March 31, 2023
Ava DuVernay‘s Selma documents the civil rights marches that shaped America. On hand to dress all the thousands of people involved was costume designer Ruth Carter. Known for her work on Serenity (2005), as well as her Oscar-nominated costume designs for Malcolm X (1992) and Amistad (1997), Carter is no stranger to historical dramas. […]
The Theory of Everything is a biopic about Stephen Hawking, the brilliant English cosmologist who was afflicted with motor neuron disease when he was 21. Though severely limited in his ability to move or speak, he nonetheless developed breakthrough theories about the origins of the universe. And as author of 10-million copy bestseller A Brief History of Time, he became and remains well known to a worldwide audience from his many public appearances. […]
In talking about The Homesman – his third collaboration with actor/director Tommy Lee Jones – composer Marco Beltrami shared his satisfaction with their creative partnership. “I respond first off to his writing, his script, the way his mind puts things together. I respond to his quest for creativity and originality.” […]
The score for The Theory of Everything, composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson, is perfectly tuned to the subject matter of the film. From the haunting piano and heavenly celeste, to the melodic theme that weaves throughout the narrative, the music creates a sense of wonderment that captures the essence of the life of Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) – his rapture with the mystery, beauty and poetry of the universe. […]
Good things generally happen for Jeff Cronenweth when he teams up with director David Fincher. In their last two feature outings, Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, he wound up with both Oscar and ASC nominations for his work, defining not only emotional landscapes, but literal turf ranging from frenetic days in Harvard Yard to claustrophobically cold nights on the edge of the Arctic Circle. […]
In James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything, the life of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is examined from his boyhood until the recent past, covering over a quarter century. The makeup for the actors in the film had to reflect this time span, additionally dealing with the transformation that Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) goes through, since he suffers from a debilitating physical disease that left his mind intact but his body almost entirely crippled. […]
Like the titular train from the 40-year-old French graphic novel on which it’s based, Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer zipped across the globe and arrived in American theaters this past summer. The film offered a dystopian sci-fi spectacle unique both for both studio-scale visuals in an independent release, and the sharp social critique set in its near-future of careening climate change. […]
Whiplash, a low-budget sophomore effort by 29-year-old director Damien Chazelle, who also wrote the screenplay, has emerged as the dark-horse darling of this year’s movie awards season. The building buzz is that it has a good chance to get nominated for the best picture Oscar, as well as in other categories. […]
Set in a post-apocalyptic future earth in which the planet’s ecosystem is failing, warranting deep space exploration, director Christopher Nolan’s ninth feature film, the science-fiction epic Interstellar positions science as its key element in a manner unlike many studio films to date. Indeed, akin to the rare breed of sci-fi picture found in features such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Contact, Solaris, Gravity and Nolan’s own Inception, this new film takes the audience on an unexpected journey to new worlds, different dimensions and sharply shifting time periods. […]
Wes Anderson‘s new film The Grand Budapest Hotel tells the story of an eccentric and charming world famous concierge, Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) and his adventure filled friendship with Zero Moustafa, (Tony Revolori) the new lobby boy. The film spans three time periods throughout the 20th century and is full of intriguing production design by Adam Stockhausen, who has also collaborated with the director on Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom. […]