Deneuve on Criterion

by Cláudio Alves

Catherine Deneuve is one of the most beautiful people to ever step in front of a camera. Since the 60s, she has dazzled moviegoers in projects that span from conventional fare to the craziest experiments. While it's true she may not be a performer of astounding tonal flexibility or chameleonic aptitude, many directors have known how to utilize Deneuve's ice queen persona to great effect. Demy made her into a paragon of youthful romance, Buñuel captured a dangerous masochism in her eye, Polanski made her sing rhapsodies of madness while Téchiné gave Deneuve opportunity to modulate her expression into painful naturalism. She is a muse to many an auteur and it's easy to see why – her face must have been made for the big screen by the cinema gods.

If you want to peruse her cinematic glories, The Criterion Channel is currently streaming a marvelous collection of 16 Deneuve films. Here are five highlights from the collection…

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Beauty vs Beast: Acid Queen

Howdy, Jason from MNPP here with our Mother's Day edition of "Beauty vs Beast" - it's maybe becoming a bit cliche to talk about the Alien franchise for Mother's Day at this point... but that's not going to stop me, for two reasons. First off today is the 42nd birthday of the actress Carrie Henn, who played "Newt" in 1986's Aliens - click here to see a picture of her with Sigourney Weaver a couple of years ago. She's a grown lady! Time is weird, you guys.

And secondly we're doing Alien because I got to see the film on the gigantic screen of the United Palace Theater here in NYC yesterday and a million wows. Never have I more envied the moviegoers of yesteryear who got to watch films in these literal palaces. United Palace does a movie screening every month and if you're in New York you owe yourself the experience of seeing something there, it is absolutely grand - see their whole schedule right here. Anyway we've faced down Ripleys for this series once before so this time let's face down her foes! Which came first, the Egg or the Queen...

polls

PREVIOUSLY Last week we sup from the throats of the haute couture bloodsuckers in Tony Scott's The Hunger and it was ice-blonde Catherine Deneueve who came out on top to the tune of nearly 80% of your votes - said thevoid99:

"I vote for Miriam although.... my heart and soul will always belong to David Bowie's character in that film. Still not over him."

Beauty vs Beast: Eternal Lust

Jason from MNPP here - this week's edition of "Beauty vs Beast" is celebrating the 35th anniversary of Tony Scott's stylish and sexy vampire feast called The Hunger, which was yesterday. The film tells the story of the vampire couple John and Miriam Blaylock (David Bowie and Catherine Deneve) and the young doctor named Sarah (Susan Sarandon) that they seduce through billowy curtains. I don't know when I first became aware of The Hunger - I'm sure it was awhile after the movie came out given I was only five when it did - but whenever it was I became aware of The Hunger that would also mark the anniversary of my fantasy of being picked up by Catherine Deneueve and David Bowie. I don't say this very often these days but oh to be Susan Sarandon...

find bike trails

PREVIOUSLY Surprising nobody the new Avengers just broke all of box office records this weekend, but let's not yet forget its immediate predecessor - we've still got the receipts from last week's Black Panther poll to count! And y'all broke bad, giving the villainous Killmonger (Michael B Jordan) the win with 55% of your vote. Said Evan:

"Killmonger, duh. He's ribbed for your pleasure."

Bowie Beauty Break & "Lazarus" Farewell

Pt 1 Bowie & Velvet Goldmine
Pt 2 Curio Finale
Pt 3 Beauty Break

A picture released by the family last week to accompany their announcement that they will be having a private ceremony. They are overwhelmed by the public outpouring of love but wanted to remind everyone that they welcome all the tributes and celebrations (as people see fit) but they are not officially endorsed or organized by the family.

Have you been listening to David Bowie for a week solid now? If you haven't we forgive you. Where even to start with that discography?  Bowie loomed so large in music and cultural history that we needed more time to process, so a week later here's the final piece of our goodbye -  a beauty break to think of him more visually instead... or at least to give you visual accompaniment to go along with your playlists elsewhere.

Musicians have been catching the acting bug since the movies began to wildly varying degrees of success. Some that showed early promise simply didn't care enough to continue doing it (Annie Lennox, Björk, Courtney Love, Tina Turner), others who seemed to want it badly, didn't really have the gift for it (Madonna, Prince), a few have been successful at it despite not being "good" at it (Elvis). There are other musician/actors on whom the jury is still out of course (Justin Timberlake/Lady Gaga). And then there have been people like Cher who were so good at acting that people eventually or temporarily forgot they were musicians. Finally there's David Bowie, our subject today, who occupies the odd ground of being of the cinema but also quite apart from it. (Are there other musicians who have had a similar relationship to the movies -- maybe Sting?)

After the jump, a visual tour of his filmography...

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Q&A: Sexy Vampires & Dolled-Up Monsters

For this week's Q&A we asked for questions that would get us in the Halloween spirit. So let's talk sexual vampires, scary monsters, queer horror, and unsettling auteurs.

Let's jump right in to nine creepy spooky occasionally queer questions, shall we? 

Ryan T: What are your favorite vampire performances onscreen, film and TV?

The glut of bad vampire movies over the past couple of decades may have killed my former passion for bloodsuckers but nothing can kill the love of great acting so this must be answered. With due respect to the Lugosis, Schrecks and Lees who pioneered, let's fast forward to contemporary-ish cinema and television after the jump...

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