Categories One-by-One: Sound Mixing

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The Original BJ
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Post by The Original BJ »

I've been thinking about the two sound categories over the past day or two a little, as it still seems to me they're both fairly competitive.

I split my predictions between The Dark Knight and WALL-E, but that's hedging my bets more than anything -- history would suggest that acclaimed blockbuster candidates win both categories as a pair, but rarely are there two such films on the ballot? Will voters split their picks, or vote a straight ticket for one film or the other? I think the latter is more likely, though there's also the possibility that this competition allows Slumdog to swoop in and pick up one, even both prizes.

The CAS prize to Slumdog could indicate it's indeed the favorite here. But No Country also won CAS, which seemed to indicate overall support for the film, but lost the sound Oscars to a more typical blockbuster candidate. And there have been some pretty heavy Oscar favorites which have lost here to action faves (see Jurassic Park, Speed.) Slumdog would seem to have a better chance than default-to-Best-Picture choices like The Last Emperor and The English Patient, but it's definitely not at Titanic/Return of the King level, where sound prizes were among the more obvious trophies that would go along with their hauls.

I'd think a win here (and especially in Sound Editing) would basically be a bellweather for Slumdog winning everything (it's nearly there, though I still think Cinematography and a music category aren't locked just yet).
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Post by Okri »

Like everyone, I was surprised that Wanted made it in, though I shouldn't have been. Multiple gun battles that are HUGE, crashes, explosions, etc. But the nomination will be the reward here. Of the rest, I can see any of the four making it.

That said, the only way I can see Button or Slumdog winning here is at the behest of a sweep. Particularly the latter - if what Tom O'Neil says is true, he's heard of voters watching this screener repeatedly, and it could take this award as a result of said passion (especially if their antipathy towards The Dark Knight is that strong - particularly amongst the older members). I'd be surprised if Button mustered that sort of groundswell (even Forrest Gump couldn't).

I see it being between WALL.E and The Dark Knight, and I think the latter has the edge. You have the big action sequences (the Batmobile vs that semi), the sonar sequences, general mayhem, the propulsive score and Heath Ledger's voice. That said, WALL.E's wordless opening was such a noted triumph and the sound design is so unique that I could see it taking it.
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Post by Penelope »

Eric wrote:
Penelope wrote:This is the one category in which I not only wouldn't mind a win by WALL-E, but am actively rooting for it.

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Haven't seen and probably never will. The Animated Film category is my cigarette break.
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Post by Sabin »

The Dark Knight is not "loud and nothing more." The film is an unruly narrative that overreaches and the film's literal sound mix does so much to keep the audience up to pace with information and emotion. It has the most active mix of the bunch and I'll be astonished if it doesn't win.

I love the mix of music and all the sound effects in WALL*E but I think it's probably going to win Sound Effects, as it should. All PIXAR movies should win for Sound Effects. Slumdog Millionaire had a very fine mix as well and I can't begrudge its nomination at all. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button didn't do anything interesting with the sound mixing in my opinion. Haven't seen Wanted. Surprised Defiance wasn't nominated as it seems every Edward Zwyck movie is nominated here.
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Post by Hollywood Z »

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The best comparison for this type of film would be The English Patient, in which there was one battle sequence, a lot of subtle uses of sound, but overall, nothing that would stand out to have it considered in the ranks of recent winners like The Bourne Ultimatum, Dreamgirls, King Kong, Ray & The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Benjamin Button could only win here if it would be a complete domination, which I don't feel is very likely with this film. It seems more destined to fall the way of Forrest Gump, L.A. Confidential and The Insider.

The Dark Knight: Big action sequences, nice uses of brief silences followed by staccato action cues and the use of surround for the sonar sequences will be strong factors in this movie's chances in this category. It would seem a likely choice to join the aforementioned winners and the large fan base that the movie has, accompanied by those who feel slighted that it wasn't included in the top categories, might help it to secure votes here.

Slumdog Millionaire: Yes, the sound was busy with the crowded streets and constant running and whooshing of the whip pans, but subtlety usually isn't rewarded often here (i.e. - No Country for Old Men, Memoirs of a Geisha, Seabiscuit, Amelie & Shakespeare in Love). This will be one category that, while it's inclusion among the nominees will be a way to show that the branch recognizes subtle work, they just don't tend to reward it as often.

Wall-E: While it's use of sound to create a sense of isolation, solitude and depth was executed more effectively than most live action films, not to mention how it had no preexisting sounds to draw from on the set and how all the sounds were recorded on stage, may be seen as more of an achievement of sound design moreso than sound mixing. That being said, only two films within this decade (from 2000 to present) have won Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. Since Wall-E seems a shoe-in for Best Sound Editing and the fact that no animated film has ever won for Sound Mixing. So we're more than likely to see another split this year as well.

Wanted: The type of action film the sound branch has always loved to nominate and in some cases reward (Cliffhanger, Speed, The Rock, The Matrix, etc). The slo motion sound effects may be what helped it to sneak into the bunch of nominees, not to mention the fact that it was an unexpected hit this summer with loads of clever and busy action sequences. However, loud and flashy sound effects haven't been the bunch to win awards as of late (Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, War of the Worlds & Spider-Man 2 to name a few). It may just be lucky to find itself considered and a welcome addition for those few techno geeks out there that love to show off their surround sound set-up.

My Prediction: The Dark Knight

Rankings:
1. The Dark Knight
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Wall-E
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. Wanted
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Eric
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Post by Eric »

Penelope wrote:This is the one category in which I not only wouldn't mind a win by WALL-E, but am actively rooting for it.
Fan of Kung Fu Panda are we?
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Post by Damien »

Seems to me this is a Dark Knight slam dunk.
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Post by Penelope »

This is the one category in which I not only wouldn't mind a win by WALL-E, but am actively rooting for it. Slumdog Millionaire would be my second choice, and I'd even rather see Benjamin Button win over The Dark Knight, which is just loud, nothing more.
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The Original BJ
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Post by The Original BJ »

Given that the Oscars are now less than a month away, I figured we should get cracking at some of these categories. I started off with a category for which most of us have seen the majority of the nominees: Sound Mixing, which also seems to be an unusually competitive down-ballot category this year, as there are a number of contenders which fit typical win patterns.

The only candidate I'd rule out completely is Wanted, sheerly based on lack of critical pedigree compared to the other four films. I caught up with it this morning, and found it surprisingly entertaining trash. Oh, the plot/style is full of sub-Fight Club/Matrix rip-offs, but a number of the action sequences are genuinely thrilling, and the sound design is zany enough in ways both inventive and loud, you can see why the sound branch found it appealing, even though most of us didn't have it on our radars at all.

Benjamin Button is the type of big epic whose sheer scope can sometimes produce a win in this category (The English Patient, Out of Africa, The Last Emperor). But those films won here as part of Best Picture sweeps, and I'm not sure Button is headed for the same type of awards trajectory.

Fellow Best Picture nominee Slumdog Millionaire does seem headed for the top win, however, and it's full of gunfire, chase sequences, and musical numbers -- lots of busy sound work in many different areas. It's definitely in the hunt. But like No Country last year, Best Picture winners can dominate elsewhere but miss here when blockbusters with critical cache are in the mix (as Forrest Gump, Schindler's List, and Silence of the Lambs all did.)

And competing with the Best Picture candidates we've got not one, but TWO of those on the ballot this year. Had I a vote, I'd pick WALL-E, which, especially in that wordless opening sequence, used effects and music as imaginatively as any film this year; I think it's the nominee that relies most on sound work to tell its story.

But in the end, I think The Dark Knight will ultimately pull through with a win. Like Bourne Ultimatum and Terminator 2, it's the kind of bigger-and-better action sequel that does well down-ballot. Plus, as blogosphere fanboys are wont to forget, THIS is where films like The Dark Knight are typically honored, not top categories.

I'm a little surprised Iron Man didn't make it in here (to match its Sound Editing nod), but this is nonetheless a very strong lineup for this category this year.
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