Every Wednesday, Company staffer Lena de Casparis will bring you the best flicks, clicks and all things cultural to get you through the week...
FILM...
My film pick of the week is 'Somewhere'. The director Sofia Coppola loves a good hotel (she did wonders for Tokyo's Park Hyatt in Lost in Translation) and in this film, the star - bad boy actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) - is enjoying the rock 'n' roll life at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont (I spied Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal round the pool there last year!). But when his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning – yep, that’s Dakota’s lil sis), turns up, he’s forced to reconsider his hard-partying ways. It’s beautifully shot and very heart-warming; throw a killer sound track into the mix, makes it a must-see in my books.
However, if you're up for a good film to see with the bloke this week, 'Unstoppable' makes for an entertaining outing, with a story that involves Frank (Denzel Washington) and new-on-the-scene hottie Chris Pine (who plays Will) attempting to stop a high speed train - think Speed but on rail tracks. Or if you want to make him really happy, grab some tickets to see Tron. It's all a bit Sci-fi for my liking, but the 3D effects make it worth the ticket price and it's a sure fire way to get him in a generous mood before Christmas!
Finally, I couldn’t be happier that 'Black Swan' has done so well this week in the Golden Globe nominations . Although it's not released here till January, I was lucky enough to get into a preview a few weeks back and it’s utterly stunning - Miss Portman definitely deserves some dongs for her performance. Check out the trailer here:
READ...
I love short stories, so enjoyed dipping into the ten stories that make up ‘While the Women Are Sleeping’ (Chatto & Windus, £10) by Javier Marias. My favourite of the stories was 'In A Kind Of Nostalgia', about a lady’s companion who finds her one moment of intimacy with the ghost of a murdered peasant. I was totally immersed into each of the ten stories and left wanting at least ten more...!
I also couldn't put down the short stories in ‘Palo Alto’ (Faber&Faber, £12.99) by James Franco - yep that's right, the super hot Hollywood actor is one super talented guy (who we’re predicting will nab the Oscar for his amaze performance in '127 Hours'). In this book, Franco looks at coming of age and how teens struggle with their families - and one another - in this compassionate portrait of lives on the rough fringes of American youth. Now all I want to know is how to persuade him to do a bedtime reading for me!
AND DON’T FORGET TO CLICK...
When I'm on my way home and huddling away from the cold, but need inspiration of what to do with my evening, I’ve become addicted to a click on to www.weheart.co.uk. It’s fast becoming one of the most popular 'cool' guides on the internet, and continually helps me stay on top of what's happening in fashion, design, music, travel, lifestyle, architecture, interiors, nightlife trends. Thanks!
For when I don't make it out (quite often, if I'm honest!) Fur Coat, No Knickers written by Rachael, a make-up mad girl, gives us a witty take on fashion and beauty, featuring insider beauty tips, alternative fashion finds and some brilliant vintage shopping guides. There's even 'Friday Afternoon Disco', a weekly Spotify playlist and it’s all written with plenty of banter!
And because I never get bored of reading my own name, I visit http://elenita.no written by Lena, 20, a Norwegian student who is one to watch in fashion world. I like checking out her blog to see what she's wearing and how she's mixing masculine blazers with feminine lace – she's got that whole 'cute with tough' look down perfectly - so if it's a lesson in classic style I'm after then this girl always teaches me a thing or two.
Check back next week to see what's new in the world of culture, and leave me some suggestions of films, blogs and books to check out by commenting below...
FILM...
My film pick of the week is 'Somewhere'. The director Sofia Coppola loves a good hotel (she did wonders for Tokyo's Park Hyatt in Lost in Translation) and in this film, the star - bad boy actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) - is enjoying the rock 'n' roll life at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont (I spied Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal round the pool there last year!). But when his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning – yep, that’s Dakota’s lil sis), turns up, he’s forced to reconsider his hard-partying ways. It’s beautifully shot and very heart-warming; throw a killer sound track into the mix, makes it a must-see in my books.
However, if you're up for a good film to see with the bloke this week, 'Unstoppable' makes for an entertaining outing, with a story that involves Frank (Denzel Washington) and new-on-the-scene hottie Chris Pine (who plays Will) attempting to stop a high speed train - think Speed but on rail tracks. Or if you want to make him really happy, grab some tickets to see Tron. It's all a bit Sci-fi for my liking, but the 3D effects make it worth the ticket price and it's a sure fire way to get him in a generous mood before Christmas!
Finally, I couldn’t be happier that 'Black Swan' has done so well this week in the Golden Globe nominations . Although it's not released here till January, I was lucky enough to get into a preview a few weeks back and it’s utterly stunning - Miss Portman definitely deserves some dongs for her performance. Check out the trailer here:
READ...
I love short stories, so enjoyed dipping into the ten stories that make up ‘While the Women Are Sleeping’ (Chatto & Windus, £10) by Javier Marias. My favourite of the stories was 'In A Kind Of Nostalgia', about a lady’s companion who finds her one moment of intimacy with the ghost of a murdered peasant. I was totally immersed into each of the ten stories and left wanting at least ten more...!
I also couldn't put down the short stories in ‘Palo Alto’ (Faber&Faber, £12.99) by James Franco - yep that's right, the super hot Hollywood actor is one super talented guy (who we’re predicting will nab the Oscar for his amaze performance in '127 Hours'). In this book, Franco looks at coming of age and how teens struggle with their families - and one another - in this compassionate portrait of lives on the rough fringes of American youth. Now all I want to know is how to persuade him to do a bedtime reading for me!
AND DON’T FORGET TO CLICK...
When I'm on my way home and huddling away from the cold, but need inspiration of what to do with my evening, I’ve become addicted to a click on to www.weheart.co.uk. It’s fast becoming one of the most popular 'cool' guides on the internet, and continually helps me stay on top of what's happening in fashion, design, music, travel, lifestyle, architecture, interiors, nightlife trends. Thanks!
For when I don't make it out (quite often, if I'm honest!) Fur Coat, No Knickers written by Rachael, a make-up mad girl, gives us a witty take on fashion and beauty, featuring insider beauty tips, alternative fashion finds and some brilliant vintage shopping guides. There's even 'Friday Afternoon Disco', a weekly Spotify playlist and it’s all written with plenty of banter!
And because I never get bored of reading my own name, I visit http://elenita.no written by Lena, 20, a Norwegian student who is one to watch in fashion world. I like checking out her blog to see what she's wearing and how she's mixing masculine blazers with feminine lace – she's got that whole 'cute with tough' look down perfectly - so if it's a lesson in classic style I'm after then this girl always teaches me a thing or two.
Check back next week to see what's new in the world of culture, and leave me some suggestions of films, blogs and books to check out by commenting below...
