Thursday Movie Picks - Oscar Edition: Best Cinematography and Visual Effects

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It's the first TMP of the month and you know what that means - It's Oscar edition! This week we're talking about two categories. Cinematography and Visual Effects. Honestly, has there been an Oscar category I've bitched about more on this blog than Visual Effects? Nothing I ever want to win does. I'm constantly mad about it, but I'll do my best to find 3 winners that I actually like. Cinematography is easier, I normally love that category. My biggest hurdle was the fact that I picked some of the movies I would've talked about here already. Here's what I came up with. The first three for Cinematography, the last three for visual effects.


1) Pan's Labyrinth - I love that this movie was nominated for so many Oscars, but I especially love that it won this. It was so beautiful and frightening.


2) There Will Be Blood - I recently re-watched this again and I can't help but admire just how expertly this was shot.



3) American Beauty - I still love this movie, I can't help it....those rose petals!


4) Ex Machina - I love that this was a smaller indie film and took home the VFX Oscar, one that a film with a hefty budget nearly always wins.


5) Inception - I know it's easy to clown on Nolan lately, but I think Inception is a masterpiece. I liked the use of practical effects along with digital. 


6) Jurassic Park - The visual effects on this film still holds up. I don't think there's any other 90's film that can truly say that.

Comments

  1. BirgitJuly 1, 2021 at 9:21 AM

    Love your picks! Pan’s Labyrinth s such a heartwarming, scary, sad film with the imagery so prevalent. There Will Be Blood is excellent and one I should watch again but it is just so brutal and the cinematography captures this. I really like American Beauty and will watch Spacey films because the guy is an asshole but he is still a good actor. I do love the rose petals and that plastic bag.

    Ex Machina is a quiet but very unsettling film that I would call a horror film. The technology is great as is Inception which is such a mind bender. We match with Jurassic Park! It does hold up so well and still scares the hell out of me.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 1, 2021 at 9:43 PM

      Now that I think about it the majority of my pick are unsettling. lol

      Delete
  2. joel65913July 1, 2021 at 11:18 AM

    Even though I'm not crazy about all the movies you chose, DDL was great in There Will Be Blood and I suppose the look of the film was strong but I hated the movie overall, those are very good choices.

    I'd say the most memorable of all of them visually for me were Pan's Labyrinth and Inception. I enjoyed Inception the most of the sextet as well.

    I thought this would be a snap since two picks came to mind instantly and then I hit a wall deciding on my last until I discovered that a fun pirate movie I used to watch all the time when I was younger had won this prize which gave me a nice out of left field choice.

    The Black Swan (1942)-Florid swashbuckler with Tyrone Power as reformed privateer Jamie Waring. Commissioned by the newly pardoned master pirate Henry Morgan (Laird Cregar) now governor of Jamaica to offer amnesty to the other bandits of the sea he sets off on the task along with his trusty sidekick Tommy Blue (Thomas Mitchell) but runs afoul of renegade picaroon Billy Leech (George Sanders-buried under a red wig and beard) and his henchman Wogan (Anthony Quinn) who refuse to give up their thieving ways. Much swordplay ensues. All the while Waring romances the fiery beauty Lady Margaret Denby (Maureen O’Hara). This all unfurls in lush gorgeously rich Technicolor provided by Leon Shamroy who won the Best Color Cinematography Oscar, at the time the category was divided between color and black and white.

    A River Runs Through It (1992)-Mediative drama of two Montana brothers Norman and Paul Maclean (Paul Sheffer and Brad Pitt) and the divergent paths their lives take with their shared love of fly-fishing serving as a metaphor for the vagaries of life. While the story is solid and the acting by the entire cast superior it’s the breathtaking vistas as well as the more intimate scenes shot by Oscar winner Phillipe Rousselot that truly dazzle the eye.

    Legends of the Fall (1994)-Brothers Tristan, Alfred and Samuel Ludlow (Brad Pitt, Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas) all love the same woman, Susannah Fincannon (Julia Ormond) in the wide-open spaces of their father William’s (Anthony Hopkins) sprawling ranch leading to sorrow for all. Sweeping family melodrama once again set in Montana but a quite different one than A River Runs Through It. This is the Montana of vast spaces and operatic happenings and emotions. Venturing farther afield to other continents and the majesty of the ocean cinematographer John Toll earned his award by using his keen eye to lend a strong chiaroscuro element to the picture.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 1, 2021 at 9:42 PM

      Ohhhh I remember Legends of the Fall. I haven't seen that in ages.

      I prefer the other Black Swan lol

      Delete
    2. joel65913July 2, 2021 at 5:00 PM

      It's an understatement to say my Black Swan and the one you reference are dissimilar! While both are good films this one with Tyrone Power is so much more fun!!

      Delete
    3. Brittani BurnhamJuly 3, 2021 at 6:16 AM

      This one does sound a lot less depressing lol

      Delete
  3. thevoid99July 1, 2021 at 3:40 PM

    Ah, 6 amazing picks. I'm still waiting for... Inception 2: Electric Boogaloo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ronyell (a.k.a. Rabbitearsblog)July 1, 2021 at 5:05 PM

    Awesome list! I also think that the visual effects for Jurassic Park still holds up! I really need to watch Pan's Labyrinth!

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  5. DellJuly 1, 2021 at 6:37 PM

    Not a bad pick among them. I love all of these movies. And the visuals are insane.

    ReplyDelete
  6. SJHoneywellJuly 1, 2021 at 11:49 PM

    I've never been able to watch Inception a second time. It's cool, but it feels like such an ordeal to get through. Still, visually it's pretty amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 2, 2021 at 6:40 AM

      I've watched it so many times, I just adore it. I'm also a Joseph Gordon-Levitt stan, so that helps. lol

      Delete
  7. Cinematic DelightsJuly 2, 2021 at 5:54 AM

    Ah, we match with Jurassic Park and Pan's Labyrinth! I haven't seen There Will Be Blood. I enjoy Daniel Day-Lewis's work so really should remedy that.

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  8. SaraJuly 2, 2021 at 8:26 AM

    Great picks! I really need to watch Pan's Labyrinth. I agree about Jurassic Park. I can't believe the movie was released in 1993 and those dinosaurs still look as real and menacing as they did back then.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 3, 2021 at 6:16 AM

      You definitely do! I adore Pan's. I hope you like it.

      Delete
  9. Sonia CercaJuly 3, 2021 at 1:39 AM

    I agree that American Beauty is visually beautiful but I just can't with that movie. I wasn't a fan the first time and it's even more difficult to like now because of Spacey.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 3, 2021 at 6:15 AM

      I think for me it helps that Spacey is supposed to be a creep in that movie, so it's not as distracting.

      Delete
  10. KatyJuly 3, 2021 at 6:27 PM

    Nice picks! I almost chose Pan's Labryinth and I haven't even seen it yet. lol I can't believe I missed including Inception too. The hallway scene is amazing, but I also love the kicks with the van and France folding in too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. WandererJuly 9, 2021 at 6:01 AM

    I didn't realize Pan's Labyrinth won several Oscars until I was looking for a list Oscar Winners.

    ReplyDelete

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