Has anybody read this book? Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan

The L.A. County Museum of Art is having a French Film Fridays series this summer and this film based on the book Bonjour Tristesse, is playing at the end of July. I would like to read the book before I see the film. Are there any fans of this old book/movie out there?According to the always trustworthy Wikipedia David Niven plays Raymond, a playboy widower with a taste for meaningless affairs with younger women, Jean Sebring is his daughter...

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Suits in the City

I don't know what this says about me but I love living in a city that plasters ads on the sides of its buildings. I have NEVER seen this show - you can't escape the commercials for it - and have no intention of doing so but I actually get a kick out of seeing a couple of guys in suits strutting larger than life above the streets of the city. This is above Wilshire Blvd in Westwood Village.I'm posting this as part of Alyce's  AtHomewithBooks.net ...

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Up In the Air: Which do you like better? The book or the movie?

I was cruising around on my Nook - I actually live so close to Barnes and Noble now, that I can walk there in ten minutes and settle in for a free hour of reading on my Nook - and discovered (or perhaps re-discovered and I've just forgotten) that the gorgeously poignant Up in the Air film starring George Clooney and directed by Jason Reitman started out as a novel by Walter Kirn. If I had known that back when the movie first came out I...

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Rest In Peace: Nora Ephron

I spent this past Saturday afternoon watching Sleepless in Seattle on Netflix instant streaming and comparing it with the script by Nora Ephron and Jeff Arch that I downloaded free online. It was a brilliant script and movie. I was thinking about the movie because it's one of the most perfect examples of a 'romantic comedy' and the script I am working on is related to the genre. But that doesn't matter. I tend to think everything Nora Ephron wrote...

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ANNA KARENINA - Official Trailer (Time to dust off another classic)

Is it time for another Anna Karenina movie? The last time they made Leo Tolstoy's novel into a movie my husband went to Russia for four months - in the middle of winter - and I watched Pochontas over and over again with our four year old son. Russell is 19 now, so that means it was 15 years ago.  And since the film with Sophie Marceau and Sean Bean didn't exactly set the movie world on fire I guess it's fair to give it another go. In this rendition, Kiera Knightly takes the lead with Jude Law playing her husband - and looking quite ancient.  Aaron...

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Review

Mark and I went to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter tonight. And I might be a tad prejudiced but I enjoyed the movie a lot. I think Dominic Cooper stole the film with his incredible smouldering performance as the 'good' vampire but Benjamin Walker (who is married to Meryl Streep's daughter) played Abraham Lincoln with boyish charm and self-deprecating swagger (if that's possible!)His chemistry with Mary Elizabeth Winstead who played Mary Todd Lincoln was spot on; she was very believable and loveable. When tragedy strikes I was absolutely in...

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Honest, Abe, I liked it.

Mark and I went to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. And I might be a tad prejudiced but I enjoyed the movie. I think Dominic Cooper stole the film with his incredible smouldering performance as the 'good' vampire but Benjamin Walker (who is married to Meryl Streep's daughter) played Abraham Lincoln with boyish charm and self-deprecating swagger (if that's possible!)His chemistry with the actress who played Mary Todd Lincoln was spot on; she was very believable and loveable. When tragedy strikes I was absolutely in her corner as was the entire...

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Blogging from Bed with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender

 I usually stay in bed to watch Meet the Press and then get up but this morning I am feeling even lazier than usual. I did some channel cruising and found Jane Eyre had just begun on HBO. The 2011 version with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. It's quite grey and gloomy looking - just as Charlotte Bronte would want it  - but Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax is a wonderful bright spot (as she is in everything she does).Mr. Rochester has just...

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Artistic in Silverlake

I'm sharing this picture (which has nothing to do with books or movies) as part of Alyce's At Home with Books Saturday Snapshot meme.In my non-blogging life I'm a realtor here in Southern California. I shot this adorable little bungalow when I was searching the artsy community of Silverlake (part of Los Angeles) for a house for some clients. This one is not for sale but if it was due to its location it would hover just under $1million!!!I'm...

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Abraham Lincoln: Critic Hunter

Well no surprise here. The critics don't exactly LOVE Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. This one from Michael O'Sullivan at the Washington Post is among those who actually come out in favor of the film. While not all the reviews are in, the film is scoring a measly 37% from the critics at Rotten Tomatoes while the audience is more generous with a current 75%. It will be interesting to see if those numbers change. As many of you know, my husband...

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower Official Trailer #1 (2012)

Have you seen the trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower? It's based on the acclaimed young adult novel about a high school freshman played by Logan Lehrman (the tv show Jack and Bobby, 3:10 to Yuma) whose best friend committed suicide the year before. He falls in with a brother and sister, played by Emma Watson (Harry Potter) and Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin) who have a huge impact on the young aspiring writer's life. His other important influence is one of his teachers played by Paul Rudd.Steven Chbosky, the author, also scripted...

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Rob Reiner is your father, Leo and Jon Bernthal rises from The Walking Dead

It's been a long time since Rob Reiner worked as an actor. Some of y'all are old enough to remember him as Meat Head in the game-changing tv series, All in the Family (moi? I'm not sayin'). Lest your hearts be breaking for this failed actor, (in which case, you really must be young) Reiner went on to much bigger and better things as the director behind some mega successes - and that's both box office and critically. For example: The Princess Bride,...

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SAVAGES vs BABEL movie poster

I'm sure we've all been seeing the posters for SAVAGES. Here in L.A., anyway, they are EVERYWHERE. Looming overhead from billboards, and rumbling by on the sides of buses, they're strong solidly designed pieces. Except the names are ridiculously miniscule. But besides that they look pretty darn good.Today when I was cruising the net I ran across a new to me site calledYou Won Cannes    The blogger made the point that the Savages...

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The Great Gatsby Trailer Official 2012 [1080 HD] - Leonardo DiCaprio, To...

Here's that Great Gatsby trailer I was moaning about yesterday. I am totalled jazzed to see this movie but I'm not sure I'm loving the use of modern day music and dance to represent the Jazz Age period of the film. I loved how Luhrman used music in a similar way in Moulin Rouge but that wasn't based on a beloved and iconic book!On the other hand, maybe the music and dancing will help the film reach a wider audience???Either way, while I could live without Toby McGuire as Nick, I can't wait to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Carrie Mulligan as Gatsby...

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Les Miserables (2012) Official Trailer [HD]: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe...

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Anne Hathaway as Fantine in Les Miserables movie

Since I was AWOL in the period between Mother's Day and almost Father's Day, I missed the release of the trailer for Les Miserables. And I just saw this image of Anne Hathaway on line and wanted to know what you thought of her haircut. Love it or hate it? According to Vulture magazine, Anne Hathaway is happy with how she looks with a very closely cropped head of hair as Fantine in Les Miserables. She also said she was incredibly nervous...

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Walking in L.A.

Here's my Saturday Snapshot, my contribution to Alyce's weekly meme over on her At Home with Books website. To play, TAKE A PICTURE (don't just swipe one from the web) and share it. I recently moved into the heart of the city and and am enjoying walking everywhere. Last night, spurred by the sounds of jazz in the air, I wandered over to LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) with my dog, Charlie, where folks were congregating for...

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The Lock Artist as Movie: Casting for a strong, silent type

The film rights to the Edgar Award for Best Novel-winning "The Lock Artist" have just been acquired by Shane Salerno. Saleno got together with Oliver Stone and Don Winslow to adapt Winslow’s novel Savages,and according to Nikki Finke will do the same with The Lock Artist. They haven't hired a director yet  (my son, RUSSELL CARTER,  is available :) ) but Salerno will co-write and get a producer credit and word has it...

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Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy over at Bermuda Onions. I haven't played in awhile since I've been in absentia but I am getting back in the saddle. To play, post words from your weekly reading that are new to you. Share on Kathy's website and see what other words fellow bloggers have come up. I think the goal is three. Some folks do more. Some less.I have two words this week. One comes from a manuscript I'm reading...

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Libba Bray to adapt The Diviners for Paramount

Popular young adult writer, Libba Bray, has just had her as yet unpublished book, The Diviners, snapped up by Paramount. Deadline reports that the book which will be published in September by Little Brown is the first of a four-part series. And that the studio hopes to launch a franchise. The story is set in the 1920s and "follows a group of young New Yorkers with mysterious powers who play a dramatic role in a battle of good vs. evil when a series...

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I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Okay, so you didn't know I'd been gone but regular readers (I have a couple :( ) know my last post was made on Mother's Day and here it is almost Father's Day. Almost a month without posting! What?!?!Where have I been? Well obviously not online. Facebook actually sent me a message informing me that I was missing out on important stories my friends were discussing! Seriously!I hope I still live in a world where if there is something really important...

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