AIndiewire take a look at the VFX bake-off for the forthcoming Oscar nominations. With a good chance of The Last Jedi being included in the batch – although no guarantees, given no Star Wars film since 1983 has won a VFX Oscar – what other films will be up for Academy consideration?
Once again, the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch will decide the five Oscar nominees at a Saturday “bakeoff,” a selection of footage from the shortlisted films, which are dominated by particularly great character work. Three spots likely await “War for the Planet of the Apes,” “Blade Runner 2049,” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
However, that leaves a battle for the final two nominations among “Dunkirk” (the lone invisible-VFX entry), “The Shape of Water,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Kong: Skull Island,” “Alien: Covenant,” and surprise entries “Okja” and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.” The smart money’s on Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” and Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” but don’t be surprised if Bong Joon-ho’s underdog, “Okja,” knocks one of them out.
Remember, awards season starts shortly, and here’s what we have to look forward to:
Jan 7th: Golden Globes
Jan 10th: BAFTA nominations
Jan 11th: Critics Choice Awards
Jan 21st: SAG Awards
Jan 23rd: Oscar nominations
Feb 18th: BAFTA Awards
Mar 4th: Oscars
Cross those fingers and let’s hope episode 8 breaks this undeserved streak and brings home some gold.
