Right as the Festival d'été francophone came to an end with Tuesday night's celebration of Saint Jean-Baptiste Day, the 2nd Annual French Film Festival began. Although by the time you read this the first movie (Roman de Gare) will have already been showing for a week, hopefully some of these recommendations will come in handy if you have time to check out the festival. All of the movies come with English subtitles, bien sûr, so don't worry if your French is not up to par.

3) Priceless (Hors de prix) - This is a light comedy about a gold digger (Audrey Tautou) who sleeps with a hotel bartender (Gad Elmaleh) because she mistakes him for a rich man. The guy decides that she's just too good to let go, and here begins his quest to win her heart. Yeah, the plot has been done before. Yeah, the movie came out in 2006. But it's potentially an enjoyable film that contrasts with the more serious subject matter of some of the other ones. If you find Audrey Tautou as charming as I do, perhaps this film is worth seeing. You can catch it starting July 4th.

2) Love Songs (Les Chansons d'amour) - I don't usually like musicals, but something about the quirky trailer and the Parisian backdrop makes me want to see this one. It's all about the intricacies of a love triangle, and also what happens when a fourth actor comes into the picture (does that make it a love rectangle?). This film, which has become a bit of a cult favorite in France and Belgium, makes its debut on July 11th.

1) The Last Mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) - Something about steamy 19th-century romance makes for good film. Think The Atonement, but more French (that means that at least the sex scenes should be more exciting!). I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this one - it's been acclaimed at a bunch of movie festivals, and I've generally heard good reviews. It starts July 25th.

Anna here. This one's going to be short and sweet.

Baby high heels latest fashion accessory. Babies in high heels on the front page? Really, Province, really? "It looks like it's trying to make a six-month-old look like a 20-year-old." Next thing you know, R. Kelly will be using these to prove that he is innocent.

Monet painting fetches $80-million at London auction. See, aren't you glad that Vancouver has The Cheaper Show? $200 don't seem so bad in comparison.

If your watering hole of choice is anywhere outside the Granville Street brouhaha, you might want to speak up about Vancouver's archaic drinking laws. Do something without actually doing anything and join the Facebook group.

If you're not going to be away, on the beach, at a barbecue, or sleeping in this Saturday, you may want to check out some of the excellent papers being presented at UBC's Graduate Student Symposium.

The one with a new job around here is chef Rob Feenie. You've probably seen the new Cactus Club over at Burrard and Dunsmuir. It looks impressive, but we'll just have to wait for a taste test to see if it's as crappy and uninspired as all the other locations.

On the flipside, you may have heard that just about everyone has left Yahoo. Some dude created this fantastic DIY resignation letter.

Ooh la la. I didn't notice this in the Georgia Strait! Vancouver's own dating guide. Amidst a flurry of clichés ("the key is to be open to people"), dog walking and flea markets are also suggested.

Image courtesy of mordechai dangerfield in the BR Flickr Pool.

Whenever I go out for Vietnamese, I usually end up with either a bowl of pho or a sub. Both are great, but that's all Vietnamese food ends up being. When a friend suggested that an unsuspecting restaurant has some specialty dishes to try, I immediately agreed to going. That's how we ended up having dinner at Le Petit Saigon, located right on the corner of Renfrew and Hastings.

The Morning Brew switches hands once more. Bear with me this morning while things get back to the Sean and Jon kind of normal.

UNBC president quits over Victoria budget cuts. "Cozzetto could not be reached for comment, but Rix said he has sold his house and left Prince George." Yep, I'd use this as an excuse to leave Prince George too.

Vancouver is Canada's most fit city. Good news for when airline companies start doing this. As one of the comments reads: "I don't want to sit next to some guy in a speedo because he wants to save $4.50 from lessening his weight because he isn't wearing clothes to save money on his airfare."

Dion makes one misstep in bid to attract women's votes. Apparently, what I love about Dion is his awkwardness and vulnerability, and what I hate about Harper is his icy blue eyes. "Harper has made several women-friendly gestures, cutting the GST and doling out tax cuts for children in sports activities." Yeah, but we immediately withdrew our votes after we saw him wear this.

Peter Ladner beats Sam Sullivan in NPA race. To add insult to injury, instead of champagne being spouted by scantily clad tanorexics, Sullivan got this. Ahh, the Anti-Poverty Committee. What will they think of next?

On June 7th, pause and think about accessibility, and what it means for those of us with disabilities. Access Awareness Day is put on by the Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC BC), which is one of this province's key actors producing research around accessibility, income security, and development. The campaign is aimed primarily at encouraging businesses to make their workplace more inclusive for consumers and workers with visible and invisible disabilities. This encompasses accessibility through design and through the way we approach and talk about inclusion.

If you'd like to see how you can extend this to your own workplace, download SPARC's Access Is Everyone's Business Booklet from their website for information and ideas.

Image courtesy of sp_clarke in the BR Flickr Pool.

Vancouver looks great on paper. It will always be at the top of "most livable city" lists courtesy of magazines like the Economist and consulting companies like Mercer. But.... the city doesn't have those intangible qualities that make it an exciting and stimulating place to be. Not for me, anyways. But, say my friends, you're just not looking hard enough. So after I came back from China, I began searching. And although I still haven't found that je ne sais quoi, Meetups have definitely made me a little less bitter and a little more hopeful.

Meetups are organized in cities all over the world by people who share the same interests. They range from the banal to the random, and they cater to both broad and niche groups. Can't find what you want? Start your own. The concept of a website that brings together locals with common interests is simple and effective, and has arguably helped bring a little closeness to societies increasingly steeped in individualism.

My own experience with meetups after the jump...