by Nathaniel R
Oscar chart overhaul is upon us. Let's talk two categories that are exceptionally difficult to read without the usual supply of blockbuster style filmmaking to dominate them.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Given that most of the blockbuster style films moved out of 2020 (without those theatrical billions to win), this might be the weirdest Oscar race of the year or the dullest if they don't nominate well...
In a normal year we'd bet the very effective vfx work of horror hit The Invisible Man or the "background / supporting" fx of something like Mank or News of the World wouldn't stand a chance but this year...who knows? Some fx titles that didn't make a cultural or critical ripple, like Project Power or The New Mutants, might have a shot that they normally wouldn't. Animated films rarely place in this category but they have a couple of times so maybe this year is another window? While the Academy really likes Batman and Batman-adjacent movies (way more than they like other superhero movies, statistically speaking), in a normal year Birds of Prey wouldn't factor since it's not vfx heavy but again, who knows? I'm currently predicting Tenet, Midnight Sky, Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984, and Invisible Man... and half of those reluctantly. We shall see.
Old age makeup, distinct "character" lewks, or period wigs and makeup?
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Though this category technically covers makeup in a broad sense, the prosthetic effects side of movie makeup magic tends to hog the attention. It's usually in service of disguising the actors so that they look like mor like a different person (usually but not always a famous one), or an older version of themselves, or a genre creature. Some examples this time could include Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, Hillbilly Elegy, I'm thinking of ending things. But for the upcoming Oscar race, it might well be the wigmakers and hairstylists who own the category instead. Maybe we'll see more period work across the board like say Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, One Night in Miami, Personal History of David Copperfield, Ammonite, or Mank. Or maybe this Oscar season will be a chance for more character lewks to reign i.e. the kind of movies where the makeup department is having fun and you might see people trying to be those characters next Halloween time... think Birds of Prey, Mulan, or Promising Young Woman.
CHECK OUT THE CHARTS - Which films do you think will rise up in these categories?