Tops both Rachel Getting Married, and The Notebook.

Some people have The Notebook; I thought it was fantastically disappointing. This is my Notebook. It's sweet, sentimental, touching. Love the drug sales pitches that Jake G's character puts on: when he discovers his big seller, it's like a cute 1950s romantic comedy, him prancing around, smile ear to ear. It has a serious side without being preachy, & a particular scene plays this excellently for laughs (-look out for Randall's heart beating fast). Anne impressed me more here, than in Rachel Getting Married.

Never Let Me Go

Black Swan

Natalie Portman, as Nina in Black Swan. Visually stunning, a compelling pace, & fascinating to watch. Ballet looks like a painful art! Winona Ryder's character seemed slightly superfluous, I would have liked to see her more as a troubled but somewhat dignified diva, slowly showing cracks around the edges. Mila Kunis & Vincent Cassel were inspired casting (even their looks matched the aesthetics - Mila with her dark features mirrored Natalie, & Vincent with his poised hauteur).

Director - Darren Aronofsky

Music - Clint Mansell

Costume Design - Rodarte, Yumiko, & Amy Westcott collaborations

{picture source}

Any Human Heart

Any Human Heart, based on the novel by William Boyd, is currently screening on Channel 4. An artfully directed new miniseries, it boasts a stellar cast that includes Jim Broadbent, Gillian Anderson, Sam West & Tom Hollander, to name but a few. The photography is truly captivating, & I love the courageous interpretations of people from the period: Wallis Simpson, Ian Fleming (of Bond penmanship) and Ernest Hemingway.

Costume Supervisor - Peter Paul

Director - Michael Samuel

Novel & screenplay - William Boyd

Find out more, & watch on-line: click here.

picture sources: 1, 2, 3.

Somewhere: Sofia Coppola

The trailer for Sofia Coppola's new film, Somewhere.

There are obvious parallels with Lost in Translation, a focus on relationships that aren't usually central to film, & a tenderness in capturing a young girl on the brink of adulthood. Sofia has a fantastic ability to use music & visuals in a sweet & almost nostalgic compliment to human relationships. For me, her Marie Antoinette lost itself in terms of narrative structure & focus, but the stunning fashions, compositions & details (the macaroons! the shoes!) more than compensated. Somewhere harks back to the blink-&-you-miss-them moments of a young actress on the brink of stardom before being thrown into the lion's den of LA-LA Land. (Sofia captured this not only with Lost in Translation, but also Kirsten Dunst in The Virgin Suicides).

Somewhere opens 10 December in the UK, 22 December in the US.