VISUAL EFFECTS SHORTLIST - THE FINAL TEN

I make it sound like American Idol...

• CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2
• HUGO
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL
• PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
• REAL STEEL
• RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
• THE TREE OF LIFE
• X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

Only two films which I thought might have a chance aren't on this list - Super 8 and Thor. I never thought Green Lantern was in with a shot, even though its visual effects were often impressive. Last year, Hereafter was nominated, so any of this lot could make the list. Thankfully, they'd all deserve it a lot more than Hereafter! But the five which I've been predicting for weeks now (HP8, Hugo, Rise, Transformers and Tree) and the one which I had been predicting for a while (Captain America) are all present and correct.

I hope the Academy recognises that visual effects isn't just about how much and how many - it's also about the artistry of the effects. Transformers would easily win if it was about the volume of visual effects, and Mission Impossible might win if it was purely about how realistic the effects are, but the art of VFX, as perfectly demonstrated by The Tree of Life and, to an extent, by Hugo, is surely equally important. After all, Best Cinematography isn't just about the technical achievements of the cinematography; in fact, it rarely is. Indeed, the Academy tends to appreciate the most artful cinematography, the prettiest pictures, in other words. All this said, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has got to win in this category. Then again, The Golden Compass' shite VFX beat Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Transformers four years ago, so who knows what'll win.

My picks for the best VFX of 2011 would be Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Tree of Life, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Hugo. Luckily, they're all eligible, and I predict all but Pirates to be nominated.