Defending The Irishman's costumes

by Cláudio Alves

While we may love to criticize the Academy, sometimes we're also a little bit to blame for the perpetuation of their prejudices. For instance, Oscar watchers love to deride the way voters confuse "Best" with "Most". This is especially true in Best Costume Design, where period work rules and contemporary styles are locked out. Still, when a movie is nominated for a wardrobe that's not very glamorous or showy, that prioritizes male attire instead of women's fashion, the grumblings take on another color. Suddenly, it's as if such design work is lesser because it isn't showy.

It's not erroneous to criticize the costume branch for being so myopic this year, having only singled out Best Picture nominees. However, to look at the costumes of The Irishman and say they're unworthy of praise is utter nonsense…

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10th Anniversary: The Young Victoria

by Cláudio Alves

It's difficult to follow the Oscar race each year without developing a prejudice against prestige biopics. At times it seems its the genre where creativity goes to die, where formulas thrive and the appearance of respectability is more important than genuine artistic merit. These words are perchance, too harsh, because specific qualities do manage to shine through the baseline of expected mediocrity on numerous occassions. Take The Young Victoria, Jean-Marc Vallée's perfectly serviceable retelling of Queen Victoria's early years and marriage to Prince Albert. Rewatching it ten years after its initial release, the film isn't as despairingly dry as you may have remembered. The Young Victoria is one of Emily Blunt's lesser efforts, but she's luminous nonetheless, bringing a sense of modernity that rubs abrasively against the historical setting. She never convinces as a 19th-century ruler, but that manages to feel more like a feature than a fault. As for Rupert Friend's Albert, he remains a charming romantic ideal, establishing great chemistry with Blunt.

And then, of course, there are Sandy Powell's Oscar-winning costumes…

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Would you rather?

OMG. Did you hear that Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster are doing The Music Man on Broadway together for the 2020 season? Aaaaahhhhh how perfect. Anyway, since Hugh is on the brain (and seems to be getting younger !?!), it's time for another round of our celebrity-fantasy quick decision poll time ago (an excuse to share our fav instagram posts on the regular essentially). So, would you rather

... go falconing with Hugh?
... get your beard did with Rune Temte (Captain Marvel) in Oslo?
... reenact Lady & Tramp with Justin Theroux?
... reminisce about Natural Born Killers with Juliette Lewis?
... ice skate with Jonathan Van Ness?
... have a drink with Russell Tovey & Andrew Scott?  
... ride camels with Sandy Powell?
... chopper to an island for fine snail delicacies with Michelle Yeoh?
... dunk your hair in the pool with Tracee Ellis Ross? 

Pictures are after the jump to help you decide.

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Red Carpet Lineup: The 20 Best BAFTA Looks

"Great gowns. Beautiful gowns
          -Aretha Franklin

Let's talk BAFTA glamour, the last major movie awards show prior to the Oscars. Who turned it out? We picked these 20, in roughly ascending order, as the best looks. What'cha think?

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14 days til Oscar - Costume Design Lists!

Photography by Brigitte Lacombe

With 14 days until Oscar we're thinking about Queen Sandy Powell, now with a towering 14 nominations for costume design via her double nod this year for Mary Poppins Returns and The Favourite.  We interviewed her in the year of Carol and Cinderella (2015), also a double nominated year. The only time she's ever won while double nominated was the first time...

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