SAG Carpet Pt 2: Classic Penguin & Effortless Amanda

previously on SAG Red Carpet, Kurt and I discussed the huggability of Sally Field and which Best Actress we preferred. Now we're on to other more varied cloth.

NATHANIEL:We move on now to Screen Actor Beauty Guild members who were not nominated -- I amend! Not nominated in categories I tend to obsess over. That's an important distinction. To some degree I find myself surprised with TV awards. It's not that I don't know who is nominated, just that I don't commit it to memory and on awards night I'm like "ohmygod Michelle Dockery!". I love so much as "Lady Mary" on Downton Abbey and I'm happy she emerged a winner (for Ensemble) but this dress was already a big win, modern and sexy enough to pull her away from that massive PBS estate in casting director's imaginations I hope. And speaking of winners, I'm as happy as anyone that Julianne Moore is finally struggling to climb steps in tight gowns in order to give acceptance speeches. That's been a long time coming. And I'm especially glad that she chose this dress at this moment. Juli has always been delicious in deep plunge necklines and at 52 years young, she's still definitely got it. She kept it tight.

KURT: What a terrific lineup! I'm mad for Michelle Dockery, and Lady Mary Crawley may just be my favorite female TV character since Carmela Soprano. I hear her icy-perfect British voice in my head all the time now. It's like my new conscience: "Oh, Sir Kurtis, don't be absuuurd!" This is the first time I'm seeing her SAG frock in its entirety, and I must say, I'm a little alarmed by that much boobage from the aristocracy. But I do like it, and you're spot-on regarding the message it sends--she certainly doesn't want to get pidgeonholed in Corsetville. 

To be honest, I've thought of you often this season as Julianne has repeatedly climbed the stage steps to collect her metal. I know we share the long-delayed thrill of seeing her so honored, even if it's for the circus-act dreck that is Game Change (each time, I just pretend it's for something else: Far From Heaven! Safe! Assassins!). I'm not really feeling this dress, nor do I usually admire her awards-show outfits, but I certainly agree about the neckline, and holy moly, that age defiance. Moreover, I think she falls just second to Naomi Watts in the sideswept hair department. 

I'm not quite sure what's going on with Melanie Lynskey (nor can I pinpoint what she was doing at the SAGs). I know she's close to TFE's heart, and we all adore her, but this green getup, while flattering at the waist, isn't quite doing the trick. The girls look trapped and even she seems anxious to remove it with that not-so-comfortable smirk. My gold medal here goes to Amanda Seyfried, who looks regal, and whose talent I believe in without reservation. Lovelace may not be the vehicle to bump her into a higher league, but I trust she'll get there. I even find her compelling in garbage like Gone, and if I were a young, female, Best Ensemble nominee, this is what I'd wear.

NATHANIEL: Every time I begin to doubt Amanda's talent -- it's hard not to because it seems she chooses projects with several shot glasses and a dartboard -- I think back onMean Girls or Big Love and all is forgiven. It's too bad she didn't play Eponine because that Les Mean Girls tumblr could have had a field day with all the 'my breasts know when it's raining' absurdist comedy. As a celebrity she somehow manages to exudes both total confidence and 'where am I?' nonchalance like fame is a natural fit but she's forgotten to make a fuss of it.

I actually really like Melanie's dress -- great color on her but I mostly included her in the lineup because I am always surprised/ delighted to see her and if you look back through the history of the red carpet lineups, i like to throw in curveball choices that other blogs aren't featuring in their same old same old stargazing. As for Juli in Assassins! LOL. I'm sure that sentence had readers doing a double take which is good since reading comprehension in the days of blogs and twitters - yeesh. But speaking of assassinations, figurative mind you!, here's my votes for people who killed the red carpet (it hides stains well)... not in the good way..

poll by twiigs.com

I don't understand what is happening with these massive unflattering front pieces like silk bibs that Sigweavie and Rose Byrne are wearing. I don't understand why the usually perfect looking Frieda looks so frumpy in such a loud color and with January Jones' paired with Nicole Kidman's hair from the previous lineup, maybe David Bowie was the unofficial spirit animal of the SAG nominees this year.

KURT: basically always hate January Jones's looks. She seems to believe that she moonlights as an edgy, avant-garde model, yet she always misses the mark. At least this one is uncharacteristically undersexed, unlike that one outfit a while back that was very Fifth Element. Rose Byrne is giving you real fish--sailfish, that is. And those fins are swallowing her, poor thing. I saw her in the flesh once at Bryant Park, and she certainly didn't look so...engulfed. I do like the pseudo-finger-weave coif, though. 

I was thrilled to see Sigweavie in attendance, as she is, if I'm not mistaken, a frequent no-show, but I'm not getting this slimmed-down homage to Missy Elliot's "I Can't Stand the Rain." She's in pretty good shape for her age, and needn't hide it behind a virtual breastplate of cheap-looking fabric. I like my Sigourney when she's working with what she's got, whether that's barely clothed in a Gigerian escape pod, or playing sexiness one-ups with daughter J. Love-Hewitt in Heartbreakers (remember the line when she insisted to Jennifer's character that she was as tight and toned as ever? "Feel my butt!" Love.).

And, yes, Freida looks afright. I generally believe that she is one of the most good-looking women on the planet, and she usually turns it out on the red carpet, but this oddballs. One might make an argument for Weaver covering up, but what on Earth does Frida Pinto have to hide? Beneath a neon smock, no less? She's my worst offender in this lineup, and needs that thing torn off of her. Where are Anastasia and Drizella when you need them?

NATHANIEL: i can always trust you to put me in a good mood by coming from a Ripley-Loving place.

Finally, I thought we'd sign off with some men since they never get their fashion due but I think there was slightly more going on than usual men's fashion wise at the SAG awards. This lineup is weirdly symmetrical and I'll tell you why: all of these men are over 6' tall? Aren't male movie stars supposed to be short?

poll by twiigs.com

Hugh Jackman and Daniel Day-Lewis went classic but they should since they're both true movie stars -- albeit in diametrically opposed ways. Bradley Cooper went blue (I wish he would chop off the hair but I guess he can't mess with The Hangover paychecks). Justin Timberlake went very slim tight in multiple patterned grays.I would never be brave enough to wear something like that but it looks great on him (though this isn't the most flattering photo). My choice for best dressed is totally 100% I'd-love-to-wear-what-he's-wearing is Eddie Redmayne. It's SO perfect for his coloring.

KURT: Yes, I've been very pleased with Eddie Redmayne's maturation on all fronts, and good style is certainly among them. I think he's one of the most appealing untraditionally-handsome male stars to come along in some time. And I agree, he gets best-dressed here by a mile. Not to imply any femininity whatsoever, but he takes after SJP--clothes just look good on him. I'd often say the same about JT, and this look is fine, but rather predictable. Very Timberlake-y. His best move next time would probably be to subvert his own hipness by going more traditional. 

Bradley Cooper makes me yawn in general, and here we are again. I suppose there's nothing wrong with a blue suit and a bowtie, but this just reads prom-ish to me, and while I don't begrudge Bradley any of his success, I just find him to be such an unremarkable entertainer overall. In Silver Linings Playbook, there was simply more volume and flailing about. I won't comment on the hair, as the "Hangover paycheck" point is a good one. Agreed completely on the apt simplicity of all-stars Jackman and Day-Lewis. The transcendant ones needn't get flashy with the rabble. I'm always taken aback by how dashingly handsome Hugh is, and, no offense to the other gentleman, that kind of magnetism tends to make accessories irrelevant. I suppose the big race really is down to these two gents. Will they dial it down and penguin it up again on Oscar night?

NATHANIEL: If they penguin it up, Jackman wins. He already played one. And a singing penguin no less. Not that Daniel Day-Lewis wouldn't be convincing as a penguin if he put his mind and method to it.

Readers, who was your best dressed penguin at SAG?
Could you pull off Justin Timberlake's suit and tie shit?
Do you hear Lady Mary's voice in your head?
Do you think Amanda Seyfried won the gown wars?

More Melanie

This David Poland interview with Melanie Lynskey is fun to watch so soon after her warm and movie-lovin' guest blogging right here. My favorite part is when she talks about being stuck between "leading lady" and "character actors" (3:33) and Nina Arianda fans will be happy to know that she also compares Nina's magnetism to Kate Winslet's way back in Heavenly Creatures in that it was obviously and readily clear that the only life outcome for certain actors is major film stardom.

Later in the interview she also reconfirms that she's a geek for film critics, citing Mary Pols and Glen Kenny ("so grumpy") as two of her many favorites. So, yes, unfortunately we don't have her all to ourselves here at TFE. But scratch "unfortunately" as we don't want her to hide that light under a bushel anyway -- happy to share her with the cinephile world.

Melanie 'Must Be Going'... With A Playlist

Hello everyone! My little guest blogging stint has come to an end.

It has been really fun, and I want to thank Nathaniel from the bottom of my heart for entrusting me with his wonderful blog for a few posts.

"Hello, I Must Be Going" September 7th in theaters!

So, right now I am preparing for a movie that I'm shooting in October, and one of the things I always do to prepare is to create a playlist for my work. It's a collection of songs that will bring up specific feelings for me, or music I think the character would like, or songs that have an energy to them that feels right for the tone of the film. I usually find that while we're shooting, I will start to listen to one song from the playlist kind of obsessively, and that song will be my "theme song" for the movie. 

When I was shooting the strip club scene in Away We Go, I listened to the Band Of Horses song "No-One's Gonna Love You" so many times that it became the number one most played song on my ipod the next day. Doing The Informant! I only listened to music from the soundtracks to 80s movies. "Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong" became my song for that one.  I have also noticed that I kind of do that same thing in my life... my theme song for the summer has been Conor Oberst's "Lenders In The Temple". I just keep going back to it right now. And crying, because it's gorgeous, and heart wrenching. 

the strip scene in "Away We Go"

My favourite thing about this little guest hosting thing has been interacting with all you smart, funny, film lovers in the comments.

So for my last post I would love to hear any and all of your stories about theme songs! Perhaps your life has a theme song right now? Maybe you like to listen to music at work, like I do, to get you in a certain frame of mind? Maybe there is a movie that uses music in a way you have really loved? My two favourite directors soundtrack-wise are Sofia Coppola (I lost my mind when The Cure's "All Cats Are Grey" started playing in Marie Antoinette!!!) and Wes Anderson (Nico in The Royal Tenenbaums comes immediately to mind). Or, we can be negative too! Maybe there's a song you hate that is used all the time in movies? If you have a story, or even just a random thought, I want to hear it.  And ask away in the comments if you want to know what my song was for any particular movie. Thanks for reading everyone and thanks again Nathaniel!!!

Wishing you all good things.

xo, Melanie

[Editor's Note. Thank you again to fine actress Melanie Lynskey for these amazing peaks into her process (here's a playlist to accompany her post), behind the scenes, into her DVD collection, and especially those love letters to and from her favorite talents in the movie industry. Give her a huge round of applause -- she really went all out! -- and go see "Hello, I Must Be Going" on Friday, September 7th when it opens. It's her best performance yet and a too rare opportunity to see her carry a whole film.  -Nathaniel R]

Love Letters Pt. 2: Kathy Najimy, Rosemarie DeWitt, Xander Berkeley

Melanie Lynskey Guest Blogging!

I made a little dream list of people I respect and admire beyond all reason and sent them a little e-mail saying:

I've seen you do work that has made me want to write you a love letter because it's moved me so deeply. Who or what would you like to write a love letter to? What piece of art or artist or feeling has moved you in this way?"

Here are a few amazing responses I got. [PART ONE featured Zachary Quinto, Ahna O'Reilly and More...]

PART TWO

To the beautiful, soul-baring goddess Rosemarie DeWitt "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: Rachel Getting Married OF COURSE BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH IT"

Rosemarie's love letter:

Seeing Mark Rylance in "Jerusalem" is momentarily eclipsing every other performance I've seen or fallen in love with. He made me rethink what was possible as an actor and at the end of that play my body was literally quivering in anticipation of the gods coming. I felt as if I had witnessed some sacred ritual and was blown away by the transformative power of that kind of whole bodied- soul stirring-storytelling. I had long admired him but now my love for his work makes me feel like a 14 year old girl who would hang a poster of him on my bedroom wall. And in fact I have the Playbill cover hanging over my desk. :)
-ROSEMARIE DEWITT 

Sonya Walger and Adam Scott in "Tell Me You Love Me"To the glorious, strong, sexy, and really fucking brave actress Sonya Walger "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: Tell Me You Love Me..."

Sonya's love letter:

I have a strange moment I think of often when I work and it was when I first became aware of this fragile line between life and art and how the best work leaves you not knowing which one you just witnessed. my grandmother was on the board of governers for a school near her house and she would diligently attend all the school plays and fetes and events even though none of her grandchildren/family attended. she took me with her to see the school play of "BUGSY MALONE". I must have been 8 or 9, and the kids peforming must have been maybe 14-15? I couldn't believe what I saw. I was blown away. I'd never seen anything so glamorous, so alive, where everyone was having so much fun. I'd been to plays in London and musicals, but nothing, nothing like this. It was completely transporting and unlike anything I'd ever seen. And at the very end, they all sang the finale, and Bugsy pulled Blousey into his lap and they were all breathless, panting as we stood and applauded, rained applause on them, and he beamed at her and pulled her in and kissed her. quickly, on the mouth, on stage. and I remember feeling so alive in that moment, so completely full of wonder, was that real? was that supposed to happen? is he allowed to kiss her? was that in the script? (although I doubt I knew the word script at that age). I think about it still.

I wonder if those kids remember that production, those kids now in their 40's with wives and children and jobs and mortgages. I wonder if it sparked anything in any of them the way it did in me. i think about it often, strangely, that one tiny moment in a school play. and I still don't know exactly why or what it means, except, that, as I said, it made me feel so alive, so engaged, so curious, so full of wonder for what they had done, pulled off, been swept up in. and more than anything, it made me long, body and soul, to be up there with them too. to be kissed on Bugsy's lap."
-SONYA WALGER 

Gillian Jacobs, Xander Berkeley, Kathy Najimy, and Matt Ross after the jump

Click to read more ...

Love Letters Pt. 1: Zachary Quinto, Ahna O'Reilly, Chris Messina

© Nick Stepowyj[Editor's Note: Melanie Lynskey (Hello I Must Be Going) is guest blogging. We love her. And now there's a lotta love to go around. - Nathaniel R]

After my love letter to Noah Taylor I thought it might be kind of fun to write to some people for The Film Experience and ask THEM who they'd want to write a love letter to. Hopefully this is making some kind of sense. So I made a little dream list of people I respect and admire beyond all reason and I sent them a little e-mail saying:

I've seen you do work that has made me want to write you a love letter because it's moved me so deeply. Who or what would you like to write a love letter to? What piece of art or artist or feeling has moved you in this way?"

Here are a few amazing responses I got from these talented and passionate individuals!

To the magnificent & unique Zachary Quinto "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: Angels In America!"

Zach's love letter:

I remember so vividly the first time i saw IL POSTINO. i was a freshman in college - completely ravenous for creative inspiration - and i found myself alone at one of the only art house movie theaters in pittsburgh at the time. i was so enraptured by the experience. the tenderness and intimacy of the story. the beauty of the landscape. the powerful exploration of love. and in particular the performance of massimo troisi. it stays with me to this day: his subtlety. his vulnerability. his openness. his humor. and as i learned more about the film and the tragedy of its star - my genuine love for the movie blossomed into something that still inspires me any time i think about it. troisi's commitment to this story ultimately cost him his life. he died just twelve hours after the film wrapped - and only days before he was meant to go to london for the heart transplant that likely would have saved him. but his connection to the project (which he also co-wrote) was so absolute and unwavering that - even in the face of his obviously weakened state - he would not back down until it was complete. and you can see it on screen. his passion and investment in the story is one of the most bittersweet manifestations i have encountered. i love that film and i love that performance. and i love the memory of the first time it all washed over me.

-ZACHARY QUINTO

To the incredibly brave & brilliant actor and director Joe Swanberg "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: Nights and Weekends..."

Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig in "Nights and Weekends"

Joe's love letter:

My love letter is to Elaine May. She's one of the coolest filmmakers alive and a constant source of inspiration. I watched THE HEARTBREAK KID and the first 20 minutes of ISHTAR about 5 times each this Summer when I was prepping my new film. She's a brave, adventurous filmmaker and it's a shame she didn't make more work, but what exists fills me with love and gets me excited about making my own stuff."
-JOE SWANBERG 

To the best actress I know, the incredible Tina Holmes "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: Six Feet Under..."

Tina's love letter:

There's a scene in the beautiful movie Oslo, August 31st that i can't get out of my head. the movie takes place on the last day of summer. 24 hours in which the main character is struggling to decide whether or not he can bear to go on living. it's sounds so grim, but the movie is filled with life and beauty. anyway the scene that blew me away is where he is watching some friends go for a swim at dawn after a long night's bender. he sits alone and watches them, especially this young beautiful innocent girl he has met that night. the camera stays on his face and he watches in silence and i swear to god you watch him engage with life and hope and then despair and engage and despair and engage and despair and back and forth. all that and i don't think his expression even really changes much. it's haunting. that's when i love acting. when you can see inside someone. it's not even anything they do. i don't even know how it happens really. some people just let you see their soul."
-TINA HOLMES

To the versatile, handsome, showing his heart and constantly working Chris Messina "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: Celeste & Jesse Forever..."

Chris's love letter:

I instantly thought of John Cazale and his performances in all 5 of his films. Each one of them so different and nuanced. Dog Day Afternoon was mind-blowing for me as a kid. To see New York in the 70's, the heat, the anti-establishment "Attica" chant, of course watching Pacino felt at the time like finding god. And John Cazale's silence and intensity is something that I will never forget. I was afraid at any moment that he would start shooting the Employees, and then Sonny, Pacino's character asks him what country he wants to go to when the robbery is over and Sal (Cazale) says "Wyoming" not played for laughs, you instantly see into Sal's heart all his vulnerability and desperation. A complex subtle performance that continues to amaze me each time I revisit it.

What Sidney Lumet did with that story and each and everyone of those actors brought to it... this was a defining moment for me in wanting to be a storyteller."
-CHRIS MESSINA

To the insanely funny, thoughtful director, writer, actor (and also a ridiculously gifted magician), David Wain "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: Wet Hot American Summer (obv); Wanderlust... "

Dear NASHVILLE,  thank you for enveloping me in your glow when I discovered you fifteen years after your release! I left our first (nearly 3 hour) date feeling exhilarated, inspired and spent. You opened my eyes to new possibilities in filmmaking, storytelling, comedy, acting, sound. You resonated with me over the last twenty years, always reminding me to be bold and to trust my voice!"
-DAVID WAIN

To the hilarious and authentic and awesome Natasha Lyonne "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: Slums Of Beverly Hills, you in Night At The Golden Eagle..."

[Natasha didn't get back to me with her finished thing but I thought I'd include the things she was thinking she'd write about because they're amazing choices: ' Think I'd choose susan tyrell in fat city or bob fosse & all that jazz ... or Terrence Stamp or Toby Dammit...]

To the super funny, super sweet, unlike any other person living, the genius Michael Showalter "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: "The Baxter"...

Michael Showalter's letter:

Call me sappy but if I'm gonna write a love letter it's gotta be for romantic comedies, so my love letter is for my favorite rom-com filmmaker Richard Curtis (writer/director of Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones, Love Actually.) His bittersweet world of laughter, loss and love is one that I really enjoy visiting - like your favorite bookstore or coffee shop. Everyone is smart, nice and funny. They are optimistic but not necessarily "happy." They like eating good food, talking at length about their neuroses and wear warm clothing. There's never anyone in a Richard Curtis story that feels "too cool." Nope, they are just people. Friends. Acquaintances. Trying to get by, trying to be good, to be better, fallible, trying to grab at some little piece of joy and sweetness.

To the brilliant and intense and funny and great actor Michael Weston I love everything you've ever done but my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: that amazing episode of Six Feet Under where you kidnap David..."

Michael Weston's letter:

You know, there are so many actors and movies and filmmakers who have inspired me... who continue to inspire me. I think I have been really blessed to have a group of friends who are so deeply creative and fun and funny and silly, and I find that they are always my greatest inspiration and what I dwell on in loving revery-time.

But, when I go back to the beginning... where I really felt the power of film and what still makes me laugh because I was so completely moved by it... was the movie "Flash Gordon". I know that's sort of like sitting in some crazy heavenly wine cellar and asking for a bottle of two buck Chuck. But, the truth is, the year was 1980, I was like 7, and that was the moment I wanted to be a part of film. In that finale scene where he's like driving the spaceship and he's about to skewer Ming The Merciless and that awesome music is playing "Flash! Ah-haaahhh! Duhn duhn duhn!". Man... I stood on my seat and f-ing cheered. Literally. I didn't give a hoot who was looking at me because I was so in it. I whooped. And was finally brought back to earth, pulled back into my seat by some kid I was friends with at the time. See, I don't remember who I was with, but, I still find myself, returning to that moment. And I still sing that theme song to myself... and others if they'll listen."

-MICHAEL WESTON 

To the extraordinary, radiant, gorgeous and real Ahna O'Reilly "my love letter to you is mostly me obsessing about: The Help..."

Ahna's letter:

I want to write Sissy Spacek a Love Letter for everything, especially "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Carrie". I want to be her.

-Tommy Lee Jones/Robert Duvall in "Lonesome Dove", I saw this when I was little and it has meant a lot to me ever since. I think it was the first time I understood chemistry between actors.

-On the topic of things from when I was little: Hitchcock (Almost all of them except "Frenzy" and "Marnie," those were the two sexy ones we weren't allowed to watch); Fred Astaire & Ginger Rodgers ("Barkley's of Broadway" and many others); "The Sound of Music"; Audrey Hepburn ("Roman Holiday", "Sabrina"), Judy Garland ("Meet Me in St Louis", "Easter Parade"). These people and their movies were pretty much all my parents let us watch...ahhh to be sheltered. 

-Timothy Scott, my heart breaks for him even if I only see his face for a fleeting second in a movie (just re-watched "Days of Heaven" and there he was for 3 seconds, and I loved him).

 -The author Tracy Kidder.

-Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose. I know this is an obvious one. But I could watch this on a loop, the thought of it makes me cry."
-AHNA O'REILLY 

I'm so grateful to all these amazing people!

-Melanie

P.S. UPDATE: More love letters from Rosemarie DeWitt, Kathy Najimy, etcetera