Category: Just for Fun

NYT: Best Films of the 21st Century

EmmaLeave a comment

To I.D. the definitive films of the 21st C, NYT polled 500+ of the world’s most influential directors, actors, and critics. Each was asked to name the 10 best movies released since JAN 1st, 2000. Their votes were compiled to create a ranked list of the 100 films. (The ones I have seen are in bold.)

1. Parasite (Bong Joon Ho)
2. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4. In the Mood For Love (Wong Kar Wai)
5. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
6. No Country For Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen)
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)
8. Get Out (Jordan Peele)
9. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki)
10. The Social Network (David Fincher)

11. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)
12. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)
13. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron)
14. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
15. City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
16. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee)
17. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee)
18. Y Tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron)
19. Zodiac (David Fincher)
20. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)


21. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)
22. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
23. Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
24. Her (Spike Jonze)
25. Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson)
26. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)
27. Adaptation (Spike Jonze)
28. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
29. Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)
30. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola)


31. The Departed (Martin Scorsese)
32. Bridesmaids (Paul Feig)
33. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
34. WALL-E Andrew Stanton)
35. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard)
36. A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen)
37. Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)
38. Portrait of A Lady on Fire (Celine Sciamma)
39. Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)
40. Yi Yi (Edward Yang)


41. Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
42. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson)
43. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook)
44. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)
45. Moneyball (Bennett Miller)
46. ROMA (Alfonso Cuaron)
47. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe)
48. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck)
49. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater)
50. Up! (Pete Docter)


51. 12 Years A Slave (Steve McQueen)
52. The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos)
53. Borat (Larry Charles)
54. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro)
55. Inception (Christopher Nolan)
56. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)
57. Best in Show (Christopher Guest)
58. Uncut Gems (Josh and Benny Safdie)
59. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)
60. Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)


61. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Quentin Tarantino)
62. Memento (Christopher Nolan)
63. Little Miss Sunshine (Dayton & Faris)
64. Gone Girl (David Fincher)
65. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)
66. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy)
67. TAR (Todd Field)
68. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
69. Under The Skin (Jonathan Glazer)
70. Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson)


71. Ocean’s Eleven (Steven Soderbergh)
72. Carol (Todd Haynes)
73. Ratatouille (Brad Bird)
74. The Florida Project (Sean Baker)
75. Amour (Michael Haneke)
76. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel & Ethan Coen)
77. Everything Everywhere All At Once (The Daniels)
78. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
79. Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)


80. Volver (Pedro Almodovar)
81. Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky)
82. The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer)
83. Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel & Ethan Coen)
84. Melancholia (Lars Von Trier)
85. Anchorman (Adam McKay)
86. Past Lives (Celine Song)
87. The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
88. The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda)
89. Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)
90. Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach)


91. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold)
92. Gladiator (Ridley Scott)
93. Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
94. Minority Report (Steven Spielberg)
95. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
96. Black Panther (Ryan Coogler)
97. Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron)
98. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog)
99. Memories of A Murder (Bong Joon-ho)
100. Superbad (Greg Motolla)

Sephora Spring 2021 VIB Sale (4/9-4/19) Recommendations

EmmaLeave a comment

Skincare

Fresh Kombucha Antioxidant Facial Treatment Essence: A great toner for ALL skin types (I’m combo to oily- FYI). Get mini size to try, or see if part of a skin set (good value). This brand is ONLY at Sephora, not at ULTA (where I mostly shop).

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum: I already like it, though have ONLY been using it for the past 3 mos. I (luckily) found it over at my local TJ Maxx. I’m NOT so knowledgeable re: serums, BUT this works on me!

Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40PA+++: Having grown up under the desert sun of AZ, I take sunscreen very seriously! This is a great choice, esp. for those of you who have tan to deep skin tones (leaves no white cast) and/or need a natural-looking sunscreen under makeup.

Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector Broad Spectrum Face Sunscreen SPF 42: Another great SPF choice, if you’re seeking something non-greasy and natural.

Fresh Sugar Lip Polish Exfoliator: I’ve used this 2-3x in the past- need to get one soon. My lips are just in bad shape!

Makeup

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation: I almost couldn’t believe that I used up the bottle in early 2020; I rarely finish my foundations! (FYI: My shade is 300). This MAY be a bit too thick/full-coverage for some, if you’re in hot/humid weather this Summer.

Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick: These were recently on sale (Sephora and on the brand’s site). I’m all stocked up for myself and gifting! Here are the best colors for those w/ tan skin tones: Spanked (my everyday color), Thicc, Ma’Damn (red), S1ngle (nude), and Freckled Fiesta (terracotta- great for Fall).

Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer: If I didn’t have a stack of new lip glosses, I’d get this product again- LOL! I used the original color (Fenty Glow) in 2019; the brownish color (Hot Chocolit) looks fab for tan skin tones.

Sephora (Fall 2019) VIB Sale Recommendations

EmmaLeave a comment

Top 5 Products I’ve Tried (& LOVED):

  1. Tatcha The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder (for gentle/daily exfoliation, or try a kit w/ a selection of products in smaller sizes)
  2. Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter (great for Winter or those of you w/ dry skin all year round)
  3. Supergoop SPF 40 Unseen Sunscreen (current sunblock; won’t leave white cast on tan or deep skin tones; great under makeup)
  4. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (a must for nights, incl. in Winter)
  5. Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Fenty Glow (a current fave)

Products I’m MOST Interested in Buying:

  1. Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel (tried before; great reviews from those of all skin types)
  2. Fresh Evergreen Routine Gift Set (b/c love this brand)
  3. Farmacy Honey Butter Beeswax Lip Balm (b/c just always into lip balms, starting from my “low maintenance” years)
  4. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Primer (great reviews; tested the product before)
  5. Makeup Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation (Y355 is my shade; recently tested product)

Oscars 2019: Predictions

Emma1 Comment

Best Picture

The Favourite

Actor in a Leading Role

Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody

Actress in a Leading Role

Olivia Colman, The Favourite

Actress in a Supporting Role

Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk

Actor in a Supporting Role

Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Directing

Roma, Alfonso Cuarón

Adapted Screenplay

BlacKkKlansman, Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Spike Lee

Original Screenplay

The Favourite, Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara

Foreign Language Film

Roma, Mexico

Original Score

If Beale Street Could Talk

Original Song

“Shallow,” A Star Is Born

Cinematography

Roma, Alfonso Cuarón

Production Design

The Favourite

Sound Mixing

Bohemian Rhapsody

Costume Design

Black Panther

Film Editing

BlacKkKlansman

Sound Editing

A Quiet Place

Makeup and Hairstyling

Vice

Need a Laugh? (Netflix Comedy Specials)

Emma1 Comment

The Standups

S1: Fortune Feimster 

If you’re seen Chelsea Lately, you MAY have come across this unique comedian (Southern-raised, tall/plus-size, & lesbian). Feimster (who has MANY years as a stand-up_ parodied WH Press Sec. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on several eps of Chelsea Handler’s (Netflix) talk show. She has a V strong stage presence, her life stories are fresh (yet also east to relate to), and her delivery is confident. 

S2: Gina Yashere & Aparna Nancherla

Yashere (though now living w/ her partner in Brooklyn) is a proud British-Nigerian immigrant woman; she worked for MANY yrs as an engineer before becoming an actress/comedian. You may have seen her on some eps of Comedy Central’s At Midnight. “Hollywood didn’t know what to do w/ me,” the comic (now in her mid-40s) says at the opening of this V funny/smart set. FYI: Yashere lived in LA for a time several yrs ago; this could be seen as a comeback for her career. Her delivery is V strong and confident; she knows who she is and doesn’t pretend to be otherwise (which is probably why mainstream/Hollywood comedies wouldn’t suit). I think this comedian is TOO good for MOST of the roles out there for black women; Yashere knows it, too. On the stage, she is a MUST-SEE; maybe I can see her live one day! 

Nancherla MAY be familiar to some Gen X/Y-ers in the DMV area; she grew up in NoVA and started her career at open mics in DC (incl. SubDrift- I’ve been going in the last 3 yrs or so). I haven’t seen her in person, though have several acquaintances and pals who have; they are V proud of her success. Nancherla (who is in her mid-30s, BUT looks younger) might be best known as the ramen blogger on S2 of Master of None; she also wrote (along w/ Hari Kondabolu) for the TBS show Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. Nancherla’s style and delivery are unique; she calls herself an introvert, awkward, and anxious. In the the last section of her routine, she utilizes PowerPoint (it’s V funny though). Unlike Kondabolu, her Indian heritage is NOT part of her comedy; this could be seen as a plus to some, a minus to others. Her comedy is V smart and unexpected, at times, making her a must-see!  

The Comedy Lineup

Ep. 1: Michelle Buteau

I’ve heard some (hilarious) interviews w/ Buteau on several podcasts over the last 2 yrs. She recently turned 40 and talks re: aging, relationships, and many universal topics. Some of the humor comes from her marriage to a Swedish (white) man, who sometimes doesn’t get the nuances of (black) American life. 

Ep. 5: Phil Wang

I’d NEVER heard of this 25 y.o. British-Chinese comedian before, BUT was V impressed by his routine! The big glasses are NOT for show- this guy is quite smart, observant, and socially aware.  I esp. liked his quick, self-deprecating delivery. An outsider in many nations, he uses a BIT of Mandarin (to poke fun at himself). Wang’s British (white) anthropologist mother traveled for work to Indonesia, where she learned that life could be a BIT rough. She decided to learn martial arts; her teacher was Chinese (Wang’s father). 

Ep. 6: Sabrina Jalees 

I’ve been following this Pakistani-Canadian actress/comedian for several yrs on social media (Twitter & YouTube). She is settled in NYC w/ her partner and their young baby (who she talks about in this routine). After she came out, Jalees was ostracized by some relatives on her Pakistani father’s side; however, things mended quickly (b/c they missed having her in the family). She is more confident, bold, and sure in her comedy (than what I recall from before). I hope to see more of her in the future; I think she has a LOT of potential. Jalees (who is in her early 30s) also dances and writes, aside from stand-up.