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Showing posts from April, 2016

A look into Star Wars: Padme's dresses. Part XII

As I explained in my last Padme-related article, most of her designs in Revenge of the Sith are actually very similar. That was the basic problem when it came to deciding what was going to be the next costume I reviewed. In the end, I opted for the "Delegation gown" because it was the one that offered me the best chance of not repeating myself. This costume was designed for a scene that ended up being cut from the movie (a Delegation meeting in her apartment) and was later repurposed for the scene when Obi-Wan goes to tell her that Anakin has turned to the dark side. This results in the dress being very little on-screen, but that's nothing new to her character. This outfit consists of a long, green, velvet gown, conical in shape, which helps disguise her pregnancy. The gown has a V-neck that's accented with a jeweled pendant with dangling beads. It also has long, loose sleeves. The whole gown is decorated with intricate motifs. The gown also has a hood, w

Oscar Retrospective: The Danish Girl

The complexities of gender-fluidity are nothing new to humanity (even though the vocabulary for it is still being coined). So it's only logical that cinema would, throughout its history, touch upon it at some point. And so, The Danish Girl is hardly the first movie to deal with a man feeling like a woman or wanting to be one. But it's one of the most visible. Why? Perhaps because it bases itself on a true story or perhaps because it's also the most recent one dealing with the subject. It's a competent movie coined by a competent director, but its main problem is that it's not very memorable. It's a movie that we've seen a million times over: the inspirational biopic (which, by now, it's a genre in and on itself). You know what's going to happen, and how everything is going to transpire from the get-go. So it's hard to be truly interested. This is terribly unfortunate because it IS a subject matter that deserves more visibility. S

Oscar Retrospective: Cinderella

Fairy tales are a complicated and delicate issue to tackle in this new bright century that we find ourselves in. How to break through the age-old stereotypes that pretty much define the genre and still retain the magic, charm and simplicity that are so often associated with this form of storytelling? If you are looking for an answer, you won't find it in this new take on the Cinderella story. 2015's Cinderella is a rather unimaginative, retrograde and conservative adaptation of the age-old classic children's story. What you will find, is a gorgeous and detailed visual interpretation of the fairy tale format. It's in this aspect, that the movie truly shines. From the detailed sets to the precious cinematography and the amazing costumes; this movie is the definition of visual candy. It looks amazing, even though it will probably give you cavities. THE MAGIC OF COSTUMES The costume design for this movie was created by Sandy Powell, a heavy-weight of the