Fifteen films have been announced for the long list for the Best Visual Effects Oscar at next year's Academy Awards. Those films are
Beowulf
The Bourne Ultimatum
Evan Almighty
The Golden Compass
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
I Am Legend
Live Free Or Die Hard
National Treasure: Book Of Secrets
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End
Ratatouille
Spider-Man 3
Sunshine
300
Transformers
The Water Horse
There are some names we're surprised to see in there, because they're not films you'd traditionally think of as effects movies. The Bourne Ultimatum used predominantly practical effects and the digital stuff was off the type where it's so good you don't notice it. Which makes them great effects, we suppose.
Ratatouille is also all animation, so you could argue it's all special effects. But we did want to eat all the food, so that's quite an achievement. It's good to see the Academy thinking a little laterally. Does this love for Ratatouille mean it could be in with a shot at Best Picture, rather than Best Animated Picture?
We're also pleased to see Sunshine there, given its budget wouldn't pay for catering on most of the list.
From the list, we'd have to give it to Transformers. Pirates 3 had some stunning effects, but they'd already been perfected for Pirates 2. Who gets your (most likely imaginary unless you're Meryl Streep) vote?