2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions: MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING and VISUAL EFFECTS (December)

Not a lot surprises in what made the final cut for Makeup and Hairstyling or Visual Effects with the exception of The Irishman only making it into the latter. Considering the makeup branches penchant for old man makeup, and how good it is in The Irishman, it was a bit of a shock.

While my top 5 in Makeup and Hairstyling stays the same, it’s the bottom five that holds my interest. Is there a place for a Maleficent or Rocketman here? It’s wild to think that Joker would make it in over Maleficent as the former really has just one major makeup character whereas the latter is full of complicated and intricate hair and makeup styles on multiple characters. Rocketman is probably a longshot since not even Rami Malek’s teeth could take a bite out of this category last year. Judy Garland’s chompers, however…

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1917 made the finals in both of these categories, which could spell a surge for the Christmas Day film but I feel the makeup, hair and visual effects in the film are not the type that get nominated (Dunkirk missed out here but also had a poor bake-off reel).

Here are my 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions in Makeup & Hairstyling and Visual Effects for December 18, 2019.

MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry

1. Bombshell (Lionsgate)
2. Judy (Roadside Attractions)
3. Joker (Warner Bros)
4. Dolemite Is My Name (Netflix)
5. Downton Abbey (Focus Features)

NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)

1917 (Universal)
Little Women (Sony/Columbia)
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Disney)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)
Rocketman (Paramount)

VISUAL EFFECTS

Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry

1. The Lion King (Disney)
2. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney)
3. Avengers: Endgame (Disney)
4. Alita: Battle Angel (20th Century Fox)
5. The Irishman (Netflix)

NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)

1917 (Universal)
Cats (Universal)
Captain Marvel (Disney)
Gemini Man (Paramount)
Terminator: Dark Fate (Paramount/20th Century Fox)

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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