What's the Best Concert Film?

by Cláudio Alves

With Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour coming to theaters today and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé set to arrive in December, 2023 could signal the return of the concert film in full force. At the very least, both projects are bound to break records. Swift's movie is already on the way to becoming the most profitable concert film in history, close to surpassing Michael Jackson's This Is It just with advance ticket sales. Hopefully, this triumph will be reflected in the picture's quality, though, with such titles, success is measured more in terms of the artists' popularity than the piece's cinematic verve. Still, it'd be erroneous to dismiss concert films for this reason – there are many masterpieces to be found in the non-fiction subgenre. 

So, dear reader, what's your favorite concert film? My pick is after the jump…

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Horror Costuming: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

by Cláudio Alves

Jonathan Demme's horror masterpiece, the only film in the genre to win the Best Picture Oscar, has been written about ad nauseam since its release. And yet, some elements of The Silence of the Lambs remain under-discussed. It would seem impossible, but such is the richness of this feature. Take its design, iconic but understated enough to be taken for granted. The costumes are especially deserving of attention, going way beyond Lecter's mask and Buffalo Bill's world of human skin suits. They were designed by Colleen Atwood, a future favorite of the Academy, and represent an oft-forgotten part of her artistry - the ability to ground grotesquerie in reality and use clothing to define the relationships between people…

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Almost There: Melanie Griffith in "Something Wild"

by Cláudio Alves

The 59th Academy Awards showcased a rare variety of genres in its acting honors. Usually, AMPAS restricts itself to prestige dramas, but they were atypically adventurous in 1986. Best Actress alone featured a sci-fi action epic, nostalgic time-travel fantasy, a black comedy on themes of suicide and murder, trashy neo-noir, and, of course, the respectable adaptation of a dramatic play. It's a pity that, amid all this, there wasn't space for some lighthearted romantic comedy. No matter how popular it is, it seems that genre always has some difficulty getting into the awards conversation. As for the 1986 crop of romcoms, none feels more like an "Almost There" case than Jonathan Demme's Something Wild. While arguments could be made for all its principal players, we shall focus on the picture's beguiling leading lady, Melanie Griffith…

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1998: The women of "Beloved"

We're revisiting the 1998 film year in the lead up to the next Supporting Actress Smackdown. As always Nick Taylor will suggest a few alternates to Oscar's ballot.

Another week, another lone Costume Design nominee that deserved far better attention than it got. Yes, Jonathan Demme’s Beloved is visibly uneven in several passages, to include the entire last hour. Yes, there’s a whole lot of discourse around Oprah as producer/actress/cultural icon at the time that I completely missed. Broadly speaking, it’s so disappointing that Toni Morrison’s works have had so few adaptations for screen, even as the author herself was a constant source of insightful interviews and the focus of several documentaries. But even on its own terms, Beloved is a genuinely risky, textured piece of filmmaking, honoring Morrison’s astounding novel without softening its most difficult themes. It’s also filled to the brim with fiercely etched performances from its supporting actresses. Kimberly Elise, Thandiwe Newton, LisaGay Hamilton, Beah Richards, all approach tremendously difficult roles with ferocity and candor...

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Horror Actressing: Jodie Foster in "The Silence of the Lambs"

by Jason Adams

When I think back on Jodie Foster's Oscar-winning turn playing Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 I tend to think of a overwhelmed young woman -- Demme is constantly framing Foster as the smallest person in the room -- but one who musters up unimaginable courage. She pushes deeper into that blacked-out basement as another young woman and an injured dog shriek from the bottom of a blood-streaked pit. And I tend to think of that same small and overwhelmed young woman standing in room after room after room of big dope-faced men staring down at her, eyes narrowed, disbelieving. 

What I don't particularly tend to think of first is Clarice Starling smiling. And yet she does... Often and broadly!

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