Reel and Roll Awards (3): Best Costumes/Makeup and Hairstyling 2017

Reel and Roll's BEST COSTUME DESIGN 

• Phantom Thread is of course, easily the most beautifully, immaculately costumed film of 2017, but that doesn't mean there weren't other strong contenders for the crown. Also nominated for the Oscar was The Shape of Water which also features stunning period costumes. My extended thoughts on the Best Costume Design Oscar nominees here.

• For films with a more modern setting that nevertheless capture a unique, distinctive flair to their costuming, look no further than Paddington 2 and Okja. Paddington 2 takes what was so great about the fantastic recreations of the Peggy Fortnum drawings in the first film and dials it up several notches. The Brown family's eccentric range of clothing, the neighbour's so distinctly British garments, are all great, the prison uniforms have such a Wes Anderson-esque vibe, but my favourite are Phoenix Buchanan's countless costumes, nun, suit of armour, you name it, it's there. Okja is perhaps less flashy, but the resulting effect of its costumes is no less striking. Whether its the differentiation between Tilda Swinton's two characters, Johnny Wilcox's memorable Steve Irwin-meets-anime-esque attire, the disguise of the ALF, and Jay's memorable hotel boy attire, they all help create the blend of the whimsical children's adventure film and the more satirical corporate world that's disturbing it. 

• Blade Runner 2049's most praised costuming aspect has been Ryan Gosling's very cool shearling-lined jacket, which is now duking it out with his scorpion jacket in Drive as the most iconic filmic fashion statements of the decade. Every other costume, as per a Blade Runner film though, is terrific too, from Ana de Armas' wide range of lovely dresses, Mackenzie Davis' colourful combinations, Dave Bautista's tiny glasses, Jared Leto's kimono, Harrison Ford's uh, pajamas? I could go on and on, but the costume design on this film is incredible, and was snubbed at the Oscars. 

• In terms of recreating costumes in Soviet Union period detail, Atomic Blonde and The Death of Stalin take the approach of heightened reality, in differing ways. Atomic Blonde using a combination of period details from the Soviet Union-occupied Berlin setting with some rather, colourful to say the least, costumes, from James McAvoy's metrosexual garms, to Sofia Boutella's very alluring dresses, and above all Charlize Theron's dashing but practical jackets, boots, and sunglasses. The Death of Stalin essentially recreates the real-life uniforms of Stalin's party members, stunningly so, and proceeds to dress them on the actors in a way that feels casual, somewhat absurd, and visually quite striking. 

• I, Tonya and The Lost City of Z go with the straightforward approach of using historical basis to create stunning costumes, from Tonya Harding's lovely skating costumes and her mother's memorable furs, to the distinct 1950s adventure film adventurer's costumes and the stylish British prestige epic attire, and both do so in a very effective fashion. 

• One might question The Florida Project being on this list, given the simplicity of its costumes, well fact of the matter is though it's technically all just t-shirts, jeans, skirts, the typical clothing you'd expect to see in a film of its setting and style, the colours of them all just help amplify the final product of the film so much in a visual sense. It feels like the crew really put attention into this aspect of the film, and I have to give them credit for that. 

My top 10 (winners in bold): 

1. Phantom Thread
2. Blade Runner 2049
3. Paddington 2
4. The Shape of Water
5. Atomic Blonde
6. Okja
7. The Death of Stalin
8. I, Tonya
9. The Lost City of Z
10. The Florida Project

Reel and Roll's BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

• Again, have to say my top choice is easily The Shape of Water just for the fishman makeup involved in the creation of the love interest. Darkest Hour also remains strong as ever in my esteem in terms of its makeup to make Gary Oldman look like Winston Churchill, even if my extreme love for the performance has dissapated into quite loving it, and my enthusiasm for the film has died down considerably. For my thoughts on The Shape of Water's makeup, click here.

• Logan was sorely snubbed for it's incredible ageing makeup on both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart to really create the devastating effect of the wear and tear on their bodies and faces. The work done on Caliban 'aint too shabby either. 

• Speaking of ageing, the makeup used to age Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Allison Janney between 'past' and 'present' is great too, particularly the thinning hairline of the older Jeff Gilooly and the subtle touches to convey the years not being kind on LaVona Fay Golden. And of course, one of the most memorable scenes in the film is all about Margot Robbie putting on her makeup. 

• Thor Ragnarok and Blade Runner 2049 feature very good examples of makeup and hairstyling to visually convey where the characters are coming from, their allegiances, etc. and I particularly like the work they did on Thor to make the villains stand out more, which I felt the previous Thor films had been lacking, and for Blade Runner on the replicants to make their steely, robotic natures form a contrast to the original 1982 version replicants, the grime on Ryan Gosling's face, and Jared Leto's prosthetics. 

• The Disaster Artist's recreation of Tommy Wiseau mostly relies upon James Franco's performance, but the makeup itself is quite effective too in creating the look that can only be described as Wiseau-esque. 

• Stronger features the sort of makeup work that often goes unnoticed, it very effectively helps anchor the physical deterioration of Jeff Bauman, and creates a decidedly unglamorous sort of aesthetic for its two very photogenic stars which makes the film work in a convincing, realistic fashion, plus the work they did to amplify how convincing Bauman's prosthetic legs were is impressive too.

• Have to put Phantom Thread here just for the Mrs Anderson in Rebecca-esque hairdo of Lesley Manville, and Daniel Day-Lewis' magnificent mane of hair. 

1. The Shape of Water
2. Logan
3. I, Tonya
4. It
5. Darkest Hour
6. Thor Ragnarok
7. Blade Runner 2049
8. The Disaster Artist
9. Phantom Thread
10. Stronger