The many screen faces of Catherine the Great

by Cláudio Alves

Hulu's The Great is just the latest in a long string of portrayals of Catherine II of Russia, most commonly known as Catherine the Great. Since the time of the silents she's been a recurring topic for filmmakers, whether they're portraying her as the sex-crazed tyrant some propaganda painted her as, or trying to celebrate the legend and legacy of her time as empress. The Great makes her the spunky heroine of a black comedy, but she's also been a romantic lead and a romance's foil, an innocent pawn, and a Machiavellian master.

Looking back at the documentation we have about the real Catherine, one thing's for certain – she was incommensurably more interesting than any single movie character can ever hope to be. That's not going to stop us from exploring her various screen portrayals…

Click to read more ...

Costume sketches for film characters

Costume Designer Daniel Orlandi is guest-blogging all day!

by Daniel Orlandi

I thought I'd share a few random sketches from past movies and TV specials.

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Busty Rusty in Flawless
Director Joel Schumacher was a former costume designer. So he was great to work with. He gave me a lot of confidence as a designer. Robert DeNiro recommended me for the job...

Click to read more ...

The New Classics: Gosford Park

Hey everyone. Michael Cusumano here. If you've got to be trapped inside, why not be trapped inside with thirty or so of the greatest British actors ever? 18-year-old mystery spoilers ahead!

 

Scene: The Murder of Willam McCordle 
I don’t think you count yourself as having seen a Robert Altman film unless you’ve seen it three times, minimum. All great films expand on rewatch, but Altman movies transform, accumulating power as additional dimensions come into focus. In no film is this more apparent than his late-period masterwork, Gosford Park...

Click to read more ...

Renée Zellweger is SAG's Favorite Film Actress

by Murtada Elfadl

Last night's win by Renée Zellweger for her performance in Judy marks her third individual SAG award. She has won previously for Chicago (2002) and Cold Mountain (2003). On the film side she matches Daniel Day Lewis as the two most lauded actors by the Screen Actors Guild. Day Lewis won his awards for Gangs of New York (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012).

There are five other actresses who are right behind Zellweger with two individual film awards. And none of them are called Meryl Streep. Steeep has two as well though one is for TV. She won for Doubt (2008) and Angels in America (2003). These are the actresses who could match or leapfrog Zellweger soon...

Click to read more ...

Review: The Good Liar

by Scott Thomson

Two Grand High thesps of the most esteemed order playing against each other in a cunning game of deceit. A surefire winning recipe, right? Maybe not.

Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Helen Mirren are most certainly having a gay old time together, practically purring in each calculated exchange with one another. It is not often enough that we get to see the screen shared by a pair of Britain’s most beloved (capital ‘A’) Actors but this is far from enough to lift The Good Liar from the escalating preposterousness that clouds the fun within. It reads like an “oh my God what if we did this thing...” kind of idea conjured by a drunken playwright after too many Merlots round Sir Ian’s pub on a Saturday evening. The result is a film perhaps best enjoyed in a similar state... 

Click to read more ...