RIP Tony Curtis

At 85, Tony Curtis has passed away peacefully. Probably his most famous role was as Joe/Josephine in Some Like it Hot (1959) with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon. A Billy Wilder film, Monroe famously was late everyday and Curtis described kissing her as 'like kissing Hitler'.

He was nominated as best actor for his role in The Defiant Ones (1958), a role which he chased in order to break out of the pretty boy typecast mould. In Spartacus (1960), Curtis as Antoninus is the first one to answer 'I'm Spartacus' before the rest of the slaves do in the scene that spawned a 1000 comedy pub moments.

It does feel as if he is one of the last Hollywood legends to die, although Robert Vaughan is still around. In fact both Curtis and Vaughan found TV fame during a period of the Hollywood wilderness years in the early 1970s. Curtis with Roger Moore in The Persuaders and Vaughan in The Protectors.

Both TV programmes left an imprint on the audiences with John Barry's theme music for The Persuaders and the Tony Christie Avenues and Alleyways song of The Protectors

Well Tony thanks for the memories!

SATC2 - the romp fest

Yes all the best film critics have panned SATC2 but in general they are all men. In fact the whole movie business is male dominated. But that is another subject. So why don't they like SATC2. Well it falls outside the whole cinematographic, narration, plot and moralistic vanguard of Hollywood.
I don't think for one minute it is a good film in the sense of narrative, character development, cinematography, script or can hold a candle to my top ten but....films aren't always about Oscars and guess what they aren't always about men.

What does SATC2 deliver? Firstly you know as a women it will include fashion, friends and probably some fun. It is a female film regardless of the merits of dialogue, story etc. The main characters are women, the conversations are similar and familiar even if the setting isn't. And yes the whole Islamic thing maybe a bit trite but at least they've been inclusive and attempted to tackle it. I did find the Carrie conversation with her personal butler the most endearing element. Take away the slightly romanticised version and the reality is that men and women all over the world are separated from the white middle class view of family due to poverty. At least SATC2 didn't say working in call centre is good and dealing drugs is bad a la poverty porn Slumdog Millionaire.

I went as a cynic to the cinema and got a very entertaining evening. I had a wonderful visionary feast of costume, furniture and jewellery. I laughed, it was easy to watch and well blimey Aiden and Mr Big!

I felt I was transported to another era - when melodrama and comedy were made to entice women to the cinema. When people got dressed up to go out to see a film rather than slapping on their ugg boots. I wore a maxi skirt, my Top Gun t-shirt and lovely sandals. It is not often that you get to see older women dressed up to the nines on screen and making fun of the menopause. In fact talking a lot about the menopause. Kim Cattrall was brilliant.

Sometimes film is an experience wider than the screening and despite my reservations of the merits of this franchise, I'm firmly thinking keep annoying the critics and keep giving us some fun and frolics.

Proper Street Graffiti

Football and Fashion

In my view there has never been a really good fashion film nor one on football. Pret a Porter horrified the fashion industry despite insider collaboration and Escape to Victory (which is going to be remade!) is probably the only film with a footballing element anyone really remembers. I vaguely recollect the Sean Bean one When Saturday comes (1996).

It appears that documentaries fair better, think The September Issue. What would I give to create a football documentary of the note of the former. My stars would have to be Jose Mourinho, currently the Inter Milan coach and Josep Guardiola the Barcelona coach. not only would I get to travel to two of my favourite cities but I would be examining the phenomena of the real men who set fashion standards.

Jose Mourinho

Josep Guardiola

Ah rejection!

This post is one where I admit to being rejected from the emerging film maker's tent for Cannes this year. It was looking good to start with, but my short film was culled for the final selection.

Which prompts me to consider and discuss the merits of always spending time and money on attempting to be shown, rather than moving onto the next project.

I'm thinking I need to move on and work on getting my current project off the ground even though I didn't receive any funding for the script development from the UK Film Council. Ouch!

What do you do in these situations?

At Last!

A big yah! to Kathryn Bigelow for becoming the first female director to win the Oscar for Best Director. Only 5 women have ever been nominated and she won!

There is hope for me - my first name is Katherine and my surname is Battrick , KB, same initials - you never know...

Dress Up still number 4

Dress Up still number 3

MA_STERS show

The London College of Fashion is all about the future. It continues to encourage students to push boundaries and more importantly engage within society and influence. This week the MA_STERS exhibition is dedicated to Photography and Digital Fashion. The work is displayed at the Mall gallery on the Mall. There is also a wonderful digital display created for LCF by kin-design.

The display is made up of names, photos and mini videos on the MA students work. I was particularly egotistical and captured on my blackberry a picture of my name and myself on the screen. Sad but true, but the results waiting game is stressful, I need to remind myself of the good times!

The digital screen is well worth looking at even if you don't select me on the screen!

In 8 days time...

'Dress Up' will premier at the London College of Fashion.
This is a short film, written, produced and directed by Kate Battrick (moi).
Over the next week in the build up to this event I will post some stills from the shoot. Not all stills made the final cut.

Oscar nominations for costume design

Often overlooked and nearly always awarded to a period piece, my bet is on Young Victoria although I think Catherine Leterrier deserves it for Coco Avant Chanel because the costume didn't detract from the narrative and it added to the story telling.

The nominations are JANET PATTERSON for Bright Star; CATHERINE LETERRIER for Coco Before Chanel (the English title is listed); MONIQUE PRUDHOMME for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; COLLEEN ATWOOD for Nine, and finally SANDY POWELL for The Young Victoria.

A golden oldie

I'm not one for the endless red carpet parade but it does cheer me to see Sophia Loren appearing at the Golden Globes.

image: the Daily Telegraph