Links and Things

After a short hiatus that coincided with finals period and stress and projects, I am back in the US of A and home in Boston where there are cats and vegan food and gardens that need working it.

And a smallish backlog of links.

• All about the three-person committee that approves (and rejects) baby names in Iceland.
• “When you’re feeling frisky, try slow dancing in your kitchen with a healthy twenty centimeters of clearance in between your torsos.” and other sex advice from a woman in a Cialis commercial.
• The Problem with “Not Caring” about Pop Culture: relevant, revolutionary stories can come from anywhere — even a makeover show.
• Insert Millennial joke about Etat Libre d’Orange making a fragrance specifically for me [here].
• Yale University advancing the science of smell.
• This short story made me tear up… nice to be given back some faith in humanity.
• Very extra background extras– even better than Part 1.
• Just over here learning about The Dutch Angle.
• The story tellers who read aloud to Cuban cigar rollers. Wow.
• The story of the pilot who landed the Southwest Airlines flight.
• Cardi B is changing how black women are pregnant in public.
• Eight decades of royal British corgis are at an end.
• An analysis of The Simpsons and the Problem with Apu. Just jump right in here at Part 2.
• And a whole lot of exciting trailers: Solo, The Meg, The Incredibles 2, Mary Shelley, Hot Summer Nights (Heyyy, Timothee Chalamet!), Hereditary, Three Identical Strangers.

It’s Links Friday But There’s A Disney Bracket

And you know how I feel about Disney.
Which is to say, everything else takes a backseat and your not so regularly scheduled programming will return at a later date (maybe tomorrow?)

So here’s the bracket:

It’s tearing both the internet and my soul apart, so I thought I would share it because misery loves company.
Let’s get down to brass tacks.

Round One Disney:

• Lion King v Tarzan: I love both of these but only saw Tarzan for the first time a few years ago, while I grew up with Lion King. And everything about Lion King is ‘modern classic’.
• The Princess and the Frog v Lilo and Stitch: Both movies I’ve seen only once, both I like quite a bit.  I’m going to go with Lilo and Stitch this time.
• Tangled v Big Hero 6: I honestly don’t really like Tangled.
• Frozen v Moana: Moana wins handily.
• Aladdin v Hercules: I love Hercules but didn’t watch it much as a child (I don’t think we had it on VHS), while Aladdin is one of my all time favorites.
• The Little Mermaid v Pocahontas: I keep coming back t this one and keep surprising myself by picking Pocahontas. Guess I just can’t get over Colors of the Wind.
• Mulan v Zootopia: Agh, hard. The wonderfulness of Zootopia just can’t compete with something I sang along with in preschool and danced to at my first ballroom performance.
• Beauty and the Beast v Nightmare Before Christmas: Maybe not the way everyone would go but I’m not hugely fond of Beauty and the Beast, save Lumiere, Philippe, and Angela Lansbury.

Pixar Round One:

• Up v Brave: Kind of indifferent, honestly. Up has that one beautiful montage that puts it over the excellent animation of horses throughout Brave. I have my own priorities.
• Toy Story v Toy Story 2: Toy Story 2 was always too dark for me as a child and the one time I revisited it I was nonplussed.
• Coco v Cars 2: I’ve never seen Cars 2 and I don’t plan to.
• Toy Story 3 v The Good Dinosaur: Duh.
• Ratatouille v Bug’s Life: Why am I doing this to myself? Bug’s Life. The first film I ever saw in theaters. Sorry Ratatouille!
• Finding Nemo v Inside Out: Honestly either of these will probably lose to whatever it goes up against in the next round. Both disqualified! More memories with memo but I like Inside Out better as a film.
• Monsters Inc v Cars: Put that thing back where it came from or so help me!
• The Incredibles v WallE: The Incredibles is a masterpiece, Edna Mode is an icon and I am so hyped for the sequel.

Round Two Disney:

• Lion King v Lilo and Stitch:
• Big Hero 6 v Moana:
• Aladdin v Pocahontas:
• Mulan v Nightmare Before Christmas: All easy choices this time through. It’s the calm before the storm.

Round Two Pixar:

• Up v Toy Story:
• Coco v Toy Story 3: That hurt a little.
• Bug’s Life v N/A: That didn’t.
• Monsters Inc v The Incredibles: This fight went the other way when i did it yesterday.

Round Three Disney:

• Lion King v Moana:
• Aladdin v Mulan: Sobbing.

Round Three Pixar:

• Toy Story v Toy Story 3:
• Bug’s Life v Monster’s Inc: To whoever created this sadistic bracket: Who hurt you?

Round Four Disney:

• Lion King v Aladdin: UPSET (in many senses of the word)

Round Four Pixar:

• Toy Story 3 v Bug’s Life:

THE FINAL:

• Aladdin v Bug’s Life: ARABIAN NIIIIIIGHTS

Just glad they didn’t put in Peter Pan or Lady and the Tramp because then I might have jumped from the window.

Links 2/26

Happy Friday Monday!

I haven’t been posting much/at all this past week because I’m traveling and on break and in Spain (and tomorrow I’ll be meeting my parents in Malta).  But this evening I’m being antisocial and hanging out in my basement room, and I have a few links to dispense with.

• A few exciting trailers:
  On Chesil Beach, with Saoirse Ronan, based on the novel by Ian McEwan. I’m kind of excited because 1) Saoirse and 2) Ian McEwan. But I tried to read On Chesil Beach and had to put it aside. I just wasn’t interested, but that’s been my experience with every McEwan novel that wasn’t Atonement.
  MFing PANDAS
  More films to get excited about (Thanks, Bob!). I’m so here for a Lizzie Borden biopic. And Ocean’s Eight. And Incredibles II (as I’ve said 50+ times). And Padmaavat (which I haven’t talked about yet). And Jamie Lee Curtis returning for Halloween. Gasp.
• All I do is think about movies. Here’s a spicy biopic. Weirdly inspiring and heartwarming story, actually.
• Speaking of biopics- Lupita Nyong’o is going to play Trevor Noah’s mother and it’s perfect.
• On breaking the stigma around vaginal health and getting familiar with your vulva. Are we such strangers because of a prudish and anti feminine culture of because it’s located at such a weird and difficult to see place on our bodies? I don’t know.
• What it feels like to slide downhill at 90 mph.
• A review of one of my favorite films of all time.  The dubbing never bothered me anyway.
• The new choir teacher.
• An Olympics streaker in tutu and monkey penis pouch. You do you.
• I love Livia Marin’s Nomad Patterns series.
• Adorable and hilarious illustrated guide to dog breeds.  Check out the creator’s tumblr here.
• A lovely personal article about the promise of gay Olympians like figure skater Adam Rippon.

Friday Links: 1/26

I turned 22.5 yesterday and today I have an exam that threatens to destroy all that I hold most dear. I’ve been studying since I woke up at 5:30 am. (Approximately five hours ago). There are about three hours left. It’s panic time.

Here’s what’s happening online:

• Kate DiCamillo (author of Because of Winn-Dixie, and others) on why children’s books should be a little sad.
• You can smell when someone is sick. Here’s a case where a woman was able to identify Parkinson’s patients by body odor, some even before they were clinically diagnosed.
• NBA = ballet? Check out these beautiful unplanned synchronized moments.
• Hedi Slimane takes over at Celine, replacing Phoebe Philo. Not a fan of this development.
• An ode to the pre-teen bedroom, complete with bead curtain.
• Ann Curry may have a baby crush on Stephen Colbert but I have a baby crush on Ann Curry.
• First there was athleisure. Now there is bath-leisure.
• Screen Junkies casts the It sequel– the prestige, the popcorn, and the provocative versions (the latter featuring Jared Kushner).
• Full cast and vague plot details have been announced for The Incredibles II and I am salivating.
• This webcomic is my current (as of yesterday) obsession and I’m narrowly avoiding bingeing it instead of studying. It’s sold out but if you buy it in book form it comes with a plush. Here’s the author/illustrators tumblr for more info.
• Phantom Thread is the last big Oscar nominee that I haven’t seen. Here are some of the films from which director Paul Thomas Anderson drew inspiration (including Rebecca!) and an amazing short film featuring under-the-radar lead actress Vicky Krieps.
• One thing I really like about this capsule wardrobe article in particular (among the seeming billions out there, which get a bit very repetitive) is the recognition that, because everyone’s style is different, so will everyone’s capsule wardrobe be.
• What is Scandinavian style and why is it gaining so much traction globally?
• Living for Colbert’s imitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. It starts around 2 minutes in.
• In case you’re wondering what I’m doing here in France, here’s a video featuring some of my classmates.
• And to round out this rather fashion-focused week, Kate Spade succulent sandals.

Most Anticipated Film Releases 2018

I’m back in France (landed yesterday morning) but still thinking about films. Some things never change.

• The Post: They’ve asked tons screen this at the White House which I find very interesting given 1) the content and 2) the presence of the very-overrated Meryl Streep.
• A Fantastic Woman
• Loveless
• Winchester: This doesn’t actually look good but I love creepy house films and I could be wrong.
• Red Sparrow: Ballerina Jennifer Lawrence becomes Russian Intelligence agent. Could be good. Could be Atomic Blonde 2, Atomic Redhead.
• Isle of Dogs: Wes Anderson!
• Lean on Pete: Horses!
• You Were Never Really Here: Joaquin Phoenix and guns!
• Solo: A Star Wars Story: There’s been a lot of behind the scenes drama with this project. I hope it turns out well because I will never not love a good Star Wars. And I’ll be sad if they besmirch the Harrison Ford/Han Solo legacy.
• Deadpool 2: Of course.
• Ocean’s 8: I was questioning this on a kind of Ghostbusters remake basis but the trailer looks excellent and has assuaged most of my fears. Love that the heist is set at the Met Gala.
• The Incredibles 2: Edna’s coming back!
• Mulan: Live action Mulan. I’m torn. I don’t believe there’s a need but if one is coming I might be here for it.
• Bohemian Rhapsody: Another film with a lot of behind the scenes drama, but I’m excited. Queen is cool.
• Creed 2: It didn’t need a sequel but I did like the first Creed quite a bit.

You’ll notice that the list os largely big Hollywood films, as these are the ones that tend to schedule their release dates far into the future (as opposed to the smaller independent films I tend to prefer).