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

Costume Designers Guild nominees!

EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM
Black Swan – Amy Westcott
Burlesque – Michael Kaplan
Inception – Jeffrey Kurland
The Social Network – Jacqueline West
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – Ellen Mirojnick

EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD FILM
The Fighter – Mark Bridges
The King’s Speech – Jenny Beavan
True Grit – Mary Zophres

EXCELLENCE IN FANTASY FILM
Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood
The Tempest – Sandy Powell
TRON: Legacy – Michael Wilkinson & Christine Bieselin Clark

I'm most chagrined to see Julie Weiss' wonderful costuming of Get Low completely ignored. If it couldn't score here, maybe I should let it go from my predictions. But that begs the question: Why only three nominees for period? Did they really not consider entries like Get Low and The Wolfman (among the year's best imo) good enough to bump the nominee count up to five?

Anyway, it looks like Alice in Wonderland, The King's Speech, The Tempest, and True Grit are leading the way, but who to put in that fifth Oscar slot? Might we finally have the first contemporary costume nominee since The Devil Wears Prada? If so, I'm cheering for Black Swan all the way!

Meanwhile, that Fantasy category is a sad state of affairs. Not only are the three nominees pretty lowsy movies (which is beside the point, anyway), but I didn't even find the costumes in them that good. Jany Temime's work in this year's Harry Potter is much more deserving if you ask me.

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

ADG nominees!

The ADG's selections for the production design in feature films this year are:

Period Film
Get Low
The King’s Speech
Robin Hood
Shutter Island
True Grit

Fantasy Film
Alice in Wonderland
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Inception
TRON Legacy

Contemporary Film
Black Swan
The Fighter
127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town

Not a bad lineup. I imagine Period will go to The King's Speech, Fantasy to either Alice or Inception, and Contemporary to... Black Swan? I'm kinda disappointed The Ghost Writer didn't pop up there. Same with The Wolfman in Period.

My Award nominations: Production Design and Set Decoration

With the Art Directors' Guild announcing their nominees tomorrow, today seems like a good one for me to offer up my own selections for the Best Production Design, Set Decoration, and Art Direction of 2010:

The Illusionist (Jacques Arhex, Bjarne Hansen):

True, no sets are built for this gorgeous animated gem, but the art direction still makes a lasting impression. Beautiful watercolour effect.

Inception (Guy Dyas, Larry Dias, Douglas Mowat, Brad Ricker):

Multiple dream levels designed to reflect our protagonist's id, and constructed to accommodate the many special effects. The stuff that dreams are made of.

The King's Speech (Eve Stewart, Judy Farr, David Hindle):

Visually evokes distinctions between class and character with subtlety and richness, from Lionel's cozy wallpaper to Bertie's austere matte painted walls.

Shutter Island (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Shiavo, Robert Guerra):

The decaying edifice of the titular island's asylum for the criminally insane help put us in an uneasy state of mind. Spooky, spooky, spooky.

The Wolfman (Rick Heinrichs, John Bush, Vincent Jenkins, Andy Nicholson):

Absolutely nailed the creepy atmosphere, and serves as a nice throwback to vintage Universal monster movie lore. Gotta love that Gothic period detail!

Just missed: The Ghost Writer, Prince of Persia, Tangled

My Award nominations: Costume Design

It's that time of year again. Time to think back on the dozens of films seen in 2010 and decide upon the best of the best in all the usual categories. As it was last year, I'll be announcing my nominees for my awards one day at a time, leading up to the 24th (the eve of the Oscar nominations) when my winners will be announced.

Today's category is Costume Design, and there was plenty to choose from in 2010:

Black Swan (Amy Westcott,
Kate Mulleavy, Laura Mulleavy):
Nina Sayres' girlish soft pinks and whites give way to greys and blacks as the Black Swan within her starts taking control. I especially loved how fabrics and accessories were stylized to resemble feathers and wings! That's to say nothing of the gorgeous ballet costumes.

Get Low (Julie Weiss):
The period attire is precise. Materials and patterns are used smartly to help distinguish character; scratchy wools for Robert Duvall, pinstripes and argyle for Bill Murray, leather and tweed for Lucas Black. Everyone even has their own hat style!

Inception (Jeffrey Kurland):
Slick corporate threads wonderfully define character quirks; prim three-piece suits for Arthur, smart casual clothes for Eames, Asian-inspired formal wear for Seito, and so on. It's not terribly flashy, but still represents intelligent contemporary costume design.

True Grit (Mary Zophres):
Features appropriately gritty period and character details: burnt-out Rooster Cogburn's battered duster, boastful LaBoeuf's ornate rodeo jacket, and Mattie Ross' ill-fitting coat and hat that visually accentuate how ill-fitting she is for the adventure on which she is about to embark.

The Wolfman (Milena Canonero):
Character specificity rules the costumes of this Gothic horror; the lavish fur-trimmed jackets of Anthony Hopkins' hunter, the no-nonsense trench coats of Hugo Weaving's Van Helsing, and the constrictive corsets of Emily Blount's love-lorn damsel are all a perfect fit.

Just missed: Harry Potter, The King's Speech, Made in Dagenham

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 ****