Defenseload

My 15 Top Obsessions of 2012

You know me...I get obsessed with things rather easily. Like seriously, I have obsessive issues that sometimes need to be dialled back before people think Im crazy (case in point: I get asked to put Christmas decorations up. The first thing I think of is to put up tinsel Batmans in honour of The Dark Knight Rises which came out four weeks before Christmas). However, heres some which I havent been able to control over the year. The fact that Ive made a list of 15 and still missed out a whole lot of them is rather disturbing.


15. Independent cinema
Ive always loved independent cinema, but moreso this year, because it has become increasingly easier to get my hands on. Luckily, a lot of the stuff is going through Madman (a supplier here in NZ), meaning I get to catch up on them a bit earlier on the preview discs. While I may not have seen bigger films like Argo or The Hobbit just yet (nor will I until they come out on DVD), I have seen wonderful films like Your Sisters Sister and Bernie already thanks to that wonderful preview drawer. Just keep em coming, Madman.


14. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Ive always loved JGL, too, but the guy has been really flying this year. Sure, there was Premium Rush, which must have been quite a big flop since it has been delayed until March next year here (meaning it will go straight-to-DVD), but he was also in Steven Spielbergs Lincoln, and in The Dark Knight Rises - in a performance which I thought had its own wonderfulness about it. By far the best thing of his year, though, was Looper, which was a freakin awesome film itself, but JGL, weird eyebrows and nose and all, was so badass it almost hurt. I also saw 50/50 for the first time this year, where I completely fell for him. Hes also doing awesome stuff with his HitRecord project and hes just finished shooting his writing/directorial feature debut. Do the wonders ever cease? It would appear not - he also did some Magic Mike moves on SNL. Lawd.


13. The Great Gatsby
I finally read this whole book this year and it is safe to say, it is probably my favourite book of all time. F. Scott Fitzgerald really had a way with words. Also falling under this umbrella is Baz Luhrmanns forthcoming adaptation, which was my most anticipated movie for the year after The Dark Knight Rises. Why? Because a) haters gon hate but I love Baz Luhrmanns films, b) the trailers were just effing divine and they literally inspired a 1920s phase I had going on for a little while, c) Leonardo DiCaprio looks fiiiiiiiiiiine and d) that poster with Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker also looks fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. Im honestly so excited for this film I combust everytime I think about it.


12. Michael Fassbender
I loved him last year but seeing Shame and Prometheus this year just reaffirmed my love. Shame was by far the best performance Ive seen all year, and one of my favourites ever. And even though David had a few issues in Prometheus, I couldnt believe I was watching my darling Fassy up there. Seriously, he is one of the best actors out there right now.




11. Daniel Craig
When I was 11, I had a huge crush on Daniel Craig. With Skyfall and last years The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo being released this year, that crush came right on back. He was brilliant in both of those films, but heres why I love him:





10. Princess Merida
I loved Brave more than most it would seem, and theres one huge reason for that: Princess Merida. With her curly red hair (who definitely made me appreciate my ringlet curls a lot more), cute Scottish accent and badass archery skills, it is hard not to love Disneys latest heroine. Which is also why I dressed up as her for the Christmas parade.


9. Tom Hiddleston
Easily my favourite part of The Avengers. Also, he seems like the nicest person on Earth apart from someone else on this list. And his tweets are incredibly sweet, especially around Oscar time when he got almost as excited as I did when Rooney Mara got nominated for Best Actress. I imagine he and Loki couldnt be more different.


8. Shame
This film floored me in a way that no film has ever done before. It was just so wonderfully put together that it is just about flawless. Plus, Steve McQueens style has left me in a daze that I still cant click out of. That guy knows how to set up a camera.


7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
While The Great Gatsby is my favourite book ever, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky pretty much changed my life. I definitely wasnt expecting it to be that affecting, but by the end, I was bawling my eyes out. I dont need to remind anyone of how excited I am to see the movie, and how high the expectations that I have for it. Which Im sure will be more than met.


6. Lana Del Rey
I rarely branch outside of movie music (terrible, I know), but in September, I decided to give Lana Del Rey a go. Then I bought her album Born to Die, and I pretty much havent listened to much else ever since. I got the Paradise edition for Christmas, so guess what will be accompanying me while I clean shelves? Seriously, I love her style, her voice, and her rather different music. Shes the best.


5. Ezra Miller
Ever since I saw We Need to Talk About Kevin on that earthquakey night of July the 3rd, I have been in love with Ezra Miller. I tried to deny it for a long time because that was just weird as he played a killer in that movie, but after seeing the trailer a few too many times, Ezra Miller became my husband. Hes just so worldly, even though he is so young, and so different. And then theres his cheekbones. Sigh.


4. Matthew McConaughey
This may come as a surprise, but I must say, nothing has brought me joy quite like Matthew McConaughey turning his career around. He used to be one of my least favourite actors, but I saw The Lincoln Lawyer last year which just hinted at what hes capable of. But when I saw the wonderfully crazy Killer Joe last month, I was completely stunned by his work. And then there was Magic Mike and Bernie to back up his roll into becoming a sought after actor. I cant wait to see what he does in The Dallas Buyers Club next year - his dedication to that role is kind of scary.


3. The Dark Knight Rises
I know, you probably all thought that this would be number one. Alas, while I loved going to see this and Ive been pretty much obsessed with it all year, there a couple of others that beat it. However, I would love to go back in time and see it that first time again. Even on my fourth watch earlier this week, I still cried like a baby and had my eyes glued to the screen the entire time. Nolan, you beast.


2. Downton Abbey
Before the end of the Christmas holidays earlier this year, I decided I would finally watch Downton Abbey to see what all the fuss was about. I was finished those first two seasons a lot faster than I thought I would be. I just love this show so much - it is well written, performed, put together. It has everything. And no, Im not to be deemed as an old lady for loving it so much. Most of my friends are really into it now. But I still cant forgive it for that terribly awful thing that happened in season three (I cried so much for a whole hour after seeing it - and it wasnt just tears, it was full on crying), and now I hear the Christmas special for this year was quite sad. I honestly dont know why I keep watching it when all it does is break my heart.


1. Jessica Chastain
The most wonderfully perfect human being on this Earth. Words cant even describe how much I love her so Im not going to try.

What do you think? Got any favourites here? Or any obsessions of your own for this year?

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My 15 Favourite Films Filled with Colour

Down here in NZ, Summer is just around the corner, and theres no better way of getting Summer into my system than by injecting some colour into my life. And you know one way that colour is used better than it is anywhere else? In films. So I decided to compile a list of films that use all of the colours of the rainbow extremely well. There are some films - like Shame or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - that use blue hues well, but there are other films that just go all out. And here they are (in alphabetical order):


(500) Days of Summer (2009), Dir. Marc Webb - Despite its summery title, (500) Days of Summer spends most of its time with warm autumn tones. However, thanks to Zooey Deschanels beautiful blue eyes, Webb decided to dedicate some of the films palette to the colour blue - as evident in the dance sequence. Plus, a good bit of the films colour comes from the awesome clothes that Summer wears.


A Single Man (2009), Dir. Tom Ford - This is a depressing movie about suicide, but lets not forget that it is the debut feature of fashion designer Tom Ford. He adds so much style to the film (to the point that most people complain that it is style over substance, but I whole-heartedly disagree), whether it be through the clothes or the art direction. His attention to detail is impeccable, and thats what you could expect from someone like him.


Beginners (2010), Dir. Mike Mills - Like (500) Days of Summer, Beginners spends a lot of its time in autumn tones, but there are many prominent flashes of colour throughout the film. Theyre most evident in the "this is what _____ looks like..." montages, with one montage even just showing blocks of bright colour. Otherwise, the clothes can reflect it - from Christopher Plummers bright scarves to Melanie Laurent pairing a red dress with blue stockings.


Boogie Nights (1997), Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson - Right from the very beginning, with that famous tracking shot around the night-club which introduces everyone within a single take, you know just how colourful Boogie Nights is going to be. And it retains that colour right until the end, with the bright-yet-jaded colours of the 70s coming out in full force.


Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Dir. Michel Gondry - I suppose a film that has a main character who likes to change her hair colour all the time should be quite colourful, and thats exactly what Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is. The reason it is so colourful, though, probably comes down to its stellar imagination.


The Fall (2006), Dir. Tarsem Singh - Theres absolutely no contest: Tarsem Singhs The Fall is the most colourful, and probably the prettiest, movie ever made. It goes through all of the realms of the imagination, apparently without any special effects, but sadly only wound up with a small release that garnered a cult following. Singh has a wonderful attention to detail, which was also evident in this years Mirror Mirror, which wasnt great but it is definitely one of the best looking films of the year.


Gone with the Wind (1939), Dir. Victor Fleming - Between this and The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming had a damn fine year in 1939 with Technicolour. Gone with the Wind is a stunning example of early Technicolour at its finest, and it seems to get more impressive with age. I can barely believe that this film was made over 70 years ago.


Hairspray (2007), Dir. Adam Shankman - Musicals have the largest capacity of any genre to use colour extremely well, and Hairspray is no exception. Everything about this film exudes colour, especially the many  colourful big dresses, which always make me jealous.


Marie Antoinette (2006), Dir. Sofia Coppola - Sofia Coppola is no stranger to making sumptuous, colourful films, and while Marie Antoinette is my least favourite of hers, it is the best example of her aesthetic talents. Filled with light shades of pink and blue and any other colour you could find in a candy shop, Marie Antoinette really does look like a good enough film to eat. And then theres all of those cakes...


Meet Me in St Louis (1944), Dir. Vincente Minnelli - This movie tends to make me feel all warm inside because I watch it every single Christmas night without fail. Plus, these early MGM musicals tend to be amazing in Technicolour. This movie always reminds me of a gingerbread house, because it is just that colourful and cute.


Moulin Rouge (2001), Dir. Baz Luhrmann - Say what you will about Baz Luhrmann, but there is no denying that the guy knows how to use colour on film. Moulin Rouge is the best example of his talents, and maybe one of the best examples of film as an aesthetic medium. The exuberance and vibrance of the film is something that Ive never really seen matched by anything else. But Im sure The Great Gatsby will rival it.


The Red Shoes (1948), Dir Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger - The Red Shoes is another example of stunning early Technicolour, especially in the ballet sequence. Powell and Pressburger were masters with their colour, obvious in both this and Black Narcissus.


Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Dir. Edgar Wright - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World isnt a film that does things the easy way. The graphics and effects in this film are out of this world, making this film a prime example for how editing can really change a movie. It is just a non-stop adrenaline rush, emphasised by the many colours it has in it.


The Tree of Life (2011), Dir. Terrence Malick - Any Terrence Malick film could be up here. The guy knows how to make things beautiful. The Tree of Life is probably his most beautiful work. The colours that we see in this film are all the colours of life, from the Creation sequence to the beautiful sequences of people being people. And then theres Jessica Chastains hair. It is all so beautiful.


The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), Dir. Jacques Demy - Again, this is another musical that makes the most of colour. The colour bursts out of this film, particularly because of the pink wallpaper that adorns the umbrella shop - which is also filled with colourful umbrellas. Just like theres no escaping from the singing, theres no escaping from the colours. And dont get me started on Catherine Deneuves beauty.

What do you think? What are your favourite colourful films?

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My 15 Favourite New To Me Films of 2012

Sure, there are still four days left in the year and usually I manage to fill these last days up with some great movies, but I might as well list down my 15 favourite new-to-me movies Ive seen this year. It was a rather hard task to whittle these down to so few, especially considering there were over 300 movies in contention - meaning that I achieved my New Years resolution of seeing at least 300 new-to-me movies (how I found the time, Ill never know). So here we have my 15 favourite new-to-me films of the year, and what a good movie watching year I had.


15. The Heiress
Admittedly, this 1949 classic starring Olivia De Havilland and Montgomery Clift was one I watched because I couldnt go and see Jessica Chastain and Dan Stevens in the stage production of it, currently on Broadway. However, this was a more than worthy substitute. Olivia De Havilland gave a firey performance as Catherine Sloper, a woman who is all too vulnerable to everything but eventually comes into her own. A really interesting portrayal of society ideals put to the test in the 1800s.


14. The Red Riding Trilogy
So technically these are three films, but you cant really judge the separate films on their own merits - they must be viewed as a whole. I watched the three British made-for-TV films over one night before I started school again, and I was so impressed with how intricately detailed this was and how everything came together. It was a stunning achievement for a made-for-TV project - in fact, TV just keeps getting stronger and stronger every year.




13. Breathless
I checked out Jean-Luc Godards masterpiece as part of my French New Wave month, and I really enjoyed it for its simplicity and of course, people just talking to each other. Sadly, now, if I should ever talk about this film with anyone, theyd probably get it confused with the straight-to-DVD Ray Liotta film of the same name. Oh, Ray Liotta, you have to take the fun out of everything.


12. My Neighbour Totoro
This movie was just so cute that I wanted to hug it. And when I go to Japan I will probably buy every Totoro related thing I can find. Well, every Totoro thing that will be able to fit in my suitcase without difficulty.


11. Mystic River
I wouldnt say Im exactly an expert on Clint Eastwood films (but seeing J. Edgar has made me a little uneasy towards his films), but Mystic River is the finest film of his that I have seen. It is a rather depressing, gritty tale of how everyones lives end up colliding and how the past comes back to haunt them. Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon were all fantastic in this film.


10. Alien
Amongst all the Prometheus buzz (that was both good and bad in equal measure), I felt like the only person on Earth who didnt really care about that film, but it did serve as a pleasant reminder for me to get off my butt and watch Alien. And what a good thing that was, because I absolutely loved this film, despite the fact that Im really not all that fond of sci-fi films. It is probably one of the greatest horror movies of all time - and sometimes when I feel ill, I wont deny that the thought of that alien bursting out of John Hurts chest doesnt cross my mind.


9. Belle De Jour
Among my New Years resolutions was to watch more foreign films. I cant say if I really succeeded in that (I should have set a number or something), but I did start early - I remember watching Belle De Jour, starring the divine Catherine Deneuve, all the way back in February. Luis Bunuel created a simply beautiful, mysterious piece of film that was quite different from anything Id seen at that point.


8. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Another Catherine Deneuve film (shes been a big player in my 2012, as in one of the first days of the year I also saw Repulsion, which only just missed out on a place here), but this time, we have a musical. Thats not to say that it is all happy. Even though it is one of the most colourful films Ive ever seen, it is doused in sadness. Kinda like Les Miserables. Okay, it is nothing like Les Miserables.


7. Vivre Sa Vie
Thanks to that French New Wave month, I saw some great films, and this one was the best of them. Again, there are people just talking with each other, but then theres that scene between Anna Karina and the man at the restaurant is still pretty much the best conversation Ive ever seen.


6. Days of Heaven
I waited around eight months for this to finally become available on Fatso, and I just about died when it was. And then I just about died when I actually watched it because it was so beautiful. I did things somewhat backwards - The Tree of Life was my introduction to Terrence Malick, even though everyone was like "if youre not familiar with Malick, it just wont work for you." It actually did work for me, but that film and Days of Heaven are two extremely different films. Theyre joined by beauty, but Days of Heaven feels much more natural. I just adore every sunset shot in it.


5. Grave of the Fireflies
I remember when I watched this, having a nice Friday night to myself. At the end of it, I was crying so much it hurt. It definitely rivalled that terribly awful thing in Downton Abbey as the most heartbreak a screen has ever caused me.


4. The Dark Knight Rises
This movie is amazing. That is all.


3. Mulholland Dr
This was another movie that took its time to become available on Fatso, too. It was also my introduction to David Lynch, and what an introduction it was. I just dont know how hed be able to sleep at night knowing that hed made a movie like this. Because it is so intricately great and beyond any realms of any imagination.


2. Shame
My favourite film of last year, easily, and one of my favourites of all time. It is as close to a modern masterpiece as well get: an observation of anguish, of a life teetering on the edge, performed with true bravura by Michael Fassbender. The film is beyond wonderful, and it is ground-breaking without trying to break any ground in the first place.


1. Goodfellas
I had to watch it a second time to fully appreciate its awesomeness, but it is right up there as one of my top favourites. Martin Scorseses masterpiece is thrilling, epic, and certainly makes the most of its 150 minute running time. Even Ray Liotta is really good in this film...it is a shame that he was never really able to carry that one on.

What do you think of these films? What were some of your favourite new-to-you films you saw this year?

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MY LIFE SQUARED 9 1 14 9 15 14 EVERYDAY LIFE

Here is "My Life Squared", some of the moments I captured over the past few weeks. 



Since school has started back up I have been able to do a bit more creative stuff. Here are some boxes I created with a beautiful watercolor print. These were part of a nautical wedding photo shoot and I cant wait to see how everything turned out!!



My oldest son, Tyler and I have started making fun little felt creatures called Squatles. Tyler creates some of the "nerdy" designed Squatles while I create some of the "cutesy" Squatles. Take a look at our little blog as well as our Etsy shop.





In addition to our Squatles we will be adding other fun felt creations. Here is a 4 bunting that fits perfectly across a front door, we will also have 6 and 8 lengths available in October 2014!! I am personally in love with this particular color scheme of blush, charcoal, oatmeal and mustard, it screams Fall to me.





For the rest of the month I will be creating some more fun watercolor boxes for a big wedding event that I will be sharing more about mid October. I will be taking a short trip to Iowa to see family, which I will be sharing on Instagram so follow along over there. Last, I will be creating a ton more felty goodness with Tyler for the Squatles shop and Pumpkin Fest here in Littleton which is the second weekend in October.  (more details on that later as well).

Have an amazing day!!!
DFTBA,
Pam

Available link for download