The Academy has narrowed the field to seven in the Best Makeup category, and the big news is what they left off, not what they included.
Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" (below), which makes extensive use of elaborate old-age makeup on Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer and was widely criticized for that makeup, is not included on the shortlist.
Another film in which the lead character spend a good deal of time in old-age makeup, "The Iron Lady," did make the list, which was released on Monday by the Academy.
Also included were "Albert Nobbs," in which makeup artists subtly altered the appearance of Glenn Close and Janet McTeer; "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," with its array of fantastical creatures; "Anonymous," which depicted the courtiers and commoners of England in Shakespeare's time; and such less obviously makeup-dependent films as "The Artist," "Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life" and "Hugo."
Members of the Makeup Branch will view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Saturday, January 21, after which they will vote to nominate three.
The shortlist:
"Albert Nobbs"
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"The Iron Lady"
