War Horse looking good for both Sound Oscars with win from MPSE

As I expected, it was War Horse that won the Motion Picture Sound Editors' key category of Best Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film, a category which has proved itself to be a rather accurate litmus test of which way the Sound Editing Oscar will go for the last five years.

Given the higher match-up rate between the Academy and the MPSE (compared to the lower match-up rate between the Academy and the CAS), I'm going to stick with my theory that this is a better sign for War Horse than the CAS victory was for Hugo, but I could be dead wrong.

Speaking of Hugo, it did manage a win for its only nomination from the MPSE, for Music in a Feature Film, so that may be worth noting if it does end up taking Best Sound Editing from War Horse next Sunday.

Full list of winners (plus some comments) after the cut.

ACE winners clarify Best Film Editing race

Only one notable surprise at last night's American Cinema Editors awards. While The Artist predictably took home the Best Edited Feature prize in the Comedy/Musical category, and while Rango continued its precursor dominance in the Animated Feature category (I'd have liked to see Michael Kahn win that for Tintin), it was the subdued editing of The Descendants that beat out the Best Picture buzz of Hugo, flashier editing of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and superior editing of Moneyball in the Drama category.

One Category at a Time: Original Score

Along with Best Art Direction, this is the only other craft category that I think we can assume is locked up. And I have to say that I rather like the lineup, myself. Even with the silly disqualification of Drive and the inevitable snubs of Hanna and The Ides of March, the music branch still managed to pin down five of the year's best scores.

VES winners

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

One Category at a Time: Sound Editing

Some odd inclusions and exclusions in Sound Editing this year, in which I only correctly anticipated two of the five nominees. Pretty dismal performance on my part, but with such high-profile snubs, perhaps that's understandable. Among the slighted films are Super 8, which dominated the guild announcements with three nods from the MPSE. No room was made for animated efforts Tintin or Rango either. Ditto Mission: Impossible. But enough of that griping; let's examine those that did make the cut

One Category at a Time: Animated Feature

I've already sounded off on how I perceive the state of animation this year, but allow me to reiterate: weak sauce. Not that any of these nominees are particularly bad, but I have a hard time mustering up much enthusiasm for most of them.

PGA winners

I wasn't around to offer up my thoughts on last night's PGA Awards this weekend, but it's not like there's much to discuss. The Artist is the defacto winner both with this group and with the Academy, as its pending Best Picture triumph will eventually confirm. If there was going to be a surprise upset of any kind, it would have happened with the Producers Guild, whose voting process mimics the Academy's.

The Documentary category offered up even less drama in terms of the Oscar race, going to the un-shortlisted Beats, Rhymes & Life, which I have not seen, so no comment.

A much more interesting development, however, came in the Animated category, where Spielberg's Tintin reprised its Golden Globe victory over presumed forntrunner Rango (much to my delight!). I still think the film's biggest hurdle in the way of Oscar is getting nominated, but if it does, things might not be as cut-and-dry in that category as we currently assume.

Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures
The Artist - Thomas Langmann

Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
The Adventures of Tintin - Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest - Michael Rapaport, Edward Parks

My Awards nominations: Original Score

My options for the best Original Score of the year:

The Adventures of Tintin (John Williams):

Busy orchestrations with lots of jazzy ornaments mixed in for distinction, actually making it a closer cousin of Williams' Catch Me If You Can than Indiana Jones, but still with loads of exciting fast-paced compositions.

The Artist (Ludovic Bource):

Hard not to enjoy the romantic swells and antiquated whimsy of Bource's music. He has to become the voice of the entire picture, and he takes up the challenge with aplomb.

Hanna (The Chemical Brothers):

The hypnotic electronic rhythms are a key aural element to this stylized actioner, lending a unique sonic flavour to each scene in which it is used. Another notch on the belt of progressive scoring.

The Ides of March (Alexandre Desplat):

Quietly dissonant background strings masked by more obvious stoccatic beats, kinda like how the drama of dirty campaign managing is masked by the frontdrop posters, platforms, and politics.

War Horse (John Williams):

A sweeping, old school Williams score with melodious themes and robust arrangements. It basically comes down to whether or not you like old school Williams scores, and I do. I really do.

Just missed:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

VES nominees

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

My Awards nominations: Sound Editing

The most impressive Sound Editing of 2011 could be heard in:

The Adventures of Tintin (Brent Burge, Chris Ward, David Whitehead):

The deep groans of ships at sea, the resonance of voice-shattered glass, bullets and bazookas and tanks... oh my!

Drive (Lon Bender):

The drive sequences are mesmerizing in their sonic detail, but moments of relative silence are just as tense.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Richard Hymns):

The WHAPs and THWAPS of bone-crunching fisticuffs, the sonic boom of airborne missiles, and all those awesome gadgets and gizmos...

Thor (Michael Babcock, Richard King):

The electrifying pounding of Thor's hammer, the creaks and cracks of the icy frost giants, the threatening machinations of The Destroyer...

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn):

Tinny robot voices, those distinctively organometalic sound effects, and of course, explosions gallore... KA-BAY!!!

War Horse (Richard Hymns, Gary Rydstrom):

As they did on Saving Private Ryan, the piercing staccato of machine gun fire, the shattering bombast of artillery shells, but also the thunderous rumble of hooves.

Just missed: Thor, Hugo, Super 8, The Tree of Life

ADG nominees announced

Excellence in Production Design for a Period Film:

Anonymous
The Artist
The Help
Hugo Here's your winner
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Not sure why War Horse is missing from this category, but I should think it'll score with the Academy's art direction branch nonetheless. The Young Victoria scored an Oscar nom without an ADG nom two years ago, so the guild isn't necessarily a requisite qualifier.

Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film:
The Adventures of Tintin
Captain America: The First Avenger
Cowboys & Aliens
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Winner?
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Glad to see Rick Heinrich's terrific work on Captain America turn up here. As for Tintin, I'm happy with anything it can get, but if there had to be an animated entry in this category, I'd have preferred the gorgeous stylings in Kung Fu Panda 2.

Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film:
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Not much to discuss here. None of these are likely to be nominated by AMPAS.
I guess The Descendants will win on the goodwill of Best Picture buzz.

My Award nominations: Animated Feature

I'm gonna be straight up: this was a weak year for animation. Despite enough releases to expand the Animated Feature category to a maximum five for the Oscars, I can barely find three that I feel can justify earning the nomination. Anyway, here they are:

The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg):

If the Academy is willing to qualify it as animation, then so am I (although I do acknowledge the grey area it falls into). Regardless, this is one of the most enjoyable adventures in years, signalling the start of a promising franchise.

A Cat in Paris (Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli):

This stylishly animated (and sparingly brisk) family thriller is a delightful diversion to take in when you've got an hour to kill. The story may be formulaic, but visuals are consistently engaging, like the pages of a picture book come to life.

Chico & Rita
(Tonno Errando, Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba):

A sensual romance between a jazz pianist and his female singing star that spans decades and continents; It's a lovely little movie spiced with vibrant colours and sultry latin rhythms (courtesy Cuban bandleader Bebo Valdes).

Puss in Boots (Chris Miller):

As much as I despair the relative lack of originality emanating from Dreamworks these days, it's at least a bit refreshing to see Puss carry his own story without the interference of other Shrek characters. This stand-alone adventure/comedy is enjoyable enough, and beautifully animated, as one would expect of the studio.

Rango (Gore Verbinski):

Assuming the traditional definition of "animation", Gore Verbinski's surreal Western homage is the best domestic animated production of the year. It's hard not to respond affectionately to the unbridled imagination with which the film brims.

PGA nominees

All seven of my predicted Best Picture nominees showed up on the PGA's longlist, so that doesn't give us much to chew on. The three remaining PGA nominees are somewhat surprising. I'd have thought the populist nominee would be either Potter or Apes, but they opted for Bridesmaids instead. I'm tickled pink to see that The Ides of March got some love. Maybe its Oscar chances aren't dead in the water after all? As for Dragon Tattoo, it obviously survived its late opening, but I still doubt the Academy will go for it.

Best Picture
THE ARTIST, Producer: Thomas Langmann
BRIDESMAIDS, Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend
THE DESCENDANTS, Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin
THE HELP, Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green
HUGO, Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese
THE IDES OF MARCH, Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
MONEYBALL, Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt
WAR HORSE, Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

In animation, they opted for five instead of the expected three. I say Tintin is in the most vulnerable position, if only because its mo-cap format might sour traditional animators.

Best Animated Feature
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
CARS 2, Producer: Denise Ream
KUNG FU PANDA 2, Producer: Melissa Cobb
PUSS IN BOOTS, Producers: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou
RANGO, Producers: John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski

Review - A Spielberg double feature

For New Years Eve I took advantage of a unique opportunity; the chance to view two new Steven Spielberg features on the same day. Spielberg has had four others years in which he released two films, but never simultaneously, so this is kind of a first both for him and his eager fans. The two films in question are awards pony War Horse and "animated" action/adventure Tintin. Both my reviews after the cut.

Animated Feature submissions

So there are 18 official submissions for this year's Best Animated Feature Oscar, meaning there may be up to five nominees for the final prize. Of all years to have a potential five nominees, why this year? It has been a weak one up to now as far as I'm concerned. Even Gore Verbinski's Rango, an oasis of originality on a list of which 1/3 is made up of sequels or spinoffs, didn't entirely work for me. I'll shudder to see films like Cars 2, or Happy Feet Two, or Kung Fu Panda 2 get nominated, especially after last year's sad omission of the wonderful Tangled.

Anywho, one of the big question marks remains Steven Spielberg's Tintin. I've been cautious about putting in my predictions on account of the bias it might face from branch members who frown upon motion-capture encroaching upon the animators' turf. It's biggest hurdle may be getting nominated. If it does get in, it could become the frontrunner. Coupled with his War Horse bid, could Steven Spielberg win two or more Oscars for two separate films?

The list:

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn Steven Spielberg
Alois Nebel Tomas Lunak
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Mike Mitchell
Arthur Christmas Sarah Smith, Barry Cook
Cars 2 John Lasseter, Brad Lewis
A Cat in Paris Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnol
Chico & Rita Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba
Gnomeo & Juliet Kelly Asbury
Happy Feet Two George Miller
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil Mike Disa
Kung Fu Panda 2 Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Mars Needs Moms Simon Wells
Puss in Boots Chris Miller
Rango Gore Verbinski
Rio Carlos Saldanha
The Smurfs Raja Gosnell
Winnie the Pooh Steven Anderson, Don Hall
Wrinkles ???

Prediction update - July 2011

I realize that I haven't so much as touched my sidebar predictions since they first went up a couple of months ago, most likely because the vast majority of the presumed contenders still have not been seen. This is a back-heavy year if I ever saw one. Anywho, some updates:

-With Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar now slated for a 2011 release, I have no problem with putting it down for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Original Screenplay, Art Direction, and Costume Design.
-One audience-charmer that found an audience in Cannes is Michael Hazanavicius' silent film The Artist, which could find support in Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, and Score.
-Against my initial instincts, I'm guessing that both of Spielberg's projects this year might make it in, so I've added Tintin to Best Picture to go along with War Horse (whose recently released teaser makes it look as Oscary as you can get).
-Some minor adjustments in all the craft categories, hardly worth reiterating here.

One Category at a Time: Best Visual Effects

The extra two slots added to the Best Visual Effects field last year have given us prognosticators more degrees of freedom to work with, and give new hope to some films that probably wouldn't be in the conversation otherwise.

Films like Hereafter, which was by no means a big effects film, but used its effects wisely in a solid supporting role and earned a nomination for it. Perhaps a film that can emulate that this year is Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, which apparently will be sporting dinosaurs in certain sequences and perhaps other shots that may require interesting effects work. Consider this a reckless wild card pick.

The Harry Potter franchise's final installment lands this summer. Having been nominated for two previous Potter films, including last year's The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, I wouldn't be surprised to see the effect branch give Tim Burke and company one final kick at the can. Maybe the Academy will feel inclined to let them win as a way of honouring the series?

There's always one or two huge summer blockbusters that make it in here, and this summer is at no shortage of effects-heavy potential blockbusters. But many of them are comic book adaptations, which only occasionally hit with the Academy. They tend to be kinder to original material, and that's where I give J.J. Abrams' effects team for Super 8 (who've already proven themselves on Star Trek) an edge over the competition.

But sequels can sometimes score here if their predecessors did, in which case Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides may be sitting pretty. All three previous Pirates films have been nominated here, even as the critics have become progressively less kind to them. The extra two slots are a benefit for films that might otherwise be sunk by bad reviews.

Finally, Joe Letteri et. al. at Weta Digital, who have worked such wonders on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and most recently Avatar, are heading Steven Spielberg's take on Tintin. But will the effects branch go for a completely motion-captured film? Avatar had enough live-action footage to convince the Academy that its effects were effects, but they've never given a second glance to any of Robert Zemekis' motion-capture endeavours. Might they consider Tintin just a glorified animated film?

Predicted five:
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Super 8
The Tree of Life

Also consider: Captain America, Cowboys and Aliens, Green Lantern, Hugo Cabret, Transformers 3, X-Men: First Class, Thor.

One Category at a Time: Best Sound Editing

The degree of overlap between this category and Best Sound Mixing was smaller this past season than it's been in a while, with only two films nominated for both. Will we see a repeat next year? For the sake of early predictions, it's nice to be as spread out as possible, so let's assume the answer is "yes" for the time being.

Pixar is on a roll in this category, having earned nominations for the last four consecutive years (even for work that may not have been that awards-worthy, but thus is the benefit of being a studio with a high reputation). Can they make it five years in a row with Cars 2. I can think of a few reasons why the streak may end, but Pixar is never that much of a longshot for Sound Editing.

Perhaps a longer shot would be Jon Favreau's Cowboys and Aliens, which looks like it may be a lot of fun, but not really up the Academy's alley. Nevertheless, David Farmer and company have an interesting opportunity to meld rip-roaring Western sound effects with sci-fi alien gadgetry.

Steven Spielberg has two big pictures that could find their way in here this year; War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin. The former, a late-release WWI drama with sound effects supervised by three-time Oscar winner Richard Hymns (Saving Private Ryan) seems like a good enough bet. The latter, a motion-capture adventure with big box-office potential and the attached prestige of a respected director at the helm is probably a formidable contender too.

Finally, one of the few original premises that aims to make some serious coin this summer is J.J. Abrams Super 8. The fact that it isn't based on a comic book hero or previous movie already gives it a leg up with the Academy, who tend to stay away from blockbuster sequels unless they're absolutely amazing. Super 8 looks like it'll have lots of nice loud sound effects to satisfy the sound branch.

Predicted five:
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Cars 2
Cowboys and Aliens
Super 8
War Horse

Also consider: Captain America, The Green Lantern, Transformers 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 4