OSCAR RACE 2007/08
commentary by Nathaniel R

days since OSCAR NIGHT!

 

~Finis~

You wish.

But we're nearly there. You can't really wrap a film year or the Oscar celebration of the same, without talking about the fashions, the winners and the losers. Since this is a site for film love we'll keep the red carpet bit as brief as can be. It's funny that fashion is such an integral part of the Oscar experience and yet the red carpet has little to do with the silver screen. The only thing they share is the people displayed and the glamour projected. But that's enough.

I think part of the problem with Oscar's declining ratings is that red carpet events happen every day now and our culture is inarguably hypersaturated with famous people... many of whom are famous for no reason other than that they're famous. So fame itself is less precious, less meaningful, less intoxicating to look upon. Even a decade or two ago it was a much bigger deal to see so many stars all at once. Now, when we see a hundred celebs together we call it Sunday night. But it's still fun... even when the stars are not particularly trying to shine. And this year too many of them were listening to stylists that didn't want to risk anything. Right or wrong I blame this on the bumpy lead up to the Oscars. Without the Globes as "warm up" I think everyone was off their game.

You had basically two choices on Sunday: black or red. And even within the limited rainbow provided there was little variation in silhouettes. Boring gowns. So let's rush through...

 

I Want to Love. I Don't.

Ruby Dee looked classy, but like the rest of the evening too plain. Anything to have gussied it up a bit would been welcome. It's like her role in American Gangster --give her one more scene and maybe she wins the Oscar. The belt is the big SLAP! It helps a little. Tilda Swinton's dress, like Tilda herself, is a mass of contradictions that are hard to wrap your head around; great / scary depending on the angle; beautiful/ugly; black (dress) / white (skin); etcetera... it should work but I'm not sure it does. Keri Russell's dress is fine but she wins the points for skinniest which means she doesn't win points. She wins our concern. Amy Ryan, a fine stage actress, wasn't that familiar to us on film. So she cleans up nice from junkie single mom in Gone Baby Gone to red carpet actress honored for playing the same. But again... like Ruby, Keri and Laura, there's just no excitement in this gown. It's blue and pleazzzing. Nothing more. Her pottymouthed momma needed drugs. I need drama. Don't bore me on the red carpet. I'll start shaking, sweating, scratching. Nicole Kidman...To steal from the movie Go (hey, why not, Sarah Polley was there) 'she's so white she's clear'. This dress reminds me of an outfit from an old movie but for the life of me I can't remember the movie or the actress I'm thinking of. It's making me crazy.

Worst Dressed

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the world expects a lot out of Cate Blanchett when she hits a red carpet. This is an expectation she has encouraged by her ubiquity and her sartorial skills, mad sartorial skills. Since Cate is babymaking she's probably mostly worried about what's going on inside but on the outside this is a weird busy mess. The detailing doesn't read well in photos: are those iron on decals, metallic butterflies, oil stains? Ellen Page loses points for not being herself. We know she hates getting dolled up so ignore the stylists and go the Diane Keaton route. Be yourself. A sassy suit maybe? This is too dull and it's not stylized enough to be enjoyable retro. Jennifer Hudson... the white dress pops on the red carpet but once you get our attention, you want us to enjoy what we're seeing. This isn't flattering. This time Effie White is (not) going to wi---in. I don't have it in my heart to badmouth Julie Christie but other people will do so amusingly. Mrs. Daniel Day-Lewis, i.e. Rebecca Miller is a multi-hyphenate talent: she acts, she directs, she writes. That's too many things to do and also dress oneself. Aaaiiiiyyeeeeee, my eyes!

 

Best Dressed

Calista Flockhart isn't the media target that she used to be but neither is she as embraced when she does things right. I loved the simplicity of this, or at least that it was simple in a different way than the rest of the simplicity on the red carpet, if you get me. Anne Hathaway, who always favors red red lips for her snow white beauty, decided for red everywhere. She looks like a diva. Gorgeousity. Three cheers for Saoirse Ronan for getting it right on her very first try. It's a great color on her. And, though I despise the term since it's often used to diss older beauties and reinforce our collective and seeimingly inescapable ageism/sexism, it's "age appropriate" She looks great. She chose the dress well. I know it was her (that chose it). I saw it with my own eyes. Heidi Klum is a supermodel so it's kind of an unfair contest. But... damn. Why are the movie stars not dressing like stars? Heidi will steal your thunder, ladies. We saw a lot of Marion Cotillard's white mermaid Gaultier gown, but for the white and detailed dress, give me Keisha Whitaker instead. I thought this was really classy and pretty. A bit safe but what wasn't on February 24th on the red carpet?

THE WINNER... I was going to name Heidi Klum best dressed just for the sheer volume of the star-like va va voom. But I have to subtract points for two things. First and foremost, this is the Oscars and she is not a movie star. Second and foremost (er...) I think Project Runway jumped the shark this year and I'm really mad about it. The contestants were boring. They still haven't dropped the pointless "model" competition that they've never from season 1 ever figured out how to make work and worst of all, the challenges were so relentlessly gimmicky every week that I lost the thread (ha ha) of what the show was even about.

I want pretty and risky and dramatic dresses --it's a fashion show, damnit! And yes I'm talking about both the 80th Annual Oscar ceremony and Project Runway simultaneously now. I multi-task.

So... my prize goes to my new girlfriend Anne Hathaway, she of the giant eyes, giant future, giant beauty.

Well done, diva.

And now we are almost done. 4realz.

ONE MORE THING

Okay, three...but they're all essentially one thing. Let's talk about those delicious 5-way split screens that make us so crazy happy / sad/ nervous/ thrilled/ expectant/ obsessive on Hollywood's biggest night each year.