The Coen Brothers' latest follows on the heels of O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Man Who Wasn't There in terms of its atmosphere, but they can't seem to shoot the bull's eye this time around. As always, the attention to detail with the impeccable mise-en-scène rings usual for the Coen pair, and the film is refreshing in the sense that it doesn't focus on action even though so much carnage ensues in its wake, but the film seems to be missing an integral artery. The flawless performances by Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, is unfortunately suffocated by an all-to-familiar tale that says the same thing we've heard countless times. However, it does accomplish in showcasing the changing face of violence in West Texas in the 1980's, awing the viewer with breathtaking scenery (kudos to the cinematographer) and introducing a villain who is one of the most memorable of recent times. So, I fully support the Best Actor Golden Globe, but I simply can't justify the Best Screenplay Globe...
Monday, 21 January 2008
It's tails for the Coen Bros this time around
No Country for Old Men - 3.5 stars
The Coen Brothers' latest follows on the heels of O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Man Who Wasn't There in terms of its atmosphere, but they can't seem to shoot the bull's eye this time around. As always, the attention to detail with the impeccable mise-en-scène rings usual for the Coen pair, and the film is refreshing in the sense that it doesn't focus on action even though so much carnage ensues in its wake, but the film seems to be missing an integral artery. The flawless performances by Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, is unfortunately suffocated by an all-to-familiar tale that says the same thing we've heard countless times. However, it does accomplish in showcasing the changing face of violence in West Texas in the 1980's, awing the viewer with breathtaking scenery (kudos to the cinematographer) and introducing a villain who is one of the most memorable of recent times. So, I fully support the Best Actor Golden Globe, but I simply can't justify the Best Screenplay Globe...
The Coen Brothers' latest follows on the heels of O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Man Who Wasn't There in terms of its atmosphere, but they can't seem to shoot the bull's eye this time around. As always, the attention to detail with the impeccable mise-en-scène rings usual for the Coen pair, and the film is refreshing in the sense that it doesn't focus on action even though so much carnage ensues in its wake, but the film seems to be missing an integral artery. The flawless performances by Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, is unfortunately suffocated by an all-to-familiar tale that says the same thing we've heard countless times. However, it does accomplish in showcasing the changing face of violence in West Texas in the 1980's, awing the viewer with breathtaking scenery (kudos to the cinematographer) and introducing a villain who is one of the most memorable of recent times. So, I fully support the Best Actor Golden Globe, but I simply can't justify the Best Screenplay Globe...
Thursday, 17 January 2008
The For-Two Syndrome
In my busy Chicago days (don't get me wrong; I'm busy because of work these days, not play), I rarely get the chance to cook a hearty meal at home. So, I usually have to either eat out or buy something ready-to-cook. After a few weeks of this regime, what I realized is that almost everything pre-cooked comes for couples! Bread-crusted salmon and leek quiche (for two...), Bertolli's roasted chicken and linguine (for two.....), Giordano's famous Chicago pizza for delivery (for freaking two................!!!). I'm already single and these for-two meals aren't helping me as I get to eat double portions every dinner! How is that supposed to help me end my spinster ways? You tell me.
Saturday, 5 January 2008
Dec 07 in a nutshell
The day after New Year's Eve, I realized I hadn't blogged for the longest time! That's not because there hasn't been anything happening since Thanksgiving, but more because there has been a lot going on. As I had promised myself when I arrived in Chicago, I traveled within the US as much as possible. In order to keep things concise, I'll give a quick overview of the past month.
1st off, there was San Francisco...
And such a beautiful and intoxicating city it is! My sister and I had great French food at Cafe Claude, the city's best cafe au lait at Cafe de la Presse, good times on the old but still cool trams, had some dungeness crab and visited Alcatraz. Feel free to check out the pics!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/SanFranciscoNov2007
Then, it was back to the Big Apple...
Gozde, Salvo and I made a dash to the Big Apple for a fabulous weekend. Visited most of the touristy stuff so we could show Salvo as much of NYC as possible in two days. We even managed to squeeze in some ice-skating, which I had never done in my life before. Just so you know, I suck at it! So, don't try and take me ice-skating... ever! Check out the pics!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/NYCDec2007
Who said skiing in Vail was only for the famous...?
Seriously! The snow was fluffy, the weather was gorgeous, the company was fun, the food absolutely home-made and delicious-every single night. Our amazing organizer, Gozde, pulled it all together and we had a condo in Vail with a hot tub, swimming pool and sauna, which was about 5 min walking distance from the slopes. I had a half-day skiing lesson and got addicted so I'll definitely be hitting the slopes again sometime soon. Ice-skating I may suck at, but skiing comes naturally. ;) Pics, as always, are available:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/SkiingInVailCODec2007
A little stint in Toronto proved why Canada is called Canadia...
Toronto was, in one word, boring. The city had no spirit, wasn't interesting and had no charm whatsoever. Even the people living there looked a bit...umm...weird and suspicious in some way I can't explain. The only good thing that came out of it was my parents visiting their old friends who had emigrated here long ago and taking a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls. Feel free to pass up on Toronto and head to Quebec if you're ever in Canada.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/TorontoNiagaraFallsCanadaDec2007
Discover why Montreal and Quebec City rock...
These two cities are incredible... I was absolutely speechless when I saw the European grandeur in these two North American cities. Mind you, Quebec City is the oldest city in North America, who celebrated its 400th anniversary this New Year's Eve. The French influence is very strong here and the people of Quebec have a real sense of identity that's clear and strong, which separates them from your average Canadian. I was highly impressed with the standard of living, the care, love and respect they show for their cities, and their hospitality. The Quebecoises bent over backwards to speak in English when I couldn't converse in French. I would definitely visit these cities again, despite the -20C temperatures I had to endure.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/MontrAlQuBecJan2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/QuBecCityQuBecJan2008
So, there's my December 07 in a nutshell. Happy New Year to all of you and I hope to see you all very soon!!!
Bonne Annee!
1st off, there was San Francisco...
And such a beautiful and intoxicating city it is! My sister and I had great French food at Cafe Claude, the city's best cafe au lait at Cafe de la Presse, good times on the old but still cool trams, had some dungeness crab and visited Alcatraz. Feel free to check out the pics!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/SanFranciscoNov2007
Then, it was back to the Big Apple...
Gozde, Salvo and I made a dash to the Big Apple for a fabulous weekend. Visited most of the touristy stuff so we could show Salvo as much of NYC as possible in two days. We even managed to squeeze in some ice-skating, which I had never done in my life before. Just so you know, I suck at it! So, don't try and take me ice-skating... ever! Check out the pics!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/NYCDec2007
Who said skiing in Vail was only for the famous...?
Seriously! The snow was fluffy, the weather was gorgeous, the company was fun, the food absolutely home-made and delicious-every single night. Our amazing organizer, Gozde, pulled it all together and we had a condo in Vail with a hot tub, swimming pool and sauna, which was about 5 min walking distance from the slopes. I had a half-day skiing lesson and got addicted so I'll definitely be hitting the slopes again sometime soon. Ice-skating I may suck at, but skiing comes naturally. ;) Pics, as always, are available:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/SkiingInVailCODec2007
A little stint in Toronto proved why Canada is called Canadia...
Toronto was, in one word, boring. The city had no spirit, wasn't interesting and had no charm whatsoever. Even the people living there looked a bit...umm...weird and suspicious in some way I can't explain. The only good thing that came out of it was my parents visiting their old friends who had emigrated here long ago and taking a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls. Feel free to pass up on Toronto and head to Quebec if you're ever in Canada.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/TorontoNiagaraFallsCanadaDec2007
Discover why Montreal and Quebec City rock...
These two cities are incredible... I was absolutely speechless when I saw the European grandeur in these two North American cities. Mind you, Quebec City is the oldest city in North America, who celebrated its 400th anniversary this New Year's Eve. The French influence is very strong here and the people of Quebec have a real sense of identity that's clear and strong, which separates them from your average Canadian. I was highly impressed with the standard of living, the care, love and respect they show for their cities, and their hospitality. The Quebecoises bent over backwards to speak in English when I couldn't converse in French. I would definitely visit these cities again, despite the -20C temperatures I had to endure.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/MontrAlQuBecJan2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/QuBecCityQuBecJan2008
So, there's my December 07 in a nutshell. Happy New Year to all of you and I hope to see you all very soon!!!
Bonne Annee!
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Living the Jetsetting Life - Thanksgiving in Shelton, UK
Thanks to my lovely Australian friends, I'm living the jet-setting life! I made my way back to London for four days to go north (Norwich to be exact) to some small town where we rented a manor house. The manor house was called "The Rectory," where Queen Elizabeth I played as a child. How could I miss a manor house fit for a queen???? Well, I didn't. I booked my flights, made my way to Liverpool Street Station right after landing in London, and dragged my jet-lagged ass over to Diss.The weekend was fabulous, filled with good food, wonderful company of so many people, and me finally breaking out of my shell to sing in public! :) Check out the pics of the whole weekend. And I must bow down to Joyce's incredible organizational skills. Not only did she rent the house and arrange taxis for everyone, she also managed to order food and get it delivered to our door. I love you, Joycey!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/ManorHouseChristmasLondonNov2007
Enchante, mon chérie
Bon soir mis amis! Pour les quatre semaines, j’apprend le français. Je peux expliquer mon nom, prénom, âge, adresse, numéro de téléphone, etc. Par exemple, je m’appelle Yalin et j’ai vingt-quatre ans. J’habit a Chicago et je travaille a Morningstar. J’aime cuisiner, chanter, danser, et diner au restaurant. J’adore voyager a de divers pays.
So, what do you think of my French so far ? I’ve been taking beginners French classes in Chicago since the beginning of November. After 5 weeks, this is where I am! So exciting!! I’m going to continue taking classes in 2008 before I make my way back to London, so I’m somewhat fluent in French next time I go to Paris. Watch out Paris, I’m coming fully equipped next time!!
So, what do you think of my French so far ? I’ve been taking beginners French classes in Chicago since the beginning of November. After 5 weeks, this is where I am! So exciting!! I’m going to continue taking classes in 2008 before I make my way back to London, so I’m somewhat fluent in French next time I go to Paris. Watch out Paris, I’m coming fully equipped next time!!
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