On December 10th this month, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences anounced the 15 semifinalist in the running to take out the Oscar for the Achievement in Visual Effects.
The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theatre.
Here are the Nominees:
Alice in Wonderland – Terrible 3D and awful Movie. Mediocre effects couldn’t save this Turkey
*The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – Not Viewed
Clash of the Titans – Again terrible 3D. The 2D version was much better and it wasn’t a bad movie
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – Effects are always top notch in this franchise, this was no exception
Hereafter – Not Viewed
*Inception – A rare case of effects helping to tell the story instead of hindering.
*Iron Man 2 – Quality of film and effects slipping considerably from the first film
The Last Airbender – Wish I’d never seen it. Effects were amazing but the film as a whole was staggeringly bad
*Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – Not Viewed
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – Excellent action sequences where the effects help the story
*Scott Pilgrim vs the World – The most imaginative and effortlessly awesome use of Effects this year
Shutter Island – Has its fans but not much substance in story or effects to warrant a nomination
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Disney magic strikes again. Great effects and fun adventure movie
*Tron: Legacy – Makes Inception look like an afterthought. Best. Effects. Ever.
Unstoppable – Not Viewed
The films that have an * next to the titles are my personal picks for the best effects of the year and with the exception of the Narnia & Percy Jackson films, these movies represent a wide range of storytelling and it’s great to see that VFX are getting the recognition they deserve.
