Eye Candy: Visual Effects, Makeup and Animation
Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 4:44PM It's 2 days and 15 hours or so until Oscar nominations! Late tomorrow we'll do final predictions but until then, the FiLM BiTCH Awards continue wherein I share my own ballot of "best of the year".
Rapunzel lays down the law
If you read the top ten list, you already know my Animated Feature finalists (though I cheated a bit on the grounds of: if Oscar can keep changing the number of nominees, I can adjust as I see fit, too!). Each one of my nominees Toy Story 3, How To Train Your Dragon, The Illusionist and Tangled has at least one other nomination to show for it in another category, too (you can see a tally of nominations thus far at the bottom of the sound categories).
Visual Effects
You know what's funny? My single favorite visual effect of the year is the Winklevii in The Social Network but just as you can't really nominate a film for costume design just because it has one good dress, I didn't end up nominating it in that category
I generally applaud the use of visual effects as a supporting mechanism rather than as the goddamn raison d'etre of a film's existence. And it also just missed because as I was drawing up my charts I suddenly started giggling about how indulgent it all seemed. Why cast twins when you can spend millions playing with your technological toys?! Maybe this is why True Grit just barely misses my makeup nomination, too. Did they really need to go to that much work to make Barry Pepper hideous when he's a strong enough actor to sell dastardly and dangerous without any false grody teeth? I'm just thinking aloud here. Join in the debate at any time.
Dakota self applies in The RunawaysHere are my Visual Effects and Makeup nominees.
[You'll have to scroll down a bit to get past the wall of Black Swan posters in the unfinished categories.]
If you're wondering why Tim Burton's Eyesore in Wonderland is nowhere to be found it's because I think it's overworked in virtually every department. I don't mean to impugn the significant talents of all involved -- and you should skip this paragraph if you're tired of me bagging on it (I'm tired of me, too) but the film will not go away -- but it just doesn't work. It's probably a simple matter of direction but when makeup artists know that Johnny Depp will oversell the "mad" part of "mad hatter", for example, do they than have to work so hard that even an actor playing it straight would look crazy in their designs? Wouldn't something lower key have provided helpful balance, even whilst remaining within the basic register of INSANITY.
And when you choose to make Anne Hathaway of all people unattractive, and it's not part of the character concept that she be so, I just can't go with you to the places they're going. White wig, white gown and...black lipstick? I'm dying here.
Anyway... I prefer makeup just like I prefer my visual f/x, supporting the narrative brilliantly whilst only drawing attention to themselves if they're the main show and should.
And finally we end with a Black Swan makeup tutorial because it's amusing and we loved the Avatar tutorial this girl did last year.
She just wants to be perfect!
Reader Comments (11)
Impossible to discuss the Best Makeup of the Year without a mention of The Runaways. Good on you, Nathaniel!
I took three things away from Splice: anger at everyone involved in the project for that ill-advised dark woods action sequence at the end, immense respect for Dren actress Delphine Chaneac in an challenging and effective physical performance, and awe at all the practical effects and make-up. Forget about grown up Dren. Those first few scenes with the artificial womb and larva are shocking in the best way possible.
Yeah, I basically agree here with all the nominees.
I dunno, Nathaniel. How many twins can act and are 6 foot 5 rowers? Fincher actually attempted to cast the role as twins, but found that he couldn't.
Also, would it really cost millions to do that effect?
I just want acting nominees :'(
I'm with Arkaan on this one. Fincher interviewed saying that the casting agents looked for twins for a long time, but how likely is it that you're going to find a set of American twins the right age, height, build and appearance to play the Winklevoss twins, BOTH of whom happen to be good enough actors? It's not really that common in twins for both of them to follow the same career, and I think the Olsen twins might have been too busy.
Re: make-up for Black Swan, I dunno, I read somewhere recently something like how the "Black Swan costume" is already legendary, and it made me think of something I recently discovered, that you, Nathaniel, if you haven't already seen it will probably hate me for bringing it to your attention ;) :
http://itsyounghollywood.blogspot.com/2010/11/chloe-moretz-is-black-swan.html
Anyway, Black Swan opened here in Germany January 20th and I'm planning to see it soon. Doesn't really sound like my kind of movie, but I want to have my own substantiated opinion on this major Oscar contender, and I hope to be pleasantly surprised. Plus, I love some of Barbara Hershey's and Winona Ryder's work in the 80s and 90s. And I love the equally artsy and crappy Donnie Darko (Re: some previous post here)
Re: Film Bitch awards - I often wake up with some crazy surreal thoughts, usually about work. Friday I woke up trying to predict the Film Bitch awards acting nominees ... so I made a list and I'm eager to see how many I got right ;)
Arkaan - i dunno. it seems pricy. i mean look at that setup required in the video? I suppose it already paid for itself after Benjamin Button though.
Drew -- i dunno. maybe i'm just cynical but when people say they couldn't find an actor who could so and so... i always think they werne't looking hard. I guess i get this from being burned so many times living here in NYC and being aware of literally hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous people who can act and sing and movie musical prodcuers regulary saying "we couldbn't find someone who could act, dance and sing and looked right for the part. BULLSHIT ;) -- they just don't care abotu musical talent.
Right, but wouldn't you argue that singing/dancing are more general performing skills than the ones required for the Winklevii?
I can't believe I'm defending a David Fincher choice against Nathaniel (hee - I don't like Fincher very much, whereas I think he ranks quite highly with the resident Film Bitch!)
LOVE the citation for "The Runaways". That movie has been criminally overlooked by make-up/costume awards/shortlists/guilds this season.
My Personal Picks…
BEST ANIMATION:
How to Train Your Dragon
Tangled
Toy Story 3
BEST FILM EDITING:
127 Hours
Black Swan
Dogtooth
Inception
The Social Network
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Inception
Piranha 3D
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
TRON: Legacy
BEST MAKEUP/ HAIR:
Black Swan
Burlesque
I Am Love
Piranha 3D
The Wolfman