Horror Costuming: Hellraiser (1987)

by Cláudio Alves

Last October, I had a lot of fun exploring the art of costume design in horror movies. This Halloween season, the miniseries is back with new misadventures through the annals of horror history and some of its boldest sartorial visions. To get some semblance of order, the write-ups will start with an iconic nightmare of 1980s cinema and move, decade by decade, until a grand finale in the form of an Oscar FYC for the current awards season. So let's start things off by looking towards the meeting point of pleasure and pain, seeking where they become indivisible, and contemplating how such ideas can be materialized in costumes. Clive Barker's Hellraiser has such sights to show us…

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Dune, review: when a dream comes true

by Elisa Giudici

Dreams are messages from the deep. This line from Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's SF novel perfectly describes the seductive dangerous power of dream we've cherished for a very long time begin to come true. Villeneuve is one of many directors of a generation that grew up reading Frank Herbert visionary sci-fi novels about messianic leadership and predestination, colonization and contamination of an alien world and culture, and the dangers of mixing politics and religion (to name only a few of the main themes of the Dune novels).

He was well aware of how insidious it can be to work on something that's long been on the back of your mind and your abmition for decades. "I talked for hours with Hans Zimmer about the possibility (a long time dream for both of us), trying to understand if it wasn't advisable to let our dream remain in our heads"...

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Emmy Analysis: Netflix dominates the Outstanding Period Costumes race

by Cláudio Alves

All five Outstanding Period Costumes Emmy nominees come from a Netflix, a strong indicator of that streaming titan's dominance over the kind of lavish prestige television that tends to the well in this category. Indeed, this well-appointed quintet is united by a glitzy love of glamour. Realism, or indeed historical verisimilitude, feels as if it's only ever pursued if it coincides with these shows' need for contrast and spectacle. Sometimes this feels at home with the material. In other instances, it comes off a bit forced, opulence for opulence's sake and to the detriment of the dramaturgy. Their wardrobes demand attention, catching the eye of even the most casual of viewers. Whatever the case may be, these are some eye-catching programs, so much so that it's difficult to predict who'll win. All five contenders feel like potential victors. The nominees are… 

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The Best Costumes of 1986

by Cláudio Alves

At last, we must say goodbye to the 1986 cinematic year. The Supporting Actress Smackdown was a blast and, before moving on to 1937, there's one remaining matter to take care of – the Best Costume Design Oscar race. Just like Dianne Wiest won the first of her two Academy Awards at that ceremony, so did Jenny Beavan. The British designer dressed the likely runner-up for Supporting Actress, Maggie Smith in A Room with a View, delivering a dream of Edwardian fashions with the help of fellow costumier John Bright. Indeed, all of the nominees that year were period pieces, ranging from 1500s Venetian tragedies to a time-traveling misadventure through 1960's suburbia. The contenders were:

• Anna Anni & Maurizio Millenotti, Otello
• Jenny Beavan & John Bright, A Room with a View
• Anthony Powell, Pirates
• Theadora Van Runkle, Peggy Sue Got Married
• Enrico Sabbatini, The Mission

First, let's examine the winner, our favorite and much-dissected Merchant-Ivory classic. I promise this is the last time I write about A Room with a View…

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Emmy Analysis: Will "Pose" FINALLY win Outstanding Costumes?

by Cláudio Alves

We all have heard and discussed category fraud when applied to acting races, but the problem doesn't end there. Not at the Emmys, it doesn't. After two seasons competing as a period show, Pose is now up for the Outstanding Contemporary Costumes Emmy. Sure, the two-part episode submission is partially set in 1998, but that still involves the recreation of a gone-by historical milieu. Saying it's a contemporary-set drama would be like describing World War II movies from the late 60s as contemporaneous stories. Still, it's not difficult to understand the logic behind the move. Generally speaking, Contemporary Costumes is a less competitive category. If that's what it takes for Pose to finally win an overdue costuming Emmy, I can't say I'm too angry about it. But what about its competition? Let's examine the seven nominees…

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