Meryl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is my obligatory post-Oscar recap, not terribly coherent but as Meryl says "whatever". Also lots of fashion.
THE SHOW
I thought it was a pretty okay show, nothing terribly exciting but also not nearly as bad as the train wrecks that were the last two years. Billy Crystal mostly played it safe, which I guess is why you hire the guy. He's reliable and won't ruffle too many feathers but he's a reassuring presence on the Oscar stage. His Oscar medley was definitely not as good as his previous ones, and I suspect a lot of younger viewers who don't even remember the last time Billy Crystal hosted were probably like wtf is this. To be perfectly honest, the funniest thing he did was when they hauled out that enormous over-the-top sheet music prop for Best Score and he was like "ehhh". The joke itself is nothing special but his delivery killed it, as well as the part when he made fun of the Academy president for being stiff.
The opening pre-taped segment also wasn't his best, but I was dying when George showed up and lol the kiss. The other pre-taped segment about the Wizard of Oz was pretty hilarious though. And his recurring jokes about the Kodak theater were pretty good too (haha "chapter 11 theater"). Cirque du Soleil was pretty cool too, but I'm still confused as to their purpose here. Of course, with only 2 Best Song nominees, it was probably for the best that they got rid of the performances. The "what are they thinking" segment wasn't as good as his previous ones either, although I liked the Morgan Freeman one. But really, I think Billy Crystal has done this so many times that nothing will ever stack up some of his past hosting gigs.
As for the presenters, Emma Stone seemed like she was mocking Anne Hathaway with her overly perky attitude but it actually worked cause she's so adorable. I have no idea why they continue having the lead acting presenters do that thing where they pretend like they know the nominees personally but it's really just awkward for everyone. I mean, at least Colin made it work cause he does know some of them but holy mother of god Portman was horribly unconvincing and I was cringing through most of it.
THE WINNERS
I started off the night doing pretty well in my predictions, but then I missed Film Editing and it all went downhill. Undefeated winning documentary was big surprise cause honestly, I thought that movie was just like The Blind Side but a doc. But I guess it is probably the most uplifting and emotional of the bunch, but most of the time, they go for hard-hitting political in this category. I did predict Saving Face winning because I've only seen two in the short doc category, and that one was really really good and emotional. I'm a little mad that Rise of the Planet of the Apes lost Visual Effects cause honestly, those CGI apes were so amazing. But I get it, Hugo is the bigger horse in the overall race. Harry Potter fans need to get over it though cause when your franchise has been shut out for the past 10 years, why on earth would you expect anything? LOL. Don't even get me started on the crazies.
Of course, the big win everyone's talking about is Meryl! I honestly couldn't be happier to see Meryl finally win a 3rd Oscar, even if The Iron Lady wasn't a great movie. I still thought she was fantastic in it and it really was about time for her to win again. My personal favorite performance in the category was Michelle Williams, but it was a pretty weak slate of nominees. It's not like Meryl robbed a truly great and timeless performance here. And people need to stop overblowing Viola Davis' loss as some huge hit to her career. Winning an Oscar usually hurts more than helps anyways, and Davis was already in TWO of the best picture films this year. I'd rather see her rack up loads of nominations but have a great career than win right away and suffer the curse like many Best Actress winners.
Everything else was fairly predictable. Christopher Plummer was once again, classy and hilarious. Jean Dujardin was a charming goofball and I love that he paid tribute to Douglas Fairbanks. Meryl was flawless and spazzy as always. So pretty much your typical award show. But I loved Asghar Farhadi's speech when A Separation won, probably the most well-deserved win of the night (I had just watched Monsiuer Lazar and it seemed right up their alley and I was a little scared of that one pulling a crazy upset).
THE FASHION
My favorite is probably a tie between Jessica Chastain's McQueen and Penelope Cruz's Armani. They were both so elegant and classy, and their styling worked perfectly. Jessica's McQueen dress was so stunning and the detailing is beautiful, and I love that her hair, make-up and accessories were simple to avoid over-doing it. And Penelope just look gorgeous, like a Spanish Grace Kelly. The hair was perfect (so weird seeing her with shorter hair though) and the jewels. Perfect throwback to Old Hollywood.
Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton is one I almost loved but didn't quite. I think cause of that little extra tu-tu layer. But it's a very playful and cute dress, which suits her style and personality but it just had a little too much around the hips that made it unflattering. Angelina Jolie was in Versace again, and ever since I saw that manip it's a little hard to take it seriously now. LOL. It's simply and sexy, which is typical Angie but the leg jutting out was kind of too prominent. Emma Stone's Giambattista Valli looks nearly identical to that red Balenciaga Nicole Kidman wore a few years ago and I think Emma is too young to be wearing something like that. On the flip side, Natalie Portman's Dior dress was too young and cutesy for her, and gave me Minnie Mouse vibes. Also, I don't like the hair.
As for Gwyneth's infamous cape dress by Tom Ford, I would've liked it more if the shoulders on the cape weren't so pointy. This silhouette just gives off a sci-fi feel, hence all the Gandalf and Princess Leia comparisons. Meryl's gold Lanvin needed a better fit, but the color was great and apparently it was good luck too! Berenice Bejo in Elie Saab was a little too safe and boring to be honest. It's a perfectly nice dress, but it doesn't quite work with her hair color and it doesn't stand out. Same with Kristen Wiig, perfectly nice dress but doesn't pop out on the red carpet. Viola Davis in Vera Wang I think popped out a little too much, especially in the bust area. It's a great color on her, but should've had a more conservation bust line. This is the Oscars and she's an older woman. You don't need to show that much cleavage here. Finally we have Rooney Mara in Givenchy and this dress just does not work on her. The boobs are just weird looking and the Spock hair needs to go. This is a very light and feminine dress, and the hair just takes away from everything.