Categories One-by-One: Visual Effects
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Mister Tee
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Acutally, if it were simply a matter of most effects, the unnominated Hellboy 2 would beat them all.
Having finally got to Button (fuller comments over the next day or so) and thus being able to speak with full knowledge...I had the same sense, that Iron Man would fit the more classical definition of visual effects, as well as having a greater volume of them. And there's a possibility voters will go that old-time-religion direction in the end.
But Button has been widely hailed for the things it does do -- making us seeing this pipsqueak old man in the early shots as Brad Pitt, and, even more astonishing, having Benjamin walk in late in the movie looking for all the world like the Brad we met in Thelma and Louise. I know this kind of thing can be done these days, but it beats me how -- it was like seeing Peter Pan onstage and not being able to find the wires. You can probably also throw in the sea battle as a small supplementary credit.
Plus, as you say, best picture nominees have an edge in this category, at least if they're considered in the ballpark. (Babe is an example of a film that might have even missed a nomination yet won)
My only dissent would be on The Dark Knight. I thought they had made a big point about all the work in the film being stunt derived, not effects driven. I guess I viewed the Two Face thing as makeup. So I don't see that as such a strong contender, at least not compared to the other two.
And damn you for taking this category! I finally had one where I'd seen all the nominees and was ready to do my bit.
Having finally got to Button (fuller comments over the next day or so) and thus being able to speak with full knowledge...I had the same sense, that Iron Man would fit the more classical definition of visual effects, as well as having a greater volume of them. And there's a possibility voters will go that old-time-religion direction in the end.
But Button has been widely hailed for the things it does do -- making us seeing this pipsqueak old man in the early shots as Brad Pitt, and, even more astonishing, having Benjamin walk in late in the movie looking for all the world like the Brad we met in Thelma and Louise. I know this kind of thing can be done these days, but it beats me how -- it was like seeing Peter Pan onstage and not being able to find the wires. You can probably also throw in the sea battle as a small supplementary credit.
Plus, as you say, best picture nominees have an edge in this category, at least if they're considered in the ballpark. (Babe is an example of a film that might have even missed a nomination yet won)
My only dissent would be on The Dark Knight. I thought they had made a big point about all the work in the film being stunt derived, not effects driven. I guess I viewed the Two Face thing as makeup. So I don't see that as such a strong contender, at least not compared to the other two.
And damn you for taking this category! I finally had one where I'd seen all the nominees and was ready to do my bit.
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Big Magilla
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The Original BJ
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In a real rarity for this category, all three nominees seem to have top win-credentials. (Or, to put it a little differently, had any one of these been nominated last year, I think they would have won the prize easily.)
Best Picture nominees tend not to lose here, even when they feature more "subtle" effects-work, like Gladiator or Forrest Gump. I think this is a big plus for Benjamin Button, as if its highly-buzzed groundbreaking work aging Brad Pitt weren't enough of a reason to vote for it.
But doesn't The Dark Knight also seem like a top contender? It's a bit along the lines of stuff like The Matrix and King Kong -- highly praised, popular popcorn flicks which tend to do well in down-ballot categories. And that Two Face effect was pretty cool, IMO.
But wasn't Iron Man pretty acclaimed too, at least by this category's standards? And doesn't Iron Man feature the most obvious "effects" work of any of these films? I could certainly see voters liking Button and Dark Knight more as films, but still throwing a vote here on the Most Effects principle.
In the end, I think Benjamin Button will win the prize. Gladiator pretty much proved to me that when a Best Picture nominee is on the ballot here, it's tough to beat. And Button's effects are pretty astonishing in and of themselves, though to be fair, this is a high quality category this year. It's nice to see three films here which all used effects impressively to TELL their stories, not just overwhelm them.
Edited By The Original BJ on 1234048584
Best Picture nominees tend not to lose here, even when they feature more "subtle" effects-work, like Gladiator or Forrest Gump. I think this is a big plus for Benjamin Button, as if its highly-buzzed groundbreaking work aging Brad Pitt weren't enough of a reason to vote for it.
But doesn't The Dark Knight also seem like a top contender? It's a bit along the lines of stuff like The Matrix and King Kong -- highly praised, popular popcorn flicks which tend to do well in down-ballot categories. And that Two Face effect was pretty cool, IMO.
But wasn't Iron Man pretty acclaimed too, at least by this category's standards? And doesn't Iron Man feature the most obvious "effects" work of any of these films? I could certainly see voters liking Button and Dark Knight more as films, but still throwing a vote here on the Most Effects principle.
In the end, I think Benjamin Button will win the prize. Gladiator pretty much proved to me that when a Best Picture nominee is on the ballot here, it's tough to beat. And Button's effects are pretty astonishing in and of themselves, though to be fair, this is a high quality category this year. It's nice to see three films here which all used effects impressively to TELL their stories, not just overwhelm them.
Edited By The Original BJ on 1234048584