This Once Was An Island.

Imagine just being sat there, happily sipping away on your latte, when all of a sudden - Oh, hi! There's a bloody great orchestra in the cafe, and you're being treated to a once in a lifetime performance by the genius that is Zach Condon. One can dream. 

And Your Mother, Too!

Thanks to my parents to my parent's LoveFilm account (ta!) I've been watching films like no one's business. I rented 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' purely because I really like saying the name, and it's meant to be pretty darn good. It definately lives up to all the hype surrounding it, but my overriding feeling was thank god I didn't watch that with my mother.

The film centres around two Mexican teenagers, Tenoch and Julio, who find themselves at a bit of a loose end after their girlfriends go travelling for the summer. In order to impress an older lady they both somewhat fancy, they say they are going on a road trip to a fictional beach called Heaven's Mouth. To their surprise, after she learns her husband has cheated on her, Luisa accepts their invitation to come along with them. So, they quickly rustle up an impromptu road trip to a beach they made up, with a perfect stranger! I shan't ruin the film for you, but let's just say things get pretty awkward after an ill-advised 'romance'...

I reckon this is one of the best 'coming of age' films I've seen yet (and lord knows I love that genre in films, books, TV shows, anything.) Fun little fact for you... 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', Wikipedia informs me, means 'Your mother too' which must be the Mexican equivalent of 'yer mam!'. The main trio of actors were pretty amazing, particularly Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, who are tellingly best friends in real life. It bothered me throughout the film where I recognised Luisa (Maribel Verdu) from - so I'll put you out your misery and tell you, she was Mercedes in Pan's Labyrinth! 

Apart from the standard 'growing up' theme, there is a political message throughout it concerning class and poverty, to add a bit of depth for all you highbrow types. And yeeees, there is a fair amount of sexy-times in this film, but it certainly ain't gratuitous as, bless 'em, the boys are all talk, no trousers. Having said that, I would whole-heartedly advise you don't watch this with kids, parents, or old people.

Viva La France.

Today, my lovely sister and her gentleman caller fled dreary Hull to galavant to the capitol of the world's most beautiful country. Paris, oui oui! I am so envious I could weep. On the bright side, they have promised to take plenty o' photos and Lo will bring me back a tiny bit of Paris as a belated birthday present. Being the kind sister that I am, coupled with my penchant for making a playlist for the slightest of occasions, I promised to make a soundtrack for their excursion. But, being the last-minute fools we are, this never made it onto her (dead) Ipod, so... here you go kids; a collection of the finest songs, à la Française.

'Moi Je Joue' - Brigitte Bardot

As well as being an actress, a snappy dresser and a pretty face, to top it all off, 'B.B.' was also something of a singer. How about that! You'll have no doubt heard this countless of times (and, perhaps, attempted to sing along) on Sofia Coppola's lovely advertisement for the delicious Miss Dior Cherie perfume.

'Nantes' - Beirut

This ridiculously lovely little number hails from Beirut's second album, 'The Flying Club Cup', which was inspired by Zach Condon's travels around Europe, not to mention his love for French chanson. 

'Bonnie & Clyde' & 'L'anamour' - Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot

Here are two wonderful songs from France's favourite enfant terrible and his (at the time) lover. In the former, please enjoy Bardot's pronunciation of 'Boneeeey' and the excellent line 'Moi, Bonnie, Je tremble pour Clyde Barrow'. As for the latter, well - It couldn't be more sleazy and 60's sounding, and I love him for that. 

'La Ritournelle' - Sebastien Tellier

From one saucy Frenchman to another, here is the wonderful Sebastien Tellier. Not too much to say about this, other than it is so easy on the ears, it simply can't fail to put a silly little smile on your face. 

'Tous Les Garçons et Les Filles' - Françoise Hardy

My favourite song from the original 'Yé-Yé' girl. It is one of those occasions where it sounds all giddy and upbeat, but once you read the lyrics, you learn she is lamenting how nobody loves her. Unlikely - have you seen this woman's face? And she's still a beauty now, at the ripe old age of 66! This snappy little number would be more than ideal for leisurely strolls down the Champs Elysees. 

'La Vie En Rose' - Edith Piaf

This beautiful song is the quintessential theme tune of France, from their biggest icon, so how could I not include it? Madam Piaf at her finest, and it's so very amazing. 

'Playground Love' - Air

Admittedly, it's neither sung in French nor about Paris... but they are wonderfully French, and this song is too lovely for words, so I'm having it! 

'Sous Le Ciel De Paris' - Juliette Gréco

From the title alone, it's fairly obvious just what this is all about, but when I translated the lyrics this is one of the verses: 'Under the Bercy bridge/ A philosopher sits / Two musicians, a few loafers/ And then thousands of people/ Under the sky of Paris/ They will be singing until night falls/ The song of a people in love/ With their old city.' Perfect description, non?

'Comptine D'Un Autre Ete' - Yann Tierson

Simply put, a Parisian playlist wouldn't be complete without this eye-wateringly lovely piano number, from my all-time favourite film, Amelie. 

Maybe, just maybe, if I listen to these guys with my eyes closed, eating macaroons and drinking wine, I might trick myself into thinking I'm in France. Then again... perhaps not.

Oui, Je t'aime!

Nearly 20 years after the wonderful Monsieur Gainsbourg's death, they have made a film about his rather eventful life. From his early days as a Jewish child in Nazi-occupied France, through to his stud-muffin days in the 60's , and finally his alcohol-induced descent into an early grave, there was surely never a dull moment. Thanks to the impeccable casting, beautiful cinematography and, no doubt, amazing soundtrack, this looks set to join La Vie En Rose and Walk The Line in the music biopic hierarchy! I absolutely can't wait to see this, it looks so bloody good. Enjoy.

Oh, and it will be out on July 30th.

Gigantic.

Aww Zooey Deschanel, I feel terrible saying this, but Gigantic wasn't great. Not that it's awful, it does have its merits, so I'll kindly say mediocre (ouch). The general premise of the film is that 28 year old mattress salesman Brian (played by Paul Dano) desperately wants to fulfill his lifelong dream of adopting a Chinese baby. Well, who wouldn't. 

But it all goes tits-up when he meets and falls in love with a beautiful, somewhat spoilt young lady named Happy (Deschanel). Oh yeah, and there's a subplot where a homeless man stalks and attacks Brian! I thought Gigantic sounded like my cup of tea, and when we put the DVD in, my ears were filled with the wonderful sounds of Animal Collective, and I turned to my sister with an expression not unlike this on my face:

Very promising start, I thought! But alas, the soundtrack was one of the most redeeming features of this film. It is an intriguing storyline, admittedly, but the director seems to be trying to hard to make it quirky and different. In fact, I couldn't help but think of this article and chuckle to myself. Still, it ain't too bad, and is worth a watch if you're at a loss for something to do. But for now, please enjoy this beauuuuutiful little number!

Tasty Shortbread Foxes

Admittedly, foxes have got a bit of a bad reputation recently, but I've always thought they possess a certain cheeky, cavalier charm. After pondering long and hard about what to bake, me and Laura settled on shortbread. As for the fox element, well... I recently watched the visual treat that is  The Fantastic Mr Fox, got goosebumps hearing 'Fox In The Snow' live and, just before the baking commenced, a fox ran through my garden. Coincidence? I think not! So really the decision was made for us already. If you wish to follow suit, read on; if not, just look at the pictures, I won't judge you.

1. Making shortbread is easy as pie. Easier, in fact - it only uses three ingredients! Preheat the oven to 190 degrees, then cream together 125g of butter and 55g of caster sugar until smooth and delicious-looking.

2. This is the tricky part - you must make the agonising decision over which cookie cutter to use. These bad-boys are from Ikea, if you're interested. 

3. Add 180g of plain flour and it's time to stick your hands in. As you can see, it ain't pretty, but it must be done! Then, if you do so desire, add a bit of food colouring for extra pizass. You may want to use a spoon for this, as my hands were permanantly blushing for days after. 

4. With great aplombe, throw more flour onto the surface of your choice. Roll out the mixture to about 1 cm thickness, using a rolling pin, a can of cider or your very own hands. Then start chopping out shapes and popping them onto a baking tray. 

5. Once your baking tray resembles some sort of urban wildlife massacre, sprinkle them all with sugar and pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes. 

6. Once they're looking all golden and crispy (and, to our disapointment, not very pink), snatch them greedily from the oven. Then leave them to cool down, or until the anticipation gets all too much. And there you have it. Topical biscuits for all the family. 

I Am Not Jesus, Though I Have The Same Initials.

Best things about this video: the wonderful Sheffield accent, 'give it the tortoise-head', the faraway stare, 'love it, love iiiit!', and the cheeky cardboard cutout at the end. What a man!