10th Anniversary: MUSIC

Ten years ago today, Madonna's Music (2000), one of her very best records, dropped into record stores. Director Guy Ritchie, to your left, was then her new man. He was advertising -- the record I mean! See the "Music" logo on his tanktop? Ever the selfless altruist, Madonna wore a black t-shirt promoting his project, Snatch (2000) which had opened the month before in the UK and was soon going to the US. It would become his biggest hit. Until Sherlock Holmes (2009) that is.

But back to 2000. Ah, the heady days of early romance. She had given birth to Rocco, her only biological child with Guy, the month before. They were married by December.

Madonna was of course, no stranger to loving alpha male movie men since actor/directors Sean Penn and Warren Beatty preceded Guy. Famously, she's now entered their realm. Paparazzi are basically snapping Madonna daily now while she films W.E. (2011) starring Abbie Cornish (see previous post). There must be a lot of outdoor shots. I suspect she wanted to do this much earlier than her first feature Filth & Wisdom (2008) -- I remember her discussing it back in the early 90s when she was still trying to become a film star and mentioned how much she loved Sally Potter's Orlando! It's curious that she didn't start with her own music videos. That career path has no stigma anymore given how many hipster cinematic giants have transferred over from music videos: David Fincher, Mark Romanek, Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze etcetera...

The videos (and movie connections) in order of release.

Music

Is you Madonna? You babylons look less big than they do on the telly but I still definitely would.

With this video, directed by Ray of Light man Jonas Åkerlund, Madge introduced Americans to Sacha Baron Cohen before HBO's Da Ali G Show and Borat and Brüno.

The actress Debi Mazar makes her fifth Madonna video appearance. They've been friends since they were both hitting dance clubs in the early 80s (before the Fame hit). To your left is a private pic of them from Fire Island which Debi showed Wendy Williams. It's around the Dick Tracy time period since they were flying there in a private plan with Warren Beatty. Lifestyles of the rich and famous, you know.

Don't Tell Me



This one comes from frequently collaborator Jean-Baptiste Mondino. It was a huge success worldwide and parodied by Kirsten Dunst and Jimmy Fallon at the MTV Movie Awards. The costumes are by DSquared and Oscar nominee Arianne Phillips. Phillips is also a frequent Madonna collaborator and is working on W.E.. There was a fascinating interview with her in the New York Times when she was promoting A Single Man (2009) that you should read if you haven't. Phillips has only been nominated for one Oscar (Walk the Line) but her filmography includes costuming gems like The People Vs. Larry Flynt, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 3:10 to Yuma, Tank Girl and The Crow. Oscar's costuming branch doesn't regularly have an eye for iconic contemporary or genre wear, preferring superbly executed period pieces for the bulk of their nominations and especially their wins.

What It Feels Like For a Girl



The third and last official single was directed by Guy Ritchie and banned on MTV for violence. Not that banning on MTV meant anything by this time since they weren't really showing videos. But the song largely tanked, ending the singles release from Music.

The spoken word portion is by singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg from this scene in the film The Cement Garden (1993). As you know I thought she was pretty fantastic as the Bob Dylan-proxy's abandoned wife in I'm Not There's (2007). Other people went nuts for her recent turn in Antichrist.

American Pie



This is not an official song from Music but is on some of the CDs depending on the country. It's from the soundtrack to The Next Best Thing (2000) which is why you get then Madonna BFF Rupert Everett himself -- Sean Penn introduced them when Penn had just started dating her -- on back-up vocals and dancing with Madonna toward the tail end. They were very tight and though Rupert claimed in a revealing and typically prickly interview (he can be such a handful) that they're friends again, most sources say they she did not react well at all -- in a permanent way -- to his book in which he claimed that she dropped gay friends due to Guy Ritchie's homophobia.

I've only ever read Rupert's first book Hello Darling Are You Working? Has anyone read the one that caused the rift? If you own Music are you about to put it in for a 10th anniversary spin? [tangent: I'll use it today for workout soundtrack. I've finally gotten back to the gym. But I can't be proud of it until it becomes an actual habit rather than a once a quarter "maybe this time" delusion.]

Speaking of the now... Rupert Everett will be back in cinema's next month opposite Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt in Wild Target. But wouldn't his brutal Brit wit be a perfect fit for the Sherlock Holmes franchise in some capacity? Ah well, something tells me Guy Ritchie won't be casting him any time soon. The untitled sequel starts shooting next month (?) with Noomi Rapace and Daniel Day-Lewis joining RDJ & Jude. The Guy Ritchie film will be opening for Christmas 2011. No word yet on when his ex-wife's movie will arrive.

Put the tunes in your headphones for an anniversary spin.




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Project Runway @ the Movies: "Lights, Camera, Sew"

I've always wanted Project Runway, which wields the word "costumey" around in the same dread way that American Idol invokes "broadway", to embrace costume design and hold a movie themed episode. Now that they're located in LA, they finally came through for me.

The designers at a real soundstage, hearing the challenge. For the record I'm:
rooting for CarolHannah, drooling on Logan and expecting a Christopher win.

If you've seen the show, you'll know that Heidi Klum always kicks things off by wrapping that brilliant accent around a happy preview of the episode's content. To hear her chirpily declare "movie making!" before the ADD editing team cut to the challenge was bliss in 4 syllables. Unfortunately many of the costumes weren't bliss in 4 seconds.

The contestants had to fight over the following five genres (only two people to a genre)

• Film Noir
• Period Piece
• Western (nobody wanted it!)
  
• Action / Adventure
• Science Fiction

And, yes, I was terribly disappointed that my favorite genre Women Who Lie To Themselves was not represented. What?! That's totally a genre! It's a genre in my DVD library at least. But seriously, I really think they should have nixed Period Piece, which was way too broad, and thrown in Musical for a good cross section of movie genres that bring costumes too mind.

Ra'mon, the one who previously loved Lindsay Lohan too much, enthusiastically expressed his devotion to Science Fiction, stating

I grew up watching sci-fi. I know all about Star Trek and Star Wars and everything inbetween

What exactly is inbetween them... Space: 1999? Chronologically it is at least.

But listen, I knew Ra'mon was in trouble the second he name-checked those two franchises since even a blind person would reference them if sci-fi came up. Fashion designers can't be blind. If you're a fashion designer referencing sci-fi, you're doomed if Blade Runner isn't the iconic film that pops into their mind. Especially if you've opted to design a snake-woman jumpsuit as Ramon did. I'm convinced that if Ramon had only thought "Joanna Cassidy as 'Zhora'" rather than "reptile woman" he would not have been Auf'ed at the end of this episode.


But back to the movies.

I've said it before and I'll preach it again: the Academy's costume design branch not nominating Blade Runner (1982) is the single stupidest decision they've made in my lifetime. The second stupidest might be the Far From Heaven (2002) snub. I can't breathe when I think of those two films for all the WOW that's happening.

Let's look at the other designs and the sometimes strange notions these designers had about the movies. Let's start with Film Noir.

Louise's design (40s meets 20s) and Althea's design

Both designs remind us of film noir NOT AT ALL. They definitely don't scream femme fatale. Althea's is pretty but uninspiring and Louise's "convoluted mess" pushes her into the bottom three. Louise, who I sometimes think is trying to steal Karina Longworth's look, picked the most delicious genre and then totally messed it up by going for a story about a girl in the 40s attending a costume party as a girl from the 20s.

In a consultation viewable only on Runway's official site, Louise tries to explain this character, an aspiring actress who is eager to escape her mother, to the always wise Tim Gunn. He says "This isn't Vida from Mildred Pierce is it?" Much to my horror Louise laughs, shrugging, "I don't even know who that is"

Let this be a lesson to everyone: Movie ignorance is dangerous. It hurts us all. It can even ruin your chances to win a reality television competition! For, if a fashion designer such as Louise was familiar with the great Mildred Pierce they'd never make clothes this boring when assigned Film Noir as theme.

Am I right or am I right?

Action/Adventure yields the dullest results, just think Angelina Jolie in both Mrs & Mrs Smith and Tomb Raider, done and zzz. Period Piece offers up a split result that's quite telling: one designer goes for technically accomplished but sometimes unexciting accuracy, the other opts for something stylized, ahistorical and purely 'character' focused; and isn't that the way Hollywood's costume designers actually split when it comes in Period Pieces in general?


As for Western, the genre that has as much trouble staying popular as the Musical, we have mixed results. The saloon girl is expected. Epperson's design, however, once he gets past the notion of The Western = John Wayne, is cool. He goes for a tough frontierwoman (far left above) and it's nicely imagined, both period and fantastically modern in a way I haven't seen since, well, that awesome jacket that Ben Foster strutted around in in 3:10 to Yuma (see previous post).

Here's the winning design and its hilariously convoluted concept.


I love it but I'm less shocked by the idea of a snowy villain in white than the judges seem to be. Hallo, Tilda Swinton in The Chronicles of Narnia. Not that long ago.

My favorite part of this episode was the chance to hear from Arianne Phillips. If you haven't read her recent profile in NY Times, I'd head right over to it. She's a fascinating Madonna-influencing woman and one of the best costume designers going. Consider her filmography: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The People Vs. Larry Flynt, 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line and the upcoming eye candy fest A Single Man.

It came as no surprise to me that Arianne was also an incisive and thoughtful judge. Listening to her thoughts on how fabric reads for the camera, the importance of multiple flattering angles and compatible creativity from the makeup department, I felt like I was attending a Costume 101 class. I was hot for teacher.

School me Arianne. Give me loads of homework.
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A Dozen Thoughts I Had While Watching 3:10 To Yuma

When you write about movies all the time it can feel bizarre to get around to a major one, months after everyone else has seen it. It's a bit like a dangerous workplace confession: I slept on the job! But I finally jumped on that months old train to Yuma. So herewith, random thoughts about the movie. 12 of them. (*spoilers* follow obviously)

1. Peter Fonda starts off the first action sequence with the line "Here we go..." and I got the impression it'd be one big shoot-out after another: Ben Davis (Russell Crowe) and his gang of outlaws versus Dan Evans (Christian Bale) and assorted good guys for two hours. Turns out the film is much quieter than that. Action wise, it peaks 10 minutes in with the ambush robbery. I love the jaunty awkwardness of the camera and that primitive machine gun. And the bit with the gunpowder was an adrenaline charged surprise -though I always feel terrible for horses in westerns. "No animals where harmed in the making of this..." and all but I'm a softie.

2. I've heard this film was traditional and boy howdy. Even down to the score. It feels like it could have been made decades ago.

3. Gretchen Mol. On paper it's a great idea to co-star with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Pity there's so little for her on screen. Yuma was a hit mainstream film which I suppose is an ideal way to follow up a small critical breakthrough (The Notorious Bettie Page, FB Best Actress nominee 2006) but it's frustrating: she can do more than this. Her role here might be emblematic of American films and women in 2007. All the popular dramas were so male focused (No Country, There Will Be Blood, Into the Wild, Michael Clayton, American Gangster) women are there for a little extra flavor on the side if at all.

4. I wish Christian Bale would put some weight back on. I feel like he just came in from the jungles of Nam and Rescue Dawn, still all weak from malnutrition. It isn't distracting for this character, a poor rancher who can't put enough food on his family's table. But when this actor isn't scaring me he's worrying me.

5. Filmmakers, filmmakers. Don't you remember what I said about killing off very hot less famous actors right after we've been introduced to them?


It's not nice. The victim here is Tommy (Johnny Whitworth) the prettiest member of Ben Davis's gang and therefore the first to expire.

6. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are the protagonist and antagonist leads a la Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise in Collateral but for once, the studio didn't try to fool anyone into believing that either of them were a "supporting actor" for Oscar purposes. Thank you Lions Gate for not lying to us. It's so refreshing. In fact it's downright shocking in 2007.

7. Remember back when this movie first came out how Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere was bitching about the poster, claiming it was too stylized, too fey. 'Bob Fosse's 3:10 to Yuma' I believe he called it, what with its stylized look and strike-a-pose gunfighter ... a second poster was even more dance posed. Since I hadn't seen the movie I didn't realize that the marketing campaign was built around Ben Foster's character "Charlie Prince" the freaky strutting henchman to Russell Crowe's "Ben Wade."

One character refers to him as "Charlie Princess," and Foster has clearly taken the insult to heart in his interpretation. He's more than a little, um, bent. He even does a catwalk (porchwalk?) costume change for your viewing pleasure.


And I think we can all agree that if this movie gets the inventive Arianne Phillips her second costume design nomination (and it might) she should buy Ben Foster a beer.

In fact everyone in this cast owes Benny boy a beer. How the hell did they get that SAG ensemble nomination, but for him going out on a limb to make an impression?

8. Everybody in this movie (except Russell Crowe & Christian Bale, natch) are terrible shots. They're as incompetent as Storm Troopers. I suppose Charlie Princess can aim, too. But not when he's aiming at Christian Bale. At least not with any degree of consistency.

9. Poor Alan Tudyk. When last we saw him he was drugged and naked on a rooftop in Death at a Funeral...doing his all for a movie that didn't deserve him. But the second he appeared in Yuma as an over his head veterinarian I said to my friends "he's so going to die". Why did I say this? I'm still scarred from that Serenity movie is why. Damn Joss Whedon.

10. I don't want to start any 'who's sleeping with who' rumors but the kid who plays Christian Bale's son.


I'm just saying.

11. In most romantic comedies the couple pretends to hate each other for half the movie. The manly drama version of this preposterous fantasy arc is when sworn enemies become friends or come to some profound mutual understanding because they beat the crap out of each other or kill each other's people. Both of these hoary old clichés from romantic comedies and burly men's films are so preposterous yet they're totally the stuff of thousands of movies. For whatever reason they're collective fantasies. This character arc is especially silly when it involves bloodthirsty criminals who will shoot anyone who looks at them funny. And then suddenly they respect someone! Russell Crowe is a talented actor but even he can't sell this change of heart.

12. Are we sure this movie isn't called 310 to Yuma? As in minutes.


I'm as bored as Christian Bale. C

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