Tagged: T-shirt

Top Gun: Maverick — CWU Flight Jacket and Jeans

Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly in Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

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Tom Cruise as CAPT Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, experienced U.S. Navy test pilot-turned-instructor

NAS North Island near San Diego, Fall 2019

Film: Top Gun: Maverick
Release Date: May 27, 2022
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Costume Designer: Marlene Stewart

Background

It’s been a minute, huh Mav?

To commemorate August 19 being National Aviation Day, today’s post celebrates one of the most famous fictional naval aviators in movie history.

Thirty-six years to the month after its predecessor flew into theaters, Top Gun: Maverick returned Tom Cruise to the flight deck as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a virtuoso Naval Aviator who still lives up to his nickname more than three decades since he was a swaggering but skilled lieutenant in the U.S. Navy’s prestigious “Top Gun” training program.

“Captain? Still?” he’s asked, prompting Maverick to clarify that he’s “a highly decorated Captain.” His insubordination repeatedly preventing promotion to flag officer like his pal and one-time rival Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer), CAPT Pete Mitchell is still “the fastest man alive”, now a Navy test pilot living in a hangar in the Mojave Desert, fighting the good fight for practical flight vs. the unmanned preferences of bureaucrats like RADM Chester Cain (Ed Harris), aka “The Drone Ranger”.

Despite Maverick falling out of favor among Navy brass, Iceman still looks out for his pal and—when Maverick is in danger of being grounded—has the distinguished aviator recalled to Top Gun at NAS North Island, where the stern, by-the-book commander VADM Beau “Cyclone” Simpson (Jon Hamm) briefs him on a dangerous mission, tasked to destroy an unsanctioned underground uranium enrichment plant… clarifying “we don’t want you to fly it, we want you to teach it.”

While at “Fightertown U.S.A.”, Maverick reconnects with former fling Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), who now runs The Hard Deck, a local bar frequented by fliers like the recent graduates that Maverick will be training for the mission. Among these aviators—played by a cast of rising stars like Monica Barbaro, Manny Jacinto, and Glen Powell—is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), son of Maverick’s late friend and RIO Goose, who resents Mav for having blocked his Naval Academy application. Over the course of the accelerated training, a mutual respect grows between the confident young lieutenants and the experienced veteran. Continue reading

The Bear: Carmy’s White T-Shirts and Checkered Jacket

Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto on The Bear

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Jeremy Allen White as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, award-winning chef-turned-sandwich shop owner

Chicago, Spring 2022 and 2023

Series: The Bear, Seasons 1-2
Creator: Christopher Storer
Costume Design: Courtney Wheeler; Cristina Spiridakis (pilot episode only)

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The Bear is not a cooking show, it’s a family drama set against a restaurant backdrop,” wrote Chef Daniel Patterson for Esquire. “It’s dark and disturbing. It asks questions, most compellingly about how we can break generational patterns and heal trauma through transformation. It wonders, as I do, if that is even possible in an environment as challenging as a restaurant. The show evades easy answers, even as the Internet rushes to supply them.”

After an excellent Emmy-nominated first season that debuted in 2022 and could have stood on its own as a complete story, the acclaimed Hulu series returned this summer with a superb second season. Like the best contemporary TV dramas (e.g., Breaking BadMad MenThe SopranosThe Wire), The Bear balances its poignancy with extremely funny moments, deriving comedy from both chaos and quieter moments. Ultimately, it centers around the importance of belonging and—whether our protagonist has time to discuss it or not—of purpose. Continue reading

Justified: The last time we saw Raylan Givens

Timothy Olyphant as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens on Justified (Episode 6.13: “The Promise)

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Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, old-fashioned Deputy U.S. Marshal

Miami to Lebec, California, Fall 2018

Series: Justified
Episode: “The Promise” (Episode 6.13)
Air Date: April 14, 2015
Director: Adam Arkin
Creator: Graham Yost
Costume Designer: Patia Prouty

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Raylan Givens is coming back to TV in just three days! The mini-series Justified: City Primeval will premiere on FX on Tuesday, July 18, with Timothy Olyphant reprising his extremely charismatic portrayal of the Deputy U.S. Marshal created by author Elmore Leonard.

I’m typically wary of revivals, reboots, and reunions, especially after a series finale as neatly wrapped as Justified, but I have faith in the team and the fact that it looks like the Detroit-set Justified: City Primeval will be focusing on an original story rather than revisiting the plot that had been so well-resolved in “The Promise”. Continue reading

Succession: Kendall’s Suede Tom Ford Jacket in Season 4

Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy on Succession (Episode 4.06: “Living+”)

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Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy, ambitious corporate climber and recovering addict

Los Angeles, Fall 2020

Series: Succession
Episodes:
– “The Munsters” (Episode 4.01, dir. Mark Mylod, aired 3/26/2023)
– “Living+” (Episode 4.06, dir. Lorene Scafaria, aired 4/30/2023)
Creator:
Jesse Armstrong
Costume Designer: Michelle Matland

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The first episode of Succession aired five years ago today on June 3, 2018. Now, less than a week after the fourth and final season concluded last Sunday, we finally have an answer to the question posited since the beginning about who would assume leadership of the Murdoch-inspired media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo after the death of its domineering founder, Logan Roy (Brian Cox).

Despite the ensemble cast that includes three—occasionally four—of Logan’s children vying for the role, @MarkHarrisNYC tweeted yesterday that “the series never forgot that its central four-season plot question was not ‘Who’s going to get it?’ but ‘Is Kendall going to get it or not?'” Continue reading

Succession: Roman’s Cardigan for Norway

Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy on Succession, Episode 4.05 (“Kill List”)

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Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy, newly ascended “CE-bro”

Møre og Romsdal, Norway, Fall 2020

Series: Succession
Episode: “Kill List” (Episode 4.05)
Air Date: April 23, 2023
Director: Andrij Parekh
Creator: Jesse Armstrong
Costume Designer: Michelle Matland

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

My favorite Succession looks are always when the Roy family and their hangers-on are out of the office—or, even better—far from the city, either dressed down in linens for a sunny day at sea or layered in knitwear and Barbours for the country.

Midway through the series’ fourth and final season, “Kill List” was an example of the latter, transporting the Waystar RoyCo corporate entourage to western Norway for tech giant GoJo’s corporate retreat, where they plan to land a deal with its insufferably erratic Elon-esque billionaire CEO, Lukas Mattson (Alexander Skarsgård).

The Scandinavian woods brought out plenty of great style, from Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) in his shearling-lined bomber and one of his trademark cashmere caps to Siobhan (Sarah Snook) rotating through a few neutral turtlenecks layered under sport jackets… not to forget her soon-to-be-ex-husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) channeling Steve McQueen in a similar sport jacket and turtleneck, albeit with sneakers so white they threaten to confuse the molly-addled Swedes among them.

Among many great performances, the episode belonged to Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy, who was already an exceedingly entertaining character but whose mourning through the latest season brought out an even greater depth in the character. Succession has chronicled Roman’s growth from an immature prankster to a more business-minded professional—albeit still not one above his occasional dick joke (or pic, with apologies to Gerri Kellman). His quest for his father’s approval—even posthumously—has shown Roman taking himself more seriously while still battling his own unresolved inner turmoil. Continue reading

Poker Face: Charlie’s Jacquard Cardigan

Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale on Poker Face, Episode 1.01: “Dead Man’s Hand”

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Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, casino cocktail waitress and human lie detector

Nevada, November 2021

Series: Poker Face
Episode: “Dead Man’s Hand” (Episode 1.01)
Air Date: January 26, 2023
Director: Rian Johnson
Creator: Rian Johnson
Costume Designer: Trayce Gigi Field

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Despite the mysteries that drive each episode, it was no mystery to me that Poker Face would immediately become one of my favorite new shows of 2023. As intended, this case-of-the-week series could softly be described as a modern update to Columbo, with its “howcatchem” structure (rather than the traditional murder-mystery “whodunit”) and a scrappy lead character with an uncanny ability to read people, here brought to life by the amazing Natasha Lyonne, who celebrates her 44th birthday today. Continue reading

The Departed: Jack Nicholson’s IRISH T-Shirt

Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello in The Departed (2006)

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Jack Nicholson as Francis “Frank” Costello, sadistic Irish-American mob boss

Boston, Spring 2007

Film: The Departed
Release Date: October 6, 2006
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Designer: Sandy Powell

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, BAMF Style readers!

After decades of cinematic focus on Italian-American culture and its proximity to the Mafia, Martin Scorsese turned his directorial lens onto the Irish mob in The Departed, the film which finally earned the director an Academy Award for Best Director after five previous nominations. Continue reading

No Time to Die: Retired Bond’s T-Shirt and Shorts in Jamaica

Daniel Craig as James Bond in No Time to Die (2021). Photo credit: Nicola Dove.

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Daniel Craig as James Bond, retired British secret agent

Jamaica to Cuba, Spring 2020

Film: No Time to Die
Release Date: September 30, 2021
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Costume Designer: Suttirat Anne Larlarb

Background

Happy birthday, Daniel Craig! Born March 2, 1968, the English actor celebrates his 55th birthday today. I had been debating how to sartorially celebrate Craig, especially considering his stylish reprisal of detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, but my upcoming Jamaican honeymoon encouraged a return to his style in No Time to Die as a now-retired James Bond, living a life of comfortable solitude in Jamaica.

Bond fans are well-aware of the significance of Jamaica to the 007 series: it was at his Goldeneye estate on Oracabessa Bay where Ian Fleming wrote the first novel (Casino Royale) in 1952, most of the first movie (Dr. No) was set and filmed in Jamaica, and Roger Moore’s first Bond film (Live and Let Die) was also filmed extensively in Jamaica. There’s very much a “where it all began” association between Bond and this scenic Caribbean nation, making it all the more appropriate that No Time to Die establishes it the setting for Bond’s retirement, specifically a secluded home on Jamaica’s northeastern coast near Port Antonio. Continue reading

Noah Segan in Blood Relatives

Noah Segan in Blood Relatives (2022)

Vitals

Noah Segan as Francis, classical music-loving vampire

Across the Great Plains and Southwest, Summer 2022

Film: Blood Relatives
Release Date: November 22, 2022
Director: Noah Segan
Costume Designer: Michael Bevins

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Sometimes I read a description of or watch a trailer for a movie and think that it had to have been written specifically for me. A recent example of this phenomenon is Blood Relatives, Noah Segan’s directorial debut that premiered on Shudder four months ago, following a leather-jacketed Jewish vampire on a Paper Moon-style road trip in a classic muscle car through the neon-lit small towns of the Midwest and Central Great Plains while unpacking generational trauma with his daughter.

Needless to say, I loved the movie and urge all fellow fans to vote for it as Best First Feature for the 2023 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards, which ends on Monday, February 27. Continue reading

Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise

Ethan Hawke as Jesse in Before Sunrise (1995)

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Ethan Hawke as Jesse Wallace, itinerant American

Vienna, June 16-17, 1994

Film: Before Sunrise
Release Date: January 27, 1995
Director: Richard Linklater
Costume Designer: Florentina Welley

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Happy Valentine’s Day! While I’ve occasionally used this holiday to feature style from movies depicting gangland violence (think Jimmy Hoffa’s February 14th birthday or the 1967 movie The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre about the real-life 1929 event), this marks my first Valentine’s Day as a married man, so I’m feeling romantic and thus wanted to write about one of my favorite romance-themed movies: Before Sunrise.

For his fourth feature film, director Richard Linklater took inspiration from his chance meeting with a woman in a Philadelphia toy shop that led to the two walking through the city and conversing well into the night. Linklater collaborated with Kim Krizan on a screenplay that would focus heavily on dialogue between a man and a woman who had just met, with their conversations realistically balanced between casual and deep as they get to know each other… and learn more about themselves in the process. Continue reading