Stylearia » Movies/ TV Sat, 05 Nov 2016 14:00:01 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.15 12 Awesome Things That Have Happened So Far in GOT Season 6 /_p=3457 /_p=3457#comments Wed, 18 May 2016 05:11:14 +0000 /_p=3457 We have waited with bated breath since last year to know about the admittedly sick fates of our favorite Westerosi folks. Now that Game of Thrones is finally back, we thought we’d make a list of awesome things that have already happened so far in Season 6.

1. He’s ALIVE! Yes, we knew Jon Snow was too important a character to be killed by worthless little things like Olly, and with so much of his storyline still under layers of mystery. And we were right. The red priestess managed to bring the curly haired Lord Commander Snow back from the dead, after insisting for almost an hour that she couldn’t do it. Rather like that student who says they haven’t studied at all… and then ends up scoring an A! Well played, Red, well played.

got_510_jon_snow

2. Sansa escapes to freedom. Having leaped to freedom over the Winterfell battlements with Theon/Reek (Alfie Allen, still doing the best disembodied stare on television) she finally recognised her error in not going with Brienne earlier (and choosing to stick with the icky Lord Petyr Baelish. When the fugitive pair were rescued by Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Podrick, Sansa immediately agreed to take Lady Tarth on as personal protector. Clever that, given Ramsay – a raving nutter in the kindest of circumstances – was epically ticked off at her escape.

GOT601_071715_HS_DSC_7333

3. Dany was reunited with the Dothraki (not such a thrilling situation for her, but totally awesome because now at least she’ll be interesting!). As widow of the great Khal Drogo, Daenerys (Emilia Clark) had leaped to the entirely reasonable assumption that the Dothraki would be respectful towards her. Unfortunately, tradition decreed that, upon the death of their husbands, bereaved Khaleesi were required to live out their days in pious servitude in the horse barbarian capital Vaes Dothrak. It was an interesting tit-bit Drogo had neglected to mention back when he was suffering an excruciating death in series one.

8d3a975d53f5916ccfff4df7db836f69

4. Ramsay congratulated his father on becoming a dad by knifing him to death. Just as we’d begun to suspect Game of Thrones had calmed down and given up trying to trump its greatest hits came this: Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) calmly knifing dad/political rival Roose (Michael McElhatton) was a genuine shock considering GoT typically waits until the latter half of a season before killing off major characters. But let’s admit it, none of us were sad to see Roose Bolton kick the bucket. What followed, however, teetered on unwatchable as Ramsay cradled the mewling half-brother whose birth had driven him to patricide and then literally unleashed the hounds upon infant and mother. “I prefer being an only child,” said Ramsay, as the dogs did their dirty work and his position at the head of House Bolton was bloodily secured.

ramsay-bolton-vs-jon-snow

5. Hodor is not just a sweet Westerosi Groot with no storyline! Hurrah for Bran’s trade-mark waking dreams, which helped get his story on track once more and will have reminded viewers why he is such a vital part of the grand tapestry. In this swords and sorcery tale, most of the “sorcery” has flowed from the Stark prince. A frisson of the otherworldly is restored now he’s in the frame again.  The latest visitation flash-backed to Winterfell and the boyhood of Bran’s father, Ned. It was sweet and surprising to peel the decades away and witness Ned and Benjen Stark banter with their sister Lyanna, who, in adulthood, would single-handedly change the fate of the Seven Kingdoms. But most shocking was the appearance of a young Hodor : his real name, we learned, was Willis and he could speak and wield a sword. What had happened to him? Just when you imagined Game of Thrones had run out of mysteries to weave, here was a new one.

hodor

6. Tyrion made new fire-breathing friends. What fun it was seeing Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) up against foes he couldn’t seduce with gilded small talk. Instead, the two dragons rotting in the Meereen dungeons were won over by his gentleness as he unshackled their chains. In an utterly riveting scene, Tyrion comes within barbecue distance of Dany’s babies – creatures he’s long been fascinated with. We are so sure this is important to his eventual storyline.

tyrion-dragons-large_trans++NJjoeBT78QIaYdkJdEY4CnGTJFJS74MYhNY6w3GNbO8

7. Gregore Clegane is back to crushing skulls. He has been resurrected as Ser Robert Strong and is proving just the help around the house Cersei (Lena Headey) could have done with circa her Shamewalk. He is steadfastly loyal, inhumanly strong and would probably laugh at her jokes if a) he possessed a functioning voice box and b) Cersei possessed a functioning sense of humour. He demonstrated his murderous devotion by tracking down the public exhibitionist who had waggled his man-bits at Cersei during her penitential ambling through King’s Landing, mulching the oik’s head against a wall. Ser Killbot is surely just getting started.

the-mountain_-_h_2015

8. We’re finally at the Tower of Joy! Peeking over the shoulder of Timelord Bran, we whooshed back to young Ned Stark and the Tower of Joy. This location gets a lot of flashback attention in the books, but it hasn’t really been mentioned in the TV show until now. It’s a tower in Dorne, the sandy homeland of the Martel family and the weapon-wielding Sandsnakes. In a similar flashback in the books, the captive within was revealed to be Ned’s sister Lyanna. George RR Martin describes events that occurred long before series one of the TV series begins, in which Lyanna had been captured by Rhaegar Targaryen, elder brother of Daenerys and son of the Mad King Aerys. This was the catalyst for Robert Baratheon’s rebellion, as he was betrothed to Lyanna. Many avid GoT followers believed the Tower of Joy would solve the mystery of Jon Snow’s parentage. There is a common theory (known to show nerds as R+L=J) which holds that when Rhaegar kidnapped the beautiful Lyanna, he also raped her, and Jon Snow was the product of that union. In order to protect his nephew, Ned Stark supposedly claimed Jon as his own bastard son. This theory is yet to be proved or disproved.

game-of-thrones

9. Rickon is back. The missing-presumed-forgotten Stark princeling made a shock return. Alas, he can’t have been very pleased to be in the frame again as he was gifted to the Boltons (well, Ramsay and his dogs) as a gesture of fealty by oikish House Umber. Ignored for three seasons, now a humiliated bargaining chip. Even in obscurity, the Starks can’t catch a break. Or can they? A lot of fans reckon that Rickon, Osha (his trusty wildling companion) and House Umber are all in cahoots. While Smalljon Umber claims his father has died, it is possible that fierce warrior Greatjon Umber –  a loyal vassal of Robb Stark’s – is still kicking about. If so, maybe he’s readying a Northern army to storm Winterfell, and Rickon is just a distraction to lull Ramsay into a false sense of security. Bran trusted Greatjon enough to send Rickon there for safe keeping once he went north of the Wall, and we’d like to think Bran put his trust in the right place.

game-thrones_0

10. The Lannister twins-with-benefits are finally ready to met out red hot revenge. They have teamed up with the Tyrells in order to take back King’s Landing from the grimy clutches of the High Sparrow and his annoying Faith Militant.

jaime-and-cersei-season-6-official-630x419

11. Sansa and Jon reunite! Stark siblings ever crossing paths with each other seemed the least likely thing to happen on Game of Thrones. But it did happen, and it was perfect!This story has sprawled so prodigiously, there is a visceral thrill that comes from seeing disparate pieces connect, especially pieces of the tortured family that represents whatever good is left in the world. Sansa and Jon, who grew up together even though they were never close as brother and sister but have been through A LOT since, just look at each other for a whole minute, not daring to believe it’s really the other. The hug between them brought us close to tears, in fact, making us wish for more Starks to start turning up. Jon is given an apology followed by pep talk by Sansa, about how they need to take back Winterfell from Ramsay. For the rest of the series, they need to stick together.

news-game-of-thrones-sansa-jon-snow

12.  Danaerys barbecued khals. The Dothraki hut went up like a haystack soaked in kerosene, taking the potty-mouthed khals with it and allowing the unburnt dragon mother to emerge from the flames. As Dothraki-cowing parlor tricks go, it’s a good one, which we already know because we saw her do roughly the same thing with Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre in Season 1. She has conquered cities. She has made mistakes. She has been underestimated and has learned the value of allowing herself to be underestimated. She has acquired the support of the Unsullied and of the oppressed of Slavers Bay, even if Tyrion threatens to undo much of that support. And not for nothing, but the baby dragons who emerged from that pyre are now, you know, actual giant fire-breathing dragons. Then there was the symbolism of the thing. The khals collectively represent a distilled, pure-grade dose of the savage aggression that has torn this world apart — they promised an almost cartoonish level of rape and cruelty and ended up as ash, showing in the process the ultimate fecklessness of bluster, dumb strength and braggadocio in the face of true transcendent power. The kind Dany represented in the early days of this story but is only now beginning to embody. Something tells us things are going to go better for her this time.

dany

Have we missed out on something? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=3457 0
Our Fashion Low-Down On The Oscars Red Carpet /_p=3396 /_p=3396#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2016 18:23:54 +0000 /_p=3396 Once “Spotlight” took home Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and the credits began to roll, we bid a bittersweet goodbye to this year’s much-buzzed-about awards season.

With a lackluster Golden Globes and a scandal-ridden Oscars, perhaps the one thing that tied the string of seemingly never-ending awards ceremonies for TV, music and movies was the red carpet fashion.

Between the glitzy Golden Globes, toned-down Critics’ Choice and SAG Awards, wild Grammys and glamorous Oscars, both lust-worthy styles and bizarre looks kept the fashion police busy. Read on to find out which celebs dazzled at the Oscars Red Carpet this year!

Cate Blanchett in Armani. Scientists have proven it is impossible to look at this dress and not gasp and then remain speechless for at least 10 seconds. We were pretty stumped for words while we soaked in the utter beauty of it.

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-cate-blanchett

Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell. For Gaga, this is a positively demure look. We think of this, in a way, like a Gaga-fied version of the Gwyneth Paltrow Tom Ford cape look from Oscars 2012 (which is a high compliment, of course).

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-lady-gaga

Saoirse Ronan in Calvin Klein. Too glamorous for words.

88th Annual Academy Awards - Red Carpet Arrivals

Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton. Alicia Vikander — who has been the style icon of the season — surprised slightly with this yellow Louis Vuitton look. We’re not sure what exactly those — we’ll call them “sparkly caterpillars” — are on her dress, but she can do no wrong in our book. (We are slightly disappointed though she didn’t use the occasion to walk down the red carpet with boyfriend and fellow nominee Michael Fassbender.)

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-alicia-vikander

Charlize Theron in Dior. The Mad Max star was truly statuesque in a plunging red Christian Dior gown accessorized with a perfectly-placed diamond pendant.

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-charlize-theron

Margot Robbie in Tom Ford. In a quite literal interpretation of Oscar, the blonde bombshell was a total knockout in plunging Tom Ford and Forevermark Diamonds.

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-margot-robbie

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior. Lingerie-inspired Christian Dior had the Joy star winning for sultriest look of the night (and best blonde bob).

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-jennifer-lawrence

Olivia Munn in Stella McCartney. When flattery and form merge, a red carpet look lasts. Such is this apple red, one-shouldered Stella McCartney dress worn on the beautiful Olivia Munn, paired with Forevermark Diamonds. Minimalistic dressing at its absolute best.

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-olivia-munn

Brie Larson in Gucci. The Best Actress nominee stepped onto the most important red carpet of her career thus far in a bold lapis blue custom Gucci by Alessandro Michele dress and waist-defining statement belt. Fashion star in the making, indeed.

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-brie-larson

Rooney Mara in Givenchy. Excuse us, we will be devoting the rest of our life to starting a religion around the cut-out in Rooney Mara’s dress.

hbz-the-list-best-dressed-oscars-2016-rooney-mara

Whose red carpet style took your breath away? Tell us in the comments below!

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=3396 0
10 Other Great Actors Who’ve Not Yet Bagged An Oscar /_p=3379 /_p=3379#comments Wed, 02 Mar 2016 18:42:12 +0000 /_p=3379 Some actors deliver great performances and get showered with awards. Others deliver great performances and just get hosed. We’re very glad Leonardo DiCaprio finally made it out of the latter list.

Of course, not everyone can win an Oscar; otherwise, the awards wouldn’t mean anything. But when you look at the actors and actresses who were denied an Oscar despite a record of consistently great work, you have to wonder what the Academy was thinking. Whether they were overshadowed or completely robbed, these are the brilliant actors who have never been honored with that much coveted gold statue.

1. Will Smith – This legendary actor (no pun intended) is one of the most celebrated actors out there. Many of us know Mr. Smith for his role as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or as one of his many, many action roles (Wild Wild West, Men In Black, I Am Legend, and more.) It may be surprising to learn that Will Smith has never won an Oscar, and before nominations were announced, it look like he might have had a shot at winning Best Actor for his role in the movie Concussion. While he was nominated for a Golden Globe this year, he lost out to DiCaprio, however, not even being nominated for an Oscar seemed like a huge snub on the part Academy. He has however, been nominated in the past, for his leading roles in Ali (2001) and the Pursuit of Happiness (2006).

Los Angeles World Premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures "Focus"

2. Amy Adams – Before breaking into Oscar-worthy roles, Amy Adams was best known for taking roles nobody else wanted. However, she has come a long way since then, and has been nominated a total of five times! She was nominated best supporting actress four times, in 2006 for Junebug, 2009 for Doubt, 2011 for The Fighter, and in 2013 for The Master. At the 2014 Academy Awards, Amy Adams was nominated for Best Actress in a leading role for her role in American Hustle.

1D274907591269-today-golden-globes-hair-150112-02b.today-inline-large

3. Johnny Depp – He has played so many roles at this point, you might not even know what he looks like. With roles as diverse as Edward Scissorhands, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Mad Hatter, and many, many, many more. He has been nominated three times, all for Best Actor, for his roles in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Finding Neverland, and Sweeny Todd: The Barber of Fleet Street.

Premiere Of Lionsgate's "Mortdecai" - Arrivals

4. Glenn Close – Glenn Close has been nominated for an astounding six Oscars but has never managed to take one home with her. She is one of the most accomplished actress’s in Hollywood, but has never taken one of those cool little statues. She has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress three times each. Her best support actress nominations include The World According to Garp, The Big Chill, and The Natural. She was nominated for Best Actress for her work in Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, and Albert Nobbs. However, our favorite Glenn Close role was Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians. 

1805122-glenn-close-arrive-a-l-evenement-950x0-2

5. Viola Davis – Viola Davis is the type of actress that steals any scene she is involved in. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Doubt, a movie in which she was only in a single scene. She was also nominated for Best Leading Actress for her role in The Help but lost out to Meryl Streep’s Iron Lady. She has, however, won several Tony awards, and she won a Primetime Emmy for How To Get Away With Murder. Her next role, Amanda Waller in DC Comic’s Suicide Squad, will probably not win her any awards, as superhero movies don’t tend to be nominated for these kinds of things.

Viola-Davis-2015-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet-Fashion-Donna-Karan-Atelier-Tom-Lorenzo-Site-TLO-3

6. Ralph Fiennes – Though probably best known for his role as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter saga (alongside Helena Bonham Carter), Fiennes has played roles ranging from M in some of the James Bond films to M. Gustave in the Grand Budapest Hotel. Fiennes has been nominated for an Oscar twice, Best Leading Actor for The English Patriotand Best Supporting Actor for Schindler’s List.

MV5BMzc4ODU0OTUzMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTI0NzgzNDE@._V1._SX640_SY962_

7. Helena Bonham Carter – Keeping with our theme of Tim Burton’s favorite people, Johnny Depp’s constant co-star, Helena Bonham Carter has also never won an Academy Award. She has 88 acting credits to her name and has been nominated for seven Golden Globes, three Emmy’s, and two Oscars, and has never won any of them! Either she has really, really bad luck, or the people behind award ceremonies hate her. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The King’s Speech and Best Actress forThe Wings of the Dove. She didn’t even get a nod for Harry Potter, which we consider travesty!

MV5BMjIwMzI4NDA2NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjA0OTI0NzE@._V1_SX640_SY720_

8. Hugo Weaving – Among the geek-side of the universe, there is no actor more deserving of an Oscar than Hugo Weaving, playing roles such as V in V for Vendetta, The Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings and Agent Smith in The Matrix. The only reason Mr. Weaving hasn’t won an Oscar before is he doesn’t make “Oscar” movies, he provides amazing performances that could easily beat many of the Oscar nominees, however, the Academy hardly recognizes Fantasy and Science Fiction movies, which is a key reason why Star Wars: The Force Awakens was forgotten for the Best Picture award. However, anyone who has seen Hugo Weaving act, knows he’s one of the best actors around.

5th+AACTA+Red+Carpet+Arrivals+Presented+Presto+z7FN444aIIel

9. Tom Cruise – Heartthrob Tom Cruise has been nominated for three Oscars, but lost out to tough competition, including the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis and Michael Caine. He was nominated for his roles in Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire,and Magnolia.

EE British Academy Film Awards 2015 - Winners Room

10 Bradley Cooper – This hottie has been nominated for the Academy for a total of three times – for Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and American Sniper. If it were upto us, we’d give him an Oscar for playing the sassy Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy even. But we can only hope he bags the golden guy soon enough.

fb7add293760ff2e82dfae067296d4bbafe627a5

 

 

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=3379 0
Movies To Look Forward To In 2016 /_p=3342 /_p=3342#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2016 11:15:00 +0000 /_p=3342 We give you the low down on the movies that are most likely to be blockbusters this year.

The next 12 months look great for Sci-Fi and Fantasy geeks. It’s a big year for superhero smackdowns as Marvel’s Captain America and Iron Man get into it, while DC’s Batman and Superman go head-to-head too. The X-Men take on Apocalypse, and the Suicide Squad takes down the Joker, while Deadpool, Doctor Strange and Gambit all have their own adventures. That comic book bubble ain’t bursting in the next 12 months, it seems. Meanwhile, Star Trek and Star Wars are blasting out of hyperspace with “Star Trek Beyond,” co-written by Simon Pegg, and the first Star Wars spin-off, “Rogue One.”

And it’s time to return to more beloved titles of the past too. There’s a new, rebooted “Ghostbusters,” not to mention belated sequels to “Independence Day” and “Finding Nemo.” Jason Bourne is back in action, as are the teen heroes of “Divergent.” JK Rowling takes us back to Harry Potter’s wizarding world in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” while classic novels “The BFG” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass” get the big-screen treatment. So does the Jane Austen classic “Pride and Prejudice” — with the addition of a few zombies, of course.Gaming fans can console themselves with movies based on “Assassin’s Creed,” “World of Warcraft” and, er, “Angry Birds.”

1. Superman VS. Batman: Dawn of Justice – In another superhero scrap, DC’s man of steel, Henry Cavill, faces off against dark knight Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder’s in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Also along for the ride are Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred the butler and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

Batman-Vs-Superman

2. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them – Expecto a new adventure in the magical world of “Harry Potter,” based on the story by JK Rowling. Eddie Redmayne is Newt Scamander, a wizard hunting magical creatures in 1920s New York.

fantastic-beasts-08

3. Star Trek Beyond – Simon Pegg is on co-writing duties, and “Fast and Furious” director Justin Lin directs the action at warp speed for the third in the rebooted Trek series. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana are joined on their continuing mission to explore strange new worlds by Idris Elba and “Kingsman” star Sofia Boutella.

2133

4. Pride + Prejudice + Zombies – Former “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith mashes up Jane Austen and the undead.

NE3XCDqeOn3i69_1_b

5. Deadpool – Hotly anticipated comic book action with Ryan Reynolds as the fast-talking “merc with a mouth,” Wade Wilson. Oscar-winning animator Tim Miller, the man behind the stylish opening sequences of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Thor: The Dark World,” makes his directorial debut. Very adult carnage ensues.

deadpool-gallery-06-gallery-image

6. X-Men: Apocalypse – The ninth X-Men movie sees Marvel’s heroes face off against Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant, played by “Star Wars” star Oscar Isaac (pictured above with blue on his face). James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence lead the cast of multiple mutants.

x1

7. Doctor Strange – People are strange as Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the role of Marvel’s mystical medic, joined by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton.

DVoiGCH

8. Bourne 5 – Matt Damon is Bourne again, with Paul Greengrass back in the director’s chair for more amnesiac action adventure. Tommy Lee Jones joins “Ex Machina” star Alicia Vikander.

download

9. The Jungle Book – Disney continues its run of live action-ifying its library of animated classics. Jon Favreau directs with Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken lending their voices.

The-Jungle-Book-Movie-2016

10. Alice Through The Looking Glass – This one’s a sequel to Tim Burton’s movie “Alice in Wonderland” based on the Lewis Carroll classic, starring Mia Wasikowska, with Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen and Barbara Windsor lend their voices.

The-Mad-Hatter-in-Alice-Through-the-Looking-Glass

11. Finding Dory – Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Ellen DeGeneres is back as absent-minded Dory with Albert Brooks in the animated sequel to “Finding Nemo.”

dory_2525738b

12. The Angry Birds Movie – Remember Angry Birds? “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage is joined by “Saturday Night Live” stars Jason Sudeikis, Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader as they lend their voices to the big-screen animated versions of the furious fowl from 2009’s most vexed mobile game.

angry_birds_movie_creepy

13. The Finest Hours – Chris Pine and Casey Affleck face disaster on the high seas in this 3D recounting of the true-life Pendleton rescue of 1952, when US Coast Guard crewmen heroically battled to save the crews of two stricken oil tankers.

The Finest Hours

14. Snowden – Firebrand director Oliver Stone directs Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the true-life story of Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee who leaked classified information about government surveillance to the media. Zachary Quinto and Nicolas Cage co-star.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Shailene Woodley Film "Snowden"

15. Captain America: Civil War – If there’s any film that could beat the long awaited Captain America: Civil War, then you’re welcome to point it out to us. Between the clash of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers’ opposing ideologies, and the fact that this is shaping up to be theAvengers flick we wished we got last year, The Russo Brothers have a money printer on their hands. Not only is the box office pre-loaded for this flick, but it’s also got the potential to be the highest grossing Captain America film ever. And that sits with us just fine.

is-martin-freeman-s-role-in-captain-america-civil-war-linked-to-the-security-council-724123

16. Fan – Fan is one of the most anticipated movies of 2016 starring King of romance Shahrukh Khan and produced under the banner of Yash Raj Films.

shah-rukh-khan-fan-in-oxford-mark-hemsworth_1427697559

17. Raees – Raees is one of the most anticipated movies of 2016 under the banners of Excel Entertainment, Red Chillies Entertainment. Mahira Khan plays the lead female role. This will mark the debut of the Pakistani actress in Bollywood. The movie tells the story of a cruel and clever bootlegger whose business is thwarted by a tough policeman.

shah-rukh-khan-raees_640x480_71438144402

18. Airlift – Airlift is an upcoming Indian action thriller movie. The film is based on biggest evacuation of Indians based in Kuwait during the Iraq-Kuwait War.

332035972

19. Jagga Jasoos – Jagga Jasoos is an upcoming Indian comedy drama movie. The movie tells the story of a teenage detective in search of his missing father.

vKlL_4gq

20. Sultan – Sultan is one of the much awaited movies of 2016 starring Salman Khan as a wrestler.

salmankhansultan-firstlook

Other Bollywood movies that we await with bated breath are Aamir Khan’s Dangal (Christmas 2016), Ashutosh Gowarikar’s epic romance Mohenjo Daro and Karan Johar’s Shuddhi.

What will you be watching in 2016? Tell us in the comments below!

 

 

 

 

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=3342 0
Best Cinematic Experiences of 2015 /_p=3294 /_p=3294#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2015 08:31:40 +0000 /_p=3294 From Inside Out to Bajrangi Bhaijaan, here’s the list of movies that utterly charmed us in 2015!

45 Years – The history of film contains many great ruminations on marriage, and yet every new year seems to bring another must-see on the topic. Haigh, whose terrific gay romance Weekend led to the equally great TV series Looking, turns his eye to a love story nearing its end in 45 Years, following a couple in the week leading up to their 45th anniversary party. Shortly before the celebration, the body of the husband’s long-lost girlfriend is found, perfectly preserved, in a mountain crevasse, and all of the little cracks and fissures in the marriage begin to open up. Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay are tremendous in the lead roles, with Rampling, in particular, conveying oceans of feeling in a mere glance.

45_Years_4_3398338b

Carol – Carol is a love story between two women in which the word “lesbian” is never once spoken. Both halves of that equation are important. Yes, it’s about two women who dare to fall in love in 1950s New York, and then dare to live out that love. But it’s also about how hard it can be to discuss these things when you don’t possess the words you might need to describe what you’re feeling. Long sections of this movie focus more on the powers of self-definition than anything else, as a young woman named Therese (Rooney Mara), who’s newly enraptured by the older Carol (Cate Blanchett) comes to realize just who she is. There’s something magical about that.

carol-01-800

Clouds of Sils Maria – Here’s the movie Birdman thought it was — a thoughtful consideration of aging, Hollywood, and what it means to see a younger generation nipping at your heels, ready to replace you before you’re ready to go. Set mostly in a remote mountain home, Clouds of Sils Maria follows an aging actress (Juliette Binoche) and her harried assistant (Kristen Stewart) as they prepare for the actress to play the older woman in a revival of the play that made her famous as a young woman (when she played the younger role). This is a rich movie, about a great many things, but most of all, it’s about realizing you’re not invincible, that you, too, will someday become older but not quite wiser.

clouds_of_sils_maria_2_binoche_stewart

The Diary of a Teenage Girl – The best thing about The Diary of a Teenage Girl is how emotionally complicated it is. On the one hand, it’s the story of a young woman who is exploited and taken advantage of by her mother’s boyfriend. On the other hand, it’s a story about how she figured things out about herself because of the experience. The movie doesn’t make excuses for her statutory rapist, but it does attempt to understand his state of mind. And above all else, it digs deeply into the point of view of a girl in the full throes of adolescence, charting her every mood, emotion, and thought.

dnevnik_jedne

The Duke of Burgundy – Movies often shy away from sex, but they especially shy away from non-vanilla sex, usually depicting it as, at best, part of some weirdo underground fetish community that may or may not be into murdering people as well. The Duke of Burgundy, about two women in a dom/sub relationship who love to engage in power games for sexual pleasure, breaks that unfortunate tendency and sets about exploring the limits of the aging human body, the boundaries of love, and a whole bunch of other things. As the two women, Sidse Babett Knudsen (whom some will know from the lead role of the terrific Danish TV series Borgen) and Chiara D’Anna just might be the couple of the year.

duke-of-burgundy-007Inside Out – If any movie on this list seems destined to inspire like-minded smiles and nods of agreement, it’s Pixar’s latest confection, a wonderful journey inside the brain of an 11-year-old girl that manages to juggle three protagonists (on two planes of existence, no less), while telling completely involving emotional stories about all of them. By now you’re surely familiar with the film’s central motif of the five major emotions that run a console inside the girl’s brain. However, if you haven’t seen it, you might be surprised by how much deeper its premise goes, both in terms of fun visual gags — the dream studio is the best — and in terms of understanding of more complex, adult feelings.

107279-full

Mad Max: Fury Road – It still seems crazy that one of the biggest critical sensations of the year essentially boils down to one gigantic car chase. Fury Road is a massive undertaking, one that director Miller seemingly assembled entirely from a humongous plan he was keeping in his head, but it’s also a riveting character drama, focused on the taciturn Max (Tom Hardy) and the Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), the warrior woman he happens upon who’s trying to help several young concubines escape their imprisonment. Riveting, incendiary, and so much fun, this is the only movie of the year to feature an electric guitar that belches flame.

frd-ds-00153r-810x514

Tangerine – Nothing is as moving to us as simple acts of kindness, and some of 2015’s most touching onscreen moments appeared in this slice-of-life dramedy about two trans woman prostitutes who spend one Christmas Eve trying to track down the cisgender woman whom one of their boyfriends slept with. Along the way, Baker also wraps in the story of a cab driver and several other characters, until this tiny little movie feels like it features nearly all of its Los Angeles in its ensemble cast. Shot entirely on an iPhone, Tangerine could have easily become a message-driven but is, instead, about how hard it can be to just live life when everything else gets in the way.

1280x720-Xze

Dum Laga Ke Haisha – A girl with weight issues. A ‘boy’ taking surly steps towards manhood. Director Sharat Katariya nails it. And both Ayushmann Khurrana as the reluctant groom, and Bhumi Pednekar as the ‘fat’ girl’, make this thing sing.

Ayushmann-Dum-BH2

Drishyam – In times when Hindi cinema is embracing realism like never before, Nishikant Kamat’s version looks staged, reeks of unwarranted manipulation.On paper it belongs to Ajay but on screen it is Tabu who walks away with it.

ajay-devgn-drishyam-759

Margarita With A Sraw – That people with disabilities are also people—with needs and wants—just like the rest of us, is a fact that stays shamefully unacknowledged. Under Shonali Bose’s astute baton, Kalki Koechlin does a great job of her wheel-chair bound protagonist who wants everything—bed bits and all– and leaves us smiling.

margarita--3_650_091614113423

Bahubali – SS Rajamouli is a director who thinks not just big, but humungous. ‘Bahubali’ is an epic adventure, of the sort of scale and ambition Indian cinema has never witnessed. Can’t wait for part 2!

Prabhas-Bahubali-New-Posters-04

Masaan – Banaras is a pulsating character in Neeraj Ghaywan’s debut feature, which touches upon such weighty matters as life and death, society and repression, caste and class, grieving and healing. Deftly directed, from a sharp, mapping-the-terrain script by Varun Grover. And Vicky Kaushal is a great find.

masaan-cannes-film-festival

Bajrangi Bhaijaan – Kabir Khan cobbles together an adorable little girl, Salman Khan as Being Hanuman, Nawazuddin as a bumbling TV reporter across the border, and rousing Indo-Pak bhaichara, and the subversive frisson created by a Muslim superstar playing a Ram bhakt in our time of ‘intolerance’. Mainstream cinema with definite smarts.

Salman-Khan-in-Zindagi-Kuch-Toh-Bata-Bajrangi-Bhaijaan-Song

Piku – Shoojit Sircar presents a completely new situation in Hindi cinema—an irascible old man, played by Amitabh Bachchan, with twin obsessions: his bowel movements, and his unmarried daughter. Time for ‘filmi romance’ (between the lissome Deepika Padukone and Irrfan) to turn unconventional. And feel right!

piku_640x480_61431170897

Tell us about your favorite movie of 2015 in the comments section below!

 

 

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=3294 0
Tête-à-Tête with Pakistani TV’s Sweetheart – HIRA /_p=3261 /_p=3261#comments Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:24:12 +0000 /_p=3261 From being a VJ, talk show host and TV actor to being full-time mom, Hira (of the famous Pakistani TV duo Mani & Hira!) has really done it all! With her newest show, Preet Na Kariyo Koi, recently launched on Hum TV (and doing quite well!), we thought the time was ripe for a candid Q&A session with the beautiful lady. Read on!

IMG-20151110-WA000

Q: What would you have been if not an actress?

I would love to be a social worker and make this country a better place for all underprivileged individuals. Building schools, hospitals, homes for free is something I would want to invest my time and energy in. My father has always been socially active and involved so I guess I got it from him.

Q: What is the weekly fitness routine that you follow?

I do yoga and eat healthy. Fruits and vegetables are my main diet. All it takes is some self love and healthy eating, rather than an aggressive gym schedule.

IMG-20151110-WA001

Q: If you could invite any 3 actors from the past to dinner, who would they be?

I am fan of the Kapoor family so it will be Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor and (even though he is still a present force in Bollywood!) Rishi Kapoor.

Q: Any Bollywood actor/actress that you really admire?

There are marvellous actors in India but my favorites are the evergreen Rekha ji and Kajol. I truly admire Kajol’s talent. She is one of the most remarkable actresses in Bollywood and i’ve religiously seen her every movie. And it goes without saying, one day I’d really love to be as gracefully charming and talented as Rekha ji.

Q: If you could rewind time and be the lead in any existing movie, which movie character would you pick?

I’d want to be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The story and dialogues were very intense. I prefer roles that show the woman as a strong, dominating female. It was a beautiful and dramatic love story and I would love to play the lead in it.

Q: How do you manage your hectic work life with 2 kids at home?

First of all I don’t take my responsibilities as a burden on me because these kids, my husband and my work are the blessing of my Allah to me. 

So I do it very happily and positively and really, its not that difficult to manage both your work and family if you are fully dedicated to both. All you need is the love and support of your family, which I thankfully, have in abundance!

Well, Team Style Aria sincerely wishes you all the luck and good fortune for your future endeavours, Hira, and we hope that someday soon you might even make a Bollywood debut!

]]>

/_feed=rss2&p=3261 0
Top 15 Spooky Movies To Watch This Halloween! /_p=3132 /_p=3132#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2015 17:46:13 +0000 /_p=3132 Get a big bowl of popcorn and settle down to watch one of these scary movies on the spookiest night of the year!

1. Halloweentown is a Disney Channel Halloween classic in which three siblings who aren’t allowed to celebrate Halloween run away with their Halloween-loving grandmother and discover that she’s a witch from a town called Halloweentown! Have a Halloweentown marathon this year—it has three sequels!

58c52046-28b0-4b1e-9d25-e8b6a570d237

2. The Sceam franchise is now up to four movies, but the originalScream movie is a Halloween classic. The Ghostface killer that reappears in the subsequent movies makes its first apperance in this movie, killing teenagers living in a small town. A girl and her friends set out to find him, but not everyone survives!

Ghostface-Character-Scream4-Movie

3. In Hocus Pocus, three witch sisters are resurrected in Salem after three centuries, Massachusetts on Halloween night, and it is up to two teenagers, a young girl and an immortal cat to put an end to the witches’ reign of terror once and for all. Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker as scary witches is something we just can’t get enough of.

hocus-pocus

4. Chloe Grace Moretz’s new movie Carrie looks so creepy, and so good. Chloe plays an outcast named Carrie who is confronted with the meanest of mean girls. But she gets her revenge using telepathic powers.

timthumb

5. In The Craft, a newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who even slightly anger them. It’s like a more creepy version of Mean Girls.

the-craft

6. In oldtimer Beetle Juice, Tim Burton beautifully creates an amalgamation of comedy and horror.After Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their country residence, unable to leave the house. When the unbearable Deetzes (Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones) and teen daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) buy the home, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away without success. Their efforts attract Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), a rambunctious spirit whose “help” quickly becomes dangerous for the Maitlands and innocent Lydia.

beetlejuice

7. You might want to keep the lights on when watching Halloween—it’s seriously scary! It’s about a murder who killed his brother and sister when he was little, so he was institutionalized. But then he escapes and starts stalking someone. Told ya it was scary!

Halloween-Image-2

8. The Addams Family is a much loved classic and it’s no surprise that it features on our list. They’re creepy and kooky and all together ookie. So they’re perfect for Halloween! Gomez Addams, head of the family, tells his lawyer Tully, that he has not spoken to his brother Fester, for many years. When a loan shark demands that Tully pay her, her son poses as Fester in an attempt to break into the Addams family’s vault. However, it’s difficult for the imposter to fit in, what with all the dark magic going on there. And the family finds it equally hard to adjust to normal world after they are forced out of their house. If Wednesday (their disturbed daughter) doesn’t creep you out, then Thing (it’s just a hand) definitely will.

the-addams-family

9. In 2012 movie Fun Size, Victoria Justice stars as Wren, who is basically having the worst Halloween ever. Her crush is throwing a Halloween party and she’s all pumped to go, but then she has to babysit her little brother. Things take a turn for the worst when he goes missing! Will she lose her brother and her crush for good? You’ll have to watch to find out!

reviewfunsize-4_3

10. Ghostbusters remains a Halloween favorite! Who you gonna call? How about three parapsychologists (ghost scientists) who started a New York ghost-busting business to rid Manhattan of all its spooks? Ego, Ray, and Peter lose their research grants at their university and open Ghostbusters, and they soon find themselves investigating the possession and abduction of a woman who Peter was planning on going on a date with. It turns out, ghosts aren’t as rare in New York as people think.

65388-v-obnovenej-premiere-premietne-festival-aj-znamu-komediu-nestandard2

11. Warm Bodies is the perfect Halloween movie for hopeless romantics! In it, JLaw’s ex, Nicholas Hoult, plays an unusual zombie who saves a living girl instead of eating her and their budding relationship might just be what it takes to bring some life back into their post-apocalyptic world! Did we mention Dave Franco also stars? #SWOON

18d3wx1ebjjuyjpg

12. In an absolutely beautiful movie, The Corpse Bride, somehow, the young (and alive!) Victor Van Dort (the voice of Johnny Depp) ends up marrying not his intended bride-to-be, but the Corpse Bride, a skeletal woman who also happens to be dead. Now Victor has to make a choice between his new Corpse Bride and his once-fiancé, Victoria. Oh, the drama!

595c0137e2e06590435242de42d3f5dd

13. If you’ve ever thought your teachers might be from another planet, you’ll totally get into The Faculty. The students in this movie suspect their teachers are aliens—literally! It leads to some hilarious—and disturbing—situations!

Movie-Stills-the-faculty-27875479-800-450

14. Monsters Inc. is something every family should watch together – it’s fun and emotional, and it has a great sequel – Monsters University! At Monsters Inc., the most important thing is scaring because the screams of human kids power their city. Mike and Sully are the top scaring team and they scare because they care (just means they take their jobs seriously). But things go terribly hay-wire when a little (and possibly toxic) human girl somehow gets stranded in the monster world. It’s up to Mike and Sully to get her back to her own home, safe and sound. Between keeping a lid on the mayhem and battling bad guys, they find out that maybe human kids are not so dangerous after all, and that there might be a better power source out there. Make it a Monsters marathon and watch both movies back to back!

set_monsters_inc_boo_sulley

15.  From Linus’ unflagging belief in the Great Pumpkin to Charlie Brown’s disappointing rock-filled trick-or-treat bag, the heartfelt animated classic It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is full of good friends, faith, and fun. You loved the Peanuts gang as kids, and you’ll love it now!

its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-620x350

Do you have a favorite Halloween flick? Tell us in the comments below!

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=3132 0
Review: Quantico /_p=3016 /_p=3016#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2015 16:58:45 +0000 /_p=3016 ABC was not kidding when it dubbed Quantico as Homeland meets Grey’s Anatomy while promoting its newest drama. Within the first five minutes of its premiere episode, the show manages to squeeze in hat tips to its references. FBI rookie Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra) wakes up on ground zero of what is dubbed as the “biggest attack on US soil since 9/11” (Hello Homeland!). The story soon goes into flashback as we see Alex as part of new recruits being initiated into FBI’s training academy at Quantico, in a scene closely mirroring the tough talk that the interns of Seattle Grace first got.

Episode 1 of Quantico is about setting up the premise that we are all now familiar with, thanks to the show’s aggressive publicity. Newly trained FBI agent Alex Parrish is the prime suspect in a terrorist attack. The story alternates between two timelines: From Alex training at the academy with a bunch of new recruits, to Alex on the run to find the real culprits and clear her name.

quantico-master675

The show wears its myriad influences on its sleeve. This can often come off as jarring, giving its tone a lack of uniformity. In trying to juxtapose the emotional drama of Grey’s Anatomy with the grit and intensity of Homeland, the show often veers toward being over the top. The next few episodes will tell if Quantico will manage to find its individual voice within this chaos of references.

One of the unlikeliest, and perhaps unintentional, influences of the show is Bollywood. No, there is no song and dance. Priyanka Chopra has simply managed to tone down and adapt Bollywood’s school of acting and transpose it to suit the American show. You’ll see it in her come-hither looks to Ryan Booth (Jake McLaughlin), her shock when arrested by the FBI for the attack and her logic-defying escape from FBI. You’ve seen every expression before, just not in these contexts. This moment of recognition is amusing, heartening and disconcerting at the same time and when you allow yourself to look at it through this lens, it’s easier to buy into the world of this show. Successful as it may be, no one said this transition would be seamless and why should it be?

quantico-pc

One of the best things about the show is getting to watch Chopra do things that female protagonists still don’t in our mainstream films. As Alex Parrish, she gets to be the person the entire story revolves around. She gets to be unapologetically in control of her life and do whatever the hell she wants. (Cue sex in the car with a stranger who later turns out to be a fellow recruit). She gets to be strong, messy and vulnerable at the same time. In short, she gets to be the kick ass action heroine Bollywood never gave us.

With that, let’s get down to answering the all-important question- Will Chopra fulfil our expectations to successfully represent a billion Indians on American TV and should she?

Priyanka’s successful transition from Bollywood to an American TV star is as much her achievement as her undoing. We, the Indian audience and media, are bent on scrutinising her, waiting to pounce when she falters as seen in our intense obsession with her accent. For every episode of Grey’s Anatomy you were willing to watch that hospital survive through apocalyptic disasters (there are at least two every season), for every time you were willing to go beyond what meets the eye and say ‘Yes, Jon Snow is alive!’, for every idiosyncrasy you put with on Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory or the times you sat through films where Salman Khan or Rajinikanth sent men flying through the sky, it is possible to use an ounce of that same willingness, to believe Priyanka Chopra/Alex Parrish has a mixed accent because of her mixed cultural influences. (She’s half American on the show, for crying out loud!)

We will say this though. Alex’s escape from the FBI after she’s accused of orchestrating the attack only works if the bureau is so stunningly incompetent that it literally can’t catch a woman a block away from where she was arrested. Similar narrative conveniences–such as characters stumbling upon important clues just lying around waiting to be discovered–litter this first episode, which wouldn’t be so egregious if these agents and recruits weren’t supposed to be the best of the best.

An actress, singer and former Miss World, Chopra has a poise and sexual spark as Alex that suggests a formidable potential FBI agent whose mind and beauty are equally stunning. But Quantico doesn’t give her much opportunity to show off her brains. Like her attractive costars, Chopra captivates on a superficial level, alongside the showy plot machinations and skin-deep intrigue as Alex goes into hiding to clear her name. The chase is on in Quantico, but at this early stage, smarts are trailing far, far behind. We hope they catch up soon!

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=3016 0
Here’s what we thought about Fear the Walking Dead /_p=2879 /_p=2879#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2015 06:30:18 +0000 /_p=2879 The highly anticipated rip-off of the popular TV series The Walking Dead premiered on August 23, 2015. Fans of the original series have mixed emotions about the new show, some revel in the presence of a new setup and characters while others do not believe that the new series would be different enough to draw interest.

Here’s what we think of the first three episodes and how we feel that Fear the Walking Dead is different from its sister show.

  1. LOCATION: The creators have set the Walking Dead rip-off in the city of Los Angeles and this proves to be a bold and refreshing choice. Unlike its predecessor, this series will deal with the lives of people in one of the largest city in the States and instead of vast sprawling rural wastelands, we will get to witness crowds of people on cramped streets dealing with even more walkers. ftwd
  2. TEENAGERS: Another point of difference is the presence of a lot more teenagers than we got to see in the original. Bratty teenagers would undoubtedly prove to be interesting zombie bait and we honestly can’t wait to see how the adolescents that wore trendy clothes until recently, go around killing the undead in dirty rags. Also, no phones or internet! fear-the-walking-dead-cast-photos-04
  3. ONE FAMILY: Fear the Walking Dead revolves around the lives of a single family up until now and this is starkly dissimilar from its sister show, which follows the struggle for survival of various characters – Rick and Daryl may be the ones stealing the spotlight but TWD attempts to give attention to all its cast. The question remains – is one family enough to keep the viewers interested? We are waiting to find out. fear4
  4. THE BEGINNING: Unlike TWD, Fear the Walking Dead gives us an insight to the missing month of Rick’s memory. We get to witness the breakout of the apocalypse – the confusion, the riots, the deaths and the growing courage of characters, which we had missed due to Rick’s coma. This beginning gives a new angle to the story but how long before we are as far into the apocalypse as Rick’s group? Will it be any different then?
  5. SOCIAL DESTRUCTION: We are experiencing this show in stages – the stages of social devastation. When an apocalypse hits, people lose their humanity bit by bit and while we saw that in TWD as well, we didn’t get to witness it in the beginning. We may have seen Rick’s character changing but all the others were already brutal walker-killers when Rick found them. Fear the Walking Dead gives us a chance to observe it ever more slowly.
  6. AMATEURS: The one thing that assures us that Fear the Walking Dead will give us more chills is that all the characters in this show are amateurs. In TWD, Rick was a police officer and he, along with Shane, had trained their group. Daryl was a pro with the crossbow, Dale and Hershel were good with the guns and even Glenn had his special pizza delivery boy skills. But characters in Fear TWD still have to undergo Walker Killing 101.
  7. STUPIDITY: Yes, another thing that Fear TWD has and TWD doesn’t is a whole lot of stupidity. Characters in TWD are already well aware of the dangers of a walker but the ones in Fear are still thinking of walkers as sick people that can be treated. Yes, it’s a Hershel Greene all over again. In episode 3 of Fear, we witness Exhibit A, Travis exemplifying the same brand of stupid. Oh Travis, do you really think cannibalism can be fixed? We sincerely hope your brain can be.
  8. WALKERS: The last thing we found extremely different from TWD are the walkers themselves. The walkers in this show are fresh and not as rotten or gooey as the ones in TWD, who have been walkers for a longer period of time. Could these less decayed walkers be faster or be more efficient killers?

fear-the-walking-dead-amc

Fear the Walking Dead does bring a lot of new elements to our favorite universe of the walkers and we have enjoyed the first three episodes for now but how long before we get to the same timeline as the Walking Dead and this spin-off loses its fresh quality? Whatever may happen, we can tell you for sure that all us TWD fans will be tuning in to find out and we do wish that this show is every bit as addicting as its predecessor.

Let us know what you think about Fear the Walking Dead in the comments below.

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=2879 0
Which Gossip Girl Are You – Blair, Serena or Jenny? /_p=2565 /_p=2565#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2015 08:23:22 +0000 /_p=2565 It has been almost three years since we last heard the phrase, “You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Girl!” But this show (which is, without question, the most fashionable of our time since Sex and The City) never fails to get us excited. Years later, Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen and Jenny Humphrey remain popular style inspirations and icons – the standards by which we still measure our own style sensibilities. Read on to find out which Gossip Girl’s style you most identify with!

Blair Waldorf – Iconic style moments dominated the Upper East Side, but it was Blair Waldorf, played by the stunning Leighton Meester, who was always one step ahead of the style pack. Blair was a classic beauty with a royally bold disposition, and her polished style translated into the masterful portrayal that captured the hearts of tastemakers around the globe. From the launch of cult-like trends — one word: headbands — to the crème de la crème of designer duds, it was Queen Bee who reigned supreme. Her style was uniquely preppy, always on point with the “primness” of it all. To our beloved B, wearing sweats anywhere outside of the gym was strictly unacceptable. Her love of vintage inspired coats, scarves and headbands is something legendary. If uber girly silhouettes, chic colorful prints, ladylike pantyhose and headbands are your style, then look to Queen B for fashion inspiration.

Though the luxe Gryphon caplet, brocade Alice + Olivia skirt, and moody Miu Miu Mary Janes are exquisite on their own, the Ann-Marie Faulkner beret really seals the Parisian-chic deal.

Though the luxe Gryphon caplet, brocade Alice + Olivia skirt, and moody Miu Miu Mary Janes are exquisite on their own, the Ann-Marie Faulkner beret really seals the Parisian-chic deal.

OK-Coordinate-Your-Shoes-Your-Handbag

Experiment-Different-Hues-Same-Color-Palette

Always-Coordinate-Your-Athletic-Equipment-Your-Ensemble

Play-Up-Spring-Separates

Serena van der Woodsen – If Blair was all about playing by fashion rules, Serena was all about breaking them. She threw caution to the winds and paired together the craziest outfits. It’s true that her designer-meets-bohemian-meets-preppy style that had us talking (and shopping) after every episode. Serena’s style was so perfect, with just the right amount of quirky edge, that it still gives us butterflies. Serena fearlessly wore 5 different kinds of prints together, or even donned gold blazers for day wear! If you love glamorous sequinned clothes, high boots, crazy prints and edgy cuts, and if you believe in making a basic jeans and tee outfit stylish by adding some choice accessories, your style BFF is clearly Serena!

Shopping-Style enhanced-3267-1422466109-27 enhanced-2762-1422466175-47 Edgy-Cozy Mixing-Matching Sky-High-Boots

 

Jenny Humphrey – From sweet little freshman to edgy goth designer, to Constance Queen Bee, Jenny’s transformation was the most dramatic of any character. Our sweet little Jenny started off at Constance as Blair’s most willing minion. Desperate to be popular (and usurp the throne), she pretty much dressed exactly like Blair, but with a more girlish twist. Once Jenny realized she didn’t need to impress Blair to prove her worth, things started to get… interesting. Colors got darker and hemlines got higher. Upper East Side Jenny’s style was what we call “Barbie Goth”.  With Blair’s blessing, Queen J began her reign of terror as Queen of Constance, and rarely wore pants in the process. If “seriously edgy” is how you describe your style, if fishnet stockings, black and rocker girl chic is your thing, then look no further than Jenny Humphrey for inspiration.

How To Succeed in Bassness img_l TV Set: 'Gossip Girl' taylor-momsen-and-gossip-girl-gallery

Tell us in the comments below – which Gossip Girl is your ultimate style guru!

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=2565 0
7 TV Series You Should Be Hooked To /_p=2507 /_p=2507#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2015 04:22:20 +0000 /_p=2507 If the “Ekta Kapoor” producer franchise, gets you worked up just like us-you’re not alone!.Entertainment was and has always been inclined to distract us from life, not burden it all the more. So when in mood to binge watch something totally out of the box, flick your channel list and tune in to these Hollywood series that will totally have you hooked. Unknowingly, you like many others will become ardent followers of these mind gripping series from the west that are well worth your down time. TV series that develop cult followings are known for their magnetic characters, pithy dialogue, and complex plots that interweave of the course of several episodes or seasons. The best cult TV fan bases are passionate and stay forever attached to their favorite characters, their lives, and their relationships. Even after their favorite shows go off the air, fans of cult TV shows continue to collect memorabilia, replica props. This phenomenon has been observed to span genres from sci-fi cult shows to fantasy, drama, and even comedy cult series.

game-of-thrones-logo

Game of Thrones:

The currently running, highest followed series is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire. The series, set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos intertwines several plot lines with a broad ensemble cast. Game of Thrones has attracted record numbers of viewers on HBO and obtained an exceptionally broad and active international fan base.

11t7b40.jpg

Breaking Bad:

The acclaimed series tells the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, who, turns to a life of crime, producing and selling crystallized methamphetamine to secure his family’s financial future before he dies. Regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time, the series was among the most-watched cable shows on American television. In 2013, Breaking Bad entered the Guinness World Records as the highest rated show of all time.

the-walking-dead-season-5-trailer

The Walking Dead:

The Walking Dead is an American horror drama television series based on the comic book series of the same name. Andrew Lincoln plays the show’s lead character, sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a months-long coma to confront an apocalyptic world overrun by zombies.

lost

Lost:

Lost is a drama series containing elements of science fiction and the supernatural. It follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet, on a mysterious tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. Lost has been consistently ranked as the ten television series of all time. The first season garnered an estimated average of 16 million viewers per episode. During its sixth and final season, the show averaged over 11 million U.S. viewers per episode

Office_S9_Promotional_Poster

The Office:

The series depicts everyday lives of office employees in Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary, it is filmed in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track. The first season was met with mixed reviews, but the following four seasons received widespread acclaim from television critics, and were included on several critics’ year-end top TV series lists.

seinfeld_04_by_ctu_01

Seinfeld:

Set predominantly in an apartment block in Manhattan’s Upper West Side in New York City, the show features a handful of Jerry’s friends and acquaintances, particularly best friend George Costanza, former girlfriend Elaine Benes and neighbor across the hall Cosmo Kramer .A favorite among critics, the show led ratings in seasons six and nine, and finished among the top two every year from 1994 to 1998. In 2002, TV Guide named Seinfeld the greatest television program of all time.

8007

Star Trek:

Set in the Milky Way galaxy, roughly during the 2260s. The series features a ship and crew led by Captain James T. Kirk, first officer and science officer Spock and chief medical officer Leonard McCoy. Less known fact- Star Trek‍  was canceled after three seasons and 79 episodes. Several years later, the series became a bona fide hit in broadcast syndication, remaining so throughout the 1970s, achieving cult classic status and a developing influence on popular culture. The famous series eventually spawned a franchise, consisting of five additional television series, twelve feature films, numerous books, games, toys, and is now widely considered one of the most popular and influential television series of all time.

Which series are you following? Tell us in the comments below.

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=2507 0
14 Absolute Best Fashion Films Of All Time /_p=2469 /_p=2469#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2015 07:50:04 +0000 /_p=2469 To some, the fashion industry might seem like a daunting empire of self-obsessed fashionistas who glitz around wearing Louboutins, talking only about their favorite brand-named eyelash curler. Needless to say it’s not quite like that. Thanks to some recent (and not-so-recent) silver screen attention, the fashion community has taken to the cinemas to give in-depth looks into the lives behind the lux of the world of fashion.

From documentaries to films inspired by real life, here are 15 extraordinary examples of what happens behind the runway—as well as a few comedic takes that are just too good to leave out. Odds are, if you know fashion, then you’ll know of these fantastic fashion movies.

1. The Devil Wears Prada – Life throws a few not-so-fashionable curveballs at our main protagonist Andrea (Anne Hathaway) who takes an assistant role “a million girls would kill for” with the iconic magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), a role allegedly inspired by Vogue editrix Anna Wintour. Since its debut, The Devil Wears Prada has become the quintessential fashion flick for our generation, and no list of fashion films would be complete without this Meryl Streep beauty.

11-miranda-priestly-devil-wears-prada-broadway.w529.h529.2x

2. Coco Before Chanel – Coco Chanel is inimitable, but Audrey Tautou stars as a close second to none. This French film depicts the designer’s life before the famous fashion house, where she lived as a poor bar performer and milliner. A classic film for classic Coco—before the pearls, perfume and iconic place in history.

936full-coco-before-chanel-screenshot

3. Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel – From her years at Harper’s Bazaar or Vogue to reinvigorating the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, Diana Vreeland is hands-down one of the last century’s greatest talents. The Eye Has to Travel showcases the life of the extraordinary woman, who through the best eras of the 20th century, discovered the power of fashion as art and revolutionized an industry of boring clothing into a franchise of invigorating fashion spreads and glossy coverage.

4. Funny Face – Speaking of Diana Vreeland, the editor played a large part in the next film on our list of fashion films, Funny Face. Audrey Hepburn’s debut musical performance, this elegant film carries us along as Jo (Hepburn), an intellectual bookkeeper, falls into the modeling biz with a fierce and energetic editor (Kay Thompson, inspired by Vreeland) and a dancing, crooning photographer (Fred Astaire).

kiss

5. In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye – Aspiring to be a fashion editor or photographer? Do you wonder what the life of a fashion stylist truly entails? Well, with In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye, Vogue —the fashion Bible—describes just that, in a way both creative and insightful. During this HBO film, you’ll discover the men and women, past and present, behind the glossy pages of the iconic and historical magazine.

6. The September Issue – Join the ranks of fashion editors and stylists as they piece together the September issue of the world’s greatest fashion publication, American Vogue. While In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye chronicles the life and works of the people behind the glossy, The September Issue illustrates the luxurious yet intense business required in putting together the largest issue of the year.

7. Sex and the City – If you don’t know that Carrie Bradshaw and fashion go hand in hand, well where have you been?! Shoes, shoes, shoes and more shoes. Oh and did you know this girl would rather read a Vogue magazine than eat dinner? From the TV series Sex and the City, this film continues to be one of the top fashion movies of all time. The most stunning and iconic costume of this film is Carrie’s wedding dress, designed by Vivienne Westwood. It’s so beautiful the film gives it its own scene, just to remind its audience how spectacular it is. With a movie surrounding fashion conscious ladies in New York, this movie is an incredibly trendy must-see.

sex-and-the-city

8. Confessions of a Shopaholic – Revolving around a young fashion writer who simply can’t get enough beautiful clothes (and can’t exactly pay off half of them), Confessions of a Shopaholic is a cute, comedic (and sometimes cringe-worthy) take on life among fabulous clothes for the fictitious Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher). The film follows Bloomwood’s misadventures as she blossoms into “The Girl in the Green Scarf,” a columnist for a financial magazine.

Screen-Shot-2015-04-17-at-8.44.43-AM

9. Zoolander – Ben Stiller takes on the stereotypical life of the “not-too-bright” male model with this quintessential fashion favorite. Stiller’s Derek Zoolander struggles to triumph over his arch nemesis of male models, Hansel (Owen Wilson), while doing his iconic “Blue Steel” pout and becoming a brainwashed assassin for the eccentric designer Mugatu (Will Ferrell). No list would be complete without it!

10. Dior et Moi (Dior and I) – Chronicling the making of Raf Simons’ premier Haute Couture collection with Dior, Dior et Moi takes an unprecedented look into the famous French fashion house founded by Christian Dior in 1946.

Dior-and-I-THUMB

11. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – This movie is the birth of ‘The Little Black Dress’, a staple dress that every woman should have in her closet. Audrey Hepburn’s portrayal of Holly Golightly is Hepburn’s most iconic performances. Her little black dress with a beaded pearl necklace is timeless, and stays in every fashionista’s heart.

Breakfast-at-Tiffanys-p01

12. Factory Girl – Factory #Girl is a fashion movie despite not being about fashion because of its incredible impact on the fashion industry. This film revolves around the socialite and Warhol Superstar Edie Sedgwick, her #relationship with Andy Warhol and rise to being a fashion model. This movie made a big splash on the fashion scene with inspiration from Warhol’s colorful and iconic artwork.

5c6b30508c6776ee8c275c430dd6ce97

13. Clueless – A parody on teen lifestyle in a high-school where Cher (alicia Silverstone) plays matchmaker, gives fashion tips to her friends and searches for a boyfriend. As a high-school socialite, Cher is certainly on top of her fashion game and makes a point of wearing the most luxurious and drop-dead-gorgeous clothes to maintain her popular status. A true girly girl film any style-conscious girl needs to see.

446605804b5ccda5bf617c32958e3a67

14. Valentino: The Last Emperor – An intimate look into one of Italy’s, nay, one of the world’s most famous designers, Valentino: The Last Emperor takes a first-time glimpse into glamorous, luxurious and celebrated life and career of Valentino Garavani.

valentino_the_last_emperor1

How many have you seen? Reply in the comments section below!

 

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=2469 0
East meets West! Our list of Indian-origin Hollywood shiners /_p=2436 /_p=2436#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2015 02:48:03 +0000 /_p=2436 Let us quiz you- Name a single Hollywood series that you love that does not feature an Indian character. We bet you’ll be thinking hard for long. That’s the reach Indian origin characters have made, all the way across the seven seas-so as to speak.

With astute features and killing looks, Indian names are making their mark all over the Hollywood roadmap. A young generation of Indian origin actors has taken the international movie market by storm, and we simply cannot not be proud of them! They are breaking the stereotypes of being ABCDs (American Born Confused Desi) as their excellence in the international film circuit with their acting prowess speaks abound !. Proving more than just diversity hires, these individuals are creating magic, both in-front and behind the camera. Check out these desi beauties and knock-out men who have taken the West by storm.

87th Annual Oscars - Vanity Fair Oscar Party

MINDY KALING

“The office” star Mindy Kaling now has her own show airing this fall.Mindy Kaling is one of the hottest TV writers/actors right now. “The Office” star has written and starred in many of the best episodes of the series, including season two’s “The Dundies,” “The Injury” and the wedding episode “Niagara.” Her movie credits include roles in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “No Strings Attached” and “The Five-Year Engagement.”

padma-lakshmi_0

PADMA LAKSHMI

A cookbook author, actress, model and a TV host, Padma Lakshmi adorns too many hats at the same time. Though born in Chennai, Padma Lakshmi grew up partly in New York and her Indian hometown. She hosts the popular American TV show Top Chef.

naveen-andrews-naveen-andrews-6818365-520-800

 NAVEEN ANDREWS

Born in London, Andrews is remembered for Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra – A Tale of Love. He was also seen in the popular romantic film The English Patient starring Ralph Fiennes. Gurinder Chadha’s Bride & Prejudice and the television series Lost are others that saw Naveen achieve the recognition he deserved.

kal-penn-premiere-a-very-harold-and-kumar-christmas-02

KAL PENN

Known for the Harold and Kumar film series, Kalpen Suresh Modi was born to Gujarati parents and lives in Los Angeles. He is also known for his poignant role as Gogol in Mira Nair’s The Namesake.

 

Archie+Panjabi+Heart+Truth+Red+Dress+Collection+t38Dc-3drful

ARCHIE PANJABI

You have surely adored this pretty lass play elder sister to Jess (Parminder Nagra) in Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham. Archana Punjabi alias Archie was born to Indian parents who immigrated to Britain. Having played a crucial role in the British drama East is East, Archie was also seen in the American TV series The Good Wife.

 

Parminder_Nagra_FP_854125_FP_HOTHOLLYWOOD_85_081807_535x535

PARMINDER NAGRA

Born to Sikh parents who immigrated to the UK, Parminder Nagra is best known for playing Jess in Bend It Like Beckham. Nagra also essayed the role of Dr Neela Rasgotra in the popular American medical drama ER. She recently featured a big role spanning multiple episodes on Blacklist.

aziz-ansari-caa

 AZIZ ANSARI

The Indian actor has created one of the most hilarious and memorable characters on television-Tom Haverford on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation.” Ansari has also had bit roles in movies like “Get Him to the Greek” and “Funny People.” But now he’s getting a lead role in the buddy-robbery comedy “30 Minutes or Less” with Jesse Eisenberg.

 

gurinder-chadha_3346498b

GURINDER CHADHA

A British director of Indian origin who began her career in the radio from there, she went on to direct award-winning documentaries for the British Film Institute and BBC. Her first documentary, ‘I’m British but…’ was released in 1989. Her first feature film, ‘Bhaji on the Beach’ won numerous international awards including a BAFTA nomination for “Best British Film of 1994”. Her movie ‘Bend it like Beckham’ was a critical and commercial hit, topping the box office charts in the U.S, Australia, New Zealand. Her other feature films include ‘Bride and Prejudice’, ‘The Mistress of Spices’ and the latest one being ‘It’s a Wonderful Afterlife’, which brought together the mother-daughter duo of Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan for the first time.

68060ef138ad6e68_Cannes-Freida-Pinto-Ponytail

FREIDA PINTO

Before she made her debut in the 2008 movie, Slumdog Millionaire, this Indian damsel anchored the international travel show, Full Circle, on Zee International Asia Pacific from 2006-08. Freida co-starred in Woody Allen’s comedy-drama film ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger’, with Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Anupam Kher and Naomi Watts, which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=2436 0
Here’s What The PLL Finale Left Unanswered! /_p=2428 /_p=2428#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2015 15:15:51 +0000 /_p=2428 If you’ve stuck with Pretty Little Liars right from the very beginning, you surely must be as hugely disappointed by the mid season finale of Season 6 as we are!

On the Aug. 11 mid-season finale of Pretty Little Liars, Alison (Sasha Pieterse) finally comes face-to-face with A, someone who has tortured her and her friends for years. Although the unveiling was a relief all around, and it came with an unexpected and clever twist, we find it very disturbing that we were supposed to feel bad for the person who wreaked absolute havoc on these teenagers for so long.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Seriously, if you have not watched the PLL mid-season finale and have somehow evaded spoilers on social media, please stop reading now. You’ve been warned!

7624e0c6a59b32d224ff883b3db7

Alright, so here it is: A turned out to be CeCe Drake (Vanessa Ray). You have to admit, she had always been suspicious, even when she was “helping” Alison and her friends, so in some ways, it made sense. The plot twist that she is transgender and was born a boy named Charles DiLaurentis, aka Alison’s brother, was a definite surprise. It was nice to finally have an answer, a face to blame for all of the madness we’ve seen Ali, Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria go through, but were we really supposed to feel bad for her/him?

grid-cell-29328-1433198535-21

Here are a few of the many many Qs that I Marlene King left unanswered in the “Summer of Answers”.

  1. Why was CeCe finally telling Alison all this stuff now?
  2. And what was the purpose of wanting to blow up Radley in the first place? Radley was closed. It’s just an empty building!
  3. How did Spencer learn to diffuse a bomb?
  4. Why was Sara Harvey even working for A?
  5. Who the hell is Sara Harvey anyway?
  6. What was her motivation for working with A?
  7. Was she going to die with everyone when they blew up Radley?
  8. Why would she even want to die with everyone?
  9. What was CeCe planning on doing when she met Jason at her “birthday party?”
  10. Does CeCe feel bad about putting Alison in prison?
  11. If she really loved her like she said she did, wouldn’t she feel bad about putting her in prison?
  12. Did she have her attacked in prison?
  13. Remember how Alison and Bethany Young were exchanging letters at one point. Why?
  14. Like, how did Alison know who Bethany was when she didn’t even know who Charles was?
  15. How is the rooftop to Radley so easily accessible at night?
  16. And how could a little kid like Bethany Young overpower a full-grown adult like Mrs. Cavanaugh? If it was Big Rhonda, we’d get it. But Bethany Young? No.
  17. Speaking of Big Rhonda, where the hell is Big Rhonda?
  18. And is she still eating Cheetos?
  19. Remember that whole “A Team” thing? Whatever happened to that?
  20. Was Wren on the A Team?
  21. Was Lesli Stone?
  22. If they were all in Radley, wouldn’t they have known Charles was transitioning into CeCe?
  23. Did Charles ever medically transition into CeCe?
  24. Did that medical transition happen at Radley?
  25. Who paid for it? Because surely Mr. DiLaurentis would notice if Mrs. DiLaurentis was spending thousands of dollars of their joint shared bank account, no?
  26. Speaking of Mrs. DiLaurentis, WHO KILLED HER!?
  27. Why didn’t Mrs. D freak out more when she found out that CeCe was dating her brother? seriously-so-messed-up-honour-in-revenge
  28. And what the hell is up with Rhys?
  29. WHO KILLED MAYA?!
  30. Is Maya even dead?
  31. Did CeCe go to jail in the end?
  32. Did Mona go to jail for killing Bethany?
  33. If CeCe grew up in Radley, how’d she become so good with technology?
  34. How did she even get all that futuristic looking tech?
  35. And how could Radley let a committed patient who almost murdered her kid sister and was believed to actually murder an adult just roam freely to attend college classes?
  36. Was Mona really too high that she couldn’t recognize someone’s face?
  37. Yet Mona was lucid enough to put together an entire escape plan from a mental institution?
  38. Do all of Mona’s high heel shoes have secret knives in them?
  39. And remember right before Mona was kidnapped, how she was like “I totally know who A is!” WHY DIDN’T SHE BRING IT UP ONCE SHE GOT OUT OF THAT BUNKER?
  40. Why did CeCe make Mona dress up like Alison in the bunker?
  41. Did CeCe build that whole underground bunker, or did she just buy it? 1426622546_pretty-little-liars-finale-467
  42. How did CeCe carry all that kidnapper tech down in the bunker?
  43. How did CeCe replicate those girls bedrooms so perfectly?
  44. Who did CeCe get to record that bunker voiceover? “Welcome… Benvenutos…”
  45. What the hell was that Varjak crap all about?
  46. Why did CeCe eat Tippi the parrot?
  47. How on earth did CeCe get a vile of blood into Spencer’s bag when Spencer was in London?
  48. Or that note into Hanna’s tooth?
  49. OR THOSE CHIPS INTO THE BACK OF THEIR NECKS!?
  50. What happened to the Real Housewives of Rosewood aka the moms?
  51. Are they still locked in the basement?
  52. Who was Wren talking to when he was like “I’ve done my part – now do yours?”
  53. Is Jenna still a thing?
  54. Is Lucas still a thing?
  55. Are Jenna and Lucas dating?
  56. If Wilden was paid off from the beginning, then why the hell was he trying to solve Alison’s disappearance for all those years?
  57. Who is Beach hottie?
  58. Where is Eddie Lamb?
  59. When CeCe first met Mona at Radley, Mona thought she was Alison and said “I did everything you asked me to do.” WHAT DID ALISON ASK MONA TO DO!?!?
  60. What’s Caleb’s mysterious job in New York?
  61. In what world do four people leave for college on the exact same day?
  62. And in what world do none of their parents send them off?
  63. What about the times when we could have sworn that A was a guy beneath that hoodie?!

pretty-little-liars

We’re sure there are still more head-scratchers left unsolved in the five years long story that was Pretty Little Liars. You can comment below if we’ve left something out!

 

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=2428 0
7 TV Series To Binge Watch This Fall! /_p=2357 /_p=2357#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2015 15:56:49 +0000 /_p=2357 You know those late nights when you sit in front of your computer screens and wonder what to watch when Game of Thrones or The Flash or Pretty Little Liars is on season break… yeah, we’ve been in the exact same situation too at some point. What gets us through the long season breaks between our favorite series is the modern phenomenon that’s “binge watching”! Thanks to the internet, we can watch (and re-watch) marathons of our favorite shows online.

Here are the top seven TV series to marathon when you’re all out of new episodes!

1. FRIENDS – At the peak of its popularity in the mid-1990s, Friends was influencing not just sitcom, but hair fashion too. Jennifer Aniston’s chin-hugging bob – known as the “Rachel do” – became the must-have cut for women worldwide. That character, Rachel, was one of six latte-swilling young New Yorkers who helped Friends redefine the kind of relationships that could form the heart of a US sitcom. Despite its traditional studio-audience format, it reinvigorated the genre for America’s next generation. It even changed the way viewers spoke – the trademark inflection in the show’s dialogue was so catchy. And, with 52 million viewers, the last episode of Friends in 2004 remains the fourth most-watched series finale in US TV history. Each and every episode of Friends is a laugh riot, filled with quirky yet relatable characters.

friends-poster_350x373

2. The Simpsons – Aside from having a reasonable claim to being, at its peak, the greatest sitcom of all time, The Simpsons sparked a revolution in animated comedy. Suddenly, self-respecting grown-ups took cartoons seriously. Matt Groening’s creation paved the way for Family Guy, South Park, King of the Hill, Beavis & Butt-head, Groening’s own Futurama and more. It would take an encyclopaedia to catalogue The Simpsons’ brilliance (and indeed one exists online at www.snpp.com) but I think its single defining quality is elasticity. As Groening and others have observed, animated characters are more flexible than real-life actors. Homer Simpson is at one level an utterly convincing and rounded portrayal of the average middle-aged white American male. Yet he has also been into space, climbed Mount Springfield, played guitar with the Rolling Stones, met the Queen and had 1,001 other fantastic and surreal experiences without that ever denting his essential realism. Plus, chin-stroking comedy analysis aside, series 4-8 of The Simpsons came about as close to perfection as sitcom scripts have come.

the-simpsons

3. The Office – We laughed, we cried, but throughout this show, we never wanted it to end because the connection with all the characters was so real. Michael Scott may be one of the most brilliant characters ever invented – his awkward yet hysterical persona form a comedy that makes you love him – and don’t forget Pam and Jim, the couple that showed us that above all love never fails. The show has no laugh track. You can laugh anytime you want. You find yourself really caring for characters that are also just sort of a joke in themselves. They also do a wonderful job of making “the little things” like a coworker relationship seem so monumental. In the end, this show revealed to us how to see the greatness in small ordinary things like an office, and we will forever be grateful for that.

theoffice__120413005142

4. Modern Family – This one is an on-going wonder still, on a break before season 7 hits TV screens. But we recommend you watch the Seasons 1 – 6 all over again, if only for the hilarious perfection that is Phil Dunphy. A family that is as close as it gets, manages to find itself in laugh out loud yet very real life situations. Flamboyant gays, loud Latinos, over-achieving geniuses, and adorable dads – this show really has it all.

modernfamily

5. Pretty Little Liars – As all PLL loyalists would know, the show is episodes away from a five year leap. Watch it right from the start to make sense of the whole A mess, before we finally find out the ultimate truth at the end of this season. Also, the Liars have an A-mazing sense of style each, which can serve as brilliant fashion inspiration for Fall.

Pretty_Little_Liars_Season_2_Episode_11_I_Must_Confess_6-2868-800-600-80

6. Sex and the City – Let Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda sweep you off your feet in a whirlwind of gorgeous shoes, unbelievably chic labels and the never-ending search for love! With undertones of deep running friendships, this show is timeless, and can be watched any number of times!

sex-city-fashion--large-msg-131898709678

7. Fawlty Towers – Basil Fawlty is an inept and slightly out-of-his-head English hotel manager, who is tortured by “that annoying section of the general public who insist on staying at hotels.” Fawlty is constantly berated by his wife, and his efforts are continually hampered by their Spanish waiter, Manuel. Set in a 1970s Torquay Hotel, Fawlty Towers is one of the finest farcical situation comedies British television has ever seen.

fawlty_towers

Happy Viewing!

 

 

]]>
/_feed=rss2&p=2357 0