Hot Spots in Hollywood

When clubbing gets old, and hitting up the best restaurant in Hollywood is a little overdone, there's always something new to be found in Tinseltown. Hollywood is known for it's best-kept secrets, including the best places to hang/eat out.

Sprinkles

9635 Little Santa Monica Blvd.

Cupcakes can be found on every corner on the West Coast, but in California they're the newest treat to tempt our taste buds. With flavors like apple pie, peanut butter cup, and Neapolitan, Sprinkles is a little hideaway in Beverly Hills with sprinkles from France and fun creativity.

Los Angeles Farmers Market

6333 West Third St.

This Farmers Market has been hanging around for over 75 years with quaint little shops, and other larger stores, like Zara's. There's salons, jewelry stores, fresh produce, and even a butcher shop. It's a great place just to roam around and dabble in a few of their jewels.

Hollywood Wax Museum

6767 Hollywood Blvd.

The Hollywood Wax Museum is home to faux celebrities who all look extremely identical to who their modeled after. Wax figures of the rich and famous date back to the 1940s and it's the first wax museum of the other related locations across the country.

Hollywood Park

1050 South Prairie Ave.

Even if it's just to wear one of those fabulous hats, attend a horse race at Hollywood Park for something different. Dress up and bid on a horse while you watch them race.

The Silent Theatre

611 N. Fairfax Ave.

The theatre is over 60 years old with vintage art deco and more films and art presented than just silent films. With visitors like Maurice Sendak (the author of Where The Wild Things Are) and comedy nights where Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is shown, there's always something different and interesting going on here.

The Arboretum & Botanic Garden

301 North Baldwin Ave.

Walk on the wild side in 127 acres of the Botanic Garden and enjoy unique plants and waterfalls you can't find anywhere else. In a city full of smog, it's refreshing and peaceful here with ongoing events, art classes, and art sculptures throughout the garden.

Katie Cervantes

Live OC Magazine

www.LIVEOCMAG.com

Movie Review: Leap Year

Amy Adams stars with Matthew Goode in Leap Year, a romantic comedy that may not be extremely original, but is still a hit for those looking to be weak in the knees. Anna, a girl who's ready to get engaged to her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott), is let down when he doesn't purpose as she expected and leaves for a business trip to Dublin. She hears an old tale of women purposing during leap year to men in Ireland and decides to visit him and pop the big question.

She meets Declan (Goode), along the way who helps her through the typical romantic-comedy occurrences like cows blocking the road and Anna falling into mud. There's times when the cheesiness is a reminder that it's just a movie, but the film makes up for it with the cute Irish accents and the creative ending (for a cliched one, anyway).

Although there were times where the movie was predictable and the backdrops looked like they were used with Hollywood's chump change, there were twists that were creative and kept it interesting. The cinematography of Ireland was impressive, which added more to the romance and depth (of what there was) to the film. There was a lot of dry humor that worked well and Adams and Goode's characters had a lot of chemistry and believable sparks.

The ending may be predictable, but it's perfect for those that like romantic comedies and want to leave the theater feeling good and hopeful for their own future romances. If you're a guy trying to please his girl by seeing this for a date night, then don't go in expecting to be impressed or too entertained. It is, after all, a chick-flick.

Katie Cervantes

Live OC Magazine

www.LIVEOCMAG.com

Indies & Documentaries Playing in Southern California

New York, I Love You
If you've ever seen Paris, J'Taime, then you understand the concept of taking many different love stories and combining them into one, big independent film, but this time in the heart of New York City. There's many different situations, some being of a bellboy falling for a guest at a hotel, another of a man who picks pockets and then follows an intriguing woman. There's also an elderly couple in love and a boy with his prom date. This film can be compared to Love Actually because of it's drama, humor, and soundtrack. Don't expect happily-ever-afters, but instead a film that's invigorating and encounters the different ethnic groups and personalities in The Big Apple.

Why you want to see this: Where else can you see a film packed with so many talented actors? This film is loaded with a whole lot of Shia LaBeouf, Ethan Hawke, Orlando Bloom, Christina Ricci, Natalie Portman, Rachel Bilson, Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia, and Robin Wright Penn.

Capitalism: A Love Story
Michael Moore is knocking on the door of D.C., once again, with this documentary about Wall Street and government bails. Of course, he adds sarcasm to the mixture with the political figures he encounters and is on a hunt to find where the country's money is. He analyzes why the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer in America, yet keeps the documentary lighthearted at times, like having M.I.A. play in the trailer with the sound of shotguns firing. He continues to hold people accountable and isn't afraid of embarrassing himself or his crew for the sake of saving America.

Why you want to see this: Moore continues to hold the government accountable in this film and ignores anyone trying to stop him. The film is highly informative, influential, and raw with it's real accounts of average Americans and how they've suffered from the state of the economy. At times Moore seems to know he's annoying, but he doesn't care for the sake of getting answers.

Coco Before Chanel
With Amelie and The Da Vinci Code under her belt, Audrey Tautou is perfect for the role of Coco Chanel. The film highlights the significant parts of Chanel's childhood, lovers, and rise to fame as an extroverted, fashion icon. The film is realistic and doesn't just show glitz and glamour for the designer, but instead takes you through the difficult parts of Chanel's life, like living at an orphanage and being deserted by her father. Coco Before Chanel shows Chanel's passion for fashion, which began with designing hats, and the story of her rise to fame.

Why you want to see this: Coco Before Chanel isn't just about fashion or design, it's interesting and dynamic. It's already won three awards and has an interesting take on the history of fashion. It's a movie that doesn't need to be classified as a "chick-flick", but something most people will be able to enjoy.


Bronson
This film is based on the story of Charles Bronson, a British criminal convicted of robbing a post office, who ends up spending 30 years in solitary confinement over a sentence that was only for seven years. It's lighthearted with cinematography that isn't typical for a dramatic/comedic film like this. Known as "Britain's most violent criminal," this film is based on a true story of a man who seemed to think that everything he did was completely rational, although he admitted to being crazy. Besides being a criminal, his character is an analytical artist who seems to think he controls everyone and everything around him.

Why you want to see this: Besides being humorous and quirky, this film is also a deep thinker that has more of an underlying story than just a man who was violent and insane. The character of Charles Bronson toys with the other individuals in this film, and at times it's hard to figure out if he's toying with you, as well.

Katie Cervantes

Live OC Magazine

www.LIVEOCMAG.com