What do Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney and Brad Pitt have in common? They are all ecosexuals! A new term has been coined on the West Coast that puts metrosexuality to shame, it’s called ecosexuality and describes people who look for mates that share the same environmental concern.

If you think “environmentally friendly” or “socially conscious” men are limited to the dirty hippie stereotypes, think again. Ecosexuality combines GQ sexiness with a heart for something more than just a big bank account and fancy car.

Personally, I’ve done a lot of dating over the past few years and the men who will always occupy a little part of my heart were those who were, in some way, green. Whether it was the guy who told me he once donated to PETA, who loved An Inconvenient Truth, who refused to buy farmed salmon or who made energy efficiency a bigger priority than affordability when buying a car, they all had an unforgettable effect on me.

To me, nothing is sexier that a man who has a heart for saving the environment. This doesn’t mean he has to be David Suzuki, but that he cares for it enough to make green decisions in his life, like asking for the most sustainable hard wood floor at Home Depot. It just screams compassion – and that he’ll probably be a better lover and father because of it.

Now this is not to say that there is no hope for the man you’re currently dating or interested in if he’s not green. I’ve educated many men over the past who have now become full-fledged greenies.

So what if you decide you want to date an ecosexual but don’t know where to turn? No problem! With green lifestyles becoming so chic in mainstream media lately, it’s no wonder that men’s ecosexual traits would now become dating criteria.

Dating websites are popping up at an alarming rate where one can now choose mates based on their carbon-neutral, fair-trade consumption or vegetarian lifestyles.

And if you’re not sure whether or not you qualify as an ecosexual, you can now take the fun ecosexual quiz.

So whether you prefer to love global and date local or are looking for Zero-carbon love, ecosexuality is where it’s at.

Enjoy green dating!

Hear more from the Urban Green Girl at her blog about green living solutions for urban girls.

photo by roger mateo poquet

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I had a big Golden Globe watch party last night with a huge group of my friends. Everyone brought finger food, wine or delectable desserts that disappeared in the first thirty minutes. We all snuggled up together on the couch, some on the floor, some on makeshift chairs to accommodate the unexpected number, and then we basked in the Red Carpet beauty. The girls giggled over exquisite dress choices and mocked the ones that fell below our rigid expectations. The boys humored us and whether they admit it or not, were as enveloped in the sacredness of Hollywood’s most revered all being in the same place at the same time.

We placed our bets on Hollywood hopefuls, all chomping at the bit for the massage that awaited the winner of the night. It’s better than horse races because these, unlike a race that last but minutes, result from having been invested for an entire year in movies that stole our heart, in actors who have mastered their craft and the Cinderella story of no-name movie taking home the gold.

In this case, that is where my hopes were hinging, on a no-name movie with no-name actors winning – not because it was expected, but more because it damn well deserved it. I often times equate movie awards to politics, because there tends to be hand shakes, deal making and bac scratches that intercede on the purity of the system. However, because of this cynical view, I have recently been surprised by the nobility overriding corruption and unlikely candidates getting their chance.

Let’s just say it’s been my year. Obama gets elected, Florida wins the BCS and now Slumdog Millionaire wins the Golden Globe (and three others for that matter). The movie had no familiar names and the plot was set in India, around India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Ill be honest and say I was practically dragged to it. I remember thinking, I wasn’t in the mood for some Indie movie that I couldn’t begin to relate to. I was wrong, devastatingly judgmental and gratefully for my brother’s insistence to accompany him to this movie, despite my moaning and complaining that I’d rather see Marley and Me.

Now seeing as I’ve been incessantly urging everyone I know to see this movie and claiming it’s the best movie I’ve seen in three years, I have to explain why. This movie is one of the most colorful, incredibly scored (it also won a GG for its soundtrack) and has a gorgeous love story interlaced throughout horrific circumstances of a boy unwilling to give up on his dream, his girl and his life. Needless to say, go see it.

However, besides my pick of the winner and my unapologetic solicitation to see my favorite movie, what was fascinating to me was the phenomenon of us sitting there glued to the television. While people can hate on the entertainment industry, there are few things in today’s culture that are as bonding and can provide shared experiences. It’s through these commonalities that we’re able to relate to one another and use as excuses to discuss international politics, failing marriages, Catholic failings and inspirational wrestlers having a second chance.

Movies can make almost anything palpable to an audience. They are stories that deserve being told, often by people who can’t tell them themselves. They are adventures, journeys meant to take us somewhere, alter our emotional state, and return us to our childhood imagination where anything is possible. This year, a movie worthy of note captured the hearts many; it highlighted poverty, disparity, unfathomable circumstance and yet the unwavering power of love that transcends all else. Maybe it was the hope we so desperately need to feel in spite of a dismal economy, a far off war and increasing violence.

A movie may not cure cancer, it may not bring people back from the dead, or improve our economy but it can momentarily make us forget everything and give us a much-needed distraction from life, work and responsibility. While we can’t afford to turn our backs on life, we can certainly enjoy life’s little treats, especially if it’s starring at Brad Pitt for two hours!

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Like its hero, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a film “born under unusual circumstances.”  Based on a 1920’s short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the movie spent close to 15 years in development with more than a handful of top-notch talent attached along the way.  It’s certainly interesting to muse about what the film could have been with a director like Steven Spielberg or Ron Howard at the helm… But in the end, David Fincher (Zodiac) was chosen to tackle Eric Roth’s (Forest Gump) screen adaption and Brad Pitt to star as the curious title character.  The story is unusual to say the least, telling the tale of a man born in his eighties and aging backwards through the 20th century.  With New Orleans as a backdrop, the audience journeys with Benjamin from World War I to Hurricane Katrina, bearing witness to all the years and people he encounters in between.  More than anything, this is a story about mortality – an ode to life, a requiem to death and a eulogy to the timelessness of love.

With awards buzz circulating long before the film’s release, I was more than a bit curious about this movie.  Hearing words like “masterpiece” and “classic” thrown around the entertainment community, I walked into the theater with great expectations.  But as I probably should have learned by now, movies, like life, rarely measure up to what we expect. And while Ben Button is a landmark in filmmaking; it falls short of greatness in story telling.

In terms of look, the timeless charm of New Orleans creates a picturesque landscape for a film that is nothing short of visually stunning.  From start to finish, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is beautiful to behold and the seamlessness of the aging effect is an astounding accomplishment in the art of filmmaking.  A large part of the film’s lengthy development process was waiting for technology to catch up with the requirements of the story and the two met in the middle to achieve absolute cinematic perfection.  Of equal importance was the task of finding an actor who could play the character of Benjamin from his eighties through his teens and Brad Pitt does an exceptional job.  Likewise, Cate Blanchett is perfectly cast as the adult version of Daisy; the little girl Benjamin falls in love with as an old man.  When this little girl grows up, she becomes a dancer and having trained in classical ballet myself, I was impressed by her believable grace as a ballerina.  Moreover, Taraji P. Henson, who plays Queenie, the slave woman who becomes Benjamin’s mother after his father abandons him on her doorstep, delivers what is arguably the best performance in the film.  To top it all off, Alexandre Desplat’s score is simultaneously whimsical and haunting, effectively creating mood and capturing the film’s essence.

But my praise for this movie must stop here because while The Curious Case of Benjamin Button succeeds as an epic life story, it fails as an epic love story.  Central to the film is the relationship between Benjamin and Daisy, who meet early on and come into and out of each other’s lives. Yet this is by no means a fairytale love and their relationship feels oddly mature. They’re not star-crossed lovers but two adults who finally get together when the timing is right.  While I appreciate this incredibly realistic depiction of relationships, it doesn’t allow the audience to emotionally invest in the characters. There were so many hellos and good-byes between the two, that their moments of joy together had little emotional effect on me as a viewer. I wanted to rejoice when they finally settled down together, but somehow I just wasn’t touched.

Part of the problem is the pace of a film that clocks in at nearly three hours.  There are sections that drag as the story lacks drama and after investing that much time in the relationship between these two characters, there doesn’t seem to be a true moment of pay off for the audience.  The other flaw is in the characters themselves who don’t change much over the course of the film or their lives.  While many would argue that people don’t really change, we never see Benjamin develop any sort of emotional maturity and he never seems to apply any of the wisdom he’s gained from his unusual situation.  Aging backwards seems a wonderfully original premise, but the film never fully analyzes this concept. Don’t we always say, “I wish I knew then what I know now?”  Doesn’t it seem odd to make this sort of film without discussing how the wisdom of old age could affect the decisions of youth?  Or maybe that’s the point? Maybe this knowledge wouldn’t necessarily change anything.  Maybe it’s just about living in the moment because when the past can’t be distinguished from the future, all you have is the present.

That Girl says: Like It!  I walked into the theater with great expectations for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but the film, like the title character, is unusually passive.  While stunning both visually and technologically, it lacks the passion that would have made it a masterpiece.  That said, it is an epic story, which contemplates life, love and loss and encourages viewers to do the same.  At its core is a message about time and love being the greatest of commodities and I walked out of the theater with a new appreciation for the two.  If this film can make you look at your own life differently, then however flawed it may be, it’s three hours well spent.

Release Date:  December 25th, 2008 (Wide Release)
Running Time: 159 minutes
Rated:  PG-13
Company:  Paramount Pictures
Cast:  Brad Pitt – Benjamin Button
Cate Blanchett – Daisy
Taraji P. Henson – Queenie
Tilda Swinton – Elizabeth Abbott
Julia Ormond – Caroline
Jason Flemyng – Thomas Button
Elias Koteas – Monsieur Gateau
Director:  David Fincher
Official Site: www.benjaminbutton.com

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