Swallow Throw Pillow

admin — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:30:00 +0000

Sin in Linen is a fun, Seattle-based company started by Sandy Glaze. The company offers not just the pillow that I was sent for review, but sheets, duvet covers, sleepwear, T-shirts and an array of other products. Glaze appears to have a good feel for a more edgy, but design-conscious line for those who have taste for the rockabilly aesthetic. She offers patterns like the skull-and-crossbones, knives, thorny rose, an unrestrained black and white Victorian “wallflower” (my favorite), the pin-up vixen and the traditional Mom tattoo theme. Sin in Linen provides nice relief from the stodgy, conservative floral pattern of traditional bed linens. After all, our bedrooms are our sanctuary in our homes, aren’t they? I find cheeky linens like this to be entertaining and sassy. No ruffles, no Jessica McClintock '80s floral patterns and no heavy, indigestible upholstery, but Sin in Linen offers a simple and spirited style.

The Swallow Throw Pillow comes in white, but the standard pillowcases come in both white and crème. It would be nice to see the throw pillow in other colors for more options, perhaps a black to counter the delicate and feminine associations one has with the throw pillow. It is covered in a very soft 300 thread-count Egyptian cotton sateen, which was a pleasant surprise. I was also unaware of the sparrow’s symbolic meaning of “Wordly travel.” It makes me pillow more to me than just a mere throw pillow, but also a statement of style and substance.

Written by: Erin Murphy, July 30th 2007

The 3 Marias

admin — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:55:00 +0000

Directed by Aluizio Abranches

First Run Features

The 3 Marias, a gritty 2002 Brazilian film directed by Aluizio Abranches, revisits the age-old theme of revenge, but with a delightful empowering twist. The film opens with haunting opening credits, and the story begins with a rather cryptic yet powerfully operatic scene. The plot then steamrolls forward, introducing the victims of unwelcome murder, and off we go. It’s a whirlwind tale of a woman, wronged by an ex-lover, who happens to be her late husband’s archenemy, imploring her three daughters to avenge the cruel and corrupt death of their father and two brothers. Filomena Capadocio (Marieta Severo) is greeted with the news of her husband and sons’ deaths and immediately springs into action passing on three commands to her three daughters: to find a hit man each to kill the three men who murdered their family.

The death of one of the characters (I will not give the details away) is quite powerful, reminiscent of the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. The film is rife with references to Christianity, specifically Catholic tradition and imagery, with the use of the number three and overt references to biblical tales.

The women in the film seem to represent female stereotypes, which, at first, was off-putting; I assumed these women would be portrayed more as superficial caricatures, but once the credits rolled, I was happily mistaken. Filomena plays the role of the forlorn widow, however, she exhibits a much stronger, empowered personality of a family matriarch. The oldest daughter, Maria Francisca (Julia Lemmertz), was introduced as a prissy, little lady who wears heels while traversing the difficult and rocky terrain of the desert. The middle daughter, Maria Rosa (Maria Luisa Mendonca), is seen as meek and emotional, and the youngest daughter is pigeonholed as a tough, stand-offish vixen with exposed cleavage and a penchant for hard looks. These superficial introductions to the characters are shattered, however, at the end of the film, when each of the girls exhibit qualities contrary to her stereotyped persona, which drives home the point that these women are not merely the “gentler” sex, but wholly humans.

Written by: Erin Murphy, July 17th 2007