Visual Effects Finalists

[Hollywood Z]

I agree, when I saw that scene, I thought "Wow, this could win." Then I saw the rest of the movie and thought, "There's no way this film will ever win anything."

[Sabin]

'Spider-Man 3' has an astonishing scene where Sandman pulls himself together for the first time and tries to grab hold of his wedding band. Unreal. A moment of beauty that stands tall in the series and sticks out like a sore thumb in this waste of celluloid. However, I still think that 'Spider-Man 3' will be nominated, along with 'Pirates 3' (which I haven't seen and will not) and 'Transformers'.

I didn't care for the end of 'Sunshine' and the intentionally distorted visuals but it's pretty impressive visually. Honestly, I haven't seen enough to care. 'Beowulf' I'm sure is quite good. 'Ratatouille' is completely beautiful to look out.

[Hollywood Z]

But haven't there been a slew of critically ravaged, audience embraced films that have received Visual Effects nominations? Posiedon, I Robot, Star Wars Episode II, Pearl Harbor, Hollow Man, Star Wars Episode I, Armageddon, Independence Day to name just a few. Regardless of the artistic merit or historical value, it was a huge hit with audiences and it could be a force in the technical catagories. I still say that it is a shoe in for a make-up nomination. However, it's lack of depth definantly excludes it from the top catagories. Remember, this is visual effects we're talking about here, not best adapted screenplay.



Edited By Hollywood Z on 1198335898

[Penelope]

I rented 300 last night; gave up after 20 minutes. Dreadful, simply dreadful.

[Hollywood Z]

If these are truly the finalist of finalists, then I think the final seven will be:

The Golden Compass (big epic)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (franchise fav)
I Am Legend (flashy work on a smaller scale)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (franchise fav)
Spider-Man 3 (franchise fav)
300 (huge following)
Transformers (summer blockbuster fx extravaganza)

And from that list:

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
300
Transformers

There just wasn't enough love for Spider-Man 3 to earn a nom, Pirates has more prestige going for it while 300 sneaks in because of the sheer amount of digital effects that had to go into the film (practically every shot required fx work). If these are the noms, then look for Transformers to win because of the degree of difficulty that went into each effect for each shot. That and there was more of a liking for this one than the others (strange that it could be said for a Michael Bay film).

As a side note, I'm predicting a win for sound mixing for Transformers as well, if only to help ice over the wounds endured by Kevin O' Connell's loss of both the award and his mother last year. Just a thought.

[dreaMaker]

I only hope Spiderman 3 is not going to be nominated. It doesn't deserve it. I really can't see where have they spent 300 million $.

[FilmFan720]

Damien, it was well worth checking out. I very much liked the film, especially the first half/two-thirds.

[Damien]

Thanks. Okri. I stil can't quite picture it, but Danny Boyle films are generally worth checking out.

[Okri]

Danny Boyle space film. Penelope and I really liked it - most everyone else (including critics) were mixed to negative. It won't get a visual effects nod, but dammit it definitely deserves one.

[Damien]

What is Sunshine? I have absolutely no recollection of a movie called Sunshine.

[OscarGuy]

BJ, I don't think this is in any way an official list (thus why the Academy didn't send out a press list). I wonder how accurate it even is and where they got the data (notice how the article never cites a source).

I'd say that Transformers, I Am Legend and Pirates 3 are going to be the nominees..but I don't know for certain until I see the final 7.

[Penelope]

My guess is that it will be Sunshine, 300 and Transformers; and I agree that Sunshine's FX were the best.

[The Original BJ]

Is this the first year the Academy has made a pre-finalist FX list? It strikes me as rather odd (15 to 7 to 3?) and adds insult to injury -- "not only are you not a nominee, you couldn't even make the pre-bake-off bake-off!"

I had the same thought Tee did re: Golden Compass (until I saw it), and I think it might not even be nominated at this point. The film is completely inaccessible to anyone who hasn't read the books (as I hadn't), and the FX are serviceable but not revolutionary.

I highly doubt Beowulf or Ratatouille will even be nominated; the VFX branch hasn't exactly fallen all over themselves to recognize animated films. (Is Nightmare Before Christmas the only one to ever even be nominated?)

Pirates 3 and Spider-Man 3 were definite steps down from their respective sequels...in terms of overall quality as well as the quality of the effects. Now that each team has been rewarded, I can't see a reason to bestow another trophy. (The Rings team, on the other hand, seemed to top themselves each time out.)

Transformers seems to be the only lock for a nomination -- it has so MANY visual effects I can't imagine it missing. But I've been thinking for a while that if 300 can manage a nomination (and that's an IF...OscarGuy's right, it's not the type of film that would typically place), it could go all the way to win. Transformers seems to be the movie that everyone saw that no one cares about. 300, on the other hand, seems genuinely popular, especially among industry folk (don't ask...I just report what I hear). Sure, the critics hated it, but it's SEEN as a popular success. In a year without a critically-certified contender (as we've often had in years past, making this category painfully easy to predict), that could be enough.



Edited By The Original BJ on 1197926260

[rolotomasi99]

they should just give the award to SUNSHINE. while the film did not have the biggest fx, they certainly served the story better than any other film. the rest felt like geek porn, the flimsiest of plots and characters that serve no purpose other than an excuse for two hours of computer wizardry.

[OscarGuy]

I saw this over at awards daily and thought it sounded odd. Variety article does indicate these are the finalists. However, there was never an official Academy press release and I'm betting there's some "condition of anonymity" stuff that should have gone on in here.

I'm especially dubious of this because 300, Beowulf and Ratatouille are NOT films that would typically qualify and I will bet that at least the two animated films will NOT make the final 7 when they actually announce that list later this month.