Recommended Viewing: In the Mood For Love

We recently watched In the Mood For Love, a Chinese movie by Wong Kar Wai.

I don't want to go into the plot too much, because I seriously want y'all to see it for yourselves. It's a melancholy sort-of love story, just quiet and gentle and sweetly sad. Every single frame is achingly beautiful. I'm not exaggerating. The set design is pitch-perfect (if it's not technically period-perfect, it's emotionally perfect), the color palette is used to great effect, and the way the camera lingers on a wisp of smoke or views a scene from down a hallway and with a slightly blocked view instead of right there with the characters, just infuses the film with a sense of longing, but at the same time it's very peaceful.

And I covet the lead actress's wardrobe to an obsessive degree. Like, I would wear the shit out of every single thing she wore. Ridiculously fantastic. It's set in the 1960s, so she had these incredible modern-style cheongsam type dresses, with elegant high collars, neat little cap sleeves, and glove-like fitting to her curves (and it didn't hurt that she had a smoking hot bod). I was literally gasping with joy and envy every time she had on a new outfit. And then demanding to be taken to China.

These pictures are kind of terrible quality, but you get the idea:







Also, now I'm really craving wonton soup and char siu bao (BBQ pork buns).

Soda Fountain of... Soda?

Dr Pepper Cherry: A Review.

At first glance, we see only that Dr Pepper Cherry has a slightly more crimson-infused hue than its parent soda, hinting at the subtle differences to come.

Dr Pepper Cherry has an exciting yet not overpowering fizziness on the tongue, and a sweet, almost syrupy aftertaste. Top notes of dark, plump cherries and Red #40 proclaim a slightly different terroir from the original Dr Pepper - perhaps a different section of the factory? - while familiar undertones of smooth caramel, ripe plums, sunshine and high fructose corn syrup delight the palate.

While certainly a pleasant beverage, Dr Pepper Cherry varies so little from the original variety that this reviewer was left wondering why they discontinued the infinitely superior Dr Pepper Black Cherry Vanilla only to start churning out this pale imitation.