Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Entertainment
BAKERSFIELD NEWS OBSERVER A3
Film Review:
Credit Writer/director Peter Strickland for succeeding where others have not. His direction exhibits a quirky, artistic style. Scenes melt into each other effortlessly. There’s a dazzling visual flare that keeps your eyeballs glued to the screen for 118 minutes. You’re hooked until he’s through weaving a very sordid tale about a dress with a mind of its own and a curse that is deadly. By Dwight Brown NNPA Newswire Film Critic She thought she was simply buying a sexy red dress, off the rack. But when that frock came home with her, so did the supernatural. Writer/director Peter Strickland had a wicked vision in mind when he created this campy horror film, which has a style that is reminiscent of the 1977 cult classic Suspiria, by famed 1970s/80s Italian horror director Dario Argento. Argento gained notoriety for his arty mixture of thriller, mystery, psychological and erotic elements versus unbridled gore. Director Luca Guadagnino (Oscar-nominee Call Me by Your Name) attempted to mimic Argento’s style with his misguided 2018 remake of Suspiria. His failure proves that stepping into this horror subgenre successfully is not that easy. Credit Strickland for succeeding where others have not. His direction exhibits a quirky, artistic style. Scenes melt into each other effortlessly. There’s a dazzling visual flare that keeps your eyeballs glued to the screen for 118 minutes. You’re hooked until he’s through weaving a very sordid tale about a dress with a mind of its own and a curse that is deadly. Sheila (Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets & Lies) ) is very conscientious. She’s a chatty and polite bank teller. As a recently divorced single mom, she lives with her young adult son Vince (Jaygann Ayeh, The Souvenir). Her offspring, judging by the moans and groans that emanate from his bedroom at night when he’s hosting his ladyfriend (Gwendoline Christie), should have been living on his own years ago. Sheila, tired of being alone, puts her profile on a dating page and is about to meet a new man for dinner. Wanting to make the right impression, she heads to a bizarre London department store and is tempted to buy something
In Fabric Marianne Jean Baptiste as Sheila. (Courtesy Photo)
wild, for a woman of a certain age. A creepy-looking store clerk (Fatma Mohamed), who slithers down the aisles like Morticia Adams (of The Adams Family), champions a lowcut red dress. Sheila: “Isn’t it a little risqué? I don’t normally wear this kind of thing.” Clerk: “Be bold. Your date will compliment you. Touch it. Feel it. Here.”
Sheila’s restaurant rendezvous doesn’t go well. He’s a bore. Self-absorbed. No feel for small talk. No sense of humor. Pity. But at least she has the dress she adores. Unfortunately, the feeling is not mutual. The frock gives her a rash. It moves around on its own, causes a series of accidents, mishaps and oddities that leave puddles of blood
in its wake. There is something so matter-of-fact about Sheila that when unnatural things vex her you feel extra sorry about her misfortune. Her life turns to tatters. So do the lives of anyone who dons the scarlet garment. Strickland sets the scare meter at moderate. The horror is consistent but not explosive. Ghastly in the right places. A little mangling here. Oral sex there. A washing machine run amuck. Untimely deaths. The director brushes on the macabre like an artist choosing the right colors, shapes and textures for a Salvador Dali painting. Tasteful. Sick. Weird. More like an art film gone askew. Not at all like a tacky B-movie. The costume designer (Jo Thompson) threads together a catchy wardrobe for the cast, who look prepared to go to work or a freak show, depending. Sets (Adrian Greenwood) and production design (Paki Smith), from Shelia’s cramped two-story flat to a department store with a secret dumbwaiter that leads to a coven, pull you into a workingclass life that clashes with an underworld. The score (Cavern of Anti-Matter) has both whimsical and sinister tones. Ditto the sound design (Rob Entwistle). Editing (Matyas Fekete) the footage down to a fairly lengthy movie that doesn’t feel long is not an easy feat. The rainbow of colors (Bobbie Cousins art director) is well captured by cinematography (Ari Wegner) with lighting that is particularly sensual during a very intimate peeping tom scene. The camerawork evokes an odd feeling as you become the watcher observing a voyeur. Baptiste leaves her everywoman imprint all over the footage. Sheila’s inflection, nonchalant delivery and stoic facial expressions rarely waver, even in the presence of two overbearing bosses, played snidely by Steve Oram and Julian Barratt. Mohamed’s accent, as the temptress clerk, is so thick you could trip over it, and the clandestine life the character leads gets spookier every minute. Jaygann Ayeh’s chemistry with Baptiste is so natural it’s as if Sheila was his real helicopter mom and he was her actual ungrateful millennial son. Even with the dry humor and intelligent writing, make no mistakes about it, In Fabric is designed to scare the s--- out of you. It does. Small eerie moments pile up, fraying your nerves, building and building. Like someone first sticking needles in your back, then switching to shivs.
Gabrielle Union Speaks Out Amid Reports She’s Off NBC Show LOS ANGELES (AP) – Gabrielle Union thanked supporters for defending her amid reports she was fired from “America's Got Talent” after complaining about racism and other alleged on-set issues. “Just when you feel lost, adrift, alone... you got me up off the ground. Humbled and thankful, forever,” the actress tweeted Wednesday night. She didn't directly address her status with NBC's talent show, and her representatives did not respond to requests for comment Friday or previously. According to reports, Union and Julianne Hough have been dropped as “America's Got Talent” judges after a single season.
Union, who is African American, reportedly sought network action to address a workplace environment that allegedly allowed racist jokes and comments and other troubling behavior, including judge-producer Simon Cowell's smoking indoors in violation of state law. Union's husband, former NBA player Dwyane Wade, also weighed in Wednesday on Twitter, saying he'd yet to hear a good reason why his wife was being fired. In a statement, NBC and series producer Fremantle defended what they called the show's “long history of inclusivity and diversity.”
Gabrielle Union thanked supporters for defending her amid reports she was fired from “America’s Got Talent” after complaining about racism and other alleged on-set issues.
Howard Stern Blames Simon Cowell for Gabrielle Union’s ‘AGT’ Exit
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Howard Stern is pointing fingers in the ongoing "America's Got Talent" drama over Gabrielle Union's controversial exit. The former "AGT" judge and radio shock jock says Simon Cowell is to blame for Union not returning to the NBC competition show. Stern took to his SiriusXM show Monday to call out Cowell after hearing of Union's exit, despite claiming not to have known of the actress prior to the news. Stern served as a judge on America's Got Talent for four seasons, from 2012 though 2015. As Stern talked about seeing the news over the weekend, he suggested Union wasn't returning because of Cowell. "How is it that Simon Cowell has orchestrated this? He has set it up that the men stay, no matter how ugly they are, no matter how old they are, no matter how fat they are, no matter how talentless they are," Stern said. "What he manages to do on all his shows is he constantly replace the hot chicks with hotter chicks and younger chicks, which is so obvious," Stern said. "Simon (and) Howie get to stay, but the three women had to go: Tyra Banks, Mel B., Heidi Klum, and they find two younger, hotter women." Stern also questioned why judge Howie Mandel is still on the show despite other judge lineup changes over the years. "It's one thing if you fire everyone, but why is it always the women on that show that constantly go into rotation?" Stern asked. "I like Howie, he's doing a fine, serviceable job, but why don't they change him? And why don't they change Simon?" Stern continued: "This is the ultimate example of a boys club – two seasons in a row the female judges being fired while Simon and Howie soldier on." Howard Stern, left, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel at "America's Got Talent" Season 8 New York auditions.
"America's Got Talent" had no additional statement on Stern's comments, pointing back to a joint statement to USA TODAY from NBC, production company Fremantle and Cowell's entertainment company, Syco, in which "AGT" announced it remains "committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees and take very seriously any questions about workplace culture." "We are working with Ms. Union through her representatives to hear more about her concerns, following which we will take whatever next steps may be appropriate," the statement added. Stern's comments come after SAG-AFTRA said it is investigating Union's exit, following a report last week from Variety, which described a “toxic culture” on the set of "America's Got Talent" after news that Union and fellow judge Julianne Hough would not be returning to the reality singing competition for a second year has a lot of work to do to change its culture so that discrimination, harassment, and retaliation are no longer tolerated at the company. Period." Variety also reported that a culture of toxic, racist jokes and "excessive notes" about physical appearance were pervasive before the two freshman judges' contracts were not renewed. 'We're with you':Ariana Grande, Ellen Pompeo show support for Gabrielle Union amid 'AGT' exit Union hasn't addressed the controversy directly, but in her first tweet since the controversy unfolded, she thanked fans for support. "So many tears, so much gratitude," she tweeted Wednesday night. "THANK YOU! Just when you feel lost, adrift, alone ... you got me up off the ground. Humbled and thankful, forever." Several other celebrities, including Ariana Grande, Ellen Pompeo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Debra Messing and Olivia Munn have since voiced their support for Union.