The race is on for the Best Visual Effects Oscar on Mar 4
THE ACADEMY of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has narrowed down to 20 fi lms its list of contenders for the Best Visual Effects Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards, to be held Mar 4, 2018, in Los Angeles.
From “Beauty and the Beast,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2,” to “Wonder Woman,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Logan,” “Justice League” and “Dunkirk” – all of this year’s biggest box- office hits feature on the preliminary list, which will be whittled down to 10 remaining candidates by the end of December.
This fi rst selection includes two movies yet to open on general release: Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” which opened on limited release Dec 1 and expands from Dec 8, and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” out Dec 15.
Episode VIII will be the eighth nomination in this category for the franchise launched by George Lucas.
While the fi rst installments – “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” – all won the Oscar in their day, recent episodes have failed to follow suit. In 2016, “The Force Awakens” was defeated by “Ex Machina.”
The following year, “Star Wars” spin- off “Rogue One” lost out to “The Jungle Book.”
The 20 fi lms moving forward in the visual effects category of the 90th Academy Awards: “Alien: Covenant” “Beauty and the Beast” “Blade Runner 2049” “Dunkirk” ‘‘Ghost in the Shell” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” “Justice League” “Kong: Skull Island” “Life” “Logan” “Okja” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” “The Shape of Water” “Spider-Man Homecoming” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” “Thor: Ragnarok” “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” “War for the Planet of the Apes” “Wonder Woman”