All in all, I've done quite well in terms of Oscar contenders watched. What I haven't done well is post reviews about those nominees. With the Academy Awards just a few days away, there's no better time than the present to play a little catch up. I'll start with five films with two commonalities: their stories involve some degree of lost love and all are nominated for Achievement in Costume Design.
Let's begin:
Abbie Cornish (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) has gone from wearing Queen Elizabeth's bitch collar to creating her own high fashion as Fanny Brawne. While living in London in the early 1800's, Fanny meets aspiring poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw, Layer Cake). Over many a walk and many a poetry lesson, the two fall helplessly in love. Forces conspire against the lovers as John's indebted status and health problems keep the couple at arm's length from true happiness.
Writer-director Jane Campion (The Piano) floods the screen with lush colors, stunning costumes and passionate performances. Whishaw's noble refusals of Fanny's affections are second only to Abbie Cornish's roller coaster of reactions to the poet's attempts to quell her love. Neither performance tops Paul Schneider. Schneider (All the Real Girls) is exemplary as Keats' partner in poetry, Charles Armitage Brown. He owns both the Scottish accent and the ridiculous, yet no doubt fashionable, plaid pantsuit.
Award Chances
The costumes are so vibrant and detailed that Bright Star is one of my top contenders, if not the one to beat. Now a four time nominee, Janet Patterson was snubbed by the Costume Design Guild in their nominations, which does not bode well for her Oscar chances.
The Money Shot
The visual elements and performances of Bright Star are resonant. I only recently saw this film, but it would have given some serious contention to (500) Days of Summer for best romance had I seen it in 2009.
Matinee
Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel (Audrey Tautou, Dirty Pretty Things) is a seamstress and singer for a bar. When a visiting baron becomes smitten, she uses the opportunity to escape her station, inserting herself into his life and his estate in the French countryside. Despite being little more than a mistress to him, she uses her time to wow the ladies with her designs. When Arthur 'Boy' Capel (Alessandro Nivola, Junebug), an English businessman, falls in love with her, Coco sees her future broaden.
A slow affair, Coco Avant Chanel is captivating, thanks to how Tautou balances Coco' stubbornness of the character with vulnerability and naivete. Despite a ridiculous-looking mustache, Nivola is as charming as ever. The blossoming romance between Boy and Coco and the complications of her place at the baron's estate makes their romance interesting, to say the least.
Award Chances
Catherine Leterrier received her first nomination for her work on Coco. It may seem simple to mimic the works of a designer, but Leterrier also had the daunting task of showing how Coco's designs defied the status quo of the period. The clash between Coco's outfits and those of the elite are the most memorable scenes. Coco Avant Chanel relies heavily on its costumes and easily makes my short list.
The Money Shot
See it for the romance, enjoy it for the costumes. Coco Avant Chanel puts a face to the name of a brand that everyone knows.
Matinee
Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer, The Last Station) is a man who has lived for more than a millennium, thanks to Mr. Nick (Tom Waits, The Book of Eli). Parnassus and his companions now travel London, offering people the chance to experience ultimate joy in his imaginarium. However, people not willing to sacrifice for happiness may be swayed by Mr. Nick down a path of darkness and destruction. For his own happiness, Parnassus now owes his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) to Mr. Nick on her sixteenth birthday. Days before it's time to collect, the troupe comes across a stranger, Tony (Heath Ledger, The Brother Grimm), who spices up the bargain.
The words, "From the mind of Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys)" are never more true than with Parnassus. Gilliam can be an acquired taste, and he is in full, far-fetched mode with his latest work. Thanks to the imaginarium, Ledger's last role was able to be parsed out among Colin Farrel (In Bruges), Johnny Depp (Blow) and Jude Law (Alfie). The imaginarium is a fluid, colorful world where anything goes in contrast to the dismal reality where Parnassus and his crew dwell.
Award Chances
Kudos to first time nominee Monique Prudhomme. It could not have been an easy task to craft the multitude of costumes Parnassus demanded: from past to present, real and imagined, high society to homeless. Prudhomme's design gave each aspect of Gilliam's piece added depth. However, with more than a few audience members confused and frustrated by Gilliam's premise, admiring the costumes will be last on many a voter's mind.
The Money Shot
Doctor Parnassus is not the least accessible of Gilliam's films, but it's out there. While I mostly enjoyed it, I'd be lying if I didn't admit to glancing at my watch more than a few times.
Second Run Seats
Everyone is pestering acclaimed Italian director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York) about his latest film, Italia. The press, his producer, his costume designer Lilli (Judi Dench, Iris), and even his star, Claudia (Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge!), all want a peek at the pages of his next masterpiece. The problem is, there are no new pages because Contini is blocked. Contini revisits his sources of inspiration--the women of his life--in hopes that Italia will reveal itself.
Director Rob Marshall's (Chicago) latest work is one mess of a movie. It's a jumbled blur of glittery costumes and shadowy stage pieces as Guido runs about, on the edge of pulling his hair out. With the exception of the song Be Italian, every musical number blasts the audience's ears with the name Guido, Guido, Guido; in case you forget who's at the story's center. Somehow the actresses portraying the women of Guidi's life still shine above the glitzy flurry, except Kidman, who casts an eerie glow more akin to a spectre than a living person.
Award Chances
This makes the eighth nomination for two-time Oscar winner Colleen Atwood. Needless to say, the Academy appreciates her work. The glimpses of the cabaret showed promise and the bedazzled bustiers worn by Cotillard, Cruz and Dench were quite flattering, but the jittery, spastic whooshing of the camera made it difficult to appreciate.
The Money Shot
Aside from Fergie's lady lumps, the only other performance I appreciated was Judi Dench's number. I plan to lobby that the next James Bond theme be performed by 'M' alone because she's definitely got the chops.
Before becoming the longest-reigning monarch in English history, Victoria (Emily Blunt, Sunshine Cleaning) had to contend with her power hungry mother, the Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson, Sleepy Hollow), and her comptroller, Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong, Sherlock Holmes). She finds a friend and equal in Prince Albert (Rupert Friend, The Libertine), who, though sent to woo her affections for the good of Belgium, wishes for her to love him.
Emily Blunt glows before the camera. She captures the naivete and stubbornness of a woman above taking orders, but shows vulnerability, too. Friend's Albert is at his best when he sets aside his fawning for Victoria to set someone straight, be it Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany, The Da Vinci Code), Sir Conroy, or even Victoria. Jim Broadbent's (Moulin Rouge!) portrayal of King William is brief but most delightful. I could watch him lambast Victoria's mother for her wickedness over and over.
Award Chances
The costumes are lavish and Ms. Blunt wears the adornments of queen well. The cinematography melds the wardrobe subtly into the background rather than showcasing it. This makes designer Sandy Powell's eighth nomination and with two statues already on her mantle, it's a good possibility there may soon be three.
The Money Shot
As some critics mentioned, the characterizations in Young Victoria are flat, but that is more a fault of a story simplified for younger audiences than any of the actors' portrayals.
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