I talk all the time about making French Toast Sunday a more personal blog. There are features like Behind the Scenes and all of us have our own features and lists but I want to continue to expand on celebrating our individual voices here. I could start by using my personal Twitter handle instead of the site one but Twitter is hard (not really) and time consuming (no, not at all.) Instead I’d like to run a semi regular feature that just runs through some odds and ends I’d like to discuss including films I’m watching, links I like, stuff I’m into and oh yeah, coffee! Figure out the rest of what I’m babbling about after the break.
For anyone currently unaware, I’m really into coffee. I would love to drink it all the time if I could. Last weekend when FTS was up drinking and watching The Bone Collector/Gossip (channel switching) at 2 in the morning I was complaining that no one wanted coffee. I’m also in the early stages of developing a coffee mug collection. It’s nothing to show off and I don’t keep track of how many I have or anything, but I try to pick one up when I travel and ask that friend’s and family to do the same for me. So what does any of this nonsense have to do with movies? Well frankly, not much. But I decided to name my new feature Coffee Break because it’s just like a small break you have during your day to catch up on different odd and ends and have a cup of joe. Each break I’ll try to show off a new mug (or whatever I’m drinking from that day) and give you a run down on what’s up in my life at the moment. Take a look!
It’s a dreary Friday here in Baltimore and a slow work day. This insulated thermal coffee mug is my new go to work cup of choice. My boyfriend picked it up for me when he was in San Franscico recently at one of his favorite coffee places, Philz Coffee. The mug is stainless steel with a detachable lid and keeps my coffee hot for a long time. He brought home some of their coffee as well and it’s delicious. If you feel so inclined, you can actually buy this exact mug online in Philz Coffee’s online store.
This week I had the pleasure of checking out both The Place Beyond the Pines and Trance screenings. I was excited for The Place Beyond the Pines for a few reasons. 1.) Baby Goose, 2.) Seeing B-Coops do his thing again and 3.) it was directed by Derek Cianfrance who also did Blue Valentine – a film I still haven’t seen but have only heard nice things about. I kept seeing small little review notes saying the film was ‘overly ambitious’ and was a little confused because I really never got that idea from the trailer. Now that I’ve seen it I totally get it but it didn’t hurt the film for me. I was really won over thanks to the story and acting (especially Dane Dehaan, who I’ll touch more on later.) It’s not a film I can say a whole lot about without spoiling things so it’s nice that I was able to catch the screening with Nick (now I have a chatting partner to spout ideas to.) If you want to read more about Nick and my thoughts on it, you can find the review here.
As for Trance, I could not have been more stoked to fill my life with more Danny Boyle. I am a HUGE fan of his work and love how all his films feel like such passion projects. I would be lying if I said Trance lived up to the hype I had created for it but still enjoyed it nonetheless. Jess and I saw it together and after several back and forths on Gchat, we have both concluded that we just need to rewatch it. Again, you can read my whole review here.
1) Dane Dehaan: Like I mentioned above, Dehaan steals The Place Beyond The Pines which isn’t an easy thing to do when acting with a cast of Oscar nominated performers. It had been a little while since I had seen him in Chronicle but Pines reminded me how effective DeHaan is on screen and shot him to the top on my Ones to Watch list.
2) Mocha Latte Coffee Sugar Scrub Soap from Bungalow Bath & Body: That’s right, I like coffee so much I even bathe in it! But seriously, if anyone is looking for a new body soap or lotion, I suggest giving Bungalow Bath & Body a try. I went out on a limb and bought some of their products a few weeks ago and have been in love ever since they arrived at my doorstep. The scents are amazing, (I gravitate to the sweet treat scents) and the soaps are very gentle. They are also all 100% vegan if that happens to be your thing.
3) Twin Peaks Thursdays: Another thing I could NOT be more excited about is FTS’ Thursday gatherings to watch David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. We have all talked about catching the series for a long time now but never got the ball rolling on a date to watch it. When Community started back up again this year, we realized it would be the perfect time to fit in an episode of Twin Peaks (yes, Twin Peaks Tuesday sounds better but we podcast on Tuesday nights!) Every week, we take turns bringing donuts and admire Agent Cooper as he wanders around the impossibly absurd town. The first episode of the series hooked me so hard that I get giddy with anticipation ever Thursday.
Those are just some goofy pics of Jason and I settling in to watch Game of Thrones in our matching “#RickLovesWill” tee shirts that Dylan from Man, I Love Films made for us for the Lambs in Vegas Oscar Meetup. Very, very cool.
Okay so obviously Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are drinking tea but I don’t think anyone (including myself) cares. It’s just an adorable damn picture. Anyway, break’s over!