100 Great Movies By Female Directors: By Little White Lies.

Why I Have (almost) Stopped Buying Glossy Magazines.

I think every girl enjoys a glossy magazine, weather it be a fashion mag, interior design or a "reality" magazine such as OK or Hello. They are there for a quick read, to entertain, to follow trends or gossip there is is one out there for every one.

I have always enjoyed going out and picking up the new edition of my favourite, 

such as ELLE, GLAMOUR  and he recently lost COMPANY magazine. But I have been finding they are very samey. And the content extremely low as a large percentage of it is ads, and photo shots. I would be buying them on the way in to work and by my afternoon brake I would be giving them to the media team for there mode boards and scrap books. 

(A few years a go I would be keeping them for my own boards and scrap books for styling.)

In the past year I have found myself buying magazines like Skin Deep, Empire and more recently Little White Lies. 

These Have less adds and more words to reads, and will last me a week rather them a few hours.

Little White Lies 

TRUTH & MOVIES

This is a 100 page magazine with hardly any Ads' - in July/August I counted 6 pages of ads, and they were film related. - Each month has a theme, May/Jun was Tomorrowland were they went through the history of Disney land and the new film release Tomorrowland. the half is fild with film reviewers old and new, mainstream, independent and world.

and the photography is minimal it is largely drawing art, which I adore, even the paper is a great choose, it like a heave smooth cartridge paper. it feels like your reading a book them a magazine.

Now to  July/August edition, this has to be one of my favourites. 

"THE 50 BEST FEMALE FILM DIRECTOR WORKING TODAY (& WHY WE LOVE THEM)"

Theres 40 odd pages listing the 50 female directors with a short bio'.

It ends with a list of 

"100 GREAT MOVIES by FEMALE DIRECTORS"

I makes such a change from reading "what pants and bra set you should be wearing this season" and "your fat if your not a size 8"

Yes it dose seam a little like Empire Magazine, but even that can be a little to mainstream sometimes.

Yes it is £6 but I find it worth it. Its a monthly book and live most magazines and books you can always pass them around for all to read. If your someone that likes to keep magazines, these would not look out of place in a bookcase.

 

Looking down the list there is already a good hand full or two that I can cross off, films i've each with out realising that they were directed by a woman. 

Using their "100" list I have picked out 30 of them which I want to see, also in the list are the ones I have also seen. 

1. Chilly Scenes of Winter: Jone Micklin Sliver -1979
2. The Hitch-Hiker: Ida Lupion - 1953
3. Falling leaves: Alice Guy-Blache - 1912
4. India Song; Margeritte Duras - 1975
5. Strang Days: Kathryn Bigelow -1996
6. dogfight: Nancy Savoca -1991
7. Vagabond: Agnes Varda -1985
8. Big: Penny Marshall -1988
9. Wayne's World: Penelope Spheeris -1992
10. Fire: Deepa Metha -1996
11. The Apple: Smaira Mathmalbaf -1998
12. Faithless: Liv Ullmann -2000
13. American Psycho: Mary Harron -2000
14. Me And Every One We Know: Miranda July -2001
15. Lost in Translation: Sofia Coppola -2003
16. I For India: Sandhya Suri -2005
17. Bright Star: Jane Campion -2009
18. XXY: Lucia Puenzo -2007
19. Treeless Mountain: So Yong Kim -2008
20. Archipelago: Joanna Hogg -2010
21. Every one else: Maren Ade -2009
22. Stories We Tell: Sarah Polley -2012
23. Dreams Of A Life: Carol Sciamma -2011
24. Appropriate Behaviour: Desiree Akhavan -2014
25. Wadjda: Haifaa al-Mansour -2012
26. Dusty Stacks of Mom: The Poster Project: Jodie Mack -2014
27. Winters Bone: Deborah Granick -2010
28. Rocks In My Pockets: Signe Baumane -2014
29. Babadook: Jennifer Kent -2014
30. The headless Woman: Lucrecia Martal -2008

P.S...

Back when I was in high school with my love of drama, films and special effect, I must have watched hundreds of behind scenes footage and how they done it special fetchers, from CGI, animated puppets. I had it in my head that I wanted to direct and act. 

But as time went on following that path got lost. 

If I hand It would have to horror and things along the lines of Donnie Darko.

Empty Pages

Trying to understand why there is nothing in this land that can make me understand that this book within my hand has nothing within its skin but the pages stitched within and nothing written within on the pages stitched within the black moleskine that sits within my hand upon my skin beneath my gaze and steering at the page contain-plating where to start steering at this empty page.

This empty page for empty thoughts upon the pages of the book with printed lines reminding me of empty thoughts and empty minds with no avail searching for inspiration to capture a sole and imagination with the pen within my hand upon the wordless pages your meant to read yet all I find is Shakespearian words in modern times with no meaning is all that comes to mind.

While I steer at the pages empty lines distractions come to fill my mind with horror stories and romantic lines to thrill and make you cry with a heroes tale and a villains smile upon these pages you will find all the tales from with in my mind yet all I that seams to come to mind is all the emptiness from within my mind

Looking back to open pages at wordless lines and blank pages contain-plating and unsure how to scribe random words and untold lies of horror ties and romantic lines yet all seams to come to mind   are random words and pretty lies to capture soles and make you cry is all that seams to come to mind.

Upon these page is my empty mind

©sarah jane patel

DIY Make Up

Yes I know that it is half way through festival season, (My timing dose kind of suck). I found this recipe (article) in company magazine back in 2012. (Such a sham that it is another lost in time.) This can work of any occasion, weather it be summer festivals, partys, new year, halloween. When every you need a last minuet/DIY face pant.
But before we start please, please please, remember to do a skin test with any product first. on the soft part of the inside of you arm, behind your ear and neck.

You will need:

• 1 tbsp of cornflour  (available in your local supermarket in the baking aisle)
• 1 ½ tsp thick cold cream (try classic Ponds or Nivea)
• ½ tsp of cold water
• Natural food colouring or odds and ends of old eye shadows and blushers, (Keeping those favourite eye shadows that tuned to dust and lumps after that night club incident involving them being dropped in to the sink.)
• A small 30ml container
• A small mixing bowl and spoon
• Make-up brushes and sponges

How to make:

1. Add the cornflour and cream to the bowl and stir together until completely combined.
2. Next stir in the water- the mixture should start to thin out.
3. Now add the food colouring drop  by drop until you get the desired colour and vibrancy. You can blend in crushed up loose powders from old eye shadows and blushers for extra pigment to make the paints brighter. If the mixture is too thick add I a drop or two of water and stir to combine. The consistency of the finished paint should be thick but pourable and glossy.
4. Finally pour the paint in to containers and store it in a cool, dark place when not in use.

Neon Face paint

Been out on the hunt for neon face paint and all you can find are small tubes. keep an eye out for neon hair gel's. You can mix these with a thick cold cream,  it make's in go feather and sit on your skin better.

Lose Glitters

A party is not a party with out a little bit of glitter. same little trick here, mix it with a thick cold cream. 

note: The more cream you mix the glitter with the thiner the coverage.

The less cream the glitter is mixed with the thicker the glitter coverage will be.
Another quick one is to use Vaseline. Wipe a little on your fingers, then dip in to the lose glitter, then paint where you want. . 

NoteBook Of A Girl. Entry #7

Standing and waiting, for what seams like hours, o collect a fix to to get me through the day, or maybe even the week. “Coffee with an extra shot please” As I wait my turn for it to be made, or grown the speed its happening this monday morning. It could be flying in fresh from Brazil. 

The chatty laughter of a group of girls at a table with more energy then the whole queue put together. Sat at two tables now pulled together discussing boys, clubs and how much money has given them this month. bitching about friends that are not with them in the coffee shop, with endless energy or maybe just hyped up on coffee.
After what seams like hours I’m handed my paper cup with plastic top full of the most legal drug that there is. Coffee.
Standing out outside  the shop, one handedly pulling the right strap of my back pack on to my shoulder. The first warm sip on spring day. The biter, sweet taste, making my taste buds tingle and my brain sigh with the relief the taste  and knowledge that this will pick me up. Another sip before heading off down the back streets for an early mid dad start on a fine spring day. Blue sky’s with no clouds making it almost seam like mid summer.
Lying sky’s making us think that it is warmer then it is. Making those girls wear summer dress, making them regret it an hour after leaving their warm homes.
Early rising tourists heading out to sight see. suits on their break grabbing their next caffein fix. Shop workers hurrying, trying not to be late, smartly dressed with trainers and a bag for he gym after their shift and before monday night drinks.

The uneven  road beneath my feet of the brick cobble stones, making me slightly stager making me feel like I am a little drunk. But all I am doing is avoiding tripping on the uneven brick cobble road and missing the dog shit.
Theatre land, the Westend. Dog shit? We are in the middle of theatre land, I can tell you the last time I saw a dog, but you can guarantee first thing in the morning their it is. Waiting to be found.
Reminds me of the time  we found a human poo, sitting in the door way of the stage door, everyone daring each other to clear it up. one of the guys  deciding that pocking it with a stick was a good idea. treating it like one of the road kill pigeons that we see along the uneven brick cobble road.

As I get closer to the door of the theatres back stage trades mans entrance, out steps one of the cast, lighting his cigaret and taking a deep breath.
My heart almost feels as though it stops with the thought and memories of the Saturday night before last drinks at the White Hart, followed by a lock in. Flirting, charing dancing, drink after drink followed by shorts of flaming Sambuca. Dizzy head and coordination lost. Stepping out in to the early morning cool air, waking me up and making me feel a little more drunk but a little more clear headed, with wondering hands and hungry lips. We called a cap and headed to bed.
Track suit bottoms and long sleeve white top, he stands looking at his phone, reading messages or emails or the paper. I wonder. Reaching the door there are smiles and hellos as we great each other on a mid day  monday morning, trying to act normal so no one suspects a walk of shame this Monday morn’. 
With greetings saids we depart on the stair. I watch him head up to his dressing room. I cant help but steer and think back two nights, of wondering hands and hungry lips.
Heading down two stories to beneath he stage where waiting are some of the crew crew room brewed coffee and tea. dressed in blue jeans and white t-shirts, how different we all look when we are not in black.
Already hot in our own little hell beneath the heavenly stage of magic.
With another coffee drunk and hand full of chocolate toped biscuits we head up to the surface.
standing in the wings waiting for them to begin. 
Dimmed low light casting long shadows of moving figures. Laughter and spoken words as they began.

Standing in the shadows watching every move, losing to each word waiting for my que to nove set and props. The sudden soft gently touch of hand placed on my waist, just as the director calls out to those moving and speaking on stage. We part ways as he walks in o the light, casting low shadows  of frozen cast, patiently listing to their directions, I watch him walk in to the low lit light I cant help but steer and think back two nights, of wondering hands and hungry lips.

© Sarah Jane Patel