The Iceman, a film by Ariel Vromen, starring Michael Shannon as Richard Kuklinki, the contract killer who murdered more than 100 people over the span of three decades is a film that delves into the soulless world of organized crime. Primarily it is a portrait of a cold-blooded killer who happens to have a lovely family, none of whom know anything of his sinister profession. In the mid 1960s, Richard Kuklinski meets and marries Barbara (Wynona Ryder) quickly establishing himself as a family man.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a film by Mira Nair is about locating one’s multiple authentic selves within a world where social, and religious fundamentalism are an obstacle in the formation of a more nuanced identity.
Before Midnight, a film by Richard Linklater is the third installment in this filmmaker’s 18-year spanning cinematic portrait of two lovers, which also includes Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004).
‘The Skin I live in’ is immersed in the lush visual lexicon that we have come to expect from the Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar. The cinematography is voluptuous, vibrant and has a striking formalism that borrows heavily from Hitchcock. The production design is taut and offers a myriad of scenes that are visually compelling, though they lack the authentic emotional core that is at the heart of Almodovar’s previous films.
The Supima Design Competition fashion show was an exuberant affair and showed the fashion community’s support of young designers. Four of the top fashion design schools in the U.S. selected two students to compete in creating a capsule collection of ready to wear using Supima cotton.
Carlos Campos’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection was the perfect contemporary uniform rendered in vibrant color and grounded by sandy neutrals. Drawing inspiration from Aztec, Mayan and Incan culture, Campos has purified the patterns and colors found in these traditions in order to create a collection that is versatile and coherent.
The San Francisco based Academy of Art University Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show exhibited a myriad of styles and design traditions in the collections executed by a select group of its graduates.
The opening collection was rendered in sandy hues of taupe, mauve, and beige. Beautiful cocktail dresses and tailored suits with angular shoulders brought to mind the uniform of a Star-trek commander. A fluid bias cut evening dress rendered in silver seemed to liquidate down the runway.
Hyden Yoo’s Spring 2012 collection was light and diaphanous and straight out of the 1920s via Indochina. The models sat in intimate groupings in and around an open-air patio, which amplified the casual luxury of the clothes.