Yesterday we focused on the visual effects of five Academy Award nominated films. Visual effects are a newer element to filmmaking. What about the ways of the old? Well, luckily makeup is still championed by the Academy; they just toss hairstyling into the mix as well (since 1993). Believe it or not, there were only three nominees until this year. Finally, the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category has an even five nominees like every other category (outside of Best Picture). It was rather silly that they held back on adding more hopefuls to the mix, even though this category is notorious for allowing garbage films to be Oscar nominated (or even awarded). Case in point: Suicide Squad is an Oscar winner. Hooray. Anyway, the five nominees are rather strong, but some room for improvement could be made.

Here are your nominees for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, ranked from worst to best.

Biggest Snub: Little Women
Come on. This film was on the shortlist but didn’t make the final cut. Why not? When adults aren’t being transformed into adolescents, adults are being made older. Either way, age is constantly being toyed around with, and Little Women replicates each person extremely well depending on what year we’re supposed to be in during a specific scene. Plus, when that kind of artistry isn’t being pulled off, the hairdos are so well done. You have the styles the girls make in their secret club, the dos of the mature adults, and even special occasions (weddings, dances). Yeah. This is a glaring snub.

5. Joker: Nicki Ledermann, Kay Georgiou

Yeah, we know that this award is also for the creative side of the field, and not just the most detailed or most talented artists. Joker has neat makeup. Joker also has neat hair (especially the title character’s green locks). We get it. It just feels rather weak, in a category of much better candidates. It’s not like there are many instances of violence for the special effects make up either (not enough to employ actual makeup work, we mean). This nod makes sense, but it’s still the weakest.

Our review of Joker

4. Judy: Jeremy Woodhead

This is also a bit of a less-convincing nominee. The aging and de-aging of Renée Zellweger to copy Judy Garland’s final years is well done. The stage make up that Garland dons (and not to mention the on-stage and off-stage hairstyles she wears) is also great. Aside from that, what does Judy have going for it in this category? It feels silly to ask why the Academy didn’t have five nominees, and then proceed to complain about the two films not in our top three. It’s hypocritical. Alas, we are ranking. Judy’s makeup and hair is quite good, but it’s still far behind some of the other nominees.

Our review of Judy

3. 1917: Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis, Rebecca Cole

Now we’re getting somewhere. Aside from the many wounded soldiers or rotting corpses you stumble across, 1917 is all about consistency. This means making sure specific cuts last throughout the entire film (and “heal” appropriately), that bodies respond to disasters the right way, and hair retains filth and residue during a constant mission. The work in 1917 pertaining to this category is easy to overlook. Don’t make that mistake.

Our review of 1917

2. Bombshell: Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, Vivian Baker

Even though the makeup in Bombshell seems less demanding, keep in mind how many characters are fully transformed. Some results are a little expected (John Lithgow as Roger Ailes looks like John Lithgow as Roger Ailes), but then you have the occasional mind explosion. Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly is a visual dead ringer. Aside from all of this, the hairstyling seems newsroom professional (it seems stupid to commend a hairstylist for mimicking the work of real world professional hairstylists, but it counts, and it can be botched believe us). There’s just enough working here to make Bombshell a major contender here.

Our review of Bombshell

1. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil: Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten, David White

This almost doesn’t even seem fair. Already, Maleficent herself has been a makeup and hair wonder since she first appeared earlier last decade. Mistress of Evil starts the same way, except we’re quickly reminded that an entire kingdom of royalty is also well tended to in the hair department (the makeup isn’t too shabby, too). Once Maleficent is found by fellow fairies, that’s it. The contest is over. Having countless, varying sculpted faces, curved horns, and weathered strands of hair is just cheating. It’s almost like the film exists mostly to snag this category. Yeah. This fight is over.

Our review of Maleficent

Who we want to win: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Although Bombshell would be nice, too.

Who we think will win: Likely anyone from 1917, Bombshell, or Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. We’re going Bombshell. There aren’t enough strict period piece films here (the Academy eats those up), and Bombshell has been pushed heavily in this department (the inclusion of Charlize Theron as Best Actress also helps sell the makeup job to the Academy when they review considered footage).

Tune in tomorrow for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee