Slumdog Victorious

Last night was the Critics' Choice Awards, aired on the most unlikely of channels, VH1. And Slumdog the underdog came out on top. When Dev Patel, its shining star, won The Best Young Actor award (sadly, he wasn't there to accept it), things were looking bright but not extremely positive. Then, Slumdog Millionaire, the little film that could, continued winning. It took home Best Screenplay (update- it's adapted, not original, based on a book called Q & A) and Best Score. But the first big surprise of the night was when Danny Boyle was named Best Director. Most of the time, if a film wins Best Director, it also wins Best Picture. And that was certainly the case this time. Slumdog, in an incredible feat, beat out nine other critically acclaimed and more typically award-worthy films (Changeling, Benjamin Button, Doubt, The Dark Knight, Wall-E, The Wrestler, Milk, The Reader, Frost/Nixon) to win the ultimate title: Best Picture of the Year! My favorite little film was #1! And let's not overlook the likelihood that this same outcome will ring true next month at a little show called the Academy Awards. Could this be the year that the heartwarming indie flick take the top prize? I don't want to jinx anything, so I'll shut up. But I think there's a little gold man in this movie's future.

The Most Glam Category of Them All

One of my favorite Oscar categories is Best Costume Design. So how can I resist predicting the five nominees this year?

The one thing that always reeks of a Best Costume Oscar is a period piece. A film that may be ignored in the major categories but won't be overlooked in terms of visual appeal is The Duchess. Of course, it's impossible to put Keira Knightley in anything that makes her look bad, but The Duchess follows in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette in terms of drama and elaborate dressing. The 18th century-style costumes were designed by Michael O'Connor.

The period pieces continued to deliver this past year, and Changeling was no exception. Angelina Jolie wandered around in classic twenties cloche hats and fur-collared coats throughout the film. Deborah Hopper's retro ensembles with most likely get a nod.

Let's continue with the period films, this time going ahead a few decades to Revolutionary Road. The fifties style dresses and sleek fedoras ooze the style and glamour of the decade, which is the purpose of a movie's wardrobe. I predict Albert Wolsky with get a nod for his costumes.

From khakis and leather boots to glamorous gowns and prim and proper skirt suits, everything Catherine Martin put on Nicole Kidman in Australia was super-stylish and chic. This epic film provided nearly three hours worth of gorgeous vintage dressing, and it must get a nomination.

Jacqueline West had nearly a century's worth of wardrobe to design for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. From pretty ballerina ensembles to motorcycle chic, this film has it all, and should definitely get some recognition.