H:LOTS – S6E06 – “Birthday”

Written by: Julie Martin
Directed by Alison Maclean

Cinemalphabet: H is for The Hottest State (2006)

It’s easy to toss about terms like “hipster love story” and “vanity piece” when discussing Ethan Hawke’s 2006 directorial effort. After all it’s based on novel written by Hawke and does tell the story of two very attractive people – in this case one ambiguously raced and one white – who fall for each other under the most hipsterish of circumstances. But to do so sort of misses all that is decent, sweet and surprising about this reasonably faithful adaptation of Hawke’s much maligned novel. The novel itself, is an inexplicable favorite of mine, though the same cannot be said of its filmed counterpart. The film is not terrible; it’s good, but what seemed slightly interesting in novel form doesn’t add up to much on the screen. Though it’s not for a lack of trying by the film’s capable leads, script and director.

H:LOTS – S06E05 – “Baby, It’s You”

Written by: Jorge Zamacona
Directed by: Ed Sherin

H:LOTS – S06E04 – “The Subway”

Written by: James Yoshimura
Directed by: Gary Fleder

H:LOTS – S6E01/02/03 – “Blood Ties”

Teleplay: Anya Epstein
Story by: Tom Fontana & Julie Martin
Directed by: Alan Taylor, Nick Gomez and Mark Pellington

My 1st Gen Nano Replacement Experience

Last December I was puttering around looking for 1st gen Nano accessories I came across some rather troubling information. Apparently, the aged devices could possibly pose a fire hazard in rare instances. Suddenly, my first Apple purchase went from being a piece of hardware that I rarely used and had cast off to Babby to being that thing in the guest room that could possibly catch fire. So yeah, I was a bit concerned. But the good news was Apple was replacing the unit with a less combustible model and I just had to get my isht together and register for the program.

Capsule Collections Junking Up Various Storage Solutions in My House!

If you spend any social media time around self styled fashionistas I’m sure you’ve heard about the Jason Wu for Target drama involving a crafty pair who bought every stitch of the collection from a Miami Target store while onlookers whined, gnashed teeth and recorded the event. Capsule Collection is the preferred nomenclature for those limited edition fashion/beauty/home decor feeding frenzies which result in a lot of harshed mellows and heavy markups on ebay. I like the term, because you’re gonna need a capsule of something if some pushy shopper attempts to crack you upside the head with the Cynthia Rowley for Target “Swell” umbrella they just liberated from your cart, which oddly happened to me in 2002!

And who doesn’t love the idea of getting well designed, cute stuffs from people whose names you can barely spell, much less afford? Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not throwing shade at people who get excited about capsule collection, because well I have own capsule collection hall of fame and shame and the photographs to prove it.

Bright Like Neon Love

Despite the copious amounts of shade given to this manufactured holiday (as celebrated today) of dubious origins, I have long decided to make this day one of the few each year where I refuse to give into my typically cynical and bitterlicious tendencies. It’s not because I have a wonderful Valentine or even because I like eating candy for no reason (though those things certainly should be factored in), but because, damn it, I just feel like being in a loving and happy mood. So to honor this I thought I’d celebrate my love for various things, ideas and people in my life.

Cinemalphabet: G is for ‘Great’ Movies

Trying something a little different by expanding the scope of the Cinemalphabet series. Not only will there be posts about specific films, but the series will also highlight various aspects of cinema that fascinate me. For example: what’s up with films with ‘great’ in the title? Of the many film idiosyncrasies I have, an aversion to films with ‘great’ in the title is one I’ve least been interested in examining. Despite inclusion of the adjective rarely being a direct testimony of a film’s cinematic worthiness, I still can’t help but frame it in that manner. Consequently, I find myself underwhelmed by the films. I can’t recall the last time I used the word ‘great’ in a non ironic manner. Like the dozens of times I noticed a ding in my car door courtesy of a runaway shopping car. What do I utter: “Oh that’s just great.”

HGTV Dream Home 2012

an irresistible blend of excess and bland furnishings

When I moved into my first grown up place, I watched an unfathomable amount of HGTV. When I wasn’t helping Briscoe and company solve crimes on back-to-back episodes of Law & Order – spoiler alert: they always do it for the money – I was giving the side-eye to dubious design choices inflicted on eager homeowners with matching freeze dried smiles. And each year, just in time for the holidays – because we all totally need to feel like shit about our homes the one time of year we’re most apt to open them up to others – HGTV would offer up its Dream Home Giveaway. Now I’d admit, I always watched, imaging what I’ll do with all that unneeded space in a neighborhood devoid of a decent all night gas station or RiteAid. Then I’d wonder about property taxes, heating cost or the location. My faux worries weren’t unwarranted it seems: the bulk of previous winners have opted to sell the properties because they couldn’t afford the tax bill!

Do you care? Did you enter? Do you have an extra $800k to give to Uncle Sam?