Palm Springs christens the awards race
PALM SPRINGS, CALIF.—“Auld Lang Syne” had only barely stopped chiming when it had begun again: the familiar squall of Awards Season.
Day Two of the baby-new calendar. The mythic desert crux of Palm Springs. Destination: the always star-agog gala for the annual Palm Springs film fest, an event that I’ve come to see as a warm-up act for the Golden Globes, and also as the start of the push to the final Oscar finishing line.
Like bees pollinating the air, they came: the newly famous and the overphotographed, me setting up shop for the view.
Hey, it’s Armie Hammer, in a mocha tuxedo jacket! Yo, Gal Gadot, looking like a tall glass of Wonder Woman mimosa in her sunny getup. Greetings, Mary J. Blige (does anyone just call you Mary?); Alli- son Janney, we’re not worthy. Mr. Oldman, hello.
Having long looked to this back-toschool gala as a useful exercise in tracking the ground games of the various movies in contention (it’s a battlefield, all right!) and also to check in on what are the messages that are being tweaked by hopefuls (an Oscar narrative always needs sharpening), I was taking notes, all right.
Shape of a race Does a genre-bending hybrid-monster-love story have what it takes to take the big prize, come Oscar night on March 4? A few months ago — despite the obvious gravitas of director Guillermo del Toro, and the movie’s popularity — I wasn’t sure. There’s not really a precedent. But as he and his Shape of Water cast appeared before us onstage here at one point — Sally Hawkins, et al. — to accept an ensemble award, the filmmaker had me almost convinced.
Putting enough subtext on his fantastical movie to merit serious consideration — a plea that Academy Awards voters need to hear for it to fly, as Oscar ballots went out this week — del Toro spoke passionately about the political anxiety right now, both in the U.S. and around the globe as a whole.
“I wonder every day what is going to become of us,” he posed. “And this is where film and fairy tales can help restore some of the faith we have lost.”
And though, yes, he’s spoken previously about how the film serves as a metaphor for the treatment of undocumented immigrants, it was one other sentence in his spiel that really hit a palpable chord in the room: “Emotion,” del Toro said, “is the new punk.”
Operation fashions My favourite run-in at the gala? When Saoirse (rhymes with inertia) Ronan zipped by me, her shoes in her hands, mid-dinner at the Palm Springs Convention Centre. As a metaphor for the endurance test that is Awards Season, it was a gift.
Did I mention how terrific Lady Bird looked? The two-time Oscar nominee (going to be three, for sure!) was the night’s fashion winner, dressed in a pink and orangehued Gucci number — sorta edgy, but also a kind of elegant Chinese qipao in style.
Evidence of how far the Irish lovely has blossomed in that realm since she broke out in her early teens in Atonement, it also crystallized, for me, the job that her stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman — one of the best in the biz — is doing. After all, the swing into Awards Season is not only an exercise in actorly persuasion — it’s also an optics battle on the red carpet.
With red-carpet fashion being big business — the carpets effectively act as giant billboards — the looks themselves help to cement the pecking order and images of celebrities, and can do as much as anything to cement the Oscar narrative, especially for a younger starlet. (In recent years, think of victors like Lupita Nyong’o and Alicia Vikander as examples!)
For Saltzman, it is definitely more strategic than just picking out a beautiful dress, as she explained in an interview about her process not long ago: “What are they trying to say at that moment? Is there a possibility of a brand campaign if we put someone new in front of their face?”
Given that contracts with fashion and beauty houses can mean huge sums of money, for both the actresses and the stylists who broker the deals, you can see why.
Hanks a lot One thing keeping up prognosticators at night these days: Will Tom Hanks break his 17-year streak? It was a topic I ran into a couple of times, during the post-party held at the Parker Palms.
Though not present at the gala, but very much on the mind — Hanks was actually set to join Meryl Streep the next night at the big-deal Palm Springs preem of their film, The Post — Mr. Nice Guy has become known for something else peculiar lately: He hasn’t been up for an Oscar since Cast Away in 2001! Famously, in the ’90s, of course, he grabbed a pair back-to-back for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, but then . . . nothing. Overlooked for a slew of performances — they range from Catch Me If You Can to Charlie Wilson’s War — it got crazier still when he was denied a nomination for his career-best in Captain Phillips, in my opinion (a role that did earn him a Globes nom, as well as a nod from SAGs).
What gives? Well, in the words of veteran Oscar-watcher Tom O’Neil, from the L.A. Times: “My theory is . . . that familiarity breeds neglect.” As for his latest screen turn, playing the legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, my money is on him slipping in, primarily because this year’s actor’s Oscar lineup is much less jam-packed than the actress category (an unusually big pool). But who knows?
Apost-Harvey season As those on the hustings wrestled with the seismic polar-shift that’s hit their industry when it comes to sexual misconduct and gender parity, the mood — a trial balloon for more of what will indubitably come at the Globes — was best summed up by Jessica Chastain, who has been particularly outspoken via social media. “Major change is coming,” the Molly’s Game honouree said from the podium, going the inspirational route.
“Change is good. Change is needed. We are all in this together. Each one of us is diminished by flawed systems . . . We must be better — and we will.” Trying a more positive tack that also played well, Chastain also said, “We have sadly heard a lot about the bad boys of Hollywood, but I would like to send some deserved love to a few of the good guys with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working,” as she went on to give nods to the likes of Christopher Nolan, Terrence Malick and Al Pacino.
Proving, meanwhile, that selective levity can also go a long way, Salma Hayek — one of the most eloquent of Weinstein’s detractors — demonstrated as much as she appeared before us to present an award, accidentally tripping over the word “victim” in her remarks. “I’ve been using it so much lately,” she quipped to knowing laughter in the room.
OK . . . what else can I tell you? As cutlery clinked, and scuttlebutt was traded, there was much to take on at this gala, presented by American Express. Timothée Chalamet, there to receive the Rising Star Award for his turn in Call Me By Your Name, was, I noted, still banking on his role as Hollywood’s latest, ahem, mangenue, clearly playing from the same charm-template put down by Eddie Redmayne a few Oscar rounds ago. Holly Hunter, playing the role of Hollywood survivor — a trope that every Awards Season brings — was quietly devastating receiving a Career Achievement Award, a moment that elicited one of the best moments of the night when her Big Sick co-star Kumail Nanjiani quipped that it was his career achievement, ironically, to give her the trophy.
“It’s all downhill from here,” Kumail said.
Leave it to Aaron Sorkin to strike a relatable wry note, when addressing the sea of tuxedos from the stage, apologizing for his mere suit-and-tie. “I was told it’s black-tie optional,” he explained. “Apparently, I’m the only person in the entire building who took that instruction. It’s a confusing instruction. Every day is black-tie optional.” Ah, the toils of Awards Season. I’ll wrap things up, though, with the way Willem Dafoe wrapped things on his end when receiving the so-called Icon Award from his pal, Peter Fonda.
“It’s been a nice evening,” Dafoe told the Palm Springs throng.
“Long, but nice.”