Things are heating up on home video this week, with two skinsational TV series, a recent theatrical release, and two classics hitting Blu-ray for the first time! Hit the jump for more pics and info…
In the midst of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Manhattan, the fashion crowd broke from the daily grind of runway presentations on Saturday night to soak up the wisdom of one of their forebears at the New York premiere of Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel . Instead of looking forward to fashion’s future, the glam guests embarked on an evening of reflection at the Museum of Modern Art as the film — directed by the late fashion diva’s granddaughter-in-law Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Bent Jorgen-Perlmutt and Frederic Cheng — examined how Vreeland and her game-changing work at Harper’s Bazaar , Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute informed and transformed the rag trade. Comprised of rich archival footage and commentary contributed by friends, family and colleagues of the genuine fashion icon, the 86-minute documentary of Vreeland’s transformation from “ugly duckling” to, arguably, the most influential fashion arbiter of her time, proved to be a crowd pleaser. Thanks to Vreeland’s charisma — and chutzpah — and some excellent editing, The Eye Has to Travel is both inspiring and laugh-out-loud funny. Fashion editor and stylist Mary Alice Stephenson perhaps put it best, exclaiming of Vreeland, “She’s a badass.” Model Karlie Kloss said of the film, “I feel like I just got a serious history lesson.” After the packed screening, guests swanned over to the W magazine and Swarovski-sponsored post-premiere party at Monkey Bar where a waiter carrying a tray of canapes bumped into model with enough inertia to cause her to spill the martini she was sipping. (Her reaction? Gracious.) At the bar, 20-year-old actress Sami Gayle ( Detachment ) ordered a Sprite and asked the bartender: “Can I get a straw?” Charming. Eventually, most of the crowd settled into booths: actor Alan Cumming huddled with a group that included actress Christine Baranski ; fashion designer Erin Fetherston and her boyfriend Gabe Saporta of the band Cobra Starship. Actress Gina Gershon table-hopped before sitting down with W editor Stefano Tonchi, among others. With such a dense collection of fashionistas in one room, Movieline took the opportunity to ask some of the most stylish guests a single question: “If you could costume design any movie or adaptation of a movie, what would it be and why?” Here’s what they said: Karlie Kloss Karlie Kloss, model: “An Audrey Hepburn movie, for sure. I think that would have been amazing.” Tommy Hilfiger, fashion designer: “ The Great Gatsby . I love the era. I love the clothes. And wish I had been there.” Brooke Shields, actress: “At this point, I would to have liked to have done this movie! [Laughs] If I had the talent. If I had their aesthetic and their ability. I would love that.” Anja Rubik, model: “ Fifty Shades of Gray will be quite cool with all the sex items. So, I would pick that one. I think that that’s really fun.” Anja Rubik Christine Baranski, actress: “I’d probably like to do something like Portrait of a Lady . Something Edwardian. Downton Abby just can’t be beat. It can’t be beat.” Alan Cumming, actor: “I’m trying to think of something where I didn’t like the clothes so I could re-do it. I’ve got a movie coming out at the end of the year called Any Day Now . That one I would like to re-costume. [Laughs] No, it’s my wig I hated in that.” Sami Gayle, actress: “ Mean Girls . The people in that film had a great style to start with, but there are a lot of different personalities and you could work that into different aspects [of the film].” Robert Verdi, stylist: “The remake of Valley of the Dolls . It was a highly stylized movie and there was something laughable about it, because it was so extreme at the time. I understand the intersection of fashion and humor, so that’s the one I’d like to do. I’m the funny fashionista.” Erin Fetherston Natasha Bedingfield, singer-songwriter: “It would probably be about Native Americans, because I love the story, firstly, but I also love beading and native jewelry.” Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief, Vogue Italia : “Maybe the last one that Baz Luhrmann is doing, The Great Gatsby . It was a very elegant moment and the 1920s were the most elegant moment.” Erin Fetherston, fashion designer: “You know, I heard once, there were rumors of them remaking Belle de Jour . And that could be something that would be really amazing. I love that Parisian chic [aesthetic]. Late fifties, early sixties. It could be interesting to re-imagine that in a modern context.” Angela Lindvall, model: “ Alice in Wonderland . Just because I love fantasy.” Maria Cornejo, fashion designer: “My favorite movie of all time is Blade Runner . I would love to do Blade Runner .” Gina Gershon Gina Gershon, actress : “Probably The Wizard of Oz . It’s one of my favorite movies and there are so many fun people and creatures to design [for], you know?” Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief, W Magazine: “One of my favorite movies is Blade Runner , so I would like to do a sequel or something like that. Bring it into the next hundred years. It’s my favorite movie of all time. I think it’s really undervalued. Daryl Hannah in her see-through plastic raincoat is absolutely fantastic.” Nell Alk is an arts and entertainment writer and reporter based in New York City. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal , Manhattan Magazine, Z!NK Magazine and on InterviewMagazine.com, PaperMag.com and RollingStone.com, among others. Learn more about her here . Follow Nell Alk on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Also in Tuesday morning’s round-up of news briefs, the European Film Awards named 47 films to be considered for nomination for its December 1 ceremony. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sarah Polley ‘s latest Toronto title is headed to theaters. IFC Films picks up a thriller. And Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening ‘s comedy is also en route to a theater near you. European Film Awards Name 47 Films Including Toronto/Cannes Titles on Nominations List Cannes winner Amour , Rust and Bone and Ken Loach’s The Angel’s Share made the list of films that are on the list for European Film Awards nominations. 31 European countries have films along the 47. In the coming weeks, the 2,700 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the nominations in the different award categories. The nominations will then be announced on 3 November at the Seville European Film Festival in Spain. The 25th European Film Awards with the presentation of the winners – streamed live on www.europeanfilmawards.eu – will take place in Malta on 1 December. Toronto’s Stories We Tell Heads to Theaters Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell has been picked up by Roadside Attractions and plans an early 2013 release. In the doc, she assembles a montage of home movies, interviews, and narration to examine the repercussions of long-held family secrets that come to light. Breaking the Girls Heads to U.S. Theaters The Jamie Babbit thriller will have a limited theatrical release in the U.S. Starring Madeline Zima ( Californication and Agnes Bruckner ( Blood and Chocoate , the film is the story of a university student who, when slandered by a hostile classmate, is befriended by the manipulative Alex (Zima) who proposes the perfect, untraceable crime – to kill each other’s archenemies. When Alex actually goes through with it, Sara finds herself being framed for murder. Around the ‘net… Peter Facinelli Eyes Supernatural Horror Gallows Hill The Twilight saga star is set to join the cast in Gallows Hill , directed by Victor Garcia. The story follows an American (Facinelli), “widowed from his Colombia-born wife, who flies to Bogota with his new fiancée (Myles) to retrieve his rebellious teenage daughter Jill (Ramos). After a car accident leaves them stranded in a rundown isolated inn, they discover the old innkeeper has locked a young girl in the basement and their decision to set her free has unintended consequences,” THR reports . Imogene Heads to Theaters The dysfunctional comedy starring Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening has been picked up by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions in Toronto. In the film directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, Wiig plays a playwright who stages a fake suicide attempt in reaction to losing her job, getting evicted and getting dumped by her boyfriend, Deadline reports .
Friends with Benefits will surely exhibit more of Justin Timberlake’s comic brio, but is anyone worried that we’re forgetting what’s really important? I’m talking about keeping pop stars where they belong — in melodramatic music videos. In honor of Timberlake’s new film and the 2011 Video Music Award nominations , Movieline is reinspecting the careers of seven pop stars who also act, and picking their single best performances in music videos. Bring your leafy skirt, Beyonce fans.
Annette Bening will play Kristen Wiig’s mother in Imogene , the tale of “a moderately successful Gotham playwright (Wiig) who stages a fake suicide attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend, only to end up forced into the custody of her gambling-addict mother.” I hope this means the return of the shifty, savvy Bening we saw in The Grifters . I assume Kristen Wiig has a mean Anjelica Huston impersonation in her arsenal. In the meantime, Bening is working on He Loves Me with Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan. Oscar , please! [ Deadline ]
1988 was a year of nude beginnings, with the film debuts of future silver screen stars Annette Bening , Uma Thurman , Juliette Lewis , Julianne Moore , and Julia Roberts. That’s a lotta Julies! But these lovely ladies are far from the only actresses to light up the silver screen in 1988…and not even close to the nakedest. See the breast of Mr. Skin’s Favorite Nude Scenes of 1988 after the jump!
Annette Bening is one of our most celebrated four-time Oscar losers, right up there with Julianne Moore. (Glenn Close glowers menacingly from her 0-5 cell.) Now that she’s picked her first role since No. 4 loser The Kids are All Right , is Bening assured that a gold statuette is in her future? Let’s investigate ahead.
When I was a little kid, I really, really, really loved the Oscars. For a wee gay movie-obsessed lad growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta, it was the sort of annual event to be anticipated with both excitement and reverence. Every year when we’d get the TV Guide issue with the full-page “Close-Up” box on the Oscars, featuring thumbnail pictures of the ten Best Actor and Actress nominees, my heart would race. Before I was old enough that my parents would let me stay up late and watch the whole thing (this was back when the show began at 9 p.m. on the East Coast), I somehow convinced them to nudge me awake at midnight, tell me who won in the major categories, and then I’d roll over and go back to sleep.
Like the Golden Globes did earlier, this year the Academy had decided to reward the actresses who had the courage to get naked and/or make out with another chick on screen with a coveted Oscar nomination. In the Best Actress category, four of the five nominees are naked on MrSkin.com. Annette Bening , who was nominated for making out with Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right , showed off all 3 B’s in The Grifters . Nicole Kidman , nominated for Rabbit Hole , revealed her own rabbit hole when she got fully nude in Billy Bathgate . Natalie Portman , nominated for making out with Mila Kunis in Black Swan , is showing off her rear porthole in theaters this weekend in the romantic comedy No Strings Attached . And finally, Michelle Williams was nominated for baring boobs and butt in the NC-17 flick Blue Valentine . So if Jennifer Lawrence —the one nominee who didn’t get naked—doesn’t win the Oscar, she’ll know why.
(Deep long sigh) I know, I know: This is exactly what Armond White wants. When someone writes a column as inflammatory as the one he wrote this week, it’s done for one purpose: To get attention. And, yes, we are playing into the game by giving him the attention that he wants. It’s just, wow . It’s hard to ignore this one: White — who you may have heard is a bit of a contrarian — unleashed a 1,700-word rant in which he accused Entertainment Weekly ‘s Lisa Schwarzbaum — and the Village Voice ‘s Jim Hoberman, with whom White has had a longstanding feud — of racism.