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....

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....

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...

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)....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...