05 Feb Final 2022 Oscar Nomination Predictions: Visual Effects, Production Design, Makeup & Hairstyling
Dune will be winning this category and that assertion truly isn’t up for debate. The question is, who will the four other nominees be?
Well, first off, I don’t see a world where Spider-Man: No Way Home doesn’t get a nomination here and though it missed both BAFTA and CCA, it’s far and away the biggest movie of the year and this is where those films get their flowers.
Shang-Chi was also a big hit and its 4 VES nods are definitely a positive indicator of it getting embraced. The last two slots, to me, are between Godzilla vs. Kong, No Time to Die, and The Matrix Resurrections. I am going to go with the former two. Even though neither 2014’s Godzilla nor 2018’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters were nominated for Best Visual Effects, Kong: Skull Island was and the Academy’s apparent affinity for the gigantic ape (they gave Peter Jackson’s King Kong a win here) I think will aid it in getting a nod here. Yes, a Daniel Craig-Bond film has never received a Visual Effects nod, but in terms of visuals this film is more *ahem* explosive than previous Bond ventures and I think the wide acclaim the film has could benefit it here. I don’t think the reactions to The Matrix Resurrections were generally positive and the Academy likes to nominate films that are generally well-liked in this category (ignore last year’s slate due to a dearth of films that are usually seen here).
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune – CCA, BAFTA, VES (6x)
Spider-Man: No Way Home – VES (3x)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – CCA, VES (4x)
Godzilla vs. Kong – VES (3x)
No Time to Die – CCA, VES (1x), BAFTA
Could Jump In: The Matrix Resurrections – CCA, VES (3x), BAFTA, Free Guy – BAFTA, Eternals – VES (1x)
Dune, Nightmare Alley, The French Dispatch, and West Side Story have all received nods from all four major precursors. I’m going to play it safe and keep them all in and with that there’s only one slot left. In the last five years, an average of three of the nominees in this category were Best Picture nominees and that’s why I am going to put CCA nominee Belfast here, though something like The Tragedy of Macbeth (which has the kind of production design that has historically been nodded to here), Cyrano, or The Power of the Dog.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dune – CCA, ADG, SDSA, BAFTA
Nightmare Alley – CCA, ADG, SDSA, BAFTA
The French Dispatch – CCA, ADG, SDSA, BAFTA
West Side Story – CCA, ADG, SDSA, BAFTA
Belfast – CCA
Could Jump In: The Tragedy of Macbeth – ADG, SDSA, Cyrano – SDSA, BAFTA, The Power of the Dog – SDSA
Four films hit all four precursors and all four fit the mold of a nominee in this category. So the question is who will fill in that last slot?
I think that last slot is between four films, The Suicide Squad, Cyrano, and West Side Story, and Coming 2 America. West Side Story doesn’t have the flashiest material in this category but it is, by far, the biggest Best Picture contender of the four. The Suicide Squad did well at the guild nominations picking up 3 nods, but the backlash to the 2016 Suicide Squad’s win in this category or their desire to award something else this time around could hurt it. Coming 2 America is a pretty strong contender but it was released in March and any buzz it had then has largely dissipated. Cyrano getting in here would be like its period piece relatives Emma. and Victoria & Abdul which both got in without receiving MUAH nods. I am going to go with The Suicide Squad since they have shown they like the kind of makeup and hairstyling seen in these kind of films, though this slot is truly a toss-up between these four films.
BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
The Eyes of Tammy Faye – CCA, MUAH (3x), BAFTA
Dune – CCA, MUAH (2x), BAFTA
House of Gucci – CCA, MUAH (3x), BAFTA
Cruella – CCA, MUAH (2x), BAFTA
The Suicide Squad – MUAH (3x)
Could Jump In: Cyrano – BAFTA, West Side Story – MUAH, Coming 2 America – MUAH (3x)