A Weekend At The Boston Independent Film Festival

Sorry that I haven't written a post in a while. I'm still getting adjusted to having a consistent 40 hour work week. Not that I'm complaining, I love my job. I just need to find my own rhythm again when it comes to pursuing my creative endeavors. Anyway, I digress...
 

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Boston's Independent Film Festival for the first time ever. I had no idea what to expect. I've never been to a lot of festival's to begin with; but a film festival? This was something completely new for me.
I could've just seen just one film, but I opted to see four. Why not get into the festival spirit right?
So last Thursday night my little indie-film adventure began. All the films I got tickets for were playing at the Somerville theater, and let me just say, finding parking there was a nightmare. If you ever find yourself going to a movie, let alone a movie festival at the Somerville theater, be sure to get there at at least an hour early! Space is limited!
First came the parking, next came the waiting. Even though I had a premium ticket for the movie I saw that night, the only thing that separated me from the standard ticket-holders is that my line was located on a different side of the theater. One really great perk though was that the festival volunteers came over to us with buckets of free goodies like potato chips, coffee and salted caramels. Given that my post-college policy specifies never turning down free food, I grabbed what I could, making my bag all the heavier.
I have to say, the interior of the Somerville theater is far more decorative than its exterior. It has a very vintage movie theater hipster vibe. My favorite part though had to be the owl lights that lined the rows of seats. You can check out a picture of them I took here on Instagram. I want those lights in my bedroom.
On my second night of the festival I saw two movies in a row, something which I have never done before. You wouldn't think all that waiting could be so exhausting, but it is. Not to mention that I almost didn't make it to one of them because of the parking situation. Close call doesn't even begin to cover it. Here's the thing; in Massachusetts, fighting over parking spaces can be a brutal and even bloody affair....they don't call us "Massholes" for nothing.

By the end of the third night, I was in relatively good spirits despite the fact that last movie I saw at the festival was, for lack of a better word, terrible (read the description of The Keeping Room). Still, it was a truly great experience and I do look forward to potentially going next year. I know that sounds super non-committal...but I will go provided I do more research on the movies that are playing
Now we come to my favorite part of the post. Below you will find my "Mini Reviews" for each of the movies I saw at the festival, some of them were really good, and others were....well...keep reading...


Slow West

This was the first movie I saw at the festival. It starred Michael Fassbender (aka: Magneto) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The voice of Laika's ParaNorman). The story focuses on a young Scottish boy named Jay who traverses the dangerous Colorado Plains in search of his lost love. On the way, he encounters bounty hunters, tribes of displaced Native Americans and the harsh elements of the American West. Needless to say, the kid is in over his head. This was an excellent start to the festival. I'm not really big on westerns, but this one held my interest. The performances are excellent and Fassbender really shines in his role as the bounty hunter/traveling companion. "Slow West" has all the hallmarks of a great western, but most of the violence occurs off-screen or is only partially shown (Something which another movie in my list should have done). This allows our minds to create the level of bloodshed we desire. If your a western fan, or you are just looking for a good action movie that keeps you in suspense, go see this movie.

7 Chinese Brothers
 

Honestly, I didn't know what to make of this movie. Make no mistake, Jason Schwartzman is great in his role as Larry, a deadbeat whose life is an endless booze cruise. I got a big kick out of Jason's clever quips and his devil-may-care attitude. And there were moments in the movie that truly made me laugh out loud. However, as the story unfolded, I found myself torn by whether or not I wanted the story to continue, or rather, whether it should continue. Jason's character does go through some level of character development, and its that transition that held my interest. Overall though, I didn't feel very invested in the story or any of the people in Larry's life for that matter. Except, of course, for Larry's dog which is actually Schwartzman's real life dog Arrow. I could have just watched the scenes containing only the dog an I would have walked out of the movie happier than I did. Even though there was a live Q and A with one of the actresses from the movie, I remained unimpressed. I even began to wonder at a certain point if the poor girl even remembered what actually happened in the movie. It might entertain some audiences, but for me, 7 Chinese Brothers was a very mixed bag.

The Keeping Room

Hailed for its supposedly feminist message, "The Keeping Room" intrigued me from the moment I read the movie description. Four women who have to defend themselves, and their home from soldiers during the Civil War? Sounds so promising! Right!?
WRONG! Warning, spoilers ahead!
I had such hopes for this movie. Truly I did. I thought for sure it was going to be the civil war version of "Home Alone," with three young women MacGyver-ing crazy traps made out of wood and petticoats. Nope. I thought the union soldiers stalking these women would run away with their tails between their legs. Nope. I thought that there would be some semblance of a happy ending! NOPE! What did I get? One of the women, named Augusta, is badly wounded, the youngest girl Louise  (16 at the most) is violently raped, and the third woman, Mad, loses her long lost love after he comes to rescue them (as he gets accidentally shot during the fire-fight that ensues). Depressing doesn't even begin to cover it! Don't get me wrong, the level of acting in this movie is high caliber; perhaps even a bit too good at times. The overall problem that I have with this movie is that it doesn't deliver a feminist message. Sure, all the women make it out alive. But you get the sense that all of them are basically dead inside by the end; not only because of the horrors they endured, but also because none of them truly got a "win" throughout this entire film. Oh, and their house that they tried so hard to defend? BURNED! This is just a movie about suffering in all its forms. Do yourself a favor and skip seeing this movie.

Iris

 

Now we come to the part of the post where I discuss my favorite movie of the festival which, surprisingly, turned out to be a documentary! Iris focuses on the life of Iris Apfel, a vibrant,  93 year old icon whose is widely known in the fashion community as "The Rare Bird of Fashion." Through the lens of Albert Maysles, the audience gets an an in-depth look into Iris' life as a former White House interior designer, a collector of costume jewelry and of course, a prominent artist in the New York fashion scene. I found this glasses-loving-gal both witty and charming. She delivers so many great one liners that I only had a moments rest before I was laughing again. This woman is in a word...incredible. All the things she has accomplished, the places shes been; its just so inspiring. However, if I had to pick one aspect that I loved most about this documentary, its the light that it shines on Iris's marriage. The love shared between Iris and her husband Carl was too adorable for words. There is even a scene where she wordlessly places a blanket around Carl while he is being interviewed, to which he responds by stating into the camera "She thought I was cold, she was right!" If that isn't love, I don't know what is.
Rather than shrinking away from this woman's unique and quirky style, the fashion world embraced her with open arms. And even if you don't consider yourself particularly interested in fashion, I encourage you to embrace this documentary. Iris is the woman we all wish was our grandmother, filled with wit and, more importantly, wisdom. As she herself says: "I don't care about pretty, I don't like pretty. The whole world might be against me, but I don't care."
If you opt out of seeing all the other movies listed in my post, at least see this one.

Well that about wraps it up for this post! Again, sorry for not writing more consistently, I'll try to be more productive in the future ;)

Much Love,
Hayleigh

April Thoughts: Goodbye Winter!

 

Hello Spring! Goodbye Winter!

Okay...I know the first day of spring was a few weeks back but lets be honest, it hasn't really felt like spring until now. I know April is famous for its showers, but I will take showers over snow any day. So help me, if I see so much as one more snowflake fall from the sky there will be consequences...

But I digress.

This morning I was pleasantly awoken (those two words form a paradox) by birds chirping outside my window. And when I went for my run, I saw buds on the trees! This means its about to get a whole lot green around here, and, sadly, it also means I will soon be suffering from the customary bout of springtime allergies. I have waited what seems like an eternity for the temperature to remain consistently above 55. Fortunately, all the snow has melted. Still, it feels like I'll be waiting a bit longer before I can twirl around in a sundress.

I know for many people, New Years is usually the time to commit to change. They promise themselves to start eating better, to exercise more, to commit to positivity. But as I said in my New Years Resolutions Video, such changes are difficult to make in the middle of winter when its cold and miserable and all you want to do is curl up in a ball on your couch with a bowl of steaming mac-and- cheese. I personally prefer to commit to self-change in the spring, when the warm sun helps fuel my motivation. With that said,here are my goals for spring:

1. Go outside and explore!
2. Buy at least one flower crown.
3. Learn the Boston T system better so I can visit friends.
4. Commit to cardio at least three times a week.
5. Start writing more, no matter how tired you are.
6. Clean out my car and wash it.
7. Paint a beautiful springtime scene.
8.Stop abusing the snooze button on my morning alarm clock.
9. Do more vlogs outside.
10. Get a nice indoor plant.

Well, Thats all the goals I'm going to set for now, I'm sure by the time summer rolls around the list will have grown. Do you have any springtime suggestions for me? If you do, let me know down in the comments!

Much Love,
Hayleigh

Book Review: "The Coldest Girl In Coldtown" by Holly Black

I love books.

I love the texture, the smell, the feeling of turning page after page; but, if I had to pick what I loved about books the most, its the escape they offer from everyday life....and boy do I need to escape sometimes. 

So without further ado... this is the first of the many book reviews I plan on doing in the future, and what better way to start off than discussing the work of my favorite author: Holly Black

I first discovered Holly Black when I was in high school (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth). The first of her novels I picked up was "Tithe" which is part of her " Modern Faerie Tales" trilogy. To this day, I cannot remember if Tithe was recommended to me by another individual or if I simply stumbled upon it in my local Barnes and Noble, what I do remember is how much I fell in love with the story and its characters. Tithe was also my first introduction to dark fantasy. And just as I found myself immersed in the second book in the  Modern Faerie Tales Trilogy, my brother found himself wandering the world of The Spiderwick Chronicles; Miss Black's most popular series which was subsequently made into a movie. 

Seeing that my eyeballs are magnetically drawn to anything with Holly Blacks name on it, I purchased "The Coldest Girl In Coldtown" in a most expedient fashion. It took me a while to finish as my schedule became very hectic over the past few months, but as of last night I found myself experiencing what I refer to as "post-literary-withdrawal"; an affliction characterized by extreme sadness that you have just finished reading a truly good story.

So what is my full opinion on "The Coldest Girl In Coldtown?"
Well, in the words of the owl from the Tootsie Pop commercial...Lets find out...

Book Cover

THE STORY
Tana wakes up after a high school party one morning and, instead of finding herself surrounded by red solo cups, she finds herself surrounded by corpses...(hows that for a beginning, huh?). Why? Because of a certain blood loving, sunlight-fearing infestation that now plagues the human race; that's right...Vampires. Once bitten by a vampire, you become infected, or as they say in the book you "go cold" and its not until you drink human blood that you become a vampire. All of Tana's friends are dead-aside from her exboyfriend, Aiden (who has been bitten and tied up as a "leftover" so to speak) and a mysterious but docile vampire she finds shackled next to him who goes by the name of Gavriel. Against her better judgment, she manages to rescue both of them before the fanged menace who murdered her classmates returns. However, it is during their escape that she herself is bitten, leaving her and her companions with a short time to get to one of the walled cities known as Coldtowns. Coldtowns are essentially the governments solution to a world overrun by Vampires; quarantined areas where both Vampires and humans (both infected and non-infected) live together. Tana believes that by taking them all to Coldtown, she is  saving her loved ones, and herself, from unnecessary peril. But there is far more to the Coldtowns, and their history, than meets the eye, and her new vampire "friend" Gavriel has a few secrets of his own.
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WHAT I LOVED
Not gonna lie, when I first read the back of the cover in Barnes & Noble, I had no clue this was gonna be a Vampire story.  There was no mention of the V-word anywhere (clever girl..) and, as far as fantasy goes, this is a new chapter for Holly Black; who has always stuck mainly to fairy lore. However, after reading the the entire book, I can firmly state that it wasn't really a major deviation for Mrs. Black or her writing style. The story maintains a satisfying balance of  the dark, the elegant, and the witty. Her characters have complex backgrounds; infused with plenty of emotion and a touch of madness. The only difference that distinguishes this book from Mrs. Black's previous books, is that this one keeps you "on the edge" throughout the whole story. It doesn't have that slow buildup, or peacefully quiet moments that you might find in her other books (not that there is anything wrong with those other things). No matter what happens in the story, you always have fear that Game-of- Thrones-Style-Feeling that someone will die or, in some cases, die and become the undead. And, big surprise...they do! There is a lot of bloodshed (and blood-drinking) in this book, not to mention Tana's horrific back-story. Sometimes this can bring a story down because all the violence can distract you from anything truly meaningful about the characters themselves. That, happily, is not the case with "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown."
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FAVORITE QUOTE
"Maybe it's just us, us with a raging hunger, us with a couple of accidental murders under our belt. Humanity with the training wheels off the bike, careening down a steep hill. Humanity freed from the the constraints of consequence and gifted with power. Humanity, grown away from all things human."
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WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE
There was only one thing I didn't like about the book and this may sound a bit nitpickish, especially for someone who considers herself a huge admirer of Holly Black's work. But, I didn't feel like the main character's name  suited her very well. All of the characters in Holly Back's other books have names that seem to fit the character's personality or the world they occupy; the name "Tana" didn't seem worthy of either. I cannot pinpoint exactly why I feel this way, its not as if the main character doesn't deserve an usual name; shes not an ordinary girl. Perhaps if it had been made to be more unusual (like adding an "H" at the end), it wouldn't have bothered me so much. However, this one minor critique.
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CONCLUSION: A

I truly enjoyed this book. As always, Holly Black delivers a superb story with clever characters. I would recommend it to anyone, especially those desiring to read a good Vampire story without any sparking...

New Video: 50 FACTS ABOUT ME :)

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Much Love,

-Hayleigh

March Thoughts: Money On My Mind

 

I don't know if its because of St. Patty's day, the fact that I can see the first sprigs of grass appearing amidst the melting snow, or simply because its my favorite color, but March has me seeing green...

And by green, I mean money.

I know that sounds terrible. After all, I'm a firm defender of the whole "money cant buy you happiness" principle.  But bear with me here as I continue my stream-of-consciousness-style typing. Up until three weeks ago I was an anxiety ridden mess who, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, had the good and also very bad fortune of finding herself among the unemployed. 

Why good? 

Because It gave me time to focus on projects like finding a new job.

Why bad?

Because I had to find a new job.

It was difficult, but as of three weeks ago, I managed to secure a really good job; one where I actually don't mind getting up early in the morning (Go Me!). After what I experienced in my previous job, I didn't believe such a thing was even possible. Though I dare say I have become a bit too dependent on coffee....but I digress.

With no job in sight and absent of a steady paycheck coming my way, my anxiety was at an all time high. What if I ran out of money? What if I missed the deadline for one of my loan payments? What if it took me months before I found another job? And what if, god forbid, it was like the previous one? Fortunately, none of those scenarios happened. This whole experience has given me a new appreciation for my parents, who have had to deal with the ups and downs of the job market for longer than I've been alive. That being said, I suppose the whole "worrying about money" concept is a serious milestone in the beginning stages of adulthood. And when I say worrying about money, I am not talking about "saving-for-that-concert" or "buying-that-dress" type of money saving. I am talking about financially mapping out your future. Some people start early when it comes to prepping their finances; others much too late. As for me? I don't honestly don't know where I am on that scale, but I'm hoping I'm on the early side of things.

I know how to balance a checkbook, I have a basic concept of what an IRA is, and I know when to save and when to hoard away my money like Smaug in The Hobbit. But do I know how to file taxes? No (my parents helped me). Do I know when or how to apply for a credit card? No. Do I know when I'll ever finish paying off my student loans....definitely not, but I shall consult the magic 8-ball on the matter because, lets face it, that's the only foresight I currently have (cue the violent shaking).

As I type, I know this whole thing is sounding like one of those lectures your parents gave you as you drove back to college to begin a new semester. I honestly don't mean for it to sound like that. I suppose I'm just nostalgic for the time when I didn't have to worry about establishing  a line of credit in order to apply for future loans, paying back current student loans, or if I'll ever be able to afford a house. I fondly remember a time when those concerns couldn't even penetrate my much younger skull....those were the days my friends....those were the days...

 I have had many safety nets to rescue me from the many pitfalls of life. However, this realization is accompanied by another; the realization that, in planning for the future...my finances will slowly play a greater role. Money certainly cannot buy happiness, that is an absolute fact, but if you plan accordingly, you need not worry about something as trivial as money getting in the way of your real goals. Cash is cold and hard, but life is too sometimes.

Maybe I'm just typing away like a madwoman here...does anyone else feel the same way? Share the same thoughts? Anybody else reach this milestone in adulthood? Let me know down in the comments.

As always, much love..

-Hayleigh

The Vintage Barn: My Favorite Store

If you ever find yourself in Massachusetts, do me a favor, take a little trip down the Daniel Shays Highway. Keep driving until you come to the center of Belchertown, drive though the light and bear left on to Mill Valley Rd. Stop driving when you see this...

 Congratulations, you have just found one of Belchertown's best kept secrets .
This ladies and gents, is The Vintage Barn, a.k.a my favorite store.

  Warning! this post contains a TON of photos (I couldn't help myself).

Vintage Barn: Exterior

I first discovered the Vintage Barn on an outing with my mom. We were just driving around; which is another way of saying we went shopping. It wasn't until the end of our journey that we happened to stumble upon this little red building. We turned into the parking lot, not thinking anything of it. I was impressed by all of the beautiful antiques placed on the porch, but it wasn't until I stepped inside that I had an Alice-falling-down-the rabbit-hole experience.

Talk about a treasure chest! There was just so much to look at...if it wasn't vintage, unique, sparkling, or just plain gorgeous, it wasn't in the store. The store also features the work of local craftsman. As I said in my previous post, my personal style leans toward the side of whimsy. Needless to say, I was in heaven . Seriously, there was something special tucked into every nook and cranny. We immediately received a very warm welcome from the stores owner Lisa Allen, who has since become a very good friend. After looking around...for quite a while (Seriously, my dad called and asked if we were ever coming home), I made my first purchase; an absolutely gorgeous lamp which is sitting on the table to my right as I type this.

Whenever I go into the Vintage Barn, my wallet practically opens itself. That is not to say that I spend a fortune whenever I go there; quite the contrary. Everything at the vintage barn is fairly priced and entirely unique. Aside from the lamp I mentioned earlier, some other purchases I have made include: a chandelier made to look like a tea-set, a metal "@" symbol to hang on my wall and a packet of barbecue-spice rub which was made locally.

Try some of the free samples!

Wanna see some of my favorite items I discovered on my most recent trip? Scroll on down!

This box of felted mushrooms :)

These adorable pink baby slippers!

Homemade Candles

Vintage Signs

Hand-knitted hats, scarves and socks 

Sparkly!

Spotted some infinity scarves in the corner

cute pillows 

If you want to discover the rest of what the store has to offer you can check out their Facebook Page

or you can pop on by for a visit. Oh and one more thing...

I want to take him home with me!

If you happen to see this friendly ball of fluff in the store, don't be alarmed, his name is Buddy and he is the store mascot. Be sure to say hi to him when you walk through the door.

Seriously, if you ever find yourself in Western MA, go to the Vintage Barn. Step inside, have a free fresh cup of coffee (oh yeah, they have that too!), say hi to Lisa and buy yourself something nice. I promise you wont regret it! :)

Much Love
-Hayleigh

New Video! "What's On My Bookshelf?"

One of my biggest obsessions is collecting books. I cant aptly explain the high I get just by going into a bookstore and bringing home some new reading material. I'd like to think that, when I die, my ghost will haunt Barnes & Noble. Wanna know what books are currently sitting on my bookshelf? Check out the video below!

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