Film and the Sixties Fringe

HOW BEAUTIFUL IS Carey Mulligan in An Education? There are clear references to the most elegant of all movie stars - Audrey Hepburn - in those dainty dresses and particularly that gorgeous sixties up-do. She's got Audrey's big, beautiful eyes, too. I saw this film for the first time on Saturday night and now I see why she was nominated for so many awards - although she does fall into Scarlet Johansson's trap of being captivating, not so much for her talent (although she is talented) but for being, well, stunning. Suddenly inspired to go for a blunt sixties fringe... although it would probably look irredeemably frumpy on mere mortals like me!

Speaking of sixties fringes - another impulse DVD purchase from a while back was 500 Days of Summer. It looked to be a cliched, run-of-the-mill chick flick - and it had elements of this, but intelligently and ironically went about subverting the romantic comedy genre. That might sound a little grandiose - this film is modest in its achievements, but there are far worse ways to while away a Saturday evening. The tagline - as any decent tagline should - sums up their premise: "Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't." The chemistry between the two leads,  is engaging and believable. I remember Joseph Gordon-Levitt from his Third Rock from the Sun days - and that little teen flick that had a major impact on the culture of my school days - 10 Things I Hate About You. Perhaps this is why I still have a bit of a soft spot for him. The brilliantly named Zooey Deschanel is the one with the gorgoeous sixties fringe - is she developing a monopoly on kooky roles? She was wonderful in Yes Man - there's something about her ditsy, loveable persona which is very engaging. Think Pheobe from Friends - but less annoying!