Fall Offerings - Halloween Style! - Veda Rains

As some of you know (if you're one of the few - nay, the PROUD- who read this blog), I love autumn. The cool weather, the gloomy skies, colorful leaves covering the ground... I could go on and on. Yes, it is still August, but I knew it was time to get excited for Fall when I got an email from Bath & Body Works telling its mailing list that yes, it's true! Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin (my fave Fall scent) is back in stock and ready for purchase! Oh, and, uh... all of the awesome (arguably) Halloween-themed movies coming out!
Yes, I love my horror films. In high school, I went through a period where I bought a ton of cheap horror film VHS's (remember those? Well, ya better. I was still purchasing them up til 2006) every other week during the Fall season. But it's not those films I'm talking about. Blame it on the kid at heart that lies within me, but I'm super excited about all of the kid-centric movies this year! Here are the trailers for the 3 that caught my eye. What do you think? Will you go see any of them? Be honest now...

ParaNorman - Out Now!
If your partial to Coraline (the film adaptation), you may like ParaNorman. It's by the same people! And you're just in time, because it comes out in theaters this weekend!

Hotel Transylvania - September 28th
It's a cute premise. Where do all the monsters and creatures go to get away from ordinary people? And what happens when an average Joe winds up there and falls for Dracula's daughter?

Frankenweenie - October 5th
We showed you the trailer the instant it came out! When Victor loses his dog, he finds a way to bring him back to life! I loved the original, and I'm excited to see how they expand the world of Frankenweenie.

About Face - A 'Short of it' Review (Veda Rains)

Documentary Takes a Look at Modeling Throughout the Years

I was flipping through the channels - like I usually do on a week night when I want to unwind - and remembered hearing about this documentary airing on HBO about models. I really didn't know what it entailed, but the premise sounded interesting enough. I'd never really thought much about what a model's life was like...
In About Face (directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders), viewers get a firsthand account of life growing up, growing into and growing out of the model world. For the most part, a model's life is anything but glamorous-especially for the ground-breakers of the 40s (even into the early 80s). Some of the older models reveal that early on, they had to hustle through the crowded room of buyers and try not to have their clothing touched. For many of them, they were simply the "hanger."
Various models of years past sit down over the course of the doc, and share their intimate details of life and the pressures of staying thin, getting involved in drugs, overcoming racial obstacles and growing past their prime (are they for or against Botox, etc.).
While all of the stories are very interesting (and some, very funny), they only scratch the surface of what could have been a really meaty doc. The subject is so vague, perhaps it should have been split into a few parts-rightfully giving focus and depth to each subject.
I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to others who have a half-interest or full-blown passion in fashion history. Models have certainly come a long way, but it's still a tough business (a business I do not envy after watching this doc).