Page 70 – Establishing Shot

What We Do in the Shadows and the Art of Cinematic Comedy

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Jesse Pasternack

Poster for What We Do in the Shadows (2014) — Poster for *What We Do in the Shadows* (2014)

There are a lot of things I love about What We Do in the Shadows. I adore the great comedic performances, its hilarious subversion of the vampire subgenre, and its subtle worldbuilding. But more than anything, what I really admire about What We Do in the Shadows is how co-directors Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi use filmmaking in clever ways to create comedy that is truly cinematic.

What We Do in the Shadows is about four centuries-old vampires — Vladislav (Clement), Viago (Waititi), Deacon (Jonny Brugh), and Petyr (Ben Fransham) — who live together in a house in Wellington, New Zealand. A documentary crew follows them as they try to show a new vampire named Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) the ropes of being a member of the undead. (more…)

Three Reasons to See The Mummy (1999)

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Michaela Owens

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in The Mummy — Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in *The Mummy*

For many years, I was terrified of The Mummy. After seeing bits and pieces of it at my aunt and uncle’s house as a little girl, I was… well, traumatized. So much so that I couldn’t even bear to watch the film in its entirety until last year at the age of 26. Not only did this viewing rekindle my childhood crush on Brendan Fraser (thank you, George of the Jungle!), but to my complete surprise I also fell in love with The Mummy. The same movie that made me avert my eyes from the little TV in my aunt and uncle’s kitchen is now one of my favorite things to watch around Halloween, and while there are many reasons why, it really all boils down to three… (more…)

Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny: Blu-ray Reviews for September 2021

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Aja Essex

Full transparency: All Blu-rays reviewed were provided by Kino Lorber, Criterion, Code Red, and Arrow Video.

This month’s round-up is an eclectic bunch, which, if you know me at this point, is a good thing. Things are beginning to lean towards the change of seasons thematically. There is a Carl Reiner/Steve Martin comedy-noir collab called Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid featuring some help from a bevy of screen legends, plus an unexpected discovery from Code Red in the form of Story of a Woman, a romantic drama starring Ingmar Bergman regular Bibi Andersson, Dead and Buried star James Farentino, and Unsolved Mysteries host Robert Stack. In collaboration with Greenwich Entertainment, Kino Lorber brings us All the Streets Are Silent: The Convergence of Hip Hop and Skateboarding (1987-1997), a loving look back at two subcultures intersecting right before they became mainstream. Kino Lorber also has a delectable double feature starring IU Cinema favorite Vincent Price with The Tomb of Ligia, debatably the best of Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, and Theater of Blood, the second best Price movie where he theatrically and thematically gets revenge on those who wronged him. My dual picks of the month come in the form of Criterion’s release of Neil Jordan’s Mona Lisa, starring the late great Bob Hoskins in a surprisingly tender role, and Arrow’s luxuriant release of Ridley Scott’s aesthetically ambitious Legend. (more…)

Monthly Movie Round-Up: September

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Establishing Shot

Every month, A Place for Film brings you a selection of films from our group of regular bloggers. Even though these films aren’t currently being screened at the IU Cinema, this series reflects the varied programming that can be found at the Cinema and demonstrates the eclectic tastes of the bloggers. Each contributor has picked one film that they saw this month that they couldn’t wait to share with others. Keep reading to find out what discoveries these cinephiles have made, as well as some of the old friends they’ve revisited. (more…)

Glenn Close, Anthony Powell, and Cruella de Vil

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Establishing Shot

101 Dalmatians costumes designed by Anthony Powell (1996). The Art of the Character: Highlights from the Glenn Close Costume Collection — ***101 Dalmatians* costumes designed by Anthony Powell (1996), *The Art of the Character: Highlights from the Glenn Close Costume Collection***

Guest post by Kelly Richardson, Director and Curator, Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection.

In 1996, Disney released a live-action version of the beloved 1961 animated film 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close as the fur-crazed Cruella de Vil. The reframing of Cruella de Vil as a fashion designer — as opposed to a mere fur-loving clotheshorse — was a genius move, cementing the villain’s over-the-top appearance as one of cinema’s most memorable. Costume designer Anthony Powell’s hyperbolic animal-themed costumes incorporating feathers, fur, stripes, spots, scales, and teeth, some of which are on view at the Eskenazi Museum of Art’s The Art of the Character: Highlights from the Glenn Close Costume Collection, make the 5’5” Close appear larger than life. Powell’s black/white/red and animal motif palette, along with Cruella’s signature parti-colored hair, raised the bar for cinema villain wardrobes.

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Seeing God in a Lightbulb: Gene Tierney and the Work of Viewed

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Establishing Shot

A wide-eyed Gene Tierney in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir — Gene Tierney in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

Guest post by Emma Kearney.

Gene Tierney worked at Twentieth Century Fox between 1940 and 1955, most notably in the film noirs Laura and Leave Her to Heaven. In these roles, she played two poles of the femme fatale trope: the New York dame who isn’t really all that fatal and the housewife who really really is. That both of these work so well is predicated by Gene Tierney being incredibly, hauntingly beautiful — so much so that it is easy to write off her abilities and performances as being only based on this beauty. Her career effectively ended when she was hospitalized six times in three years and she was diagnosed with and treated for bipolar, called at the time manic depression. In her autobiography, Self-Portrait, published in 1979 and written with Mickey Herskowitz, Tierney writes candidly about her mental health symptoms and treatment, including electroshock therapy which permanently altered her memory. (more…)