Tag: january 2018

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story | First impressions

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Coming after the second season after the highly praised first year, titled The People vs. OJ Simpson, American Crime Story back in 2016 became one of the best shows ever shown on TV. Created by Ryan Murphy, the series is produced in an anthology format, that is, each season ACS has a major crime that has caused shock to American society.

For these new episodes titled The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Murphy and his team assembled a well-known cast of Hollywood stars to tell a series of the events related to the death of the well-known stylist that happened in the 90’s. And the new season of ACS is based in the book  Vulgar Favors, written by journalist of the magazine Vanity Fair, Maureen Orth . Tom Rob Smith  (Hidden Crimes, 2015) writes the script for the first two episodes of the season, and we watched along with FOX Channel and we leave our first impressions here.

Known in the midst of fashion for his daring bets and of course for his parties at his Mansion, Gianni Versace was a well-known figure in Miami and the LGBT world. All this fame and notoriety attracted the attention of Andrew Cunanan , a serial killer who was already being chased by the FBI for the deaths of other people. And as previously announced, the plot already starts with the murder itself and The Murder of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story could not start in a more explosive way.

With a dazzling look and a really neat era characterization, ACS: Versace draws attention in its opening minutes for the glamor, the bright colors and the grandeur that Versace Mansion shows us. And of course the house represents well the figure of its owner and the image he wants to pass. And this is all the more accurate when the production manages to make a direct relation of how Cunanan lived and different from the life of his victim he had a much more modest.

As much as  Edgar Ramirez succeeds in representing a Versace, with his head in the clouds, floating and vibrating basically at a different pace than other people, the actor manages to create a character who basically knows that Miami is his feet. Ramirez set the tone for Versace, but who really steals the scene is Darren Criss,like Cunanan. The representation of the serial killer is magnetic, impressive and really charming as the psychopath. Coming from Glee (also from Murphy), Criss shows off his seduction skills and engages everyone in his network of lies and the moment that actor opens his mouth to speak, the viewer is captured by the great job of characterizing the actor who actually shows for what came.

Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace also manages to create a unique aura of the stylist’s sister and even with a loaded accent passes the feeling of loss, struggle but without such ferocity. When Cruz enters the scene, it seems that world stops and holds its breath to let the blonde character with her sunglasses dominate the environment. Ricky Martin, incredible as it may seem, is very much like Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s long-time partner, and his role has many more layers than we could imagine.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace shows in its first episodes that this new season will work much more on the issue of the psychology and motivations the events that united Gianni and Andrew on that quiet July morning in their tragic outcome. Darren Criss gives an engaging and powerful performance that promises to steal the scenes this season and in the next seasons of awards.

American Crime Story returns with full force to create a dramatic season and a more intense and detailed narrative. A great (and dangerous) adventure inside one of the most striking events of recent years and a series that can not be missed.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story | First impressions

American Crime Story | Primeiras impressões de The Assassination of Gianni Versace

(Google translate)

After the first season of American Crime Story won nine Emmys and two Golden Globes for Ryan Murphy,  the announcement of the second installment, titled The Assassination of Gianni Versace, came surrounded by the highest expectations. To the relief of fans, the first two chapters of the new phase of the anthology series are a good testament that the quality seen in the adaptation of the OJ Simpson trial will be maintained throughout the season, although significant narrative changes have been made. The plot, this time, follows the events that culminated in the death of fashion designer Gianni Versace by the hands of serial killer Andrew Cunanan in 1997 – the new episodes will debut on January 17th on FX .

There is a tone of grandeur throughout the first chapter: the scenes shot with drones inside the mansion where Gianni Versace actually lived, and where he was shot to death, conveys the feel of an established empire: the stylist is a king within his own Castle. There is luxury and priceless detail – Ryan Murphy was concerned with being faithful to the aesthetics of the second half of the 1990s, paying attention to points ranging from magazine covers to the period’s characteristic color palette. For those curious about the facts behind the production, the aerial scenes of the Versace mansion in Miami Beach show the property from every imaginable angle, highlighting the luxurious standard in which the stylist lived until the last days.

Early in the first two episodes, one thing becomes clear: Penelope Cruz is the best thing about The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. There was much anticipation about the work of the 2008 Oscar-winning actress by Vicky Cristina Barcelona in her first television performance. In the Murphy series, Cruz embodies Donatella Versace and the version created by the actress is as faithful as possible to what the world knows of the famous Italian stylist. In addition to the external adaptations such as makeup, hair and costumes – all impeccable – the most surprising is the body work and the strong, sometimes unintelligible accent employed in the scenes: Penélope Cruz speaks and walks like the most perfect copy of Donatella Versace.

The characterization work, in general, is exquisite. It is difficult to see Edgar Ramirez as the already tired Gianni Versace; Darren Criss physically resembles as much as possible the face of the young killer Andrew Cunanan. Even Ricky Martin’s version for Antonio D’Amico, Gianni’s longtime boyfriend, is convincing despite the huge aesthetic difference between the two. About the performances, the latter is more irregular. While Ramirez is handling the message, Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin sounds a little more apathetic than he should on some occasions that call for more energy. About Criss, the former Glee star has in his hands his most challenging role ever and seems to have everything in control: there are at least two moments in the two early chapters in which he dominates the scene, giving life to the disturbing psychopath.

To understand, of course, the reasons why the Versace family chose to try to reduce Murphy’s literary adaptation to a work of fiction – learn more – in all the interviews given on the subject: the first episodes already introduce some problematic dynamics within the family. It was never a secret, for example, that Donatella Versace and Antonio D’Amico had a troubled relationship and this, as was obviously expected, will be addressed by the series – the stylist has already said in an interview with the NY Times two years after the death of his brother who never liked D’Amico that she only respected him as Gianni’s boyfriend. Another point that the series touches throughout the season critically, in addition, of course, to homophobia, is the speculation of the death of a media icon: there are occasional criticisms of collective hysteria and the search to monetize situations such as of the base murder of the plot already in the initial episodes.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story begins with the impact the series deserves. The second season probably will not make as much noise of the first, but it is quite likely that it will come back to signs of major television awards – Penelope Cruz has great potential to be a Sarah Paulson of the time, which led Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for her performance in the first year of the series. There are considerable narrative differences that distance the first and second seasons, but instead of being harmful, they open new doors to attraction. In its second year, by all indications, American Crime Story will remain the icing on the cake of Ryan Murphy.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace will feature 10 episodes and premiere on January 17th on FX paid channel .

American Crime Story | Primeiras impressões de The Assassination of Gianni Versace