costumes Tagged Articles at Cinematical

While perusing my RSS feed, I came across a post from the NY Post that has sent me into a fit of giggles. It seems that in their piles upon piles of of media-influenced wardrobes, Rubie's has Watchmen costumes which are just about the funniest damned things I've ever seen.

Some aren't bad, like the Dr. Manhattan mask or the Rorschach getup, but really, it's hard to mess up the latter. But oh, how about some poofy pants on the big-size version of Nite Owl? Or the utterly ridiculous Ozymandias that sends me into scary memories of Chris O'Donnell's Robin? I'm thinking that these guys must be camping it up as much as possible, because the Elvisesque snarl on the guy masquerading as The Comedian can't be anything but purposefully ridiculous. Check out images of these costumes in the gallery below.

Will you pick up one of these saucy costumes for your trip to the theater? Or Halloween. Or better yet -- are you planning to whip up something yourself?

Along with the fall foliage, crisp weather, and carved pumpkins comes the quest and stress over making costumes and Halloween plans. Some people carefully plan their Halloween alter-ego well in advance, but most of us don't get out butts into gear until the last minute. Luckily, there's the world of movies -- they not only provide us with entertainment, but make for the absolute best fount of costume and party possibilities -- we've seen them on the screen, they're easily recognizable, easy to mimic, and often a heck of a lot cheaper than rental costumes.

I realized this years ago, when I was broke and looking for a super-cheap, yet super-clever costume. I didn't want to follow the bandwagons of cereal killers and people suffering "My Name is..." identity crises. I spotted a big pile of large, clear trash bags and realized that they'd make the perfect costume -- I would be Laura Palmer, dead, and wrapped in plastic. Only one person recognized me that night, even with her secret diary tucked in the folds of the plastic, but it was still great to be something different than the hordes of vampires, zombies, and other Halloween main-stays. The next year, my friend's dog was getting injections so of course, all I needed was a wig to make myself Mrs. Mia Wallace.

Cinema is not only useful for personal theming and scheming, but groups as well. They're perfect for costuming you and your friends for a night out on the town or a local house party. After scheming up a good theme, all you have to do is apply it to the munchies and decor, and suddenly your boring party becomes a den of movie mojo. After the jump, you'll find seven easy-to-tackle groups, starting you off on cinema's many possibilities. We're film fans after all, so this is our chance to jump into the worlds we see on the big screen. There's only so many options I can hit with this list, so share your ideas and let the brainstorming begin!

Today is actress Evelyn Keyes' birthday; her year of birth seems to be disputed (1916 or 1919), but so far as I can tell, she's still with us. Keyes was born in Port Arthur, Texas, which some of you might recognize as also being the birthplace of Janis Joplin. Keyes arrived in Hollywood in the 1930s and acted in films and on TV until well into the late 1980s. She was sometimes a leading lady in 1940s films like Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Jolson Story, and Mrs. Mike, and later played Tom Ewell's wife in The Seven Year Itch. She's been married four times, most notably to director John Huston and bandleader Artie Shaw. However, Keyes is most remembered for her small role as Suellen O'Hara, Scarlett's pill of a sister in Gone with the Wind. In fact, Keyes' autobiography, written in the 1970s, is titled Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister.

I'm not the fan of Gone with the Wind that I was in high school. Over the years, the racial stereotyping has started to bother me more, and I'm less convinced by Clark Gable's performance as Rhett Butler. Also, it is difficult to love a four-hour film. However, I still love reading about the making of Gone with the Wind -- the huge and lavish production, David O. Selznick's baby, has generated many fascinating stories. Looking at my bookshelf, I realize I own at least four books related to the making of the movie (including the above-mentioned Keyes bio). I also love the costumes by Walter Plunkett, especially Scarlett's dresses. The Harry Ransom Center in Austin has Selznick's archives and a lot of other material from the movie, including faithful reproductions of Scarlett's most gorgeous dresses. Take a look at the HRC online exhibition of Gone with the Wind, especially the Costumes and Makeup section. You can see pictures of all the dresses, the "makeup stills" taken of most of the cast members, including Keyes. Every photo or description is accompanied by memos from Selznick about what he wanted (or didn't like) -- he was a notorious memo writer. Many of the memos are collected in a book called Memo from David O. Selznick ... yes, I own that one too.