One Category at a Time: Costume Design

It's said that the Academy in general votes for the craft categories in one of two ways: either it votes for the "Most" instead of the "Best", or it votes for the movie it likes the best.

If they're voting for the "Most", then I say Alice in Wonderland will win for Colleen Atwood's colourful (see: glaring, clashy) fantasy threads, since there's no decadent 18th Century royalty porn for them to vote for.

If they're voting for whatever they like the most, then it's obviously going to The King's Speech. Add to that the fact that, while not exactly like the royalty porn of the last four years, the film is technically about European monarchy, and thus can keep this category's streak alive. I'm venturing that Jenny Beavan will celebrate her first win in 23 years.

You could apply the same logic of a win for "Most" Costume Design to The Tempest and Sandy Powell's interesting costumes, but that movie is despised to an extent that makes even Alice in Wonderland look good.

I Am Love is contemporary, so it's out, and no Western has ever won, so that should nix True Grit as well. That's not to undersell Antonella Cannarozzi and Mary Zophres' terrific work. Both of them, especially Zophres, did awesome jobs at using clothes to accentuate character, and it'd be swell to see one of them win, but keep dreaming.

Will win: The King's Speech
Runner-up: Alice in Wonderland

Should win: True Grit
Should have been nominated: Get Low

Fails and Wins of the Epic Variety

Now that I've had a chance to mull things over a bit, it's time for me to decide where I stand when it comes to this year's slate of Academy Award nominees. All said and done, things went more or less according to plan, so it's easiest to discuss my observations on an individual basis.

-The first thing that strikes me is how much the overall nominations were hogged by all the Best Picture nominees. Only four non-Best-Picture nominees (Biutiful, Alice, Harry Potter, Dragon) received multiple nominations. Beyond a smattering of single-nominated films, all the nominations went to Best Picture contenders. Each one as at least 4 nominations.

-With twelve noms to The King's Speech including Sound Mixing, I think it's safe to say it's the frontrunner.

-The most glaring surprise is the omission of Christopher Nolan in Best Director... again. Frustrating more than shocking. I might be a little more surprised if they hadn't done the exact same thing with Memento and The Dark Knight.
FAIL

-So sad that Ryan Gosling couldn't manage a nod for his astonishing work in Blue Valentine (FAIL), but so happy for Javier Bardem breaking through with his challenging and terrific performance in Biutiful (WIN). Other than that, no real surprises in the acting categories.

-More egregious than Christopher Nolan's snub in Best Director is Lee Smith's snub in Film Editing. How the editors branch failed to call Inception one of the five best edited films of the year is beyond me!
FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!

-I Am Love's nom in Costume Design came out of nowhere, but it's a smart contemporary nomination and a pleasant surprise.
WIN

-Relieved to see How to Train Your Dragon make it in for Original Score.
WIN

-No "Shine" for Best Song?
FAIL

-No Alice for Best Makeup!
WIN

-Exit Through the Gift Shop for Best Documentary!
HUGE WIN

-Dogtooth for Best Foreign Film?
???

My Award nominations: Foreign Film

My picks for the Best Foreign Film of the year are always subject to change because so many of them don't even get exposed in North America until much later. But as of the moment this was typed, my five are:

All That I Love (Jacek Borcuch):
Poignant coming of age for the youth of 1980s Poland as seen through the eyes of a budding punk rock music movement. Wonderfully captures the tumultuous thoughts of both the nation and the individual characters.

Biutiful (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu):
A densely depressing existential essay, told with sure-handed restraint and tact by Inarritu and his star Javier Bardem. It's beautifully shot throughout, creating a beautiful sense of place with textured, carefully composed shots.

Dogtooth (Yargos Lanthimos):
If nothing else, Dogtooth is at the very least a hard film to forget (for better or worse). Lanthimos' style is simple, intimate, gives proper focus to his actors, and features some really sumptuous cinematography.

I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino):
A fervent but ultimately pessimistic interpretation about the dangers of succumbing to your passions and exploring beyond the societal norm, framed as a stylish melodrama. Tilda Swinton owns it.

Incendies (Denis Villeneuve):
Denis Villeneuve's back-and-forth chronology may bother some, but I think it succeeds at highlighting the passage of time and the values that differ as a function thereof. Performances are strong, as is Villeneuve's confident direction, which is unafraid to jar or disturb us.

Quick reviews for 2010

Around this time of year, it's not always easy for me to find time to write proper reviews for every movie I catch up on. So anything that I see and can't be bothered to compose a lengthy review for will be mentioned here over the next few months. Read them after the cut: