2 + 2 = 5.

1) The look of Code 46.

Somewhere in the midst of the Slate Movie Club, Charles Taylor wrote about how fantastic Code 46 looked, how it was set in the future but was primarily shot on location, in places that looked vaguely futuristic. This piqued my interest, I Netflixed it and was blown away. There's much to admire about the film (Tim sums it up nicely over here), but I think I love the way Michael Winterbottom shot "Shanghai" most of all. I'm assuming that he shot a lot of footage in Shanghai and then tweaked it, adding slight digital details. I think. But that's the beauty of it, it all looks so alien and gorgeous and shimmering it's impossible to tell.

2) The Christmas dinner in Vera Drake.
I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone, but this might have been the most heartbreaking moment in the film for me. The quiet misery, the tension, and then Reg's declaration... thunk. Mike Leigh sends a dagger to the heart.

3) The egg sandwich from Spanglish.
I'll never make this monster, (a) because it'll kill you (1,115 calories...? Hey now!) and (b) becuase you know it won't be as good as it looks in the movie. (Plus there will be no Paz Vega to pleasure-delay the eating of the sandwich.) But it's nice to know that I could (attempt to) make it if I wanted to.

4) "No One Takes Your Freedom" (mash up).
In which the Beatles' "For No One" is mashed into Scissor Sister's "Take Your Mama Out" with a little of George Michael's "Freedom '90." I know: somehow they made the Scissor Sisters gayer (in both senses of the word). Retardedly fun.

5) The Fug Ladies on Chloe Sevigny.
O Ladies of Fug, thank you for making me laugh nearly every day. Your levels of snark are so off the chart it just boggles me mind. I literally snorted water up into my nasal passage upon reading this catty comment re: V. Gallo's BJ Queen:
Chloe, if your zipper is longer than a man's erect penis, your pants are too high-waisted. Period. Now smile, stand up straight, and wash your hair.
(It helps if you click on the link and look at Chloe's pic.)