Sandy Powell as an auteur and the splendor of 2002

by Cláudio Alves

Auteur theory may be important, but it has clear limitations. Cinema is an intrinsically collaborative art form and the creation of the cinematic object often involves the work of numerous artists brought together by a common creative mission. To point at one of those minds as the singular visionary of a film is, in part, to erase the authorship of the others. Over the years, scholars, critics, and casual cinephiles have argued for the auteur description to be expanded beyond directors, often signaling actors and writers as good candidates for that same validation. I'd argue that all sorts of contributors to the construction of cinema can be seen as artists who bring their authorial voice to their filmography.

For example, costume designers like Sandy Powell may putatively work for their director's grand vision. However, if you look at their filmography, you see recurrent obsessions and mechanisms, repeated themes, and the development of a personal aesthetic that transcends the limits of directorial intent. Since we're celebrating the year of 2002 because of the impending Supporting Actress Smackdown, I invite you all to consider Powell's authorship as we explore her fabulous designs in Gangs of New York and Far from Heaven…

Click to read more ...

Would you rather?

Would you rather...

• share rosé with Tom Mercier?
• donate plasma with Rita Wilson?
• touch up each other's roots with Sandy Powell?
• do cartwheel flips with Margaret Qualley?
• sing along with Simu Liu's one-man boy band?
• listen to Streisand records with Billy Porter?
• quote Withnail and I (in full) with Richard E Grant?
• play various sports with Emma Roberts?
• garden with Naomi Watts?
• take an ice bath with Joel Kinnaman?

Pictures are after the jump to help you decide...

Click to read more ...

A Decade of Oscar Fashion: Top 10 Looks

by Cláudio Alves

Despite dwindling ratings and ever-growing criticisms, the Academy Awards ceremony is still one of Hollywood's grandest nights. For Oscar enthusiasts, it's like Christmas. For fashion lovers, it's a glamour fest like few others. As we look back at a decade of past ceremonies, we can't help but be dazzled again by the stylish wonders we saw parading through the red carpet each golden night. Since we love list-making, it seems fit to consider such a topic through the lenses of a top 10, elaborating on what were the most memorable and beautiful outfits of Oscar's last decade.

Before we get to the very best, we must celebrate some honorable mentions. From Billy Porter's take on a classic tuxedo to Quvenzhané Wallis' puppy purse, the last ten years were made more glamourous by these Hollywood beauties…

Click to read more ...

Defending The Irishman's costumes

by Cláudio Alves

While we may love to criticize the Academy, sometimes we're also a little bit to blame for the perpetuation of their prejudices. For instance, Oscar watchers love to deride the way voters confuse "Best" with "Most". This is especially true in Best Costume Design, where period work rules and contemporary styles are locked out. Still, when a movie is nominated for a wardrobe that's not very glamorous or showy, that prioritizes male attire instead of women's fashion, the grumblings take on another color. Suddenly, it's as if such design work is lesser because it isn't showy.

It's not erroneous to criticize the costume branch for being so myopic this year, having only singled out Best Picture nominees. However, to look at the costumes of The Irishman and say they're unworthy of praise is utter nonsense…

Click to read more ...

10th Anniversary: The Young Victoria

by Cláudio Alves

It's difficult to follow the Oscar race each year without developing a prejudice against prestige biopics. At times it seems its the genre where creativity goes to die, where formulas thrive and the appearance of respectability is more important than genuine artistic merit. These words are perchance, too harsh, because specific qualities do manage to shine through the baseline of expected mediocrity on numerous occassions. Take The Young Victoria, Jean-Marc Vallée's perfectly serviceable retelling of Queen Victoria's early years and marriage to Prince Albert. Rewatching it ten years after its initial release, the film isn't as despairingly dry as you may have remembered. The Young Victoria is one of Emily Blunt's lesser efforts, but she's luminous nonetheless, bringing a sense of modernity that rubs abrasively against the historical setting. She never convinces as a 19th-century ruler, but that manages to feel more like a feature than a fault. As for Rupert Friend's Albert, he remains a charming romantic ideal, establishing great chemistry with Blunt.

And then, of course, there are Sandy Powell's Oscar-winning costumes…

Click to read more ...