Quentin Tarantino doesn’t have a filter when it comes to discussing film, as his new his interview with American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis for the New York Times Style Magazine makes evident. Fittingly titled “The Gonzo Vision of Quentin Tarantino,” Ellis’ profile sees Tarantino wax poetically about American film critic Pauline Kael before going on to dissect the work of a few contemporaries: David Fincher’s films mentally linger with Tarantino, even if he doesn’t wholly like some of them; Tarantino thinks Judd Apatow is getting better despite a shrinking audience; and though Wes Anderson’s quirky aesthetic isn’t Tarantino’s “thing,” he still loved 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.
When the subject of Tarantino’s forthcoming Hateful Eight comes up, the discussion veers toward auteurism and budgets by way of Tarantino’s delineation between film and television: television is inherently plot-driven, whereas film tries to invoke mood and atmosphere through the spectacle of a bigger screen. Tarantino cites Ava DuVernay’s Selma as an example of a film worthy of an Emmy instead of an Oscar, for which she was snubbed despite many assuming she would be the first African-American woman nominated for a Best Director award.
In a recent interview with BET’s Chantal Potter, Whoopi Goldberg was asked about Viola Davis’ recent Emmy win for Best Leading Actress in a Drama as Annalise Keaton in How to Get Away With Murder, particularly the most frequently quoted line in her acceptance speech: “The only thing that separates women of color from anybody else is opportunity.”
As if she were in competition with Raven-Symoné for “The View Co-Host Saying The Darndest Things,” an obtuse Goldberg responded, “I’m not sure what it means… ‘Opportunity’ to do what?” before playing down her facetiousness and claiming that there are plenty of opportunities (citing Kerry Washington’s nomination two years ago for Scandal), but they aren’t getting recognized due to no-one voting for them at award ceremonies. If that is the case, what was Goldberg complaining about to Wes Anderson just a few months ago?
Speaking of award-season recognition, Entertainment Weekly has compiled a list of “25 Unforgettable Dresses From the Past 25 Years” that you, without looking, probably guessed included Bjork’s Marjan Pejoski-designed “Swan Dress” that she wore to the 2001 Academy Awards. Other selections include Lady Gaga’s infamous “Meat Dress,” designed by Franc Fernandez, that she wore to the 2010 Video Music Awards and J. Lo’s deep, deep V-neck from the 2000 Grammys.