Completed Category: Costume Design

 We get a two-fer in my Oscar diary bloggage today, because viewing Napoleon last night completed two categories for me.  The second one I shall pontificate about is Costume Design. 

As it happens, Costume Design and Production Design have the exact same five nominees, which has happened only twice before -- you can read all about that here, if you're so inclined. I was inclined! 

BARBIE: As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, please please please give Barbie the Production Design Oscar, but I don't feel anywhere near as much pain to think about it losing anything else, including Costume Design. Yes it was great and fun, and honestly there is so much that goes into Costume Design in general that I don't want to say it isn't hard or anything but -- I'm putting this in the middle of the pack here. Lots of pink, lots of fun, lots of sharp looks, some women dressed as dolls, some men dressed as dolls, even a man dressed as a woman doll, two different worlds, Beach, there's lots of fun here. I wouldn't throw things if it won, but just don't need it to. 

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: But this! This really does need to win something and I'm running out of categories for it, and this sure would be a great one! As much as I support Lily Gladstone, I need Annette Bening to win Actress, and this here Costume Design honestly might be Killers of the Flower Moon's best other chance.  Again I will mention the intense but we're-so-professional-we-make-it-look-easy research and deliberate preparation that went into this flick and the support and work of the Osage community, but when you find out about the tiny little things like Mollie wearing something on her outfit that would indicate she'd been previously married but Ernest being oblivious, and all the other finely detailed little touches, you just have to be like let's please give this film an Oscar. Here would be fine. 

NAPOLEON:  I liked this crazy mess of a Napoleon movie, which I am aware some others did not enjoy as much, and I will say that I found his hat at times absolutely riveting. This was a high degree of difficulty and a lot of really cool crowns.  Also, the uniforms helped us out with the plot and various international players at times, and basically, I won't be mad at all if this wins and for now it's my strong strong second choice. 

OPPENHEIMER:  Meh. Not here. Like, it was fine - I think. Haven't heard of any egregious errors to match its props/flags error. But in general I think there was just not as much costuming as any of these other films. A lot of the scenes were the same scene flashed back and forth to, so the same suit or whatever, whether they had to make ten copies of it over the course of filming. 

POOR THINGS:  Enough with this movie.  And how much do you really care about the Costume Design when you're just waiting for Emma Stone's clothes to come off as her body gets passed to the next man who gets to possess it?  Ugh. 

In most years, Costume Design isn't one of my most thrilling races, but I occasionally do have a strong feeling or two.  And, as usual, we have a several-hundred-years-ago historical epic, a several-decades-ago smart film, something whimsical, something thoughtful, something weird.  All the usual suspects are here, and I'm not sure whether this will just get carried along with whichever one is winning everything, or if a unique contender will emerge. 

Order I would like them to win: 
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Barbie
Oppenheimer OR Poor Things,  don't care

Order I think they will win: 
Poor Things, ugh
Barbie maybe
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer