Woody Allen’s latest is a disappointment, but even a lower-drawer Woody like Wonder Wheel, which is anchored by a quartet of outstanding lead performances, is worth a look. Set around 1950, Wonder Wheel tells the story of 26-year old Carolina (Juno Temple), on the run from her mobster husband and his crew after ratting them out. She takes refuge at the home of her estranged father Humpty (Jim Belushi) and his second wife Genny (Kate Winslet). They live with Genny’s young son Richie (Jack Gore), a budding arsonist, in a cramped apartment on the grounds of the Coney Island Amusement Park that quakes beneath the titular Ferris Wheel (shades of Alvy’s childhood in Annie Hall). Carolina’s unexpected appearance could not have come at a worse time. Genny and Humpty were at one time a pair of alcoholics that found each other when they were at a low point,...
- 12/15/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Observed in a vacuum, “Wonder Wheel” is a kaleidoscope of lights and delights with best-in-class cinematography, perfect casting and impeccable period detail. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro lovingly lights actors’ faces with stained-glass-window colors. Kate Winslet has rarely been better in a part that lets her talent unfurl and bloom in new ways, and Jim Belushi is great as her character’s schlubby, unsatisfying husband. Its setting in 1950s Coney Island allows costume designer Suzy Benzinger room to play, with dresses that elicit gasps of pleasure.
Continue reading Woody Allen’s ‘Wonder Wheel’ Is Gorgeous But Problematic [Nyff Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Woody Allen’s ‘Wonder Wheel’ Is Gorgeous But Problematic [Nyff Review] at The Playlist.
- 10/13/2017
- by Kimber Myers
- The Playlist
Mark Harrison Published Date Thursday, September 8, 2016 - 05:15
No one could reasonably expect that Woody Allen's 47th film Café Society would be some enormous trend-breaking statement, somehow pointing the way to the next 47 films. His movies are mixed up in nostalgia and romance and the self-perpetuating critical discussion about each new one, which has come along once every year for at least the last three decades, is of whether or not it's a return to form or evidence of a decline.
His breakthrough hits of the last decade, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Midnight In Paris and Blue Jasmine, are elevated into the former category, but most everything else seems to get dismissed as a cinematic fixture. If you've been a fan or viewer for any length of time, it's a bit like going to the same barber, getting the same annual haircut and hearing the same stories about the same preoccupations and neuroses.
No one could reasonably expect that Woody Allen's 47th film Café Society would be some enormous trend-breaking statement, somehow pointing the way to the next 47 films. His movies are mixed up in nostalgia and romance and the self-perpetuating critical discussion about each new one, which has come along once every year for at least the last three decades, is of whether or not it's a return to form or evidence of a decline.
His breakthrough hits of the last decade, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Midnight In Paris and Blue Jasmine, are elevated into the former category, but most everything else seems to get dismissed as a cinematic fixture. If you've been a fan or viewer for any length of time, it's a bit like going to the same barber, getting the same annual haircut and hearing the same stories about the same preoccupations and neuroses.
- 9/7/2016
- Den of Geek
Woody Allen narrates CAFÉ Society, his 47th film and at age 80, his voice is sounding sadly geezerish. Set in the mid-1930’s, CAFÉ Society has a cool period soundtrack, an older man courting a much younger woman, a Jewish family kibitzing around the dinner table, quotable dialog on love and life, and a neurotic Jewish hero channeling a much younger Woody. In other words, all the elements of a great Woody Allen film. It also has Vittorio Storaro’s rapturous cinematography (a Woody first) and a terrific and complex central performance from Jesse Eisenberg. CAFÉ Society is the most romantic Woody since Annie Hall and one of his best.
Leaving his (very) Jewish family back in the Bronx, young Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg) heads west to “learn the movie business” from his Uncle Phil (Steve Carell), a bigtime Hollywood talent agent. Phil assigns his captivating, but romantically unavailable, secretary Vonnie...
Leaving his (very) Jewish family back in the Bronx, young Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg) heads west to “learn the movie business” from his Uncle Phil (Steve Carell), a bigtime Hollywood talent agent. Phil assigns his captivating, but romantically unavailable, secretary Vonnie...
- 7/28/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Cate Blanchett's searing Blue Jasmine performance may have placed her at the front of the line for the Best Actress Oscar, but it seems she failed to make a fan of the film's costume designer. Picking up a best actress award at Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards for her role as Jasmine, a socialite gone bankrupt thanks to her felonious husband, Blanchett was asked about Blue Jasmine's appeal to both indie and mainstream audiences. "[Woody Allen] constantly does that with his films, she said, also noting, "He always works on a shoestring." For instance, "That Birkin that I was carrying was...
- 3/2/2014
- by Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Two more guilds announced the results of their annual awards voting as the Costume Designers Guild and Cinema Audio Society both gave out their top honors on Saturday night, February 22, and the two top Oscar best contenders continued their run of the precursors with Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave and Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity each taking top honors. The Costume Designers Guild gave Patricia Norris its award for Excellence in Period Film for 12 Years a Slave (beating both American Hustle and The Great Gatsby ) while Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and its costume designer Suzy Benzinger won for Contemporary Film. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 's Trish Summerville won the award for Fantasy for her futuristic outfits for the blockbuster hit. On the television side,...
- 2/23/2014
- Comingsoon.net
Costume Designers Guild Awards (thanks murtaza!) Excellence In Contemporary Film Blue Jasmine – Suzy Benzinger Excellence In Period Film 12 Years a Slave – Patricia Norris Excellence In Fantasy Film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire...
- 2/23/2014
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
"12 Years a Slave" picked up its first (and only other) guild win since tying for the PGA prize Saturday night, taking out fellow Oscar nominees "The Great Gatsby" and "American Hustle" in the period category (indeed, the only category with Any Oscar nominees.) Elsewhere, "The Hunger Games" again took the fantasy prize for sequel "Catching Fire," while "Blue Jasmine" won in the contemporary arena. "Behind the Candelabra," "Downton Abbey" and "House of Cards" won throughout the TV categories. As Guy pointed out in his breakdown of the Best Costume Design Oscar race Friday, the Costume Designers Guild isn't necessarily a perfect barometer for how the Academy will vote on the discipline. Over the ceremony's 14-year history, the winners have overlapped eight times; so just over half. But that's better than BAFTA (though granted the guild has more shots on goal every year with three separate categories). So will Oscar voters...
- 2/23/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
AwardsLine Deputy Editor Anna Lisa Raya provided on-scene coverage tonight. Updated With All Winners And Speeches: 12 Years A Slave’s Patricia Norris and Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s Trish Summerville nabbed top film awards tonight at the 16th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards. Norris won the Outstanding Period Film Award while Summerville scored the Outstanding Fantasy Film Award. The win clearly vaults Oscar-nominated Norris into frontrunner status. She was not present but her son Patrick accepted on her behalf. “She guaranteed me this wouldn’t happen. I’m kind of a little nervous but she gave me a few things to say in case it did happen. She’s honored that the Costume Designers Guild has recognized her. She thanks you and I appreciate you. I can’t wait to give this to her,” he said. Blue Jasmine’s Suzy Benzinger took the third film award of the night for Outstanding Contemporary Film.
- 2/23/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
In the lead-up to the 86th annual Academy Awards on March 2, HitFix will be bringing you the lowdown on all 24 Oscar categories with multiple entries each day. Take a few notes and bone up on the competition as we give you the edge in your office Oscar pool! Costume design is perhaps my favorite below-the-line Oscar category to analyze. That's partly because the craft itself is so integrally tied into the development of narrative, character and performance, but also because this voting branch can get so frisky with their choices. This year's field contains two former winners, two first-time nominees and one recurring bridesmaid, and it's an attractive collection -- ranging from rags to riches, from 19th-century England to 1970s New Jersey. It is, however, a field that demonstrates the Academy's overwhelming bias toward period work in this category -- it's nice when they find room for contemporary and/or fantasy work,...
- 2/21/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
The week in costume stories and links.
Fidm
Gorgeous costumes on display from 2013 released movies. Tyranny of Style takes you there…
Some more good Fidm photos at Frocktalk.
Downton Abbey
Insightful gallery notes by costumer Caroline McCall. Sure, baby boys in the early 1920s would’ve worn a dress, but that would definitely have confused viewers.
How Wool is produced for Fabric
Riveting Costume Cafe podcast with Franny Kansteiner of Gum Tree Farm and Organic Wool Works.
Costumer of Awesome
Second shout for this beyond hilarious, gif heavy tubmlr by an (unnamed) costume designer currently working in the business.
The Walking Dead
Another thorough interview with costume designer Eulyn Womble, this one containing the immortal line: “It’s not about fashion. It’s about characters”.
Ruby Slippers
If you’re one of the five people left in the world that hasn’t seen a pair of The Wizard of Oz ruby slippers up close,...
Fidm
Gorgeous costumes on display from 2013 released movies. Tyranny of Style takes you there…
Some more good Fidm photos at Frocktalk.
Downton Abbey
Insightful gallery notes by costumer Caroline McCall. Sure, baby boys in the early 1920s would’ve worn a dress, but that would definitely have confused viewers.
How Wool is produced for Fabric
Riveting Costume Cafe podcast with Franny Kansteiner of Gum Tree Farm and Organic Wool Works.
Costumer of Awesome
Second shout for this beyond hilarious, gif heavy tubmlr by an (unnamed) costume designer currently working in the business.
The Walking Dead
Another thorough interview with costume designer Eulyn Womble, this one containing the immortal line: “It’s not about fashion. It’s about characters”.
Ruby Slippers
If you’re one of the five people left in the world that hasn’t seen a pair of The Wizard of Oz ruby slippers up close,...
- 2/15/2014
- by Lord Christopher Laverty
- Clothes on Film
Suzy Benzinger, the costume designer of Blue Jasmine, chose iconic brands like Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Missoni to serve as visual shorthand of what the modern-day wealthy socialite wears, but it is the white Chanel jacket that follows Jasmine from the beginning of the movie to the end which tells its own tale of what is happening to its owner.
When we first see Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) she is flying first-class from New York to San Francisco to see her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins). On the flight she dazzles a fellow passenger with the story of how she met her wealthy businessman husband Hal (Alec Baldwin). Or so she thinks. When that passenger arrives at the airport terminal she complains to her husband that she was trapped on the flight next to a lady who would not shut up. It is in this initial scene that Jasmine wears the lovely...
When we first see Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) she is flying first-class from New York to San Francisco to see her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins). On the flight she dazzles a fellow passenger with the story of how she met her wealthy businessman husband Hal (Alec Baldwin). Or so she thinks. When that passenger arrives at the airport terminal she complains to her husband that she was trapped on the flight next to a lady who would not shut up. It is in this initial scene that Jasmine wears the lovely...
- 1/31/2014
- by Lord Christopher Laverty
- Clothes on Film
The Costume Designers Guild has revealed the nominees for its 16th annual awards for film, TV, and commercial categories. We'll find out the winners on Feb. 22nd. Judd Apatow will receive the Distinguished Collaborator Award at this year's ceremony. Costume Designer April Ferry will be presented with an Honorary Career Achievement Award.
Here's your complete nominations list:
Excellence In Contemporary Film
Blue Jasmine . Suzy Benzinger
Her . Casey Storm
Nebraska . Wendy Chuck
Philomena . Consolata Boyle
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty . Sarah Edwards
Excellence In Period Film
12 Years a Slave . Patricia Norris
American Hustle . Michael Wilkinson
Dallas Buyers Club . Kurt & Bart
The Great Gatsby . Catherine Martin
Saving Mr. Banks . Daniel Orlandi
Excellence In Fantasy Film
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug . Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor, Bob Buck
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire . Trish Summerville
Oz the Great and Powerful . Gary Jones, Michael Kutsche
Outstanding Contemporary Television Series
Breaking Bad . Jennifer Bryan...
Here's your complete nominations list:
Excellence In Contemporary Film
Blue Jasmine . Suzy Benzinger
Her . Casey Storm
Nebraska . Wendy Chuck
Philomena . Consolata Boyle
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty . Sarah Edwards
Excellence In Period Film
12 Years a Slave . Patricia Norris
American Hustle . Michael Wilkinson
Dallas Buyers Club . Kurt & Bart
The Great Gatsby . Catherine Martin
Saving Mr. Banks . Daniel Orlandi
Excellence In Fantasy Film
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug . Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor, Bob Buck
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire . Trish Summerville
Oz the Great and Powerful . Gary Jones, Michael Kutsche
Outstanding Contemporary Television Series
Breaking Bad . Jennifer Bryan...
- 1/10/2014
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Art Directors Guild and the Costume Designers Guild have become the latest groups to announce their nominees for 2013. They may not be considered as big or as important as the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild, or the Writers Guild, but they are still a pretty good prognosticator for who will eventually take home the Oscar in their respective categories.
The Art Directors split their categories up into Period, Fantasy, and Contemporary Films (along with various TV categories), but the main one of importance here is the Period, where we find the more fanciful, eye-catching designs. Here, we find what was mostly expected: American Hustle, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis, Saving Mr. Banks, and 12 Years a Slave. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that The Great Gatsby has this one in the bag. There were those who didn’t enjoy the film (I actually found...
The Art Directors split their categories up into Period, Fantasy, and Contemporary Films (along with various TV categories), but the main one of importance here is the Period, where we find the more fanciful, eye-catching designs. Here, we find what was mostly expected: American Hustle, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis, Saving Mr. Banks, and 12 Years a Slave. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that The Great Gatsby has this one in the bag. There were those who didn’t enjoy the film (I actually found...
- 1/9/2014
- by Jeff Beck
- We Got This Covered
They make our favorite stars look their best when the director yells “Action!” and the men and women of the Costume Designers Guild have selected the best and brightest of the past year.
For the 16th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards the field is filled with outstandingly talented nominees, with the winners to be announced on February 22nd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The Excellence in Contemporary Film hopefuls include Suzy Benzinger (“Blue Jasmine”), Casey Storm (“Her”), Wendy Chuck (“Nebraska”), Consolata Boyle (“Philomena”) and Sarah Edwards (“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”).
Additionally, writer/producer/director Judd Apatow will receive the Distinguished Collaborator Award for his years of contributions to the industry.
The 16th Annual Cdg Awards nominees are:
Excellence In Contemporary Film
Blue Jasmine – Suzy Benzinger
Her – Casey Storm
Nebraska – Wendy Chuck
Philomena – Consolata Boyle
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty– Sarah Edwards
Excellence In Period Film
12 Years a...
For the 16th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards the field is filled with outstandingly talented nominees, with the winners to be announced on February 22nd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The Excellence in Contemporary Film hopefuls include Suzy Benzinger (“Blue Jasmine”), Casey Storm (“Her”), Wendy Chuck (“Nebraska”), Consolata Boyle (“Philomena”) and Sarah Edwards (“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”).
Additionally, writer/producer/director Judd Apatow will receive the Distinguished Collaborator Award for his years of contributions to the industry.
The 16th Annual Cdg Awards nominees are:
Excellence In Contemporary Film
Blue Jasmine – Suzy Benzinger
Her – Casey Storm
Nebraska – Wendy Chuck
Philomena – Consolata Boyle
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty– Sarah Edwards
Excellence In Period Film
12 Years a...
- 1/8/2014
- GossipCenter
The Oscar voting deadline is today at 5 Pm Pst and if there are any Academy stragglers looking for help from the guilds they not only got the Directors Guild nominations yesterday, but the Cinematographers this morning and now the Costume Designers Guild have weighed in with their nominees in three categories -- Contemporary, Period and Fantasy Films. Obviously when it comes to Oscar predictions it's natural to lean toward period pieces and in this case it's interesting to see neither The Invisible Woman or The Book Thief among the nominees. I also wonder if Casey Storm can end up with an Oscar nomination with her near-future designs in Her, a film I didn't even have among my predictions (which, to be honest, were a little dusty they'd been so ignored), but have now moved into the top five. I have included the complete list of nominees below and you can...
- 1/8/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
(thanks Marshall!) Excellence In Contemporary Film Blue Jasmine – Suzy Benzinger Her – Casey Storm Nebraska – Wendy Chuck Philomena – Consolata Boyle The Secret Life of Walter Mitty- Sarah Edwards Excellence In...
- 1/8/2014
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
Nominees for the 16th Costume Designers Guild Awards, which celebrate excellence in film, television and commercial costume design, were announced today.
The winners of the seven competitive awards will be revealed at the gala on Saturday, February 22 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
This year, Judd Apatow will receive the Distinguished Collaborator Award in recognition of his support of Costume Design and creative partnerships with Costume Designers. An Honorary Career Achievement Award will be presented to Costume Designer April Ferry for her outstanding work in film and television.
Nominees For The 16th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards:
Excellence In Contemporary Film
“Blue Jasmine” – Suzy Benzinger “Her” – Casey Storm “Nebraska” – Wendy Chuck “Philomena” – Consolata Boyle “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” – Sarah Edwards
Excellence In Period Film
“12 Years a Slave” – Patricia Norris “American Hustle” – Michael Wilkinson “Dallas Buyers Club” – Kurt & Bart “The Great Gatsby” – Catherine Martin “Saving Mr. Banks” – Daniel Orlandi
Excellence...
The winners of the seven competitive awards will be revealed at the gala on Saturday, February 22 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
This year, Judd Apatow will receive the Distinguished Collaborator Award in recognition of his support of Costume Design and creative partnerships with Costume Designers. An Honorary Career Achievement Award will be presented to Costume Designer April Ferry for her outstanding work in film and television.
Nominees For The 16th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards:
Excellence In Contemporary Film
“Blue Jasmine” – Suzy Benzinger “Her” – Casey Storm “Nebraska” – Wendy Chuck “Philomena” – Consolata Boyle “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” – Sarah Edwards
Excellence In Period Film
“12 Years a Slave” – Patricia Norris “American Hustle” – Michael Wilkinson “Dallas Buyers Club” – Kurt & Bart “The Great Gatsby” – Catherine Martin “Saving Mr. Banks” – Daniel Orlandi
Excellence...
- 1/8/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Winners of the 16th annual Cdg Awards will be announced February 22 in a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton, where writer/producer/director Judd Apatow will be honored with the guild’s Distinguished Collaborator Award and designer April Ferry will receive an Honorary Career Achievement Award. Here are this year’s nominees for excellence in film, television and commercial costume design: Nominees For The 16th Costume Designers Guild Awards Excellence In Contemporary Film Blue Jasmine – Suzy Benzinger Her – Casey Storm Nebraska – Wendy Chuck Philomena – Consolata Boyle The Secret Life of Walter Mitty– Sarah Edwards Excellence In Period Film 12 Years a Slave – Patricia Norris American Hustle – Michael Wilkinson Dallas Buyers Club – Kurt & Bart The Great Gatsby – Catherine Martin Saving Mr. Banks – Daniel Orlandi Excellence In Fantasy Film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor, Bob Buck The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Trish Summerville Oz: The Great and Powerful – Gary Jones,...
- 1/8/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
What a busy twelve months it’s been for costume design. Really though, this art, or craft, or business (Deborah Nadoolman Landis insists it is definitely a business) gets more talked about each year. 2013 was especially exciting however as it seemed every month something even more thrilling arrived to fawn over. In the last few weeks alone we have had The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Sleepy Hollow, and now American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street on the horizon. Dipping back further, it was Stoker that got us excited about subtext, The Great Gatsby that slammed the lid on that twenties revival once and for all, and Behind the Candelabra that put Michael Douglas in a 16ft fox fur cape and white brocade jumpsuit.
With just so many memorable movies and TV shows to cover, Clothes on Film asked some respected contributors to the site for their opinions on the best,...
With just so many memorable movies and TV shows to cover, Clothes on Film asked some respected contributors to the site for their opinions on the best,...
- 12/28/2013
- by Lord Christopher Laverty
- Clothes on Film
In the Fyc series, we're spotlighting our favorite fringe contenders. Here's abstew on Blue Jasmine's threads.
When it comes to the Oscar for Best Costume Design, the Academy's aesthetic seems rather limited. They go one of two ways: Period Piece or Fantasy. Having a tendency to confuse 'Best' with 'Most' the eventual winner is often whichever is that year's most elaborate or over-the-top design (Alice in Wonderland, really?!). Contemporary set films with well-thought-out clothes that define the character tend to get overlooked in the Season End Gold Rush. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Pretty Woman, and Clueless are all victims of this crime against fashion. So, hopefully when the nominations are announced on January 16th, Cate Blanchett's inevitable Best Actress nomination for Blue Jasmine will be joined by a nomination for Suzy Benzinger's meticulously designed costumes for the Woody Allen film.
As a Park Avenue socialite, Jasmine French's life is defined by labels.
When it comes to the Oscar for Best Costume Design, the Academy's aesthetic seems rather limited. They go one of two ways: Period Piece or Fantasy. Having a tendency to confuse 'Best' with 'Most' the eventual winner is often whichever is that year's most elaborate or over-the-top design (Alice in Wonderland, really?!). Contemporary set films with well-thought-out clothes that define the character tend to get overlooked in the Season End Gold Rush. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Pretty Woman, and Clueless are all victims of this crime against fashion. So, hopefully when the nominations are announced on January 16th, Cate Blanchett's inevitable Best Actress nomination for Blue Jasmine will be joined by a nomination for Suzy Benzinger's meticulously designed costumes for the Woody Allen film.
As a Park Avenue socialite, Jasmine French's life is defined by labels.
- 12/11/2013
- by abstew
- FilmExperience
Tales from the costume crypt.
The Talented Mr Ripley
Remembering the stellar work of Ann Roth and Gary Jones.
Blue Jasmine
Costume designer Suzy Benzinger on budgets, Fendi and Cate Blanchett.
The Butler
Transformations…Ruth Carter discusses mimicking classic fashion designers such as Bill Blass to recreate Nancy Reagan (played by Jane Fonda).
Jenn Rogien
The Girls’ costume designer is now Gap’s official ‘styled by’ expert.
Orange is the New Black
More Miss Rogien, this time talking authenticity and maxi-pad shoes.
Roman Holiday
Just brilliant costume analysis of the film by Dtsft.
Elysium
A brief chat with costume designer April Ferry. Unsurprisingly, it was Jodie Foster who brought Armani on board.
© 2013, Christopher Laverty.
The Talented Mr Ripley
Remembering the stellar work of Ann Roth and Gary Jones.
Blue Jasmine
Costume designer Suzy Benzinger on budgets, Fendi and Cate Blanchett.
The Butler
Transformations…Ruth Carter discusses mimicking classic fashion designers such as Bill Blass to recreate Nancy Reagan (played by Jane Fonda).
Jenn Rogien
The Girls’ costume designer is now Gap’s official ‘styled by’ expert.
Orange is the New Black
More Miss Rogien, this time talking authenticity and maxi-pad shoes.
Roman Holiday
Just brilliant costume analysis of the film by Dtsft.
Elysium
A brief chat with costume designer April Ferry. Unsurprisingly, it was Jodie Foster who brought Armani on board.
© 2013, Christopher Laverty.
- 8/24/2013
- by Christopher Laverty
- Clothes on Film
Classic Stage Company's new production of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, starring Tony Award winner Denis O'Hare as Vanya, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Yelena and Peter Sarsgaard as Astrov, extended its limited engagement through Sunday, March 8, it was announced today by Csc Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen. Directed by Austin Pendleton, Uncle Vanya will begin previews on this Saturday, January 17 at Classic Stage Company at 136 East 13th Street, with an official opening set for Thursday, February 12. The cast of Uncle Vanya also features Mamie Gummer (Sonya), Louis Zorich (Waffles), George Morfogen (Srebryakov), Delphi Harrington (Maria) and Cyrilla Baer (Marina). Uncle Vanya will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto, who received wide acclaim last season at Csc for his design of The Seagull and who has designed numerous Chekhovian productions in his esteemed career including the famed Lincoln Center production of The Cherry Orchard...
- 1/17/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Due to very strong ticket sales, Classic Stage Company's new production of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, starring Tony Award winner Denis O'Hare as Vanya, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Yelena and Peter Sarsgaard as Astrov, has extended its limited engagement through Sunday, March 8, it was announced today by Csc Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen. Directed by Austin Pendleton, Uncle Vanya will begin previews on this Saturday, January 17 at Classic Stage Company at 136 East 13th Street, with an official opening set for Thursday, February 12. The cast of Uncle Vanya also features Mamie Gummer (Sonya), Louis Zorich (Waffles), George Morfogen (Srebryakov), Delphi Harrington (Maria) and Cyrilla Baer (Marina). Uncle Vanya will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto, who received wide acclaim last season at Csc for his design of The Seagull and who has designed numerous Chekhovian productions in his esteemed career including the...
- 1/16/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
You can judge a society by the kind of people it celebrates, Woody Allen declares in "Celebrity", an acerbic and hilarious takedown on our culture's infatuation with such "15 minutes of fame" types as hostages, criminals, supermodels, actors and the scores of unlikely oddballs who scorch to national attention.
Winding his send-up around his prototypical story line of squirrely writer going through midlife crisis, this latest black-and-white Woody should cause much celebration for Miramax. Not just smart, it's also accessibly funny and should reach a wider audience than Allen's usual demographic of the upscale, neurotic intelligentsia.
Kenneth Branagh steps in for Woody in this latest opus, replete with all the tics, stutters, flounders and hypertensive screwiness. He's Lee Simon, a travel writer lurching through a midlife crisis, both professionally and personally: the novel is not going well (he's thinking of doing a screenplay) and his long-term marriage has reached the doldrums. His literary conceits occasion him to think he's a T.S. Eliot figure, namely J. Alfred Prufrock, measuring his life "out in coffee spoons" and, in like grandiose manner, deciding to "eat a peach" -- namely go after a shapely blonde model/actress (Melanie Griffith) who pays him momentary heed when he does a puff piece on her.
Narratively, "Celebrity" promenades down the same epicene streets that Allen invariably treads: the comfy boulevards of the homo snobbium whose pitter-patter, upper-class ennui is oh so taxing and debilitating. As Lee laments, it's the "Age of Psychiatry" where people have become so civilized that a new barbarity has, accordingly, developed from their surface sophistication. Indeed, thematically "Celebrity" is a bit of a stern sermon: While Allen laces his preaching with slapstick (both verbal and physical) as opposed to fire and brimstone, the overall message is the same -- it's a putdown of the sophisticated world of the artsy elites whose values and ethics are transitory and trendy and whose lives, accordingly, are fractured and unsteady, with no firm guideposts, either moral or traditional, to give them firmament. It's in Lee's genuflection, his writerly forays into the upper-crust world of media celebrity and the hoity-toity that Allen's satiric humor is most bilious and, wonderfully, uproarious. Whether skewering supermodels, action movies, literary stars, snooty N.Y. Times reviewers, auteurs or other poseurs, Allen's humor strips bare the "discreet charm" of the cultural elite.
As the flibbertyjibbit writer, Branagh brings a bevy of squirming contradiction to his performance. He's a tweedy Woody no less, alternately sympathetic and loathsome. Other performances are equally inspired. As his addled, high-strung wife, Judy Davis, once again, bristles with so much craziness and hysteria that all the Saint John's Wort in the world couldn't cure her, while Griffith oozes callow cruelty as a supermodel/ actress. Credit casting directors Juliet Taylor and Laura Rosenthal for the inspired assemblage of players and real-life drop-ins. Leonardo DiCaprio does a perfect turn as a coke-crazed star-of-the-moment, while Winona Ryder is beguiling and treacherous as a self-centered temptress. The slew of "celebrities" who drop in for a cameo meld perfectly, adding an apt neo-Warhol smell to the proceedings. Among them: Donald Trump and Joey Buttafucco.
Allen's terrific troupe of tried-and-true technicians, including production designer Santo Loquasto and costumer Suzy Benzinger, bring the right high sheen and polish to this decayed upper-crust world. Loquasto's bric-a-brac and settings reveal the slight bases of these character's shallow lives, while Benzinger's plumery is the perfect adornment to this "Emperor's New Clothes" environment. As ever, the ever-conflicted Allen (part aesthete and part hedonist) mixes his story with wonderful, contrapuntal tones, including Sven Nykvist's spare lensings, which infuse a Bergman-esque darkness and abyss-like quality to this world. Stuart Copeland's chipper compositions illuminate its screwy vitality. And, oh so delectable, the scrumptious big-band sounds -- most memorably a smudgy trumpet on "A Slow Boat to China" -- give old-time backbone to these thin and tacky times.
CELEBRITY
Miramax Films
A Jean Doumanian production
Producer: Jean Doumanian
Screenwriter-director: Woody Allen
Executive producer: J.E. Beaucaire
Co-executive producers: Jack Rollins,
Charles H. Joffe, Letty Aronson
Co-producer: Richard Brick
Director of photography: Sven Nykvist
Production designer: Santo Loquasto
Editor: Susan E. Morse
Costume designer: Suzy Benzinger
Casting: Juliet Taylor, Laura Rosenthal
Black and white/stereo
Cast:
Lee Simon: Kenneth Branagh
David: Hank Azaria
Robin Simon: Judy Davis
Brandon Darrow: Leonardo DiCaprio
Nicole Oliver: Melanie Griffith
Bonnie: Famke Janssen
Dr. Lupus: Michael Lerner
Nola: Winona Ryder
Supermodel: Charlize Theron
Tony Gardella: Joe Mantegna
Director: Greg Mottola
Running time -- 112 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Winding his send-up around his prototypical story line of squirrely writer going through midlife crisis, this latest black-and-white Woody should cause much celebration for Miramax. Not just smart, it's also accessibly funny and should reach a wider audience than Allen's usual demographic of the upscale, neurotic intelligentsia.
Kenneth Branagh steps in for Woody in this latest opus, replete with all the tics, stutters, flounders and hypertensive screwiness. He's Lee Simon, a travel writer lurching through a midlife crisis, both professionally and personally: the novel is not going well (he's thinking of doing a screenplay) and his long-term marriage has reached the doldrums. His literary conceits occasion him to think he's a T.S. Eliot figure, namely J. Alfred Prufrock, measuring his life "out in coffee spoons" and, in like grandiose manner, deciding to "eat a peach" -- namely go after a shapely blonde model/actress (Melanie Griffith) who pays him momentary heed when he does a puff piece on her.
Narratively, "Celebrity" promenades down the same epicene streets that Allen invariably treads: the comfy boulevards of the homo snobbium whose pitter-patter, upper-class ennui is oh so taxing and debilitating. As Lee laments, it's the "Age of Psychiatry" where people have become so civilized that a new barbarity has, accordingly, developed from their surface sophistication. Indeed, thematically "Celebrity" is a bit of a stern sermon: While Allen laces his preaching with slapstick (both verbal and physical) as opposed to fire and brimstone, the overall message is the same -- it's a putdown of the sophisticated world of the artsy elites whose values and ethics are transitory and trendy and whose lives, accordingly, are fractured and unsteady, with no firm guideposts, either moral or traditional, to give them firmament. It's in Lee's genuflection, his writerly forays into the upper-crust world of media celebrity and the hoity-toity that Allen's satiric humor is most bilious and, wonderfully, uproarious. Whether skewering supermodels, action movies, literary stars, snooty N.Y. Times reviewers, auteurs or other poseurs, Allen's humor strips bare the "discreet charm" of the cultural elite.
As the flibbertyjibbit writer, Branagh brings a bevy of squirming contradiction to his performance. He's a tweedy Woody no less, alternately sympathetic and loathsome. Other performances are equally inspired. As his addled, high-strung wife, Judy Davis, once again, bristles with so much craziness and hysteria that all the Saint John's Wort in the world couldn't cure her, while Griffith oozes callow cruelty as a supermodel/ actress. Credit casting directors Juliet Taylor and Laura Rosenthal for the inspired assemblage of players and real-life drop-ins. Leonardo DiCaprio does a perfect turn as a coke-crazed star-of-the-moment, while Winona Ryder is beguiling and treacherous as a self-centered temptress. The slew of "celebrities" who drop in for a cameo meld perfectly, adding an apt neo-Warhol smell to the proceedings. Among them: Donald Trump and Joey Buttafucco.
Allen's terrific troupe of tried-and-true technicians, including production designer Santo Loquasto and costumer Suzy Benzinger, bring the right high sheen and polish to this decayed upper-crust world. Loquasto's bric-a-brac and settings reveal the slight bases of these character's shallow lives, while Benzinger's plumery is the perfect adornment to this "Emperor's New Clothes" environment. As ever, the ever-conflicted Allen (part aesthete and part hedonist) mixes his story with wonderful, contrapuntal tones, including Sven Nykvist's spare lensings, which infuse a Bergman-esque darkness and abyss-like quality to this world. Stuart Copeland's chipper compositions illuminate its screwy vitality. And, oh so delectable, the scrumptious big-band sounds -- most memorably a smudgy trumpet on "A Slow Boat to China" -- give old-time backbone to these thin and tacky times.
CELEBRITY
Miramax Films
A Jean Doumanian production
Producer: Jean Doumanian
Screenwriter-director: Woody Allen
Executive producer: J.E. Beaucaire
Co-executive producers: Jack Rollins,
Charles H. Joffe, Letty Aronson
Co-producer: Richard Brick
Director of photography: Sven Nykvist
Production designer: Santo Loquasto
Editor: Susan E. Morse
Costume designer: Suzy Benzinger
Casting: Juliet Taylor, Laura Rosenthal
Black and white/stereo
Cast:
Lee Simon: Kenneth Branagh
David: Hank Azaria
Robin Simon: Judy Davis
Brandon Darrow: Leonardo DiCaprio
Nicole Oliver: Melanie Griffith
Bonnie: Famke Janssen
Dr. Lupus: Michael Lerner
Nola: Winona Ryder
Supermodel: Charlize Theron
Tony Gardella: Joe Mantegna
Director: Greg Mottola
Running time -- 112 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/11/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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