ultimate fraud

Downhill Racer

I had the great pleasure of seeing Downhill Racer for the first time this weekend. I know- I’d never heard of it either, but it’s really quite great. It comes out on Criterion Collection next month I think, so get it then and check it out. Or, be cheap and illegal like me and download it. Why is it so great?

Well, it looks amazing. I love the look of the New Hollywood era anyway (following on from my previous gushing post on Five Easy Pieces), but this is another level of beauty. It’s a film about skiiing, and Robert Redford is a wannabe champion skier. I know it sounds like the traditional sports movie a lá Rocky, and it is to an extent, but it is a sports film in the New-Hollywood-influenced-by-European-cinema mode.

It’s all in what they don’t say rather then say!

This final scene is gripping. It really brings to your attention the narrow margins of competition and winning, sport and sportspeople.

But what am I talking about? I loved the film because late 60s Robert Redford is in it! And his wardrobe in the film is ice cold (skiing? Ice cold?!) I want this jacket now.

He looked amazing in nearly every scene. It was hard to watch the film and not be distracted by his sheepskin coat or trendy turtlenecks or how he did his hair so my own can look like it (pomade??).

Plus, I think if I try and dress like him, I’ll be certain to end up with sexy foreign women like the one he’s with in the film.

It’s the denim & denim conundrum again! It has to be that the combo only looked good in 1969.

Fashion Look Book: Key Inspirations for Autumn/Fall 09

Well people, autumn is well and truly here. And while I might be a little late, I’ve been looking around the stores & boutiques looking for some inspiration for to get my fashion right for the season. Topman was exciting- the new giant disco ball on the new floor upstairs really caught my eye. Too bad the clothes there were pretty boring. There was little there that caught my eye elsewheres also. Where will I find my inspiration??

Tavi’s Style Rookie blog really gave me some help- she knew more about dressing like a boy when you’re 13 then I ever did. I feel though that the discerning fashion man will have to turn back the clock to identify just what the hell we’re supposed to be wearing.

So, put on Sniffin’ the Tears “Driver’s Seat” from all the way back in 1978 and come back in time with me…

—

To me, the key inspiration I feel this season will be Bobby Dupea in “Five Easy Pieces”. I love his whole “oil driller by day, angry/frustrated alpha male by night” style. It is something I am going to channel.

It’s rugged AND fashionable.

-

As any Dad will tell you, the teaming of denim with denim is a tough look to pull off. But it’s more about how you wear rather then what you wear. “Make it work!”

-

Gorgeous fitted sweater right there. It says “I want to be comfortable, but I want to be stylish”.

-

Nihilist outlook on life optional.

-

A fun, floral western shirt keeps things interesting, as well as attracting the eye of your brother’s fiance.

I feel, finally now, like I have a direction to go in this season. I hope you will now too.

I have been raising some important issues on YouTube’s ELEVEN part serialisation of the film “Innerspace” This part being 5 of the 11.

[YouTube]

Interesting fact: watching “Annie Hall” on Youtube in 10 parts made it a lot more bearable. But not “Manhattan”, though

Pizza Restaurant, opening soon

So, I’m opening a pizza place. A bit like an alcoholic opening a cocktail bar- you’re eating the profits!- but hey. Sloganwise, it’ll be something along the lines of:

“Where a 4-cheese is a regular”

It’s “We Try Harder” all over again, right? A lot of cheese on our pizzas is going to be the business plan.

Blogged Up

I wonder what percentage of blogposts in the world are about why the blogger hasn’t been posting as much lately? A good blog worth following I guess never does that type of post because they’re always posting… so guess what I’m doing now! September was a slow month I admit- something of a nadir period- but the tailend of the year promises to look more interesting. Maybe. I guess you could have called it a Schlep-tember?

So in that respect, the way I’m seeing things is that we’ll have a Shock-tober, then probably a Slow-vember and then a Wish-I-was-dead-cember.

Now that’s magic

Ali Bongo is the new president of Gabon?

(the same Gabon you’ll of course know that’s tipped to become “Africa’s answer to Costa Rica”, at least touristically)

Hey- you’d be this smug too if you could play a concerto on a guitar AND on a synth

I think about his smug-looking chops in this video more then I should. A constant source of amusement.

—-

FRANKENSTRAT! “IT”S ALIVE”!

—-

There isn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t want these hands on their body

—-

I worked out that statistically, 78% of this video is hair. Funny how that the threat of CFCs (i.e. hairspray) declined along with the popularity of Halen.

List-o-mania: FIVE ACTORS IN THE TV SHOW ‘GOSSIP GIRL’ WHOSE NAMES COULD EASILY BE CHARACTERS IN A WESTERN

1) Blake Lively

2) Leighton Meester

3) Penn Badgely

4) Chase Crawford

5) Ed Westwick