Just so it’s on the record. I wavered back and forth in Best Visual Effects, but I’ve finally landed on “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” scoring one for the underdogs. My final forecast here.
Tag: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
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CONTEST: T-shirt giveaway!
Alright, we have our last contest of the year. But it’ll have a quick turnaround, so don’t snooze if you’re interested.First, the prize. We have T-shirts for “Animal Kingdom” (you remember the one), “TRON Legacy,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Tangled” up for grabs. And the contest will be predictions-based.
This weekend I asked you all what you felt were the most difficult categories to predict for nominations this season. Your top three picks: Best Supporting Actress, Best Actress and Best Original Score. So, that’s your task for the contest. Give us your predictions in those three categories. Hopefully that’ll provide enough information to steer clear of a tie-breaker, but in case we need one, also answer this question: Which film will lead with the most nominations?
Got it? Good. Now, hit me with your best shot. We’ll announce the winner tomorrow afternoon.
[Photo: Kristopher Tapley]
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TECH SUPPORT: Final analysis, part one
It seems hard to believe that it’s been more than six months since I wrote this year’s introductory Tech Support column ( a dissection of the art direction race). Much has changed since then, naturally, as we are less than a week away from the big day when we find out the nominees for the Oscars this year. Today, I take a final look at the music categories, sound categories and the two categories that have been narrowed down to seven finalists – Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup.BEST MAKEUP
In this utterly bizarre category, virtually any combination of the seven finalists would fail to surprise me as the final three. That said, I’ve had the same top two predicted all year and see no reason to change now: “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Wolfman.” The former had massive box office and very noticeable makeup, whereas the latter is exactly the sort of movie that tends to score here and nowhere else.
Logic may put “True Grit” or “The Fighter” next in line due to their Best Picture contender status. But as much as these films are loved, they don’t have as showy makeup as the other finalists, and this is a category that often doesn’t care how films are received overall.
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‘Scott Pilgrim,’ ‘Hereafter’ make visual effects bake-off
As we await the USC Scripter finalists (which should drop any minute), I should pass along the Academy’s bake-off finalists in the Best Visual Effects category.Last month the field was narrowed down to 15 titles. Today, seven titles remain, from which five nominees will be selected in a bake-off (which is an odd extra step now, given that the ultimate nominations field was expanded to five this year). So take two off of the following list:
“Alice in Wonderland”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”
“Hereafter”
“Inception”
“Iron Man 2”
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
“TRON Legacy” -
Inevitable list of WGA ineligibilities surfaces
Steve Pond is on the news today that a number of this year’s screenplays will be ineligible for WGA consideration (and therefore should be kept in mind when nominations are revealed next week).First and foremost, we all know Pixar films never fall under WGA signatory regulations, so Michael Arndt’s work on “Toy Story 3” will not be in the mix for Best Adapted Screenplay. Nor will fellow animated contender “How to Train Your Dragon.” Also perennially ineligible is Mike Leigh, who works outside of the guild’s procedures, so “Another Year” won’t be showing up in the original field.
Joining Arndt on the adapted sidelines will be “Winter’s Bone,” while “Blue Valentine” and potential winner “The King’s Speech” won’t be eligible for original consideration.
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‘Black Swan’ leads Online Film Critics Society noms
The nominations list just announced by the OFCS features most of the expected names, but with a few welcome twists: nice to see Edgar Ramírez and LAFCA winner Kim Hye-ja lending some international flavor in the lead acting categories, while the Best Original Screenplay bid for “Greenberg” cuts pleasingly against the grain.Interesting, too, to see “The King’s Speech” missing out in the top race, where both “Winter’s Bone” and “Toy Story 3” have a home. (No autopilot nod for Helena Bonham-Carter, either.) Bonus points for a Best Foreign Language Film race that finally reflects the widespread critical adoration for “Dogtooth” (over “I Am Love,” to boot). There’s even a treat for all you “Scott Pilgrim” fans.
Full list of nominees at The Circuit.
[Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures]
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‘Winter’s Bone’ leads Detroit critics nods with six
This is a somewhat more interesting set of nominations, even if it is flowing in the general current of the season for the most part. I like the love for Gosling and even Edgar Wright (despite my feelings on the film). Have a look at the full slate at The Circuit.
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Visual effects race whittled down to 15
This is the first year the race for Best Visual Effects will feature five nominees. So take a third of these lucky semi-finalists and there we are. The five I think most are expecting to show up are still in the mix.The most surprising omission for me is “Black Swan,” which used digital wizardry to very startling effect, especially in the film’s final act. I also expected “The Tempest” to show up, but I guess it just leaves too bad a taste in people’s mouths.
I’m happy to see “Shutter Island” get singled out. If we start seeing the guilds respond to the work in this film (and indeed, we might), I think it would be fair to start taking it’s Best Picture chances seriously. It’s holding up for more than you might expect. And “Hereafter” shows up on this list, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if it slid in for its opening sequence (which is rather respected in the VFX community).
Full list after the jump. The category’s Contenders page has also been updated with a proposed ranking.
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TECH SUPPORT: Best Visual Effects — Volume II
I find it somewhat appropriate to be ending my in-depth looks at the crafts categories with a discussion of Best Visual Effects. This is, after all, a category which awards the sort of behind-the-scenes crafts work that is often prominently displayed in advertisements and talked about with reverence after the film ends.When looking at the category’s history, it is not surprising that major blockbusters have fared the best here, with big budgets and even big revenues usually being a prerequisite to be considered for a nomination. Visual effects that “stick out” are usually rewarded, even if the film is not particularly loved. Of course, being in a beloved film helps, especially in the race for the win.
Prior to this year, there had been only three nominees in this category. Now, there will be five. This means we won’t get the “clues” that come when a list of seven bake-off finalists was announced in previous years. That said, I feel we’ve got a lot of clues about what the final five will be already.
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TECH SUPPORT: Best Visual Effects — Volume I
How often do you go to the movies to escape? To be immersed into a different world, whether it be fantastical, thrilling or action-packed? For many movie-goers, if not most, the answer is “frequently.”Visual effects often play a massive role in this experience. Studios invest heavily in them and frequently try to sell films on the strength of their effects as much as their directors or their stars. Given this, it is unsurprising that the films that are nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects are almost always big titles, often with huge budgets and almost invariably with massive revenue.
Dozens if not hundreds of individuals collaborate on the effects work of any given film. Only four supervising members of the crew can share the award, however. While there are certainly many dazzling crafts artists who are embraced in this category year after year, the branch has opened up to newcomers considerably in recent years.
The visual effects category will be changing its dynamic this year as it will be expanding to five nominees after years of using the traditional bake-off method of determining three nominees. How this will impact trends is a matter that will play out in this year and years to come. But from this vantage point, we can only look to the past.
Oddly enough, however, if there was one category where I’d put down money on the final nominees from this perch, this would be it. Not that I’m in any way guaranteed to be right. In fact, I doubt I will be. Too much can change. But five titles make the most sense right now.
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SUNDAY CENTS: Six Flags > Movies
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.Sorry this is checking in a little late today but I’ve been at Six Flags all day having the time of my life. I hadn’t been since they opened a crazy new ride called Tatsu and it kind of blew my mind, but the X will always be the best ‘coaster. In any case, some movies came out this weekend too and performed with varying degrees of success.
The number one movie, again, is “The Expendables.” Stallone and his fellow band of ‘roid Rangers dropped 53% to $16.5 million but took advantage of a terrible weekend to notch a second frame at the summit. The last time Sly was in a film that spent two weeks at the top was in 1993, when Wesley Snipes was huge and an unknown Sandra Bullock and Jack Black lent support in “Demolition Man.”
“Vampires Suck” confirmed the absence of any justice or God in the world by opening in second place with $12.2 million. $18.6 million has already been conned out of America since Wednesday and I’m pretty sure that’s ten times the total amount of my top 10 favorite films of last year combined.
“Eat Pray Love” takes the bronze, dropping 48% to $12.0 million. Don’t be surprised if this is the real runner-up when actuals are released and even though that drop might seem harsh, “Julie & Julia” did almost exactly the same before leveling out and sticking around through early September.
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FRIDAY FORECAST: Stop giving Friedberg & Seltzer your money!
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.Alright guys. Enough is enough. The only thing less funny than a spoof movie made by Friedberg & Seltzer is the conceptual gag that America keeps playing where we ironically buy tickets to see them. Just to make fun of it, of course. Only problem is we’re giving them real money and they are super rich and successful, despite being the worst thing to happen to filmmaking since, well, ever.
“Vampires Suck” leads a gaggle of new releases this week and it’s actually already been out since Wednesday. The beyond tired spoof racked up $6.4 million in two days and should be on course for another $14 or $15 million during the weekend. The last time these two got behind a camera was “Disaster Movie,” which epic failed at the end of summer 2008 and gave hope that these clowns would never work again. But that film was their only one released by Lionsgate, not Fox, and they didn’t know how to market the gold placed in their hands.
Focusing on the biggest phenomenon in film isn’t a bad idea either to get back on track. Congratulations America. You’ve made a scene where something large falls out of the sky and lands on the Old Spice Guy on a horse a part of cinema box office history (note: I have not seen “Vampires Suck” but I’ll eat my hat if that scene isn’t in it).
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‘Scott Pilgrim’ vs. the sound
I want to take a moment to note that, regardless of my feelings on the film, I’m really bummed about the box office performance of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” not least of all because Edgar Wright is one of the good guys. He’s making movies for all the right reasons.In any case, it’s left to be seen whether the film editing, visual effects or sound elements from the film can make a dent in the Oscar season, but the latter has received a SoundWorks Collection profile worth your look and listen. The film is obviously alive in ways few films are and the below-the-line aspects are key to that.
The crew includes re-recording mixers Chris Burdon and Doug Cooper with effects editors James Harrison, Ben Meechan and Julian Slater. Have a look at the profile after the jump.
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SUNDAY CENTS: AARP Action Squad!
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.The internet had been buzzing for weeks. Would the fact that he spent most of the decade in straight to video titles hurt his box office clout. Did Dolph Lundgren still have the box office muscle we all thought he had or did the lackluster performance of “Direct Contact”, “Hidden Agenda” and “The Mechanik” cause too much irreparable damage? We have our answer this weekend as “The Expendables” tops the chart with $35.0 million.
Some had speculated that since Dolph hadn’t appeared in a single film that hit theaters since his role as “Street Preacher” in “Johnny Mnemonic” that nobody would care about him punching people in the face and killing them anymore. I’m sorry we ever doubted you Dolph. He is now solely responsible for the sixth biggest Lionsgate debut of all time (biggest non-Madea, non-“Saw”). Word of mouth is likely to be atrocious as it seems he wasn’t able to deliver on the early Oscar promise of the project. A steep drop awaits next week but maybe now the Lundgren haters will stay in their place.
“Eat Pray Love” takes second place with $23.7 million. Readers suggested I went over the line making fun of this film and the women who might like it so I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves here.
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Tell us what you thought of ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’
I’m feeling like pretty much the only guy on the block not losing my shit over Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and as always, I’m fine with that. But it hits theaters as part of summer 2010’s last gasps and I’d like to hear your thoughts, so cut loose with them in the comments section below when you get a chance to see the film.
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FRIDAY FORECAST: Nerdgasm!
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.If you are a nerd, this is the weekend for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re an action movie nerd, video game nerd or self-help nerd, Hollywood has you covered. All in all, it’s an abnormally stacked August weekend with three films that all have breakout potential and is especially baffling when you look at the shitshow of titles nobody cares about just seven days away.
Of the three openers, Lionsgate is going the widest with “The Expendables.” First off, no matter what happens, this will be profitable for the studio since they just bought the distribution rights from Millennium Films, who actually financed the thing. Lionsgate pulled a similar move with “Rambo” and saw that film open with $20.1 million and tap out at $47.3 million. For an ultra-violent sequel to a franchise dead longer than most of our readers have been alive, all were pretty satisfied.
Expectations are amped up for “The Expendables,” since a bunch of other old guys with muscles are in it. Count me among those not buying the hype that Steve Austin, Terry Crews and Dolph Lundgren add significant interest among any crowd of patrons. Cameos from Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis have been shamefully advertised and that will dupe a few old timers into thinking there’s something special here, but that trio didn’t really help Planet Hollywood from epic failing. I think a strong Friday will lead to a $32 million weekend and it free falls from there.
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COMIC-CON: Wrapping it up…are we getting through?
My Comic-Con experience ended a bit sooner than I expected this morning when I woke up and decided whatever was on the Sunday docket wasn’t as fetching as a three-hour ride in traffic back to LA. That’s how exhausting the convention was this year.Here’s the thing. We all know Comic-Con and its 125,000-plus attendees form nothing more than a marketing bonanza in this day and age. No need to preach down to those who were there if you decided to remain back on your high horse and wait it out. You’re not enlightened. We get it. The event’s roots had a completely different shade and Hollywood has invaded the territory. But at the same time, as Hero Complex’s Geoff Boucher shrewdly pointed out before Saturday’s Warner Bros. presentation, Comic-Con — or comics, in general — has also invaded Hollywood.
So what we have is a symbiosis that plays right into the hands of studio marketing chiefs. No one can fault businessmen for making business decisions, but I think it would be worth it for Comic-Con brass (whoever they are) to take stock of what’s happening here. A craven desire to sell as many passes as possible, secure as many big names as possible and bloat the festivities with dubious material has taken things far from where they started, yes. But the thing is so stressful, people are stabbing each other!
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COMIC-CON: ‘Scott Pilgrim’ preaches to an enthusiastic choir
Perhaps the most ubiquitous presence at Comic-Con this year has been Universal’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” The film held a traditional panel Thursday evening, was screened three times to audiences including the public, was fully visible with a massive ad on the north side of the Hilton Bayfront and took over the Hilton Gaslamp with “The Scott Pilgrim Experience,” a smörgåsbord of marketing mojo fit with T-shirt printing, video game test drives and autograph sessions.I saw the film at the first screening Thursday. Following the Hall H panel, director Edgar Wright led the march from the convention center through downtown San Diego as a hundred or so lucky fans got the chance to partake in the event at the Balboa Theatre.
Inside, Dan the Automator and Kid Koala were filling everyone’s eardrums with funky beats as the crowd filed in. It was interesting to note that many didn’t even seem to realize they were witnessing a show people would pay good money to see, assuming it was just another DJ set or something. Hardly.