Tag: ilm

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Shock and Awe: The 50 best special effects

Den of Geek’s top fifty movie special effects shots is a hell of a list. It willingly embraces all eras, movies that you might not expect (Hitchcock?!?) and hell, I think I learned a thing or two. (And all the scenes have a video. That’s some serious dedication.) It probably goes without saying that A New Hope and Return of the Jedi get entries.

Plus I’ll take any excuse to lead off with Harryhausen.

They also have a list of the 24 worst special effects of all time, which includes that horrible Special Edition Jabba scene. (Which I still hold is worse than Han shooting first.)

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In the news: George goes to Washington, Red Tails, AT-AT urban legends, ILM

Yesterday, George Lucas spoke up for educational broadband at a Congressional hearing in his guise as chairman of the George Lucas Educational Foundation:

“Telecommunications provides the new learning platform of this century and is replacing the textbook as the medium through which a modern education is provided,” he said. “The world’s knowledge is now available online, far beyond what books and materials can provide in schools and libraries themselves.”

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In the news: Harvey Korman, blu-ray, Star Tours

Harvey Korman as Chef Gormaanda in the Holiday Special

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ILM dominates VES with giant robots, tentacles

IMAGE: Not the Japanese porn film youIndustrial Light & Magic was the big winner at the Visual Effects Society awards Sunday. They received six awards: Four for Transformers and two for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.

Transformers got Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture, Best Single Visual Effect of the Year (for the Desert Highway Sequence,) Outstanding Models or Miniatures in a Motion Picture, and Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picture. At World’s End took Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture (for Davy Jones) and Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Motion Picture (for the Maelstrom.)

Other genre winners included Battlestar Galactica – Razor (Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or Special) and Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix (Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion Picture.)

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Oscar nominations!

Yeah, I wrote that movie post at 4am knowing full well that the Academy Award nominations were coming out today. Clearly, I fail.

Anyway, some surprises. The one that knocked me over was Johnny Depp and Viggo Mortensen both up for Best Actor (For Sweeney Todd and Eastern Promises, respectively.) Cate Blanchett is up for both Actress categories for The Golden Age and I’m Not There. In Animated Feature, Ratatouille and Persepolis are going head to head.

As for actual genre releases, The Golden Compass is up for Art Direction, as well as battling ILM’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Transformers for Visual Effects. Transformers also got a Sound Editing nod, while At World’s End is up for Makeup.