Singular Style: Laura Dern in "Marriage Story"

by Cláudio Alves

Some films have overtly brilliant costume design with sprawling wardrobes that call attention to their magnificence at every turn. Others shine in less showy ways, sometimes withholding their potential for sartorial spectacle until the right moment. A stylish coat can alter the way we look at a character. A bold pop of color can transform a scene's emotional tonalities. A singular stylistic choice can make all the difference.

Marriage Story is a good example of this sort of costume design. Mark Bridges isn't unfamiliar with epic feats of costumery but he knows when to hold back and sacrifice aesthetic splendor for the sake of character building. When it comes to Laura Dern's Nora, a savvy L.A. lawyer, his work gets a bit showier. This is a woman who knows her looks can be a weapon, even in a world of grumpy judges and boring office meetings. It's only sensible that her costumes are more attention-grabbing than the other characters' outfits…

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Once Again All Male Director Nominees at the Golden Globes

by Murtada Elfadl

It looks like it’s time to call on Natalie Portman to present the best director award at the Golden Globes again. Somebody needs to shade the Hollywood Foreign Press Association again. Here’s who got nominated this morning:

• Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
• Sam Mendes, 1917
• Todd Philips, Joker
• Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
• Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time....in Hollywood

None of the 10 nominated films in the Drama and Musical/Comedy were directed by a woman. Only in the foreign film category did female directors make an impact...

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Horror Actressing: Florence Pugh in "Midsommar"

by Jason Adams

There is a lot of bodily violence seen on-screen in Ari Aster's Midsommar -- a certain mallet comes to mind. But nowhere at any point did I wince harder than I did during a scene simply involving two people having a conversation in a college dormitory. I often reference the moment that the little ghoul girl crawls through the television screen in Ringu as being the apex of cinematic revulsion for me -- that I very nearly crawled backwards up and over my seat the first time I saw that. Midsommar's dorm scene dropped the same sensation, just emotionally...

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What's the Best Song in "Frozen II"?

by Cláudio Alves

Back in 2013, when the first Frozen had just opened and "Let It Go" was on everyone's ear, Disney made an astute decision when it came to its Oscar campaign. Despite the movie having around 10 original songs, only one was submitted for awards consideration. It was, of course, Elsa's world-famous anthem. The decision paid off and the songwriting couple of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez took home their first well-deserved Academy Award.

With Elsa and Anna back in theatres for another musical adventure, Disney is trying to repeat the same scheme. The only problem is that this time around it's not clear what the best song is...

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Golden Globe Nominations!

by Nathaniel R

Hollywood was up bright and early today for the Golden Globe Nominations. How cute are Dakota Fanning's glasses? As per usual they began with randomness (Best Song, Best Screenplay, some TV categories) before saving some biggies until the Today Show at 8:15 AM. We'll have much more coverage later but for now just a few quick notes since it's an information avalanche.

FILM

Drama 

• 1917
• The Irishman
• Joker
• Marriage Story
• The Two Popes
  
  

Netflix really campaigned with the HFPA as you can see hogging 60% of Best Drama. This is a tough break for Ford V Ferrari and Little Women which both seemed like Globes-ready movies...

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