ST TFA at the Oscars

I don't really see Star Wars doing the kind of narrative that will ever win an academy award for Best Picture. It's not really that kind of art. It's more on the entertainment side, and entertainment may be artistic, it may use art to achieve its effects, but it's not striving to be art. It's striving to entertain.

I think we can obviously have awards for these kinds of films though. We could have best adventure of sci-fi film, best comedy. Those genres should be honored, but it's not negative or elitist to have Best Picture be reserved for something more serious, which usually ends up being drama, since drama isn't concerned primarily with making money, but pushing the boundaries of narrative, or creating an important narrative. Having said that, we will of course find genre films that seek to do more than entertain and make money. Films like these should have a shot for Best Picture, but that's not Star Wars. And as fans of Star Wars, we shouldn't be confused about what Star Wars is first and foremost: entertainment. Sure, it has its own depth, but the explosions and fights and effects outweigh the emphasis on serious narrative qualities. For example, the screenplays just aren't great writing. Sometimes in terms of plot, but never in terms of dialogue or even provocative or subversive ideas to culture. That's what serious narrative does. Star Wars doesn't need to do that. It's mainly an adventure series and its drama is primarily melodrama. I love melodrama, but that's not the kind of drama you'll ever see win Best Picture. But why should it? Not everything needs to be serious art.

 

I Are The Internets IMHO talking about Annie Hall and A New Hope at the 1978 Oscars does have to do with a thread about The 2016 Oscars and episode 7 and I dont hate Annie Hall because it beat star wars in the 1978 Oscars I watched Annie Hall one lazy Saturday afternoon and i did not like it at all, i just dont get it i guess, my friend.

 

Would TFA even win best visual effects? None of JJ's film has won best special effects, which is quite sad for a SW movie. I know that ROTS did not win or was even nominated for the award, but it used to be an award that every Star Wars film is guaranteed to win.

 

If there is a hand floating in space, clutching a lightsaber, Best Picture is guaranteed.

 

The people who pick the Oscar winners tend to look down on Star Wars as a juvenile sci-fi film series, if they hadn't then Guinness and McDiarmid would've won for their exceptional performances.

 

Star Trek '09 won Best Makeup I think.

 

someone a few pages back posted a list of the presenters and Nominees at this years Oscars I find it interesting that most on the list have been in Space Movies Like Star Wars and Star Trek or Super Hero Movies, and If they haven't been in them they will be?

could there be a changing of the Guard in Hollywood or at the Oscars?

 

Who won that year? I know i can google it but..... ( EDIT: ROTS year)
It was pretty scandalous actually, not even nominated, the effects work in ROTS is pretty amazing, whatever conservative academy members think of the film in itself. Sure, some of CGI looks shiny and not that sophisticated now maybe, but its complex stuff in there. And ILM trying to really top themselves.
There are many actors / actresses of high quality in TFA, i would not bet against it getting a nomination in the supporting category, if its a stand out role, like Sir Alec back in 1977. Best picture nomination: Well, there are 5 more open spaces now than before. But it needs to really blow people away, hit big. Avatar did. Avatar is a genre film.

 

Revenge of the Sith nominated in the best make up category that year.

http://boxofficemojo.com/oscar/chart/?view=allcategories&yr=2005&p=.htm

 

that's exactly what I am talking about the Academy does not like Lucas, they couldn't give ROTS A Visual Effects, or Costume Design Nomination at Least when The Year Lord Of The Rings The Return Of The King Was up it won just about every Award and Best Picture Don't get me wrong I loved The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy but I thought the Star Wars Prequels were better.

 

One thing to note is that unless JJ manage to push the envelop of CGI and Practical effects into new frontier, on use it to depict effects on a scale that is unrivalled by other movies, he could easily lose out in terms of visual effects. TFA is facing competition from films like Jurassic World, Avengers and Fantastic Four just to name a few.

To add to that, no Disney produced movie have won the visual effects award since 2007. None of the recent Marvel films have ever won this award. To me, SW has always been so closely associated with the best special effects in business, with very few movies being able to match any of the SW films in terms of VFX. I just hope the TFA and new SW films would secure that award at the very least. Simply having a good story isn't enough for me. SW needs to have better special effects than any other blockbuster. That is a fundamental part of the SW brand.

 

I think effects will be just fine. The important thing to me is to nail the story.

 

well I think the company making the best Visual Effects is ILM and that has always been the case, and remember Avengers, Star Trek, and Jurassic World all use ILM for there CGI and the last Avatar movie had ILM As a vendor for the battle scenes at the end so that would be a coup For ILM If one of those films won, kind of a nice trade off !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now, I know Star Trek and Avatar don't come out this year but I thought I should bring those up because they come out the following year and Episode 7 comes out December 18 2015 so that is practically 2016

 

I don't see TFA as Oscar material, at least regarding the main nominations. There are too many blockbusters out there, all of them plagued with SFX so to stand out, the story has to be something really special. It's easier to win in the technical awards section or even the score award.

 

Effects don't interest me much anymore. It's just a bunch of computer geeks (geniuses sure) sitting behind a computer clicking buttons. So much of what we see is just the result of a program. Yawn.

But stories are still purely about the work of the writers. And the acting the responsibility of the actors. The human qualities interest me here much more than contemporary FX.

 

Star Wars
Won: Art Direction-Set Direction, Costume Design, Sound, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Original Score, Special Achievement Award for Ben Burtt
Nominated: Picture, Supporting Actor—Guinness, Director, Original Screenplay

The Empire Strikes Back
Won: Sound, Special Achievement for Visual Effects
Nominated: Art Direction-Set Direction, Original Score

Return of the Jedi
Won: Special Achievement for Visual Effects
Nominated: Art Direction-Set Direction, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Original Score

The Phantom Menace
Nominated: Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Visual Effects

Attack of the Clones
Nominated: Visual Effects

Revenge of the Sith
Nominated: Makeup

I think nominations in Visual Effects and at least one Sound category (Editing and Mixing) are almost locks. Makeup, Original Score, Costume Design and Production Design are possibilities. Only if it's ridiculously good (95% among RT's top critics and over 85 on Metacritic) will they possibly cave and give this a Best Picture nod.

Likelihood of nominations:
Visual Effects: 85% (in a crowded year)
Sound (either category): 80%
Makeup: 50%
Costume Design: 50%
Production Design: 50%
Original Score: 35%
Editing: 10%
Cinematography: 10%
Picture: 10%
Any acting category: 5%
Directing: 5%
Original Screenplay: 5%

 

Ant-Man could possibly be a serious contender for Visual Effects but I think TFA might have a good chance with Production design

 

That's an issue with SW being a visual form of storytelling as opposed to a text form of storytelling. A SW movie bad SFX simply isn't a SW movie. It's why the live-action SW film wasn't produced, because Lucasfilm knows part of the SW brand name is in its special effects, and NOT merely the story.

A good story with average or bad special effects is still going to affect many people's enjoyment of the film. I think it is sad when SW fans think having average or "decent" SFX is acceptable for a SW movie. I think such an attitude and approach undermines the brand value and brand name of SW.

 

No need for a straw man argument.

I said I think the FX will be fine. What hasn't been fine recently is the story execution. So that's more relevant than emphasizing FX so much. And while it would be nice for each SW film to revolutionize FX, it isn't necessary to creating a good story, and ultimately, these kinds of movies are about story. They aren't merely spectacle. What's actually sad is some fans are only looking for spectacle on screen. Most audiences want depth and substance with their FX. In fact, George Lucas said long ago that FX without story were boring.

 

If Mark Hammil can successfully reprise his role as Luke Skywalker after 30 years and make us believe that's really Luke... he should win the best actor - JMHO

 

Saint Benedict of Nursia, father of western monasticism.

 

I think that's because most felt that the VFX and costumes in LOTR were dramatically better. Even friends of mine who enjoyed the prequels had zero problem with LOTR sweeping that year. Not to mention how critically-acclaimed it was, scoring something like 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

@DarthLightlyBruise

well that was there opinion, IMHO The costumes and visual effects were way better in the Prequels then in the LOTR trilogy.

I also find it funny that ILM won for best visual Effects for Pirates Of The Caribbean Dead Mans Chest but not for Star Wars and When John Knoll received the Award At the Oscars he seemed very defiant at the Oscars during his speech I figured he was ticked at the Academy for overlooking Star Wars but giving an Award for POTC ?

 

As you keep pointing out, that's your opinion (which is fine to have), but the Academy Awards are voted on by thousands of people, not just one person. Just because you knew one voter who wasn't a stellar person doesn't mean they are all that way.
Are the awards political, sure! No one says they aren't, but thinking your favorite movie should win just because it was your personal favorite isn't really logical.


I think TFA could win technical awards, score, etc., I'm doubtful for best picture. But I guess we'll just have to see the movie before we could say with any conviction.

 

Agreed to disagree. I though the VFX in the PT were subpar, and felt that ILM did much more convincing work for Pirates.

I mean, any film with CGI on the level of Dexter Jettster is just not going to win a VFX award...Or the CGI closeups of Stormtroopers, or the lizard Obi-Wan rode, or the planet with the big flowers...It all looked like an elaborate screensaver to me.

That said, there were some great CGI moments in the PT, I won't deny that. Just not enough to stack up.

ETA: In a funny way, and this may sound silly to you, I got more of a "Star Wars" feeling from the Lord of the Rings films than I did from the PT!