Seven Makeup finalists revealed

As usual, the Academy's makeup branch is one that defies prediction, snubbing high-profile work every year when it comes to their contestant-whittling bakeoff, and often including at least one fringe contender in their final three. The big shaftee this year in the bakeoff stage is Cloud Atlas, whose plethora of genre-spanning, gender-crossing, and race-warping transformations just wasn't enough to overcome the hit-and-miss nature of the actual makeup. And perhaps with good reason. Quantity shouldn't substitute for quality, and while the film's makeup team deserves a hearty pat on the back for being the hardest working members of the crew, a lot of the makeup was just plain bad.

Another snubbed movie which I thought might have a shot at being this year's fringe contender was Leos Carax's Holy Motors, whose shape-shifting star Denis Lavant dons many guises which are not only well executed, but spotlighted in the film itself as Lavant applies and removes the makeup himself. I guess it was too fringe for the makeup branch to even see it, which is probably why it didn't get a mention.

One Category at a Time: Makeup

I gotta hand it to the makeup branch; they don't let anyone tell them what to do! They've always been concerned purely with the work presented in the film and not at all with the quality of the film itself, and that's really the way it should be. But it does throw a kink into the Oscar-predictor's plans, especially in a year like this when all three nominees are only nominated for that one Makeup category.

Barney's version had some pretty solid aging work on display, progressing Paul Giamatti's character over the course of several decades. But how many people have seen the film? How many people liked it?

The work done on Peter Weir's The Way Back (by the same Oscar-nominated team of Master and Commander) is a great inclusion here. The realization of sunburns, swollen feet, and general dishevelment is detailed and incredibly realistic. Again: how many people have seen it?

Then there's The Wolfman, with frankly awesome transformative magic spun by makeup god Rick Baker. People seem to forget that there's a whole lot more than just a hairy Benicio del Toro in this movie, but all manner of illnesses and wound effects that required just as much care and artfulness. Again: how many people have seen the film? How many even remember it? How many want to?

Since we can't rely on any perceived popularity to point us to the winner, we have to fall back on the old most-equals-best philosophy the Academy employs in the craft categories.

Will win: The Wolfman
Runner-up: Barney's Version

Should win: The Wolfman
Should have been nominated: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

My Award nominations: Hair and Makeup

Truth be told, I didn't come across that many worthy contenders for Best Hair and Makeup this year (I haven't even seen all seven of the Academy's bakeoff finalists), but hey, I can always go back and change my nominees if I eventually see something better. Anywho, the three best I've seen so far are:

Black Swan
(Judy Chin, Paul LeBlanc, Michael Marino):
Darkly stylized stage makeup and grisly bodily transformation horrors dance together in this beautiful psychological thriller.

The Fighter
(Donald Mowatt, Johnny Villanueva):
Whether it's Christian Bale's burnt-out drug addict, Mark Whalberg's battered boxer's mug, or the subtle aging work done on Melissa Leo, all the makeup efforts are realistic and believable.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
(Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin):
There may not have been many new characters to create, but the makeup work here is still highly detailed and effective, especially at making the three leads look progressively wearier and worn down throughout their saga.

The Way Back
(Eduouard Enrique, Yolanda Tousseing):
The work done on Peter Weir's "modest" epic (by the same Oscar-nominated team of Master and Commander) is so good you almost don't even notice. The realization of sunburns, swollen feet, and general dishevelment is detailed and incredibly realistic.

The Wolfman (Rick Baker, Lisa Westcott, Dave Elsey):
What is there really to say? When Rick Baker's on the job, you know he's gonna give you nothing less than Oscar-worthy makeup. Not only are the werewolf effects awesome, but the wound and illness effects are rendered just as artfully.


Just missed: Shutter Island

In keeping with werewolves/Rick Baker...

Rick Baker for the win!

Review - The Wolfman

Caught up with this on DVD. 'Tis the season.

With the right frame of mind and a taste for some horror movie camp, The Wolfman can be quite enjoyable, but shouldn't be mistaken for a good film. The narrative is clunky and bluntly told, often relying on expository backstory in an attempt to give dimension to characters that were never meant to be deeper than a puddle. Benicio Del Toro is rather wooden when his face isn't buried in prosthetics, and struggles with an awkward accent.

But let's be honest, did we really expect that much from a mid-February release? We might have expected a few quality scares, but even those weren't delivered with 100% conviction. One expectation that was fulfilled, however, was the film's beautiful design. From the Gothic sets to the distinctive costumes to the foggy silhouette-laden photography, it hearkens back to old-school excessive Hollywood film-making, and serves as a respectable homage to the original Wolf Man from 1941. And of course, not enough can be said of makeup effects legend Rick Baker, whose ground-breaking work on An American Werewolf in London in 1981 was what first prompted the Academy to instate a Best Makeup category. It's great to see him return to his lycanthropic roots!

I'd be surprised if he doesn't earn yet another nomination, no matter how poorly the film was received. It's an exceptional accomplishment that would easily top any of 2009's.

** out of ****