Melanie

This isn't movie-related either, but I felt I had to post about Melanie. Have you ever found an artist you feel just gets you? That's how I feel when I listen to her music.

Minneapolis Recap

Instead of a movie post, I thought I would share some photos of my apartment and other objects I have liked in Minneapolis so far. Some of them relate to movies ;-D I apologize a couple are not great. I snapped them super fast!

The "Italian Cinema" wall in my place. Posters like La Strada, La Dolce Vita, and others hang here. I clipped them from a 2005 calendar I bought in Napa Valley, and never used.

A fountain in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Being there reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.

 My chair-crush, also in my place.

Vanilla latte from Spyhouse Coffee. This place reminds me of The Flying M, a trendy Boise coffee shop. 

A copy of an out-of-print screenplay F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote. Has anyone seen the picture? I thought the screenplay was melodrama all over, but I am still interested in the final product.

A cute orange vase!

I'm going to dance, dance, dance, dance, dance!

From about ages three to seventeen, I was a very serious ballet dancer. I wanted to be a professional ballerina, and danced for about forty hours a week throughout my teens. However, dance in that atmosphere creates criticism and pressure. I quit because it was too much, and have stayed away since.

However, since I moved to Minneapolis, I joined the YWCA, and have enjoyed most of my membership so far through dance classes. I cannot say what exactly drew me back into it. I guess I feel since I moved about 2000 miles from my previous home, I am already out of my comfort zone. Why not give it another shot? Well, my passion burns strong. I LOVE my classes. They are fun, great exercise, and pressure-free. One thing I always remained anxious of was when the instructor walked up to me, and corrected or criticized my dancing. Here, the instructor takes the class with us, and I do everything to my own standards and comfort. It makes the experience for me. I am even trying a new-to-me kind, Zumba, tomorrow evening. 

All this dancing reminds me of my favorite dance movie, Flashdance. It's a GREAT movie, if you have not seen it yet. It features a predictable love story, but the choreography, costumes, and music always bring me right to a 1980s dance studio. 

And yes, I have invested in some dancer-ish clothes from American Apparel. Now that I dance again, I have no problem looking like Jennifer Beals. 

"Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" (1963)

I teased in the last post I would elaborate on why I kinda adore Sophia Loren right now. I watched the Italian film "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" last weekend, and I found it perfect. It was funny, romantic, stylish, and so ... Italian.

It reminded me a bit of "Paris, Je T'aime," or "New York, I love You," because it contained three mini story lines. Only here, the cast remained consistent as the movie covered three different women (played by Sophia), and their men. Marcello Mastroianni (known for "8 1/2," "La Dolce Vita," "Marriage, Italian Style," among others) plays the the main male roles. The first story follows a woman who avoids jail time by continually having children, the second shows a neglected businessman's wife and her affair with an artist, and the third (also my favorite), develops Sophia's character as a prostitute who befriends her neighbor, a seminary student.

Throughout, Sophia and Mastroianni keep chemistry on screen. I believed they were a couple in each story. They were funny, romantic, feisty, and sexy. In one story, their altercation almost made me cry, and in another, Sophia's striptease for Mastroianni's character left me cracking up. They made me excited to watch them. I wanted to see how their characters fit, and how they ended together. Sophia, of course, gave three notable performances. If anyone had screen presence, she did. She conveyed every emotion I can think of in this movie, and slid easily into each character.

Not to mention, she rocked some fabulous fashion! She looked amazing in the peasant dresses, fur coats, and bustiers her characters required.

Here is a great scene!

And, the trailer:


I suggest you watch this, if you get a chance! It's a wonderful weekend movie.