Cinema Audio Society nominations

[Hollywood Z]

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was arguing, just trying to say what my thoughts were on the movie getting a sound nom.

And I guess my reasoning for Wanted getting in the sound categories is just that this has probably been such an unexciting year for sound in films with the CAS's new nominees that I threw it out there the way that WaterWorld, The Mummy and Con Air did. It was a semi-popular movie with crazy action scenes and neat sound design, so I figured it might have a chance since the academy tends to go with these movies when there aren't enough high profile films to choose from for sound. This would be so much easier if we had the seven finalists from Sound Effects to choose from again, but alas...

And I just recently pulled Defiance from my Sound Mixing and Sound Editing line-up. I thought that another Edward Zwick film could pull it off again (Glory, Last Samurai, Blood Diamond), but when the reviews and box office came back in, I figured it's gonna be dead in the water. So right now, if Nelson & Behlmar are going to get in, it will be for Australia. I would like to see them nominated for Cloverfield if only because I thought it was a great use of sound mixing. To see the movie in the theaters is a real sound trip (if visually, you can get passed the whole handheld thing).

Lousy ABC awards. :;):

[OscarGuy]

On City of God, oops...normally the first listing on IMDB in the Awards section is the Academy Awards. Instead, it's the ABC Cinematography Award (which I've never heard of) and it got a Sound nod with them. So, rescinded.

The main reason I thought Slumdog could make it in was that correlation, but now I'm not so sure.

And I don't know why you're arguing Mamma Mia with me as I even pointed out that it wasn't likely to get nominated considering past values. Regarding its absence from the CAS nominations, I said "Without it, it's still possible, but significantly remote."

Your choice of Wanted seems more wish fulfillment than actual predictive capabilities. Looking back at past Oscar nominees, I can't for a single film that really suggests a Wanted nomination. I can agree with your other four as they match my predictions fairly well, but I think your Andy Nelson and Anna Behlmer thoughts are good, except Australia and Defiance are the only two films I could see them getting nommed for and I think Australia seems the better bet being the bigger production...

[Hollywood Z]

Slumdog's strong showing may carry through to the Oscars, and with a similar sound design to City of God, which also managed a nomination, I think it could also make it through.

City of God didn't get a sound mixing, editing or CAS nomination. It was up for the same stuff that The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was (Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography & Film Editing).

As for Mamma Mia, don't forget that, yes, Oscar loves musicals for mixing, but only if they're slated for Best Picture (Moulin Rouge & Chicago) or strong Best Picture contenders (Dreamgirls). So that left out Enchanted, Hairspray and The Phantom of the Opera of recent years, which I think Mamma Mia would find itself. If the film has no other chances, they aren't going to give it just the one nomination.

So, for now, I'm going to call for Best Sound Mixing:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Wall-E
Wanted

With Slumdog Millionaire now being a distant 6th. Somehow, though, I think the team of Andy Nelson & Anna Behlmar might sneak in, if only to find a familiar grouping of mixers among the bunch. They worked on five films this year (Cloverfield, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Kung Fu Panda, Australia & Defiance) and might have a shot for Defiance if the poor reviews and box office didn't hurt it.

[OscarGuy]

It was the combination of period music and ambient sound...plus there were several scenes of war in Memoirs of a Geisha.

As for the CAS results, they have a very mixed accuracy rate. Only twice in their short, 15-year existence, they have only twice gone 5-for-5. 2000 and 2003 were those years.

7 times they've picked 4 of 5
5 times they've gone 3 out of 5
once they only got 2 nominations correct (1999). So, while 4 times is common, so is 3, so I'd say you could probably bet that at least 3 of these will pick up Oscar nods.

I would say Dark Knight and Iron Man are virtually guaranteed slots. They've both been on my predictions list for some time.

I also think that WALL-E will make the cut, if not for the fact that legendary sound guy Ben Burtt does the voice in the film. This will nearly guarantee him a slot on Sound Editing, but I think it will carry through to Mixing as well. And also of note is that Ratatouille failed to get a nod from CAS but picked up an Oscar nod, which only helps WALL-E's potential nomination.

Slumdog's strong showing may carry through to the Oscars, and with a similar sound design to City of God, which also managed a nomination, I think it could also make it through.

I don't think Quantum of Solace can make the final cut. It may have been a popular film in certain circles, but Oscar hasn't always had a fascination with Bond in these categories. Matter of fact, this is the first time CAS has nommed a Bond film for this award. That could mean a bonus, but they also picked Bourne Supremacy, which failed to get an Oscar nod.

I think it's possible Benjamin Button could sneak in, but it's failure to secure a nod here does dramatically hurt its chances. Even The Aviator, though it had slightly more effects moments, got a nod from these guys.

Mamma Mia remains a strong possibility. Oscar loves musicals in this category. However, you have to look back to Evita to find the only example of CAS not nominating a musical, yet that musical received an Oscar nod anyway. Matter of fact, every musical CAS has ever nommed has picked up the Oscar nod. So, Mamma Mia needed this nod to secure an Oscar nod. Without it, it's still possible, but significantly remote.

The Wrestler and Australia each lost some ground in potentially getting nominated here. The Wrestler seemed like it would be a perfect fit for these guys, but didn't get a nod. Australia, however, reminds me a bit of Apocalypto, a film that failed to place in CAS but picked up an Oscar nod.

[rolotomasi99]

Slumdog is crazy busy when it comes to sound (and just about everything, really). Benjamin Button has the one war sequence but that's sort of it. Everything else is whispers and creaking bones.

i have THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON on both my sound and sound editing predictions list. however, you make a good point eric, other than the tug boat vs the submarine there really was very little big sound work. then again, i will continue to be perplexed by the sound and sound editing nominations for MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA. was it the rustling of the kimonos that impressed the academy sound voters so much?



Edited By rolotomasi99 on 1231425548

[Eric]

Slumdog is crazy busy when it comes to sound (and just about everything, really). Benjamin Button has the one war sequence but that's sort of it. Everything else is whispers and creaking bones.

[Hollywood Z]

I think this marks the first time since Shrek that they've put an animated film up for Best Sound. Also pretty noteworthy that for the token Best Picture nominee (Babel, Crash, Finding Neverland, etc), they chose Slumdog Millionaire over The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Though I still need to see Slumdog, it's kind of surprising, given that Button had at least one war sequence. I still think that Slumdog won't get nominated in favor of Button come Oscar time. All this aside, The Dark Knight's going to win.



Edited By Hollywood Z on 1231421985

[rudeboy]

From Variety.com

The Dark Knight - Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo
Iron Man - Mark Ulano, CAS, Christopher Boyes, Lora Hirschberg
Quantum of Solace - Chris Munro, CAS, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
Slumdog Millionaire - Resul Pookutty, Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke
Wall-E - Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, CAS