Costume Designers Guild nominees!

EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM
Black Swan – Amy Westcott
Burlesque – Michael Kaplan
Inception – Jeffrey Kurland
The Social Network – Jacqueline West
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – Ellen Mirojnick

EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD FILM
The Fighter – Mark Bridges
The King’s Speech – Jenny Beavan
True Grit – Mary Zophres

EXCELLENCE IN FANTASY FILM
Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood
The Tempest – Sandy Powell
TRON: Legacy – Michael Wilkinson & Christine Bieselin Clark

I'm most chagrined to see Julie Weiss' wonderful costuming of Get Low completely ignored. If it couldn't score here, maybe I should let it go from my predictions. But that begs the question: Why only three nominees for period? Did they really not consider entries like Get Low and The Wolfman (among the year's best imo) good enough to bump the nominee count up to five?

Anyway, it looks like Alice in Wonderland, The King's Speech, The Tempest, and True Grit are leading the way, but who to put in that fifth Oscar slot? Might we finally have the first contemporary costume nominee since The Devil Wears Prada? If so, I'm cheering for Black Swan all the way!

Meanwhile, that Fantasy category is a sad state of affairs. Not only are the three nominees pretty lowsy movies (which is beside the point, anyway), but I didn't even find the costumes in them that good. Jany Temime's work in this year's Harry Potter is much more deserving if you ask me.

My Award nominations: Supporting Actress

BARBRA HERSHEY in Black Swan:
Mila Kunis may be getting more awards attention for her sexy confidence that triggers Nina's jealousy, but Barbra Hershey's performance as her over-protective mother lends us much more insight into Nina's psychological repression, and it fits perfectly with the film's creepy tone. Her arc from commanding to helpless is expertly realized.

LESLEY MANVILLE in Another Year:
Believe the hype. Manville's performance is possibly the best of the year in any category. It's a wonder to behold her as her witty disposition gradually fades over the course of the film into eventual resignation, culminating in a ruinous final cadence that feels so heartbreaking because the character feels so real. A masterstroke of acting.

ROONEY MARA in The Social Network:
I know, I know, she's probably got less than five minutes of screen time, but she makes the most of it. Her couple of scenes are enough to convince us of her character's insight, and in one aching reaction shot (pictured left) she hits home one of the film's cautionary messages about the Internet; it's capacity to hurt.

SISSY SPACEK in Get Low:
While it's Duvall's show in which to shine, Sissy Spacek provides a real warmth when the film needs it, as well as real heartbreak. What she conveys to us is that offering forgiveness can be as hard as asking for it. It's a graceful performance that never oversteps its bounds but leaves a fond, lasting impression.

OLIVIA WILLIAMS in The Ghost Writer:
As the icy love-starved wife of an ex British PM who she's adored and envied with equal measure all her married life, Olivia Williams sews a complex character out seemingly unconnected threads until the big reveal of the spider's web at the end. It's a subtle, intriguing, and memorably witchy performance.

Just missed: Amy Adams in The Fighter, Marion Cotillard in Inception,
Kierston Wareing in Fish Tank

My Award nominations: Costume Design

It's that time of year again. Time to think back on the dozens of films seen in 2010 and decide upon the best of the best in all the usual categories. As it was last year, I'll be announcing my nominees for my awards one day at a time, leading up to the 24th (the eve of the Oscar nominations) when my winners will be announced.

Today's category is Costume Design, and there was plenty to choose from in 2010:

Black Swan (Amy Westcott,
Kate Mulleavy, Laura Mulleavy):
Nina Sayres' girlish soft pinks and whites give way to greys and blacks as the Black Swan within her starts taking control. I especially loved how fabrics and accessories were stylized to resemble feathers and wings! That's to say nothing of the gorgeous ballet costumes.

Get Low (Julie Weiss):
The period attire is precise. Materials and patterns are used smartly to help distinguish character; scratchy wools for Robert Duvall, pinstripes and argyle for Bill Murray, leather and tweed for Lucas Black. Everyone even has their own hat style!

Inception (Jeffrey Kurland):
Slick corporate threads wonderfully define character quirks; prim three-piece suits for Arthur, smart casual clothes for Eames, Asian-inspired formal wear for Seito, and so on. It's not terribly flashy, but still represents intelligent contemporary costume design.

True Grit (Mary Zophres):
Features appropriately gritty period and character details: burnt-out Rooster Cogburn's battered duster, boastful LaBoeuf's ornate rodeo jacket, and Mattie Ross' ill-fitting coat and hat that visually accentuate how ill-fitting she is for the adventure on which she is about to embark.

The Wolfman (Milena Canonero):
Character specificity rules the costumes of this Gothic horror; the lavish fur-trimmed jackets of Anthony Hopkins' hunter, the no-nonsense trench coats of Hugo Weaving's Van Helsing, and the constrictive corsets of Emily Blount's love-lorn damsel are all a perfect fit.

Just missed: Harry Potter, The King's Speech, Made in Dagenham