Aurelia Butler

More stories

  • 113 Shares41 Views

    in Movies

    In Zoe Saldaña, a Choreographer Finds His Dream Dancer

    The Academy Award-nominated actress discovers her inner dancer in “Emilia Pérez” with the help of the choreographer Damien Jalet.Zoe Saldaña is an actress, but buried inside her is a highly trained dancer. This has always been obvious to me; the film “Emilia Pérez” has made it clear to the world. Finally, Saldaña — a devoted ballet student through her childhood and teenage years — can be recognized for the force that she is: an extraordinary mover.All actors use their bodies, but Saldaña has long been on another plane. She doesn’t just interpret characters, she moves through them with such salient physicality that her body often has as much to say as the dialogue she speaks. Even in the TV series “Lioness,” in which she plays a fierce Central Intelligence Agency officer, her body guides her like a coiled spring — a taut, muscular vessel of strength and sensitivity.In Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” with choreography by Damien Jalet, Saldaña’s dancing is front and center. And it is a meaningful part of why her portrayal of Rita, a Mexican lawyer helping a cartel boss with gender confirmation surgery, earned an Academy Award nomination.Jalet should have been nominated, too, but there are no Oscars for choreography. Yet his contribution is immeasurable. The story of “Emilia Pérez” is unorthodox enough; even more unconventional is the way it unfolds through music and dance. The songs’ merit is questionable; they employ, at times, employ the worst kind of Broadway-musical talk-singing. But Jalet’s choreography — sometimes invisibly, sometimes clearly — grounds the film.In “Emilia Pérez,” dance is the pathway for Saldaña’s character to become more outspoken, more comfortable in her body.Shanna Besson/PAGE 114 — WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS — PATHÉ FILMS — FRANCE 2 CINÉMA 2024.Jalet has a partner in Saldaña whose speed and exactness in gestural vocabulary electrify scenes without falling into the sketchy territory of mime. In a film about physical transformation, dance is the pathway for Saldaña’s character to become more outspoken, more comfortable in her skin. And dance has accomplished another transformation for Saldaña, the actress, by opening eyes to her range and radiance. Her precision is stunning.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 88 Shares56 Views

    in Movies

    A Guide to the Documentary Oscar Nominees

    A quick guide to the nominated films and why you should watch them.Since the best documentary feature category was first established at the Oscars in 1942, the nominees have been like a snapshot of the year: wars and social concerns, heroes and headlines. This year is no exception. On paper, each of the five nominees look as if they’re ripped from the headlines, chosen for some metric like “urgency” or “timeliness.”But these are no ordinary documentaries. In the past decade, the Academy has gotten much better about nominating nonfiction films that stretch and push at their boundaries, challenging audiences in how they convey their subject matter. Most opt to confront world events through intensely personal stories, and all of them carefully show why their individual stories have far-reaching implications.So, as the 2025 Oscars are upon us, here’s a quick guide to the nominated films and why you should watch them.With “Black Box Diaries” (streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime), the director Shitori Ito takes a courageously personal approach to her biting critique of the handling of sexual assault cases in Japan. In 2017, Ito held a news conference to announce allegations that a prominent Japanese journalist had raped her. In the documentary, she chronicles the fallout of that accusation. The film is both intimate and enraging. As Manohla Dargis wrote in her review, it’s “a tense and tangled crime story, one in which Ito is at once the victim, lead investigator, dogged prosecutor and crusading reporter.”My colleagues and I have written about “No Other Land” (in select theaters) a lot during the past year. It’s probably the most acclaimed documentary of the year, centering on the lives of families who have witnessed their homes, in the occupied West Bank region of Masafer Yatta, be demolished over and over again. Despite its obviously timely story and a directorial team of two Palestinian and two Israeli filmmakers, it hasn’t been able to secure a distribution deal in the United States, which is why it isn’t available to stream here. If you can see it in a theater, don’t overlook how well it’s made, mixing home video archives, journalistic footage and conversations between the filmmakers to powerful effect.“Porcelain War” (in select theaters) has picked up a raft of awards from guilds and critics this season. It, too, looks through the lens of the personal to tell an urgent story — this one about the war in Ukraine. The film centers on Slava Leontyev, who directed the film with Brendan Bellomo, and who is a ceramist as well as a member of a Ukrainian special forces unit. Art and warfare blend in the film, which melds GoPro footage from the battlefield with looks at Leontyev’s work, finally landing on a hopeful note about the value of beauty in darkness.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 113 Shares79 Views

    in Movies

    The Search Warrant Affidavit in Gene Hackman Death Inquiry

    other image(s) documented on any media, photography and/or videography
    equipment, photography and/or videography accessories and/or devises apparently
    used to facilitate photography and/or videography.
    7. Clothing belonging or worn by Eugene “Gene” Allen Hackman or Betsy Arakawa.
    8. Photographs of the residence, including the interior and exterior.
    9. Latent and/or visible print(s), including but not limited to fingerprint(s) and
    footwear impression(s).
    10. Material(s) apparently used and/or intended for use in administering aid and/or
    assistance to injured people.
    11. Any weapon(s), tool(s) and/or instrument(s) capable of causing sharp force trauma
    to the human body. Document(s) that establish or tend to establish ownership,
    possession, use, transfer and/or the right to ownership, possession, use and/or
    transfer of the herein-described item(s), to be seized.
    12. Any weapon(s), tool(s) and/or instrument(s) capable of causing blunt force trauma
    to the human body. Document(s) that establish or tend to establish ownership,
    possession, use, transfer and/or the right to ownership, possession, use and/or
    transfer of the herein-described item(s), to be seized.
    13. Any item(s) and/or material(s) that have what appear to be impression(s), mark(s),
    and/or defect(s) on said item(s) and/or material(s).
    14. Any record documented in any media, which appears to be a password, personal
    identification number, item(s) and/or information used to access and/or facilitate
    access of said item(s), to be searched.
    15. Biological fluids, to include DNA, blood, or trace evidence.
    16. Telephones and/or cellular telephones.
    17. In order to ensure that a complete and thorough investigation, investigators may be required
    to examine the entire, above-mentioned premises, including, but not limited to, the
    examination of furniture, walls, plumbing equipment, or gas lines in or around the
    residence.
    AND THAT THE FACTS TENDING TO ESTABLISH THE FOREGOING GROUNDS
    FOR THE ISSUANCE OF A SEARCH WARRANT ARE AS FOLLOWS:
    Affiant, Detective Roy Arndt, is a full-time, certified peace officer in the State of New
    Mexico who has attended the Mexico Law Enforcement Academy. He is currently
    commissioned and salaried by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, where he serves as a
    Detective in the Criminal Investigations Division. Affiant has conducted numerous
    criminal investigations that led to the arrest and conviction of person(s) and currently has
    over 15 years of law enforcement experience.
    The facts set forth in this affidavit are based upon Affiant’s personal observations,
    training and experience, and information obtained from other law enforcement officers
    and civilian witnesses. This affidavit is made for the sole purpose of demonstrating
    probable cause for the issuance of the requested warrant and does not purport to set forth
    all Affiant’s knowledge of, or investigation into, this matter. All times depicted in this
    writing are approximate.
    STATEMENT OF FACTS KNOWN TO AFFIANT:
    At approximately 1:43 p.m. on Wednesday, February 26th, 2025, Santa Fe Regional Emergency
    Communications Center (RECC) received a call for service regarding a reporting party (RP)
    locating two (2) deceased individuals inside the residence of 1425 Old Sunset Trail, Santa Fe,
    New Mexico 87501.
    3 More

  • 150 Shares71 Views

    in Movies

    Scattered Pills Found Near Body of Gene Hackman’s Wife as Inquiry Continues

    The sheriff’s office in Santa Fe County, N.M., is investigating after the actor Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were found dead inside their home.The actor Gene Hackman was found dead in a mud room in his New Mexico home and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found dead on the floor of a bathroom on Wednesday, according to a search warrant affidavit. An open prescription bottle and scattered pills were discovered near her body on a counter in the bathroom.A dead German shepherd was found between 10 and 15 feet away from Ms. Arakawa in a closet of the bathroom, the affidavit said. There were no obvious signs of a gas leak in the home, it said, and the Fire Department did not find signs of a carbon monoxide leak. The maintenance workers who found them said they had not been in contact with the couple for two weeks.The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that “there were no apparent signs of foul play.”Autopsies on Mr. Hackman and Ms. Arakawa were performed on Thursday, the sheriff’s office said. There was no initial sign of external trauma to either of them. Carbon monoxide tests and toxicology tests were requested for both of them, it said, but the results were still pending and the causes of their deaths had not been determined.“This remains an open investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.Detective Roy Arndt wrote in the search warrant affidavit that Ms. Arakawa was found lying on her side on the bathroom floor with a space heater near her head, the affidavit said. The deputy who found her said he suspected that the heater could have fallen with Ms. Arakawa, the filing said.Ms. Arakawa’s body showed signs of decomposition, the affidavit said, as well as “mummification in both hands and feet.” The dead dog was found near her in a closet, and two other dogs were found alive on the property. Mr. Hackman’s body was then found, and showed signs of death “similar and consistent” with his wife’s body.Read the Search Warrant Affidavit in the Gene Hackman Death InquiryAn affidavit from a Santa Fe County detective described how deputies found the bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, on Wednesday.Read DocumentWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 88 Shares71 Views

    in Movies

    Gene Hackman’s Smile Could Give You Shivers

    In “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Unforgiven,” the actor used his charm to great disarming effect, flashing a smile before abruptly shifting to a sneer.When Clint Eastwood needed a performer who could persuasively go boot-toe to boot-toe with him in his brutal 1992 western “Unforgiven,” he needed an actor who was his towering equal onscreen. Eastwood needed a performer with strange charisma, one who could at once effortlessly draw the audience to his character and repulse it without skipping a beat. This actor didn’t need the audience’s love, and would never ask for it. He instead needed to go deep and dark, playing a villain of such depravity that he inspired the viewer’s own blood lust. Eastwood needed a legend who could send shivers up spines. He needed Gene Hackman.Hackman, whose death at 95 was announced on Thursday, was one of the defining actors of New Hollywood, that roughly decadelong, feverish period of artistic ferment that began with films like “Bonnie and Clyde,” Arthur Penn’s 1967 gangster drama. The era was famously defined by directors who helped rejuvenate the industry but was also known for male stars who didn’t conform to old studio ideals. With their unfixed noses and rough edges, these were men who once would have been largely confined to character roles. The glamorous-looking Warren Beatty played the male lead in “Bonnie and Clyde,” but it was Hackman’s striking supporting turn as Clyde’s brother, Buck, that heralded something new.Hackman holds your gaze the moment that Buck jumps out of a jalopy in “Bonnie and Clyde” into his brother’s arms; Buck is soon in Clyde’s gang, too. Buck is an outsized character, given to flailing and whooping, and Hackman delivers a suitably full-bodied, demonstrative performance that instantly gives you a sense of the character without once edging into scene stealing. His slight whine thickened with a deep-fried accent, Hackman also smiles a great deal as Buck, which humanizes the character so wholly that it lulls you into brief complacency, leaving you unprepared — almost — for the violence that rapidly engulfs him.Hackman, left, and Warren Beatty as thieving brothers in “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967). Screen Archives/Getty ImagesHackman’s smiles were one of his signature moves, and he used them to great disarming effect, deploying them to put other characters (and you) at ease before he abruptly shifted gears. It’s one reason he was such an effective villain. (His restraint as a surveillance expert in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 thriller, “The Conversation,” is one reason the film is so unnerving.) Hackman used smiles to charm and seduce, but also to obfuscate. Some actors let you see the rage boiling in their characters, the throbbing veins of hate. If you made a study of Hackman’s work, you might note that when one of his characters draws you to him with an upward curve of his mouth, something bad might happen soon. You would also divine that, thanks to his superb control, you could never predict when that false front would drop.There’s something sublimely fitting then in the fact that Hackman is dressed as Santa when he appears in his star-making role in William Friedkin’s “The French Connection,” the 1971 thriller that earned him a best actor Oscar. Hackman plays Popeye Doyle, a New York detective helping to bring down a heroin-smuggling outfit. Popeye is undercover in the opener, watching a suspect while ringing Santa’s bell and charming some kids with his patter, a smile peeping out from under his ill-fitting white beard. All of a sudden, Popeye and another cop (Roy Scheider) are chasing the suspect through the city’s derelict, litter-strewn streets. As soon as the detectives tackle the runaway in an empty lot, Popeye begins hitting the guy savagely. “I wanna bust him,” he says repeatedly, blood smeared on his Santa sleeve.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 100 Shares41 Views

    in Movies

    Gene Hackman, Hollywood’s Consummate Everyman, Dies at 95

    Gene Hackman, who never fit the mold of a Hollywood movie star but became one all the same, playing seemingly ordinary characters with deceptive subtlety, intensity and often charm in some of the most noted films of the 1970s and ’80s, has died, the authorities in New Mexico said on Thursday. He was 95.Mr. Hackman and his wife were found dead on Wednesday afternoon at the home in Santa Fe., N.M., where they had been living, according to a statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department. The cause of death was unclear and under investigation. Sheriff’s deputies found the bodies of Mr. Hackman; his wife, Betsy Arakawa; and a dog, according to the statement, which said that foul play was not suspected.Mr. Hackman was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two during a 40-year career in which he appeared in films seen and remembered by millions, among them “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The French Connection,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Mississippi Burning,” “Unforgiven,” “Superman,” “Hoosiers” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”The familiar characterization of Mr. Hackman was that he was Hollywood’s perfect Everyman. But perhaps that was too easy. His characters — convict, sheriff, Klansman, steelworker, spy, minister, war hero, grieving widower, submarine commander, basketball coach, president — defied pigeonholing, as did his shaded portrayals of them.Still, he did not deny that he had a regular-Joe image, nor did he mind it. He once joked that he looked like “your everyday mine worker.” And he did seem to have been born middle-aged: slightly balding, with strong but unremarkable features neither plain nor handsome, a tall man (6-foot-2) more likely to melt into a crowd than stand out in one.It was Mr. Hackman’s gift to be able to peel back the layers from characters who carried the weight of middle age.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 150 Shares54 Views

    in Music

    Katy Perry and Gayle King Are Among Blue Origin’s All-Female Space Crew

    They will be aboard the New Shepard, the centerpiece rocket of Blue Origin’s space tourism business, in a launch this spring.The singer and songwriter Katy Perry and the broadcast journalist and show host Gayle King will be among the all-female crew on the next mission of New Shepard, the space tourism rocket that is operated by Jeff Bezos’ private company, Blue Origin.Blue Origin announced the lineup on Thursday, ahead of a planned spaceflight this spring, though no specific date has been announced for the launch. It will also include Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer; Amanda Nguyen, a research scientist; Kerianne Flynn, a film producer; and Lauren Sánchez, who is Mr. Bezos’ fiancée and a helicopter pilot.The company has garnered attention for its flights by including celebrities or highlighting new milestones in spaceflight.The spring launch will be the 11th flight carrying passengers and the 31st mission overall for New Shepard. The suborbital rocket is named after Alan Shepard, the first American to reach space in 1961 and one of the astronauts who walked on the moon.Flights on the fully reusable vehicle last just over 10 minutes and take participants to an altitude higher than 62 miles. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station, by contrast, orbit about 250 miles above the Earth.Mr. Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the wealthiest men on the planet, was among the first passengers on New Shepard in 2021, the year of Blue Origin’s first crewed flight.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 113 Shares45 Views

    in Movies

    Oscars 2025: Print Your Ballot to Make Your Predictions

    The New York Times
    2025 Oscars Ballot
    Best Picture
    ☐ “Anora”
    “The Brutalist”
    ☐ “A Complete Unknown”
    ☐ “Conclave”
    “Dune: Part Two”
    ☐ “Emilia Pérez❞
    ☐ “I’m Still Here”
    ☐ “Nickel Boys”
    “The Substance”
    ☐ “Wicked”
    Best Director
    ☐ Jacques Audiard,
    “Emilia Pérez❞
    ☐ Sean Baker,
    “Anora”
    ☐ Brady Corbet,
    “The Brutalist”
    ☐ Coralie Fargeat,
    “The Substance”
    ☐ James Mangold,
    “A Complete Unknown”
    Best Actor
    Adrien Brody,
    “The Brutalist”
    Timothée Chalamet,
    “A Complete Unknown”
    ☐ Colman Domingo,
    “Sing Sing”
    ☐ Ralph Fiennes,
    “Conclave”
    ☐ Sebastian Stan,
    “The Apprentice”
    Best Actress
    ☐ Cynthia Erivo,
    “Wicked”
    ☐ Karla Sofía Gascón,
    “Emilia Pérez”
    Mikey Madison,
    “Anora”
    ☐ Demi Moore,
    “The Substance”
    ☐ Fernanda Torres,
    “I’m Still Here”
    Best Supporting Actor
    ☐ Yura Borisov,
    “Anora”
    ☐ Kieran Culkin,
    “A Real Pain”
    ☐ Edward Norton,
    “A Complete Unknown”
    ☐ Guy Pearce,
    “The Brutalist”
    Jeremy Strong,
    “The Apprentice”
    Best Supporting Actress
    ☐ Monica Barbaro,
    “A Complete Unknown”
    ☐ Ariana Grande,
    “Wicked”
    ☐ Felicity Jones,
    “The Brutalist”
    ☐ Isabella Rossellini,
    “Conclave”
    ☐ Zoe Saldaña,
    “Emilia Pérez❞
    Original Screenplay
    ☐ “Anora”
    “The Brutalist”
    ☐ “A Real Pain”
    ☐ “September 5”
    “The Substance”
    Adapted Screenplay
    “Conclave”
    ☐ “A Complete Unknown”
    “Emilia Pérez❞
    “Nickel Boys”
    “Sing Sing”
    Animated Feature
    ☐ “Flow”
    ☐ “Inside Out 2”
    “Memoir of a Snail”
    “Wallace & Gromit:
    Vengeance Most Fowl”
    “The Wild Robot”
    Production Design
    ☐ “The Brutalist”
    ☐ “Conclave”
    ☐ “Dune: Part Two”
    ☐ “Nosferatu”
    “Wicked”
    Costume Design
    ☐ “A Complete Unknown”
    ☐ “Conclave”
    ☐ “Gladiator II”
    “Nosferatu”
    “Wicked”
    Cinematography
    “The Brutalist”
    “Dune: Part Two”
    ☐ “Emilia Pérez❞
    ☐ “Maria”
    ☐ “Nosferatu”
    Editing
    ☐ “Anora”
    “The Brutalist”
    “Conclave”
    “Emilia Pérez”
    “Wicked”
    Makeup and Hairstyling
    “A Different Man”
    “Emilia Pérez”
    “Nosferatu”
    “The Substance”
    ☐ “Wicked”
    Sound
    ☐ “A Complete Unknown”
    “Dune: Part Two”
    “Emilia Pérez❞
    “Wicked”
    ☐ “The Wild Robot”
    Visual Effects
    “Alien: Romulus”
    “Better Man”
    “Dune: Part Two”
    “Kingdom of the
    Planet of the Apes”
    ☐ “Wicked”
    Original Score
    “The Brutalist”
    “Conclave”
    “Emilia Pérez❞
    “Wicked”
    “The Wild Robot”
    Original Song
    ☐ “El Mal”
    (“Emilia Pérez”)
    “The Journey”
    (“The Six Triple Eight”)
    “Like a Bird”
    (“Sing Sing”)
    “Mi Camino”
    (“Emilia Pérez”)
    “Never Too Late”
    (“Elton John: Never Too Late”)
    Documentary Feature
    “Black Box Diaries”
    ☐ “No Other Land”
    “Porcelain War”
    “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
    “Sugarcane”
    International Feature
    ☐ “I’m Still Here,” Brazil
    ☐ “The Girl With the
    Needle,” Denmark
    ☐ “Emilia Pérez,” France
    ☐ “The Seed of the
    Sacred Fig,” Germany
    ☐ “Flow,” Latvia
    Animated Short
    ☐ “Beautiful Men”
    “In the Shadow of the Cypress”
    “Magic Candies”
    “Wander to Wonder”
    ☐ “Yuck!”
    Documentary Short
    ☐ “Death by Numbers”
    “I Am Ready, Warden”
    “Incident”
    “Instruments of a
    Beating Heart”
    ☐ “The Only Girl in
    the Orchestra”
    Live-Action Short
    “A Lien”
    “Anuja”
    “I’m Not a Robot”
    “The Last Ranger”
    ☐ “The Man Who Could
    Not Remain Silent” More