Being Geek Chic is a blog for stylish geeks, sophisticated nerds and people who enjoy the musings of a complete dork. Join us as we dream of driving the TARDIS, cuddle with our eBooks and test out an iPad sleeve. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi and a team of brilliant lady nerds. Meet the team.
Another week, another geeky movie premiere, another delicious way to celebrate.
This week is only the second of many nerdy recipes to come this summer, with an amazing slate of nerdy movies premiering in the coming weeks.
Baz Luhrman takes on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, The Great Gatsby. (Fun fact: Fitzgerald’s historic home in St. Paul is just blocks away from where I last lived in Minnesota!)
You’re probably thinking, wait? there’s an especially nerdy food associated with The Great Gatsby? And you might be right.
But you’re probably also getting a group of friends together to go see Gatsby this weekend. Skip the crowded bar for pre-movie drinks and host your very own Great Gatsby cocktail hour, worthy of the title character’s very own lavish bashes.
The secret to these nerdy recipes? Their high ratio of “looks fancy” to “amount of time to make.” So plenty of time to curl your hair and perfect your flapper look.
Featuring:
So it’s snowing on April 22nd in Minneapolis right now. Spring refuses to come. I’m refusing to leave the house. As such, it’s time for a snowed in movie marathon. Here’s the ingredients to a perfect movie night:
Turn off the lights (and lighted devices): It’s easy to turn off lamps, but if your family and friends are constant phone checkers, here’s a game to play. Make everyone turn off their phones and put the phones in a bowl in the middle of the room. The first person to break and reach for their phone has to do snack refilling duty the rest of the night. Texting at the movies is unacceptable — same goes for home movies.
Films, more than any other thing in my life, are like a shot of Xanax right to the heart when times are tough. Whether I’m stressed or sick or jealous or tired, these ten movies lift my spirits every time. I call them, “Happiness Makers”.
10. Roman Holiday
Be prepared to have Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck charm the hell out of you. I like to imagine myself going on a trip like this one, wearing flouncy dresses and getting into trouble with my Boyf, scooting about here and there.
9. Midnight in Paris
I am obsessive about this movie. I know it’s polarizing, but I dare you to not be completely charmed by Adrian Brody’s Dali. Hear that? I dare you.
One full week back in non-Doctor Who action and I feel a little like we have a hang-over. I’m not quite sure we have fallen back into things just yet. And this picture of my Gram wearing a bow tie covered dress isn’t helping. It’s just so damn adorable.
RIP, Grandma Ann, you feisty lady. I secretly like to imagine her running around space and time with the Doctor in this dress. Speaking of RIP, I’m so sad that Roger Ebert died. He was a gem.
“We are put on this planet only once, and to limit ourselves to the familiar is a crime against our minds.” - RIP @ebertchicago
I may not have agreed with him about every movie, but he was always insightful and never mean. You could always count on Ebert to write genuinely brilliant words on any subject, but he was especially beautiful when he wrote about film. I will miss hurrying off to his website as soon as a movie was over. See you at the movies, Rog.
Here’s some good stuff this week… and yes, I’m going WAY over four things this week, because it’s been a while since we have gone through this exercise together.
I’m in flux. Flux could easily mean I’m in the middle of some kind of alien transformation, but no. It really just means I have lots of decisions in front of me and no idea how to make them. One thing gets clearer and another gets hazy and that seems to be the pendulum on which fluxing swings.
I’m trying to remember this bit of advice: Flux is a gift. There are so many places in the world where my decisions aren’t even on the register. And yet here, I’m blessed to worry about my career and my home and my hobbies.
When I’m feeling like this, I’m even more grateful for things like a library of streaming movies that I can watch at any moment for a quick hit of escapism. My favorite prescriptions this week were Neil Gaiman’s Episode of Doctor Who, “The Doctor’s Wife” and a lovely doc on Joan Rivers. (It’s called, A Piece of Work, for those who want to see it. You should. It’s raw and beautiful. And she’s funny as she has ever been.)
Have you seen all the new Cumberbitchin’ set pictures from Star Trek? Anticipation is mounting, my friends. Chris Pine’s lips must be so sad. Tough to beat those British beauts.
I have never been a total Ryan Gosling fan girl. I mean, I’ll admit the dude is hot and clearly super nice, but when someone starts inspiring coffee table books, I get skeptical. But, big news: He won me over this week by casting Matt Smith in his movie, How to Catch a Monster.
Oh, and one more thing. THANK GOODNESS ELEMENTARY FINALLY HAD A NEW STORYLINE. Last night, I saw a sliver of things that are brilliant and new and genius… And I think we’re going somewhere. I don’t know where, but I’m pleased about the general direction.
I hope you all have a lovely, lovely weekend.
You can find my works elsewhere on the world wide web. This week:
You can buy that lovely print from the Project Type shop on Etsy. Support artists, my friends. It’s a nice thing to do.
Today, I get my geek rant on over at The Mary Sue.
It’s all about the Academy Awards and there general dislike of or refusal to award any geek-centric movies with the big golden statues in recognizable categories.
Here’s a snippet, but be sure to go read the rest and let me know if you agree:
History shows us that the Academy has little to no appreciation for geek-centric films. Here’s a list of notable Academy Award snubs for context:
