Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Visual Effects
Showing posts with label Best Visual Effects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best Visual Effects. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Visual Effects
Previous winners: Tenet, First Man, Blade Runner 2049, The Jungle Book, Ex Machina, Interstellar
My winner: Coming soon!
The facts: Lambert has gone two for two, winning for “First Man” and “Blade Runner 2049.” Nefzer and Myles also won for the former and latter films, respectively. Gillberg was previously nominated for “Real Steel.” Grill was previously nominated for “Hereafter” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Sudick, a double nominee this year, has ten previous nominations, eight of which were for Marvel movies. Fawkner was nominated for “Guardians of the Galaxy” and its sequel. Corbould won for “Inception” and has four additional previous nominations. Townsend was nominated for “Iron Man 3” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.” Farrell was nominated for “Hereafter.” Oliver was nominated for “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Port was nominated for “Avengers: Infinity War.” I had the chance to speak with Walker about “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” – watch that conversation here. At the Visual Effects Society Awards, “Dune” cleaned up and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” won one prize. Despite a six-year stretch from 2008 to 2013, this award has only gone to a Best Picture nominee twenty-three times since the inception of the Oscars.
Who should win: This is a good list, but it’s hard to compete with “Dune.”
Who will win: I don’t imagine there’s anything, even the ultra-popular “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” that could beat Dune.
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Oscar Nominees: Best Visual Effects
My ballot: Coming soon!
The nominees: Dune, Free Guy, No Time to Die, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Way: No Way Home
This category has two films I haven’t seen, though I only predicted one of them: Spider-Way: No Way Home, which didn’t score in Best Picture as some had suggested it could and which I will be seeing as soon as it comes to some streaming format. Free Guy will be my next annual Redbox rental. I’m happy to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings here since I enjoyed it, and this is officially the third time that a James Bond film has made the cut in this category with one of the three bids this year for No Time to Die. Rounding out the category is the film that I still think is the frontrunner: Dune.
My current bet to win: It’s probably going to be Dune.
Thursday, February 3, 2022
Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects
This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 8th. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in all categories.
Last year’s nominees: Love and Monsters, The Midnight Sky, Mulan, The One and Only Ivan, Tenet
My choices: Coming soon!
This year’s locks: Dune, Spider-Man: The Way Home
Possible: The Matrix Resurrections, Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Godzilla vs. Kong, Free Guy, Black Widow
Unlikely: Ghostbusters: Afterlife, No Time to Die
The rundown: This category has a ten-film shortlist, which should make it easy to predict, but last year two of my “unlikely” picks ended up making the cut. I’ve also only seen half of the films on the list, though I’m not sure that always helps since my tastes don’t align with Oscar voters. There’s no way that Dune misses, and I would be shocked if Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t join it, even if the first two films from the latest series only made the first round shortlist that used to exist. Marvel has a few more contenders in the mix, and I think Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals will both score, while Black Widow is much less likely. The Matrix Resurrections is likely even if the film received a mixed response, and the first film back in 1999 did win this prize while the second and third didn’t even make the shortlist in 2003. I was going to predict Godzilla vs. Kong before I realized that no Godzilla film has made the cut before, even if “Kong: Skull Island” did get nominated in 2017 and “King Kong” won in 2005. Two of the films on the shortlist, Free Guy and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, didn’t score a single mention from the Visual Effects Society, but they could still get in here. I might be underestimating No Time to Die since it showed up on so many shortlists, but I don’t think its chances are likely in this category.
Forecasted winner: I think Dune can win this without any trouble.
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
AFT Awards: Best Visual Effects
The winner:
Greyhound fascinatingly constructed a treacherous adventure at sea without the use of any water and made it feel frighteningly real.
Other nominees:
Tenet
The Midnight Sky (read my interview)
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Visual Effects
Previous winners: First Man, Blade Runner 2049, The Jungle Book, Ex Machina, Interstellar, Gravity, Life of Pi, Hugo
My winner: Coming soon!
The facts: Lawrence won this award for “Gravity” in 2013 and was nominated again in 2015 for “The Martian” and in 2018 for “Christopher Robin.” Langlands was also nominated for “The Martian.” Davis contended in 2008 for “The Dark Knight.” Jackson was nominated in 2015 for “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Lockley and Fisher won in 2014 for “Interstellar,” and Lockley also won in 2010 for “Inception.” If you haven’t already, check out my interview with several of the nominated artisans from “The Midnight Sky.” At the Visual Effects Society Awards, “The Midnight Sky” won two prizes, “Mulan” and “The One and Only Ivan” won one each. Despite a six-year stretch from 2008 to 2013, this award has only gone to a Best Picture nominee twenty-three times since the inception of the Oscars. Last year’s win for “1917” was the first time that happened since 2013.
Who should win: I don’t think this category is particularly strong this year, especially considering the fact that “Welcome to Chechnya” was a finalist. Between “The Midnight Sky” and “Tenet,” I don’t think I have much of a preference, and “Mulan” would be okay too.
Who will win: I feel like this will be Tenet given the fact that it also earned a production design bid, though it could just as easily be “The Midnight Sky.” Any of the others would surprise me.
Monday, March 15, 2021
Oscar Nominees: Best Visual Effects
My ballot: Coming soon!
The nominees: Love and Monsters, The Midnight Sky, Mulan, The One and Only Ivan, Tenet
Where is “Welcome to Chechnya”? I thought it would have been impossible for anyone to ignore the work on that film when they watched it as one of ten finalists, but somehow it happened. To be fair, I had only seen seven of those ten, and two that I haven’t watched - Love and Monsters and The One and Only Ivan - did get in, so I have some catching up to do. I enjoyed talking to the visual effects supervisors for The Midnight Sky (read that piece here), and so I’m thrilled to see their fine work recognized. Tenet makes sense to include here since it’s a visually staggering feat, while Mulan wouldn’t be my first choice but isn’t undeserving.
My current bet to win: I think this has to go to Tenet but maybe “The Midnight Sky” wins?
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects
Last year’s nominees: Avengers: Endgame, The Irishman, The Lion King, 1917, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
My choices: Coming soon!
This year’s locks: Tenet, The Midnight Sky
Possible: Mulan, Welcome to Chechnya, Mank, Birds of Prey, Soul
Unlikely: The One and Only Ivan, Love and Monsters, Bloodshot
The rundown: This category feels like it should be pretty set, but I’m sure that won’t be the case. Tenet and The Midnight Sky seem like the frontrunners, with only one likely Best Picture contender in the race, Mank. After interviewing the visual effects supervisor for Welcome to Chechnya, I’m pretty confident in that film’s chances, and I suspect that Mulan will round out the category. Soul would be a rare animated inclusion, and Birds of Prey would be a bit of a surprise because its predecessor, “Suicide Squad,” wasn’t nominated. I don’t see any of the other three, The One and Only Ivan, Love and Monsters, and Bloodshot, making the cut, but those happen to be the three I haven’t seen, so it’s possible they’ll manage to impress voters.
Forecasted winner: I see Tenet winning this.
Friday, February 7, 2020
Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Visual Effects
The competition: Avengers: Endgame (Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken, and Dan Sudick), The Irishman (Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, and Stephane Grabli), The Lion King (Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, and Elliot Newman), 1917 (Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, and Dominic Tuohy), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach, and Dominic Tuohy)
Previous winners: First Man, Blade Runner 2049, The Jungle Book, Ex Machina, Interstellar, Gravity, Life of Pi, Hugo
My winner: Avengers: Endgame
The facts: Many of these nominees have contended together before for some of the same projects. De Leeuw, Earl, and Sudick all contended previously together last year for “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2014 for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Earl was also nominated for “Transformers” and “Star Trek,” while Sudick was a nominee seven other times, with five of those being Marvel movies. Aitken was up in 2009 for “District 9.” Helman contended for “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” in 2002 and “War of the Worlds” in 2005. Legato, Valdez, and Jones won in 2016 for “The Jungle Book.” Legato also won in 1997 for “Titanic” and in 2011 for “Hugo,” with an additional bid for “Apollo 13.” Jones won for “Avatar” in 2009 and was nominated in 2004 for “I, Robot.” Rocheron won in 2012 for “Life of Pi.” Butler was nominated in 2011 for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.” Double nominee Tuohy was first nominated last year for “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Guyett was nominated in 2004 for “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” in 2009 for “Star Trek,” in 2013 for “Star Trek Into Darkness,” in 2015 for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and last year for “Ready Player One.” Scanlan was nominated for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” in 2017, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” last year, and won for “Babe” back in 1995. Tubach was nominated in 2013 for “Star Trek Into Darkness,” in 2015 for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and in 2018 for “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” At the Visual Effects Society Awards, “The Lion King” won three awards, “The Irishman” won two, and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” won one. Every “Star Wars” movie except for “Revenge of the Sith” been honored, with only the original three films winning the award, and this marks the fifth consecutive nomination for the series. Nine Marvel films that lead into “Avengers: Endgame” have contended in the past decade, with the franchise yet to win an award here. Despite a six-year stretch from 2008 to 2013, this award has only gone to a Best Picture nominee twenty-two times since the inception of the Oscars.
Who should win: Though all of the effects here aside from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” really impressed me, I’d love to see the deserving “Avengers: Endgame” rewarded for its incomparable technological presentation.
Who will win: I would love to see “Avengers: Endgame” win, but I’m going to predict The Lion King with a distinct possibility that “The Irishman” or “1917” wins instead.
Monday, January 20, 2020
AFT Awards: Best Visual Effects
This is the sixteenth category of the 13th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.
Honorable mentions:
Alita: Battle Angel
The winner:
Avengers: Endgame assembled so many superheroes and incredible odds against them, and every magnificently-created scene was stunningly watchable and exhilarating.
Other nominees:
The Lion King
1917
The Irishman
The Aeronauts
Monday, January 13, 2020
Oscar Nominees: Best Visual Effects
My predictions: 4/5
My ballot: Come back later this week!
The nominees: Avengers: Endgame, The Irishman, The Lion King, 1917, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
There aren’t any surprises on this list, and, for the first time, I’ve seen all of the contenders already. I really thought that “Alita: Battle Angel” had a shot, especially after my very enjoyable conversations with the VFX team at the Disney press day, but it couldn’t bump the de-aging of The Irishman. I also called that 1917 would make the cut for its mesmerizing construction of its war zone landscape. I’m relieved that Avengers: Endgame made the cut since it was so well-deserved, and expected that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would be here. The Lion King is another great choice.
My current bet to win: I’m torn – it’s a very competitive category. I’ll pick The Lion King for now.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects
This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Monday, January 13th. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in most of the major categories.
Last year’s nominees: Avengers: Infinity War, Christopher Robin, First Man, Ready Player One, Solo: A Star Wars Story
My choices: Coming next week!
This year’s locks: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Lion King, Avengers: Endgame
Possible: The Irishman, 1917, Alita: Battle Angel, Captain Marvel
Unlikely: Cats, Gemini Man, Terminator: Dark Fate
The rundown: We have ten finalists that will be winnowed down to five nominees, and it’s just a question of who gets snubbed. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker shouldn’t have a problem getting in given that the franchise has been nominated the past four years straight. The same goes for The Lion King, which stands to get in after “The Jungle Book” won this prize three years ago. Avengers: Endgame is a continuation of last year’s nominee “Avengers: Infinity War” and should land a nomination and maybe even a first-ever Marvel win. I don’t think the same will be true for Captain Marvel since “Black Panther” missed last year and a good number of non-Avengers Marvel projects haven’t gotten in over the course of the past decade. Though it won’t contend in any other category, Alita: Battle Angel stands a good shot of making it in here, especially after a very strong showing at the Visual Effects Society Awards. I’m betting that presumptive Best Picture contender 1917 scores, while The Irishman gets snubbed because some aren’t fond of its de-aging technology. Cats has likely shot its chances because its effects were updated post-release, and I’m not too sure about Gemini Man, though it’s admittedly one of the few in this race I haven’t seen. I don’t think Terminator: Dark Fate can place since the franchise has earned a bid (and win) exactly once for “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” way back in 1991. This doesn’t feel like the film to break that trend.
I had the chance to talk to the visual effects teams from all of Disney's finalists - read my piece over at The Film Experience.
Forecasted winner: I’m going to pick Avengers: Endgame though I’m sure something else will beat it.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
AFT Awards: Best Visual Effects
This is the sixteenth category of the 12th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.
Honorable mentions:
Christopher Robin, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Mary Poppins Returns, Ready Player One
The winner:
Avengers: Infinity War featured a character who could create worlds with the snap of his fingers, and the film matched him perfectly by conjuring up an incredible and astonishing number of superheroes and backdrops.
Other nominees:
First Man
Paddington 2
Black Panther
Annihilation
Monday, February 18, 2019
Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Visual Effects
The competition: Avengers: Infinity War (Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl, and Dan Sudick), Christopher Robin (Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones, and Chris Corbould), First Man (Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles, and J. D. Schwalm), Ready Player One (Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler, and David Shirk), Solo: A Star Wars Story (Rob Bredow, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan, and Dominic Tuohy)
Previous winners: Blade Runner 2049, The Jungle Book, Ex Machina, Interstellar, Gravity, Life of Pi, Hugo, Inception
My winner: Announcing shortly after the Oscars!
The facts: Many of these nominees have contended together before for some of the same projects. De Leeuw, Earl, and Sudick all contended previously together in 2014 for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Earl was also nominated for “Transformers” and “Star Trek,” while Sudick was a nominee seven other times, with five of those being Marvel movies. Corbould was nominated for “The Dark Knight,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and won in 2010 for “Inception.” Lambert won last year for “Blade Runner 2049” and Hunter prevailed in 2014 for “Interstellar.” Guyett was nominated for “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Star Trek,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Butler was nominated for “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” Tubach was nominated for “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Scanlan was nominated for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and won for “Babe” back in 1995. All five of these films were up for Visual Effects Society Awards, with “Avengers: Infinity War” taking home four prizes and “First Man” and “Ready Player One” each taking home one award. While last year, all five of the nominees were part of series or franchises that had been nominated here before, only two qualify this year. Every “Star Wars” movie except for “Revenge of the Sith” been honored, with only the original three films winning the award, and this marks the fourth consecutive nomination for the series. Eight Marvel films that lead into “Avengers: Infinity War” have contended in the past decade, with the franchise yet to win an award here. Despite a six-year stretch from 2008 to 2013, this award has only gone to a Best Picture nominee twenty-two times since the inception of the Oscars.
Who should win: I was not impressed with the mostly space-less visuals in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and don’t think it belongs here at all. “Christopher Robin” did a good job with blending its talking animals into the world around them, but it didn’t wow me. The same goes for “Ready Player One,” set almost entirely in a virtual world. “First Man” made the experience of going to the moon a mesmerizing one, but how can anything compare to the incredible effort and consistent engaging sight that was everything in “Avengers: Infinity War”?
Who will win: While it’s possible that “Ready Player One” or “First Man” could get enough votes, I think Marvel gets its first big win for Avengers: Infinity War.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Oscar Nominees: Best Visual Effects
My predictions: 4/5
My ballot: Come back in February!
The nominees: Avengers: Infinity War, Christopher Robin, First Man, Ready Player One, Solo: A Star Wars Story
It’s not a complete shock that “Black Panther” missed the cut here after it failed to score any Visual Effects Society mentions, but it is strange to think that it could reap seven nominations and not be rewarded for its effects. At least Avengers: Infinity War is here, which is a relief. I underestimated Christopher Robin, which is one of just two nominated feature films I haven’t seen, and so I’ll have to check that out soon to offer commentary. Ready Player One scored its expected bid here, while Solo: A Star Wars Story wasn’t a sure thing yet still managed to make the cut even if it didn’t really deserve to. I’m happy that First Man is here, just one of its few technical bids.
My current bet to win: I’m going with First Man over “Ready Player One” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects
This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 22nd. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in most of the major categories.
Last year’s nominees: Blade Runner 2049, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Kong: Skull Island, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, War for the Planet of the Apes
My choices: Coming in February!
This year’s locks: Avengers: Infinity War
Very likely: Black Panther, Ready Player One
Possible: First Man, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Mary Poppins Returns, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Welcome to Marwen, Christopher Robin
Unlikely: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
The rundown: This category was winnowed down to twenty semi-finalists and then ten, dropping first “Annihilation” and then “Aquaman,” two expected contenders in this race. Now, exactly half of the films on the shortlist will end up being Oscar-nominated. When the Visual Effects Society announced their nominations earlier this week, the big surprise was that Black Panther missed the cut in all categories, though it’s unlikely that will happen here given its popularity and the fact that it’s going to be a Best Picture nominee. Of the five lead feature nominees, Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story should be good bets, with the former placing here for the first of its three released films and the latter seeing its series nominated for each of the past three years here. Ready Player One seems solid too, while Welcome to Marwen and Christopher Robin may have a tough time overcoming negative receptions. First Man is a VES nominee for supporting visual effects, which should translate here. Mary Poppins Returns has the advantage of likely placing in other technical categories, and the original film won this award in 1964, while I feel like Ant-Man and the Wasp would be a fun choice even if the first film wasn’t recognized. I have Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom dead last despite three Visual Effects Society bids (for compositing, virtual cinematography, and animated character, specifications the Oscars don’t have) since neither the 2015 reboot or the 2001 third film in the series were nominated here, but it’s always possible this could break the trend. I’ve seen six of these – much more than usual before nominations time, and will catch up on whatever I’m missing if my predictions aren’t correct.
Forecasted winner: I’m going to pick Avengers: Infinity War but it could be “Black Panther” if it manages a nomination.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
AFT Awards: Best Visual Effects
This is the sixteenth category of the 11th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.
Honorable mentions:
Downsizing, Kong: Skull Island, Logan, The Fate of the Furious, The Space Between Us, War for the Planet of the Apes
The winner:
Blade Runner 2049 (John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert, and Richard R. Hoover) presented a dystopian future with bright, flashy technology standing in stark contrast to the dreary, desolate landscape behind it.
Other nominees:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, and Daniel Sudick)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Ben Morris, Michael Mulholland, Neal Scanlan, and Chris Corbould)
The Shape of Water (Dennis Berardi, Trey Harrell, P. Kevin Scott, and Luke Groves)
Dunkirk (Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley, Scott R. Fisher, and Paul Corbould)
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Visual Effects
The competition: Blade Runner 2049 (John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick), Kong: Skull Island (Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould), War for the Planet of the Apes (Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist)
Previous winners: The Jungle Book, Ex Machina, Interstellar, Gravity, Life of Pi, Hugo, Inception
My winner: Announcing shortly after the Oscars!
The facts: On the technical side of things: Nelson won previously for "Gladiator," and both he and Hoover have two previous nominations. Sudick has five previous nominations, while the other three have all been recognized for other Marvel films. Rosenbaum has won both times he was previously nominated, for "Forrest Gump" and "Avatar." White and Benza have been nominated before. Morris won for "The Golden Compass," Scanlan won for "Babe," and Corbould won for "Inception." Letteri has four wins out of nine previous nominations, Lemmon won last year for "The Jungle Book," and Barrett has two previous bids. At the Visual Effects Society Awards, “War for the Planet of the Apes” and “Blade Runner 2049” split most of the prizes. At BAFTA, “Blade Runner 2049” beat “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and two other films not nominated here.
All five of this year’s nominees are part of series or franchises that have previously been nominated here. Every “Star Wars” movie except for “Revenge of the Sith,” including the two entries released in the past two years, has been honored, with only the original three films winning the award. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” were cited in 2014 and 2011, and the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” was also nominated in 2014. Though this year’s entry isn’t a continuation but a reboot, “King Kong” did win this prize in 2005, and the 1976 version also won a special achievement award. Lastly, the original “Blade Runner” was a nominee in 1982 but lost to “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
What does that mean for this year? Last year’s win for the live-action “The Jungle Book” suggests that something like “War of the Planet of the Apes,” which seems to be pretty popular, will prevail, though theoretically “Kong: Skull Island” could too. There’s no reason to think that either “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” or “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2” would break through now when recent installments of both haven’t won. And then there’s “Blade Runner 2049,” which is also nominated in four other categories and is truly an astounding visual effort.
Who should win: I get that animating a whole lot of apes is impressive, but there wasn’t much else about “War of the Planet of the Apes” that astounded me, especially in comparison to the previous films in the series. “Kong: Skull Island” was actually cooler, with so many different creatures brought to life. The same goes for “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2,” which I’d be more than happy to see win but can’t imagine would happen. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is a great choice as most films in its series are, but I’d give this to “Blade Runner 2049” for truly wowing my eyes with its depiction of its dystopian future.
Who will win: Per my above analysis, this should be a race between two films. “War for the Planet of the Apes” has a lot of buzz and could well overtake Blade Runner 2049, which is nominated in four other categories and I think should be able to maintain its lead here.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Oscar Nominees: Best Visual Effects
My predictions: 4/5, picking “Dunkirk” over “Kong: Skull Island”
My ballot: Come back in February!
The nominees: Blade Runner 2049, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2, Kong: Skull Island, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, War for the Planet of the Apes
So, I’ve seen a grand total of zero films in this category. That’s not great, but I do plan to see them all (at least now). I will point out that both Best Picture frontrunners that were on the finalist list – “Dunkirk” and “The Shape of Water” – missed out in favor of an all-sequel lineup. I won’t pretend to offer any commentary until I’ve actually seen a few of these.
My current bet to win: I’ll go with Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
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