Senin, 31 Mei 2010

On Memorial Day


In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

-John McCrae, 1915


I remember every memorial day weekend growing up my mom would always have a crepe paper poppy attached to the strap of her purse, and I remember that whenever I was with her, she would give me a dollar to donate so i could have one too. I loved those little paper flowers, though I hardly understood their significance way back then. Memorial Day is for remembering, for honoring, and for thanking those who have given their lives, or are risking their lives to make sure that we have the rights and liberties that we have here in America. My grandfather was a veteran, and I remember visiting his and my grandmother's graves every Memorial Day and looking at the flags pushed into the earth of their graves. My sister played TAPS on her trumpet at the cemetery, so it was mostly my mom and I, since it was her parents. I suppose that I'm blessed in the fact that not many of my loved ones (friends or family) are in any branches of the military, I have a couple of friends serving in various branches, and for that, I thank them, but I never have to worry about a family member not coming home, like so many others in this country. Regardless of that fact, I extend my thanks and eternal gratitude to those serving this magnificent, though sometimes flawed, country of ours. In honor of our armed forces, I did the logos for the Marines, the AIr Force, the Navy, and the Army, as well as the American flag accented with what else, a poppy. :) I apologize that the logos aren't perfect, but I did what I could with the space I had. ;)



I used:

Thumb: American flag & poppy

American Apparel Cotton as a base with CND Anchor Blue for the blue, and China Glaze Salsa for the red of the stripes as well as the poppy. for the black I used American Apparel Hassid, and for the green, I used CND Green Scene .

Index: Marines

American Apparel Passport Blue as a base, with China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection for the gold, and China Glaze Salsa for the red, over Sally Hansen All the White Stuff, so the red popped.

Middle: Air Force

China Glaze Millennium as a base, with CND Anchor Blue for the logo.

Ring: Navy

Sally Hansen All the White Stuff as a base, with American Apparel Passport Blue, China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection for the gold, Sally Hansen All the White Stuff for the shield, with CND Anchor Blue for the blue on the shield, and China Glaze Salsa for the stripes on the shield.

Pinky: Army

American Apparel Hassid as a base, with Sally Hansen All the White Stuff for the star, and outlined in American Apparel Manila.

Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Minggu, 30 Mei 2010

Lime Line


Today is another simple one, my apologies- it's been a super busy weekend- I made about 10 dozen cookies along with a bunch of other stuff!! :-P I used another of the new ULTA polishes that I got, In the Limelight, a lime green foil finished polish. Anyway, sorry for the short write-up, it's been a long day and I think its about bedtime.



I used ULTA In the Limelight as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the lines. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

A monstrous talent: Blue Velvet Studies in Memory of Dennis Hopper

"Why are there people like Frank?"
"A truly Bad Bad Guy is not believable and impossible to connect with. That is unless your whole story world is twisted and strange in itself; Like Dennis Hopper's truly Bad Bad Guy in David Lynch's Blue Velvet." Sune Liltop, 'Good Guy / Bad Guy',  P.O.V. No.28, 2009

"...the conflict between smoothness and pent-up rage that defines Hopper's roles in films like David Lynch's Blue Velvet [1986]" Adrian Danks, "Nice 'N' Easy: Speaking Frankly about The Night We Called it a Day', Senses of Cinema, Issue 28, 2003

As Film Studies For Free is sure all of its readers will have learned by now, American movie actor, director and artist Dennis Hopper died yesterday. Some remarkable tributes to him have appeared in the last weeks, few if any better than those by filmmaker-critic Matt Zoller Seitz (see his video essay here; and a further written tribute here). Since the news of his death was made public, David Hudson has been collecting a full list of online tributes to Dennis Hopper here.

For FSFF's author, while she has a big soft spot for The Hot Spot (1990) as well as Easy Rider (1969), two films directed by Hopper, his most memorable contribution to the cinema was, in her view, his performance as the raging psychopath Frank Booth in David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet. So this masterful film forms the (usually main) subject of each of the notable resources linked to in the scholarly webliography offered up today.  

Rest in peace, Mr Hopper.




          Sabtu, 29 Mei 2010

          ULTA-mate!


          Today's manicure is simple, because I was busy busy today! :( I did get an AWESOME new Ulta Professional polish though, so I had to use it- unfortunately it was the only one left in the cardboard display (it's part of a special collection), and there is no label on it, so I don't know what the name of the color is, but I plan on investigating tomorrow... so not to worry, I'll update it in the info. It's gorgeous- a vivid pink with a LIME GREEN reflect?! Sign me up. Awesomeness. LOVE. Anyway. They also had in the same display a lime green FOIL polish- which had a label (In the Limelight), which is gorgeoustastical, I can't wait to use it too...I LOVE foils.



          I used ULTA Professional awesome color with no label as a base, with China Glaze Cherish applied with Bundle Monster plate BM03 just to the upper corner of each nail. :) Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

          Love builds bridges: on the romantic comedy in transnational cinema

          Last updated June 1, 2010
          Image of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn on the set of Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938). See Kartina Richardson's short video essay on this film at her new audio commentary website Mirror.

          Film Studies For Free's author sensibly decided, on balance, that it was probably better to stay at home and draft the below list of links to good quality, openly accessible, and disciplinarily-diverse, scholarly studies of the transnational, transhistorical, romantic comedy film mode, than to haul herself out (in the rain) to the cinema to see Sex and the City 2.

          Enough said, probably, but if you think she has made the wrong choice, please do leave a comment below... (More links should be added in the next few days - if you have any to suggest, please get in touch).

              Jumat, 28 Mei 2010

              Schlongs & Songs


              (sorry dad) :-P Tonight I'm going to a show called Naked Boys Singing here in Las Vegas. If you haven't heard of it, it precisely what it sounds like- buff, attractive men singing in the nude. Should be a good time. ;) So, today, for shits and giggles, I decided to attempt to paint the poster on my nails. What is it with me and naked men on my fingernails, seriously? :-D BTW, it is effing HARD to paint tiny little naked dudes on fingernails. HARD! (hee hee) Luckily, because I added the 'censor' bar to make it PG, I didn't have to paint any tiny penises.... or is it penii? ;)

              the inspiration:



              the nails:



              I used OPI Who the Shrek Are You? as a base, with American Apparel Cotton as a base for the dudes and the orange stripe. For the orange stripe, I used essie Tart Deco, for the boys, I used MAC Abalone Shell, then shaded with Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme. For the black bar, I used American Apparel Hassid. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

              How do you like your boys to sing? :-D

              Participations 7.1: on Slumdog Millionaire, The Wire, and The Sopranos

              Image from Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008)


              Film Studies For Free is happy to announce that the May 2010 edition of the Open Access e-journal Participations: online journal of audience and reception studies is now online

              This edition contains Martin Barker's 'Editorial Introduction', as well as the following articles, not all of which situate themselves within film and television studies, but each of which is relevant to audience and reception studies in those disciplinary areas.

              Kamis, 27 Mei 2010

              Getting Carried Away


              I'll admit it...I'm a HUGE Sex and the City fan. Love every fashion-filled, cosmopolitan-sipping moment of it. (especially those moments that include Aidan, AKA John Corbett... *drool* <---been dreamy since Northern Exposure) I would kill for Carrie Bradshaw's wardrobe and shoe collection (mostly the shoe collection- I'm a big shoe collector in addition to my nail polish ;)) Anyway, my roommate and I, along with a few other girls, are going to see Sex and the City 2 tonight, I'm super excited!!! I'm curious to see what happens with the Aidan bump-into. (hell, I'd pay the $12 just to stare at him on screen for 2 hrs). The ring finger nail in today's design is way over the top (hence the 'Carried Away' tie-in in the title). Hope you like them! :) Sorry they're a tad shaky though, I was shaking so badly while I was doing them that it was impossible to draw straight lines!! Also, check The Daily Nail: REVIEWS later tonight for a review of the ULTA Glam Goth collection! :)



              I used American Apparel Hassid as a base for the black nails, and Zoya Trixie for the jeweled nail. For the pink of the skyline, and logo, I used Massini Power Pack (an inexpensive brand that midwesterners can find at Meijer, but I'm not sure where else to purchase it), and the rhinestones were from Michaels Crafts. :) Topped it all off with some Seche Vite top coat, and away I go. :)

              Who's your favorite SATC character- male or female?

              Aidan....*sigh*

              Amsterdam fine links!


              Image from Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972), based on Stanisław Lem's 1961 novel. Read BC Biermann's film-philosophical PhD Thesis chapter on this film adaptation

              A little window of opportunity for Film Studies For Free's author to bring you one of this site's regular features today: a report (or, more accurately, a labour-intensive links-harvest) from a University research repository, one of those online archives in which, on occasion, academics choose not only to store references to their published film studies work, but also to provide Open Access to that work.

              The repository in question today is that of the University of Amsterdam/Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA), home to one of the best Film and Media Studies departments in the world. Below is a list of links to an amazing spread of very high quality film research accessible there, most of it in the form of full-length PhD theses.

              Rabu, 26 Mei 2010

              Mum's the Word


              So today I did some swatching of some new colors I snagged at ULTA (post will be up tomorrow), so I didn't have a ton of time left in the day to do an awesometacular design, but I love how simple and striking the palette and image I used for today's design are. I used another of the Bundle Monster plates for this design, I think that it looks like a stylized version of a Chrysanthemum, or 'Mum'.



              I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the black mums and Essie Foot Loose for the pink mums, which I applied with Bundle Monster plate BM02. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

              Today was an awesome day- the story that was written about me for the Las Vegas Weekly Magazine was posted online, and the print version hits newsstands tomorrow here in Vegas!!! :) I'm thrilled!!

              Las Vegas Weekly: Nailed It!.

              I loved the article- and the last line was a perfect ending! :-P

              "Mix-Tape Cinema": studies of Wes Anderson's films

              Links added May 27, 2010
              Fantastic Mr. Fox: Wes Anderson at the New York Public Library (Fora.tv)

              On the occasion of today's publication by Fora.tv of the above entertaining and informative video, Film Studies For Free presents a (rather) small but (almost) perfectly formed compendium of links to freely accessible studies of the joyous/poignant/whimsical/arch/'scavenger' films of US writer/director Wes Anderson. As usual, if readers know of any other good online material to add to the below list, do please get in touch.


              The Substance of Style, Pt 1Wes Anderson and his pantheon of heroes (Schulz, Welles, Truffaut) by Matt Zoller Seitz  posted March 30, 2009 

              The above video is the first in a five-part series of video essays analyzing the key influences on Wes Anderson’s style. Part 2 covers Martin Scorsese, Richard Lester, and Mike Nichols. Part 3 covers Hal Ashby. Part 4 covers J.D. Salinger. Part 5 is an annotated version of the prologue to The Royal Tenenbaums.


              'The Films of Wes Anderson' (great clip 'mix-tape'/montage) by Paul Proulx

              "A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I watched a film called Bottle Rocket. I knew nothing about it, and the movie really took me by surprise. Here was a picture without a trace of cynicism, that obviously grew out of its director's affection for his characters in particular and for people in general. A rarity. And the central idea of the film is so delicate, so human: A group of young guys think that their lives have to be filled with risk and danger in order to be real. They don't know that it's okay simply to be who they are." Martin Scorsese, 'Wes Anderson', Esquire, March 1, 2000
              "Whenever I am getting ready to make a movie I look at other movies I love in order to answer the same recurring question: How is this done, again? I can never seem to remember, and I don’t mean that to be glib. I also hope people don’t throw it back in my face. Making a movie is very complicated, and it seems like kind of a miracle when it actually works out. Hal Ashby made five or six great movies in a row, and that seems to be practically unheard of." 'Wes Anderson on [Hal Ashby's] The Last Detail' in 'The Director's Director', by Jennifer Wachtel, GOOD, June 18, 2008
              "In narrative, whimsy emphasizes the unexpected links that connect disparate ideas or events, but the connections must be meaningful. Richard Linklater’s Slacker (1991) is not whimsical because it never proposes that the links between its scenes are anything more than incidental. It embraces insignificance and ponders the possibility of elevating apathy into anarchy. Wes Anderson’s films are whimsical because their unexpected juxtapositions are imbued with sentimental significance. As a visual mode, whimsy favours busy frames and compositions that distract viewers from the centre. It rewards those willing to explore the edges with jokes buried in marginalia or Dalmatian mice sniffing around in the corner of an elaborately composed shot. In all cases whimsy values the ability to appreciate the aesthetic harmony possible among myriad incongruent objects. It draws attention to the act of perception and the sensibility of the perceiver." Charlotte Taylor, 'The Importance of Being Earnest', Frieze Magazine, Issue 92, June-August 2005
              '...[S]tuff like Wes Anderson mix-tape cinema...', Michael Sicinski, 'Songs Sung Blue: The Films of Michael Robinson', Cinema-scope, 33 

              Selasa, 25 Mei 2010

              How Geeky!


              For those of you not in the know, today (May 25) is known as Geek Pride Day! :) So in honor of the day, I painted 'geeks' on my nails. Not the carnival sort of geek, but the nerdy sort... since there are two definitions. ;)



              I used MAC Abalone Shell as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the frames of the glasses, as well as the eyes and outline of the nose. For the shading/mouth line, I used a mix of MAC Abalone Shell and Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme. For the lenses of the glasses, I mixed Sally Hansen All the White Stuff with Orly Snowcone, and for the unibrows, I used Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme for all but the ring finger, which I used CND Electric Orange mixed with a touch of the Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme, also, for the teeth I used Sally Hansen All the White Stuff. I topped everything off with two coats of Seche Vite top coat because who doesn't like shiny geeks.

              So, how many digits of pi do you know? Do you speak 1337? What is your character in World of Warcraft? ;)

              Senin, 24 Mei 2010

              The Collection as of 5/24/10


              I get quite a few requests asking to see my collection of polishes, so for those of you that are interested....


              The Daily Nail polish collection, modest compared to some, excessive to some people (like my mom ;)) but perfect for me (until the next pretty polish comes along)....

              China Glaze:



              Zoya:



              Essie/OPI:



              American Apparel (not all are shown- I have all but the topcoat and Rose Bowl, just thought the polish rainbow was pretty ;)):



              American Apparel/butterLONDON/Sinful Colors/Color Club:



              Nubar/MAC/Creative Nail Design (CND):



              ORLY/Piggy Polish/Milani:



              Sally Hansen:



              Urban Outfitters/Pure Ice/ULTA/Barielle:



              Dare 2 Wear/ALDO:



              Miscellaneous 1 (Nfu Oh, Hot Topic, Kleancolor, Goldie, BB Couture, etc):



              Miscellaneous 2 (mostly minis, with some striper polishes):



              There ya go. :) Hope you don't think I'm as nuts as my family does. ;)

              Beware the Koopa Troopas!!


              Proof I'm a nerd, but the totally rad kind of nerd: if you call my phone, instead of you hearing ringing, which is a normal thing, you hear my ringback...which is the Super Mario Bros. theme. Awesome, right? Anyway, from time to time, I forget that I have that ringback, so when people comment on it after calling for the first time, it always makes me chuckle, and today, it provided inspiration for my nails!! (I didn't even know that there was a new Mario game out recently- I'm behind on things, obviously) I did the question mark blocks on one hand, and on the other hand, I did coins and a growth mushroom! :)


              I used



              Left hand - Question Mark Blocks

              American Apparel Palm Springs as a base, then mixed with American Apparel Pinto for the question mark symbol. For the black, I used American Apparel Hassid.



              Right Hand - Coins and Growth Mushroom

              Orly Snowcone as a base, with Love & Beauty Bronze for the coins (from Forever 21), Sally Hansen All the White Stuff as a base for the mushroom, China Glaze Salsa for the red, then American Apparel Hassid for the black on all 5 nails. I also mixed a little of the American Apparel Hassid with the Sally Hansen All the White Stuff to shade the stem of the mushroom.

              Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat to make it gleam. :)

              Now get going- you have to save the princess!!!


              Minggu, 23 Mei 2010

              I Would Like to Buy a Vowel, Please.


              So this weekend in Las Vegas, the Wheel of Fortune Wheelmobile was at the Venetian holding auditions...and yes, of COURSE I went. I've watched WOF ever since I was probably 10 or 11, it was right before or after Jeopardy!, which my mom loved (and so do my sister, Uncle Mike, and I), so we watched it as well. I am that girl yelling the puzzle's answer at the screen, heck, I even remember playing the board game! Anyway, I could hardly go to a WOF audition without doing Wheel of Fortune nails, so today I give you... the nails of fortune!



              I used

              Thumb:

              CND Green Scene as a base, with American Apparel Downtown L.A. for the red, CND Anchor Blue for the blue, and American Apparel Hassid for the black.

              Index:

              American Apparel Manila as a base, American Apparel Downtown L.A for the red, CND Green Scene , and American Apparel Hassid for the black.

              Middle:

              American Apparel Downtown L.A for the base, ALDO Got Grapes? for the purple, CND Electric Orange for the orange, and American Apparel Hassid for the black.

              Ring:

              American Apparel Hassid as a base, with American Apparel Cotton for the lettering, CND Anchor Blue for the blue, and Zoya Luna for the glittery silver.

              Pinky:

              ALDO Got Grapes? as a base, with CND Anchor Blue for the blue, CND Green Scene, and American Apparel Hassid for the black.

              Topped everything off with two coats of Seche Vite top coat for that extra bit of shiny glamour! :-P

              Are you a Wheel Watcher?

              Sabtu, 22 Mei 2010

              Fiercely Fluorescent


              Ok, so it's not fluorescent, but I like alliteration in certain titles, and definitely wanted to used the word 'fiercely', since I used Fiercely Fiona as a base! :-D I adore this color, its a yellow with a springy green tinge, its downfall? it took 5 coats to be opaque for me. I dunno about you, but I rarely have that kind of time! Anyway, I also used two polishes from the new polish collection at ALDO Shoes! :) They're gorgeous colors, and I'll be reviewing them, as well as Fiercely Fiona on The Daily Nail Blog Reviews in the next couple of days, I bought three of them the other day! :)



              I used OPI Fiercely Fiona as a base, with ALDO Berry Flirty for the hot pink stripes, and ALDO Poolside in Malibu for the teal stripes. Topped it off with Seche Vite top coat.

              Jumat, 21 Mei 2010

              You're Full of Hot Air


              Quite a while back, reader Ada C. sent a nail art request of a Hot Air Balloon flying in a blue sky... and I found the perfect sky blue in OPI's What's With the Cattitude?, so I had to do it!!! :) I swatched it over on the review site 'The Daily Nail Reviews, check it out!



              I used OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base with Sally Hansen All the White Stuff sponged lightly to make fluffy clouds, as well as the base for the balloon. For the balloon colors, I used American Apparel Malibu Green for the top, the red and yellow are from a set of 6 scented polishes with the 'Nerds' logo on them (which smell yum), and the blue is Pure Ice French Kiss. For the basket, I used Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme, and to outline everything, I used American Apparel Hassid. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

              I wonder if the Wizard of Oz is in it?

              Kamis, 20 Mei 2010

              Burnin' Rubber


              So, if you've been reading the blog recently, you know that my sister was here in Vegas last week, and that it was awesome. Well, she's doing a month-long cross-country motorcycle trip, so today's nails are in honor of her awesomenosity, she's pretty much the most badass chick you're likely to meet. It was super awesome having her here, and makes me miss home, where I actually got to spend time with her more often than once/twice a year. (sucky) Anyway, enough saptastic stuff, she knows I love her, and think she rocks. Today's nail design was painted to look like tire tread rubber that was burnt onto cement. (I even tried to paint the same tread as her tires!)



              I used BB Couture Opposites Attract as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the tire tread, with more BB Couture Opposites Attract sponged over part of it. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

              Also- today L'Oreal held a makeover event at the Venetian Walgreens here in Vegas, and Collier Strong was there!! For those of you who are like- 'Who is Collier Strong?!' I recommend that you climb out of your hole and either watch some TV, read some magazines, or check him out a little thing called the internet!! :-P He is the consulting makeup artist for L'Oreal Paris, the beauty consultant for Project Runway, as well as many other things! Anyway, I got to meet him, get some tips, and he was SO super nice!! I also got a touchup from the lovely Monique, and chatted with a very friendly guy from L'Oreal named Gary. Overall it was a cool experience getting to try some new products and some established products that I hadn't tried yet, as well as meeting some nice new people!! I got my picture with Colllier (but I look like a total bum lol):



              Rabu, 19 Mei 2010

              Bundled Up With Butter


              Howdy!!! So recently, I read about Bundle Monster on amazon, and of course, had to order the plate set, I mean come on - 21 plates for $17.99 with free shipping? Yup, I'm in. These plates are exactly like Konad plates, but with different designs. I've purchased all the Konad plates I really wanted in the last 6 months, so after I saw the new images on these- I had to get them- the images are awesome, and right up my alley, not a ton of girly stuff, great patterns, and other great images! Plus, for $17.99, I couldn't really beat it. Today, i decided to use one of the plates along with one of the new American Apparel colors, Butter, which I reviewed today on The Daily Nail Reviews. Hope you like it! I learned that Damone Roberts 1968 is not great for Konading, argh!! lol This is pretty subtle, but has a lovely spring feel to it.



              I used American Apparel Butter as a base, then used OPI Damone Roberts 1968 applied with Bundle Monster plate BM06 Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat

              Selasa, 18 Mei 2010

              Daily Nail: UNGPLUGGED.


              Today's nail were inspired by something we ignore, and something there is never enough of when you need them. (cue powerstrips) OUTLETS, PLUGS, POWER SOURCES, whatever you call them, without them, I couldn't do this blog (mainly because my laptop is almost 6 years old, and the battery lasts approximately 10 minutes, or 3 minutes when it is cold out). I used one of the new American Apparel colors, California Trooper, which I also reviewed and swatched on a new branch of this site The Daily Nail Reviews.



              I used American Apparel California Trooper as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the plug holes, Sally Hansen Metro Creme for the shadow around the holes, and American Apparel Cotton for the highlight. Topped it off with Seche Vite top coat.

              So there it is, no acoustic guitar, just nails. :-)

              And because I get SO many people that ask if my nails are real, etc, here you go- naked nails.. very yellowed naked nails, I've tried everything, lemon juice soaks, denture cleaner, hydrogen peroxide, buffing, etc, nothing makes it go away!! :( If anyone has tips, lmk.




              Bazinian, Neo-Bazinian, and Post-Bazinian Film Studies


              Film Studies For Free decided to round up some classy links today to studies either by the hugely influential film critic André Bazin (1918-1958), co-founder of the film magazine Cahiers du cinéma, or by those who use or comment upon his work in their own contributions to film studies. As the below, openly accessible works more than amply show, even in this the digital film age, Bazin is an earlier generation film theorist who keeps on giving to the discipline that he, as much as anyone else, helped to found.

              Online Baziniana: 
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