Latest news with #Psycho
Pink Villa
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
15 Must-Watch Hollywood Classics You Need To Binge Right Now
What specifically turns a movie into a Hollywood classic? These are not merely vintage films; they are milestone movies that have defined the very vocabulary of film. A classic film typically encompasses timeless storytelling, legendary performances, groundbreaking techniques, and subjects that still resonate across generations. These must-watch Hollywood classics have inspired generations of directors, earned top awards, and are still deeply ingrained in pop culture. For all the seasoned cinephiles as well as the curious newcomers, this carefully curated list of must-watch Hollywood classics is here to make your life easier. 15 Must-Watch Hollywood Classics of All Time 1. Casablanca Director: Michael Curtiz Lead Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman Release Year: 1942 IMDb Rating: 8.5 Genre: Romance/Drama Where to Watch: Max, Amazon Prime Video Casablanca is an apotheosis of romantic movies and war drama. Against the background of World War II, it combines political suspense with individual sacrifice. Its iconic one-liners and sublime performances are still entrancing audiences, winning three Oscars. 2. Gone with the Wind Director: Victor Fleming Lead Cast: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable Release Date: 1939 IMDb Rating: 8.2 Genre: Historical Romance Available on: Amazon Prime Video This epic of the Civil War is a masterwork of grand storytelling and imagery. A winner of 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, its layered exploration of life in the South has provoked both praise and critical rethinking, particularly for its racial representations. Nevertheless, its influence on costume, set design, and film length conventions is unarguable. 3. Psycho Director: Alfred Hitchcock Lead Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh Release Year: 1960 IMDb Rating: 8.5 Genre: Horror/Thriller Where to Watch: Peacock, Amazon Prime Video Hitchcock's Psycho revolutionized horror and thrillers with its startling plot twists and spine-tingling music. The legendary shower sequence instantly became a cinematic landmark. Hitchcock's direction brought fresh psychological dimensions to films, affecting slashers and psychological dramas alike. 4. The Godfather Director: Francis Ford Coppola Lead Actors: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino Release Date: 1972 IMDb Rating: 9.2 Genre: Crime/Drama Where to Stream: Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video A Shakespearean-heavy mafia saga, The Godfather is a cultural touchstone. Its exploration of family, power, and betrayal has become the standard for crime dramas. Coppola 's brilliant directing and memorable performances carried the film to sweep the Oscars and redefine the genre. 5. 12 Angry Men Director: Sidney Lumet Lead Cast: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb Release Year: 1957 IMDb Rating: 9.0 Genre: Drama/Legal Thriller Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Almost entirely contained within one room, this courtroom drama showcases the strength of dialogue and character work. Its themes of justice, prejudice, and reasonable doubt are just as topical today as they were back then. 6. Schindler's List Director: Steven Spielberg Lead Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley Release Year: 1993 IMDb Rating: 9.0 Genre: Historical Drama Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video A harrowing portrayal of the Holocaust, Spielberg 's black-and-white opus is both artistically powerful and emotionally devastating. It is often cited as one of the most important films ever made. 7. Monty Python's Life of Brian Director: Terry Jones Lead Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin Release Year: 1979 IMDb Rating: 8.0 Genre: Dark Comedy Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video A classic British black comedy that follows the story of Brian Cohen (played by Chapman), who is born on the same day as and next door to Jesus and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah. While its religious satire was controversial at that time, the film still brings forth important socio-cultural and literary discussions. 8. Chinatown Director: Roman Polanski Lead Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway Release Year: 1974 IMDb Rating: 8.2 Genre: Neo-noir/Mystery Where to Watch: Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video Chinatown revolutionized the noir genre with its contemporary take on detective fiction. Its intricate plot and cinematic setting cement its status in film noir lore. 9. The Wizard of Oz Director: Victor Fleming Lead Cast: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan Release Year: 1939 IMDb Rating: 8.1 Genre: Fantasy/Musical Where to Watch: Max, Amazon Prime Video This Technicolor gem is still a cultural reference. With its songs and lovable characters, it's a fantasy movie that still casts a spell on audiences of any age and is a must-watch Hollywood classic. 10. Sunset Boulevard Director: Billy Wilder Lead Cast: Gloria Swanson, William Holden Release Year: 1950 IMDb Rating: 8.4 Genre: Drama/Film Noir Where to Watch: Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video A scathing indictment of Hollywood's youth and fame culture, this film noir boasts one of the greatest closing lines in movie history. Swanson's eerie turn as Norma Desmond is the embodiment of the seedy underbelly of stardom. 11. Some Like It Hot Director: Billy Wilder Main Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon Release Date: 1959 IMDb Rating: 8.2 Genre: Fantasy/Romance Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV A comedy masterpiece, the movie combines gender-switching humor with quick wit and performances that have become a part of our collective memory. It defied conventions in comedy as well as in cultural expectations and set the standard for contemporary romantic comedies. 12. Lawrence of Arabia Director: David Lean Top Cast: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness Release Date: 1962 IMDb Rating: 8.3 Genre: Historical/Biographical Drama Where to Watch: Netflix A cinematic epic with expansive desert vistas and an intricate hero, this movie redefined the art of telling history on screen. Its impact ranges from biopics to contemporary epics. The music, photography, and film editing are even studied in schools of cinema. 13. Singin' in the Rain Director: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen Lead Cast: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds Release Year: 1952 IMDb Rating: 8.3 Genre: Musical/Comedy Where to Watch: Max, Apple TV This euphoric celebration of Hollywood's leap from silent films to talkies blends dazzling dance moves with endearing wit. The title song-and-dance number is one of the film's most iconic sequences. A favorite among cinema historians, it's frequently referred to as the greatest musical ever produced. 14. Citizen Kane Director: Orson Welles Lead Cast: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten Release Year: 1941 IMDb Rating: 8.3 Genre: Drama/Mystery Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Widely regarded as the best film of all time, Citizen Kane influenced narrative and cinematography. Welles' application of deep focus and non-linear narrative was innovative. This must-watch Hollywood classic is still a topic of scholarly debate and artistic inspiration. 15. A Clockwork Orange Director: Stanley Kubrick Lead Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates Release Year: 1971 IMDb Rating: 8.2 Genre: Sci-Fi/Crime/Drama Where to Watch: Max, Amazon Prime Video Kubrick 's provocative take on free will, government control, and violence is often heaped with praise for its striking visuals, classical music integration, and Malcolm McDowell's performance.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Toronto Star
How to colour your own hair like a pro — and save hundreds of dollars at the salon
In my 20s, I was a new freelance writer, living on my own after a traumatic breakup and clinging to my identity as a Virgo with flaming red locks (despite my genetic blessing of a mousy dark blond). Soon, the cost of bimonthly salon appointments became too much, and I decided to try my hand at box dye. After my spin with L'Oréal Paris Féria in R48 Intense Deep Auburn, my bathroom looked like a scene out of Psycho, but I was thrilled with the vibrant outcome. Over the next eight years, I saved around $12,000 by skipping the salon, only returning to the pros when I was ready to make the technically challenging transition from red to blond. The money I saved was no small thing. And for the many Canadians watching their grocery bills skyrocket, an extra $1,500 a year probably sounds pretty good. The swap to box dye can be tricky at first, but if you're willing to do your homework and put in the effort, you can score great results with minimal damage. Here, Vancouver master colourist Kyle Gould shares his top tips for getting the most out of at-home hair colour.
The Star
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
No popcorn, no problem: MPO hits all the right notes with film concerts
These days, when you browse through the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra's (MPO) annual programme, you'll find special shows that take your movie experience to the next level at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) – where your favourite films come to life with live music by the MPO. Since 2010, when it first screened Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho, the MPO has been delighting film lovers with its cinema-inspired programmes. MPO and DFP chief executive officer Hassina Begam Abdul Gani said the orchestra began exploring film-with-live-orchestra programming as a way to diversify its music offerings and reach a newer, younger audience. 'The positive response from the public, evidenced by sold-out shows, has demonstrated a clear appetite for this type of programming, which has now become a 'signature series' for the MPO,' says Hassina. By pairing orchestral music with popular films, the MPO has made classical music more accessible, offering an entry point for those who might not usually attend such concerts. To date, the MPO has presented nine film-with-live-orchestra concerts, including Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the recent La La Land, which saw additional shows added due to high demand. 'For me, it's a less daunting introduction to classical music. While I'm not naturally inclined toward traditional concerts, a show like La La Land – though not strictly classical – provides a more accessible way to experience orchestral music,' says Adrian Yap, who attended La La Land at DFP, following his first experience with the format at Ratatouille (also at the DFP) in 2016. A view of the 'La La Land In Concert' series presented by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra earlier this month at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: MPO 'Watching a film I enjoy while observing how the orchestra performs the score makes me more receptive to attending a traditional classical concert in the future,' he adds. Rizal Johan, a fan of the film-with-orchestra format, recalls the Raiders Of The Lost Ark concert at the MPO in 2019 as a standout experience. 'The orchestra played flawlessly from start to finish. It was a unique experience – watching a film with live music and realising how challenging it is for the musicians to stay in sync as the mood shifts from action to comedy, suspense to romance. It was truly captivating,' he says, hoping the MPO will one day give a Star Wars film the full live-orchestra treatment. Opening the symphonic door MPO resident conductor Gerard Salonga notes that the movie screening concert series offers a distinct experience compared to the orchestra's usual performances. 'It's not like ballet or opera where the singers and dancers can hear the orchestra – the film stops for no one. In film music, normally the precision of the musical accents is down to a matter of a few frames which are fractions of a second,' says Salonga. Another challenge is that, although the music is usually well-known, it is not typically part of the repertoire that professional musicians have been playing for many years. 'For example, the first violin part of Don Juan by Richard Strauss is incredibly difficult, but violinists are expected to know the piece well, and have been playing it since they were very young," says Salonga. Next month, the MPO's film-and-orchestra series will feature the classic movie 'The Godfather', starring Marlon Brando. Photo: Handout 'The violin part of John Williams' ET score is also very hard, but musicians would not have spent the same amount of time with it throughout their lives, making the learning curve steeper due to the shorter time to learn it. For a symphony orchestra like the MPO, it makes for an exciting and musically rewarding challenge for both the performers and the audience,' he adds. The Filipino conductor-composer agrees that film concerts are an excellent way to engage audiences with symphonic repertoire. "In films scored by John Williams, the music is directly influenced by great composers such as Mahler and Stravinsky, so these concerts serve to introduce the audience to their orchestras and form a connection with the artists on stage through sharing a profound experience," says Salonga. 'So I hope for our audience members, these film concerts can unlock the door to the world of symphonic music and encourage them to discover the riches that await,' he concludes. For Father's Day on June 14, experience The Godfather Live at DFP. Watch Francis Ford Coppola's classic 1972 film in high definition while the MPO, led by Salonga, performs Nino Rota's legendary soundtrack live – bringing every haunting note and emotional moment to the forefront. More info here.
Metro
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The 13 most horrifying deaths in the Final Destination franchise
It's been 14 years since we were last traumatised by the iconic horror franchise, Final Destination… and now it's back. The sixth film in the series, Bloodlines, is in cinemas now, treating fans to a whole new assortment of phobias to haunt their every waking moment. It follows Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), plagued by a recurring nightmare that sees a terrible disaster play out. Recognising one of the victims as her grandmother, she travels to her hometown to confront her family about their estranged relative. But when she goes digging for answers, Stefani uncovers a deadly truth – death is coming for her family, and they must band together to break the chain and save their lives. Across 25 years, Final Destination has given us some of the most creative death sequences in cinema history, from fantastical disasters to everyday accidents that change the way we look at the most simple objects. As Bloodlines arrives in cinemas, we look at the most horrifying deaths of the franchise so far. If Psycho didn't leave you terrified by the prospect of dying in the bathroom, the first Final Destination film will. After Alex Browning's (Devon Sawa's) terrifying premonition, Tod Waggner's (Chad E. Donella) death is the first of the franchise's central characters. And it's an agonising one, as it features a drawn-out scene in which his toilet leaks, water flows across the floor, and almost makes him slip several times, convincing the audience he will die much sooner than he actually does. What finally sees Tod off is when he takes the clothes off a clothesline over the bathtub, he slips in a puddle and falls into the tub with the clothesline wrapped around his neck. Unable to remove the clothesline, he dies, and although his death is ruled a suicide, it soon becomes clear that anotherworldly power was at work. Some of the most effective Final Destination deaths involve everyday items that you'll never be able to look at again. Such is the case in Final Destination 3, which made viewers cautious of hardware stores forevermore, thanks to the fate of Erin Ulmer (Alexz Johnson). Erin and her best friend/co-worker Ian McKinley (Kris Lemche) don't believe Wendy Christensen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as she desperately tries to explain that death is coming for them after they survived the Devil's Flight derailment, and they don't take her seriously. That is, until a chain of events leads to several planks of wood falling from a shelf, with Wendy pushing Ian out of their path at the final moment. They're not out of the woods, though, as Erin stumbles into a nail gun that Ian had discarded, which sends nails shooting into her head and hand, ultimately killing her. Sure, we all joke that the gym may kill us, but the gym actually kills poor Lewis Romero (Texas Battle) in Final Destination 3. Lewis isn't convinced death is after the group, even when Wendy and Kevin Fischer (Ryan Merriman) inform him of Frankie Cheeks' (Sam Easton) sudden death. As he argues the likelihood of their theory, a weightlifter knocks the claw off a bear statue, which sets in motion a chain of events across the gym while Lewis continues his workout. Too busy ranting to notice what is happening around him, Lewis doesn't notice two swords hanging above his bow-flex machine that cut the wires holding the weights. Once he stops mocking death, Lewis lifts the weights once more, which swing down and crush his head. Trains feature multiple times in the Final Destination franchise, and though this death isn't technically by train, it plays a huge part in the act. Carter Horton (Kerr Smith) decides to take his life into his own hands when he realises he is next on death's list, stalling his car on railroad tracks. Alex, Billy Hitchcock (Seann William Scott), and Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) exit the car, and when Carter changes his mind, Alex desperately tries to save him. Unbelievably, Alex manages to rescue Carter from the vehicle at the last moment, but of course, this is a Final Destination film. A piece of shrapnel from the car wreckage is hit by a chain under the train and whips it into the air, flying straight at Billy and cutting his head off. Deaths in Final Destination have multiple signs and clues before all hell breaks loose, and it is those hints that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Final Destination 5 features one of the most hair-raising sequences packed full of terrifying omens, as Candice Hooper (Ellen Wroe) performs her way toward her final curtain call. The avid gymnast complains about the heat in the gym while practising, urging her coach to fix the air conditioning. And this simple request turns out to be her downfall as a screw comes loose, landing on the balance beam for Candice to step on at any moment. Her routine continues without a hitch for some time, leaving the audience on tenterhooks waiting for the inevitable carnage. When it comes, it doesn't disappoint. Candice doesn't step on the screw, but Porter (Brittany Rogers) does, falling from her beam and knocking over a bowl of powder that blows into Candice's face while on the high beams. She loses her balance mid-air and falls to the floor, breaking her spine and legs in the process. Elevators have been the subject of many horror films – from Lady in a Cage to Devil and P2 – because they're absolutely terrifying. The idea of being stuck in an enclosed space with nowhere to go? No, thank you. Of course, Final Destination 2 played with our fears expertly as Nora Carpenter (Lynda Boyd) met her demise in the tiny metal box. Nora is warned by Thomas Burke (Michael Landes) to watch out for a 'man with hooks', so when she sees a man with prosthetic limbs including hooks in the elevator she is in, she immediately panics. Little does she know, however, the prosthetics have become entangled in her hair, and instead of keeping calm and allowing the man to help her, she attempts to run from the lift. The doors of the elevator close on her neck with her body outside of the elevator, and as it rises, her body is torn apart, decapitating her. Okay, so it's not exactly the dentist trip that kills Tim Carpenter (James Kirk), but if he weren't there, maybe he would have escaped his fate. The dentist visit is tense, with Final Destination 2 director David R. Ellis misleading viewers numerous times with close-ups of several pointy, terrifying medical implements close to Tim. What he actually should have been watching out for, though, is pigeons. Yes, pigeons. When he leaves the office with his mom, they run into Thomas and Kimberly Corman (Kimberly Burroughs), shouting about the birds while running towards him. Groggy from the use of laughing gas during his appointment, he runs towards the birds that fly above a crane, causing the construction worker to hit a lever and drop a heavy glass plane on top of Tim, crushing him to death. Next time you enjoy a nice, relaxing dip in a pool on a warm summer's day, make sure you don't watch The Final Destination beforehand. Nick O'Bannon (Bobby Campo) has visions of water after Andy Kewzer's (Andrew Fiscella) death, and attempts to warn Hunt Wynorski (Nick Zano). His efforts are in vain, however, when Hunt's phone is ruined with water by a child shooting it with a water gun. That same gun becomes Hunt's undoing when it falls onto a lever controlling the pool drain, which begins sucking up the water. Hunt drops his lucky coin in the pool, which is sucked down the drain. As you would expect, Hunt dives in looking for it but is no match for the drain's suction, which drains his organs out through his anus. As an added macabre element, his organs are then sprayed from the poolside pump, along with the lucky coin. Medical procedures really do come up a lot in the Final Destination franchise, from teeth to eyes. Olivia Castle (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) appears terrified when she goes to have her eye surgery as her head is secured in a nightmare-fuel contraption while her eyelid is pried open with a speculum. She is left alone in the room when the doctor realises her file is missing important information, and as he does, a cup of water falls and spills onto the laser machine's outlet. The intensity of the ray increases, shaking the machine, and to make matters worse, Olivia accidentally knocks the activation button, shooting the laser into her eye. In excruciating pain, she cries for help, catching the attention of the doctor as well as Sam Lawton (Nicholas D'Agosto) and Molly Harper (Emma Bell), who rush into the room. They're too late, though, as Olivia frees herself from the table before they arrive…And slips on the eye that fell from her comfort teddy bear, stumbling out of the window and falling four floors to her death. This tanning bed tragedy in Final Destination 3 gave us not one death, but two at once. The iconic Ashlyn Halperin (Crystal Lowe) and Ashley Freund (Chelan Simmons) arrive at the tanning room just like any other day, but Ashlyn makes a fatal mistake – turning the heat of the beds up. Ashley leaves her iced coffee on a table, not knowing that the machine controlling the beds is underneath, and as the temperature in the room rises, perspiration from her iced coffee drips onto the machine. It malfunctions, and the temperature continues to rise and rise, effectively cooking the girls while they try to escape. Their skin peels, their goggles melt, and eventually the glass bulbs of the tanning bed shatter and set the girls on fire, ending their terrifying ordeal in the worst way. Though this is a premonition and not exactly a death scene, a lot of lives are lost in the Volée Airlines Flight 180 disaster. It is the vision that kicks off the entire franchise, and it's arguably one of the most terrifying, as so many suffer from a fear of flying. In it, we see Alex and his classmates board the doomed flight to Paris for a senior trip. But when he buckles into his seat, he sees into the future and witnesses the plane falling apart mid-air and being engulfed in flames, eventually causing a massive explosion and killing all of the passengers inside. He begs for everyone to get off the plane, but only a select few are booted off alongside Alex for his seemingly deranged behaviour – an act which saves their lives, for the time being anyway. It is only a short sequence, but the scenes of the plane slowly coming apart and the terror of the passengers are enough to make you question flying ever again. The fun of the fayre comes grinding to a halt in Final Destination 3 with the chilling Devil's Flight disaster – a rollercoaster that derails. It is terrifying to see just how easy it could be for one of the thrill-seeking rides to malfunction, and the devastating consequences it can have. It isn't unrealistic that a camera could fall onto the tracks of a rollercoaster, given that many of us aren't without at least a small one on our mobile phones. And that's exactly what happens when Wendy and her friends board the Devil's Flight – a camera causes the carts to derail on impact, leading to many riders immediately plummeting to their deaths while others get stuck clinging for dear life metres above ground. Of course, Wendy manages to leave the rollercoaster before it takes off, as do several students from her high school, as an attendant stops the ride. Though she begs staff to stop the ride entirely, they do not heed her warning, causing several people to lose their lives in what should have been an entirely preventable tragedy. The log truck from Final Destination 2 is so iconic, it has even been used in the marketing for Bloodlines. Who can honestly say they've looked at logs the same way again after the release of this film? Set one year after the Flight 180 disaster, Kimberly is driving to Florida with her friends for spring break. But when they get onto the highway, she has a premonition of a terrible pile-up on US Route 23, which is caused by a logging truck losing its cargo, smashing onto the road and the cars travelling on it. More Trending The scene is nothing short of absolute pandemonium as metal and bodies collide in a blood-soaked, fiery mess that not only leaves the central characters traumatised, but the audience too. Thankfully, Kimberly stalls her car to prevent those behind her from driving onto the highway and becoming entangled in the crash, giving them precious extra time before death comes knocking. If you find yourself driving behind a log truck, maybe switch lanes just in case. You know… just in case. Final Destination: Bloodlines is in cinemas now . Final Destination – Netflix and Amazon Prime Video Final Destination 2 – Netflix and Amazon Prime Video Final Destination 3 – Netflix and Amazon Prime Video The Final Destination – Amazon Prime Video Final Destination 5 – Netflix and Amazon Prime Video Final Destination: Bloodlines – In cinemas now MORE: Amazon Prime Video quietly adds one of the 'best horror shows ever' MORE: The 7 movies at Cannes Film Festival 2025 I'm most excited for MORE: Amazon Prime viewers refuse to watch 'one of the best horror films' this year for very relatable reason
CBS News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Jamie Lee Curtis revisits "Halloween," "Psycho," and "True Lies" artifacts
On a Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles, California, actor Jamie Lee Curtis stood over two leather-bound books. Costumes and props provided by the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Academy Collection surrounded the actress and 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. Curtis saw her donated copy of the script for "Halloween," the 1978 horror cult classic directed by John Carpenter that made Curtis the "scream queen" of her generation. Right beside it was the script for Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" once owned by her mother Janet Leigh, the actress who starred in the groundbreaking 1960 horror film. "This is beautiful," Curtis said, admiring them both side-by-side. "I haven't seen this since my mom died," she said, touching the "Psycho" script. They revisited cinema history as they examined each object, signposts of Curtis' acting career that's still going strong more than 40 years later. Curtis turned the worn pages of the "Psycho" script to page 52, the iconic scene that shocked audiences around the world. In the scene, Leigh's character, Marion Crane, removes her robe and steps into a shower, oblivious to the shadowy figure who then enters the bathroom and brutally murders her. Curtis told Alfonsi the film left a lasting impression on her mother. "She never took a shower again. She only took baths," she told Alfonsi. "Psycho" was infamous for its radical subversion of what audiences expected from Hollywood at the time: the star was killed less than halfway through the film. "What was shocking about it was that they killed the movie star on page 52... not even halfway through the movie," Curtis explained. "She was top billing because she was the movie star. And that was the whole conceit of [Hitchcock] hiring her." Also on the table was a clapboard from "Halloween." The film's title was written on a piece of white tape. Curtis was just 19 years old when she played the starring role. She waited until the last shot of the film to ask for the clapboard, and she kept it as a memento. Alfonsi asked Curtis if she had a favorite scene from the 1978 film. "I remember John Carpenter saying to me, 'I want you to be vulnerable'… And I wasn't smart enough at 19 to understand what that meant. And I kind of thought it meant weak," the actress said. But watching the film in front of an audience on opening weekend cleared up that confusion. In the film, Curtis' character, Laurie Strode, is babysitting across the street from a house where her friend P.J. is also babysitting. Laurie is talking to P.J. on the phone when they're suddenly cut off. The audience can see that the killer, Michael Myers, is strangling P.J. Laurie thinks it's a prank, but walks across the street to investigate after putting the kids to bed. "And it's inter-cut, back and forth…[me] walking toward the house, and then the house," Curtis told Alfonsi. "When I saw the movie in Hollywood on the opening weekend…a woman stood up in the middle of the theater during that moment and screamed out loud in the theatre, 'Don't go in there! There's a killer in the house!' Curtis said, imitating the woman's screams. "I understood in that second that that's what John [Carpenter] was talking about… they cared about this girl, and she was about to walk into mayhem." In 1994, Curtis starred opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action-comedy blockbuster "True Lies," directed by James Cameron. On display in front of Alfonsi and Curtis were two mannequins wearing similar dresses: one black dress with frills, another without them. In the film, Curtis' character, Helen Tasker, is duped into a phony spy mission: pose as an escort and plant a listening device on a client who, unbeknownst to her character, is her husband. Later, Tasker performs a striptease. Cameron's original vision was that Curtis would be completely nude in the striptease scene. But in a meeting with the director, Curtis suggested a different approach. "I kind of said to him, 'You know, Jim, you're gonna lose all the comedy because you're just going to be looking at my bits,'" the actress told Alfonsi. She stepped into the director's bathroom, put on a black dress, and stuffed some black tulle she purchased at a fabric store in the neck, arms, and hem of the dress. Curtis pitched a gradual wardrobe change for her character to Cameron that would take place in three steps. She would first wear the dress with tulle added. After seeing herself in the mirror and realizing it wasn't going to work for her mission, she would rip the tulle off of her dress. "'And then I unzip my dress and let it fall to the floor,'" she told the director. "I was wearing a pair of black panties and a bra. And I said, 'And then I'll be wearing this.'" Cameron was convinced. A costume designer made multiple dresses for the film based on Curtis' concept, which are now part of the Academy Collection. And in the film, Tasker catches herself in the mirror before her encounter with the mysterious target and rips the tulle off the dress. Curtis wore the dress without the tulle for most of the film, including action scenes where she had to run barefoot and dangle off the side of a helicopter. But the transformation that earned Curtis her first Academy Award came from her incredible performance as Deirdre Beaubeirdre, the auditor from hell in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." "Jamie Lee Curtis is completely unrecognizable as this character," Alfonsi told 60 Minutes Overtime. "I remember watching it the first time being like, 'Is that Jamie Lee Curtis?'" For the role, Curtis relaxed all of her muscles, which exaggerated the size of her stomach, creating the silhouette of a sedentary bureaucrat. She told 60 Minutes no prosthetics were used: what you see on the screen is all her. "I'm unbridled and I'm ungirdled… and I'm unclenched," she told Alfonsi. "Everything you see in that movie is me. There is no padding… that is just me releasing all of the things that we've spent our entire lives holding in. Every muscle in my body just relaxed." "She said she loves those roles where she's, you know, unclenched," Alfonsi told Overtime. "She talked about the freedom of being able to do that where maybe in the past in Hollywood, particularly with her mother, they were expected to be perfect all the time. Jamie Lee Curtis has really embraced imperfection." "The loss of vanity means freedom," the Hollywood star told Alfonsi standing in front of her wardrobe for Deirdre Beaubeirdre. "I want the freedom to be whoever it is [I'm playing]… I'm just trying to be honest and not fake." The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer. Thanks to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
