The Twisted World of Liz Wolfe

This week I was able to view some of the work of photographer Liz Wolfe.  I’ve deiced I’m a fan of her work because it is so unique. At first glance you would say “Oh that’s nice” or “That’s pretty”, but her work always requires a second look. Closer inspection. Wolfe’s work is one of a kind, colorful,bold, and yes, sometimes morbid. But in each of her pieces I sense a definite humor. Like Wolfe herself is giving you a wink and letting you in on the joke.

I think this quote describes Wolfe’s work perfectly.

Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.
Pablo Picasso  

Look  Closely. That's Meat!

Canadian born Liz Wolfie grew up in Saskatchewan and studied photography at Ryerson University's School of Image Arts in Toronto. In 2009, she exhibited her work at the Architecture + Design Museum (Los Angeles), the Gladstone Hotel (Toronto) and Project Basho Gallery (Philadelphia). Liz currently lives in Toronto. She has a little four year old boy, which makes her even cooler in my book. Go mama!

All images copyright (c) Liz Wolfe. Visit LizWolfe.com for more amazing images.

Movie Monday

Opening This Week May 31 

After Earth
Now You See Me
The East (Limited)
The Kings of Summer (Limited)
Shadow Dancer (Limited)

New Trailers

The World’s End

We’re The Millers

Anchorman 2

Deliveryman

Video:  Hitch

"Can't Repeat the Past? Why, of Course You Cannes!" Why F. Scott Fitzgerald Fans Should Love Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby"

In 1926, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his family were in France, spending most of their time on the Riviera where Baz Luhrmann's movie of The Great Gatsby will open the Cannes Film Festival tonight. From far away, Fitzgerald followed closely the stage adaptation of Gatsby that Owen Davis was preparing for Broadway's Ambassador Theatre. Davis had won a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1923 for Icebound, but didn't even come close for his Gatsbydramatization.

Compared to the novel, the play's terrible -- how can you like a version of Gatsby absent the Valley of Ashes, and in which George Wilson is the Buchanans' chauffeur? However, the play did get good reviews for James Rennie's performance as Gatsby. Rennie, a Canadian-born actor, is still best known as Dorothy Gish's husband, and remembered for smaller roles like Frank MacIntyre in Now, Voyager. He should be famous for being the first Gatsby. The New Yorker termed the play excellent and attractive, with Gatsby's death as the most intense dramatic moment then on Broadway. Rennie was shot onstage in front of his Daisy, Florence Eldredge, and told a newspaper interviewer that it was his own choice to walk toward Daisy as he was dying, smiling because her face was the last thing he'd ever see -- exactly as Gatsby would want it. Keep reading here. 

Tom Cruise Exits 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' Due to 'Mission: Impossible 5'

Just one month after Armie Hammer entered talks to join Tom Cruise in Warner Bros. adaptation of the 1960s TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with director Guy Ritchie at the helm, the production will be looking for a new leading man yet again. Deadline has word that Cruise has chosen to depart the film due to timing issues with his producing and starring in Mission: Impossible 5, which he hopes to shoot before the end of the year for Paramount Pictures. Honestly, despite the differences in the premises, story and style of the two TV series adaptations, the projects seemed a little too similar for Cruise to star in both. Keep Reading. 

Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Chastain & More Up for 'Rodham' Biopic

Just last month we learned The Spectacular Now and Smashed director James Ponsoldt was attached to direct Rodham, a film about politician Hillary Rodham Clinton's early years during the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. The script comes from  Young Il Kim, made the 2012 Black List and is now in development Temple Hill Entertainment. Producers intended to get an actress attached as the lead before getting support from studios and independent financiers, and now some names have surfaced for the lead including Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon and Amanda Seyfried. Click here to keep reading.

 New Dark Elf Photos in 'Thor: The Dark World' + Official Site Launch

Now we can finally get a look at the Dark Elves! After set photos a few months ago revealed fully-costumed Dark Elves, official photos have finally appeared in the latest issue of Empire magazine. There are two clear shots scanned online that show the elves, including Christopher Eccleston as their leader Malekith. The first teaser trailer was debuted a few weeks ago and barely had any glimpse of these guys at all. In addition to this debut, the official Marvel website for Thor: The Dark World has launched, and includes a few nice shots of Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, plus Anthony Hopkins as Odin.

These shots come from the latest Empire magazine issue, Click here for more pictures.

25 on the 25th

Well it happened again. Those pesky birthdays come around every year whether you like them to or not. And despite feeling like I’m getting really, really old, I had a really nice weekend.

The birthday started out with an early morning workout.

I then was able to go and get my eyebrows waxed. Yay!

Then my mom and I went shopping. I got some new jeans, a couple of shirts, and some shoes.

I am still on the lookout for some maxi skirts. I found a cute one at Target. If any of you have any suggestions of what stores to check out, please let me know. 

And I still might go buy these shoes. 

I also got some gift cards. I know exactly what music I’m getting from Itunes. The Amazon card is from my brother to help me buy an external storage device for my movies.

I wrapped up the day by watching a movie with my mom. She wanted something fun that she’d never seen before. So we decided on Raising Helen.

Sunday, my cousins had a birthday party/dinner for me, which turned out awesome. My uncle barbecued delicious hamburgers. We had regular fixings like onions, tomatoes, mustard, ketchup, but we also had guacamole and pineapple to put on our burgers. How fancy is that. My mom made her famous potato salad, and we had yummy spinach salad with strawberries, cinnamon pecans, and chicken that my sister brought. Afterwards we got to play games which got a little tense and competitive but turned out to be a lot of fun. Nothing was said that a nice apology couldn’t take care of.

Guilty Pleasures

Here are some things that I have loved the past few months but could be considered guilty pleasures.  These are enjoyable so go ahead and indulge my friends.

Vampire Diaries

This series might be silly and might have an endless number of ideas of how to bring characters back to life or to keep them from dying in the first place. The whole premise sounds ridiculous, but who cares when you get to look at these handsome guys.

Sweet Tooth Fairy

Cupcakes-need I say more

Smash

This series might not appeal to everybody, but the music is great and the cast is full of talent. I’m actually going to be sad as the series ends down this Saturday.

Music from Glee

This series has lost a little steam but it is still entertaining. I’m always willing to listen to a boy-band mashup of “Bye Bye Bye” and “I want it that Way.

Geico’s “Happier Than” Campaign

These guys playing guitar and mandolin always make me smile. Who didn’t enjoy this one with Dikembe Mutombo.

Psych

Whether you think its childish or hilarious “I’ve heard it both Ways”.

Magazines

Yes I have three weekly that I read religiously. It’s a little sad.

One Direction Documentary

I know it’s coming out until August but tell me watching the trailer doesn’t make you a tiny bit excited.

 Gone Girl

This book has really surprised me. It a little racy but one of the best and most exciting plots I have read in a long time. 

The New Bachelorette.

Who else is going to be watching on Monday?

Into the Woods

I had a major dorky freak out this week. I am talking about a jump up down, run around, and scream at the top of my lungs type freak out. A few of the characters has been cast for the Disney adaption of Into the Woods. Based on the 1987 Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim, the movie centers on a childless baker and his wife who go on the hunt for a witch that put a curse on their family. During their trip they run into many of the most famous fairy tale characters of all time, including Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. 

The movie musical that puts a twisted spin on famous fairy tales has already signed Meryl Streep to play its evil witch, and Depp to play its big bad wolf. And it looks like they could soon be joined by two of Hollywood's hottest leading men. Jake Gyllenhall and Chris Pine.

According to the report, the two actors have done a chemistry test for director Rob Marshall who is currently prepping an adaptation for Disney. During the test the two also sang together. Those who aren’t aware of the roles, Gyllenhaal and Pine are set to play two egotistical and pompous princes who romance Cinderella and Rapunzel. Compared to early sign-ons Meryl Streep, who will play the Witch, and Johnny Depp as the wolf, they aren’t huge roles, but if played right they could steal the whole film. Pine is set to play Rapunzel’s Prince, while Gyllenhaal will play Cinderella’s Prince.

One of the high points of the show is the duet between the brothers-seen here. The song is called Agony. 

The question is can they sing. Check these videos out.

Chris Pine singing in a 2010 movie Small Town Saturday Night

Jake Gyllenhall singing on Saturday Night Live

 It was also announced this week that Emily Blunt is in talks to play the Baker’s Wife. This is the only video I could find of her singing. 

Sunday Social 50

1. What is your favorite kind of surprise?

I love pretty much any type of small surprise. I love surprises that are completely unexpected. Birthdays and Christmas time are nice but you naturally expect gift or surprise of some sort. Surprises that come out of the blue for no reason are the best. It tells you someone was thinking about you.

2. Flowers or chocolate?

Flowers are pretty but they only live for about a week. I’d pick chocolate.

Chocolate could come in so many different ways.

3. What is your favorite summertime activity?

I love swimming, barbecues, and reading outside in the sunshine, but my favorite summertime activity is going to concerts. Usually during the summertime there are always fun outdoor concerts. I get to go see Taylor Swift in about 2 weeks. I am excited.

4. Do you have any vacations planned this summer?

I am going to Colorado with my family in June for our 2^nd annual Refunion.

I get to go to Hawaii in August for the first time.

5. Favorite summer holiday?

I would say 4^th of July. It’s the epitome of a fun summer day. It’s fun to get together with family, barbecue, and enjoy the sunshine. In Utah we have a program called the Sadium of Fire. They put on a concert with big names like Brad Paisley or Kelly Clarkson, and have an amazing fireworks show afterwards.

6. What is your dream vacation?

New York, New York.

Catch a Broadway show (or several), see the statue of liberty, take in a museum, eat fancy food, go shopping. There would be so much to do.  

I would also love to go to London or Paris. 

Humor me

This past week I got into an argument with my brother. My brother is very much an academic personality. He wants to analyze, reason, and explain everything around him. This includes figuring out why certain things make him laugh. He was convinced that all humor could be saddled into four categories. I don't remember what those categories were precisely but I politely told my brother that he really should stop thinking so hard about something that doesn’t matter. Just sit back and have a laugh. Who cares why something is funny if it makes you smile.

I’m a firm believer in the old saying that if you have to explain a joke, the joke isn’t funny anymore. Even E.B White once said that "analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies in the end."

The risk of frog-killing notwithstanding, a growing number of academics have dedicated their research to pinpointing exactly what makes something funny? Their theories are, well, quite serious. Some assert that humor is psychologically driven by the people around us. Charles Darwin himself suggested that humor is a crucial social cohesive, one of the primal forces that has bound tribes together throughout evolution 

Another explanation for finding things funny comes in the form of the incongruity theory, the idea that we laugh when we're surprised. Other reasons for humor include the so-called "superiority theory," which claims that we laugh in the face of other people's misfortune as well as the relief theory, which asserts that "funny' is derived from fear. One study deliberately startled test subjects with a convincing fake rat, eliciting a lot of relieved laughter.

Finally, a recent idea called the "benign violation theory" hypothesizes that we laugh when we're harmlessly violated. This could mean anything from tickling -- which most people hate but still laugh at -- to vulgar stereotype-based humor.

Ultimately, we may not know the exact reason for what makes something funny, but one thing we do know is that it's innate. After all, people born deaf and blind are able to laugh without having ever seen or heard it done. So whatever our internal motivation to laugh, it's probably best not to over-think it -- just sit back, grin and enjoy it.

Here are some things I think are funny.

1) Funny Videos on this Post

2) 

3)

4) 

Read more comics here. 

Movie Much

Opening This Week

May 16 (Thursday)

Star Trek Into Darkness (in IMAX/3D)

May 17 (Friday)

Black Rock (Limited)
The English Teacher (Limited)

New Trailers

The Butler

As I LayDying

CaptainPhillip

Gravity

Baggage Claim

 Video: Star Trek

10 Reasons We Love Benedict Cumberbatch

Author: Kristy Puchko  | published: 2013-05-14 09:55:37 2 Comments

With J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness, English actor Benedict Cumberbatch is poised to become an international star. And most of us at Cinema Blend couldn't be happier about it, as we've been on Team Cumberbatch for years. (There are dissenters, but more on that later.) But in case you aren't yet on our team or maybe don't get what all this buzz about the man with the very British name is all about, we've decided to break it down for you with ten reasons we can't get enough of Benedict Cumberbatch, complete with video guide. 

We're including some spoilers from Cumberbatch's other films, but don't worry, none for Star Trek Into Darkness. Also, a special thanks to Paul Jeremiah Hayes, who kindly pointed us to many of the clips below. 

#1:Sherlock.

Why Hasn’t Leonardo DiCaprio Won an Oscar Yet?

There are two types of true movie stars: One whose face a studio can slap on a poster and make bank, regardless of quality, and one whose raw talent has every director in town clamoring to work with them. After that first nomination, a few test runs with notable names (Sam Raimi in The Quick and the Dead, Baz Luhrmann in Romeo + Juliet) and a star turn in Titanic, Dicaprio became both

Keep Reading this article here. 

First Look: 1970s Wolverine & Beast in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'

We've already seen a first look at Halle Berry suited back up as Storm in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but director Bryan Singer keeps giving us some tidbits of scenes being shot on the set of the prequel sequel. This time Singer has delivered a behind the scenes look at Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult) in their 1973 wardrobe in the underground hallways of Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted. They should look familiar to fans of the original X-Men trilogy. Personally, I'm wondering why Beast isn't in his blue furry form. Has he figured out how to keep that anomaly he created in the first film at bay? Read more. 

Johnny Depp And Meryl Streep's Into The Woods Adds Tony-Winning Star 

if you haven’t been out to the theater recently, you’ll probably know Corden best from his hilarious BAFTA-winning performance as Smithy in the British comedy Gavin and Stacey, which he co-created with co-star Ruth Jones. He also starred in both the theater and theatrical versions of The History Boys. Keep Reading here. 

True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld Hunts For Vengeance With Sam Worthington In For The Dogs 

In For the Dogs, the young actress will play a teen orphaned after her parents were murdered. She seeks the assistance of an assassin (Worthington) to avenge their deaths, and while the lone assassin is looking for peace and an exit from the tension-filled lifestyle, the girl’s bloodthirst develops, complicating matters quite a bit. Read more. 

Mother's Day Weekend.

 My sister Lindsay, my mom, and I all went out to dinner Friday to celebrate Mother’s Day a little early. This was Lindsay’s idea so she picked this restaurant she really wanted us to try called Café Suprnatural.

This is an excerpt from the website.

Cafe Supernatural provides quick cuisine using as much local and organically grown ingredients as possible. Located in the heart of Salt Lake City with Prana Yoga Trolley Square, our efforts are to sustain optimal health for the individual. With a 100% plant-based and 100% gluten-free menu,

So Yes, it is vegetarian. The food was tasty and our plates were pretty and colorful. 

Lindsay and I both got this dish called Manchu Pichu. It is Quinoa with carrots, cauliflower, greens, other vegetables, and yes, those are flower petals being used as a garnish.  

 Mom’s Salad

Yummy Smoothie called the Love Bomb.

Saturday I went to my niece Isabel’s piano recital. All of the songs were played by an ensemble of 8 pianos. They started everything with a mini parade. The student's threw candy and everything.  

 It was fun. Lindsay got to play along with Isabel. Notice the smile on Isabel’s face in the pictures. It’s cute.

Sunday I made my mom dinner for Mother’s day. I made this great Irish beef stew. I got the recipe from the slender kitchen website. You can look at the recipe here.

 I had to get a little creative. I didn’t use parsnips at all and I put in a little A1 Sauce instead of Worcestershire Sauce. Don’t judge. It actually turned out great.  

For 2 special Mother's Day messages click 
Here or visit my facebook page. 

Ciao