Princess Raccoon

So I am an acient dinosaur who still has a Netflix DVD account. Primarily because there's a bunch of stuff in my queue that isn't available streaming anywhere so I'm trying to work my way through it. Which is how I ended up with a few odd older films lately, because they've worked their way to the top of my queue and honestly I can't even remember adding them let alone why I did. Though in the case of Princess Raccoon, I actually can remember seeing something about it came out and thinking it looked interesting. Plus I do like Zhang Ziyi quite a bit. So I left it on the list, and then a few weeks ago it finally made it's way to me. Now, one thing that I have to say up front is that while I like foreign movies usually, I am not usually too big of a fan of surreal filmmaking. It's just not my thing. And to be honest, I wish I had paid enough attention before renting the film to know that this was a very surreal and abstract piece in a lot of ways.

Really that's the bulk of what my impression of it is, because the storyline is only sort of losely pursued, and it's so very basic and skeletal that there's not all that much to say about it. There's a king who is basically the evil stepmother from Snow White (literally asking who is the fairest and sending someone to kill his son when he discovers his son will soon be the fairest). The twist is instead of asking a magic mirror, he asks a Catholic woman who is probably meant to be a witch or a nun or both, honestly I have no idea.

The son of course doesn't die, and ends up falling in love with a woman in the forest who turns out to be Princess Raccoon (actually, she's Tanuki-hime, and a tanuki is not a raccoon, but that's one of those things not worth pursuing a rant about here). Men aren't meant to love raccoons, and so of course there is peril, a quest, somebody dies, somebody doesn't actually die, and so on. Honestly it's a very predictable story if you wrote out what actually happens, the thing is with it being so surreal it's the details that get really weird. "Now the raccoon lady is slapping her stomach to make a gong sound so she can battle the Catholic witch who is throwing paper streamers at her." "I think she was turning into a demon but the magic frog chirped and she put on her lipstick and now she's okay." Did I mention it's a musical?

The performances in the film were good, and it was a very well done example of what it is and the type of film it wanted to be. But it was just not at all my thing, and so I don't think I'll be looking for more like this anytime soon.

But if you like really, really weird foreign films, give it a try?

March 2015 Birchbox

I'm getting so much closer to catching up to my Birchbox reviews! Here's just a few months back in March, which was an interesting and very busy month for me!

My @birchbox for the month, loving the Fekkai shampoo already, great scent.

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Mar 15, 2015 at 2:32pm PDT

Temple Spa Peace Be Still Calming Face and Body Balm: This was a nice enough lotion but it was far too thick and far too much to use on my face, like most lotions that aren't oil free, it made me break out. But still good for a body lotion.

Jelly Pong Pong Glow Getter Highlighter: The text for this tiny bottle said it offers a "subtle, luminous shimmer" and that is so not true at all. It was a really strong glittery shiny look, and it was far, far too much for anything I ever would do. I thought it was even too severe a sparkle for a night look, let alone something during the every day which is when I usually am wearing makeup. I got rid of it.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product: This was my sample choice, I'd been wanting to try out this product for a while because everybody raves about it so much. It is good, if I'm feeling like I need something strong like a leave-in conditioner. The problem is that I like lighter products more, like Curl Keeper for example, which helps my hair keep it's wavy shape. It's a 10 doesn't really help my curls, actually it probably weighs my hair down just a tad, which just isn't my style normally. That said, I live in D.C. where the humidity is killer, and during this summer it's definitely been a nice way to combat the craziness frizzy mess.

Embryoilisses Lai-Creme Concentre (24 Hour Miracle Cream): I was not a fan of this product, first of all it did absolutely nothing as a makeup remover, which is one of the recommended usages. Second, holy cow what a breakout I got after I used this, wow. I ended up disliking it enough to give it away.

Fekkai PrX Reparatives Shampoo: I did really love this shampoo, it was really light and wonderful and it helps my hair recover from maybe a little too much cheap conditioner. I am probably going to buy a bottle to swap out with my regular shampoo every few weeks, but it's sadly too expensive for me to use regularly.

So March of this year, Birchbox's theme was creativity, and they had a card for you to include in a picture to say when you felt most creative. Well, the answer to that was obvious for me, especially considering when my box came in:

I love @birchbox's focus on creativity this month. As a filmmaker I feel best when I'm telling stories and making movies, like this documentary of mine that just turned a year old! #birchbox #giveaway goodgamemovie.com

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Mar 14, 2015 at 2:17pm PDT

Yup, in March my movie Good Game officially turned one year old! It's been a crazy ride from anxiously checking my phone for updates on the premiere (I was flying back from Japan and ended up missing the event) to showing at various festivals and conventions, the massive digital release and then finally making DVDs as well. But filmmaking is definitely when I'm at my most creative. And as I write this, another of my short films is about to be released this month! If you're into gaming, you should check out the film. It's available through digital sales and rentals, and also on DVD.

February 2015 Birchbox

So we're starting to get within visible range of catching up on my Birchbox reviews! Of course I got a new one yesterday, so now I'm still five months behind, but we'll get there! This month was mostly just okay, but the box design itself was seriously fun. Birchbox has been knocking it out of the park with their gorgeous box colors this year.

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Feb 19, 2015 at 8:53am PST

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner: I'd been wanting to try this, because I loved the Eyeko mascara I got in my first ever Birchbox. It's a fantastic product, though it's not for if you're looking for subtle. It's a very deep, bold line and very easy to use. I'm a huge fan of it, and the sample was such a good size, it might actually be a full size even.

Bee Kind Body Lotion: This was good lotion, but not great. It's not going to replace what I've been getting from other companies, because it's a bit thick and I don't really love the smell. It's not a bad smell, it just doesn't really work for me. Now don't get me wrong, I've used up the entire sample (nearly, I keep it at work so it's taking a while) but at the same time I'm probably not going to buy it.

Marcelle Gentle Eye Make-up Remover for Sensitive Eyes: This was my sample choice for this box, because I'd been looking for another eye makeup remover, the one I have doesn't really work without scrubbing and I want to avoid that. This one works great, though it is a bit differenet for me because I've only used gel removers before and not an oil based one. But I do like it, I need to use it more but I'm still trying to use up the other bottle of not-as-good stuff that I have.

Juicy Couture Hollywood Royal: I liked this scent pretty well when I got it. Not as much as La Fleur but still it was nice. But then over time I guess I either got pickier or discovered other scents I liked better because when I started wearing it regularly to use up the sample, I realized I didn't like it so much anymore. It doesn't take long for it to just smell like every other too strong scent rather than like the actual notes is's supposed to have. There definitely was no hint of marshmallow at that point. So I ended up giving up on it, maybe it's my body chemistry, maybe my sample has gone bad, I don't know, but I grew out of liking it.

Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser: This product basically cemented it for me that I can't use Juice Beauty products. It also made my sensitive skin act up, and I wasn't particularly thrilled with it either. Oh well.

So this box was alright, a few wins, a great addition to my eye makeup, and a few losses. I have to admit that around this box is when I started to get tired of the perfume samples, even though I have it turned to send me fewer of them, I feel like I'm getting the max possible. But I'd rather get samples to try than waste $90 on a big bottle that smells terrible on me, so I'll get over it.

So, halfway through the year, any other Birchbox subscribers out there? How have your boxes been lately? I think they mostly go uphill after this one. And don't forget to do your reviews, I just placed a big order and I didn't have to pay a penny for it because I had so many points. Their points system really can't be beat.