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The Red Shoes: Victoria Page (Moira Shearer)

Catherine — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:40:14 +0000

Over this past weekend, I had the pleasure of watching The Red Shoes (1948) on Netflix Streaming. Victoria Page (played by Moira Shearer), is a socialite-ballerina chosen by famed director Lermontov to play the lead role in a ballet adaptation of the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, The Red Shoes. However, her passion for ballet strongly conflicts with her love for composer Julian Craster, and Lermontov forces her to choose between the two.

Although made in 1948, this film pushes the boundaries of special effects in film making (see the famous scene of the red ballet shoes lacing themselves on the dancer’s feet, above), and also redefines social standards for women. While this post will focus mainly on the breathtaking couture, this movie is much more than pretty, and I highly recommend it.

Although the crown and necklace are a bit much, the dusty teal color of her gown and plissé cape perfectly compliment her red hair and lips.

This particular ballet costume was my favorite. The peachy bodice and skirt, paired with the baby blue detailing, make an unexpected but sweet combination. It’s difficult to see but in the gathering of the waist of the skirt, there is a hint of blue tulle. So beautiful! Her other costumes were gorgeous as well:

Though considerably more casual, her day wear and ballet outfits exuded the same, timeless classiness:

If you consider yourself a cinemaphile, you must see this movie (if you haven’t already) for its awe-inspiring work in direction, set design, and acting. If you just enjoy a dramatic romance with nice costumery, this movie is perfect for you as well!

Animation for Adults

Catherine — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:37:48 +0000

Many people write off animation as something exclusively for children or comedy, when the educated film world flocks to animation for inspiration, entertainment, and intellectual stimulation. I hesitated writing this article at first because I don’t want people to mistake my intentions: I love children’s animation! This post, however, is directed specifically at those who claim that animation isn’t a serious or mature form of art.

Often I’ve heard the excuse that people just don’t like animation, but I find that really difficult to believe. Contrary to popular belief, animation is not a genre, but a medium. To claim that one doesn’t like animation is comparable to claiming one doesn’t like music. While it’s possible, it’s highly unlikely that out of all of the different animated films and series out there, not one would appeal to a person. While I feel like some of this may be a result of close-mindedness, I realize that the most probable cause of such a belief is that people just don’t know where to look for quality adult animation. Hopefully, this list can serve as a good reference for adults who are willing to give animation a try.

Perfect Blue, Satoshi Kon, 1997, Japan

Few directors create anime the way Satoshi Kon created anime. His characters aren’t cookie-cutter archetypes that all look relatively similar, but characters whose outward appearances wholly reflect their inward struggles. In Perfect Blue (my personal favorite of Kon’s films), Mima is a naive pop idol developing into a mature television actress, a metamorphosis that compromises her comfort and sanity. Upon leaving her career as a singer, she begins receiving threats via fax and mail from a stalker claiming to be her old, “true” self. Tortured by the pressures of her new career and this creepy fan who begins attacking the people around her, she loses her grip on reality.

What makes this anime truly special is not only the ambiguity throughout most of its duration, but the importance of the questions it asks related to the entertainment industry, and even more broadly, about the concessions we make in order to please other people. Kon uniquely uses the medium of animation to illustrate the tortured psyches of his characters, and for those who have seen Black Swan, you may notice many similar tricks embedded in its cinematography (most notably, reflections that interact with characters) taken straight from this movie. Aronofsky actually bought the rights to Perfect Blue to use one scene in Requiem for a Dream, so it’s no doubt was a source of inspiration for Black Swan. Actually, all of Satoshi Kon’s movies are visually and conceptually impressive – I highly recommend them, particularly Paprika, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers.

Rocko’s Modern Life, Joe Murray, 1993-1996, USA

Because I was about eight years old when Rocko aired on Nickelodeon, I really only appreciated it for the distorted colors and slapstick humor; the rest was completely over my head. Early last summer, however, I revisited the Wacky Deli episode on YouTube, and then watched the entire first season when Netflix uploaded it to instant view. I was completely appalled not only by the overtness of sexual humor (including Rocko’s brief stint as a sex hotline operator), but the maturity of the themes in the series. Although Rocko’s Modern Life was marketed towards children, it’s hard for me to consider this a show for children at all! With heavy commentary on middle-class culture, consumerism, and sex, only an adult could truly appreciate the things that make Rocko’s Life both hilarious and depressing.

Waking Life, Richard Linklater, 2001, USA

I first walked into Waking Life at the end of the movie, and wrote off the style and story as distracting and confusing. However, when my friend made me watch it again (from beginning to end), I found that the rotoscoping in Waking Life was completely purposeful, and the movie altogether thought-provoking. The story follows an unnamed narrator as he stumbles through multiple dreams in a lucid dreaming state, each time interviewing different people who contribute to his understanding of the nature of dreams and unconsciousness. Linklater uses different animation styles to distinguish between each dream, tailoring the effects to reflect the personalities of individual characters or responses to the narrator’s questions. Although some of the dialogue is insufferably pseudo-intellectual, the medium is so seamlessly fused with the content of the film that it’s worth seeing if only for that.

Cowboy Bebop, Shinichiro Watanabe, 1998, Japan

Because I consider this list introductory, I was hesitant to include any anime series: often they can get lengthy, with many “filler” episodes to pass the time. Cowboy Bebop, however, is different. Although there are many episodes that don’t advance the main storyline, each one is created as if it were a short movie, to be appreciated alone with fully developed characters (often unique to the one episode) and self-contained plots. Shinichiro does this masterfully: I’ve found myself crying at the end of an episode when I’ve only just met a character twenty minutes prior. The soundtrack, too, is classic- Yoko Kanno draws from Miles Davis as her primary inspiration, creating jazz songs that fit perfectly not only with the stories to which they’re attached, but can be appreciated on their own (a few of my favorite songs are What Planet is This and Piano Black). Some Cowboy Bebop episodes are available on Netflix streaming, and while I always encourage watching movies in their original language, Cowboy Bebop actually has a good dub! And as stated above, one need not dedicate themselves to this entire series to appreciate it (though you may not be able to resist after you start watching it). A few episodes that fly solo rather nicely are Heavy Metal Queen, Waltz for Venus, and Pierrot le Fou.

Madame Tutli-Putli, Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski, 2007, Canada

If the National Film Board of Canada is any indication, Canadians love animation, and they take pride in their dedication to it. Through their website or iPhone app, you can access a ton of really beautiful animated shorts: some stop motion, some computer, and some traditionally-animated. Madame Tutli-Putli is one such short that almost feels as if it were lensed with a video camera rather than animated in stop motion. Aptly summarized by the NFB, this short is about “[a woman traveling] alone on the night train, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past, [facing] both the kindness and menace of strangers.” The eerie, vintage quality of this movie created by the setting, props, and muted color scheme is sure to appeal to those who loved the aesthetics of movies like Amélie. Other short animations featured on the NFB website with a mature appeal are When the Day Breaks, Animando, and Ryan.

Cat Soup (Nekojiru-So), Tatsuo Sato, 2001, Japan

Cat Soup perfectly epitomizes the creepy-cute aesthetic very characteristic of Japanese art. In this 33-minute surrealist film, a cat Nyako falls ill, and as Death attempts to steal her away, Nyako’s younger brother, Nyatta, steals a piece of her spirit, saving her (just barely) from dying. He pursues Death and his sister’s soul across surreal landscapes, dragging her lifeless body behind him. Unpredictable, entertaining, and eerie is the quickest way to sum up this animation. Although it’s fairly hard to obtain a copy (legally), some video stores do stock it (Premiere Video in Dallas is one), and in the event that you’re able to snag it, I highly recommend it.

Triplets of Belleville, Sylvain Chomet, 2001, France

If Triplets of Belleville rings a bell, it’s because it was nominated for two Academy Awards in 2004 for Best Animated Film & Best Original Song. Although decried by some as “anti-American” for its obese portraits of New Yorkers (including an overweight Statue of Liberty bearing a hamburger in lieu of a torch), the film doesn’t spare the French either, laughing at their perceived dependence on wine and obsession with the Tour de France. While the director was French, Triplets was actually a collaborative effort between many international studios located in the UK and France – so its humor, while offensive and merciless, is ultimately good-natured. Because of the dark caricatures and heavy sexual undertones (such as the repeated use of the number “69″, for example), this movie is likely to scare kids when it isn’t flying completely over their heads. Furthermore, its minimal dialogue that alternates between English, French, and gibberish would most likely be too boring for the young or impatient viewer. If you consider yourself a fan of improvisational music, surrealism, and French cinema, you NEED to see this movie.

Other essential animation titles

In the interest of keeping this post within a reasonable length, here is a list of other animation titles that are equally as good as the aforementioned:

Neon Genesis Evangelion, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, 1998, Japan
Ghost in the Shell, Oshii Mamoru, 1989, Japan
Beautiful Dreamer, Oshii Mamoru, 1984, Japan
Moral Orel, Dino Stamatopoulos, 2005, USA
Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, all directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988, Japan
Venture Bros, Jackson Publick, 2003 to present

Everything but Fashion

Catherine — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:03:58 +0000

Often I’ve been asked where I look for fashion inspiration, and although there’s no simple answer, the short answer is: anywhere but fashion. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration; I do follow street style blogs, and on a semiannual basis I’ll look at a fashion magazine.

But everything I know about fashion can be attributed to things besides fashion. For example: I’ve no doubt that my penchant for big bows and full skirts derives from my love of Sailormoon, nor do I doubt that My Little Pony had a profound effect on my love of multi-colored hair. Hell, I even dyed my hair red at the age of 16 after an Evangelion marathon (and have kept it for the past six years).

Below are just a few non-fashion influences that have shaped my personal style over the years. What are some non-fashion sources that you look to for inspiration?

Michiru & Haruka, Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon

“The Artist’s Model”, Benes Knüpfer

“Space 3″, Aya Takano (via Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin)

Jacquelyn Jablonski by Thomas Lagrange (via Fashion Gone Rogue) (yes, I’m cheating a bit here! But really it’s the mood that’s inspiring)

My Little Pony: Escape from Katrina (via Tumblr) (yep, I went there)

The Holy Mountain, 1973, Alejandro Jodorowsky (screencap via film110)

“溶けちゃう”, けーしん

Samejima Mamimi, aka The Native Girl, from FLCL

Miwako from Paradise Kiss, Ai Yazawa

Chungking Express, 1994, Wong Kar-Wai

The Last Unicorn

Happy Halloween!

Catherine — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 10:40:52 +0000

Happy Halloween! Hope everyone is having fun and staying safe~ Here’s a still from a beautiful yet scary (and sometimes hilarious) movie, Kwaidan. I watched this at my friend’s house, and even though I wasn’t scared while watching it, I had nightmares about it that night and apparently woke up shouting “No!” in the middle of the night. That’s the thing about Japanese horror movies – they’re psychological.

No good photos of Marie Antoinette yet, but here’s a sneak peek:

And my boyfriend went as one of the Monarch’s Henchmen from Venture Bros.

In the Details

Catherine — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:03:45 +0000

An unusually busy summer, but nonetheless one that I know I’ll remember for years – and it’s barely even started.

French Connection Scalloped Shirt

Embroidered Tulle

Drawings, Drawings!

Vacance de Monsieur Hulot

My twenty-second birthday is this Monday, and I look forward to celebrating it with my friends, family, and twin sister. I wish I knew what to ask for, but the Stella McCartney bodysuit I’ve been eyeing on Net-A-Porter sold out in my size already.