Outdoor Cinema Garden Party Inspiration !

Image via Hello Friend

Having  closed a chapter of Christmas get-together's another opens with Spring and Summer gatherings ahead -I know!!  We are only in February, but is my way to get through this wintery month by dreaming up fun social events at our home with our friends and family . I just came across this image of a gorgeous Summer evening garden cinema party and I just had to share it with you ! I think I might just have to copy it ;-)

My Sunday Movie

Remember sometime ago I used to write about my Sunday afternoon movie ? Well after some of you emailed me asking me about it I thought I'd bring the post again.
Now that Autumn has finally decided to make an appearance it is time to chill at home with a DVD, cup of tea and nice homemade cake or make a trip to the pictures- my Sunday afternoon tradition since I was a kid in Barcelona.
Yesterday I saw the French film ' Little White Lies'.  Written and directed by award winning director of the film ' Tell No One' Guillaume Canet  and boyfriend of the amazing and Oscar winner actress Marion Cotillard.
Every Summer Max ( Francois Cluzet ) hires out a beautiful beach house for his family and friends. But this year the vacation is not so much fun as each guest raises the veil that for years has covered their true feelings. Their relationships and friendships are tested when they are in a difficult situation having to own up to the little white lies they have been telling each other.
I personally really liked it, so if  you don't mind watching a movie with subtitles I recommend you watching the movie.

Anyone for Tea and Cake ?

Having come from the cafe culture I have totally embraced the English tradition of 'tea and cake'.

It is a lovely afternoon treat that should be practiced more often in my opinion.

My great friend Mel introduced me to this lovely patisserie in London one winters' day .

Maison Bertaux is believed to be one of the oldest patisseries founded in 1870 in London. With its fabulous Parisian Kirsch style decor, a visual feast of cakes and great characters walking in and out of the store it was like being in the middle of a movie set waiting for Amelie to turn up.

We entered the store for what was meant to be a quick catch up in mid afternoon and left when it was dark and closing time; the last ones to leave! I have fond memories of that afternoon; people watching, conversing over a pot of tea and enjoying more than one cake I have to say!!If you are in London and fancy treating yourself to afternoon tea and cake this Autumn, why not try Maison Bertaux, unless you know of this place already :-)

Thank You Melly for that fab afternoon/evening !

My Sunday Movie...

As seasons change so does ones habits...no more summer days enjoying the outdoors so back to my Sunday afternoon movie routine...My movie choice was Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. An indie movie set in New York that takes you through Nick an Norah's night journey in a quest to find the secret gig of their favourite band and end up finding each other. I didn't know what to expect but loved it so much that it was like seeing so many flashbacks of my teenage nights when so many things go wrong and crazy things happen! I recommend it to those that want to go back in time for an hour an a half an reminiscence of those good, uncomplicated, carefree & fun days ;-)

My Sunday Movie...

As some of you might know by now, when possible I try and stick to my Sunday afternoon plan and catch up with the magic world of the movies. Whether it is on DVD or cinema, preferably the later one...Sundays is a must!
Yesterday I finally managed to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona, set in one of my three hometowns, by one of my ultimate favourite film directors-yes I know!...I have mentioned him before, good old Woody Allen. A charming movie with great cinamatographic backdrop and its complex characters a la Woody style. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the best movie Woody Allen has made in years. Although 2006's Match Point was just as brilliant. If you are a fan give this one a try...

Oscar Congrats 2 Sean Penn!

I'm so pleased that Sean Penn won an Oscar for best actor. I loved his portrayal of Harvey Milk as I mentioned in my previous post here.

My Sunday Movie...

Having been busy with xmas and Top Drawer show I haven't been able to get back into my Sunday afternoon routine of catching a movie. As some of you may know, that afternoon is sacred for me! Thankfully yesterday I managed to go to the cinema and see Milk. The true story of Harvey Milk that changed history with his courage and determination to fight for human rights. In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. He not only fought for gay rights but for senior citizens to union workers. Sadly he was assassinated in 1978 but remained a hero for all Americans...I loved this movie and has now given me a better understanding of San Francisco culture.Sean Penn absolutely brilliant acting deserves, in my opinion the Oscar that he has been nominated for! I highly recommend this movie to any of you that may be considering to see it...enjoy and happy Monday !

My Sunday Movie...

Hoping you all had a fabulous weekend I'm back to my regular posting of Sunday Movie. Contrary to my personal choice we decided to watch Oxford Murders. Matt had read the book and raved on about it, so I got convinced. Written by fellow Argentine, Guillermo Martinez. Set in Oxford University, a professor and a grad student work together to try and stop a potential series of murders seemingly linked by mathematical symbols. Unfortunately the movie was not as good as the book having gone straight to DVD missing the cinema showings. I personally thought the performance by Elijah Wood was pretty poor and not convincing, although John Hurt as always a great actor. I agree with the reviews , although not a film critic myself but I can't personally recommend you this one :-(

My Sunday Movie...

It was the perfect Sunday to stay indoors : Beautiful Autumn colours as a backdrop view from my windows, windy with a lot of heavy rain and homemade cookies. Being a little bit homesick, I decided to watch a film I had been meaning to for a long time but somehow never managed to. Belle Epoque was shot in 1992 wich won an Oscar for the best foreign film by Spanish film director Fernando Trueba. An original storyline, beautifully shot with great Spanish humour that I was so much missing...

My Sunday Movie...

Some of you may know I have a regular spot of my Sunday movie...& for my love of Woody Allen. This Sunday I saw Cassandra's Dream. Not one of his best, but I still think he is brilliant at script writing with original dialogue and plots. There were mixed reviews in the media, but personally I loved it...call me biased ;-)

My Sunday Movie...

For my Sunday movie at last I got to see La Vie en Rose. An outstanding performance by Marion Cotillard giving a great homage to one of France's most beloved singers, Edith Piaf. Visually stunning film about an amazing life story of a great woman with such a sad life.
I personally loved this film and highly recommend it. A well deserved Oscar for the best actress of 2008.

My Sunday movie...

Many of you know from my previous post, Sunday afternoon is my movie time, although this weekend I had to give it a miss in order to celebrate friends birthdays, Mel and Piers ( fab friends & hosts, which was lovely to spend quality time with them) so as my regular posting of movie talk, I thought I'd mention my anticipated excitement for Woody Allen's forthcoming movie set in Barcelona. Those that know me very well will know by now I'm a huge Woody fan ( I know - you either love him or not ) but to me he is a genius & to have a movie set in one of my hometowns that is very close to my heart with one of my favourite Spanish actors Javier Bardem , well what can I say ??...
The name of the movie is Vicky Cristina Barcelona . I shall post the date of cinema release when announced for those Woody Allen fans...Have a good week.

My Sunday movie

When I was a little girl growing up in Barcelona my grandfather used to take us to the cinema on many Sunday afternoons, his love for the cinema was seriously catchy. The excitement of looking through the Sunday papers to decide which movie we should go and see, the getting there and queuing round the block with other cinema goers, buckets of sweet popcorn , the lovely comfy big red velvet seats, the trailers, intro music and the images on a big screen that would take you to another world, yes , that's where my love of film and cinema started and a tradition that somehow it has stayed with me through my teens, twenties and to this day... whatever country I'm at, weather is in the cinema or at home it has become a some sort of Sunday ritual, which I see as my little treat of the week that takes me to somewhere else to either learn from or dream about. This Sunday my treat was a Wes Anderson film, The Darjeeling Limited . A soul searching film set in India with the fabulous Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody, the lighting and camera angles contribute to a visual feast by the cinematographer Rober Yeoman as so do the costumes and set designs. I totally recommend this film if you enjoyed the Royal Tenenbauns and The life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Paris, Je T'Aime too !!

Well now that I have got into my Blogging again, I thought I'd share with you a great movie that I saw over this Easter weekend.It was snowing outside so it was a great opportunity to indulge in cups of tea, cake and a good movie! I totally fell in love with this fantastic movie Paris, Je T'Aime.A great concept showing a variety of short, clever, lovely and some quirky love stories set in Paris by some of the worlds renowned film directors such as the Cohen Brothers and Wes Craven with a cast to die for including some of my favourites; Juliette Binoche, Bob Hoskins, Nick Nolte, Gerad Depardieu, William Dafoe and Maggie Gyllenhaal to name a short few!
For those of you that love French movies, Amelie being a favourite and can put up with subtitles for a couple of hours this movie is a must!.