The Costume Guild Nominees have been announced. It's worth noting, always, with guilds that their memberships are much broader than their correlative branch within the Academy. Neverthless they often stick closely to whichever movies are being talked up for Best Picture, regardless of their guild-specific merits. Note some of the nominations below.
Excellence in Contemporary Film
Birdman - Albert Wolsky
Boyhood - Kari Perkins
Gone Girl - Trish Summerville
Interstellar - Mary Zophres
Wild – Melissa Bruning
Albert Wolsky is a legend and Trish Summerville has been killing it lately so no complaints there. But the contemporary categories, as with all guilds, are where you can see how distracted people get with their feelings for the movie at hand and not with the [insert field]. My point is this: These are five strong movies but did they even consider, say, Mommy, Only Lovers Left Alive, Neighbors, Begin Again, 22 Jump Street, or Lucy? And if they didn't, shouldn't they have? (At least they didn't nominate Sniper's fatigues or Gyllenhaal's baggy shirts in keeping with the other guilds lockstep devotion to those pictures.)
PERIOD / FANTASY / AND TV NOMINEES AFTER THE JUMP...
Excellence in Period Film
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Milena Canonero
The Imitation Game - Sammy Sheldon Differ
Inherent Vice - Mark Bridges
Selma - Ruth E. Carter
The Theory of Everything - Steven Noble
No Wes Anderson film has ever been nominated for Costume Design at the Oscars (insane, I know) and this isn't Milena Canonero's first Wes film either but will Oscar finally cave to their combined brilliance? They love Canonero otherwise, just not when she's designing for him.
Pretty strong lineup, all told. But let's shed a tear for other well costumed period films that just don't have Best Picture heat (though that should not be a demerit on their costuming achievements) or were deemed ineligible or what have you: Mr Turner, The Homesman, Pride, or A Most Violent Year.
Excellence in Fantasy Film
Guardians of the Galaxy - Alexandra Byrne
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Bob Buck, Lesley Burkes-Harding, Ann Maskrey
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 - Kurt and Bart
Into the Woods - Colleen Atwood
Maleficent - Anna B. Sheppard, Jane Clive
I love Kurt & Bart (though I haven't seen Mockingjay) and as genius as Colleen Atwood is (she'll obviously win), doesn't anyone else feel that that awful zoot suit for Johnny Depp should subtract at least some enthusiasm from yet another award for her? I understand this lineup, to be honest, but I would like to mention in passing: Noah (read our Michael Wilkinson interview), Snowpiercer (I mean, come on. The costuming is amazing and complicated), and Captain America: Winter Soldier.
Outstanding Contemporary Television Series
House of Cards - Johanna Argan
Ray Donovan - Christopher Lawrence
Saturday Night Live - Tom Broecker, Eric Justian
Scandal - Lyn Paolo
True Detective - Jenny Eagan
I have no preference here. Anyone?
Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series
Boardwalk Empire - John Dunn
Game of Thrones - Michele Clapton
The Knick - Ellen Mirojnick
Mad Men - Janie Bryant
Masters of Sex - Ane Crabtree
Janie Bryant we love you forever. Even though you never win anything for seven years of genius.
Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Mini Series
American Horror Story: Freak Show - Lou Eyrich
Houdini - Birgit Hutter
The Normal Heart - Daniel Orlandi
Olive Kitteridge - Jenny Eagan
Sherlock - Sarah Arthur
Fun line-up -- anything they missed? I think Eyrich has really outdone herself this season on American Horror Story. I think it's her best work for the show.
Excellence in Commercial Costume Design
Army ‘Defy Expectations, Villagers’ - Christopher Lawrence
Direct TV ‘Less Attractive’, with Rob Lowe - Mindy Le Brock, Jessica Albertson
Dos Equis ‘Most Interesting Man in the World Walks on Fire’ - Julie Vogel
Kia Soul Hamster Commercial Featuring ‘Animals’ - Anette Cseri
Smirnoff ‘The Mixologist’ - Laura Jean Shannon
The Army's Defy Expectations series has several commercials so the one I've embedded is not the correct one (couldn't find it) but it'll give you a taste. The others are the proper commercials and costuming stars (Rob Lowe, Alison Brie, Adam Scott) apparently helps to get you noticed.
Anyway, The Film Experience is an overachiever -- we bet no other website provided this viewing for you! Not that y'all appreciate it. *sniffle*