The 5 Rom-Coms of Christmas

When I started this blog in July, I thought "ohhh just wait til Christmas!! I'll have tons to write about!" I love this time of year so much that I spend most of time watching Christmas movies on repeat. I'm a firm believer that you can only watch them from the very end of October through December 25th so you better enjoy it while you can.

Now if I had all the time in the world, this blog would be filled with my endless commentary on the magic of holiday movies. However, to be realistic, I thought I could do:

CFC's The Five Romantic Comedies of Christmas

Hopefully you'll see some old favorites, but also a few things to add to your Netflix que. So, cuddle up by the fire, make a cup of hot chocolate, and get ready for some Christmas romance!

By the way, I downloaded Instagram. Bring me some hipster glasses and call me adorkable.

Holiday Flair

One of my favorite parts of this time of year is checking out the holiday party looks on magazine covers. These are usually the issues that also tell you how to not overeat at Christmas parties (eat a salad beforehand! sip on soda water and not eggnog!) and give vaguely helpful hints for buying gifts for guys (whiskey, gadgets, shirts from Express for men.)

Anyways, I love the festive clothing and accessories. Let's take a look at some of my favorites- shall we?

Gwen on the cover of In Style

I LOVE these bangles and have been looking for some cheap knockoffs to wear with my New Year's dress. I can't find them anywhere- anything slightly similar has gold accents but I need silver! If you can help, please let me know.

Ashley Greene on the cover of People Style Watch

Her hair is lovely. It solves one of life's greatest dilemmas- I want to wear my hair in an elegant bun, but if I pull it straight back, I'll look bald in all of the facebook pics. Enter, the side bun.

Sarah Michelle Gellar on the cover of Self

Sequins and sparkles have been making the rounds for quite sometime now, but I am always apprehensive about buying anything too sparkly. Its hard to style without looking absurdly blinged out which is why I love how Buffy looks like she's just chillin at home, lounging in some sequins. Which is of course what I'd doing right now.

Adele on the cover of Cosmopolitan

Now, I love me some leopard, but it does look like Cosmo forced to Adele to put on a Vicky S nightgown for this shoot. I wanted to focus on Adele's consistenly impeccable eyeliner- how does she do this? Is it just great makeup application or are her eyes shaped differently than mine?

Okay, not a magazine cover but I am so in love with Taylor's red lips at nearly every public appearance. I actually bought the covergirl lipstick that Taylor says (or is paid to say) she uses and wore it to two holiday parties on Saturday.

The bad part about wearing red lipstick is that I spent half the night checking it in the mirror and the other half asking my boyfriend "How's my lipstick? Do I look like the joker? Are you sure?"

And here's the rest of the outfit, sparkly dress, houndstooth jacket, red shoes, and a partridge in a pear tree.

New Year's Eve Review

Once in awhile, a movie comes along that completely confirms why I do this. And by "this" I mean occasionally blog about romantic comedies. New Year's Eve was universally panned by critics this weekend. One review called it "The cinematic equivalent of a glass of flat champagne." Well, guess what? I've been on a champagne high since seeing this movie on Friday- no hangover, all sweet, bubbly, holiday fun!

I've loved New Year's since I was old enough to stay up past midnight and have plans outside of the house that night. New Year's Eve is just so romantic in my opinion. Sure, Valentine's Day you're obligtated to hang out with your honey if you have one, or get bitterly drunk with your girlfriends if you don't. But on New Year's you get to party with people you know and people you've just met. At midnight you can smooch your spouse, best friend, or some random guy who you bumped into on the dance floor. Anything can happen- its a new year! It is magical and sparkly and exciting!

So considering my affection for the holiday, romantic comedies, and celebrities, is it any wonder that I adored this movie? Okay, it starts a bit slow, and I know its totally unrealistic, but my criticism ends there. I can't decide which storyline I loved the most. . . dreamy Zac Efron as a party boy/courier? Dreamy Jon Bon Jovi as a rockstar afraid of commitment?

Dreamy Josh Duhamel as a ladies man looking for love?

Sigh. Its so fun to see how all of the plot lines wrap up and as an added bonus there are even more celebrities then you see in the previews!

New Year's Eve is cute holiday magic that left me with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. What else could I want?

Well, maybe a midnight kiss from Zac Efron.

New Year's Eve, rated "PG-13," romantic comedy, starring EVERYONE (squee!!), B

MTAD- The Lucky One

Zac Efron. Nicholas Sparks. Shower scene. Goosebumps. Is this my new favorite movie?

My Week with Marilyn

My Week with Marilyn should really be called, An Hour And Half where Michelle Williams Transforms Into Marilyn. Although Kenneth Branagh is wonderful as Sir Laurence Olivier, everything else fades into the background as Michelle lights up the screen.

The costumes are gorgeous, and the scenes with Colin Clark (whose "week" the movie refers to) and Marilyn are wistful, romantic, and a bit depressing.

After seeing My Week with Marilyn, I spent the next few days wearing cat eye sunglasses around and cooing "all they ever see is Marilyn Monroe." This may not happen to you.

When I left the film, I was in sort of a glamourous/Hollywood/1950's trance. I was completely fascinated . . . but also a bit sad. Which is probably how you would feel after spending a week with Marilyn. Or at least an hour and a half.

My Week with Marilyn, rated "R," drama, starring Michelle Williams, B

The Descendants Review

And I'm back! Here's hoping regular blogging will resume now.

The Descendants is a movie all about generations. George Clooney's character, Matt King, is dealing with a younger generation, his two adolescent daughters. They've been acting up since their mother, and Matt's wife, was in a serious accident. I think the dialogue between Matt and his daughters is supposed to be sassy and poignant. Instead it just seems like two young actresses reciting lines that are woefully unrealistic.

Matt is also dealing with an older generation, his father-in-law who blames Matt for everything that went wrong with his wife. I didn't know which side we were supposed to be on. Both characters seem insensitive and once again the conversations were just off.

Most irritating is Sid, the brother of the Matt's oldest daughter. He seems like a total dumbass but somehow we're supposed to realize he is sensitive and wise beyond his years? Nope, not buying it.

Oh, and Matt has another thing on his mind. A gigantic expanse of land in Hawaii has been passed down through his families generations will need to be sold. He gets to decide who the buyer will be, with the input of his crazy cousins of course. I couldn't care less what Matt chose.

One would think that the dramatic situations of The Descendants would create an deep, emotional movie. I've been crying over Hallmark Christmas commercials for the past month, but this film left me completly unmoved. Yes, George Clooney is a great actor, but I don't think he as given much to work with. Matt desperately needs to get his life together, and I was so bored waiting for that to happen. Early on, he discovers his wife was having an affair before an unfortunate incident while racing a speed boat put her in a coma. Well, at least she was having some fun, which is more than I can say for the movie.

My experience seeing The Descendants, also involved different generations. I was the youngest person in the theater by about 50 years. I know this is a bit of ageism, but everyone in theater talked throughout the movie. They laughed at parts that were sad, gasped at scenes that were not at all surprising, and spent most of the time saying things like "uh oh!" and "here he comes!" and "oh no!" and "how about that!" I'm sure in a few years, I might be doing the same thing, but for now . . . can I not just watch a bad movie in silence?

If you've heard anything about The Descendants, its probably been that "its one of the best films of the year!" George Clooney is "an Oscar nominee for sure!" I'm just giving you fair warning, of at least two other people who hated this movie. I went to see it with my parents and they completely agreed with me and stayed appropriately silent in the theater. Thank goodness I'm one of their descendents.

The Descendants, rated "R," drama, starring George Clooney C-

A Few of My Favorite Things

Happy Thanksgiving! If you're reading this, chances are you know me very well and I love you a lot so I'm thankful for you! If you don't know me- I'm thankful you are reading this!

Now I'm not at all trying to downplay the spirit of Thanksgiving. I am absurdly thankful for the people and opportunities that have allowed me the life that I have. But since this blog is usually pretty lighthearted (except when crying over celebrities) I wanted to focus on something . . . well . . . a bit more materialistic. Sometimes aren't you really thankful for something you own? Is that just me? Don't judge. So as an ode to some of the things I love and possibly as a holiday shopping guide, I present to you . . .

CFC's Favorite Things

( also known as all of the materialistic crap that I'm thankful for)

Garmin Forerunner 110

Sometimes I can't believe I got through 10+ years of regular running without this. To know how far I am running AND how fast . . . to have a running watch that looks legit, yet still a subtle bit of pink . . . it is a joy to use everyday.

Adagio Tea

When you graduate from college, it is a requirement that you develop some sort of morning caffeine routine. Maybe you were more hip and developed this in college? But I'm willing to bet you just got some absurd Starbucks beverage when you had to study. Anyways, coffee in the morning makes me so jittery and sweaty palmed that by 4pm I inevitably have to lay down and take some smelling salts. It's very Victorian. Anyways, I started drinking tea when everyone started drinking coffee and I never looked back. I've become a bit of a tea snob, and really only drink loose leaf tea when I can. And Adagio is the best of the best! I like to rotate the flavors in my cup per season- lemon and rasberry in the summer, cinnamon spice in the fall, and I am currently enjoying gingerbread this morning!

Sex and the City - the complete series DVDs

Well this is a gift that keeps on giving. Sure, SATC is now replaying on E! and the Style network, but who wants to watch it completely censored (which pretty much means sans Samantha?) Not me! I got this for Christmas the year the movie came out and watched every single episode in a row before I saw the first film in theaters. When those girls appeared on screen I almost teared up at seeing old friends again! But these discs are great for a lazy Sunday on the couch recovering from a night out, when nothing is on tv, or for those terrible first few days when you move somewhere and don't have cable yet.

Jessica Simpson- Waleo Pumps

I think we can all agree on one of life's greatest mysteries. How can Jessica Simpson have a successful clothing line with shoes that I LOVE yet have the worst personal style of all time? I don't know! What I do know is that I love these shoes. They come in rich, gorgeous colors and are the perfect mix between demure pumps and GaGa-esque towering booties. I have them in royal blue and leopard print and I'll tell you more about them later.

Frye Daisy Duke Cowboy Boots

I've posted about these here and here, but seriously . . . if you own red cowboy boots you automatically feel like a movie star. Or someone who owns reds cowboy boots.

Physique 57 DVDs

In my ongoing quest to transform into Kelly Ripa I have developed a fairly regular routine of Physique 57. I know its not the same as being in the class, but its by far the best workout dvds I've ever owned. I'm not much closer to looking like Kelly, but at least I can say I tried.

Frizz Ease Hair Serum

Before and After (with a better hair cut and styling tools too). Enough said.

Conair You Curl

See above.

Friends with Benefits

My favorite romantic comedy I've seen in years starring the sexiest man alive. (Take that Bradley and Ryan!) Out of dvd this Friday!

Regal Cinemas Gift Card

No need to complain that you don't know what to see when you have CFC! Also no need to complain that you don't want to spend the money when you have a gift card! Feel free to send some my way and I would be happy to review some more movies for you!

And as Thanksgiving ends . . . Christmas begins! Here's a few more of my favorite things. What are yours?