Nylon Blogs

Speaking of movies to watch over break, we’d like to draw your attention (again) to Hulu.com.

Sure, it’s tough to download a bootleg Avatar from the 100% legal site, but they’ve got a very cool stash of documentaries that are free, engaging, and sometimes hysterical.

Our pick?

We Are Wizards, the recent documentary that films Harry Potter fans around the world.

Included in the film are professors of mythology and literature, die-hard Potter kids, podcasting adults, and members of the rock band “Harry and the Potters,” who sing exclusively about Ron, Hermione, and the death-defying powers of the Nimbus 3000.

Not included?

The teen artists who made Harry Potter’s Puppet Pals on YouTube - which is a bummer because it’s one of our favorite videos ever.

Last year, iTunes had a $4.99 special for classics like Breakfast at Tiffany.

This year, they’ve got something called a “movie bundle.”

It means for a limited time, you can get two kinda-maybe-sorta related movies for $9.99

Example?

Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, starring the insanely cool Kat Dennings (at left), gets bundled with the ’90s teen comedy Can’t Hardly Wait, starring the equally neat Lauren Ambrose in her adolescence.

There’s also Dirty Dancing and Dirty Dancing Two: Havana Nights (where you might spot January Jones playing a shallow villainess) and triple bundles, which feature like every Drew Barrymore movie ever made.  Except ET, because that’s a really scary movie.

What’s better than a Patti Smith movie?

A Patti Smith movie broadcast for free on PBS.

The documentary looks at the iconic singer and poet’s life - it took 11 years to make the film - as captured by filmmaker Steven Sebring, a fashion photographer (which may explain “documentary” film stills like the one at left).

If you want a sneak peek, head to the New York Times to watch a preview snippet and read a brief interview with the notoriously reclusive and press-shy singer.

Then set your TiVos -

The Patti Smith documentary airs on December 30.

Amazing news:

Alejandro Amenábar’s masterpiece, Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) is now on Hulu, for free.

Besides starring a very young, very talented Penelope Cruz, the film shows what Spanish cinema has done best in recent years:

Tell creepy, funny, ultimately human stories while clinging so tight to a color palette, you worry about his circulation.

You’ve probably already seen Vanilla Sky, the Cameron Crowe film that’s based on this one -

But this is Penelope at her total best!

(This post is dedicated to Gabriel Bell at Refinery 29, because he knows his shit). 

AOL has a new trailer for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and it’s two minutes long.

The good news?

We actually get a sense of the plot.

The bad news?

We actually get a sense of the plot - and it involves battle scenes, a political coup, and a lot of Helena Bonham Carter’s CGI-altered head.

After we wrap our heads around Alice in Wonderland morphing into an action movie, we’ll be ready to watch the trailer again.

Until then, why don’t you have a go at it and see what you think.

The Golden Globe nominations were just announced, and for the young talent we herald regularly in NYLON, they were kind of a windfall.  Among the nominees under 30:

America Ferrera, for Ugly Betty 

Anna Paquin (left), for True Blood

Anna Kendrick, for Up in the Air

Carey Mulligan, for An Education 

Emily Blunt, for Young Victoria 

Gabourey Sidibe, for Precious 

Joseph Gordon Levitt, for 500 Days of Summer

Now just add Lea Michele for Glee, and  you’ve got yourself a deal.

Anyone spot Sarah Newell, the conflicted (and funny) vampire hater, on Glee last night?

So did we!

And while Glee is gone until April (sad!), True Blood is coming back in January (happy!).

Now that Maryann is gone and Bon Temps is back to normal - well, okay, “normal” - maybe Sarah will get more face time in 2010.

We hope Godric does too, even though he’s dead.

Or, um, undead.

Or… well… whatever.

Why are those black sneakers different from all other black sneakers?

Because they’re named for Darth Vader.

The kicks are part of Adidas’ new Star Wars collection, set to launch next year.

So far, the shoes include versions for Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Stormtroopers, and The Death Star.

Unfortunately, nobody’s made a Chewbacca hoodie yet.

But they should keep trying.

Those wanting some old-school Christmas cheer in a newfangled (and very cheap) way, here’s a fun discovery:

Hulu is now airing “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in its entirety, for free, to watch whenever you want.

That means you can watch Snoopy on ice, plus Charlie, Lucy, Sally, and Peppermint Patty (And Rerun! How cute is Rerun?!) without leaving the futuristic safety net of your computer (and don’t pretend Linus wouldn’t be clinging to a MAC airbook if he weren’t a little kid today).

Plus, you’ll get to hear the jazz score by Vince Guaraldi, which sounds surprisingly sophisticated and funky now that you’re grown up enough to appreciate it.

Dear Bravo,

We haven’t been so psyched with you, lately.

Sure, it’s fun to watch Law and Order marathons every Sunday, but now that Top Chef and The Rachel Zoe Project are done and Project Runway’s run away (and become incredibly dull), there really isn’t anything left.  (Don’t get us started on The Fashion Show.  Isaac Mizrahi is kickass, but still.)

So now there’s Launch My Line, the Bravo show where people who are kind of involved in fashion (writers, DJs, artists…) pair with unknown designers to make clothes.

Are we optimistic?  Not really.

BUT.  Bravo’s done something really brilliant.  They’ve put the first episode up, in its entirety, on Hulu.com.  Watch it at work, when you’re bored, and decide for yourself.