Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (also known simply as Amélie) is not only my favorite film of the decade… but is also my favorite film of all time. I’ll never forget the first time I saw this magical little gem by Jean Pierre Jeunet. It was 2001, I was living in Paris and went with a few of my friends to the cinema....
12.29.2009
12.28.2009
Dear Readers,I will be spending New Years in Barbados this year. I haven't mentioned this earlier because it seems that every time I mention an upcoming trip on my blog it gets canceled- but it looks like this one is going full steam ahead!I have packed lightly- but I find packing lightly for a tropical destination easy....
12.27.2009
Woody Allen’s 2005 thriller Match Point, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson is my second favorite film of the decade. I came into this film knowing very little about it. I did know that Woody Allen directed it. I quite like Woody Allen films so I was expecting to be pleasantly entertained with neurotic...
12.23.2009
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year, from all of us at The Daily Connoisseur (and by all of us I mean Gatsby and me)....
12.20.2009
I generally love the holiday season- (not necessarily more than any other season, mind you, as I try to enjoy every day of my life- the holidays do bring that little sparkle of spirit...) but it is so easy to get carried away and overindulge in everything while not really savoring anything.Does that make sense? How many...
12.16.2009
Every year around this time my elderly neighbors in the apartment across the street place two lighted menorahs in their windows- the glow of the candelabras dance off of their lace curtains. Next to them a young couple- newlyweds presumably- have erected a Christmas tree- decorated only with white lights. I love observing...
12.13.2009
By now many of you know that I am writing (and nearly finished with!) my first mystery novel. I consider myself to be not only a daily connoisseur but a mystery connoisseur as well. I tend to usually like highbrow mysteries- mysteries with tea cups and whiskeys, bridge and evening gowns, servants and poisons- so it should...
12.11.2009
For the past nine months I have been cleaning the house sans help. We are doing this partly to save money and partly because the wonderful lady helping us had to leave the country and I can't be bothered to get someone else in. I actually enjoy doing housework and do a little every day anyway so I didn't think it would...
12.08.2009
The ritual of breakfast (or le petit déjeuner) in France is a very important one. Growing up in California, breakfast was certainly important, but never held much of a ritualistic value. I would usually scarf down a bowl of Cheerios or a piece of toast and call it a morning. Things, I would discover, were very different...
12.06.2009
The Dreamers, released in 2003 and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci is my fourth favorite film of the decade. (**Disclaimer** Do not watch this film with your parents or your children unless you like being extremely uncomfortable. Only watch this film with cinema snobs that have a particularly open mind). The Dreamers...
12.04.2009
I love Sephora and sometimes am alarmed by the warm, fuzzy feeling I get when I walk through those black and white striped columns. Is that normal? What is it about beauty products that so easily elevates my mood? A glamorous lipstick, a compact little pot of rouge and my heart starts to flutter... But anyway, that...
12.02.2009
Update
The Daily Connoisseur
8:57 AM
23 Comments
Dear Readers,I have had to postpone my trip to England due to a family emergency. My husband is flying back to join me at home (he has been in London the past two weeks for business).Thank you for your understanding during this time. I will return to The Daily Connoisseur as soon as I can.Love,Jennifer...
11.27.2009
My fifth favorite movie of the decade is 2001's Y Tu Mamá También (And Your Mother Too) directed by Alfonso Cuarón. It takes place in Mexico in the year 1999 and explores the coming of age of two teenage boys: Julio (Gael García Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna).The boys find themselves bored one summer after their girlfriends...
11.24.2009
It has been a while since I have fallen in love with a scent. As some of you know the two scents I wear the most are Stella and Narciso Rodriguez For Her. This past summer I purchased Stella Sheer- the limited edition summer version of the original Stella and fell in love with that (and almost cried when I couldn’t get...
11.22.2009
So I can’t believe I haven’t written about this yet but a French family has recently moved in next door to me in my Santa Monica town home! Our neighbors have rented out their home for one year and in moved a family from France. You can imagine my delight upon learning this news as I have been able to observe how true...
11.21.2009
I have recently been regaling you with tales of the dinner parties I attended while living in Paris. Those magical occasions were my favorite part about my time there and through my lamentations of remembrance you wonderful readers gently reminded me that I can in fact throw my own dinner party comme les Français in Santa...
11.19.2009
A film of quiet beauty, Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003) is my sixth favorite film of the decade. Lost in Translation stars Bill Murray as aged movie star Bob Harris. Harris is in Tokyo to film a lucrative commercial for Suntory whiskey. There he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), the lonely wife of a...
I would love to claim that I am the type of person to only read important literature- rich in philosophical and heart wrenching prose- (and I do read those books every now and then) but sometimes there is something very satisfying about reading a good old fashioned guilty pleasure... Dan Brown, bestselling author of The...
11.17.2009
I recently wrote a post entitled Mystery- Comme les Français where I discussed the unfortunate effects of TMI (too much information) syndrome in our society. Based on the overwhelming response I received from you in the comment section of that post I take it that we are mostly on the same page… and being mysterious is...
11.15.2009
Actually before I tell you who the winner of the L’Occitane en Provence Giveaway is, I want to tell you how thoroughly impressed I am with your creative and varied answers to my question What is your current favorite little luxury?Your answers were so passionate and inspiring- they made me look at little luxuries in a...
11.13.2009
2006’s Marie Antoinette, directed by Sofia Coppola is my number seven favorite film of the decade. Yes, I will admit that I have a lifelong obsession with all things Marie Antoinette- I’ve read her biography by Antonia Fraser (highly recommended, btw), I’ve read the biography of her perfumer, I have books on her palaces...
11.11.2009
I actually finished this book about three weeks ago (I devour these books, I tell you) and am just now getting around to reviewing it. Merci for being patient.The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith is the fifth installment in the Isabel Dalhousie series. This time around Isabel finds herself solving...
11.10.2009
Dear Readers,This year I will be spending Christmas (and the entire month of December, really) in England and I wanted to do a holiday giveaway before I jet off! This giveaway is to thank you, my cherished readers, for your readership and continuous support on The Daily Connoisseur...So, for my first giveaway, I wanted...
11.08.2009
This weekend I saw the film An Education by director Lone Scherfig (thank you Rose for the recommendation!). This film really moved me. I loved it and highly recommend it- but this is not a review, as I don’t wish to give anything away about the film (just go see it!). What I want to do, however, is discuss the key...
11.07.2009
Marion Cotillard won the Oscar for best actress for her portrayal of French chanteuse, Edith Piaf in the 2007 film, and my number 8 pick, La Vie en Rose, directed by Olivier Dahan. Edith Piaf’s life was painful- it was a life lived in extremes- from the utter poverty and desolation of her youth to her later life basking...
11.04.2009
You’ve already read about the formal occasions that were Madame Chic’s dinner parties here. Now I will delve into the passionate soirees that took place chez Madame Bohemienne… Madame Bohemienne loved to throw dinner parties (and like Madame Chic, threw them regularly). But with Madame Bohemienne’s parties there was...
11.03.2009
So many of you have expressed interest in the Alexander McCall Smith books that I review (and am obsessed with) on The Daily Connoisseur. Many of you asked me which book to start with (there are so many!) So below, I shall describe each series that I've read and list them in order. Here we go...The No. 1 Ladies Detective...
11.01.2009
There are many things in a home that can evoke true feelings of luxury and romance: paintings, rugs, flowers, candlelight, sumptuous pillows, lovely soaps and chandeliers... We recently installed a chandelier (pictured above) over our dining room table. I am in love with this gorgeous fixture. It creates an instant...
10.31.2009
And no, I’m not kidding. I have to start by saying I do not generally like horror movies. Which is why I was completely surprised to find myself loving this one (*Disclaimer* If you are of the faint of heart variety, I suggest you give this film a miss as it is rather scary. If you can handle a little thrill every now...
10.29.2009
Ahh, the French dinner party. That intimate affair: the subtle interactions, the amazing food (the wine!), the ritual. If you have an opportunity to attend an authentic French dinner party- go, I tell you, allez! Famille Chic threw at least one dinner party a week. This still amazes me. In America, dinner parties...
10.26.2009
I can hardly believe the decade is almost over. The past ten years have produced some amazing films and I have decided to celebrate by counting down my ten favorite films of the past decade, connoisseur style. We start with number 10…Intimate Strangers, or Confidences Trop Intime, is a French film released in 2004 starring...
10.25.2009
In my ongoing effort to support the arts and keep myself culturally active, I have been upping my game by attending more films, museums, art galleries, and live theatre. There is a certain feeling that I get when I take part in any of the aforementioned activities. Each occasion allows for a certain specialness- dressing...
10.24.2009
Dear Readers,I have a very exciting charity announcement... If you love tennis and will be in the Los Angeles Area on November 14th, please check out the amazing charity event called: Ojakian Tennis Celebrity Pro-Am to End MS. This event will take place at the Jack Kramer Club and is geared at raising money for people...
This is the view from our dining room table. The month of October is particularly special at my house because the large tree out front produces these gorgeous pink flowers.
If I am ever feeling less than grateful, I sit at my dining room table and take in this magical tree with its thorny trunk and pink blooms and...
10.22.2009
One brisk Monday morning in Paris I was running errands with Madame Chic. We were on our way to pick up a few fresh items for that evening’s meal. Madame Chic and I spent a lot of time together. I would help her with the cooking (she always refused my help but I insisted! I wanted to learn to cook comme les Français)....
10.20.2009
My last post on Makeup- Comme les Français received a great response- merci! It seems that a lot of women (French or not) love 'le no makeup look’ and from the few male comments I received- men seem to prefer it on us too!Below I am sharing with you the basic products in my makeup bag that give me the best no makeup look....
10.18.2009
Madame Bohemienne was a single mother with two boys (one teenager, the other early twenties) that lived at home. She was such a marvelous woman- warm and welcoming. She frequently invited me over to her home... and her home was lovely.Madame Bohemienne’s apartment was on the 10th floor (I have already described my journey...
10.17.2009
Today, in my ongoing effort to keep myself culturally aware, I visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to see the Luis Meléndez Still Life exhibit. I dressed for the occasion (taupe peasant skirt, striped shirt, ballet flats, wayfarers and messenger bag- perfect for for the museum) and journeyed to LACMA by myself...
