My Oscar Fashion Review

Okay, so how great were the Oscars this year? I actually really enjoyed them, I mean the relentless ad breaks began to get on my nerves but they were more than made up for by the actual show. Neil Patrick Harris was the perfect host, his jokes landed, his likeable personality shone through and the boy can sing and dance (of course with the help of the beautiful Anna Kendrick and sudden appearance of Jack Black). I am not too man enough to say I cried at a couple of moments, one been Common and John Legend's performance - it was powerful I tell ya. A few of my Oscar predictions came true, the company my friend works for won an Oscar last night (so I am now officially one step closer to been best friends with Meryl Streep - it is my destiny, I can taste it), all in all it was worth staying up till half 4 in the morning to watch, and I will do it again next year.

Now what I would normally do is praise my favourite dresses of the night and follow up with who I would re-dress. This time I thought I would do it a tad different. I didn't go against these fabulous women's choices - instead I just tweaked them a tad. Just a couple of small changes that I personally think would make them a tonne better. I am not one to against the heavyweights of Chanel and Elie Saab, this is purely my opinion. So, are you ready? Here are my tweaks.

Lupita in custom Calvin Klein 

I am not mad at this dress, I think it is beautifully made and sculpted to perfection. I can't even imagine the work that it took to sew on this many pearls perfectly. My only slight criticisms would be that I don't like the keyhole cutout on her chest or the weight/amount of material on her shoulders. The hole in the chest is way too distracting and I think actually cheapens the look, and lemme tell you there would be nothing cheap about this dress. The weight on the shoulders to me looks like a mistake, last minute decision to not have sleeves so her stylist bunched them up to create the almost cowl neck appearance. 

So what I did was I filled in the hole with more pearls, I slimmed down the material on the shoulders and for fun I filled in the neckline, bringing it right up to the chin almost. It was an experiment but I like the results.  

Zoe in custom Atelier Versace 
This dress didn't need much to make it better. It is classic Versace where it clings in all the right places with good structure around the chest and stomach. For someone who had twins not 2 seconds ago we have to applaud the body. There is just one big no no for me here - I can not stand spaghetti straps! They are ugly, cheap and you can be the thinnest person in the world but they will cut in to your shoulders, creating 2 lumps on each shoulder where it has pushed down all skin and muscle and separated it like Moses and the red sea. Plus you will forever be pulling them up.
All I did was remove the straps and you have to agree it looks so much better, the décolletage looks super hot now it hasn't been split in 3. Also a little cheeky thing I did was lift the underarms of the dress just to create a more flattering neckline.

Julianne in Chanel
I will never hate on this woman, the work she does is outstanding and that award had her name engraved on it for years now - it just had to be the right moment. My only issue with her dress was the band that ran around her hips. It elongated her torso, which I don't believe any woman in the entire world has requested from her designer. She almost has no shape in this dress, could have been the intention, but this woman has a banging body - ya got it ya flaunt it.
All I did was raise the band to her waist. I didn't bring in her waist to emphasize it, the illusion did the work for me. Doesn't it look so much better. It gives her a shorter more natural torso and legs for days. Winner.

Emma in Elie Saab
Emma can't do no wrong in my eyes, she is an example of human excellence. This dress however ... I just don't get the colour choice. I mean how would you even describe it? First of all is green or yellow? I just don't get it. The dress is beautiful don't get me wrong, the colour just doesn't give it justice. Elie Saab is a fashion house I have admired for years, the create dresses of such beauty, the epitome of feminine , so delicate - I couldn't admire them more.
I just made one simple change -  the colour. I took it from the drab yellow/green and make it a soft pink. I feel this colour compliments Emma's skin colour and hair colour so much more, it adds to the fantasy element and lets face it -  red hues were a popular colour of choice last night.

Nicole in Louis Vuitton
She is always one the people I look out for on E! Red Carpet Live. She is a fashion girl at the end of the day. She pushes the envelope with her choices and I have huge respect and admiration for that. This dress though, I love in parts and just scratch my head at others. I will start with what I like; the material, I know a lot of people won't like it or understand why. Let me let you in on a secret, you don't have to understand. Thats what make fashion fun. I like it because it is different, it doesn't require any accessories because it already is the star of the ensemble. That slit! It is perfect. Just the right height, just the right placement, enough said. What I don't like are the accessories. What is that belt? It looks like she spilt on her dress, ran to a haberdashery store before the awards, saw some shocking ribbon to distract from said spillage and strut on the carpet. It just doesn't work. Once again I applaud her choices, but even the Queen trips sometimes.
So what I changed was obviously the belt, I enjoyed the placement and the simplicity so I didn't get rid of it, instead I think a black belt would have worked so much better. It adds a more polished, finished look that I think the Oscar's asks for. Also a little change I did was a created a sweetheart neckline, I was just experimenting and I think it works. It is a very boom boom boom dress, there wasn't any extra pizazz or flirty element, and I think it is now elevated with just simple changes.

My Oscar Predictions and Wants

Here it is, it's the big one. The Award show that every one who loves films will watch, anyone in the film industry will watch and anyone wanting to slag off a gorgeous actresses' fashion choice will watch.  It's the 87th Academy Awards! Before I give my opinion I must admit something; I haven't seen all the films I am about to talk about. However, I have seen all the trailers so that's kind of the same thing.

BEST PICTURE

"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Whiplash"

For me one of the best films of the year has been snubbed. I thought 'Wild' starring Reese Witherspoon was completely ignored. It was a beautiful film, amazing locations, a deep emotional story and outstanding performances. Anyway, the winner of this category has to be 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' - it was absolutely stunning. It made me laugh, made me emotional and my days the cinematography was unmatched. I also wouldn't be mad if 'Boyhood' won, if we want to award a film then we have to take in consideration the process it took. This film took 12 years to create after the genius idea of using the same actors throughout the years was thought up.  Instead of these different places of time having to be created for the screen, the director used the actual time.

BEST ACTOR

Steve Carrell, "Foxcatcher"
Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

I have to give it to Eddie Redmayne for this one, in what could be described as a boring film with an unlikeable list of characters he shone! His transformation into Prof. Stephen Hawking was exceptional, I have to admit I got lost in the character, I didn't see Eddie anymore and guess that was the point, so job well done there. He is going to be a legendary British actor in years to come, I can see it now - plus that face is a bit oosh! I talked about 'Wild' been snubbed before so I might carry on the trend. A couple of actors who I believe were snubbed are Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell for their work on 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'. Stay with me here, I know they played almost non speaking apes but they were amazing! Think about it, they played apes to the point that it was hard to even consider that apes weren't used. I know it was heavily reliant on CGI but at the end of the day it was Serkis and Kebbell doing the work, the computers added fur and an ape face to it. The Academy has to start recognising these types of acting as worthy of an award.

BEST ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard, "Two Days, One Night"
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

I think we all know Julianne Moore will win this, I mean she should start looking for a safe route towards the stage and have a speech prepared now - with none of this 'I wasn't expecting this' crap. She is an outstanding actress and someone I hope to be as I grow up. Anyway, I don't think we should discredit Reese Witherspoon quite so fast. In my opinion she gave one of the best performances of the year and as an actress she really pushed herself. It was her alone on the screen most of the time, telling this amazing story of growth and escape. Plus I have only seen the trailer to 'Cake', and I absolutely love all the attention it has brought to Jennifer Aniston but it would have been lovely for her to get a nod. As the Millennial Generation it would be great to see the star of one of the shows that made my childhood finally be recognised for something other than Rachel Greene.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Having only seen one of these films I can only give the award to Ethan Hawke, and it is completely deserved; he dedicated 12 years to this film playing the same character. He was believable as the father of 3 who loves his kids and just wants them to be great. I do however feel like Tony Revolori as 'Zero' from 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' was snubbed. As a newcomer in a star studded cast he really shined, his dry approach to the role shouldn't be taken for granted, he made this character great, loveable and the perfect sidekick to Ralph Fiennes.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, "Wild"
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

This is like Sophie's choice (get it? Meryl won the Best Actress award for that character. I'm hilarious). I have love for all these women. They are all titans of the field. I have reasons why all these actresses should win.
Patricia - Amazingly cast as the mother of two, struggling with bad relationships, bettering herself through education and showing us how great an actress she truly is.
Laura - what isn't to love? I think this character almost mirrors who she really is. She is loveable, kind, warm human being.
Keira - British pride once again, loved her from 'Bend it like Beckham' all the way to today, she will be a gracious winner. However she is preggers so she already has her prize this year.
Emma - I yelped like a girl when I found out she was nominated. Why she wasn't nominated for 'Easy A' I will never know. Love this girl.
Meryl - One more for the cabinet it seems. When isn't she nominated? She could take a year off, make a Vine video and be nominated for Best Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Make-up and Costume. This woman is a gift to the entertainment world.
All this been said, I think it is Patricia's year. And well deserved it would be.

So those are the main awards that we will all be talking about and my opinions. I am almost always wrong when it comes to these awards, but if every other award show tells us anything we can pretty much guess who will win.

Here are some other winners I would love to see this evening.

BEST DIRECTOR

Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Robert Yeoman, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST FILM EDITING

Sandra Adair, "Boyhood"

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Adam Stockhausen (Production Design) and Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration), "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Milena Canonero, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"I'm Not Gonna Miss You," by Glen Campbell, "Glenn Campbell: I'll Be Me"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher, "Interstellar"

The Golden Globes 2015 - My Fashion Review

There were quite a few interesting looks on the red carpet this year,  interesting in the way that it was boring. One thing I like about the Golden Globes is that you can take high fashion risks, it is not like the Oscars where couture is taken seriously. This is where movie stars and TV stars unite to celebrate the work they have done in the last 12 months, they can have a drink, poke fun at world events and some even leave with a cute little trophy.

A few of the stand out looks for me were Kate Hudson, Emma Stone, Dakota Johnson and Jennifer Lopez. The Queen of the night for me was of course Julianne Moore in Givenchy. She has a lifetime of fashion moments and she rarely disappoints. At 54 she outshines all the newcomers with her beauty and style. I am always a fan of mixing textures and she knocked the nail on the head with metallics and feathers. The high neckline kept it respectable and the cut showed off her amazing arms and kick ass body. And if anyone knows me they know I enjoy a nice fish tail on a dress. So kudos to you Miss Moore, I can not wait to see what she wears to the Oscars.

Like I said there were some seriously boring and horrible choices made this year. I have picked five of the worst offenders. I first must make a statement that I have nothing but love for these ladies, I respect them in their fields and this isn't personal - so let the bashing commence.

Tina Fey - Tina wore Antonio Berardi. I don't know what the thinking behind this was. The dress was definitely not designed with her in mind. If I had to start somewhere I would start with the bottom half. A tulip skirt does not suit everyone, especially some one of Tina's proportions. Her legs have disappeared and it has shortened her completely. The skirt needed a lot more structure than what it has, it flops in on it self and it is very unflattering. The top half looks like a cheap quinceañera dress. So many bad points. All of the dresses she wore on stage that night were infinitely better.

Kiera Knightley - Keira wore Chanel. This dress was custom made for her and took 30 people one week to construct. What a waste of time that was. I get that she is pregnant and she won't want to wear a figure hugging dress, but was this the best alternative? The bib and flounces are way too much, they look incredibly dated and I am not talking the 1980's - more like the 1880's. I like the middle section to a certain point, the embellishments are beautiful but the cut is so blah. There is nothing to it, the black band doesn't pull it in or anything - the most beautiful sack I have ever seen.

Lana Del Ray - Lana wore a vintage Travilla dress. I pray that something terrible happened to her first 10 choices before she had to settle for this, that is the only way to justify this dress. It is unbelievably unflattering and quite frankly it looks cheap. I have seen better designs from a failed fashion student. The pleats, the colour, the material - there is nothing right about it. The material in particular is awful, it looks like it will crease with any movement. I would hate to see what the back looked like after sitting down in it for a 2 hour show.

Claire Danes - Claire wore Valentino. I actually like this dress. On the model it looked good, but on Claire I don't get it. I think my major concern is the cut. It looks straight off the rack with no time for a fitting. The top half looks like it is sagging, one quick movement and we say hello to her boob hats. Also for this occasion the dress should scream fun, this one looks a little bit sad. We all know she can rock a simple column dress, maybe she should have kept to what she does best.

Lupita Nyong'o - Lupita wore Giambattista Valli Couture. This dress should have wowed. It is beautifully designed and looks well constructed. When she twirled it did look a lot better - this dress needs movement. In a photo it just looks a tad drab. It sags. One of my biggest complaints is the top. It is way too big and boxy. She has a tiny frame and maybe the designer should have considered this a bit more. One thing I will give Lupita is that she takes risks, and she is young enough to try whatever she wants. She has many a show she will attend in the future and I am sure she will knock it out the park at the Oscars.

So as a favour from me to these beautiful women I did a slight restyle. I am not saying my choices are better but I prefer them.

(excuse the awful photoshopping)

Tina in Neema Khan pre fall 2015

Kiera in Christopher Kane pre fall 2015

Lana in Marchesa pre fall 2015

Claire in Carolina Herrara pre fall 2015

Lupita in Ellie Saab pre fall 2015

Craig's Movie Club - The Sequel

So, no surprise here but I have been watching a few more films. Once again some were a bit lame but some were a bit fantastic. I saw some amazing acting, awesome locations and some inspirational moments - so lets go.

Carrie (2013)
We all know the old adage "Don't fuck with the original". Most of the time I agree. You can't recreate something that was perfect, for example when you make the most amazing meal and you want it again and again - it never tastes the same. Some films should remain untouched. 'Psycho' was one of these - why Vince Vaughn decided to sign on for the remake I will never know. However, 'Carrie' needed retelling. I don't want to insult anybody and diminish anyone's work but the original sucked. It was boring and was too reliant on people becoming invested in the title character. Lets all thank Jesus that someone decided to give it another shot. This movie was great. If you don't know the story I will try and quickly sum it up. Basically Carrie is a 17 year old girl, she is cruelly bullied for no reason, her mother believes Carrie is some sort of descendant of the devil and must be punished and to top it all off she develops telekinesis (the power to move things with her mind).
The ending of the film is beyond perfect, I was in awe throughout it. Carrie goes bat shit crazy when her tormentor drops a bucket of pig blood on her as she is crowned Prom Queen. The effects are top notch. Chloe Grace Moretz plays the title character and she was perfectly cast for the role. Julianne Moore plays her mother and for someone that is so naturally beautiful she plays this haggard role extremely well. This was a great retelling of a Stephen King classic, even though I have a slight moral problem with siding with someone who is basically a mass-murderer.

The Spectacular Now (2013)
When the words 'From the creators of (500) Days Of Summer' is written across a movie poster you know I will be seeing it. Unfortunately for Britain this film came and went without so much as a whisper. I could ask everyone I know about this film and I know only 1 other person would know what I was talking about. The story of the film is mainly based around an 18 year old called Sutter (nope, never heard that name before either), to cut it short he is basically an alcoholic with a lot of issues - he has no father in his life, he is failing some of his classes and his girlfriend just dumped him after a misunderstanding. Then Aimee, the beautiful Shailene Woodley, finds him passed out whilst on her paper route. It sparks up a beautiful little romance.
I have some pro's and con's for this film. It is a beautiful film and the acting is top notch. The relationship between the two main characters in incredibly believable. Some of the shots are stunning and I love all the location choices. The story is a great one and you really pull for Sutter and Aimee. Well now you have had your sugar it is time to take your medication - the ending! What was that? I get so frustrated when there is no closure as I get extremely attached to characters. She is just about to say something and BAM the credits, I even had to message a friend about my frustration. Another thing that kind of irked me was Aimee's character, don't get me wrong she is a great character with some amazing qualities, but she seems to lose some of herself when she gets in to the relationship and she becomes so all about Sutter - she breaks her arm for god sakes and apologises. Anyway regardless of this I thought it was great little film and I will definitely be watching it again.

Elf (2003)
This was my choice for the film to watch on Christmas morning with the fam. It is a great film, but let me get real on your ass for a couple of minutes - I used to hate it. I couldn't watch it, I thought it was stupid, I didn't like Will Ferrell and the story didn't interest me. I don't know what happened, maybe my heart grew 3 sizes Grinch style, but now I love it. It is such a funny film, literally laughing out loud through out, Will is amazing as Buddy and my beautiful Zooey is there. This movie is about a man called Buddy who is raised by elves and Santa Claus. As he is now in adulthood they tell him the truth and Buddy sets out to New York to find his father.
Hilarity ensues as he gets accustomed to life outside of the North Pole. His excitement of seeing Santa in a department store, his introduction to escalators and his many naive moments are what make this film so great. There is one moment that always makes me laugh and I don't think many others notice; he is walking his half-brother home and simply says 'So good news, I saw a dog today'. I think this one line just sums up everything I love about Buddy. So, I want to apologise to everyone connected to this film, I slagged it off to high heaven - but we all make mistakes.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
I had my reservations about this film, and I don't want to sound mean but I just haven't enjoyed much Ben Stiller has done since his one episode stint on 'Friends'. I think he is great at what he does, he makes millions of people laugh but I just don't. However I still went to see it, and thank the lord I did. It was so beautiful. If you are a fan of amazing landscapes and images of places you haven't seen before then this is the film for you.
The story centres around Walter Mitty (surprise), he works for a magazine, the magazine is publishing its last issue but the image for the cover is missing - so Walter goes on this great adventure to track down the photographer and get the photo. That is basically the skeleton of the story, there is so much to it. Walter is an avid day dreamer and imagines himself in amazing situations, but then it often comes crashing down on him as the realisation of his real life dawns on him. So this adventure is exactly what he needs and with it comes a lot of ups and downs. I won't ruin too much for you because you should discover this film for yourself. It was shot with such care for the locations it shows, you see some amazing sights. It is great film and I will definitely watch it again because I am sure I will discover more that I love about it. I am also a sucker for a great quote and this film is literally filled with them.

One Direction: This Is Us (2013)
I will put my hand up with no shame at all - I am a fan of One Direction. I don't understand why I should be ashamed at all. They are harmless, sing great pop songs and lets face it there is nothing wrong with 5 good looking boys looking back at you. When my friend told me she had a copy of the film I had no hesitation with setting a date for when we would watch it together. So, there I was, vodka-lemonade-lime in hand and I was ready to embrace One Direction. What I didn't expect was the film to be so good. I knew I was going to enjoy it but not to the extent that I did.
The cinematography was so good, the shots they chose were great and I really felt that I knew One Direction on such a deeper level then I did before I watched the film. We got to meet the real them, nothing felt staged and I believed everything they said. The film was obviously littered with performances, but I wasn't mad because they sang some of my favourite songs. Will I watch it again? I am not sure as I felt I got everything I could from the film, but I am so glad I watched it.