Earlier this summer, I was invited to the Moët Hennessy offices to get a preview of their 2010 USA Holiday Gift Collection which represents a selection of Holiday offerings from their distinguished Champagne, Wine, and Spirits. I’ve highlighted items in their catalog that caught my attention as well as have a great taste. The collection displays the creativity and craftsmanship developed by Moët Hennessy team. Have a look and prepare your holiday gifts to loved ones.
DOM PÉRIGNON SIDE BY SIDE
The “Side by Side” limited edition is a first in the history of wine: two bottles of the same vintage of Dom Pérignon, with two different levels of maturation. Never before has it been possible to discover and compare two moments in the life of one remarkable wine, side by side. Dom Pérignon Vintage 1996 was aged for seven years in the cellars and was disgorged in 2003, when the wine entered its first plenitude and the Dom Pérignon style had been reached. (more…)
It seems every blog and magazine releases a summer movie guide. Looking through them, you might notice some redundancies. Per usual, anything with a big budget and a strong marketing push receives the attention it pays for. But since we already know about Sex and the City 2, Toy Story 3, and Eclipse, we’re making the effort to deliver to you some of the more overlooked movies with a summer release date. Presented in rank order, here are Limité’s Top 10 Indie Summer Flicks.
What summer movies are you most excited about? Share them with us in the comments section below.
1. Winter’s Bone
by Daniel Quitério
Director: Debra Granik
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt
Taking the top spot is this year’s recipient of the Grand Jury Prize (Best Picture – Narrative) at the Sundance Film Festival. Director Debra Granik follows up her acclaimed Down to the Bone (2004) with Winter’s Bone, based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell. Stunning newcomer Jennifer Lawrence (The Burning Plain) plays Ree Dolly, a 17-year-old form the Missouri Ozarks who sets out to find her meth-dealing father who ditched his family after offering their home for his bail bond.
Kentucky-native Lawrence (a true face to watch) channeled her Southern roots to pull off a performance that’s being much hailed by critics. While working on location in the Ozark Mountains, she and fellow professional castmates worked alongside some real residents in front of the camera. Furthering the sense of authenticity that Granik sought, real homes and families were used while shooting. In an interview with Filmmaker Magazine, Granik spoke of the importance of using these non-actors. She said, “They had already had life experiences that made them feel very concerned and saddened by meth. They had a real-life understanding of the way it can insidiously work its way through a community and the lives it can touch.”
While running the festival circuit, the film that’s enjoying some early Oscar hype garnered several awards, including Best Feature Film at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Best Screenplay at Sundance, and the aforementioned Best Picture at Sundance, as well as multiple audience awards.
Learn More: Filmmaker Debra Granik will be discussing Winter’s Bone at the SoHo Apple Store in New York City on Thursday, June 10 at 7pm.(more…)
Wars in the name of religion. Breakthroughs in science and astrology. Utter poverty amid rising opulent establishments. Sound like the world you live in today? How’s this for a shocker –that’s actually the world in Alexandria, Egypt 400AD. Serving as backdrop for Chilean-born Spanish auteur, Alejandro Amenábar’s latest time-defying epic, Agora is about the prosperity and decline of this civilization through the eyes of Hypatia, noted Greek mathematician, philosopher, and astronomer. This film, at first glance, might seem like the perfect History Channel feature presentation, but two things that set it apart from other epic films of this period are: 1.) Its rather experimental take on time and dimensions, and 2.) Hypatia, herself, the struggling heroine in a man’s world. (more…)
What’s behind the company named ‘The KeyStone Design Union’?
We build businesses and brands. In 2003/04, I was experiencing the day-to-day realities of leading a large corporate organization and not having fun. I had strong opinions on how things could change but was faced with the internal politics and many selfish agendas – so I walked away. In doing so, I wanted to create something personal and rooted in beliefs that you typically don’t see in corporate systems. I wanted to build something that would naturally and organically evolve depending on the trends and demands of the age. This might sound like a obtuse way of answering, but it is better than saying I started another network and consulting firm, sure they are the foundation of the group, but they happened organically as a result of believing in the idea of bringing the best people together will result in something unique and special. (more…)
How does one review a Bollywood film when Bollywood films are inherently, well … bad? Of course, the glitz and colors and sounds of Indian cinema attract millions of loyal followers worldwide. The genre exemplifies a celebration of life, and who can argue with a film that makes you feel good? However, one might question the merit of the traditional Bollywood fare when the celebration of life comes at the expense of good writing, good acting, and good everything else. Recent films like Slumdog Millionaire have recently introduced the Bollywood genre to the Western public, but for those who aren’t as familiar with what India’s film scene is all about, rest assured that Slumdog is not a Bollywood film. What is, however, is Kites, the new feature produced by Bollywood veteran Rakesh Roshan and directed by Anurag Basu. (more…)
If you know anything about Limité, you know that we don’t follow the norm nor do we care what the ‘others’ glorify. Awards are usually given out to those who’ve sold a certain amount of music albums or for their performance in a big budget movie in the last fiscal year, but what about celebrating someone’s entire career and being recognized. That’s what we’ve done in our 1st Annual Limité Honors Awards. The individuals below have entertained us on more than one occasion and we deem it necessary to give respect when respect is due. Enjoy!
Kathryn Bigelow
by Janice Perez
On the eve of International Women’s Day, Kathryn Bigelow made history by becoming the first female to be awarded the much-coveted Best Director award in the Oscars’ 82-year history. As much as this fact has kept the blogosphere frantic in the 24 hours before the award show’s broadcast, there is much to say about Bigelow’s real merit – that she is a prolific storyteller. Regardless of the hype surrounding her breaking-genre conventions with her stereotypical “guy movies,” Bigelow is a brilliant filmmaker deserving of all accolades. Her films generally tend to be kinetic and action-packed with male protagonists dominating the screen. What’s notable about her characters, though, is albeit their overt masculinity, they are wrought with a sincere, feminine side that doesn’t seem unbelievable in real life.
Her next film project, another collaboration with The Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal, will tackle an adventure set in a few countries in South America, with the working title Triple Frontier. Word out on Tinseltown is that Kathryn turned down the chance to work on the next Spider-Man sequel so that she could focus on the South American action thriller. How’s that for women filmmakers coming a long way?
Zach Galifianakis
by Stephanie Dawson
When you think of unorthodox comedians, Zach Galifianakis is probably one of the first names that come to mind. He is known for near anti-comedy in his performances: reading one-liners while expertly playing piano concertos, or making jokes with flip charts, or even just standing on the stage for an uncomfortable amount of time completely silent before confessing that he forgot what he wanted to say. So why is Limité honoring him? However off the beaten track he’s been in the past, Galifianakis has ventured into the mainstream with his role in the Golden Globe-winning most successful R-rated comedy, The Hangover. (more…)
It’s a familiar scenario. High-status family with expensive tastes, absorbing the oohs and aahs of the lesser minions. But who’s that in the corner, keeping to himself, uncomfortable in his fine threads, while the others – in their designer gowns and tails – laugh heartily while waltzing across the floor?
Okay, maybe that’s pushing it a little, perhaps borrowing some imagery from The Sound of Music, but you get the idea. I’m referring to Anderson Cooper, the son of famed heiress and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt. Despite his mother’s extravagant lifestyle, Cooper worked hard to un-pry the silver spoon from his mouth. It just wasn’t him. (more…)
Throughout our journeys in life, we meet individuals that give off a certain energy and you immediately know that this person embodies a force that will impact culture and lifestyle. One of the many people I’ve met on my journey happens to be Alexis Mincolla, after meeting Alexis last summer at our mutual friend’s office (David Gensler of The KDU) and talking about his latest venture, Prometheus Spring, I knew he was onto something big. I recently spoke with Alexis to find out what’s the ‘Overthrow‘ is all about and what void he plans to fill with Prometheus Spring.
Please introduce yourself for those not familiar:
My full name is Alexis Van Ess Mincolla and I’m a 27 year old artist and serial entrepreneur.
Where are you originally from?
Well, I was a natural birth in the South Shore of Boston on a place very dear to my heart called Nantasket Beach. From there grew up in the New England boarding school system and then went off to do my university in Rome, Italy. (more…)
One very striking scene in the gritty and kinetic A Prophet (Un prophète), Jacques Audiard’s masterful portrayal of the harrowing life in a French prison, shows Malik El Djebena, a young Arab convict, gazing into an abyss of clouds rolling in the sky from his plane seat. It’s an irony – and even a prophecy – that he’s 10,000 feet above ground, far from the dark and grotesque underbelly that bestializes criminals, rather than reforms them. The childlike wonder on Malik’s face suspends, for an ethereal moment, his real self – a vicious brute who’s spent the last five years of his life serving as a hitman and dealer for the prison’s Corsican warlord. (more…)
After using the original logo for 29 years MTV has slightly change its logo by cropping the original one. According to an MTV Press Release from last week: “The logo is part of MTV’s re-invention to connect with today’s millennial generation and bring them in as part of the channel.”
MTV has updated its iconic logo. Largely forgoing the network’s music heritage, the new three-dimensional design instead showcases MTV’s reality-TV talent, such as the casts of “Jersey Shore,” “The Buried Life” and “Teen Mom.”
Heading into fourth-quarter 2009, MTV was in the midst of a multi-year ratings and revenue decline, with third-quarter ratings alone down about 5% from the year prior, enough to rank the network No. 24 in total viewers during prime-time and 26 during total day. The network hadn’t had an up year in ratings since 2005, the last year groundbreaking shows such as “The Osbournes” and “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica” were on the air.
