The Visual Effects Society Awards were held last night, where Rango cleaned up by sweeping the animation categories at the expense of Tintin's extensive and impressive effects work, which was shut out despite having six nominations. Harsh.
Oscar nominees Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Hugo, and Transformers each won two, and Captain America can nurse its Oscar snub with a consolatory win here for its excellent compositing (go 'Skinny' Steve!). Apes is the best bet for the Oscar, but it could face real heat from Hugo.
Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature:Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture:Hugo
Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture:Rango
After having the same five films listed in my predictions for months, I switched out Transformers at the last second for Pirates. As a result, I ended up with a lame 3/5 accuracy as not only did Transformers manage to stem the tide, but The Tree of Life was shut out of the race in favour of the unforeseeable Real Steel. It's very disappointing to see the effects branch opt for more glossy mo-cap CG as opposed to the awe-inspiring combo of organic effects and digital dinos, but it's all a moot point.
Some tough calls for me to make in this category. I wish I could include more that these five Leading Actor nominees:
MICHAEL FASSBENDER in Shame:
A perturbed, methodical portrait of addiction and sexual dependency that commands our attention even when we would rather not look. Fassbender's work keeps us gripped to a film that, frankly, isn't as interesting as his character is. Even during long, uneventful takes, we are fascinated.
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT in 50/50:
A superb, controlled performance that maintains the character's typically mellow demeanor but subtly infers the anxiety simmering within. He often has to play the comedic straight man to multiple characters, which he handles perfectly without ever losing sight of his character's emotional journey.
WOODY HARRELSON in Rampart:
A painfully real depiction of an angry, foolish, tormented man in denial about himself and the world he lives in. Harrelson's performance is immersive and lived-in, implying a masterful application of method and a reliance on character-specific instincts.
BRAD PITT in Moneyball:
Some people quibble that there's too much Brad Pitt in his portrayal of Billy Beane. I argue that there's just the right amount of Brad Pitt, whose movie star charisma does indeed gleam through, but never at the expense of his internalization of a man questioning his own worth.
ANDY SEKIS in Rise of the Planet of the Apes:
Serkis, naturally, brings is A-game. His Caesar is one worth hailing; a
sensitive, confused, angry soul condemned to the body of a beast. It's
his performance that moves and inspires the audience far more than his
human costars. Once again, he is deserving of an Oscar nomination he
won't receive.
Just missed:
George Clooney in The Descendants, Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Jean Dujardin in The Artist, Ryan Gosling in Drive, Matthias Schoenaerts in Bullhead
The effects sorcerers were hard at work this year, but aren't they always? Given that effects movies are the only ones studios feel any confidence in producing, there is naturally lots too choose from, but only five could crack my Visual Effects ballot:
Here's something novel: A Roland Emmerich movie whose effects are subtle! The recreation of 15th century London is so seamless that in many shots you can't even tell it's an effect.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
(Tim Burke, John Richardson, Ferran Domenech, Greg Powell):
As always, the wizarding universe is sensationally evoked by more of Tim Burke's marvelous effects, with extra shiny pyrotechnics for this final action-packed installment.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
(Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Tony Lazarowich, Daniel Barrett):
The photorealistic motion capture magic of Weta Digital's cinematic sorcerers is completely convincing, giving more breadth to the performances and allowing us to fully sympathize with the CG apes.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
(Scott Farrar, John Frazier, Scott Benza, Kenny Bates):
As can only be expected of the series, the story is imbecilic, the effects top notch. Bonus points for that uber cool wing-suit sequence. Stunts with minimal CG embellishment are totally the way to go!
The Tree of Life
(Dan Glass, Michael L. Fink, Brian Friedman, Tom Debenham):
The arresting non-CG depiction of the universe's cosmic origins are hypnotic and awe-inspiring. The subsequent evolution of life on earth is handled in beautifully naturalistic ways.
Of the potential Oscar contenders, Harry Potter and Transformers lead the field with five nominations a piece, but the actual leader is Tintin with six, which was left of the Academy's shortlist. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is close behind with four.
There's a conspicuous absence of The Tree of Life, which I thought should have won the Supporting Visual Effects category by a country mile, but alas. I guess Hugo will win that one. Like I said when the Academy released there slate of ten finalists, Pirates feels like a very real spoiler threat, despite eking only one nod from the guild.
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Captain America: The First Avenger
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Should win / Will win
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture Anonymous Should win
Hugo Will win
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Source Code
War Horse
I'll be honest: I never really cared The Planet of the Apes. The films were okay at best, but credit for the intriguing premise belongs to Pierre Boulle's novel anyway. All that considered, I was unexpectedly pleased to find that this origin story, while not something worth going ape over, to be a thoroughly enjoyable, at times almost credible, reboot that offers promising options for expanding on the ideas and themes of the original.
