Christmas store now open!

In solidarity with Dr. Sanity's material spirituality, I opened a Christmas store, where I include several items I've received as gifts, and other items readers will like.

Among the books I listed Janson's History of Art, THE artbook of all times. For little kids, the Olivia books and George and Martha are sure to get the grown-ups chuckling even after repeat readings.

I included Risk among the low-tech toys so your thundering hordes can invade Kamchatka. Princeton toy stores do not carry Risk. Instead, the carry the premier jeu des échecs du bébé ("baby's first chess game", oui! in French! So your offspring can get a head start on snobbery!) - I kid you not.

I also included two items I'd love to get:
1. the DVD of The Illusionist, which will be coming out soon (catch it at the movies now if you can)
and 2. Paloma Picasso Mon Rouge Lipstick in the right red. The lipstick is no longer manufactured and I've had to settle for Revlon's Cherries in the Snow, but it's still available at Amazon. I ordered two for myself.

The're also the Casino Royale watch, too.

Happy shopping!

A Philippe Noiret movie festival

French actor Philippe Noiret dies aged 76

While most people outside Europe won't recognize the name, Philippe Noiret was a wonderful actor, and even if they don't remember his name they might remember his performance as Alfredo the movie projectionist in Cinema Paradiso.

I cry at movies. My second-favorite movie is a real tearjerker and I've watched it repeatedly, which causes other family members to ask why do I torment myself - it's not a pretty sight (no one looks good crying, unless they're in a movie).

I saw Cinema Paradiso when it first came out in 1988 with my friend G.

G. really got crying early on in the film. I remained cool, with the sad story about Salvatore the poor little kid and the kindly Alfredo rolling right along, until the part where Alfredo projects the movie on the walls by the town square. That really caught my attention. The scene where Salvatore puts together all the censored love scenes that Alfredo had saved got me into a torrent of tears - to this day my eyes water if I hear the love theme music that played during that scene.

Of course this was cause for much hilarity from my friend's then-teenage son, who had come with us to what his father referred to as "those weird foreign movies G. and Fausta are so fond of" because his game got rained out.

Noiret was also known in the USA for his part as Pablo Neruda in The Postman (a.k.a. Il Postino, NOT to be confused with the Kevin Costner yawner).

Noiret was just fabulous in that he never acted, he did.
Here are a few of his fims, which are also available from Netflix.




A Beautiful Actor

(technorati tags Philippe Noiret movies film)
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Top 10 Books Liberals Would Like to Burn

Via Huber, Top 10 Books Liberals Would Like to Burn:

Fifty fabulous films

I saw this advertised at the TMC channel:

Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films
These are the films, and among them is my most favorite film of all time (which I don't own):
ALEXANDER NEVSKY (1938)
ASHES AND DIAMONDS (1958)
L'AVVENTURA (1960)
BALLAD OF A SOLDIER (1959)
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1946)
BLACK ORPHEUS (1959)
BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945)
THE FALLEN IDOL (1948)
FIRES ON THE PLAIN (1959)
FISTS IN THE POCKET (1965)
FLOATING WEEDS (1959)
FORBIDDEN GAMES (1952)
THE 400 BLOWS (1959)
GRAND ILLUSION (1937)
HÄXAN (1922)
IKIRU (1952)
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (1952)
IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART II (1958)
LE JOUR SE LÈVE (1939)
JULES AND JIM (1962)
KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (1949)
KNIFE IN THE WATER (1962)
THE LADY VANISHES (1938)
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (1943)
LOVES OF A BLONDE (1965)
M (1931)
M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY (1953)
MISS JULIE (1951)
PANDORA'S BOX (1929)
PÉPÉ LE MOKO (1937)
IL POSTO (1961)
PYGMALION (1938)
RASHOMON (1950) RICHARD III (1955)
THE RULES OF THE GAME (1939)
SEVEN SAMURAI (1954)
THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957)
THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (1973)
LA STRADA (1954)
SUMMERTIME (1955)
THE THIRD MAN (1949)
THE 39 STEPS (1935)
UGETSU (1953)
UMBERTO D. (1952)
THE VIRGIN SPRING (1960)
VIRIDIANA (1961)
THE WAGES OF FEAR (1953)
THE WHITE SHEIK (1952)
WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957)
THREE DOCUMENTARIES BY SAUL J. TURELL
It includes the films and a hardcover book with essays on each.

Fantastic!

(technorati tags film Movies Entertainment DVD)

Cowboy boots and Irish scarves

Cowboy boots and Irish scarves have nothing in common, except for craftsmanship. Usually when one hears about classic fashion items one pictures grandma in her cashmere twin set and pearls, but the two items below aren't just for grandma.

Last year I bought myself a pair of black Lucchese boots. Lucchese is made in Texas, and is the classic cowboy boot. Their products are beautifully handcrafted and offer excellent value, since the craftsmaship is comparable to much pricier footwear.

I've worn my boots several times a week when the weather's cool enough. They are very comfortable - comfortable enough for walking around all day, offer great arch support, are fully lined in leather, and are sturdy enough to toil though rain and mud (they are not waterproof, though). They look great with trousers and jeans. While they're not the fad now, they still look stylish with casual and semi-casual clothes. I don't wear these boots with skirts since I prefer to avoid the square-dance look, but they could be worn with skirts.

If you have the opportunity before you order them, try the ones you like at a store. I have narrow ankles and mine fit perfectly.

While I'm providing the link to the Amazon associates item, if you're going to purchase a pair of Lucchese, make sure to do a Froogle search. You'll probably find the ones you like at a discounted price.

Not available through Amazon, but available locally in Princeton, are the Patrick Francis scarves at Landau's (800) 257-9445.
They are made in Ireland of 50% silk and 50% cashmere, lightweight while very warm, and beautiful.

The craftsmanship is superb and can only be best appreciated in person - much silkier and softer than pashmina, with hand-knotted fringe, the scarves caress your neck.

All the scarves have Celtic-knot jacquard patterns that are subtle yet elegant. Click on the photo for a better look.

One word describes these scarves: exquisite.

The scarves are priced in the $60-$70 range, and need dry-cleaning. With that in mind, they'd be the perfect gift for a lucky lady.