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I’m Ready for (watching) the Red Carpet!
Silver lining from the pandemic: every Oscar nominated movie I tried to see was available for me to watch from my couch.
Don’t get me wrong: I desperately miss going to the movies. I hope to feel comfortable with that again soon, but I’m just not there yet. So yeah, while I had to shell out $20 to stream a flick sometimes, I figure it’s not that bad. During a normal movie watching season, I am in theaters 2-3 times a week at the end, trying to ignore the popcorn, maybe smuggling in my own water. But there is always gas, and time. So over all I feel I have saved cash, and have probably seen more movies than usual.
But now I am ready for the glamour and glitz. Below I will give my predictions as always (what I liked best plus who I think will win) in the major categories. I am also going to give some fashion predictions along the way. I don’t know if you are aware, but there is a dress code this year, born out of so many zoom awards participants in athleisure. I am torn on the code, as stated on the website The Cut:
“We’re aiming for a fusion of Inspirational and Aspirational,” the letter reads, capitalizing Inspirational and Aspirational for inspirational and aspirational emphasis. “In actual words,” it continues, “Formal is totally cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not.”
I expect at least one star to push this. I’d love to see joggers with a bustier, Christian Louboutins, and a cutaway coat with train (Zendaya could rock this, but I think she’ll go full on glam). But on the whole, I like the request to zhush it up. In solidarity, I will wear sparkly gems with my jammies. Maybe. But no promises on a bra. Let’s not go crazy.
And the winners will (maybe) be…
Best Picture (saw them all)
Nomadland continues to be the frontrunner, and will likely win. Every picture nominated is very different. My faves for this category are probably The Father and Judas and the Black Messiah. But I think this category tends to go to films that are not all about the acting performances, which those two films really were. Nomadland is message driven, with both sweeping panoramas and detail driven scenes, and has an overall best film vibe. Going with that theme, I also think Minari would fit, but I am going with Nomadland.
Best Director (haven’t seen Another Round yet): will be Chloe Zhao for Nomadland. She is just slaying all the awards this year, and deservedly so. She manages to get all of her actors to be fully fleshed out no matter how tiny their roles.
Fashion aside: I am looking forward to seeing Emerald Fennell! I fell in love with her in Call the Midwife, and she was wonderful in The Crown. She has such great coloring — I want to see her in something green, which is very much a trend color, and hard to pull off.
Best Adapted Screenplay (haven’t seen Borat, and have no desire to do so, TBH): I loved The Father in this category. I assume all of the films are adapted from books, except One Night in Miami which feels like a play. I don’t like when films feel like plays: it means that they weren’t very well adapted, IMO). The Father is just so well done. I can see how this was a book, and I would love to read it.
Best Original Screenplay (saw them all): this is tough. All are great premises. The ones based on history (Judas and The Trial of the Chicago Seven) don’t get my vote simply because, since they are based on real events, they’re not as “original” to me. I personally think the most original concept was Sound of Metal (please see this if you haven’t yet), but the momentum is there for Promising Young Woman (and I think Hollywood digs Emerald Fennell right now).
Best Actor (seen them all): We all know Chadwick Bozeman will win this. Like Heath Ledger, it’s fortunate that his last role was an excellent one. His talent will be missed. That said, I loved Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal! Watching a heavy metal drummer come to terms with losing his hearing, and still maintaining his sobriety, was breathtaking. Anthony Hopkins was brilliant as well (duh), with a finely nuanced performance as a man struggling with dementia (yes, I cried, and thought of my dad).
Fashion aside: the men have turned it up so hard in the past year! I hope Ahmed shows a little bit of metal edge. Hopkins and Gary Oldman will likely stay old school, which is fine. Steven Yeun is a wild card, but I assume he will be understated.
Best Supporting Actor: this one is a toughie. They were all good, of course, but no one actor stands out as that much better than the rest. I’m going to go with Daniel Kaluuya for Judas, as he has been picking up awards all season.
Fashion aside: this category will BRING.IT. I’m picturing colors and brocades and metallics. And I am here for it!
Best Actress: collective wisdom says Frances McDormand, and I wouldn’t be angry if she won. But I feel like she has played this before. Viola Davis is a good, solid choice, but I didn’t love this role. Maybe I just didn’t love Ma Rainey? My fave performance of the bunch was Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman. Twisted, sad, smart, broken, vengeful. What more could you want in a date? So I’d like her to win, but am leaning towards Davis right now. Ask me in an hour.
Fashion aside: I hope McDormand wears Birkenstocks again. David will be stunning in something tight, architectural and brightly colored. I want sex appeal from Vanessa Kirby and frothy fun from Mulligan!
Best Supporting Actress: (didn’t see Borat or Hillbilly Elegy, which got wretched reviews): While I personally loved Olivia Colman in The Father, I think Yuh-Jung Youn will win for Minari. And she earned it for sure!
Fashion aside: Amanda Seyfried will be lovely. Olivia Colman can go either way, but I hope she pulls it off with some regal, deeply colored creation. I would love to see something dramatically elegant on Youn! Maria Bakalova could be stunning, but she might be the one to push the taste envelope. I don’t know whay I say that, but I feel it.
Best Cinematography (saw them all): News of the World was almost my favorite in this category, although sometimes teh green screen action seemed pretty obvious. But Hollywood does loves it’s sweeping westerns. Nomadland could win, though, and has more momentum than this overdone Tom Hanks film (that movie tried to fit too much in. Too bad. Was a good story). So I think it’s gonna be Nomadland. You see and feel every season in this film.
Best Costume Design (didn’t see Pinnochio): I’m a sucker for a period piece, so I am hoping it’s Emma, with its delicious colors.
Fashion aside: Please, let Anya-Taylor Joy be at the Oscars, just so I can see her. She is gorgeous, and makes such wonderful fashion choices.
Best Film Editing (seen them all): Either The Father or Sound of Metal, but I am leaning towards The Father. The editing makes this movie.
All the rest, even though I have seen none or very few of the movies, but I like to have a guess for all:
Best Animated Feature: Soul
Best Documentary Feature: My Octopus Teacher
Best Documentary Short: A Concerto is a Conversation
Best International Feature Film: Another Round
Best makeup and Hairstyling: HIllbilly Elegy
Best Original Score: Soul
Best Original Song: One Night in Miami
Best Production design: The Father
Best Short, Animated: If Anything Happens I Love You
Best Short, Live Action: The Letter Room
Best Sound: Sound of Metal
Best Visual Effects: Tenet
Fashion aside: there will be a lot of florals tonight, on men and women. I want to see risks (I miss Cher). I want glamour and color. I want to gasp. I want to see people fall flat on their faces for trying something daring — not because they had crappy tailoring or accessorizing.
People, you’ve had 12 months of zoom calls in sweatpants. We are all over it. Y’all better bring it.
Fashion is Back
I don’t know about you, but I miss dressing up. Mind you. my body definitely looks like I have spent the past 12 months wearing sweatpants and binging every BBC series I could find, but my shoes still fit. And I am ready to dust off the Spanks and get fancy again, even if it means ballgowns in the produce aisles (with a bedazzled mask, of course).
The stars are ready, too, if the award shows of the past week are any indication. I haven’t seen many of the movies on everyone’s ballots, but I am getting there. In the mean time, I’ll ooh and ah and raise an eyebrow or two at the fashions, zoomed and in person, twinkling at me from my computer screen.
Both the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice awards happened in the past week. As always, I loved some looks, hated others, and my opinions don’t matter. But it sure is fun!
A lot of women chose dresses for one ceremony, then felt pants were more suited to the next occasion.
Kaley Cuoco went from ultra fem, to sparkly manly. I love both looks equally!
Angela Basset: two looks, same closet. Neither is that unique, but I like the tux better, as the other one had too much going on with the braid and the feathers. Plus: I really want a sequin tux in my OWN closet!
Unlike the critics, I hated the white dress (almost no one looks good in those drop waist numbers). The second look is the bomb, Andra Day.
Gal Godot looks wonderful in both looks, but the white dress could’ve been worn out to dinner. The ruffled jumpsuit is such a perfect combination of feminine flounce and tailored menswear, it’s hard to beat. I would look like Reddi-Whip had exploded on me if I had tried to pull it off, but she does it Justice (out of my League, lol).
Amanda Seyfried and Kaley Cuoco may have called each other. “Girl, let’s be old school Hollywood glam for the Globes, then look like 1920s Vaudeville magicians at the Critics Choice Awards.” And they both pulled it off. For this lineup, the tux is absolutely tops — chandelier crystals and all. If I ever get back to Vegas, I would love to wear this!
As for Kyra Sedgwick: I also prefer the pants outfit (although I love the mustard color on the dress). The satin is so glam.
I don’t know if you can call the black number a dress, but it feels different enough from the floral look to fit this category. O’Hara reminds us that women who reach a certain age figure out what they like, and what works for them, and they stick with it. And rather than looking like a boring uniform, it works. I wanna be her when I grow up!
It seems many women chose the pants route, and I am here for it.
Before we get away from pants, let’s check out some of the best-dressed men of the nights, IMO.
I’ve had a thing for Josh O’Connor since The Durrels in Corfu (haven’t seen it? You should!). He’s clearly comfortable showing far more style than his The Crown alter ego ever would!
Other masculine highlights:
Every season there are color themes. Red is often a tough one to wear on a carpet of the same hue, but when you are zooming, you can stand on whatever color you want. Here are some of the crimson crew.
I’m not sure which was my fave. I love Rosamund Pike (combat boots and tulle? Yes, please) and Daisy Edgar (the sleeves, the neckline, the hemline!). The least successful of this bunch was definitely Maya Rudolph. Nothing about this looks well done — the seam down the middle? Makes it look like a home ec project. If you want to be loose and comfy, that’s fine. But even a slight dip in the neckline would have given her more shape.
Perhaps my least favorite look of the week was Bryce Dallas Howard.
Her bra was bad. Her hair was pulled back too tight. The light color by her face was unflattering. She just looked uncomfortable. Maybe if the ombre had started at her waist?
Wanna see women who loved the way they looked? Check out Viola Davis and Regina King!
I love it when women go out on a fashion limb. Julia Gardner, Emma Corrin and Cynthia Erivo are a new generation of fashion risk takers, channeling the haute couture example of women like Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson and Tilda Swinton.
Speaking of Paulson…
I mean, even her cast looks cool.
Black and white are always common awards show themes.
Some of those may not have been exactly black or white, but that’s okay. Navy and cream count (it’s my blog).
Bold color will always have my heart, even if the style isn’t always the greatest (I’m looking at you, Kristen Wiig).
Anya Taylor-Joy is someone to watch, both on screen and on the carpet. She is stunning and quirky and I can’t take my eyes off her.
I 100% prefer the green look. It is sumptuous! The purple one reminds me of some old school lingerie. I am not sure I love the bodice (not nearly as flattering as the green one), but kudos to her for taking the risk. Please take more!
I’ll end with three of my favorite looks.
First, Gillian Anderson.
A far cry from both Scully and Margaret Thatcher!
Susan Kelechi Watson wore the look I wanted to own the most. It’s modern day flapper, with color and movement and shine to die for.
And for completely different reasons, Sandra Oh stole my heart.
You go girl. Or don’t. Stay home and be comfy and cute and awesome.
A little Ado About Everything we 