"The Hobbit," "Lincoln" and "Hitchcock" have made the shortlist of seven films that will advance in the Oscar Best Makeup and Hairstyling category, but the extensive makeup work in "Cloud Atlas" did not make the list.
Other films that will be judged by members of the Academy's Makeup Artists and Hairstylists branch at a "bakeoff" on Jan. 5 are "Les Misérables," "Looper," "Men in Black 3" and "Snow White and the Huntsman."
While the Wachowskis' and Tom Tykwer's "Cloud Atlas" had some of the most elaborate makeup work of any film released in 2012, transforming Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant and others into different characters, different races and different genders, the film's makeup received mixed reviews and was known to be disliked by some members of the branch.
Another film not on the list was the challenging French film "Holy Motors," which included the onscreen transformation of actor Denis Lavant into a wide variety of characters. Had the film been more widely seen and more accessible, it seems likely to have been a shoo-in for the shortlist, and probably for a nomination.
Three of the seven shortlisted films will be nominated after the Jan. 5 presentation, which will consist of 10-minute segments from each of the shortlisted films. At this point, "The Hobbit," is the likely frontrunner, followed by the subtler transformations in "Hitchcock" and "Lincoln."
The shortlisted films:
“Hitchcock”
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
“Les Misérables”
“Lincoln”
“Looper”
“Men in Black 3”
“Snow White and the Huntsman”
