Big news out of the Academy this week as the Costume Designers are granted their own branch, and the Makeup And Hairstylists branch expands their representation on the board of governors from one to three members.
What does this mean for the Oscars? Probably very little in the short run. The actual Oscar voters remain the same, and even the nominations for costumes were already decided by the 110 member costume sub-group of the larger Designers branch (which was known until just last year as the Art Directors branch). Still, it is worth noting that Les Miserables is the only film to be nominated in all three of the impacted branches: Production Design, Costume Design and Makeup And Hairstyling.
Where the changes will really be significant is in terms of administration and governance for the academy. Over time it is possible that we could see a different proportion or configuration of new members admitted to the Academy in these branches, although my sense is that they already functioned with a fair amount of internal autonomy before the change.
For our Academy Members Project, though, it means that next July will see five new governors added to the board, which potentially means five new Academy members that I haven’t discovered yet. I’ll also be on watch over the next few weeks to see if any costume designers or makeup and hair specialists give public comments praising the change.
A slightly larger task will be going through the Designers Branch members who we’ve already identified and reassigning the costume designers to the correct branch. It won’t be too difficult given that their credits should be pretty easy to distinguish, but it will be time consuming, so give me a few weeks. I’ll also need to update the branch statistics page.
But for now, let’s just celebrate the expansion as a further recognition of the important work that these artists provide for our cinematic enjoyment!
The Makeup And Hairstyling race seems to be between Lincoln and The Hobbit. While The Lord Of The Rings series has won this category twice, the Academy also has a tendency to reward Best Picture nominees here, and a convincing Abraham Lincoln will be hard to beat.
1. Lincoln (Predicted Winner) 2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3. Les Miserables
Alternates: 4. Men In Black 3 5. Hitchcock 6. Looper 7. Snow White And The Huntsman
As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories! See Makeup predictions for other yearsHERE. If you’re into makeup, you might also likeArt Decoration andCostume Design. See predictions for other categories at the 85th OscarsHERE. Switch to another year:85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th .
We have seen a few pictures from the makeup contenders already leaked around the internet, and there are several biopics and period pieces coming out this year as well. I have tried to balance some of the early press that superhero films get with the Academy’s history for more independent fare, but I’m still not entirely sure that I’ve struck the right balance.
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Predicted Winner) (previous rank 5) 2. Lincoln (previous rank 26) 3. Cloud Atlas (previous rank 7)
Alternates: 4. Mirror Mirror (previous rank 42) 5. Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux A La Reine) (New) 6. The Dark Knight Rises (previous rank 4) 7. Hyde Park On Hudson (previous rank 10) 8. The Hunger Games (previous rank 30) 9. Men In Black 3 (previous rank 15) 10. The Eye Of The Storm (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 16)
11. Great Expectations (previous rank 37) 12. Dark Shadows (previous rank 16) 13. Les Miserables (New) 14. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (previous rank 32) 15. Django Unchained. (New) 16. The Great Gatsby (previous rank 48) 17. Anna Karenina (New) 18. Prometheus (previous rank 44) 19. The Master (New) 20. Inside Llewyn Davis (New) 21. World War Z (previous rank 50) 22. The Raven (previous rank 6) 23. Bel Ami (New) 24. A Royal Affair (New) 25. The Avengers (previous rank 11) 26. Snow White And The Huntsman (previous rank 45) 27. The Amazing Spider-Man (previous rank 33) 28. Total Recall (New) 29. Argo (New) 30. Rock Of Ages (New) 31. Dali (previous rank 3) 32. Hemingway & Fuentes (previous rank 14) 33. Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father (New) 34. My Wild Life (New) 35. Sparkle (previously listed in 87th Oscar race, rank 22) 36. Effie (New) 37. The Surrogate (New) 38. Kill Bin Laden (New) 39. Life Of Pi (previous rank 9) 40. Wuthering Heights (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 41) 41. Savannah (previous rank 41) 42. The Woman In Black (New) 43. The Door (New) 44. Rust And Bone (New) 45. Nina (previous rank 28) 46. Seven Psychopaths (New) 47. Cosmopolis (New) 48. Wettest County (previous rank 46) 49. Black Gold (New) 50. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (New)
As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories! See Makeup predictions for other yearsHERE. If you’re into makeup, you might also likeArt Decoration andCostume Design. See predictions for other categories at the 85th OscarsHERE. Switch to another year:84th, 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th .
I correctly predicted 2 out of the 3 nominees in this category (66%). Interestingly, I was actually predicting a makeup nomination for Albert Nobbs from March through November, but mistakenly backed down when reviews of the film began to surface, reminding us that these branches really do examine the quality of the craft itself, rather than the film as a whole.
1. Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland for The Iron Lady (Predicted Winner) (previous rank 1) 2. Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (previous rank 3) 3. Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle for Albert Nobbs (previous rank 6)
For a more detailed look at each of the nominees, check out Rachel’s analysis.
As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories! To see how I am doing in each race, check out myTrack Record Page. See Makeup predictions for other yearsHERE. If you’re into makeup, you might also likeArt Directionn andCostume Design. See predictions for other categories at the 84th OscarsHERE. Switch to another year:84th, 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th
Today the Academy announced the seven films that made the short list for Best Makeup. I correctly predicted 5 of them to make the short list (71%), with 6 of them (86%) showing up in my previous top 13. You can see how I am doing in other races on my Track Record Page.
J. Edgar missed the cut, but Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life surprised here. This French film premiered at Cannes in 2010 (two years ago), and was nominated for eight Cesar Awards last year, winning two of them. Unfortunately, the Cesars don’t give awards for best makeup, which may help to explain why few predictors saw this coming. The film may do well, as it includes both biopic and surreal makeup effects that could pick up votes from different contingents within the branch.
Here are today’s rankings for the 84th Oscar Makeup race, with previous ranking shown in parenthesis after each entry. I have kept Harry Potter in the nomination list for now, although I am not entirely convinced that it can beat out Hugo and The Artist.
1. The Iron Lady (Predicted Winner) (previous rank 3) 2. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Gainsbourg: Vie Heroique) (New) 3. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (previous rank 1)
Alternates: 4. Hugo (previous rank 5) 5. The Artist (previous rank 6) 6. Albert Nobbs (previous rank 4) 7. Anonymous (previous rank 13)
As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories! See Makeup predictions for other yearsHERE. If you’re into makeup, you might also likeArt Decoration andCostume Design. See predictions for other categories at the 84th OscarsHERE. Switch to another year:84th, 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th
Really? This is the film that fanboys have been dying to see? Fincher fanboys, Larsson fanboys, Lisbeth fanboys, Mara fanboys and possibly some Craig/Blomqvist fangirls too, have hyped this movie all year long, insisting that it was going to be David Fincher’s glorious response to his Social Network loss, and Rooney Mara’s ticket to the Kodak theater.
I’ll grant you that the opening sequence was fast paced like the first trailer, and that Lisbeth gets a few well-placed catchphrases throughout the film. I can even appreciate the artistry of the costumes and art direction which helped to set the mood of the sixties flashbacks, or the skill evident in the cinematography, editing and score. But the film didn’t effectively utilize these technical achievements to further the story, nor did they provide enough atmosphere to keep me engaged. If anything, they felt like a distraction and contributed to my lack of interest. I found that I didn’t care about any of the characters, whether heroes, villains or victims, and the investigative techniques felt stale and routine. Despite its two and a half hour running time, the movie lacked a compelling sense of mystery, and then rushed through the resolution scenes involving Harriet, Wennerstrom and Anita.
So have at it fanboys and fangirls: Keep talking about the relationship to the books, or comparing this remake to the Swedish original. Debate all you want about whether Noomi Rapace or Rooney Mara is more beautiful or badass or brutal. Keep telling me that the second and third installments of the series are where all the action is. Because each time you do, it only makes me wonder why this version turned out to be such a boring film.
Oscar Chances:
I had been suspicious enough of the fanboy chatter to keep TGWTDT out of my nominee lists for the major categories, but admit that I fell victim to it enough to keep Fincher and Mara within striking ground. It’s always possible that the Academy’s technical branch will see something that I didn’t, but at this point I think that Reznor and Ross’ score is the only serious contender for a nomination.
Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (currently ranked 4) Sound Mixing (currently ranked 2, will drop in next predictions) Film Editing: Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall (currently ranked 5, likely to drop in next predictions) Adapted Screenplay: Steven Zaillian (currently ranked 7) Best Director: David Fincher (currently ranked 7, will drop in next predictions Cinematography: Jeff Cronenworth (currently ranked 7) Lead Actress: Rooney Mara (currently ranked 8. Holding steady due to Golden Globes nomination) Makeup (currently ranked 11, likely to drop in next predictions) Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt and K.C. Fox (currently ranked 12) Best Picture (currently ranked 13, will drop in next predictions) Sound Editing (currently ranked 20) Costume Design: Trish Summerville (currently ranked 22) Lead Actor: Daniel Craig (currently ranked 39)
As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories!
My Lamb Score: 1 1/2 out of 5 Lambs What is a lamb score? ClickHERE to learn more. Read more of my reviewsHERE.
Some stories are about a series of actions that fit neatly into a linear construct. Others are about the discovery of grand ideas that lend themselves to exposition. But what if the story you want to tell is about the unconscious itself?
Each character in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method lives within the psychoanalytical theories that made them famous. Sabina Spielrien (Keira Knightley) screams, twitches and cowers as she slowly comes to understand the simultaneously destructive and transformative nature of sexuality. Her doctor, Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), struggles to embrace his self against the societal structures that dictate respectable behavior. Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) has by this point internalized the role of father figure which Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel) rejects in the spirit of anarchy and sexual liberation.
The true protagonist of the film, however, is the unconscious, which never appears on screen. (How could it?) Cronenberg uses every narrative tool at his command to uncover this internal world, from the art direction and costume design common of intellectual biopics to ample exposition of these ideas in the form of both dialogue (the talking cure) and old-fashioned letter writing. One could even argue that the designated patient at the beginning of the film ends up being the most psychologically healthy precisely because of a willingness to embrace the unconscious, while the other characters become more and more trapped inside their respective theories as a punishment for merely studying it.
Oscar Chances:
Costume Design: Denise Cronenberg (currently ranked 4) Art Direction: James McAteer and Gernot Thondel (currently ranked 6) Supporting Actor: Viggo Mortensen (currently ranked 11) Lead Actress: Keira Knightley (currently ranked 11) Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Hampton (currently ranked 11) Cinematography: Peter Sushitzky (currently ranked 12) Makeup (currently ranked 10 in a field of 3) Best Picture (currently ranked 14) Lead Actor: Michael Fassbender (currently ranked 14) Best Director: David Cronenberg (currently ranked 15) Film Editing: Ronald Sanders (currently ranked 28) Original Score: Howard Shore (currently ranked 8, will likely fall in my next predictions) Supporting Actor: Vincent Cassel (currently unranked)
As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories!
My Lamb Score: 3 ½ out of 5 Lambs What is a lamb score? ClickHERE to learn more. Read more of my reviewsHERE.
Watch any interview with an actor and they’re certain to start talking about how “the art” or “the work” is more important than the fame or the money. Of course, they’re also likely to define art in a way that just happens to match up with their own talents and paychecks. The Artist explores these parallel self-interests through Jean Dujardin’s character whose matrix of art, fame and wealth is on the decline, and Berenice Bejo’s character who is on the rise.
I must admit that the first ten minutes of the film had me worried. The opening sequences felt like a caricature, and the audience that I was in seemed unusually giddy about each staged laugh line, with some of them acting like they’d never seen a dog before. Luckily, director Michel Hazanavicius’ early introduction of these tropes on a large scale paves the way for their more subtle reincorporation as the story shifts from the public spotlight to the personal struggles of our artist. In hindsight, the flashy opening lovingly pokes fun at our stereotypes of the silent medium, getting them out of the way early so that modern audiences are prepared to engage with the nuance that comes later.
More than an homage to the past, The Artist plays with the themes of presence and absence that define our Western sensibilities. Rationalist dialogue is replaced by the emotive score of Ludovic Bource. Bejo dances with the trappings of an empty jacket, or partially hidden behind a screen. The most realistic sound mixing comes during surreal nightmares and moments of personal doubt. The film’s cinematography also plays with these perspectives. At one point, I could have sworn that the trees looked green, even though I knew the film was black and white. In other places, the simple act of watching a movie is portrayed differently when shown in a crowded theater or a private living room, and the view from directly ahead is different from being hidden behind the screen or gazing from a side angle in a distant balcony. And at a crucial moment in the plot, Bejo stands in a room with a checkerboard floor and horizontal blinds, while making an important discovery through the prism of a film reel that liberates our characters from the onslaught of linear progress.
Rather than a limitation, the silent black and white structure of the film feeds the imagination and corresponds to the narrative exploration of how presence and absence are often as much about our perspectives as our realities. Dujardin commands the loyalty of the girl, a dog, his butler and the audience, but feels as though he can’t even rely upon his own shadow. A fleeting picture in the newspaper can make fans imagine that they know you, or make your wife upset that you don’t talk to her. A movie mogul (John Goodman) is alternately in control and at the mercy of his stars. The slightest gimmick can make you stand out among the crowd, whether it be a painted on mole or the discovery of tap dancing. And what worked in your favor yesterday may be your undoing today, or lead to your reinvention tomorrow. It’s all about how you choose to define your art.
As I did with Hugo and My Week With Marilyn, this feels like an appropriate space to introduce my readers to some classic film styles that The Artist represents, all courtesy of my fellow bloggers at The LAMB.
Silent Volume has over 150 excellent movie reviews from the silent era, all searchable by name and genre. He even provides information on how to find these films so that you can enjoy them for yourself!
Silent Stanzas features reviews, poetry, photos and stories about silent films.
Film: Ab Initio takes a historical approach to film’s evolution, with a special focus on the early days.
And if you want to know what life is like for a real, modern day silent film accompanist, be sure to check out Silent Film Music.
Oscar Chances:
I’ve been predicting that The Artist will win best picture since September, and the precursors of this past week don’t give me any reason to change now. As of today (12/16/11), my prediction pages currently show the artist receiving 8 nominations, and as I update them in the next few weeks that number could potentially rise to 10 or 11.
Best Picture (Predicted Winner) Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius (Currently my Predicted Winner, although Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris could easily usurp this spot in my next predictions) Score: Ludovic Bource (currently ranked 2) Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (currently ranked 3) Lead Actor: Jean Dujardin (currently ranked 3) Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo (currently ranked 7, but will rise into the top 5 with my next predictions. Also cross-listed in the Lead category, rank 34, although at this point why would she rock the boat?) Film Editing: Anne-Sophie Bion (currently ranked 4) Cinematography: Guillaume Shiffman (currently ranked 5) Art Direction: Laurence Bennett (currently ranked 7, likely to move up in my next predictions) Costume Design: Mark Bridges (currently ranked 5) Makeup (currently ranked 6 in a field of 3 nominees) Supporting Actor: John Goodman (currently ranked 43, but will rise in my next predictions) Sound Editing (currently ranked 34, but will rise in my next predictions) Sound Mixing (currently ranked 50, but expect a big jump the next time I update these predictions, possibly even into the top 5)
As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories! My Lamb Score: 4 ½ out of 5 Lambs What is a lamb score? ClickHERE to learn more. Read more of my reviewsHERE.
