Film Bitch Awards: Makeup, Visual FX, and Film Editing
Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 9:15AM 
Though the Academy's makeup and hair voters regularly mystify with their finalist lists, barring one entry for 2018 they chose extremely well. Which is to say my own ballot closely mirrors Oscars this year in that craft. I was prepared to be indignant, for example, at the exclusion of Sweden's unforgettable whatsit Border but didn't have to be. Mary Queen of Scots sounded like a lazy pick from a distance but once the movie arrived the makeup and hair work was exceptional... even fresh. Fat suits normally aggravate but I was unhappy to leave the biopic Stan & Ollie, a worthy Oscar finalist, out -- it has to settle for finalist at the Film Bitch Awards.
We only wish Oscar's board of governors would wise up and allow five nominations in this category as they do with all other categories. It's appalling to make makeup and hair the bastard child of the industry since every live-action film requires hair and makeup work. Original Song, Visual Effects, and Animated Features all get five nominees and there's far less to choose from in those regards! You've heard this rant before so we'll move on. Click to see the honors for Makeup, Visual Effects, and Film Editing honoring 15 different films (this was not intentional but no film repeats between those three categories).
Reader Comments (4)
Every makeup choice is so rich this year! I kept going back to look at all the pictures for each movie. (Which means, of course, that Bohemian Rhapsody will definitely be nominated, as the Oscars like to throw in some eldritch horrors to keep us on our toes.)
Somebody needs to start an online petition to get the Academy to increase the makeup nominees to 5 asap.
YES to including WE THE ANIMALS in editing. The movie belong with MOONLIGHT on a very short list of 21st century films that create a (queer) child's point of view through the filmmaker's technical and artistic choices.
Pretty much flawless picks here. God, I do wish more people would pay attention to individual elements of films versus just thinking their favorite film is the best at EVERYTHING. Your oft-cited example of ANT MAN 2 vs. BLACK PANTHER in Visual Effects for example is a good one.