Latest news with #Rope
Tom's Guide
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Netflix just added a load of Alfred Hitchcock movies — here's the 3 to watch first
Netflix has launched a new Alfred Hitchcock collection to celebrate one of the most celebrated and influential directors of all time, and it's a very good thing classic movie fans. While the selection of Hitchcock movies added to Netflix U.S. this month is far from complete — some of the filmmaker's very best works are missing — it's a strong set of titles that range from the often-overlooked 'Frenzy' to some of his most legendary efforts like 1958's 'Vertigo.' Whether you're a Hitchcock scholar or a relative newcomer, you need to get these movies in your Netflix watchlist. Any self-respecting movie fan can't afford to skip them. With more than half a dozen Hitchcock movies added at once, I'm picking out a trio of cinematic masterpieces to get you started. These three represent Hitchcock at his very best and remain timeless classics to this day. Cinephiles could debate the best Hitchcock movie for years and still not come to a definitive answer — his filmography is simply that strong — but if you took a poll, I reckon 'Vertigo' might land at the top. While not my personal favorite, it's ranked by many as his magnum opus. Starring James Stewart as a former San Francisco cop suffering from an intense fear of heights, he's hired to investigate the wife of an acquaintance who has been acting strangely. What follows is a twisting tale full of Hitchcock's trademark suspense and a boatload of intrigue. The movie is groundbreaking cinematically, and while some of its inventive shots might seem less impressive when viewed through a modern lens where creative camerawork is commonplace, upon release in 1958, audiences had never seen a movie quite like 'Vertigo.' Perhaps what makes this psychological thriller so special is that it offers so much more than just an uber-engaging mystery. Its exploration of grief is remarkably resonant, and James Stewart has never been better in the lead role. It's a quintessential cinematic classic. Watch "Vertigo" on Netflix now The second collaboration between James Stewart and Hitchcock (following 1948's often underrated 'Rope'), 'Rear Window' ranks as one of the director's most legendary movies, and set a blueprint for the mystery-thriller genre that is still being followed to this day. Stewart plays Jeff, a photojournalist confined to his humid apartment after breaking his leg during an assignment. With little to do other than watch the world go by from his front window, he soon becomes convinced his neighbor has committed an unspeakable act of murder. 'Rear Window' is remarkable for many reasons. Stewart is dependably excellent and is paired with the alluring Grace Kelly for extra impact. Plus, the flick is a masterclass in slowly ratcheting tension, and I also adore how it plays with perspective in some clever ways. After all, we only see what's happening from Jeff's limited vantage point. 'Rear Window' is one of the purest Hitchcock movies out there. The premise is simple in nature, and the setting is intentionally claustrophobic, but it holds your attention with ease and slowly builds to a thrilling finale, and one of my favorite endings in all of cinema. Watch "Rear Window" on Netflix now I have something of an irrational dislike of birds, and I blame Hitchcock for that. 1963's 'The Birds' is a creature feature that turns a swarm of birds into a terrifying hell horde. After watching, you might find yourself crossing to the other side of the road next time you see a group of pigeons on the sidewalk. Set in Bodega Bay, it sees the residents of the town terrorized by a flight of violent and aggressive birds, who want nothing more than to peck out the eyes of anybody they encounter. It's pretty skin-crawling, especially because the fear factor feels plausible. Starring Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy and Tippi Hedren, to complement the horror aspect, there's also a romance between two love birds (get it?), which adds an extra dimension to the movie, even if the main appeal is seeing these aggressive animals cause pure chaos. If there's one weakness, it's that 'The Birds' takes a little while to get airborne, with a protracted first act, but the solid character work ensures the movie never bores. You're well rewarded for sticking with it as it eventually transforms into a panic-inducing horror movie. Watch "The Birds" on Netflix now
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Tiffany & Co. Unveils Solar-Powered Rope Watch Inspired By Schlumberger
Tiffany & Co. 18-karat gold and diamond solar-powered Rope Watch. In a surprise move, Tiffany & Co. introduces a new chapter in its storied watch design legacy with the launch of the Rope watch -- equipped with cutting-edge solar-powered technology. Paying homage to Jean Schlumberger's iconic rope motif—first developed in the mid-20th century—this new jewelry watch deftly blends form and function. Offered in two versions and two sizes, the watches boast a forward-thinking sustainable power source while at the same time embracing heritage-inspired craftsmanship. Schlumberger, one of Tiffany's most celebrated designers, is revered for turning nature, textiles and art into opulent works of Rope-inspired wristwatch by Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co 1957-1970. wearable art. His Rope designs, in particular, drew inspiration from the braids, tassels, and cords of his childhood in Alsace, France, where his family ran a textile business. Schlumberger transformed these motifs into luxurious gold jewelry with rope-like outlines. Now, Tiffany & Co. extends the rope concept to its timepieces, but instead of mechanical or quartz movements, these watches are solar powered. The new movement is the result of a collaboration with Swiss movement company La Joux-Perret. The solar movement that powers the new Tiffany & Co. Rope watch is the result of a partnership with ... More La Joux Perret. Thanks to a semi-translucent dial, either in white mother of pearl or high-gloss black, the sunlight can reach the high-precision caliber – endowing the watch with the ability to run up to eight months on a full charge. Don't have time for a full charge, exposing the watch to sunlight for just two minutes will power the watch for 24 hours. Then, wear it outside in day light and you automatically garner more minutes and more power reserve. Design-wise, the all-new Rope watch offers sophisticated elegance. Available in 27mm and 33mm case sizes, the Rope watch is crafted in 18-karat yellow gold, with two concentric gold rope motifs – separated by a ring of round brilliant diamonds – comprising the bezel. Even the minute hand is subtly shaped in twisted gold, demonstrating Tiffany's meticulous approach to detail. The 27mm version of the new Rope watch with Tiffany & Co. Blue alligator strap. The case back features an engraved sun symbol and a single diamond as a nod to the solar-powered engine within. The watches are offered with either a classic black alligator strap (for the black dial version) or a Tiffany Blue® -- almost robin's egg hued – alligator strap for the white mother-of-pearl dial version. The 27mm watch is set with 38 diamonds weighing 0.52 carats and retails for $16,000, while the 22 mm version is set with 39 diamonds weighing 0.9 carats and retails for $22,000.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Misericordia': A Priest's Raging Erection Is the Comedy Moment of the Year
Forget 'be gay, do crimes.' The latest moviegoing French import says 'be gay, do sins.' Coming from provocateur Alain Guiraudie, Misericordia is a must-see comedic thriller that skewers small town life and features a scene destined to give viewers equal shock and button-pushing delight. In Misericordia, Félix Kysyl stars as Jérémie, a gay man who returns to his childhood village for the funeral of the town baker, his former boss. Reunited with the baker's family–including the baker's son Vincent, who Jérémie shared sexual experiences with–Jérémie decides to lay low in the town longer than intended. Jérémie's mere presence stirs all kinds of tension among this small circle, with more than a few secret sexual urges in the mix. All this leads to the coverup of a violent crime where Jérémie's only confidant is the local priest. As previously noted by The Daily Beast Obsessed's Nick Schager, 'Misericordia proves a novel spin on a familiar formula, its strange psychosexual undercurrents lending it a decidedly Hitchcockian mania.' But also peppered throughout Misericordia's nuances is an audacious and hilariously casual willingness to shock. Suffice it to say: much as it draws on films like Rope and Psycho, this ain't your parents' Hitchcock homage! Misericordia's, um, biggest provocation comes late in the film and it demands discussion, so spoilers ahead… So, about that priest. Even though it seems everyone in his hometown is at least a little bit hot for Jérémie, no one is more so than the town priest. Played with comic morbidity by Jacques Develay, this lust culminates in a third act fully nude scene where Develay's visible and voluminous erection comes to Jérémie's defense. Misericordia serves us an onscreen gay priest b---r. It's a moment (and film, really) to make the likes of John Waters proud. Guiraudie is a director proven to be unafraid of taboo or provocation. His films regularly feature bracingly frank depictions of sex, graphic nudity, and darker themes undercut with devilish wit. The most familiar to American audiences is his cult erotic thriller Stranger by the Lake, which centers on a young man who frequents a countryside cruising spot and falls for a potential serial killer. That film earned a reputation for its unsimulated sex scenes and near constant nudity, but still resonates for how Guiraudie captures eroticism tinged with terror and compulsion. Now, it isn't just this explicit moment where Misericordia finds joy in pushing envelopes, especially regarding gay sexuality. One scene in particular will draw hoots from underwear enthusiasts and daddy chasers alike. Misericordia is one to see with a crowd, or maybe just your most misanthropic gay friend. Guiraudie's perspective on sex is playful and winking, even in the film's darkest passages. The forest that serves as Jérémie's cruising ground is also the priest's favored spot for mushroom hunting–now there's a new gay euphemism for you. The film's tagline–'some confessions come with a body count'–is itself a double entendre: with some sexual tension present between Jérémie and just about every character that comes in his orbit, exactly how many of them has he had sex with, or might he? Misericordia's sensibility is itself subversive. The kinkiness that runs through Misericordia all underscores its central plot of a gay man returning to his traditional hometown. To Guiraudie, those are deeply straight and straightlaced places where sexual secrecy and violent aggression hide in plain sight, ever ready to spring to life. Queer lust is inherently dangerous in that environment, but all that straight society seriousness can be very silly. Jérémie also does bad things (and Kysyl's terrific performance smartly keeps Jérémie morally inscrutable), but from Guiraudie's queer vantage point, the social norms of clear right and wrong become murky. The film floats its most subversive idea through Develay: indifference to punishment for a crime occurring in a world so full of suffering that it renders that one crime insignificant. How much violence has been happening in that very community and with much worse consequences? And Guiraudie's subverting of those norms becomes deeply fun, particularly when presenting Develay in his altogether. Onscreen erections have been seen before, even on Netflix where Gaspar Noe's Love spawned TikTok reaction videos and Blonde drew ire. And explicit sex continues to be a taboo filmmakers attempt to break. Guiraudie goes there but does so with intention. The onscreen erection isn't just a pearl-clutching sight gag, but it's confronting several taboos at once–gay sex, religious norms, what we are and aren't allowed to depict onscreen, and from what type of bodies, to name a few–and makes mockery of each one. It's a b---r, but Guiraudie makes it a highly contextualized b---r.
