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      The Best Dressed People in Hollywood Are Not the Actors

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      Cinephiles can’t seem to help obsessing over their favorite filmmakers’ personal style.Last month, while perusing a copy of the book “How Directors Dress” — a collection newly published by the entertainment company A24 — I came across a striking full-page photograph of the filmmaker David Cronenberg. It was taken at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where Cronenberg accented an otherwise-formal outfit with a pair of oversize wraparound sunglasses designed for mountaineering. These white-framed, gogglelike shades have since become a signature accessory for the director, who has worn them at Cannes so often that audiences there sometimes applaud when he puts them on. In late May, one video making the rounds on social media captured the moment when a standing ovation for Cronenberg’s latest film was briefly hijacked by cheers for the sunglasses.There are a few different ways to explain people’s fascination with Cronenberg’s choice. There is its sheer incongruence as a red-carpet look. There is the fact that Cronenberg, who does few interviews, has never explained it. And there is the fantastically meme-ready manner in which he puts the shades on: He tends to look as if he’s about to retreat in satisfaction from an argument he has handily won.The deeper appeal of the look, though, should be obvious to anyone familiar with the way online cinephiles post about famous directors and their clothes: David Lynch’s obsession with “a good pair of pants,” or Francis Ford Coppola’s “insane drip” in photographs taken during the filming of “Apocalypse Now,” or the charm of Wes Anderson’s enduring commitment to corduroy suits. That the people behind the camera needn’t be costumed, and aren’t meant to be seen, makes their self-presentation all the more interesting — and, we might suspect, more revealing. Our interest in Cronenberg’s shades is about identity as much as auteurism. It’s about the way dedication to a highly personal aesthetic — in fashion as in filmmaking — hints at an all-consuming vision that transcends both.The director David Cronenberg in his signature white sunglasses at the Cannes Film Festival in May.Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesOne of the earliest filmmakers to adopt this kind of sartorial persona was Alfred Hitchcock, whose fine suits amounted to a uniform — one that helped make him as recognizable to the public as his superstar actors and actresses were. “How Directors Dress” is replete with other examples. John Ford favored billowy slacks, open-collared dress shirts and neckerchiefs in place of neckties. (This last touch — shared by, among others, Peter Bogdanovich — now rivals the beret and Cecil B. DeMille’s jodhpurs as a deep-rooted cliché of how directors dress.) Jean-Luc Godard wore his suits like rumpled leisurewear, sometimes without a tie and often with dark sunglasses. As men’s wear grew less formal, Woody Allen would stake a claim on baggy khaki and corduroy as the uniform of a tweedy, tightly wound New Yorker. Spike Lee would craft a larger-than-life persona around Nike sneakers, basketball jerseys and baseball caps. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who directed more than 40 films before dying of a drug overdose at 37, cultivated a look as chaotic as his short, astonishingly busy life, dressing himself in everything from running shorts to leather jackets to leopard-print suits on his sets.Other directors adopt a uniform so utilitarian — picture Steven Spielberg’s bluejeans, trucker caps and many-pocketed camera vests — that they transcend practicality to the point of self-parody: The filmmaker winds up somewhere between a hiker and a safari guide, intrepid, ready for the challenges of any location, any set. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Quentin Tarantino, who tends to dress on theme, in everything from jeans and tropical shirts to track suits and Kangol hats. But however clichéd or iconoclastic the look may be, the fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto suggests in an afterword for “How Directors Dress” that filmmakers are never more attuned to their own sense of fashion than they are on a movie set, in the clothes they’ve chosen for the specific purpose of doing their work. “Each director has their own reason to wear something,” he writes. “While they’re making a film, they are in their natural setting: Their styling is natural.”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

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      Robert De Niro Doesn’t Mind Being Celebrated

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      Outside the Odeon in Lower Manhattan on Monday night, the bistro’s famed neon sign peeked above a tent shielding celebrities from onlookers trying to glimpse the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival’s 17th annual artists dinner.Selma Blair shared the spotlight with Scout, her service dog, who has been her companion since her 2018 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. The actor Blake Lively, who arrived late in Chanel, a sponsor of the night, was apologetic to the photographers for making them wait.“I would’ve bought you Shake Shack or something,” she called out to them as she posed.Selma Blair with her service dog, Scout.Rebecca Smeyne for The New York TimesLily Allen, the singer, and David Harbour, the actor.Rebecca Smeyne for The New York TimesRachel Antonoff, left, with Olivia Munn, the actor.Rebecca Smeyne for The New York TimesChloe Fineman, the actor.Rebecca Smeyne for The New York TimesAfter the step and repeat, more than a hundred actors, directors and artists filed inside the restaurant, a neighborhood mainstay since the 1980s known for its steak frites and celebrity regulars. That evening, the Odeon was even more star-studded than usual: For this year’s dinner, which honors artists who donated work to be given to winners at the film festival, Chanel had pulled in many of the famous names from its Rolodex, who are known to make appearances at their functions wearing the brand.They had also come out to help celebrate the festival’s co-founder, Robert De Niro, who turned 80 last year. “De Niro Con,” a series of screenings and talks, plus an immersive exhibit, starts on June 14.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

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      Watch Glen Powell and Adria Arjona Fight and Flirt in ‘Hit Man’

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      The director Richard Linklater narrates a pivotal sequence from his rom-com thriller.In “Anatomy of a Scene,” we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.The following includes spoilers for “Hit Man.”Actions speak louder, and more flirtatiously, than words in this key sequence from “Hit Man,” the rom-com thriller from Richard Linklater now streaming on Netflix.During the movie’s screenings at film festivals last year, this particular scene had audiences erupting with applause for the feat that it pulls off. It’s “kind of a performance within a performance within a performance,” Linklater says in his narration.At this point in the movie, the lead character, Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), is at a turning point. He has been working undercover with the New Orleans Police Department as a hit man named Ron. In that role, he developed a secret romantic relationship with a woman who initially tried to solicit Ron for his services. Her name is Madison (Adria Arjona) and she was going to hire Ron to kill her abrasive husband, but Ron talks her out of it.Madison’s husband later ends up dead, and the police think that Madison is the killer. One of the officers, Jasper (Austin Amelio) has seen Gary and Madison together in public and has suspicions about what’s going on with the two. He decides to put a wire on Gary and send him to talk with Madison in the hopes of creating an entrapment scenario. But to save Madison (and himself), Gary thinks fast and comes up with a way to warn Madison that they are under surveillance.He types out information to her through his Notes app on his phone and directs her through what to say, and not say, in their conversation, in an exchange that is both sexy and flirty, while also being a tense high-wire act.“It’s fun to see your hero, the guy you’re invested in, kind of figure his way out of a really sticky, tight situation that I don’t think any of us would be quick enough to find a way out of,” Linklater says.“It’s a dance, and it’s just fun to see them figure it out as they go.”Read the “Hit Man” review.Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter and get a roundup of reviews, news, Critics’ Picks and more. More

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      Amid Outcry, Academy Museum to Revise Exhibit on Hollywood’s Jewish Roots

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      When the museum first opened, it was criticized for omitting Hollywood’s Jewish pioneers. Now it is under fire for what its new exhibit says about them.When the popular Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened in 2021 with exhibits celebrating the diversity of the film industry, the museum was criticized for having largely omitted one group: the Jewish founders of Hollywood.Last month, the museum aimed to correct that oversight by opening a permanent new exhibition highlighting the formative role that Jewish immigrants like Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer played in creating the American film industry.But the new exhibition, which turns a sometimes critical eye on Hollywood’s founders, ignited an uproar. An open letter that a group called United Jewish Writers sent to the museum on Monday objected to the use of words including “tyrant,” “oppressive,” “womanizer” and “predator” in its wall text, called the exhibit “antisemitic” and described it as “the only section of the museum that vilifies those it purports to celebrate.”In response to the growing outcry, the Academy Museum said in a statement Monday that it had “heard the concerns from members of the Jewish community” and that it was “committed to making changes to the exhibition to address them.”“We will be implementing the first set of changes immediately — they will allow us to tell these important stories without using phrasing that may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes,” the museum said.The museum announced the changes just before receiving the open letter, which was signed by more than 300 Hollywood professionals. “While we acknowledge the value in confronting Hollywood’s problematic past, the despicable double standard of the Jewish Founders exhibit, blaming only the Jews for that problematic past, is unacceptable and, whether intentional or not, antisemitic,” said the letter. “We call on the Academy Museum to thoroughly redo this exhibit so that it celebrates the Jewish founders of Hollywood with the same respect and enthusiasm granted to those celebrated throughout the rest of the museum.”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

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      What’s on TV This Week: Celine Dion and the Stanley Cup Finals

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      The pop star does her first interview on NBC since her stiff person syndrome diagnosis. And the Oilers and the Panthers compete in the pro hockey championship.For those who still enjoy a cable subscription, here is a selection of cable and network TV shows, movies and specials that broadcast this week, June 10 — 16. Details and times are subject to change.MondayTHE STANLEY CUP FINALS GAME 2 8 p.m. on ABC. Hockey season is ending with a championship between not just two teams but two countries: the Edmonton Oilers (Canada) and the Florida Panthers (U.S.). The last time the Oilers won the silver cup was in 1990, three years before the Panthers’s team was even formed. The Panthers have never won the cup but were in the finals in last year. Either way, one of the teams will celly in the barn after a gino, eh?SIX SCHIZOPHRENIC BROTHERS 8 p.m. on Discovery. Based on the 2020 nonfiction book “Hidden Valley Road” by Robert Kolker, this documentary series follows the Galvin family, whose six of the 12 siblings developed schizophrenia. Over four episodes, this documentary details the family life, casting it as a case study of how the psychotic disorder runs in families.TuesdayFrom left, Caroline Brooks, Sara Al Madani and Saba Yussouf on “The Real Housewives of Dubai.”Yasmin Hussain/BravoTHE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DUBAI 8 p.m. on Bravo. The reality network’s first international iteration of the Housewives franchise is back for a second season. Taking place in Dubai, this series ups the stakes, and the drama, of course, with fights and parties taking place on private islands and private planes. With Nina Ali not returning for a second season, though, we won’t get to hear as many tales about the Burj Khalifa.CELINE’S STORY: AN NBC NEWS SPECIAL WITH HODA KOTB 10 p.m. on NBC. In a 2022 Instagram post, the Canadian singer revealed she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness, painful muscle spasms and slurred speech. Because of this, Dion canceled the rest of her 2023 tour and made her first post-diagnosis public appearance at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Now, she gives an in-depth interview, revealing she almost died amid this diagnostic process.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

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      ‘Bad Boys’ Ticket Buyers Toss Will Smith a Career Lifeline

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      Mr. Smith’s first wide-release film since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars two years ago arrived to a hefty $56 million at the North American box office.Moviegoers sent Will Smith a clear message over the weekend: We forgive you.“Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth entry in the Sony Pictures franchise — and Mr. Smith’s first wide release since he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in 2022 — arrived to roughly $56 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada, according to Sony. That No. 1 result was a career milestone for Mr. Smith: He now has 15 first-place debuts as a leading man on his résumé.“Ride or Die,” which returned Mr. Smith to one of his signature roles, cost an estimated $100 million to make, not including marketing. It received positive reviews, with many critics noting a comedic moment that seemed to refer to Mr. Smith’s behavior at the 2022 Oscars: Mr. Smith is slapped by his co-star, Martin Lawrence, and called a “bad boy.”Ticket buyers gave the R-rated “Ride or Die” an A-minus grade in CinemaScore exit polls. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score stood at 97 percent positive on Saturday.Prerelease surveys that track audience interest had indicated that “Ride or Die” would arrive to about $45 million in North American ticket sales. Sony was hoping for at least $30 million.Mr. Smith’s popularity, as measured by the Q Scores Company, plummeted after his behavior at the 2022 Oscars.Frank Masi/Columbia PicturesHollywood as a whole was unsure what to expect. For a variety of reasons — too few movies, movies that didn’t appeal to wide audiences, changing consumer habits — the summer box office has been in a deep freeze.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

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      The Animosity Tour and Other Promotional Movie Campaigns We Love

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      For Jennifer Lopez, Sterling K. Brown, Dakota Johnson and others, the standard publicity push isn’t so standard anymore.In the 1999 rom-com “Notting Hill,” the sheepish bookseller played by Hugh Grant goes to a hotel expecting a date with the megawatt star played by Julia Roberts. He is surprised to find he has arrived at a press junket and looks adorably flustered as he’s shuffled from room to room, pretending to be a reporter from Horse & Hound to interview the stars of her space movie.The sequence is a handy introduction to this strange custom of film publicity: actors sitting in sterile suites for a parade of brief interviews. But these days that almost seems quaint. The press tour has taken on a life of its own, with stars like Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya making news for the tour itself with quippy sound bites, inscrutable looks and fashion moments.It can be grueling for celebrities. Lupita Nyong’o recently described junkets as a “torture technique” in an interview with Glamour. But these cycles can be more entertaining than the movies themselves. Grant’s bookseller would be baffled to learn that you can categorize the tours as follows:The Animosity TourFlorence Pugh was pointedly not at the Venice Film Festival news conference for “Don’t Worry Darling” in 2022.Jacopo Raule/Getty ImagesThe promotion stops for nothing, not even cast members who appear to hate being in one another’s company. This seemed to be the case during the cycle for “Atlas,” Netflix’s new sci-fi flick starring Jennifer Lopez and Sterling K. Brown.During joint interviews, Brown seemed unable to help himself from making fun of Lopez. In one viral moment, he feigned surprise when she said she was Puerto Rican, before repeating her comfort meal of “rice and beans and like, you know, chicken” in overemphasized Spanish. In another moment, he jumped in and helped her out when her own Spanish failed her. After supplying the right word, he did a little dance. That clip prompted social-media users to wonder what J. Lo did to Brown. During these interactions Lopez looked perturbed, leaving plenty of room for observers to jump to conclusions.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