CIFF announces winners; honors Mackie with tribute

October 15, 2011 by

The Chicago International Film Festival, headed by founder and artistic director Michael Kutza, last night announced the winners of this year’s competition.

In the category of International Feature Films, the Gold Hugo was awarded to “Le Havre” (Finland/France) a depiction of illegal immigration by acclaimed director Aki Kaurismäki. The Silver Hugo went to Mohamed Diab’s “Cairo 678” (Egypt), a film that addresses sexual harassment.

Olivia Colman earned the Best Actress award for her role in “Tyrannosaur” (UK) and Maged El Kedwany won Best Actor for “Cairo 678.”The jury gave the Best Screenplay prize to Joshua Marston and Andamion Murataj for “The Forgiveness of Blood” (US/Albania).

Look for the book this month; the movie comes out in May.

Top honors among the documentary contenders were bestowed on Mila Turajlic for “Cinema Komunisto” (Serbia) and Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel” (US).

Additionally, the festival recognized French film director and producer Claude Lelouch’s 50 years as a filmmaker by giving him a special Silver Hugo. Actor Anthony Mackie scored the Artistic Achievement award on Saturday at the festival’s annual Black Perspectives tribute.

For more info on other documentary winners, as well as New Directors, the Founder’s award, After Dark, Short Films, Intercom and the Chicago award, visit the fest’s site. The Audience Choice award will be announced on Oct. 24.

Anthony Mackie is being honored tonight at CIFF.

Meanwhile, since my last post, I have been in cinephile heaven, watching movies galore, including:
“From One Film to Another,” Claude LeLouch, France

“Wild Bill,” Dexter Fletcher, UK

“Nobody Else But You,” Gérald Hustache-Mathieu, France

“Diana Vreeland: The Eye has To Travel,” Lisa Immordino Vreeland, US

“Into the Abyss,” Werner Herzog, US

“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” Johnnie To, Hong Kong

I talked with Lisa Immordino Vreeland this morning and she’s lovely. Now I’m off to toast Anthony Mackie. Here’s hoping he’ll be sleeveless despite the chilly wind. 😉

Filed Under: Noir Style

Sun, screenings, superb restaurants at Chicago Film Fest

October 12, 2011 by

I’m hoping the glorious weather lasts here in Chicago.

Of the film fest’s plethora of titles, I’ve seen “We Need to Talk About Kevin” by Lynne Ramsay, “A Dangerous Method” by David Cronenberg,“Rabies” by Aharon Keshales,“Patang” by Prashat Bhargava,“My Week with Marilyn” by Simon Curtis and “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

Looking forward to tonight’s “Nobody Else But You,” a mystery by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu.

And of course I’m finding time to eat well in a city jam-packed with passionate chefs. More later …

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‘The Last Rites of Joe May’ kicks off CIFF

October 6, 2011 by

The Chicago International Film Festival, the oldest competitive film festival in North America, starts tonight at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park with “The Last Rites of Joe May,” a neo noir.  The fest, now in its 47th year, runs through Oct. 20.

Writer/director Joe Maggio’s film stars Chicagoan Dennis Farina (“Get Shorty,” “Snatch,” “Midnight Run,” “Law & Order”), Jamie Anne Allman, Meredith Droeger, Ian Barford, Chelcie Ross and Gary Cole.

Farina was a Chicago cop before becoming an actor.

In “The Last Rites of Joe May,” Farina, who was a Chicago cop for 18 years before becoming an actor, plays a sixtysomething short-money hustler looking to make a comeback after a battle with pneumonia. The film is “steeped in colorful characters and the neighborhood flavor of the city,” said Mimi Plauché, CIFF’s head of programming.

This year’s fest features 143 feature-length films (narrative and documentary), representing 55 countries, and 52 short films. There are also panels, parties, discussions and tributes.

I’m most interested in the After Dark competition, described by the fest as follows: “From H.P. Lovecraft to high-voltage chases in the streets of Seoul, South Korea, not to mention psycho killers using unconventional methods to inflict mayhem, these films will keep you on the edge of your seat.”

I will be posting more about the fest next week!

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A Film Noir Blonde fave: Rolling Stones rock the big screen

October 5, 2011 by

I always thought Mick Jagger hit the nail on the head when in “Some Girls,” he says, “American girls want everything in the world you can possibly imagine.” I’d be good with that, as would most femmes fatales. I can’t wait to hear the song again later this month at The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live In Texas, a one-night in-theater concert.

This rare, never-before-seen concert was captured live in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 18, 1978. The show will be broadcast to more than 300 theaters nationwide at 7:30 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday, Oct. 18. The event will also include an exclusive 20-minute interview with Jagger filmed in August 2011 where he reflects on the fabled 1978 U.S. tour, which is believed among many fans to be one of the band’s greatest tours and strongest musically.

“Fort Worth was an amazing night in a blistering hot July,” said Jagger. “Watching it now, the band was really intense and focused, but we were also having a blast with the fans who were really getting into the show and the new tracks from Some Girls.”

Digitally re-mastered to HD with Cinema Surround Sound, this legendary footage includes a mixture of classic Stones hits such as “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Tumbling Dice,” paired with blues numbers and Chuck Berry covers, as well as songs from the Some Girls LP including “Beast of Burden” and “Miss You.”

Presented by NCM Fathom, More2Screen and Eagle Rock, tickets for The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live In Texas are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.

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Free stuff: Win Criterion Jean Vigo set and CIFF T-shirt

October 4, 2011 by

Tomorrow is the 77th anniversary of French filmmaker Jean Vigo’s death, at age 29. As part of the poetic realist movement of the 1930s, Vigo influenced both film noir and the French New Wave. The winner of October’s reader giveaway will receive a copy of Criterion’s new DVD release of The Complete Jean Vigo.

(The winner of the September reader giveaway is Ashley B., congrats to her and thanks to all who entered!)

This set includes all of Vigo’s titles, described by Criterion as follows: “À propos de Nice,” an absurdist, rhythmic slice of life from the bustling coastal city; “Taris,” an inventive short portrait of a swimming champion; “Zéro de conduite,” a radical, delightful tale of boarding-school rebellion that has influenced countless filmmakers; and “L’Atalante,” widely regarded as one of cinema’s finest achievements, about newlyweds beginning their life together on a canal barge. These are the witty, visually adventurous works of a pivotal film artist.

You can see a clip and learn about the special features here.

The winner will also receive a T-shirt from the Chicago International Film Fest, which runs Oct. 6-20.

To enter the October giveaway, just leave a comment on any FNB post from Oct. 1-31. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month and announced in early November. Include your email address in your comment so that I can notify you if you win. Your email will not be shared. Good luck!

Filed Under: Noir Stuff, Noir Style

fffashion L.A. shows work of eco-conscious designers

September 29, 2011 by

About 300 guests attended last Thursday’s fffashion L.A., a fur-free fashion show, at Wonderland nightclub in Hollywood. Organizers call it a showcase of “cutting-edge fashions that are friendly to animals and the environment.”

The show is a project of Born Free USA, a nationally recognized leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. The group is the U.S. affiliate of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, founded by “Born Free” stars Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna.

The band 8mm performed before the show. Here a few runway highlights; you can see more photos here.

KissinCussin two-piece, Donna Salyers faux fur vest, Tea Tree Designs jewelry

 

Sherri Hill dress

 

Dalia MacPhee gown

 

Ashley Cook ensemble; Imoshion bag

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Juliette Beavan, frontwoman of the band 8mm, modeled in the show. She wears a black Sherri Hill dress.

Photos courtesy of Bliss Media

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Dig in: Dolce & Gabbana decadence is a tonic for excess

September 26, 2011 by

Chocolate by Dolce & Gabbana

Mondays are when I atone for weekend indulgences such as chocolate bobka, chocolate cake and cherry pie (well, it was a birthday party, what can I say?).

I am weaning myself off celebratory desserts with Dolce & Gabbana’s Chocolate, $20, the latest addition to the Intense Nail Lacquer collection. Rich and intense, the lacquer provides excellent coverage and a shiny finish. This shade is a deep enough brown to function as a neutral and the collection overall has a great palette, from subtle nudes to dramatic pops of color.

Also, unlike the real stuff, this form of chocolate stays put and lasts for days.

Product Source: From my own collection. I did not receive product or compensation from Dolce & Gabbana.

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Film noir’s feline stars: The Siamese cat in ‘Hangover Square’

September 20, 2011 by

More on the most famous kitties in film noir …

The Cat in “Hangover Square” 1945

Name: Clawdette Montgomery

Character Name: Amaretto Sourpuss

Clawdette Montgomery led a very different offscreen existence from her character in "Hangover Square."

Bio: With all their scheming and double dealing, femmes fatales occasionally need a helping hand. Well, make that helping paw. A case in point is singer Netta Longdon (Linda Darnell) in “Hangover Square,” directed by John Brahm.

Netta has a lot going on, trying to get noticed in the competitive field of 1900s London music halls. To advance her career, she calls on the talents of composer George Harvey Bone (Laird Cregar).

Turns out, George is a pretty good cat-sitter too. So Netta relies on him to help her multi-task, ie George can stay home and have a cozy cocktail with high-strung and quick-to-claw Amaretto Sourpuss (Clawdette Montgomery) while ambitious and quick-to-claw Netta tackles the tasks of singing, schmoozing and staying out all night. Unfortunately, George has a tenuous relationship with reality and eventually both Netta and her feline counterpart succumb to George’s madness.

Offscreen, however, Clawdette Montgomery led an entirely different, and joy-filled, existence. Born to a wealthy litter in Siam, Clawdette’s parents saw that she and her twin sister Laurette traveled the world and enjoyed an unusually cosmopolitan upbringing. As an adult cat, Clawdette dabbled in acting, art collecting, philanthropy and yoga. In her third life, she invented her own form of yoga, Furvasana, which took the radical approach of resting in child’s pose for the entire session.

Though extremely popular with other felines and enlightened humans, Furvasana never gained widespread acceptance in the world of mainstream, Westernized yoga. Nevertheless, Clawdette’s teaching philosophy was respected and revered abroad. And secretly many Hollywood stars sought private consultations so that they might emulate her inner peace and calm.

Image from http://catsinsinks.com

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Earthy, sexy and wry, Marie Windsor was born to play fatales

September 14, 2011 by

Let’s be fair. Marie Windsor as femme fatale Sherry Peatty in “The Killing” by Stanley Kubrick may seem venal, treacherous and manipulative. And yes she hatches a scheme to feather her nest that’s a bit dangerous. But is it right that she’s punished for being as smart, decisive and daring as the men?

Sherry is married, need I say unhappily, to George (Elisha Cook, Jr.), a nervous, Milquetoast cashier at a racetrack. Through George, she gets wind of a heist taking place at the track by Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) and his gang. Sherry tips off her lover Val (Vince Edwards) and comes up with this idea: let George and his friends do the heavy lifting, then she and Val can take off with the stolen cash, about $2 million.

In "The Killing," Marie Windsor as Sherry Peatty is so over her dreary husband George (Elisha Cook, Jr.).

Of course, you could argue that the deeply flawed Sherry is downright immoral. And so are the men. But Sherry only gets as far as she does because of George’s colossal ego. Or perhaps it’s his tremendous capacity for denial. Clearly, she’s been after money all along and she’s tired of George not coming through with it. C’mon, George, did you really think she was into your swagger? (Offscreen, Windsor and Cook were chums. She said of him in a 1992 interview, “Elisha Cook was a darling and full of the devil.”)

Earthy, sexy and wry, Windsor was an actress born to play femmes fatales – with her huge, restless eyes, slightly cynical smile and lean but curvy body. Regardless of how many lines or how many scenes Windsor was in, she had a quality both luminous and tawdry, an expressiveness bordering on vulgarity that meshed perfectly with noir sensibility.

Windsor won an award from Look magazine for her role in "The Killing."

Born and raised in Utah, Windsor was especially popular with directors of Westerns and of noirs (in particular, “Force of Evil,” 1948, by Abraham Polonsky; “The Narrow Margin,” 1952, by Richard Fleischer; and “The Sniper,” 1952, by Edward Dmytryk). Once Windsor had been cast, the director had one less thing to worry about, knowing that she’d nail the character.

Kubrick so wanted Windsor for “The Killing” that he delayed filming until she had wrapped up 1955’s “Swamp Women” by Roger Corman. She was worth the wait; for playing Sherry in “The Killing,” Windsor was rewarded with a 1956 Best Supporting Actress award from Look magazine, a prestigious honor at the time.

Windsor worked steadily in movies and TV through the early 1990s. She was married to Jack Hupp for 46 years, from 1954 until her death in 2000.

Despite Sherry’s, um, blemished character, I prefer her gumption to Johnny’s girlfriend, the desperately needy Fay (Coleen Gray). As Fay tells Johnny: “I’m not very pretty and I’m not smart so please don’t leave me alone any more. I’ll go along with anything you say, Johnny. I always will.”

Ever heard of a spine, lady? Well, Sherry has.

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The perfect pencil skirt? Cross it off your list with No. 2

September 12, 2011 by

Great ideas spring from necessity and what’s more crucial than a perfect-fitting skirt?

That’s the thinking behind Los Angeles designer Kristen O’Connell’s latest venture, No.2, a site where couture shopping becomes easy and affordable. You pick the color, style and details of your dream skirt, then enter your measurements and wait for the skirt to arrive on your doorstep.

The Measure Yourself page shows how to obtain accurate measurements and you’ll have a chance to select a surprise lining, which means O’Connell chooses a special contrast fabric to line the skirt. If you need help, or need a measuring tape, O’Connell will walk you through the process and send you a tape. A skirt runs about $88, depending on what you choose.

I recently caught up with O’Connell to learn more.

Kristen O'Connell wants to end dressing-room disappointment.

Q What is it about providing this service that appeals to you?
A I want to see more skirts in the world! I think every woman looks absolutely stunning in a skirt.

Skirts can be fun, sophisticated, casual, formal and funky all depending on the user. Wearing a skirt that fits your body well and represents your personal style is quite possibly the greatest feeling in the world. I want to spread this feeling and eliminate torturous shopping excursions of searching for skirts and not finding the right style or color.

I want to end dressing-room disappointment by providing women with skirts that fit, skirts that are made specifically for their measurements. I want women to turn to No.2 to provide them with skirts that they love; skirts that make them feel confident and comfortable. I want to offer every woman something that represents her unique style and body.

Q Why do you think clothing manufacturers have been slow to recognize that, as you say on your site, we are much more (and less) than sizes 2-12?
A This can get deep . . . Most companies are doing their best. But, times and bodies have and are changing and this is the one of the biggest challenges facing the fashion industry. It is totally unrealistic to put every possible size combination into production; companies must narrow their size focus down to an average that they feel represents their customer.

They do lots of research on body types and measurements in order to come up with that average that they feel best represents the women they are targeting. With all this averaging it should work for some, but mostly it works for none. It’s something I give a lot of thought to, and I’m trying to help the best I can one skirt at a time.

O'Connell shows some of her work.

Q What is the best part and hardest part about owning your own business and creating something that is unique?
A I very much enjoy drinking coffee in my pajamas while organizing my production schedule for the day.

Creating something unique is the best part for me. I’m a nonstop dreamer and ideas, creation and design are constantly running through my mind.

The hard part for me is to stop creating and concentrate on one creation long enough to nurture it and turn it into a reality or a product – preferably, a profitable one that people like.

Q Any advice for transitioning a pencil skirt from a daytime look to evening?
A The perfect thing about the pencil skirt is it needs no transitioning, it is always appropriate and always in style. In general, exchange the flats for heels, add jewelry, spray perfume, swipe on eyeliner, and add lipstick.

Q Who are your favorite designers and/or style icons?
A I love everything that is fashion! Fashion is my art. Tom Ford is my King, John Galliano paints my dreams and I love the trampy princess feel of Betsey Johnson.

Q What inspires you on a creative level?
A Absolutely everything. The colors of my torn-up mail in the trashcan, my boyfriend playing guitar, train graffiti and the sound of owls outside my bedroom window are a few of my favorites.

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