaking things up again when he decides to take back the meaning of Christmas by putting the gang on stage for an unforgettable holiday performance.  A must see, even the grumpier, old crowd would love the message of this movie. 

8. Holiday Inn
This wonderful movie is a treat to the eyes and ears. A holiday classic that keeps you cheery from beginning to end.  The explosive musical duo of Crosby and Astaire will have you clamoring for more.  Back then, actors had  to act, sing and dance.  Great performance all around!

7.  A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens' classic tale of greed and redemption is retold in this amazing picture packed with amazing performances and visuals (for the time, 1951).  Your kids would love the storybook version and you can maybe then treat them to the movie, although it might be a challenge to keep them interested in this black and white version.

6.  Home Alone
The kid in me loves this movie for the eternal innocence and resourcefulness of this 8 year old kid, who is left behind by mistake during the holidays.  The first time I saw this movie, I was smitten with Culkin.  Sweet face and cute voice.  And how about that house!  The foyer and staircase had me at hello!  

5.  A Christmas Story
I didn't grow up in this country, but when I saw this film for the first time, I was sold.  The narrator perspective and the quirky parents completely stole my heart.  Who knew I would relish this movie year after year with the same novel excitement I felt the first time I watched it. 

4.  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The title might be a little misleading, because Chevy Chase's family doesn't really go on vacation.  But that doesn't trump his painstaking plans of creating the perfect Christmas holiday for his family, even when his cousin-in-law screws everything up!  The laughs will have you shaking.  

3.  Miracle on 34th Street
New York,  Macy's, Santa Claus, lonely but sweet rich girl, dare I say more?  I love this film so much.  It's perfect in everything sense. You just have to believe...

2.  Love Actually
This film is unbelievably heartwarming.  So many stories to choose from and yet, all of them so good.  I love the writer and Portuguese immigrant story, and the prime minister's and his sister's stories are also sweet and real.  I bought the soundtrack many years ago after watching the film in theaters and I took it with me to NYC for Christmas that same year (2003).  With my headphones on the whole time, I had my own personal Love Actually experience while we drove and strolled around NYC. Priceless!

1.  It's a Wonderful Life
"Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." Those words just melt me in the right place.  My favorite holiday movie, with my favorite actor (Jimmy Stewart) of all time.  It requires no flattery, it's truly special and a commentary on our times, then and now.

How about you, guys? Do tell, what are your favorite Christmas movies?  I know I left out many good ones, but I had to narrow them down to ten.

Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln

I was so excited to hear that Daniel Day Lewis, Irish hunk and one of my favorite actors, will be playing our 16th president Abraham Lincoln in a film directed by Steven Spielberg.  What a great collaboration and I can't wait to see it.

If Abraham Lincoln existed in the age of Twitter and cell phones, wouldn't he look like Daniel Day Lewis? Oh my Abe, what a handsome looking man he'd be!

The Look: Barbra Streisand

Have you seen any of Streisand's early movies? Her sense of style and fashion is absolutely breathtaking. She knew what looked good on her and she wore those outfits to the tee.

I love her pixie haircut. She rocked all hairstyles. In fact, her hairstyles are as iconic as her wardrobes.

 Do you love her look? Here are some ideas.

Film Noir Fashion

Source: google.com via Patricia on Pinterest

Last year while I was pregnant I watched a lot of Film Noir (one of my many non-food obsessions) and the thing that stuck most was the female characters' wardrobe.  Curvy feminine shapes, with a healthy mix of masculine lines. However the most classic films, like Elevator to the Gallows, portray a classic refine feminine woman.

Source: google.com via Patricia on Pinterest

Source: peoplequiz.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Patricia on Pinterest

Source: dvd.ign.com via Patricia on Pinterest

My favorite 'street-style' fashion number was the turned-up collar popular in the 40s and 50s. You can wear these versatile jackets over sweet, feminine dress or trousers. I love this one.

What are your favorite movie fashions?

Hollywood on the Potomac

How awesome that I get to live in a city that serves as a backdrop in Hollywood story-telling.  Throughout the years, Washington, D.C. has been at the forefront of not just lawmaking but movie making as well.  Here are a few of my favorite titles, which have been filmed here.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington:  What's not to love about this Jimmy Stewart film?  It's such a timeless film, whose themes are so recurrent in Capitol Hill. 
Chances Are
The American President
State of Play 
Minority Report
All the President's Men
Burn After Reading
In the Line of Fire
A Few Good Men
The Wedding Crashers

I know New York City is the crown jewel of Hollywood film making, but it's nice to know that once in a while Washington, D.C. can carry its own weight.