Completed Category: Makeup and Hairstyling

 Some years this category is weird and makes me watch something I would have actively avoided if not for the nomination. This year it has four nominees with nods in other categories including three Best Pic nominees and only one outlier. I watched the outlier last night. 

GOLDA: Right so, first of all I thought Helen Mirren was great. The scenes with Kissinger especially, but really the whole film. I understand there was some Controversy about her playing Golda Meir because Mirren is not Jewish. Anyway, the film held my interest throughout but then I mean I don't want to get into spoilers but I was sort of confused by the ending and thought I must have missed something I should have been paying closer attention to vis-a-vis the generals and spies and who had done what.  Ah, well. The makeup & hairstyling work was fantastic. Give it the prize! 

MAESTRO: Uh-oh, another Controversy! Anyway, this film was good, as I have noted elsewhere, and way more about his wife Felicia than I knew it was going to be, and there is more going on with the makeup & hairstyling of her character over the decades in the film than with him!  Also, 21 years ago I had to listen to all of everybody, up to and including Denzel Washington, who would not shut up about the prosthetic nose worn by Nicole Kidman in one of my top three all-time favorite films, The Hours, and as far as I am concerned, I don't owe anybody another second of my time listening to whining about prosthetic noses ever again for as long as the Oscars shall live.  I will be fine if this wins in this category, and maybe even more so if some whiners get mad about it. 

OPPENHEIMER: Is this going to sweep and thus win here too? Maybe. That would be the way for it to win this, though. 

POOR THINGS: If you haven't yet heard me say how excruciating of an experience watching this movie was, hi! Welcome!  Poor Things sucks. I actually hated Emma Stone's hair in this; it freaked me out. Not even remotely the thing I hated most about this, though! That said, the makeup job on Willem Dafoe was jaw-dropping. Possibly literally. If I let you give Poor Things this Oscar, could you pleeeeeease keep it to just this one?  No?  Ugh, do I really have to throw in Production Design?  Godz I just want this to go away. 

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW:  But this! This I want to sweep! But it's only nominated in two categories (should be in more - we're looking at you, Sound) and it's probably going to not win Foreign International so this might be its only chance and... that would be OK. It was great!

So you see my dilemma! The one I want most to win this category isn't the one I most want to win a prize that will probably need to win this category. 

Order I want them to win: 
Golda or Society of the Snow <tie>
Maestro
Poor Things (ugh, grudgingly)
Oppenheimer

Order I think they will win: 
Poor Things (ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh) 
Oppenheimer  or Golda
Maestro 
Society of the Snow (sadly) 

But, I might be wrong! What do I know about makeup and hairstyling?! I can't be bothered to do either on a daily basis.