The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today the seven films that have been shortlisted and still have a shot for the Oscar for best visual effects.
“Australia”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
“Iron Man”
“Journey to the Center of the Earth”
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”
And of course, the one movie that every effects house in town worked on was left off the list, probably because it was too silly and its colors were too bright and it’s edits were too fast. I didn’t expect “Speed Racer” to get any other nods, but considering that the VFX artists basically became virtual cinematographers, this is soooooooo damned lame. To read more about why this is so wrong, read my SIGGRAPH 2008 blog from L.A., written after a panel featuring talented artists from BUF, Digital Domain, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Industrial Light & Magic.
Also, “Mummy” and “Australia” over “Cloverfield”? Sad and wrong.
Tags: 2008, 2009, academy awards, oscar, snub, Speed Racer, visual effects
The Blind Side
Sandra Bullock stars in this true-story tearjerker about an underpriveleged black kid who goes to live with an upper-class white family and eventually play pro football. You know what to expect.
Planet 51
It’s nothing new, but Alan says this first-time animated outing from Ilion Animated Studios is good-natured and has a fun premise.
2012
Director Roland Emmerich’s latest disaster porn film is worse than a failed character drama; it’s an overly long, boring, and contradictory action film. Shame on John Cusack.
Pirate Radio
This British import starring Philip Seymour Hoffman skirts with cliche but has just enough heart and humor to stay afloat, says Phil.
The Men Who Stare at Goats
Grant Heslov’s adaptation of the nonfiction book has a loopy enough tone, but it’s all over the place and feels more like a series of gags than a cohesive movie.
The Fourth Kind
This alien abduction suspense movie shouldn’t have included “documentary” footage that feels forced and fake if it wanted to feel real, says Phil.
Disney's A Christmas Carol
Phil says that Robert Zemeckis should have focused his attention more on a little Christmas spirit and less on bombastic chase sequences in this Charles Dickens adaptation.
A Serious Man
Alan says the Coen brothers’ latest is a well-made an intriguing intellectual exercise that Coen fans shouldn’t miss out on.
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Alan says this lighthearted vampire movie with John C. Reilly doesn’t make any sense, but is a helluva lot of fun.
Amelia
Hilary Swank plays Ameila Earhart in this beautifully shot but emotionally inert biopic, says Phil.
