VFX Short List

[Mister Tee]

This is such a woebegone category this year -- not a single CGI-dependent big studio film was well-received (I guess Guardians, being seen as mediocre, leads the pack by default) and not a single serious film truly had enough effects to merit a win. That people were seriously talking about Oppenheimer winning for a few minutes of inside-his-mind effects made one wish they'd opt out of the award entirely for this year.

But...wacky thought I've had over the past week or two, and it's still alive as of this list: could Godzilla: Minus One be a contender? To my mind, it's got the best reviews of any effects-driven film out there, and its evident smallness might be perceived as virtue amidst the humongous white elephants that otherwise populate the list.

Or does Wonka -- or one of the late-arriving Netflix efforts -- swoop in to carry the day?

[Sabin]

https://variety.com/2023/film/awards/os ... 235827647/

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quanumania” (Marvel Studios)
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (Warner Bros.)
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.)
“The Boys in the Boat” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“The Creator” (20th Century Studios)
“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (Paramount Pictures)
“Godzilla: Minus One” (Toho)
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Marvel Studios)
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)
“The Marvels” (Marvel Studios)
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount Pictures)
“Napoleon” (Apple Original Films/Sony Pictures)
“Nyad” (Netflix)
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire” (Netflix)
“Society of the Snow” (Netflix)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (Paramount Pictures)
“Wonka” (Warner Bros.)