OVP: Best Makeup & Hairstyling (2022)
The Nominees Were...
Heike Merker & Linda Eisenhamerova, All Quiet on the Western Front
Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, & Mike Fontaine, The Batman
Camille Friend & Joel Harlow, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Mark Coulier, Jason Baird, & Aldo Signoretti, Elvis
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, & Annemarie Bradley, The Whale
My Thoughts: We're kicking off the 2022 Oscars with a weird realization. This is the first time ever that we'll have a modern year (i.e. a year where I was writing this blog) that won't have links for any of the film reviews. I only reviewed one film on this blog from 2022 because it was a special occasion (I'm a Harry Potter nerd, so Fantastic Beasts got some love), but otherwise I stopped doing this because I had too much on my plate. So this is a good reminder that if you miss getting my takes on modern films, I do a mini-review of every film I watch on Letterboxd, and you should follow me here.
We'll start our Oscar race with a film that we're going to discuss quite a bit, Elvis. There's been a lot of debate in recent years about whether or not it's appropriate for a slim actor like Austin Butler to wear a fat suit in films, but here I think it feels justified, given he has to play Presley at various stages of his life (and I'm tired of actors getting applauded for gaining weight for a role, given the health implications and also the fact that physical commitment doesn't qualify as fine acting). The makeup here is really well-controlled, though, with both Hanks & Butler feeling believable in various stages of prosthetics from start-to-finish. The sweat work, in particular (look at the way Butler's mascara feels like it's dripping with dew), is quite realistic and adds to the story.
The Whale is in a different area when it comes to casting, given that the character himself is supposed to be 600-pounds (a pretty huge task for an actor). That said, the film plays his weight for almost cruel effect. I will totally own that I hated The Whale, but try to go by individual elements in a movie when it comes to judging their individual Oscar nominations. Here...I don't get it. The prosthetics aren't super believable (you can't buy in most scenes that Fraser is actually 600-pounds, both in terms of performance and in terms of the way his body weight is distributed, feeling like he's just wearing a large fat suit), and nothing outside of the central character is intriguing from a makeup perspective. This was a wasted nomination.
Another film I genuinely didn't like that proves I can get around my feelings for the film is All Quiet on the Western Front. We'll get into the large amount of issues I have with the film in other articles, but the one thing I did like about it was the makeup. World War I looks in film have a distinctive palette (the caked on yellow, orange, & brown mud feels particularly iconic), and this film inhabits that. If you're going to do yet another "war is hell" story, you should do it with an abject realism, and that's what we get here, as these men feel like they've been wandering through the trenches, war eating away their souls.
I am in-between when it comes to The Batman. Colin Farrell's Penguin is undoubtedly the most impressive transformation onscreen this year, totally upending expectations as he looks properly unrecognizable in the role (I've seen almost every Colin Farrell movie of the past twenty years, and I still couldn't follow that it was him). But honestly, it kind of takes away from the film given that he's a wonderful movie star that looks & acts nothing like who he is...it feels like a stunt, or at least a distraction. I was honestly more into Robert Pattinson's Batman-by-way-of-the-Crow heavy eye makeup & distinctive emo take on the Caped Crusader.
Our final nomination is for Black Panther 2, which as the only proper sequel in this group, is playing with a tougher deck. Much of the looks we've seen, for example the Dora Milaje, are looks that we know now and it's hard to give it a lot of credit for these changes. Nothing compares to the scarred body of Michael B. Jordan in the first one in terms of creativity. This considered, the way that they handle Namor, and the elevated looks of Angela Bassett, in particular, are well-done and a nice addition to the established franchise.
Other Precursor Contenders: BAFTA went with Elvis over the entire Oscar lineup save for Black Panther (they instead picked Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical...a movie I never saw, and am curious if I'm missing out?). The Saturn Awards (which honor work in SciFi, Fantasy, and Horror) adjusted their eligibility due to Covid (this happened with a lot of awards shows, even outside of Hollywood), and so while they did have nominations for Crimes of the Future and The Batman, the victor was the previous year's (for AMPAS) winner Dune. AMPAS has a shortlist, so we know sixth place was either Amsterdam, Babylon, Blonde, Crimes of the Future, and Emancipation, and I'm going to guess that Blonde's recreations were probably just out of reach for AMPAS.
Films I Would Have Nominated: There are several films that are in contention for "how did Oscar totally skip this?" and we're going to get to all of them (2022 was a solid Best Picture lineup, but they phoned in the tech categories yet again), but we'll start with The Northman, a hyper-authentic, gorgeously shot movie whose stringy hair & mangled bodies feel transportive to 9th Century Norway.
Oscar’s Choice: The battle came down to The Whale and Elvis, and like in the Best Actor race, the former ended up on top.
My Choice: Elvis is the best of this bunch, besting All Quiet on the Western Front (the only other movie I'll buy deserved this nomination in a middling field). Behind them are Batman, Black Panther, and The Whale.
And those are my thoughts-what are yours? Are you going with the titular Whale or do you want to join me in the more glammed up Elvis? How do you feel about famous actors wearing fat suits? And why did Elvis & the Penguin make it but not Marilyn? Share your theories below!
No comments:
Post a Comment