One Category at a Time: Best Visual Effects

The age-old rule that Best Picture nominees never lose Best Visual Effects to movies not nominated for the Academy's top prize was bucked last year when three effects-driven Best Picture nominees (plus Star Wars) apparently split the vote and allowed the subtle supporting CG of Ex Machina to sneak up the middle for the biggest shocker this category has ever seen. At least that's one theory.

The point is, I don't think I'll be able to trust my own predictions in this category ever again. Even with a stone cold frontrunner in this category, I suppose anything could happen, but let's start by assuming conventional wisdom prevails...

One Category at a Time: Best Sound Editing

Earlier today I outlined my thoughts on the race for Best Sound Mixing, and now I'm doing the same for its sister category Best Sound Editing. I did consider covering both predictions in a single post, but it occurred to me that this may be one of those rare years in which we see a split between the two sound categories.

What could make it an even rarer occurrence is that the split might be between two films nominated in both contests, which as only ever happened once (between Slumdog Millionaire and The Dark Knight). The reason such wealth-sharing is so uncommon is that the Academy often struggles to differentiate these two aural disciplines, unless they receive some sort of "obvious" and oversimplified direction, like 'musicals = sound mixing' and 'action = sound editing'.

VES Loves 'The Jungle Book'

To no one's surprise, Disney's "live-action" Jungle Book remake was the toast of the Visual Effects Society's annual awards, taking the group's top prize for Effects in a Photoreal Feature in addition to four other awards.

Oscar nominees Deepwater Horizon and Kubo and the Two Strings won their respective categories for Supporting Effects and Effects in an Animated Feature. Oddly, Kubo didn't win any of the other feature animation categories, which is unusual for a group that has rarely spread the wealth like this in the past.

Rogue One, which had been nominated in six categories (more than any other project), was shut out. Ouch.

Feature film winners after the cut.

My Award Nominations: Visual Effects

Tomorrow the VES will bestow a bunch of hardware on The Jungle Book (or so I presume), but there was a ton of other impressive work done out there worthy of Best Visual Effects consideration. And I have to hand it to the Academy's vfx branch too: This year, they got it exactly right.
Here are my top five:

My Award Nominations: Sound Editing

Truth be told, there was only one film I saw (that is, heard) this year whose sound design is so embedded into the identity of the movie that it instantly became my defacto winner. That said, there were still plenty of other impressive aural accomplishments, so for now I'll let you guess which of these five Best Sound Editing showcases will take my esteemed prize:

September Festivals and Releases Offer Oscar Season Warm-Up

For journos and festival globetrotters, Oscar season officially kicks off in early September with the unveiling of several potential contenders at Venice, Telluride and Toronto (big takeaway is that Damien Chazelle's La La Land -- my most anticipated film of 2016 -- seriously has the goods). But for Oscar hobbyists like you and me, September is merely a warm-up period; A chance to read up on all the festival players and ease out of blockbuster mode, as more adult fare that may not have what it takes to go all the way look to cash in on summer fatigue.