BuzzSugar

Some Holiday Spirit: Two Christmas Movies From Afar

BuzzSugar — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:30:38 PST

For Christmas movies this holiday season we've got Four Christmases and Nothing Like the Holidays as new offerings here in the U.S. Elsewhere in the world there's Un conte de Noel and Navidad, S.A.

The French film Un conte de Noel (more commonly referred to as A Christmas Tale here) stars excellent actors like Catherine Deneuve and Diving Bell and the Butterfly's Mathieu Amalric, and has been generating rave reviews. Critics are likening director Arnaud Desplechin's style to that of Noah Baumbach ("if he were French and a little more hopeful about humanity"), or a combination of Ingmar Bergman and Wes Anderson. The plot description reads: "The Vuillard's shared history of physical and mental illness, estrangement, self harm, and loss doesn't lend itself to the idea of a cheerful holiday season. But can a Christmastime reunion, a scheme concocted by three of the youngest family members, finally bring peace their clan?" The trailer, which you can view after the jump, completely sealed the deal for me. Apparently A Christmas Tale is currently available from IFC on OnDemand.

Down in Mexico there's a slightly more innocent and whimsical Christmas story in Navidad, S.A. The movie had a record-breaking opening weekend in Mexico in mid-November, marking the "largest domestic release in the nation's history." The sweet-looking film's plot is as follows: "With Christmas approaching, Santa Claus has to contend with the fact that the North Pole is melting and find a way to rid the holiday of its capitalist nature."

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a trailer for Navidad, S.A. with English subtitles but the one in Spanish is so endearing even if you don't understand the words. To check out the trailers for these two new Christmas movies from afar,

A Christmas Tale (France):

Navidad, S.A. (Mexico)

Source

Jake Gyllenhaal Stocks Up on Juice While Taylor Swift Alludes to Their Breakup

Katie Henry — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:41:21 PST

Jake Gyllenhaal stopped by Beverly Hills Juice today and picked up four drinks and an organic smoothie to go. He ducked into the bar almost unnoticed, wearing a baseball hat and cargo pants. On Sunday, though, Jake was decked out in his award show finest for the Golden Globe Awards. Jake presented best film nominee My Week With Marilyn, which happens to feature his close friend and Brokeback Mountain costar Michelle Williams.

Jake's been keeping a low profile over the past few months, but his dating life could be in the spotlight again due to his ex Taylor Swift's new Vogue interview. She told the magazine she spent Christmas 2010 crying, which came just after Taylor and Jake's romantic Thanksgiving. The pair split before New Year's Eve of that year and since then they've both moved on. Jake recently wrapped production on his cop drama End of Watch, and Taylor's prepping for the March 3 release of her animated Dr. Seuss tale The Lorax.

Do Solid Foods Help Babies Sleep Through the Night?

BabyCenter — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:37:30 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Andrea Updyke about that old wives tale that says babies sleep better after eating solid foods.

Feeding a baby can be a non-stop barrage of questions. Is he getting enough? Is he getting too much? How many wet diapers did I change? What color is the poop? I mean seriously, the amount of poop I have inspected just inches from my face is terrifying. And I will tell you this about the first few months of life; things change so fast it can be nearly impossible to keep up.

My babies are big. At birth, my boys were 11lbs and 10lbs. The first was a week early, the second a week late. I just make big babies, what can I say. Couple that with my choice to breastfeed and I was basically a non-stop all you can eat buffet. I don’t think my babies' bellies were ever the size of a marble or a ping pong ball or really anything smaller than a tennis ball ever. I mean, they ate all the time. And though all the experts said it wouldn't make a difference, both babies did immensely better when they started solids.

You can safely start solids between 4-6 months of age. While I had hoped to breastfeed exclusively until 6 months, we opted for solids at 5 months for both boys. Why am I telling you this? Well, because I think sometimes we get so caught up in what we think is right and normal that we forget to have conversations about what actually worked for us. No judgement, just dialogue.

My youngest is now just over 5 months old and until the past couple of weeks has been nursing or sometimes drinking a bottle every 3 hours around the clock. I discussed when to start solids with our pediatrician and he gave the same warning I have read all over the internet, solids won't really help the sleep thing. It's more about learning how to eat.

So I thought, why rush it? He is a happy baby. He eats well and sleeps well (when he sleeps). Maybe he just isn't there yet. But then 2 or 3 wakings became 4 or 5 and he was no longer content with a pacifier and eating more frequently during the day all the while watching my every move when I ate my meals. Over Christmas we decided to start feeding him oatmeal. Let me just tell you, there was no learning how to eat. This boy knew exactly what to do. He ate and he ate.

In the past two weeks he has increased to two meals a day, each with oatmeal and banana and he seems so content! His naps are better. He goes right to sleep when it's time for bed and last night he only woke up once in a 10 hour period.

Can it be the solids or is it really convenient timing? Maybe it's because my boys were so big to begin with? All I know is the more sleep mama gets, the happier we all are.

Someone pass me the sweet potatoes.

More great stories from BabyCenter.com:
How did I miss pneumonia?
20 cures for cabin fever
Warning: New acetaminophen dosage change
You know you're at grandma's when . . .
4 cool ways to store Legos

Source: Flickr User dacia mitchell

Buzz Blabber: Once Upon a Time Casts a Spell on TV Viewers

Shannon Vestal — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:30:00 PST

Buzz readers were a chatty bunch this week, especially when it came to a new Fall show people are falling for, a music video that's more creepy than Christmas-y, and your picks for the most anticipated movies of December. Check out some of the best comments of the week below.

Readers have found lots of reasons to love Once Upon a Time

"I love how it spins something familiar into a new story. We all know the fairy tales and characters, but they are in this situation where they don't remember who they are, and that makes the show and the characters fresh for me. It's like we know them, but we really don't! And Prince Charming and the Sheriff are pretty easy on the eyes." - dreamalittledream
"I like the mix of reality vs. fairy tale. It's the draw of the 'how would the characters fare in our time' that gets me." - HoneyBrown1976
"My 9-year-old daughter and I watch it together on Sunday nights. It is our new favorite thing to do! The acting is fantastic, the plot is interesting and we've been hooked since the beginning. In my opinion, there is nothing else like it on TV these days and we just can't get enough! Love, love, love this show!" - nicole121482

Read some more opinions from Buzz readers after the jump.

December Must Reads

Annie Scudder — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:45:46 PST

Whether you're sitting by a fire, waiting for a plane to take you home for Christmas, or locking yourself in a room for much-needed alone time, it's always helpful to have a good book at hand during the holidays. This month, you can indulge in a guilty-pleasure Housewife memoir or the tale of a wartime ballerina. Fiction titles, including a murder mystery starring the characters of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, also make our list of the most promising new books of the month.

And pick your favorite books of all time in our Battle of the Books faceoff!

Text and Tunes: The Night Before Christmas

babysugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:30:15 PST

There's a chill in the air and the crackling of wood-burning fires, and the Salvation Army bells ring on street corners. Christmas is closing in on us – less than two weeks away! Spend some time with your lil ones revisiting a classic holiday story from your youth.

Clement C. Moore published his great work, The Night Before Christmas back in 1825. The poem, already full of wonderment and cheer, is extraordinarily complemented by the illustrations of Niroot Puttapipat in the special, magical paper-cut edition. Each page offers a window into the next - leading the little ones through the glorious pages. The pop-up finale of a cityscape with St. Nick and his troop of reindeer flying overhead is truly a site to behold for both kids and adults.

Your tots will hang on every last word that comes as you tell the tale of Saint Nicholas. And, you'll enjoy the trip down memory lane.