Last month The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced 15 films had been selected for consideration for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 84th Academy Awards. Today those 15 movies were narrowed down to 10.

Here are the movies still in the race:

“Captain America: The First Avenger”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
“Real Steel”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“The Tree of Life”
“X-Men: First Class”

For those wondering, the 5 movies no longer in the race are Thor, Sucker Punch, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Cowboys & Aliens, and Super 8.

On January 19th the 5 official nominations will be selected after members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee view 10-minute excerpts from each film. The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. Billy Crystal will host the actual ceremony on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

Which movies do you think should get a VFX nod?

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As with every other Top Ten list you’ve read (or may read), I’ll begin with some parameters: the films included here are ones that received a theatrical release in the calendar year of 2011. There were some I didn’t see that are ending up on other people’s lists - The Descendants, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, We Bought A Zoo - and some that I did see that were very close to making this list - Like Crazy, Being Elmo, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, and Hugo to name a few. But agree or disagree, prepare to let loose in the comments.

Here are my favorite films of 2011:

10. Fast Five

I’m as surprised as you are to find that a fifth entry into a franchise made it onto this list. But director Justin Lin brought such a high energy to this movie that I can’t help but love it. The action is completely bonkers, with a train heist and a final battle that ventures into ludicrous territory. And speaking of Ludacris (see what I did there?), he and Tyrese and the rest of the gang are all back to join Paul Walker and Vin Diesel for Fast Five, giving this movie a continuity that few action franchises take care to implement.

Throw in Dwayne Johnson as an agent hot on their trail and some homoerotic confrontations, and you’ve got yourself a hell of an action movie by a director who continually ups the ante, quickly becoming a rising star in my mind. Bonus: stick around for the post-credits sequence, which left me instantly wanting to see Fast Six.

9. The Adventures of Tintin

Spielberg’s return to the action/adventure genre is leagues above his last attempt at similar fare. Thanks to a script the spans the globe at a whirlwind pace and the vision of perhaps the world’s most beloved mainstream filmmaker, Spielberg’s first foray into animation was a blast at the theater. Herge’s original artwork is brilliantly recreated by Weta Digital with a 3D flair, and the result looks phenomenal and pays respect to the mountain of source material popular all over the world. For me, the highlight was a long continuous shot of Tintin scrambling through a city chase that lasted around three minutes; it’s my favorite shot of the year.

8. X-Men: First Class

Matthew Vaughn did the unthinkable: with a fresh cast and a new time period, he revitalized a franchise which, thanks to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was on life support. And from start to finish, he did it in under a year. With such an effects-heavy film, that Herculean task alone is enough to earn my undying respect, but Vaughn also made a pretty damn good film that learns from the best of its genre predecessors: it’s funny when it needs to be, respects the characters, contains legitimately good storytelling, and is a lot of fun.

The casting was great, spot-on in choosing McAvoy as a young Xavier, and rising star Michael Fassbender proved that he’s not above blockbuster fare if the script is solid. Bonus: the filmmakers also pulled together an awesome selection of character actors for the military personnel, and Kevin Freaking Bacon is the villain.

7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

A movie I had absolutely no interest in seeing, Rise of the Planet of the Apes kicked my ass and made me rethink my cynical outlook regarding franchise reboots. The motion capture technology makes the CGI apes much more interesting to watch than the humans, but the film effortlessly succeeds in convincing us that Caesar’s transformation from an intelligent pet to the leader of a revolution is justified from a character standpoint. And that character work, not just for Caesar, but for all the CGI apes, is the highlight of the film.

There are some fantastic “blockbuster” moments – the Golden Gate Bridge sequence comes to mind – but this is really a character piece, and ultimately is a movie that I don’t love with all of my heart, but also one in which I can’t find anything that I really don’t like about it. If you skipped it because the trailers looked ridiculous, do yourself a favor and check it out.

6. Warrior

Perhaps the year’s most underrated film, Gavin O’Connor’s Warrior is about as subtle as a hand grenade. It’s a tale of brothers at odds, taking the underdog story to new heights by doubling the stakes and having the two fight for MMA glory. As someone who doesn’t care at all about mixed martial arts, I was shocked to be as pulled into the story as I was, a testament to the solid writing and immersive work by lead actors Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. Nick Nolte’s drunken father character is surprisingly effective and frankly the guy deserves more recognition than he’s getting. Warrior is not only one of my favorite films of the year, but I’d argue that it’s one of the best, too.

5. Take Shelter

It’s been almost a full year since I’ve seen Jeff Nichols’ film, but its images are still with me. Michael Shannon’s towering work as a man who may or may not be crazy is easily my favorite performance of the year, and this film also introduced me to the wonderful Jessica Chastain, an actress who is sure to have an exemplary career in years to come. A sense of dread looms over the film much like the (possibly imaginary?) storm clouds, and from the excellent cinematography to the eerie score, Take Shelter had me hooked from the start.

4. Rango

Gore Verbinski’s western is a rare gem: a kids movie almost entirely too adult for kids, with offbeat performances from a terrific cast and stunning animation in ILM’s first completely CGI feature. Hans Zimmer’s score is memorable and fits right in with the kookiness of the tone, and the production design (featuring discarded human trash as the animal city of Dirt) is inspired and original. The humor flies as quickly as the whip-smart dialogue, and the question of identity as seen through the eyes of the main character is fascinating. Rango is one for the ages, though it may be a bit too intelligent for all ages.

3. The Artist

The feeling of knowing almost nothing about a movie before going to see it and walking away awestruck is one of my favorite things in the world. Such was the case with The Artist, as I saw it before any of the Best Picture hype began and I just knew it was a silent black and white film. It’s a throwback to the silent era of classical American filmmaking and the conflicts presented with the rise of “talkies” and sound in movies. In that way, it’s essentially 2011′s Singing in the Rain, but with a dash of Sunset Boulevard thrown in since it deals a bit more with themes of obsolescence. The performances are outstanding, and though the movie is never subtle, it’s one of the most purely enjoyable films of the year.

2. Drive

Nicholas Winding Refn’s 80′s-fused tribute to all things cool is as violent as it is beautiful. Los Angeles is as much a character as any of the extraordinary cast (Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Carey Mulligan, and Ryan Gosling, who practically oozes cool). The cityscapes and valleys of the City of Angels are shot in a way that would make Michael Mann proud, and the noir story is punctuated by one of the most hypnotic scores of the year.

Some may claim there is nothing but style on display, but that’s OK with me – any film that opens with as much suspense as this one gets a pass to do whatever it wants. Refn and Gosling are planning to work together again in the future, and I can’t wait to see what else this director/actor combo has in mind for us.

1. Attack the Block

Joe Cornish’s debut is a pulsing cult classic that is exactly the kind of movie I love to watch. It has memorable characters with vibrant personalities, unique dialogue, a wet neon Amblin-on-ecstasy vibe, an awesome soundtrack, and endless rewatchability. I won’t talk it up any more since I’m seeing it on a lot of “Most Overrated Movies of 2011″ lists, but the fact that it’s my favorite film of the year should, if you’ve read this far, at least convince you to seek it out. Cornish (who co-wrote Tintin with Edgar Wright and Steven Moffat) has secured a place next to Rian Johnson on my “directors to watch” list.

Think I’m crazy? What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments. Until next time…

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the 15 films that have been selected for consideration for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 84th Academy Awards.

In early January members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee will narrow the list down to 10, and then on January 19th the 5 official nominations will be selected after members view 10-minute excerpts from each film.

Here’s the list of films in alphabetical order:

“Captain America: The First Avenger”
“Cowboys & Aliens”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
“Real Steel”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
“Sucker Punch”
“Super 8″
“Thor”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“The Tree of Life”
“X-Men: First Class”

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. Billy Crystal will host the actual ceremony on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

Which movies do you think should get a VFX nod?

Read similar posts to 15 movies in line for VFX Oscar at Filmonic

The makers of the How It Should Have Ended videos have turned their attention to Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class.

Greetings fellow mutants! We proudly present How X-Men: First Class Should Have Ended. Who would’ve believed that Charles and Erik used to be on the same side? In this installment of HISHE, you’ve find out why it didn’t last.

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Over the past few months we’ve been getting hints that 20th Century Fox will be making a sequel to X-Men: First Class. In an interview with The New York Times co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment Tom Rothman praised the film for being “different and original”, with mention of a follow-up, and James McAvoy recent said he’s shared story ideas with director Matthew Vaughn.

Now, while promoting the DVD and Blu-ray release of X-Men: First Class in the UK, Jason Flemyng (Azazel) has revealed the sequel is currently in the writing stage.

From Digital Spy:

“There was a benchmark that they had to hit box office-wise before they could start writing the next one, which they’ve started. We’ll just see how the DVD goes and then fingers crossed I’ll be bright red again by next summer.”

Flemyng also admitted that he hopes a potential sequel will give him the opportunity to work more with Michael Fassbender, who plays villain Magento.

“I am so in his gang [for the sequel]. There’s one shot at the end of the film [with Magneto] and I was like, ‘Please let me be in the shot!’ And there I was. If there is a sequel, I have to be there.”

There’s still a few ‘ifs’ in there as 20th Century Fox haven’t made any official announcements, but if they have started writing hopefully Matthew Vaughn and his writing partner Jane Goldman are involved.

X-Men: First Class made $350 million worldwide at the box office, and another $45 million on DVD/Blu-ray in the US. Adding international DVD/Blu-ray sales and TV rights etc. the film will end up making around $450 million+ in total, which is enough for sequel to move forward. The cast are moving onto big things (Fassbender could end up with an Oscar nomination this year, Jennifer Lawrence has The Hunger Games, and Nicholas Hoult will be seen in Jack the Giant Killer) so the next film has the potential to make even more of an impact at the box office.

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X-Men: First Class will finally be hitting DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on October 31, and in preparation The Sun has released a new behind the scenes clip showing how Hugh Jackman’s hilarious cameo was filmed.

Watch using the player below (via CBM):

Initially I was against Wolverine having anything to do with X-Men: First Class as he’s already dominated the trilogy (at the expense of other characters) and he’s got his spin-offs, but the brief cameo was great. I don’t want Wolverine to have sort of presence in any future First Class sequels as they should focus on Xavier, Magneto, and the team, but I wouldn’t be against another cameo.

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76 superhero movies have been mentioned one way or another over the course of our ‘Superheroes at the box office’ feature. The conclusion is here, with the last 8 superhero flicks that have been released on the big screen in the last 33 years. To get an idea just how much this sub-genre has grown over the years, just in 2011 we’ve had no less then six entries. Masked (or not) crusaders, vigilantes fighting for a cause, be it good or bad, for one last time, after the break.

We start with Iron Man 2, the sequel to the 2008 hit with the same name (minus the 2) and part of The Avengers. People expected something at least as good as the original so disappointment was high on its toes, lurking right around the corner. Unfortunately, while a fun movie, Iron Man 2 failed to match the sheer awesomeness of the first one. Despite less favorable critical and fan reception, Iron Man 2 manage to gross a mighty $312.4 million in North America, just shy of the $318.4 million made by Iron Man. Worldwide things were looking better with $623.9 million for the sequel versus $585.1 million for the original. Right now Iron Man 3 is expected to open in May 2013, but with Shane Black directing instead of Jon Favreau.

Continuing 2010, Megamind follows in November. You know how there are always trends in Hollywood, like one year we might get a bunch of penguin movies or maybe animated fish movies, you know what I mean. Well 2010 was the year of villains with a kind heart, misunderstood if you will. First it was Despicable Me, a story where one villain fights to regain the title of best super-villain in the world. The reason I’ve not included Despicable Me here is simple, there are no superheroes in that movie and Gru isn’t fighting to save the world or a city, he just wants the respect of his mother. Now Megamind, the titular character in the movie with the same name, is much more then just a villain or super-villain. Now I’m not going to spoil anything for you guys but let me just say that this movie has at least one superhero in it. Megamind grossed $148.4 million in North America and $321.8 million worldwide. Having cost $130 million to make, DreamWorks more then likely didn’t lose money on it but don’t expect a sequel out of this one.

And we are finally in 2011 and The Green Hornet is our starting point. This 75 year old hero sure took his time trying to get to the big screen. Starring Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou (playing Kato, a role Bruce Lee had in the original 1966 TV series). The Green Hornet almost made $100 million in North America and $227.8 million worldwide. Unfortunately for this fun yet flawed movie, that gross probably won’t be enough for Sony to green light a sequel since it cost $120 million to make..

A movie probably not many heard about is Super and yes, it came out this year, specifically on April 1st, a fitting release date some could say. Now this is a hard R, very independent superhero movie that I would only recommend to the most hardcore, probably those that liked Kick-Ass but also thought that it didn’t go as far as it could have. Let me just say this, Super is insane, if you don’t believe me just watch it and you’ll agree with me afterwards. Again, be warned, it makes Kick-Ass look like a PG-13 movie (so keep the kiddies away). Obviously, this is as far away from commercial as you can get and it only got a limited release in theaters. With that in mind, the $0.3 million it made in North America is not as surprising.

Next up is another movie leading up to The Avengers, Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh. This was probably the hardest avenger to bring to the big screen so a lot of people expected it to fail, well Thor didn’t, quite the contrary. First of all, it was actually a good movie and while it had its flaws, Thor managed to deliver the goods in the end. It is right now the highest grossing superhero movie of the year with $181 million in North America and $448.5 million worldwide. The adventures of the God of Thunder will continue in The Avengers next year and in July 2013 in Thor 2.

X-Men: First Class opened a month later and it is the second X-Men spin-off, following the success of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Unlike that movie, First Class was very well received by both fans and critics alike, a return to the quality standard set by the first two X-Men movies. If only box office results would have been as impressive as the reviews. With a production cost of $160 million, X-Men: First Class only made $146.3 million in North America and $352.5 million worldwide. A sequel could happen but it will come down to DVD and Blu-Ray sales. So if you guys want a First Class 2, go out and buy as many copies of X-Men: First Class as you can, I know I will.

Two weeks later Warner gave us Green Lantern, the long anticipated Ryan Reynolds (starring) and Martin Campbell (directed) DC Comics superhero. They had the money ($200 million no less), they had time, talent, you name it, yet something happened along the line, something big enough to turn Green Lantern into a bust. When I say bust, I don’t mean only in regard to box office success, it just wasn’t a particularly good movie, ok, maybe not as bad as people give it credit. Having grossed $116.4 million in North America and $219.7 million worldwide (barely matching the production budget, let alone doubling it), one would think this series was gone yet Warner are actually still talking about a sequel, strange times we live in.

And now we are up to the last superhero movie, Captain America: The First Avenger. Like the title suggests, this is another avenger movie, the last avenger movie, a fitting spot since he was also the first avenger in the comics. Anyway, Captain was a very long time coming and now that it’s finally here I must say, me like it, me like it very much. They made it a period piece and we got a great take on the origin story of Captain America. It wasn’t campy and at the same time not too serious since it is after all, a superhero movie. With a gross of $173.4 milion in North America and $348.4 million worldwide (and still counting) Captain America, just like Thor and Iron Man, will return next year in The Avengers. The only thing that bothers me about this movie is the way it ends, there’s not a lot of place to make a sequel similar to it and I’d really like a second Captain America set in World War II.

After celebrating superhero movies of the past, it’s time to take a brief look into the future and let me tell you this, there’s never been a better time for fans of this sub-genre. Next year Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is coming to haunt us. A few months later, the ultimate superhero mash-up, The Avengers, will be set to generate plenty of nerdgasms. Then there’s The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises, both in July. Tony Stark is back in Iron Man 3 in 2013 and Man of Steel should mark the return of Superman that same year. As mentioned above, 2013 also has Thor 2 and probably The Wolverine. Now these are just some of the bigger titles, there’s a lot more coming and who knows, maybe in a year or two you might read an 11th part of Superheroes at the box office, until then, keep superheroes alive and, just for kicks, list your favorite hero of all time in the comments. I was a Batman dude for a long time but once I discovered Spider-Man, I never went back.

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Yesterday Home Media Magazine mentioned that 20th Century Fox’s promotion for the X-Men: First Class DVD/Blu-ray release would involve the studio’s biggest marketing campaign since Avatar, which suggests they’re proud they’ve finally make a good X-Men film again, and that they really want a sequel.

One of the big marketing events took place yesterday in Hollywood, outside the historic Roosevelt Hotel, and featured an X-Men: First Class 3D video wall presentation featuring characters from the film and 3D imagery that seemed to transform the building into a movie screen.

Watch the impressive technology at work below:

The technology appears to make solid structures change shape and reveal images that are not really there, such as water flowing from windows or cars emerging from within the walls. It has been around for a couple of years, but is now catching on in promotions.

Pearl Media takes laser measurements of a building to get a realistic view before creating a 3D image of the façade. Animation becomes an overlay. Software renders both pieces together. When complete, a “high-powered projector” projects the image on the building.

You can now purchase X-Men: First Class from Amazon via the links below:

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Lauren Shuler Donner recently sat down for a bunch of interviews to promote the DVD and Blu-ray release of X-Men: First Class this Friday in the US. The producer, who has been involved with every X-Men film to date, was asked whether we will see a sequel to First Class, gave an update on The Wolverine, and updated the status of Deadpool with Ryan Reynolds.

A decision regarding an X-Men: First Class sequel will likely be dependant on the DVD/Blu-ray sales, but Donner says “very big internal discussions” are taking place, and told I Am Rogue the main priory was getting a good story.

Yes. I mean that movie was a very strenuous movie so Matthew and everybody took some time off. Now we’re back and regrouping and kicking around some ideas. I think we just need to come up with a really good story and see where that leads us. If we could, great, if not, I think the story itself is what is most important.

Back in May Vaughn revealed his idea for the opening of the next film, saying “I thought it would be fun to open with the Kennedy Assassination, and we reveal that the magic bullet was controlled by Magneto. That would explain the physics of it, and we see that he’s pissed off because Kennedy took all the credit for saving the world and mutants weren’t even mentioned.” Magneto killing John F. Kennedy would have some major ramifications, so here’s hoping it gets made and we get to witness them.

Reports surfaced over the past few weeks saying filming on The Wolverine had been pushed back to 2012, and 20th Century Fox hired Mark Bomback to “retool” the script in the meantime. When speaking to HitFix Donner confirmed the delays, and said it was all down to Hugh’s availability.

“I’m not sure when we’ll start,” she said. “Maybe summer 2012 we’ll start shooting. It’s based on Hugh’s schedule, frankly. When he’s available, we’ll film. …He’s doing ‘Les Miserables’, and then he has to come and train for us. So it’s all dependent on him.”

And finally, onto Deadpool. The last update we got was back in April when visual effects artist Tim Miller signed on to direct. Donner told TotalFilm:

“We have a few more things to do. And then it’s up to the studio to decide whether we’re going to go forward or not, but I’m pretty excited. We have a good script and a good director.”

Donner then admitted “yes he was treated totally wrong in the Wolverine film”, but “we will redeem him”. The script by Zombieland writers Paul Wernick and Rhett is “an R script, it’s really irreverent and violent” so the studio is obviously taking a big risk here by making an R-rated movie with an unknown director. Plus Reynolds hasn’t had the best summer at the box office with Green Lantern and The Change-Up flopping.

Which, out of the three, are you most interested in seeing? A Vaughn-directed First Class sequel, Wolverine’s second solo outing (in Japan), or an R-rated Deadpool film?

You can pre-order X-Men: First Class from Amazon via the links below:

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X-Men: First Class, arguably the best superhero movie of the year, is still making small change at the box office after grossing $352 million worldwide, but 20th Century Fox aren’t waiting around as they’ll be releasing the DVD and Blu-ray on September 9th in the US, and they’ve now released a trailer for the Blu-ray.

Special Features include:

• 10 Marvel “X-Men” Digital Comics with exclusive “X-Men: First Class” Backstory Comic (Blu-ray exclusive)
• More than two hours of never-before-seen extras, including:
  • Cerebro Mutant Tracker: The complete interactive Mutant Database with interactive videos giving fans the ability to learn about their favourite mutants in the X-Men film franchise
  • Children of the Atom: An eight-part behind-the-scenes featurette, charting the film from pre-production through post-production, including visual effects techniques and cataloguing “X-Men” transformations through prosthetic make up and costume design
  • “X” Marks the Spot: An interactive feature allowing viewers the opportunity to learn more about specific scenes with talent interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
  • Extended and Deleted Scenes
  • BD-Live Portal with additional Cerebro Mutant Tracker profiles
  • Composer’s Isolated Score
  • Theatrical Trailer

You can pre-order X-Men: First Class from Amazon via the links below:

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