Latest news with #CameronCrowe
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Seven Year Itch at 70: a comedy about infidelity ruined by the Hays code
One of the patterns that emerges in Conversations With Wilder, a delightfully candid 1999 interview book that the director Cameron Crowe did with his film-making hero, Billy Wilder, is that Wilder tends to look more fondly on his hits than his misses. To him, commercial flops were rarely the result of audiences misunderstanding his work, but a regrettable failure on his part to connect with them. So it's notable that Wilder didn't have kind things to say about the Marilyn Monroe comedy The Seven Year Itch, a box-office sensation that's rightfully settled a few tiers below classics like Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment and Some Like It Hot, his brilliant second go-around with Monroe. A work-for-hire job for Darryl Zanuck at 20th Century Fox, The Seven Year Itch didn't originate with Wilder, but George Axelrod's 1952 Broadway comedy about marital wanderlust, with its ping-pong between lustiness and guilt, seemed well-suited to his sensibility. But the real tension that undermines the film is the ping-pong between Monroe's five-alarm sexuality and the wet-blanket prudishness that keeps putting out the fire. Wilder and Axelrod, who also scripted, were 'straitjacketed' by the Hays code, which imposed strict limits on how far the film could go, and Wilder couldn't work around it. He called it a 'nothing picture' because censors neutered a comedy about infidelity. A comedy about mere temptation doesn't have the same pop. Seventy years later, The Seven Year Itch may not be remembered as a great movie, but it'll forever be cherished as a grate movie. Wilder sensed a scene where Monroe, in a form-fitting white dress, positions herself above a subway grate on Lexington Avenue would cause a stir, so he leaned into it, turning the shoot into a media frenzy that yielded one of the signature images of Monroe's career. It's also a prime example of the uncorked sexuality that Monroe brought to the table, which even the Hays code couldn't hope to suppress. On a date with an older, married man – the movie they see, Creature from the Black Lagoon, is much more erotic than this one – her character explains that she likes to feel the wind from passing trains under her dress. She's unashamed by the feeling. Yet shame proves to be a heavy anchor for Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell), a middle-aged paperback book publisher whose tendency to daydream about romantic encounters seems to manifest a fantasy girl come to life. After sending his wife, Helen (Evelyn Keyes), and their son off to Maine for hot summer months, Richard toys with how much he's going to let himself off the leash while he reclaims his bachelorhood. He's a good boy at first, dining at a vegetarian restaurant because 'you can't run on martinis and Hungarian goulash'. But those martinis can easily be shaken in his Manhattan apartment, and though he keeps his cigarettes under lock and key, it's only a small hassle to access them when he gets the urge. Still, there are common urges and then there's Marilyn Monroe as 'the girl', the bubbly and endlessly accommodating blonde who's moved into the place upstairs. She nearly kills Richards when a tomato plant on her balcony drops through his lounge chair, but that proves to be enough of a meet-cute to get her to come down for a drink. Before she arrives, he dreams of seducing her with cocktails and Rachmaninoff, but she proves more enticed by the lowbrow appeals of Chopsticks and dipping potato chips in champagne. They're an odd couple, but nothing seems to turn her off, including his wedding ring, and plenty turns him on, like an 'artistic picture' in a bikini she took for a magazine he has on his shelf. The title The Seven Year Itch refers to a dubious piece of psychology suggesting married men tire of their wives after seven years and start looking around for a mistress. Many of the laughs in Axelrod's script come from Richard twisting himself into knots over whether he's that type of guy or not, which the play answers one way and the movie answers another. Wilder does his best to bring Richard's tortured conscience to visual life, with sequences that toggle between fantasy and reality, creating not only a window into his thinking but also opening up what's mostly a one-room stage play. The trouble is that Ewell, who originated the role on Broadway, is a bit of a drip as a leading man. (Wilder wanted the then unknown Walter Matthau, who'd have been a terrific choice.) Virtually all the energy in The Seven Year Itch comes from Monroe, whose sexual confidence is as weirdly innocent as it is incandescent, as if she doesn't comprehend her own power. ('People keep falling desperately in love with me,' she says, as if it's a mystery she can't begin to start cracking.) Referring to her simply as 'the girl' is an icky sign of the times, as though Axelrod and Wilder can't imagine her as a woman who exists apart from Richard's imagination. But Monroe makes so singular an impression that she dwarfs the film's ostensible star, who looks one-dimensional and feckless by comparison. Wilder is right to believe the material might have thrived in an era in which infidelity was allowed to be the theme, because without it, the stakes of The Seven Year Itch are almost non-existent. Monroe should overwhelm Ewell like Barbara Stanwyck does Henry Fonda in The Lady Eve, a comedy that was also made under the code but is arousing and dangerous in a way that The Seven Year Itch never becomes. Monroe may have been the embodiment of temptation in the era, but the possibility of sex is off the table. It's an itch the film can never scratch.
Time Out
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The best movies of the 1980s, ranked
Movies about the secret lives of teenagers were all the rage in the '80s, but only Amy Heckerling's sex comedy feels like watching teenagers actually live. Screenwriter Cameron Crowe famously went undercover at a California high school to figure out what kids of the day really wanted out of life, lending the film its attitudinal authenticity, though his findings weren't exactly groundbreaking – like young people of any generation, '80s teens wanted to get high, get laid and get to adulthood before being truly prepared for it. Regardless, it's a fabulously fun, immortally insightful time capsule, capturing a time when the shopping mall was the center of the universe and Cheap Trick ruled the world.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Are Amazon pants any good? I wear a size 16 and decided to buy 5 pairs — I was surprised by which ones I liked the most
When I was 12, I watched Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous," a movie that follows a young journalist who travels with a touring band, writing a profile on their triumphant rise to success. It was the first time I was exposed to journalism as a career and I was immediately sold on the busy lifestyle spent backstage, on set and always on the move. No one tells you the realities of journalism: that most days, you can find me in the office in front of my computer working on my next story. Because so much of my time is spent in an office, I was looking for a pair of pants for spring and summer that are affordable, comfortable and can easily go from office chic to evening wear. Amazon Canada has a really great selection of pants that can go from day to night, ranging in styles, colours and sizes. I'm a size 14/16 and I found lots of options for my daily life. Here's my honest review of what worked for me and what didn't. What I tried: Feiersi Women's Casual Wide Leg Pants Shop them in: Sizes S-XXL and 10+ colours Amazon reviews: 1,200+ Starting off strong with a favourite of mine, these wide-leg palazzo pants are exactly what I'm looking for in pants I can wear both to the office and an evening out. I love the fit of these; they hit all the right places and are super comfortable to sit and stand in. I sometimes find that the waistband on these kinds of pants can be a bit too snug or dig in, but these were perfect and felt true to size. The pants are made out of a rayon and polyester blend, but felt closer to a linen blend, which was a nice surprise. They're super lightweight but still look expensive despite their affordable price tag. The only downside is that they do need a steam before you can wear them, but that won't stop me from adding these into my rotation. What I tried: PRETTYGARDEN Women's Summer Work Pants Shop them in: Sizes S-XXL and 8 colours Amazon reviews: 260+ Everyone needs a pair of black trousers that you can rely on in a pinch. These are a great option if you're looking for something affordable and reliable. These pants are flowy in all the right places, while still hugging your backside, creating a really great silhouette. They're true to size and come with a stretchy waistband, which is handy if you're between sizes. My only cons with these are that the material isn't super breathable and the length will be a problem if you're 5'9" and above. I'm 5'8" and these hit me perfectly at the ankle, so I will be adding these to my closet! What I tried: Qixing Women's Wide Leg Pants Shop them in: Sizes S-XXL and 15 colours Amazon reviews: 260+ These blue and white patterned pants are a bit outside my comfort zone in terms of what I'd usually wear to the office, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like these. They are super lightweight and I love how flowy they are. You can dress them up with a white button down and dress them down with a t-shirt and the print is a nice change from the neutrals I usually wear to the office. My only qualm is that I wish the elastic waistband had a bit more give. It's not horrible but a bit more give would be appreciated, but given how well these fit and how comfortable they are, I can definitely see myself reaching for them more as the weather continues to warm up. What I tried: Willit Women's Work Pants Shop them in: Sizes XS-3XL and 14 colours Amazon reviews: 210+ I had high hopes for these black trousers after the luck I had with the other pair I wrote about earlier, but these ones were a dud for me. I managed to button these up, but just barely — as they do run small. I found the waistband to be very tight with not a lot of give, which isn't ideal for pants I was hoping to wear for an entire work day. Because these pants run small, they didn't fit properly and weren't the most flattering. If I ordered these again, I would definitely size up. What I tried: Famulily Womens Comfy Cotton Wide Leg Pants Shop them in: Sizes S-XXL and 5 colours Amazon reviews: 140+ Another pair outside my comfort zone! I don't own any other pants in this khaki colour, but I really like them. Again, these can be dressed up or down and are super comfortable and flowy. Bonus points for an elastic waistband with an adjustable string that can work for folks between sizes. I saw some reviews mentioning they were see-through, but I didn't have that problem. I did find them a bit short, they fall right where my ankles begin, so anyone taller than 5'8" might have a hard time with these. They also need a good steam before wearing out, I photographed myself in these straight out of the package and they were extremely wrinkly. I will be keeping these for casual office days and running errands. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the selection of work pants from Amazon. But there is one pair of pants that really stands out and has become a staple in my office wardrobe — and more than 1,000 Amazon reviewers agree with me. The Feiersi Women's Casual Wide Leg Pants are my top pick if you're looking to invest in one pair of go-to pants for the office. The lightweight material made them super comfortable to wear over long stretches of time, the waist fit perfectly, and they look expensive on a budget. That said, they do need to be steamed or ironed before you wear them, but a small price to pay for the perfect work pants. Coming in second place is the PRETTYGARDEN Women's Summer Work Pants, a great pair of staple black pants that look and feel great and can be relied on in a pinch. Third would be Famulily Women's Comfy Cotton Wide Leg Pants which are so lightweight and great for a casual day in the office but do require a thorough steaming before wear. In fourth place: Qixing Women's Wide Leg Pants. I love the pattern and colour selection of these, but the rigid waistband is a bit of a drawback for me. And finally, Willit Women's Work Pants look great and really snatch your waist, but when I'm at work, I want to be comfortable so I can actually focus on my job, so if I bought these again, I would size up.
CBC
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Neil Young's almost-acting debut
Did you know Neil Young was supposed to be in this Oscar-winning film? Director Cameron Crowe got Young onboard for one of his films and even got his wardrobe approved, but on the day of the shoot, Young bailed.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
War anxiety plaguing your mind? Here are 5 feel good films to distract yourself over the weekend
The sensitive India-Pakistan dynamic has been traversing a tumultuous terrain following the Pahalgam attack on April 22, ensued by the retaliatory Operation Sindoor, dated May 7. The last two nights have been a particularly tense time, with nationwide mock drills and a consistent barrage of drones, missiles and artillery fire coming in from Pakistan, the latter of which was successfully intercepted and battled by the Indian defence forces. The night of May 8 in particular, could have been rather taxing given the sea of misinformation swarming the internet and further plauging war anxiety-wrecked minds. If you can't seem to peel your eyes off the news channels and social media but at the same time find your chest tightening and stomach dropping every other moment, it's time to allow yourself the grace to put a pause to all the information clouding your head. So here's an airtight binge list for the weekend ahead — this may not entirely put your mind to rest, but will definitely let your face break into a few much-needed smiles. Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, is as whole and wholesome a light drama can get. After getting fired from his job for exposing the illegal loopholes of the industry, Jerry Maguire, a sports agent, starts his own agency. But he has only one client to help him make it, or fail. Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger star. Will Gluck directs a hilariously raw and effortlessly comedic Emma Stone in 2010 hit Easy A. Olive cooks up a story about losing her virginity to seem cool to her best friend, overheard by the wrong lot — what ensues is a hilariously sad game of Chinese whisper. If you think you've outgrown teen trials, tribulations and resolutions, Easy A will definitely change your mind. A laughter riot with a soul. That's the only worthy way to describe Frank Coraci's 2014 film Blended. You don't even need to hear the plot on this one — just know that on-screen soulmates Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore lead the charge. 2015 Nancy Meyers film The Intern is the perfect example of life not stopping, till you decide it to be so. Seventy-year-old Ben Whittaker realises that retirement isn't an enjoyable experience and decides to take on a packed gig as an intern at a booming online fashion startup led by a brilliant but chaotic boss. Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway star. Getting on a plane for a quick trip may not be the best plan of action right now. So it only makes sense to hit play on THE OG aeroplane watch, 2018 Jon M Chu film Crazy Rich Asians. The plot follows Rachel and Nick's humble love story as it stands strong against the biases of his family, one of the richest in the country. Constance Wu and Henry Golding's chemistry is on fire in the most (happy) tear-jerking way possible. Stay safe, and know when to switch off your brain.
