Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig in "Nights and Weekends".
"Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig, the costars, cowriters, and codirectors of “Nights and Weekends”, spend a good part of their film naked. At the film’s outset, while in a long-distance relationship, James and Mattie enter the former’s Chicago apartment and promptly make love on the floor; toward the end of the film, after a year and an off-screen break-up, they fleetingly try something similar in a hotel in New York. In between, the film often pauses to ponder the many levels of these characters’ self-exposure: showering, sitting on the can, dressing and undressing themselves and each other, critically scrutinizing themselves in mirrors and photographs.
Shot in an unflatteringly fleshy digital video, “Nights and Weekends” is often uncomfortably close, an inquest into (or even postmortem of) the life of a couple. But, as Mattie at one point quips, “A couple of what?” Even in their days of romance, small squabbles and controlling tendencies inevitably arise. At their most intimate—eating together, practicing trust falls, and engaging in frank conversations about their past love-lives or whether either has said “I love you” and not fully meant it—there is always an undercurrent of uncertainty, as if the emotional nakedness that one demands of the other requires a minute-to-minute anticipation of each person’s needs.What if this love ends? How will each remember the other in years to come when they’re busy having children with other people? “Do you ever think about that?” Mattie asks a taciturn James. “What’s going to be your sound bite for the next person?” It is a question that anticipates both the end of their current relationship and how it will be perceived, rationalized, and remembered—an acknowledgement that, in some sense, the nature of their bond has already passed into that of a performance or ritual, no longer a spontaneous “present us” so much as a lost and eulogized “past us”.Gerwig’s gutsy, expressive performance really comes to the fore in this latter part of the film. Swanberg’s James, on the other hand, is aloof, laidback, and slightly manipulative in a somewhat familiar “guy” manner, his own feelings left quite literally in darkness by the end of the film.
Mattie is the more unique and involving character, and her fluctuating emotions always remain just below her unstable public facade. This makes Gerwig’s turn the ideal quarry of a raw style of shooting familiar from many decades of American independent filmmaking, from Cassavetes’ “Shadows” and Peter Emmanuel Goldman’s “Echoes of Silence” to Bujalski’s “Mutual Appreciation” and Cannon/Lerman/Cannon’s “Natural Causes.” But if “Nights and Weekends” distinguishes itself from other films of its kind (and of its admittedly white, urban, yipster demographic), it is because of its surprisingly structured depiction of this relationship and its many private rituals and performances, which the film’s unforgiving style continually strips bare".Source: www.indiewire.com
NEW FILM episode with Joe Swanberg video:
This is an episode of NEW FILM, featuring an interview with Joe Swanberg, director of "Nights and Weekends" and "Alexander the Last".
Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner as Mark and Vanessa Loring in "Juno".
Mark Loring: "Why does everybody think that yellow is gender-neutral? I don't know any guy with a yellow bedroom." Vanessa Loring: "It's for babies. I'm thinking more custard, just with this light. I don't know, maybe I should paint a larger swatch or just try it on a different wall." Mark Loring: "Or you can wait a few more months. Not like the baby's going to come storming in here demanding desert-colored walls."
Bedroom sets: People these days have a penchant to reflect their personality and their unique tastes and preferences in their furniture items, and it is often not easy to find one that can strike the right cord. Spacify is a perfect place that can win your heart with its varied quality furniture products that are perfect blend of style and utility. Whether you are looking to give a face lift to your home décor or just wishing to replace your old sofa with a modern piece, Spacify gives you the ultimate furniture shopping experience as you can select form its various European and Italian design furniture to give the right feel to your home decor. For the convenience of its valued customers, this quality furniture store even gives the pleasure to buy online furniture where one can explore all the options available without devoting much of time and energy.
Dining room furniture: Belle Noir Dining Room Set: A sophisticated onyx finish, and romantic Art Nouveau-inspired patterns visible through subtle differences in surface shine, for a look that is both confident and inviting. Profiles are characterized by voluptuous tapered feet and legs and custom-designed antique pewter hardware.
Kids furniture: Makeover your kid’s old Celeste Kids Bedroom, a modern version of a complete smart-n-functional unit. Platform Bed in cherry finish with Aluminum legs.
Sean Penn and California Senator Mark Leno during a press conference announcing legislation to create a Harvey Milk Day in California March 3, 2009 in San Francisco, California. "Penn, who won the Academy Award for best actor for his portrayal of the first openly gay US politician to win high office in Gus Van Sant's Milk, will appear at a news conference in San Francisco to express his support. California senator Mark Leno is behind the bid to have 22 May recognised as a "day of significance".
State governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the same bill last year, suggesting that Milk should be honoured only in his home city of San Francisco, where the camera shop owner became known as the "Mayor of Castro Street" due to his influence in the city's gay district.
Leno, the first openly gay man to serve in the California senate, believes Penn's Oscar success suggests that Milk's life and work is of interest to people beyond San Francisco and the community he represented. "Given California's fiscal crisis, the bill was written to have no cost to the state, and state workers and school employees would not get the day off from work", he said in a statement. Activist Cleve Jones, who was played by Emile Hirsch in Van Sant's film, will also appear at the conference, as will Milk's nephew Stuart Milk. Harvey Milk himself was assassinated in 1978 by Dan White, a fellow city supervisor who had recently lost his position".Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Jake at Early World restaurant for Lunch with director of "Nailed" David O Russell, in Brentwood, on 5th March, 2009. Pictures courtesy of Iheartjakemedia.com
"When guys tell me that they think Natalie Portman is the hottest girl alive, I secretly jump for joy. I’ve been crushing hard on Natalie Portman for.e.ver, because on top of being a great actress, she also seems like a real person — the type of girl you’d want to be best friends with. Natalie Portman between actor Jason Schwartzman and director Wes Anderson.For starters she’s beautiful and brainy. I mean the girl is a Harvard grad! And brainiacs (OK, nerds) around the globe fell head over heels for her for her role as Padme Amidala in the Star Wars prequels. She continued to be loved by guys everywhere for her role in V for Vendetta. And I’m sure many guys fled to the theatres to see her naked in Hotel Chevalier.
But she isn’t just for the boys. She’s appeared in chick flicks such as Where the Heart Is, Anywhere But Here, The Other Boleyn Girl and Closer. Not to mention everyone’s favorite indie flicks, Garden State and My Blueberry Nights. Her roles have greatly varied, showing that she’s a versatile actress.
And, come on, Natalie Portman is absolutely gorgeous as well. She’s the muse of Zac Posen; guest-judged on Project Runway; posed as Audrey Hepburn on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar; and very few ladies can pull off a shaved head, but Natalie rocked it, along with some super cute boyish hairstyles while her hair grew back.Unlike some other Hollywood starlets, though, my BFF Natalie doesn’t spend her days eating fro-yo and buying expensive handbags. This girl’s a do-gooder. She was named the first Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International. I mean, she visits sick children in the hospital multiple times a week and even designs vegan shoes!
Her taste in men is at times questionable to the outside viewer, but that makes me crush harder. The fact she doesn’t have an apparent “type” is something a lot of us girls can relate to. She’s been linked to Jude Law, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and even Robert Pattinson. So, pretty much a truckload of hot men. Source: www.collegecandy.com
Alexis Bledel as Rosie the Riveter.Lindsay Lohan as Madonna.Elisha Cuthbert as Brandi Chastain. Hayden Panettiere as Amelia Earhart.Emma Stone as Carrie Bradshaw. Source: www.cinematical.com
Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig in "Nights and Weekends".
What if this love ends? How will each remember the other in years to come when they’re busy having children with other people? “Do you ever think about that?” Mattie asks a taciturn James. “What’s going to be your sound bite for the next person?” It is a question that anticipates both the end of their current relationship and how it will be perceived, rationalized, and remembered—an acknowledgement that, in some sense, the nature of their bond has already passed into that of a performance or ritual, no longer a spontaneous “present us” so much as a lost and eulogized “past us”.
Gerwig’s gutsy, expressive performance really comes to the fore in this latter part of the film. Swanberg’s James, on the other hand, is aloof, laidback, and slightly manipulative in a somewhat familiar “guy” manner, his own feelings left quite literally in darkness by the end of the film.
But if “Nights and Weekends” distinguishes itself from other films of its kind (and of its admittedly white, urban, yipster demographic), it is because of its surprisingly structured depiction of this relationship and its many private rituals and performances, which the film’s unforgiving style continually strips bare". Source: www.indiewire.com
