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Two best things about October, 1) the World Series, and 2) Halloween.

There are lots of baseball movies, and I love them all from “Major League,” “A League of Their Own” (I worked on that film as an extras casting asst. while I was in film school), and “Eight Men Out.”  But stylistically, “The Natural,” stands out.  Directed by Barry Levinson in 1984, it does a terrific job of elevating ballplayers and baseball to mythic proportions.  Robert Redford still doing the leading man thing, and doing it well, Kim Basinger as the dangerous moll, and Glenn Close, the sweet-looking home town girl.

Redford gives Brad Pitt a run for his money.

Her sunlit hat is a beacon of Roy's past perfection, and the promises of his youth.

Dracula.  What is it about this character that continues to fascinate and inspire?  The latest iteration being the “Twilight” series.  In 1992, Francis Ford Coppola, no less tackled the adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” with mixed results.  One image I still remember is Lucy’s wedding gown.

Eiko Ishioka was the Costume Designer, but professionally, she’s done it all.  She was one of the best graphic designers in Japan, she won a Grammy for a Miles Davis album cover.  She was promoted to Creative Director at the top ad agency in the 1970’s when there weren’t many women in that position.  She then turned to production and costume design.  In 1988, she won a Tony for Best Scenic Design and Best Costume Design for “M. Butterfly.”  Her latest work is in the new Broadway “Spiderman.”

She’s known for her avantgarde/sensual designs, which made her a perfect match for “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”  She won the Oscar that year for her showstopping work.

From the back, Lucy played by Sadie Frost.

This collar was so over-the-top and unexpected. I remembering hearing gasps from the audience. In a funny way, it also foreshadows Lucy's beheading, by making her head seem detatched from her body.

Macabre but beautiful glass coffin.

Undead Lucy looks like a frightful angel with the winged headdress and dressed in white lace.

Eiko is so amazing I think I’ll have to devote a whole post to her.