On the surface The September Issue is a journey through the construction and production of their most important issue of the year; going from clothing selections, image concepts, and photoshoots, along with the inate struggles of putting together the fashion bible.
At the helm of this boat, is Anna Wintour, the magazine's Editor-in-Chief, whose vision is laid out on the glossy magazine pages. Anything that fails to meet her standard is slashed and started anew, everyday going against to clock to have it done in time for release. The woman who holds the most power within the fashion world, who if judge, jury and executioner for anyone working in fashion.
However, the documentary is much more than the creation of a single issue, it's a profile on the two women who make American Vogue the most prolific fashion magazine in the world: Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and Creative Director Grace Coddington. The two women are intertwined within the pages of high fashion.
Throughout the process, Anna and Grace are constantly at odds, each pulling at the fashion pages trying to mold the magazine in their creative image. Grace pushing to add in artistic beauty, photo spreads that tell stories rather than just showcase garments. On the flip side, Anna pulls the magazine to be a cultural icon, putting celebraties on the cover and using subdued intimidation mixed with a icy posture to get what she wants. The film's most intriguing moments are the silent stares and cut words that are really battles between Grace and Anna that speak of a long history bewteen the two women, almost rivals to win the heart and pages of Vogue.
Though that is not to say that Anna is the villain of this story, rather she is the head of the magazine. She navigates the business of fashion to place American Vogue at the helm of fashion, making the magazine (and herself) the single most important opinion in the fashion community, where both designers/fashion houses and buyers/retailers pray and give offerings to the House of Wintout, vying for her favor and approval. This god-like status has been dutifully earned by Wintour's vision of what Vogue could be, her unrelenting attention to detail and constant editing to create a better magazine, along with her business savy, making her a consultant and bridge for designers, consumers and retailers.
On the flipside, Grace is the heart of the magazine. It is her artistic vision that dominates the glossy pages. Former model turned fashion editor, Coddington is unphased by the glitz and glamour of fashion, her singular focus is the art in the stitched textiles and the stories she creates through the images. For Grace the world is her inspiration and the magazine's pages her blank canvases; through each new photoshoot she, via the photographers, garments and models, creates not only images but also stories and art worthy of sharing space with the masters. For this particular September issue, all photo spreads, except for one, are Grace's. Turning garments and fashion into art is all Grace Coddington.
Anna and Grace are the balance that makes American Vogue the leading voice and biggest influence in fashion. While Grace is open, creative and comforting, Anna is restraint, hidding behind glasses or her 60s hair, constantly on edge exerting power. To add to their relationship, it is revealed that Anna and Grace started the same day at the magazine, their careers sharing a starting point and forever interwined. Even their clothing reveal so much contrast bewteen the two: while Grace dresses for comfort, usually sporting muted tones and dark colors, walking in flats or sandals, focusing attention away from her looks and into her work, cause what really warrants attention is her work, Anna is dressed to the toe in designer clothing, full of color and vibrance, constantly attracting attention to her image, and image that projects confidence and power, like a warrior going to battle and intimidating the enemy at first sight. For Anna fashion is her amour and her shield, so you can never get to close to the ice queen. For Grace, fashion is a vehicle for artistic expression, for sharing her inspiration and a place of comfort, she is an open book.
Interestingly, the only time we see a softer Anna is when she is in the company of her daughter, who is a constant companion in Anna's journey within Vogue; her daughter accompanies her to events, she asks for (and values) her opinions on the magazine and is supported by her in her work. The only soft spot for Anna Wintour is her family.
Even the music is a juxtaposition of the two women: on one side you have upbeat, electronic music as a background for runway shows, fashion offices and designer meeting (the world Anna dominates), while on the other you have instrumental pieces that bring longing and melancholy, a serenity and peace as if you are at a gallery taking in the amazing strokes and colors of the canvas (this is world of Grace, the world of art).
Overall, The September issues stars as a behind the scenes looks at the fashion magazine, but ends up as a profile on the two women who make Vogue iconic.
Previously, I wrote a short, but positive review at the end of Season 1, stating how excited I was for Season 2.
I absolutely despise when great shows are cancelled. However, in this instance I truly wish it had been cancelled after Season 1. At least we would have been left with a positive memory and with our imaginations running wild.
It’s difficult to review Season 2, without giving anything away, therefore I will try and keep my words brief…
WTF! The last episode was an absolute joke and a huge cop out. Who on earth came up with it? Someone very lazy or maybe with an axe to grind? I was literally spitting feathers. There were many amazing possibilities to explain the show to date.
Maybe they were told unexpectedly towards the end of Season 2 it was to be cancelled and they had to come up with something very quickly?
In honesty, I did find Season 2 a tad boring even before reaching the worst ever final episode in history. I felt the show wasn’t progressing , even a tad repetitive. But, I wasn’t put off, due to many shows having their boring episodes.
Wrapping things up; I really don’t feel like wasting anymore of my time, especially given the horrendous ending…PLEASE DO NOT WATCH SEASON 2. You will be sorely disappointed and in danger of being furious.
It made me remember an American TV Show from the 80’s I think, who pulled the same stunt. The media had a field day, with nothing nice to say. If I state the name of this well known show, I imagine you’ll guess what fate awaits you, in the final episode. But, my lips are sealed.
Do you dare watch? Or finish on Season 1, with your happiness intact?
Good luck :)
PS. Not related to the show, but thought I’d point out I’m Dyslexic. Please forgive any mistakes I make. I do check my rants before clicking submit, but alas I still miss too many blunders.
The difficulty in watching classics is to judge them fairly in the time they were released.
The positive side is, while I have limited knowledge of 1980s animation, it is not too hard to see how the Akira excels in the animation quality, even today, particularly in the very first sequences with Kaneda's Capsule gang driving though the city night lights, and the climax with Tetsuo's blowing up to a gigantic mass and the extradimensional inflection with the ESPs.
The excellent animation is used masterfully for conveying the atmospheric world-building: the sky-high lives of Neo Tokyo with a drab scummy lives of its citizens, brutal police forces, and economic insecurities painting the world bleak. Perhaps the strongest aspect of this film that I wished they could've took us a walk a little bit further like the politician Nezu took us in a stroll around the city. And like Blade Runner, watching through the film I recognised how the plot points and the themes raised in this film would later be used very familiarly in many other science-fiction films, thus setting up the cyberpunk genre in the years to come.
However, speaking of plot and story, I would say that perhaps writing is not the aspect this film shines on. Characters leave much to be desired. They feel like devices for the plot to move forward, even with our main characters Kaneda and Tetsuo, and even the McGuffin Akira.
While I appreciate the film doesn't blurt out everything and treat the audience as smart, some genuine questionable plot points left me wondering: why did the ESPs lure a certain character? What was really the reason of the rebellion? What's the point of the last sequences with politician Nezu and the opposition Ryu? The film seems to save some points for a future setups (that seem to be never realized) and the awkward fade to blacks between scenes and unexplained sequences made me feel like I'm missing out something and have to check Wikipedia - something that I realize later that I have to find out in the source material (manga).
As the credit rolled, my mind wander, not unlike Tetsuo's, the possibility of remake (even a live action one) that could amplify the excellence of this film and connect the half-painted tods. That being said, Akira is still a masterful cornerstone of science fiction/cyberpunk material that deserves at least a watch in a lifetime.
I think this is my favorite animated show of the decade ! I have never really been a League of Legends player, I started playing when Jinx was released, played a few and then stopped. When I saw they did a show about LoL, I thought that I wouldn't really be into it because I wasn't in the game, but I was soo wrong.. Whether it is for the story, the animation or even the music, every single second of it is a masterpiece. I don't even have the words to describe how I feel, the strong impression it left me, I can't stop thinking about it. All the characters have a lot of subtilities and depth, you can understand they past stories and their choices, even a second plan character can make you feel interests, empathy. The universe they created is complex and you want to know more about it. I know I said it before but the animation is really flawless. I am so thankful for the huge work the Fortiche studio made, in the writing, animation, sound, everything ! (also I'm a little bit proud because it's a French studio haha, so happy that they created something like that).
I think my favorite part in this show is when Jinx is creating Hex tech in her lab while listening to her own theme music that was released at the beginning of the creation of the character in the game hahaha, with Silco's reacting as a real father, it was funny, loved it ! You can feel the evolution of your beliefs about the character, when the music was released I was like "oh my God she's so crazy and don't give a f about anything, she's so funny I love her!" and after finishing Arcane it hit me different, I though "wow... that's sad, I would like to help her".
Anyway, best show of the year year and more, even if you don't like animated stuff, video games or I don't know, WATCH ARCANE, you can't imagine what you're missing.. It's unique :sparkling_heart:
I was somewhat shocked when I started to turn this in and saw the netflix logo - I disliked many of their original productions. Luckily, this wasn't one of them (plus just the licensing got bought it seems)!
Anyway, this is an anime about scammers doing genius jobs, and the anime is divided into multi-episodes cases, that are mostly disconnected with each other. You can think Detective Conan/Case Closed or Black Lagoon.
I think it gets quite a lot of things right: The animation of scenes or talks aren't too long nor too short, the cases in themselves are pretty exciting, just like the animes above, and you really wonder how they are going to pull it off - especially when things don't go their way!
While it is M-rated, it is not really bloody much, but does feature adult themes like drug trafficking.
Fun fact: Given some comments of him, it seems that Laurent is sexually playful or indeed bisexual.
Be like: Catch me if you can (Live-action), Dr. Stone (planning in advance of actions), Ocean's insert-number (live-action, not watched, but I should have gotten the idea about it), Detective Conan/Case Closed (from the opposing side, so maybe
Rating: 10/10
Wonderful Finale for a great series. I cried. A lot. A LOT.
The perfect ending. :)
What can you say about the farewell of a show that has meant so much to so many people?It is the kind of event that you can only judge to some extent because at a certain point the "love letter to the fans" that Craig Daniels wrote draws you in emotionally and you end up loving it. I guess I deserve to give this show the best tribute I can. Let me start here, I am a big fan, and all my life I have been bullied and never had very many friends. The last few years have been especially tough for me and I have struggled with very intense things that have led to some very serious actions, to say the least. I have grown up with these characters as part of my life and throughout my life they have served as friends when I had no other ones. The last few years these characters have been there for me and seeing them grow has helped me grow. A show that means so much to me had to finish perfectly or it all would be ruined. I sat down already teary eyed knowing that they would be gone from my life in an hour. The episode delivered great laughs, but it delivered a lot more. The episode delivered very intimate moments that were much needed. Plot lines that begun throughout the show came to a good conclusion and old stars returned with perfect timing. It was a sweet, beautiful, amazing, perfect love letter from the amazing cast to all of it's fans. I must admit that I was in tears seeing how much the characters had grown since we first visited this little town of Scranton Pennsylvania. The story line of the friendship between Dwight and Jim is particularly heart- warming. Every character ended up just where they should have and the final shot was perfection. "Sometimes goodbyes are a *****" but this perfect love letter softened the blow. The show will be missed, but it did end perfectly.
This episode received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. Greg Daniels was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Ben Patrick, John W. Cook, and Rob Carr were nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation. David Rogers and Claire Scanlon won for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, marking the fifth win for The Office at the Emmys overall and the series' first win since 2009.Rogers and Scanlon also won an ACE Eddie award for Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television.
