Category Archive for Fims + Videos
HOLLYWOOD MOVIE SHOOT: NOIRLAND STARRING JAMES DUVAL, DIRECTED BY RAMZI ABED. SERIAL KILLER FILM NOIR, BLOODSHOT PICTURES 2010.
Clint Catalyst invited Yukiro and me to be in a Hollywood movie — how could we say no? Our roles: offbeat party guests in a trippy dream sequence. So I wore…
Hair: Draped with blue, purple and grey scarves. I added a silver flower clip.
Makeup: I painted my eyebrows blue (try bright colors on your brows to light up your face!). I kept my eye makeup light, with black eyeliner over the top and light blue on the bottom. My dark purple lipstick is lightened in the center with lavender. Finally, I affixed two temporary spider tattoos.
Velvet evening gown with slit along thigh: An amazing find: $12 from Out of the Closet, “the most fabulous thrift store.”
Black and white pumps: my old John Fluevogs
Yukiro’s gown is from a vintage store in Fairfax Village, one of our favorite spots for thrift shopping. Purple hair, purple lace armbands, purple knee-high boots = triple yes.
The movie we participated in is Noirland, a film noir written and directed by Ramzi Abed, and starring James Duval. “A catatonic serial killer […] an amnesiac detective […] criminal psychiatrists and psychologists listen to the mysteries unfold.”
We arrived at the call time of 1pm, but it was pushed back an hour… then two… By the time we left the set, it was 10pm. That’s showbiz for you — a tiny bit of glam and a lot of waiting around!
Gemini Manor was possibly the most topsy-turvy house I’ve stepped foot in. Every inch was covered in random bric-a-brac: antique puppets, toys, church relics, birdcages, doll heads… There was a mermaid in the jacuzzi and my greatest fear — a giant stuffed CLOWN — resting in one of the bathtubs.
Each room had a theme, such as this Jungle Room on the roof, attainable only by inching up a precarious ladder/staircase. The owner told us that he built the place in the 1970s, and that it was the site of many a fetish party. (Ah, now it all makes sense.)
Also in the movie: model/actor Aldo Vento (left), and artist/Coilhouse Magazine founder Zoetica Ebb (the lady in blue). Clint Catalyst and Lenora Claire are perfectly cast as the Baron and Baroness.
There was plenty of time to hang out and practice our lines with one of Gemini Manor’s seven cats. (This kitty is skin and bones compared to my Basil Farrow!)
Fun times all around — thank you to everyone for having us! Wait until you hear us laugh maliciously and recite our single line: “Why hello… how are you…”
Have you ever been in a movie? How about silly YouTube masterpieces, like ours?
Song of the Day #323: Voltaire – If I Only Were a Goth (“With my diet I’d get scurvy / And I’d worship Peter Murphy / If I only were a Goth” haha!)
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND MOVIE REVIEW: NOT SUFFICIENTLY GOTHIC, NOR TIM BURTON’S BEST. COSPLAYING AS WONDERLAND CHARACTERS FOR OPENING NIGHT.
It’s too bad there wasn’t a star-studded premiere in LA for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland — but we made do by dressing up (with a group of Mad Hatters) for the midnight opening. I did a tribute to the Queen of Hearts. Yukiro went as the love-child of Goth Alice and the White Rabbit.
Our friends were the only other movie-goers who wore costumes — boo!
I’m glad I didn’t have high expectations, or I would have been sorely disappointed. If a regular Hollywood director made this movie, I’d give it a B or B+: Alice in Wonderland was entertaining, with adequate CGI/3D and a decent narrative (until the very end).
But I expect more from Gothic genius Tim Burton — especially after seeing his retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Alice didn’t take me away to a whimsical, twisted new world (like Corpse Bride or Edward Scissorhands). I wasn’t moved by the graphics (Avatar’s glowing jungle is far better). And I didn’t feel for the characters. In fact, the animal design and human makeup were pretty lousy.
There were shining moments, especially when the Red Queen held court. I laughed when she called for Tweedle-Dee and Dum: “Say something. Speak! Whee-hee-hee, I love my fat boys.” And the part when she liked “Um” because “anyone with a big head is welcome in this court!”
Your blogger commands: “Off with his head!” I didn’t feel I wasted money on the ticket — the movie is satisfying enough for a night out — but considering that Burton was at the helm, it could have been better conceived and executed. Let’s just say a shaky YouTube version starring the J-Goth spooks and Adventure Team would be more of a mad tea party, in my humble opinion!
What did you think of Alice in Wonderland? What are your expectations for the film?
Song of the Day #320: Carol Channing’s song and dance in the 1985 version of Alice in Wonderland. Now THIS is brilliance! (You must watch this clip…)
LA CARMINA
