Saturday 31 January 2015

OSCAR HOPEFULS WIN ACE EDDIES


There was much speculation around the ACE Eddies as they chose their favourite achievements in their field of filmmaking from 2014. Box office heavyweight American Sniper and guild high-flyer Birdman posed significant threats, a history-making one in Birdman's case (no Comedy / Musical contender has ever won here over an Oscar nominee without an Oscar nod itself). But Boyhood won in the Drama category and The Grand Budapest Hotel in the Comedy or Musical category, and all is well with the world. May Boyhood muscle its way back to the front of the pack imo. It's the best case scenario. Meanwhile, The LEGO Movie and Citizenfour won in the Animated and Documentary categories, respectively. For a flashback, check out the American Cinema Editors' nominations.

Friday 30 January 2015

REVIEW - ART AND CRAFT (MARK BECKER, SAM CULLMAN AND JENNIFER GRAUSMAN)


Where and how one finds peace and contentment, individuals so easily judged in their tastes and their habits, but contented individuals. These curious characters enjoy acceptance in Middle America, of all places; shine a harsh, digital light on this demi-society of culturally dispossessed people and it's their freaks who turn out looking the most normal of all. Art and Craft seduces itself with its situation, the banality of vast green lawns and even vaster interstates, vastest of all a clear blue sky that drenches everything in a privacy-depriving white sheen. Mark Landis, an art forger like no other, since he harbours their typical talent and dedication but not their egotism, is the film's primary subject - he's engaging and intriguing and, in the context of the world beyond his locational purview, not as strange as he must seem to his infuriated neighbours. Part of Art and Craft's appeal, but also part of what makes it a slightly frustrating sit, is the passive-aggression that Landis inspires in sad-sack wannabe macho men, disenfranchised by a dream they'd been sold and never could capitalise on, now baffled once more by this polar opposite representation of man, so comfortable in his identity, so foreign to theirs. They're the more bizarre creatures to me, but even they only seek acceptance, like Landis, like the rest of us. Art and Craft, in its purpose and its structure alike, is somewhat unformed as its own work of art, and lacking in any discernible personal touches, save a cheap, relentless muzak score that accompanies it. As such, it's a fairly neat fit for its subject of impersonal forgery, knocked-off appropriations of other people's art, yet as in other regards of its own character, Art and Craft seems wholly unaware of itself, of how to tease out any uniqueness in its form, any reason for its existence.

REVIEW - KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (MATTHEW VAUGHN)


As a writer, I consider my film reviews more as reaction pieces, succinct discussions between myself and my interpretation of the films I'm writing on than actual appraisals of them. It's not to Kingsman: The Secret Service's benefit that it deviates from adhering to my journalistic mould - the film surely wouldn't be poorer were it imbued with additional allegorical content - but it proudly asserts its status as popcorn entertainment of paramount quality with such simplicity and such vigour that I can't complain. Something as straightforward as this rejects my typical style of prose, and why shouldn't it, particularly when it has pleased me so often, and in so many different ways? Kingsman is a contemporary caper, no lighter on its feet than any of Matthew Vaughn's previous films but easily his soundest, slickest big-budget filmmaking to date. Vaughn has settled into his cartoonish groove at last, with a better sense of how to employ its extravagances than before; his work here is brash, snappy and brutally effective, only boiling over into ugliness in a couple of overproduced combat scenes. His garish flair is put to better use with leaner means, and thus Kingsman's comedic passages and neater high-concept devices prove oddly winning. What could have been smug, hackneyed and highly male-centric (it still is, to an extent - in truth, the film does little to advance the gender politics of Vaughn's canon) smooths over its potentially problematic areas with boundless creative energy and sheer good will. Taron Egerton does his bit to convince audiences that he's the next big thing not only in British cinema but in American cinema too, though not all of the cast's performances are so impressive. Technical credits are mostly acceptable - they get a pass on rarely striving for credibility anyway, as evidenced in a fantastically silly scene where the world's political leaders get what's coming to them.

Thursday 29 January 2015

SAINT LAURENT LEADS 2014 CESAR NOMINATIONS


Most Cesar-related stories are today focusing on the surprise nomination for Kristen Stewart in Best Supporting Actress for Clouds of Sils Maria - not surprising that the film has snagged such a nod, given its popularity with voters, but surprising given that she's the first female American actor in 30 years to be up for a Cesar. Bertrand Bonello's Saint Laurent, which received mixed reviews when it premiered last May at Cannes, leads with ten nominations, bolstered by a healthy performance in technical categories. With its mentions for Best Film and Best Director, it comfortably bests fellow YSL biopic, Jalil Lespert's Yves Saint Laurentwhich is up for seven. Those two films ought to have the Best Costumes category sewn up between them already. My money for the big prize is on Cannes record-breaker Love at First Fight. A note: the heavyweight Best Foreign Film category could contain two Best Picture Oscar winners, should either Boyhood or The Grand Budapest Hotel win The Academy's top award. The Cesars take place on the 20th of February. Their nominees are featured in full below:

Best Film
The Belier Family (Eric Lartigau)
Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas)
Eastern Boys (Robin Campillo)
Hippocrates (Thomas Lilti)
Love at First Fight (Thomas Cailley)
Saint Laurent (Bertrand Bonello)
Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako)

Best Director
Olivier Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria)
Bertrand Bonello (Saint Laurent)
Thomas Cailley (Love at First Fight)
Robin Campillo (Eastern Boys)
Thomas Lilti (Hippocrates)
Celine Sciamma (Girlhood)
Abderrahmane Sissako (Timbuktu)

Best Actor
Niels Arestrup (Diplomacy)
Guillaume Canet (Next Time I'll Aim for the Heart)
Francois Damiens (The Belier Family)
Romain Duris (The New Girlfriend)
Vincent Lacoste (Hippocrates)
Pierre Niney (Yves Saint Laurent)
Gaspard Ulliel (Saint Laurent)

Best Actress
Juliette Binoche (Clouds of Sils Maria)
Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)
Catherine Deneuve (In the Courtyard)
Emilie Dequenne (Not My Type)
Adele Haenel (Love at First Fight)
Sandrine Kiberlain (Elle l'Adore)
Karin Viard (The Belier Family)

Best Supporting Actor
Eric Elmosnino (The Belier Family)
Guillaume Gallienne (Yves Saint Laurent)
Louis Garrel (Saint Laurent)
Reda Kateb (Hippocrates)
Jeremie Renier (Saint Laurent)

Best Supporting Actress
Marianne Denicourt (Hippocrates)
Claude Gensac (Lulu in the Nude)
Izia Higelin (Samba)
Charlotte le Bon (Yves Saint Laurent)
Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria)

Best Original Screenplay
The Belier Family
Clouds of Sils Maria
Hippocrates
Love at First Fight
Timbuktu

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Blue Room
Diplomacy
Lulu in the Nude
Next Time I'll Aim for the Heart
Not My Type

Best Cinematography
Beauty and the Beast
Clouds of Sils Maria
Saint Laurent
Timbuktu
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Editing
Hippocrates
Love at First Fight
Party Girl
Saint Laurent
Timbuktu

Best Set Design
Beauty and the Beast
La French
Saint Laurent
Timbuktu
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Costumes
Beauty and the Beast
La French
The New Girlfriend
Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Sound
Bird People
Girlhood
Love at First Fight
Saint Laurent
Timbuktu

Best Score
Bird People
Girlhood
Love at First Fight
Timbuktu
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Animated Film
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (Stephane Berla)
Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants (Helene Giraud and Thomas Szabo)
Song of the Sea (Tomm Moore)

Best Documentary
Cartoonists: Footsoldiers of Democracy?
Les Chevres de ma Mere
National Gallery
The Salt of the Earth
School of Babel

Best Foreign Film
12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)
Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski)
Mommy (Xavier Dolan)
Two Days, One Night (Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne)
Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Best Debut Feature
Elle l'Adore
Fidelio: Alice's Journey
Love at First Fight
May Allah Bless France!
Party Girl

Best Newcomer (Female)
Lou de Laage (Respire)
Louane Emera (The Belier Family)
Josephine Japy (Respire)
Ariane Labed (Fidelio: Alice's Journey)
Karidja Toure (Girlhood)

Best Newcomer (Male)
Kevin Azais (Love at First Fight)
Ahmed Drame (Once in a Lifetime)
Kirill Emelyanov (Eastern Boys)
Pierre Rochefort (Going Away)
Marc Zinga (May Allah Bless France!)

Best Short Film
Aissa
The Days Before
La Femme de Rio
Inupiluk
My Sense of Modesty
La Viree a Paname

Best Animated Short
Anatole's Little Saucepan
Bang Bang!
La Buche de Noel
Les Petits Cailloux

KIRBY DICK'S THE HUNTING GROUND - TRAILER


Kirby Dick's The Invisible War is one of the most powerful, important works of documentary in recent years. He returns to the theme of sexual assault among prominent American institutions, following on from the military, with an exploration into rape on college campuses in The Hunting Ground. An extremely worthy subject, and a very promising scenario for a film, given the outstanding work that Dick and producer Amy Ziering did on The Invisible War; that film reaped well-deserved nominations from Film Independent's Spirit Awards, the Directors' Guild of America and The Academy.

CHILD 44 TRAILER


I wouldn't often post trailers for schlocky genre fare from the director of films like Safe House. Not that Child 44 looks particularly good - a pretty standard Russian thriller that's not actually remotely Russian. But Tom Hardy stars, and Noomi Rapace supports, so I've no qualms about admitting to definitely looking forward to seeing Daniel Espinosa's new film. Out in the UK and the US alike on the 17th of April.

TRAILER FOR CATCH ME DADDY


Not many debuts have caused quite the stir among the critical community as the Wolfe brothers' Catch Me Daddy has since its debut in Directors' Fortnight at Cannes last May. The bleak British thriller is finally receiving a theatrical release, in the UK on the 27th of February, following a hefty awards haul, including awards for newcomer Sameena Jabeen Ahmed in the lead from BIFA and LFF. The above trailer even features a recommendation from celebrated British indie filmmaker Lynne Ramsay.

REVIEW - GIOVANNI'S ISLAND (NISHIKUBO MIZUHO)


Generously suffused with a sweetness that has shown to be so prolific in Japanese animation over recent years that it has taken on the characteristic of a defining component of the genre, Giovanni's Island is a touching portrait of childhood under trying circumstances. None more trying than displacement and effective enslavement, as the inhabitants of Shikotan island are evicted from their land by invading Soviets; the film depicts the crushing torment that this separation effects on this community, so intrinsically connected to their home, since it innately understands their suffering. Stronger still is the emotional pull of Giovanni's Island as it intelligently sees youth from the perspective of youth, though not without the sombre, wistful hindsight afforded by time and maturity. Nishikubo Mizuho perhaps lets the child-centric storytelling get the better of him, artistically - Giovanni's Island is peppered with achingly beautiful moments throughout, moments too often spoiled by cumbersome indulgences, a garish whimsy and a stylistic restlessness that upset the film's mood and tone. It's an effective tonic against the depressive details that inevitably overwhelm the film, however - these details are essential to the narrative, and well-handled, as Nishikubo juggles the various elements required to advance the story alongside evoking sharp sympathetic emotion fairly successfully. The sweetness comes to a gaudy peak just when you feel it shouldn't, yet its effect is unexpectedly moving.

Wednesday 28 January 2015

REVIEW - NIGHT WILL FALL (ANDRE SINGER)


How can so comprehensive a document and so fine a film still come up short? With requisite respect, Night Will Fall examines both the making and the shelving of the Hitchcock-supervised concentration camps documentary from the 1940s and that very film's own subject. Director Andre Singer pitches the tone of his tricky task well, resorting neither to hyperbole nor to complacency, and thus Night Will Fall shocks without sensationalising. There are some topics that cannot be covered enough in art, and the Holocaust is one such topic; in basic, primitive terms, these events will never cease to appall, the images captured here will never cease to repulse. The footage herein is among the most affecting you will ever witness - a statement I can make with confidence, given that there can be no question of the extremity that the depravity of the SS reached in these camps. On that footage alone, and on the collective decision made both now and 70 years ago not to censor, not to stage, simply to observe, Night Will Fall is an essential work. How hard it is to criticise, then, under such circumstances. And indeed, Night Will Fall is a very fine film, but it's worth considering that it could have, perhaps even should have, been more. It is short, too short - there's enough material here for limitless contemplation and examination. Voiceover narration by Helena Bonham Carter is soft and detached, and a tad didactic at times. The film itself presents mere detail after detail, with little inquiry; the details suffice, without doubt - how could they ever not? But still the notion remains, untroubled: how? Why? There are some topics that cannot be covered enough in art, and Night Will Fall does its bit to cover them, and no more.

Tuesday 27 January 2015

REVIEW - MORTDECAI (DAVID KOEPP)


Inadvertently functioning as the definitive statement on the fickleness of public sentiment toward celebrity, Mortdecai is an invaluable, and profoundly revealing document. Functioning, as are its intentions, as a comedic spy caper... well, it just doesn't. Mortdecai is all concept and theory: a promising notion here, a talented actor there, the recipe for a mildly-appealing piece of throwback nonsense nestled somewhere within the mess of inept filmmaking. The only thing preventing this film from excelling as a classic of artistic misjudgdment is its monotony, as scene after scene stumbles over the same questionable comedic routine. It is, however, almost completely, impressively pure in the detail and design of its worthlessness. To see capable actors of much repute commit themselves to material this unfortunate is a shockingly effective depressant; to see what glimmers remain of Johnny Depp's abilities, glimpsed only in brief glances that recall the distinctive personalities he has so memorably crafted in many other roles, is to observe the changing face of American film in an instant. Yet, it's a struggle to imagine that Mortdecai's sense of humour was ever in vogue, even before such silly send-ups of the 20th Century British aristocracy existed in this form (which they have done for decades). One character's sole punchline involves him repeating the word 'balls' at any appropriate opportunity - that's the standard of Mortdecai's humour, and also of its morals. There's a very clear difference between the portrayal of a politically-incorrect protagonist, and the perpetuation of sexism and homophobia in entertainment through lazy, misogynistic storytelling and direction. Whatever interest this film might have harboured as said document on the changing face of American film is sacrificed - Mortdecai is just a stupid, offensive, wasteful knock-off.

Monday 26 January 2015

BIRDMAN WINS SAG ENSEMBLE CAST - AWARDS SPLIT OVERALL



In what's shaping up to be an unexpectedly close race to call, Birdman just won its second major guild prize in a row this awards season. The Screen Actors Guild gave the comedy their Ensemble Cast award, though mixed things up a tad by choosing Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything over Birdman's Michael Keaton. With American Sniper breaking all kinds of box office records, continued support for The Grand Budapest Hotel (including a Golden Globe victory over Birdman) and Boyhood's default frontrunner status, this year's Oscar race hasn't looked this tight since it began almost two months ago. SAG nominations are here, and their award winners below:


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
J. K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Zach Galifianakis, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts (Birdman)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Unbroken

Lifetime Achievement Award
Debbie Reynolds

Sunday 25 January 2015

REVIEW - EX MACHINA (ALEX GARLAND)


The history of gods, the future of intelligent life - Alex Garland presents his outlook on the tipping point between the world as we've always known it and the world it may evolve into. It's a typically portentous, promising, shallow outlook, but the suggestions that Garland sprinkles through Ex Machina, suggestions that he's onto something more substantial than his usual schtick, buoy this engaging film. His science is suspect, so he leaves it well alone, and that's wise. His psychology is of fluctuating levels of quality - there's one gratifyingly frank discussion about sexuality, but Garland shows peculiarly little interest in examining the psychological differences between entities in Ex Machina, when surely that is this film's raison d'etre. His technical aptitude is fine, and that's what's most impressive about Ex Machina. It validates the structure he's so fond of (a slow burn, escalating tension, concluding in a violent shitstorm) and actually justifies the film's character as a more physically, stylistically literate work than a philosophically literate one. Those queries still linger, though, with a number of questionable details in the basic scenario, and too much left unexplored in the ramifications of what's implied herein. Ex Machina could, thus, have certainly done with taking itself less seriously; the sole moment when it lets down its guard for a gleefully odd choreographed dance sequence is already a strong contender for the best movie scene of 2015.

SURPRISE! BIRDMAN WINS PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA


It hasn't won a single major award for Best Picture so far this season, as they've been distributed among non-Oscar-nominated fare or either Boyhood or The Grand Budapest Hotel. That all changed yesterday for Birdman, however, as it won the Producers Guild of America award in a fairly big upset. While Boyhood clearly still has the best shot at an Oscar win, this does open the race up somewhat, not only to the suggestion that Birdman could win, but to the fact that Boyhood is beatable. The LEGO Movie won the animated award and Life Itself the documentary one. The PGA nominees are here, ICYMI.


The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
Birdman (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole)


Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
The LEGO Movie (Dan Lin)


Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
Life Itself (Garrett Basch, Steve James and Zak Piper)

Friday 23 January 2015

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES LEADS VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY NOMINATIONS


In a wholly deserved feat, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes leads all films with nominations from the Visual Effects Society. It notches up five mentions in a competitive year - six features compete for the main live action award, though still they couldn't find space for Oscar-nominee Captain America: The Winter Soldier among them. Winners will be revealed on the 4th of February. Full details below:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Photoreal / Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Blondell Aidoo, Anders Langlands, Lou Pecora, Richard Stammers and Cameron Waldbauer (X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Nicolas Aithadi, Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner and Susan Pickett (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Hannah Bianchini, Matt Kutcher, Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri and Ryan Stafford (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
David Conley, Steve Ingram, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Kevin Sherwood (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)
Michael Dawson, Barrie Hemsley, Kelly Port, Adam Valdez and Carey Villegas (Maleficent)
Kevin Elam, Scott Fisher, Paul Franklin, Ian Hunter and Ann Podlozny (Interstellar)

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal / Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Ivy Agregan, Jake Braver, Ara Khanikian and Isabelle Langlois (Birdman)
Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor, Nic Birmingham, Stuart Bullen and Simon Rowe (The Imitation Game)
Greg Baxter, Jim Berney, Matt Dessero and Marshall Krasser (Divergent)
Jan Burda, Jenny Foster, Gabriel Sanchez and Simon Weisse (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Brian Cox, Erin Dusseault, Steve Gaub, Bill George and Dave Morley (Unbroken)

Outstanding Models in Any Motion Media Project
Brett Achorn, Duong Minh, Scott Watanabe and Larry Wu – ‘City of San Fransokyo’ (Big Hero 6)
Leslie Chan, Alistair Maher, Niklas Preston and Justin Stockton – ‘Laketown’ (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)
Landis Fields, John Goodson, Han Dae and Anthony Rispoli – ‘Knightship’ (Transformers: Age of Extinction)
Oliver Jones, Raul Martinez and Tom McClure – ‘Mecha-Drill’ (The Boxtrolls)

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal / Live Action Motion Media Project
Jose Enrique Astacio Jr., Dion Beebe, Albert Cheng and Michael Havart – ‘Beach and Paris Attacks’ (Edge of Tomorrow)
Austin Bonang, Dennis Jones, Casey Schatz and Newton Thomas Sigel – ‘Kitchen Scene’ (X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Faraz Hameed, Dorian Knapp, Stephen Painter and Hoyte van Hoytema – ‘Tesseract’ (Interstellar)
David Houghton Williams, Keith Miller, Jonathan Paquin and Alessandro Saponi (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal / Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Matthew Adams, Simon Jung, Ben Roberts and Jordan Schilling (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)
Marie Victoria Denoga, Frank Fieser, Matthew Welford and Craig Wentworth – ‘Beach’ (Edge of Tomorrow)
Raphael Hamm, Isaac Layish, Tristan Myles and Sebastein von Overheidt – ‘Water’ (Interstellar)
Quentin Hema, Simone Riginelli, Christoph Salzmann and Florian Schroeder (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)

Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal / Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Stephen Bevins, Richard Bluff, Steve DeLuca and Tiffany Yung – ‘Times Square’ (Lucy)
Tom Bracht, Kirsty Clark, Thomas Døhlen and Graham Page – ‘Tesseract’ (Interstellar)
Luis Calero, Greg Kegel, Quentin Marmier, Johan Thorngren – ‘Triskelion Headquarters’ (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Grady Cofer, Ben O’Brien, Dan Wheaton and Yukihiro Susumu – ‘Antediluvian Earth’ (Noah)

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal / Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Jon Allitt, David Caeiro, Ronnie Menahem and Alex Nowotny (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)
Steve Avoujageli, Pawel Grochola, Ikarashi Atsushi and Paul Waggoner – ‘Destruction and Sand’ (Edge of Tomorrow)
Jose Burgos, Eric Jennings, Dan Pearson and Sheldon Serrao – ‘Helicarrier Broadside and Crash’ (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Sam Hancock, Timmy Lundin, Premamurti Paetsch and Adam Paschke- ‘Quicksilver Pentagon Kitchen’ (X-Men: Days of Future Past)

Outstanding Performance of an Animated Character in a Photoreal / Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Mark Edward Allen, Daniel Barrett, Alessandro Bonora and Suzuki Masaya – ‘Koba’ (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
Laurie Brugger, Kevin Spruce, Rachel Williams and Mark Wilson – ‘Rocket’ (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Jeremy Buttell, Darren Hendler, Elliot Rosenstein and Matthias Wittmann – ‘Thistlewit’ (Maleficent)
Andrea Merlo, Emiliano Padovani, Paul Story and Eteuati Tema – ‘Caesar’ (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)

Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Bruce Anderson, John C. Donkin, Kirk Garfield and Carlos Saldanha (Rio 2)
Graham Annable, Travis Knight, Brad Schiff and Anthony Stacchi (The Boxtrolls)
Bonnie Arnold, Dean DeBlois, Simon Otto and Dave Walvoord (How to Train Your Dragon 2)
Roy Conli, Don Hall, Zach Parrish and Chris Williams (Big Hero 6)
Jim Dodd, Chris McKay, Amber Naismith and David Williams (The LEGO Movie)

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Amy Chen, Jeff Masters, Sean McEwan and Glo Minaya – ‘Magical Land of the Remembered’ (The Book of Life)
Ted Davis, Shannon Thomas, Wang Liang Yuan and Yoon Sun – ‘Oasis’ (How to Train Your Dragon 2)
Rob DeSue, Curt Enderle, Emily Greene and Jesse Gregg – ‘Boxtroll Cavern’ (The Boxtrolls)
Ralf Habel, David Hutchins, Michael Kaschalk and Olun Riley – ‘Into the Portal’ (Big Hero 6)

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Miles Green and Carsten Kolve (The LEGO Movie)
Kent Estep, Timur Khodzhaev, Ralph Procida and Peter Stuart (The Boxtrolls)
Henrik Fält, David Hutchins, Michael Kaschalk and John Kosnik (Big Hero 6)
Lucas Janin, Spencer Knapp, Jason Meyer and Baptiste van Opstal – ‘The Battle’ (How to Train Your Dragon 2)

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Ignacio Barrios, Diana Diriwaechter, Jason Sadler and Drew Winey – ‘Gabi’ (Rio 2)
Stephen Candell, Jakob Hjort Jensen, Fabio Lignini and Park Hong Seo – ‘Hiccup’ (How to Train Your Dragon 2)
Colin Eckart, John Kahwaty, Zach Parrish and Zack Petroc – ‘Baymax’ (Big Hero 6)
Travis Knight, Michael Laubach, Jason Stalman and Kyle Williams – ‘Archibald Snatcher’ (The Boxtrolls)

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Marco Erbrich, Vincent Langer and Christoph Westphal (Deep Dance)
Fan Ya Hui, Guan Xiao Wei, Wu Meng Xuan and Xu Sheng (Dragon Clan)
Roman Kaelin, Falko Paeper and Florian Wittmann (Wrapped)
Xavier Lafarge, Bruno Lévêque, Teo Saintier and Rémi Stompe (Murphy)