27 Days of Oscar, Day 25: Makeup and Hairstyling and Animated Feature

Happy Oscars Friday.

I had a great chat with Gary Darby on Super Talk 93.7 this morning. I hope you had a chance to listen. We spoke a bit about my process of watching all 44 features and 15 shorts nominated for the Oscar, what it means to be an Oscar Completest, and why watching all of the nominees matters when predicting the Oscars.

We talked a bit about Best Actor, Best Actress and of course Best Picture. The last time I was on his show, everyone was saying "Three Billboards" was the film to beat and I said it would be "The Shape of Water." Today it's the opposite. "Get Out" and "The Shape of Water" seem to be ahead, and I'm in the minority predicting "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."

A safe place to be considering the majority was wrong about "The Revenant" and "La La Land." In 3 days time it will all be over, and in retrospect it will all make sense.

Yesterday I watched "Wonder," another Oscar nominated film that I thoroughly enjoyed that was mostly dismissed by critics. For the record, the films that I was most surprised by during this process...that I hope you will check out are "Marshall," "Roman J. Israel, Esq," and "Wonder." 

This morning I finished the 44th feature, "Loving Vincent," another delight nominated for Best Animated Feature. For the record, the only features that I found completely disappointing and unworthy of nomination were in the Animated Feature category. "The Boss Baby" and "Ferdinand" being the worst two of all Oscar nominated films.

Sure, I would never have nominated "Darkest Hour" or "The Post" for Best Picture, but they are not terrible films. 

Interestingly enough the only disappointing shorts also belonged in the animated category. "Dear Basketball" and "LOU" had no place over the likes of "World of Tomorrow: 2." Ok...that one is sight unseen, but still. If either of those (as predicted) beat "Garden Party"...well, I'll be glad to miss that one for the sake of taste!

So, let's get down to it, one more time. The only two categories I have yet to predict are Makeup and Hairstyling and Animated Feature.

Makeup and Hairstyling

Wonder, Arjen Tuiten
Darkest Hour, Kazuhiro Tsuji and Lcy Sibbick
Victoria & Abdul, Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard

This one will more than likely go to "Darkest Hour." They'll also win best hair/makeup later in the night with Gary Oldman. :)

Picking what I think should win is a bit of a challenge. Let's take "Victoria & Abdul" out of the race. It was a delightful and interesting film, but it's the also ran in this group.

I keep going back to a scene in "Wonder" between Jacob Tremblay and Julia Roberts where he has a breakdown after a difficult first day at school. Tremblay is incredible, and the makeup is utterly amazing...giving way completely for him to express the emotions required.

I guess the same can be said for "Darkest Hour," clearly. Oldman, if anything, EMOTES.

Both completely transform their actors as well.

As much as I would love to take away from "Darkest Hour," which, I know...it's not how I usually roll on this site...but on day 25, let's call an overrated spade a spade...

If you add the hairstyling portion as well, I have to give the edge to "Darkest Hour."

Will win/should win: Darkest Hour

FINALLY...the 24th category

Animated Feature

The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent

This is the weakest this category has been in recent memory. Which makes the exclusion of the brilliant "Bird Boy: the Forgotten Children" even more heartbreaking. "The Boss Baby" is creepy, makes little sense, and then throws away it's idiocy for a very manipulative/almost satisfying ending. "Ferdinand," a film that has a nice anti-bullying message buried deep, deep, deep under it's very unfunny surface was the worst of all 44 nominated films, in my humble opinion.

Next we have "Loving Vincent," which is a stunner. The first ever painted/animated film...the actors truly come across in the design. It's breathtaking. It's a definite third in my opinion.

Which leaves the two best, "The Breadwinner" and "Coco."

I would love for "The Breadwinner" to win, mostly because it is so damn different than the normal thing that shows up in this category, particularly this year!  But "Coco" is going to win, and it deserves it. It is animation at its best and a complete joy...earning the tears it elicits.

Will win/should win: Coco

So, that's that! Tomorrow I will put together the complete list of predictions and revisit a few of the big Oscar nominees heading into the big day.

I'm not going to predict the Spirit Awards, but here's hoping it's Timothee for the Best Actor win!