MAKEUP + HAIRSTYLING

Nominees:
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables

I must confess that I am yet to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey so these predictions are based on what I’ve seen from the other two films and the speculation floating around the web.

Les Misérables has a chance here because it’s a stand out for a gritty yet fantastical makeup design. Similarly, Tom Hooper’s film manages to always feel controlled even when hinting at threads of honesty, such as Anna Hathaway’s chopped hair or Amanda Seyfried’s wild mop. The film’s issues are purely structural as from an aesthetic perspective the pieces form a palette that has scope and richness. Because Les Miz was nominated in major categories, it has to be a frontrunner here. Working against it, the film doesn’t overly promote its visual creations. Because of its realness it may easily get lost behind the other two, more conspicuous, makeup and hairstyling contenders.

Hitchcock plays like a light imitation of a major event in film history. The creation of Psycho has been shrouded in myth and the film version gets lost in wanting to celebrate rather than probe the moment. The makeup, while occasionally striking, does little when mimicking Alfred Hitchcock’s look or the hairstyles of the 60s. A win here would be because Hitchcock wears its makeup and hairstyling on its sleeve.

The Hobbit’s makeup artist Peter Swords King won here for The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King because that film, like I’d imagine The Hobbit, carried a fine balance between practical makeup design and visual effects. In some respects, to make the computer-generated images come to life, the tangible work has to be spot -n as well. This film, like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, also looks to maintain a perfect balance between hair and makeup without being overly indulgent about either. I have a sneaking suspicion The Hobbit will win this award. The only strike against it would be that the previous trilogy won for similar work.

WILL WIN: Les Misérables
COULD WIN: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
SHOULD WIN: Les Misérables