Oscar Race 2012: The Semifinalists for Visual Effects

Kyle Turner December 9, 2011 4

With a bang, a boom, and lots of 3D, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the semifinalists for the category of Best Visual Effects. There’s not real surprises here, where even a film like TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON can get a nomination.

- CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

- COWBOYS & ALIENS

- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2

- HUGO

- MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL

- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

- REAL STEEL

- RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

- SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS

- SUCKER PUNCH

- SUPER 8

- THOR

- TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

- THE TREE OF LIFE

- X-MEN FIRST CLASS

Next month, this list of fifteen hopefuls will be knocked down to ten and then the final five will be announced on January 24^th, along with the other Oscar nominees.

Like I said, there aren’t any real surprises, the closest one to a “Oh really?” being from Guy Ritchie’s SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS. The film isn’t as effects heavy as the rest of the films. What are my predictions for the final five? I’m so glad you asked!

- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (It’s the last Potter film, so there will probably be one of those accumulative nomination kind of things.)

- HUGO (The first 3D film you can take seriously from a seriously serious auteur, Martin Scorsese!)

- RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (The motion capture work from Andy Serkis is already getting buzz for a possible Supporting Actor nod.)

- TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (If Michael Bay can do one thing right, it’s make stuff explode.)

- THE TREE OF LIFE (Malick’s sumptuous vision uses old school effects, with the help of the same visual effects designer Douglas Trumbull, who worked with Stanley Kubrick to create the iconic effects in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.)

The nominations for the 84^th Academy Awards will air on January 24^th, with the ceremony to be held on February 26.

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About the author: Kyle Turner View all posts by Kyle Turner

Born in GhongZhou, China in 1994, Kyle Turner’s love of cinema was fostered at an early age. Rather than brood him on the likes of Disney cartoons, Kyle’s parents instead exposed him to the cinematic classics of yesteryear, which have impacted his taste in art and film, his view on life, and his writing style. Declaring that he would become a film critic at a mere age 7, he started his own blog at the age of 13, which he has nurtured ever since. Kyle also enjoys school, reading, and writing satirical essays, and cites his inspirations and idols being Alfred Hitchcock, Andrew Sarris, Pauline Kael, Roger Ebert, A.O. Scott, and David Sedaris.

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4 Comments »

MisterPL December 12, 2011 at 8:46 am - Reply

I think you underestimate the number of VFX shots in a movie like “Sherlock Holmes.” The first movie’s effects weren’t all as “in your face” as they were in “Transformers.” Many of the VFX were set extensions and other subtle changes that are supposed to go relatively unnoticed.