Hi Pop Couturists! I’m Alicia, and I watch movies for a living.

I know, I know, it’s a tough gig…I have to see about five films a week for my reviews on The Morning Show, Triple M, and Filmink Magazine; as well as interview the filmmakers and stars for Movie Network Channels on Foxtel. Yep, all my friends feel real sorry for me when my “hectic” day at work involves watching two movies and chatting to the likes of Elijah Wood!

Anyway I may be a film reviewer, but I’m definitely not one of those black turtleneck wearing serious types, who scoff at box office blockbusters and drink teas with their pinkies thrust skyward. I do enjoy some mindless escapism when I can get it, and I’m not above admitting I have some very embarrassing movies in my DVD collection.

So, here you go… here are five films I shouldn’t love, but secretly do….

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JQ (Just Quickly) Tonight on TV for some reason, there are sappy movies back to back: The Wedding Planner *swoon* and The Wedding Date (hello, Dermot Mulroney singing Air Supply’s All Out of Love Nekkid? I’m there)

Anywho, in this sappy mood, as well as being inspired by a twitter friend reeling over 90s pop songs – this is the ultimate happy ecstatic ‘I’m in love’ song. Plus, nothing says love than the abundance of colour she wears in this clip. Its fun, footloose, and how I envisage I’ll be feeling when that day comes. If I don’t turn into a nanna spinster first!

Originally written for Miss SassiSam’s Blog

What can I say? I love novelty items, and packaging. I can often be found window shopping, chatting and gossiping with the girls about movies and whatnot, but if I walk past a chemist, Priceline store, department store where the makeup counters are – I will stop mid sentence to look at the pretty.

So when a new product like L’Oreal True Match Roll On Foundation comes out, I’m intrigued. I would have a little caution with any applicator that comes with a foundation, or even an eye-shadow kit as these are generally completely disposable and not ideal for the best blended application.

The roll on foundation which I tested in Rose Sand comes with the oh so cute roll on applicator, small and spongy, designed to apply smoothly over the contours of the face. The consistency, and crème-to-powder texture of the foundation does make this application smooth, but I would recommend using it for the initial application to your face. To blend it out evenly use a foundation brush, or duo-fibre brush to blend it in as you would with other liquid foundations.

I wore this on the weekend, and found it perfect for that natural ‘I wake up looking this even-toned every day’ but not wearing any make-up look. Its sheer, light, and doesn’t weigh heavily on the skin, so with a touch of blush its ideal for someone new to makeup, or someone that wants minimal makeup. By wearing possibly a shade darker than I might have been, it gave me an even, warm colour that wasn’t over the top, but it gave me that healthy all over glow.

Definitely recommended, though a handy tip: clean the spongy roll-on regularly so its always sanitary for your delicate facial area.

Sassi Note: I have converted my mother and sister to this foundation as well, we all loved it. It gives a really light and even coverage but a touch heavier than a tinted moisturiser and surprisingly the little roller gets into all our nooks and crannies really easily. I agree with Kimberley’s suggestion on cleaning it regularly.

Tomorrow is the last day at my current job; where I’ve been for the last 3 and a half years.

Moving on to the next job, I’m excited, nervous, mostly nervous but happy to have a fresh start for 2010. But I want to glam up, and make a good strong impression from the get go.

Of course, I am not this stylish and I don’t have this budget, but one day.

Horror Movie Challenge #1 - POLTERGEIST

The beauty about the horror movie challenge is that there are different types of horror – different levels of ‘horror’, and thus I wanted to start off with a classic ghostly movie, as opposed to a gory, shlock horror from the 70s. Heck, as soon as I saw the cover of Suspiria (1977) I backed away slowly and said I’d come back to that. Maybe. It may later be crossed off the list actually. Accidentally of course. I’ll pretend not to have seen it.

So, I started off with Poltergeist which I was told would be a ‘gentle’ start but it actually was a movie which once I told friends about the choice; they would gasp and recall their reaction when they first saw it – in the early 80s once released, or when they were old enough to actually watch a horror film. Old enough, or sneaky enough. So I was quite curious to see if it would be as scary for me – seeing it as an adult, as opposed to seeing it during my childhood.

The memory I have of being terrified as a child came while viewing the full video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller clip. That terrified me. (The whiskers!)

The only thing I knew about Poltergeist was the oh-so-cute she’s scary little girl with the extremely bright blue eyes, staring into a staticky screen and creepily uttering ‘they’re heeeeere’. So effectively, I went in completely blind.

It brings you in to the strangeness straight away, or the ‘paranormal activity’ if you will, with a staticky television waking up the little girl from her slumber (though not the stereotypical Dad lounging right in front of it) and she sits in front of the TV asking ‘speak louder’… oooh. The recreationally stoned parents think she must just be sleep walking, and think nothing of it.

Even when the kitchen chairs mysteriously move around, its exciting! Not creepy at all! But then, the creepy bald tree outside the kids’ bedroom window tries to swallow up the little boy, and its no funny business anymore!

The movie from this point turns into a bit of a free-for-all – less of a suspense, a couple of really gross sequences, but all in all, I would find the Marshmallow man from Ghostbusters scarier than what comes out of the kids’ closet. Well. Except for the clown.

On a scale of ‘did I need to sleep with a teddybear’ or ‘I need to leave the lights on for this’ – I will say, nope. I shrieked loudly a couple of times, but other than that, I was more disgusted, and will keep an eye out for a crawling piece of steak.

What was your memory of Poltergeist?

The Road. Can I impersonate a self-important reality show contestant and say this film is a journey and a half, and a rough one to try and go alone. If a horror movie is a genre that you don’t want to experience alone, I recommend that someone be with you for this one so you can hug them tightly, and be comforted that humanity is still present in the reality outside of this film.

An adaptation from a Cormac McCarthy novel (author of another amazing novel and film adaptation No Country for Old Men) the Road follows a father (Viggo Mortensen in a challenging role) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they walk across country, walking to the coast in hopes of finding a better existence. Whilst the coast represents water, and fresh breezy air; that is all there is. They aren’t going to a known source of food; from what we get told at the beginning of the film, no animals survived, nor did crops.

Whatever has turned the land into ash, whatever has caused the land to crumple, centuries old trees crashing to the earth and shake with intermittent earthquakes is never explained. It just turns the landscape into a hopeless, desperate and desolate existence. It removes most semblances of humanity.

Needless to say, this changes, and remarkably strengthens the bond that the Man and his son have. The boy still wants to help out others like them, though the man jaded by experiences with looters, and the humans that have turned to savage cannibalism in order to survive protects his son at all costs, and errs on the side of avoiding anyone else, trusting only his family. Via flashbacks to before the boy was born, we meet the mother, played by Charlize Theron. It is not an especially happy, or idyllic time; just honest and raw as we witness the reluctant childbirth, to later on when living becomes existing, when man and wife have run out of things to say. It is the hardest thing to watch; when someone has given up on life.

It is completely plausible here, and that’s what makes it all the more harrowing and confronting to watch.

What I touched upon at the start was not embellishing, the whole world, post calamity or crisis is hard to experience. You’re not just watching it, but you are immersed in it, completely hopeless. In other post apocalyptic films, there were signs of humanity there, shops to loot, luxuries to experience, mannequins to talk to (I’m talking to you, Will Smith)

We can expect this from Viggo, but from newcomer (and Australian born!) Kodi – this is a revelation. An absolutely heartbreaking, brutally raw and hard performance to watch. One that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend, but most likely won’t watch again. For all the right reasons.

Every now and then I’ve posted about when music videos go BAD (such as here and here) but I am absolutely hooked on the song, and video clip for Pixie Lott’s Cry Me Out. If I can, I’ll sing along AND watch the video, and swoon over her outfits, and makeup if not eye off those bathers, wondering if I can covet them much like the bedsheets on Cougar Town..

Also, if you haven’t been introduced to Brit songstress Miss Lott by now, this will be the perfect introduction.

A selected few shots from the sumptuously shot black and white video;

To see the full video (and why wouldn’t you?) click here. Thank me later

I’m a gal that likes lots of movies. Sure, I’ll always want the latest romantic comedy, or teen movie, or Nicholas Sparks adaptations – but I am a Cinema student, always. I always want to watch new conventions, new ideas based on old plots, new genres, or sub-genres (though thanks to Eli Roth, I may avoid torture!porn).

So with that in mind, I’m embarking on a Horror Movie Challenge. With help of course! I can’t do this alone! Simon Miraudo and Jon Tilton; host on the Trending Cinema podcast and website, and fellow movie junkies are going to watch a few. The list of movies I am going to see was thought up by Simon and Jon’s fervent love of the genre, as well as going through other lists, and coming up with a good cross-section of all the different levels of horror.

Oh boy. What have I signed up for?

Horror movie 1 is Poltergeist, produced by Spielberg, directed by Hooper (guy that did the Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Yet I’m told this is a ‘gentle’ beginning!

Wish me luck..

Just Quickly (where I’m not going to go into TOO much detail but I feel strongly about it to share with you – Katharine McPhee produces music Leona Lewis wishes she could. Yes, Bleeding Love was HUGE – but she made a joke out of herself by covering Run by Snow Patrol (which should have been left alone) and her only talant seems to be her ease at belting out any given song.

Katharine McPhee, well known for being the runner up in the 5th season of American Idol – has such a gorgeous range, she can hit those high notes with a power, but at the same time, have a softness and subtlety that Leona Lewis still needs plenty of work on.

Check out her first single when she was brunette, called Over It and you’ll see what I mean.

Rihanna’s recent single ‘Hard’ – not about how toned she is after a gym session, or the self defence classes she may have been inspired to take – but more how she is stronger than ever mentally, on the runway, walking down the street. In general.

And with this up in yo’ grill – wouldn’t you be scared?

I would feel tougher with a ‘knuckle duster’ goin’ around but she makes it look glam, without being menacing. That’s hardcore.

Even Alicia Keys is getting in on the act – well, not with ‘bad’ but with.. LOOOVE. All sparkly!

And you can own one too – (and think of your own word!) here!

What would your knuckle duster ring say? Mine would probably say E M and then E T I B (reverse it… think about it) Clever huh? I can’t take the credit.  Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) used it whilst being tied up in Alias.. she’s feisty.