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Tara Strong's Miss Minutes became an instant hit with fans when she first appeared in Loki season 1, but it was the finale's jump scare in The Citadel at the End of Time which left a lasting impression. 

Established as a villain serving He Who Remains, the Time Variance Authority's mascot became a full-blown antagonist in season 2 and went off the deep end when she confessed her love to Victor Timely. Created by Kang as his A.I. assistant, Miss Minutes eventually turned on her master but was then reset by O.B. and essentially restored to factory settings. 

We last saw her back to helping out the Tva, though there were still some questions about whether she could be trusted. With Mr. Paradox going into business for himself in Deadpool & Wolverine, there was no sign of Miss Minutes there...a shame when you think about how fun those character interactions would have been!

Though Robert Downey Jr. is all set to return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, his legacy as Tony Stark a.k.a Iron Man will forever be remembered. The actor has had many iconic scenes in the franchise and it will be tough for fans to accept him as a villain, after seeing his character arc in the Iron Man series.

One scene from Iron Man 3 will always baffle fans due to the heroic nature of it as well as the effort the team took behind the scenes to make it look authentic. The ‘Barrel of Monkeys’ sequence from the third film was reportedly filmed with the Red Bull skydiving team for real as they jumped from over 12,000 feet.

Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man 3 Had A Practical Stunt That Is Still Legendary Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 3 | Credits: Marvel Studios

Robert Downey Jr. kickstarted...

VFX Supervisor Christopher Townsend counts a long list of MCU movies among his credits, including Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Captain Marvel, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Loki season 2 marked his first foray into streaming and, as we're sure you'll agree, it's one of Marvel Studios' most visually stunning projects out of all those we've seen on the big and small screens. 

Last week, we were fortunate enough to sit down with the Emmy nominee ("Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie") to discuss his work on the God of Mischief's return to Disney+ last year.

He calls Loki "one of the highlights of my MCU career from a visual point of view" and we started at the end by asking about the already-iconic moment Loki transforms into God Loki.

De-aging CGI has come a long way since the prologue to 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand" turned Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen into abominations out of a Robert Zemeckis motion-capture nightmare. 2023's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," for example, allowed an octogenarian Harrison Ford to shed several decades in a generally convincing manner for its own extended opening flashback. Yet, no matter how much the tech improves, this approach is always going to be hampered by the fact that our brains intuitively seek our flaws once we know something has been digitally-rendered (hence the uncanny valley effect). Going to the opposite extreme isn't necessarily the solution either, as practical makeup and effects aren't without similar limitations.

To quote one of the sacred texts of the internet: Why not both? That's exactly what "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" did for the opening scene in which the younger version...

The Creator won big at the 22nd annual Visual Effects Society Awards Wednesday night.

The awards were handed out during a ceremony, hosted by actor-comedian Jay Pharoah, at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

The Creator took home five awards in the feature competition, including outstanding visual effects in a photoreal feature. The Last of Us was also a top winner in the series categories, scoring four awards, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse led the animation competition with four wins.

Other winners of the night included Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Oppenheimer, Nyad, The Mandalorian and The Flash.

It was previously announced that producer Joyce Cox, who produced VFX on movies including Avatar and The Dark Knight, received the Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award during the ceremony.

Actor-producer-director William Shatner was also previously revealed as the recipient of the award for Creative Excellence in “recognition of his valuable contributions...

Gareth Edwards’ “The Creator” was the big winner at the 22nd Visual Effects Society Awards (held February 21 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel). The AI-themed, sci-fi actioner earned five awards, including the top photoreal feature VFX prize. The other awards were for modeling (Nomad), created environment (Floating Village), effects simulations, and compositing & lighting (Bar).

“The Creator” utilized an innovative streamlining process in post, in which Ilm designed and placed the naturalistic VFX over the actors playing AI simulants and the photographic plates as set extensions. This made the $80 million indie look like a $200 million blockbuster, with director Edwards shooting the entire film guerilla-style in 80 locations throughout Southeast Asia as the primary camera operator with a small crew and natural light.

Meanwhile, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the animated feature Oscar favorite (snubbed by the Academy’s VFX branch), took home four awards, including the top animated VFX prize. Sony Pictures Imageworks innovated...

VFX artists praise the incredible visual effects in Loki season 2 as the "pinnacle" of comic book adaptations. Multiple VFX companies and the directors worked closely to create visually arresting moments in Loki season 2. Loki season 2 is hailed as one of the most visually complex and beautifully-executed projects in the MCU.

Marvel Studios used incredible visual effects to produce some of Loki season 2's strongest moments, and these have now been praised by VFX artists who suggest they are the "pinnacle" of live-action comic book adaptations. Loki season 2 premiered on Disney+ on October 5, 2023, picking up immediately after the first season, with Loki and his team at the Time Variance Authority battling to bring stability to the multiverse following the destruction of the Sacred Timeline. The series quickly became one of the MCU Phase 5's most popular installments, which was thanks in part to the series' exemplary visual effects.

During a January...

“Oppenheimer,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “The Last of Us” are among the nominees for the Visual Effects Society (Ves) Awards.

Gareth Edwards’ “The Creator” leads the feature film field with seven nominations. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is the top animated contender with seven nominations and 24-time Emmy-nominated drama “The Last of Us” leads the episodic field with six nominations.

“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to create remarkable imagery,” Ves chair Kim Davidson said. “We are seeing best-in-class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of innovation. The Ves Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of our nominees.”

The Ves is a global honorary society dedicated to “advancing the arts, sciences and applications of visual effects and to upholding...

The Visual Effects Society has composited the nominees for its 22nd annual Ves Awards, which will be handed out next month. Disney’s The Creator and Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse lead the field with seven noms apiece, and HBO’s The Last of Us tops TV with six. See the full list below.

The annual Ves Awards will be handed out during the group’s 22nd annual ceremony February 21 at the Beverly Hilton. They recognize outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in 25 categories spanning features, animation, television, commercials and video games and the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on artists who bring this work to life.

“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to create remarkable imagery,” said Kim Davidson, newly elected Ves Chair. “We are seeing best-in-class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of innovation.

The Spider-Society has webbed in a few honors. The Visual Effects Society has announced their nominations for the 22nd annual Ves Awards, with “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” leading the pack.

Held every winter, the Ves Awards honor the best achievements in visual effects artistry over the previous calendar year, with VFX professionals in film, television, video games, and commercials receiving recognition. Nominees in 25 categories are selected by Ves members through a process of 39 in-person and virtual nomination events, held worldwide and conducted during a 36-hour period. A minimum of three judging panels review each submission for the awards, looking at “Before and Afters” for each prospective nominee. Ves judging panels this year included members of the society from 25 different countries.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” was the top animated film to receive nominations this year, gaining seven nominations including Outstanding Effects in an Animated Feature and specific nods for modeling, character animation,...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to heroic transformation sequences, but Captain America: The First Avenger instead chooses not to show Steve Rogers' transformation into Captain America. Transformations are a staple of superhero blockbusters: Tony Stark armoring up, Bruce Banner Hulking out, and Peter Parker getting bit by a radioactive spider are all incredibly iconic moments. However, the creative team behind Captain America opted for a different approach to Steve Rogers becoming Captain America, and therein lies one of the film's greatest strengths.

The decision to not show Steve's super soldier transformation makes the movie better, while also avoiding a problem that many other comic book movies suffer from. According to Christopher Townsend, visual effect supervisor for Captain America, the decision was about emphasizing substance over style: "And so rather than it being about the transformation, what we decided is it was going to be more about establishing the character beforehand,...

The films in the running for the 2022 Best Visual Effects Oscar are “Dune,” “Free Guy,” “No Time to Die,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Our odds currently indicate that “Dune” (31/10) is the frontrunner, followed in order by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (4/1), “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (4/1), “No Time to Die” (9/2), and “Free Guy” (9/2).

Included among the 19 individuals are 12 past nominees, four of whom have triumphed at least once. The seven first-timers are Brian Connor (“Dune”), Nikos Kalaitzidis (“Free Guy”), Sean Noel Walker (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), and pairs Joel Green and Charlie Noble (“No Time to Die”) and Scott Edelstein and Chris Waegner (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”).

Connor’s three fellow “Dune” nominees – Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, and Gerd Nefzer – have each won this award at least once before. Lambert and Nefzer prevailed in 2018 for “Blade Runner 2049,...

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is one of two Marvel superhero movies in the mix this year for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards. It’s a visually compelling introduction to a lesser-known Marvel Comics hero, as played by Simu Liu. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, this martial arts and fantasy spectacle was also the highest grossing movie of 2021 until along came a certain “Spider-Man” movie.

Just like many nominees in the Visual Effects category, “Shang-Chi’s” nominated team is a mix of previous contenders. A VFX vet for over 20 years, Christopher Townsend was a mainstay at Industrial Light and Magic (Ilm) for half that time. He’s also been involved with the VFX for quite a few Marvel movies, having previously received Oscar noms for “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2” and “Iron Man 3.” Dan Oliver’s previous nomination in this category was for...

The View Conference, in partnership with Ogr, presents a full slate of free virtual PreVIEW panels in March featuring an array of Oscar nominees.

First, on Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. Pt, will be a talk with the filmmakers behind the five nominees for animated feature. Speakers are Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith of Disney’s “Encanto”; Jonas Poher Rasmussen and Charlotte De La Gournerie of the animated documentary “Flee”; Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren of Pixar’s “Luca”; Mike Rianda, Phil Lord and Chris Miller of Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix’s “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”; and Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada of Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

“This year’s list of Oscar contenders is truly breathtaking,” says conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I have been blown away by the depth of creative thinking that has gone into their production, and...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective

Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub

Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive

Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub

2022 Oscars Predictions:

Best Visual Effects

Updated: Feb 6, 2022

Awards Prediction Commentary: Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow,” “Eternals” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings...

Denis Villeneuve’s sweeping “Dune” and Disney’s Golden Globe-winning animated musical, “Encanto” each scored six nominations Tuesday to lead the 20th annual Ves Awards nominations (awards ceremony details are in pandemic flux). Marvel’s trippy “Loki,” meanwhile, led the broadcast field with four nominations for the Disney+ series.

Competing for feature visual effects are the frontrunning “Dune,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” Daniel Craig’s Bond finale, “No Time to Die,” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” All have been shortlisted for the VFX Oscar, with “Dune” as the heavy favorite, in which Dneg supplied windblown sand, raging sandstorms, flying insect-like ornithopters, and the iconic CG sandworms.

Supporting visual effects nominees include “Candyman,” “Last Night in Soho,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Last Duel,” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”

The animated feature visual effects race pits “Encanto” against Pixar’s “Luca,...

The Visual Effects Society unveiled nominations Tuesday for its 20th annual Ves Awards, with Warner Bros’ Dune and Disney’s animated Encanto leading all nominees with six apiece, followed by the Disney+ Marvel series Loki which has four noms to lead all broadcast series.

The group, celebrating its 25th anniversary, recognizes the year’s best in outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation across film, animation, television, commercials and video games. With the Omicron variant surging, the Ves Awards ceremony does not have a date or format yet; those decisions are still to be made and tickets are not yet up for sale.

Last year, the Ves Awards went virtual in a ceremony hosted as per usual by Patton Oswalt. Netflix’s The Midnight Sky, Disney/Pixar’s eventual Animated Feature Oscar winner Soul and Disney+’s The Mandalorian were among the marquee winners.

Overall, this year’s nominees in 25 categories...

The Visual Effects Society (Ves) announced the nominees for the 20th Annual Ves Awards, with Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” leading the feature film field with six nominations. Disney’s “Encanto” also landed six nominations and led the animated contenders.

This year marks the Visual Effects Society’s 25th anniversary. Ves recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation across 25 categories in film, animation, television, commercials and video games, plus the VFX supervisors, producers and hands-on artists who bring the work to life.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Ves is still considering the format and timing for this year’s show.

“As we celebrate the Society’s 25th anniversary and 20th Annual Ves Awards, we’re honored to keep shining a light on remarkable visual effects artistry and innovation,” said Lisa Cooke, Ves Chair. “In all of our nominees, we see best-in-class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies...

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the MCU’s introduction to Chinese wuxia fantasy adventure, offered several unique VFX opportunities: manifesting the power of the titular rings, creating Marvel’s first dragons — the Great Protector and the Dweller in Darkness — and conjuring the adorable Morris, the headless, six-legged, furry friend to Ben Kingsley’s court jester, Trevor.

“We knew that we wanted this movie to start off very grounded and move deeper and deeper into fantasy,” said director Destin Daniel Cretton (“Just Mercy”). “And we also knew that we wanted the visuals to take a lot inspiration from Asian cinema [including ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’], and we wanted some other things to be brand new visuals for the rings and the creature design in [the magical village of] Tao Lo.”

For senior VFX supervisor Christopher Townsend, the look of the titular rings associated with the immortal Wenwu/The Mandarin (Tony Leung) evolved from a very...

It’s the year of digital de-aging, but with no fear of the Uncanny Valley in sight. In Marvel blockbuster “Captain Marvel,” Lola VFX took 25 years off 70-year-old Samuel L. Jackson as future S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury for the first time without the use of a digital double, and we can expect further strides in the technique with Ang Lee’s October release “Gemini Man” and Martin Scorsese’s Netflix mob drama “The Irishman.”

In Lee’s sci-fi thriller, Weta Digital tackles elite assassin Will Smith getting stalked by his younger clone, and, in Scorsese’s gangster epic, Industrial Light & Magic removes decades from Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in crucial flashbacks as real-life mob hitman Frank Sheeran and labor union boss Jimmy Hoffa.

Weta’s work on the mo-capped younger Smith clone, however, represents a major advancement in the de-aging technique (under the...

Samuel L. Jackson, who is 70 years old, was made to look 25 years younger as Nick Fury for the ’90s throwback movie “Captain Marvel.” And though the studio has previously de-aged Michael Douglas (“Ant-Man” films), Kurt Russell (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”) and Robert Downey Jr. (“Captain America: Civil War”), the work on Jackson is the first time Marvel has done this for a co-lead actor for an entire movie.

De-aging is a meticulous, time-intensive process. Part of that process involves filming a body double that the visual effects artist can use as a reference. In making the leap between a handful to now hundreds of shots, Marvel tasked the company Lola Visual Effects to make some tests to see what Jackson could look like without the aid of a double. The payoff was enormous.

“That process works if you’ve got five, eight, maybe 10 shots. But in a movie...

Marvel Studios presents “Captain Marvel,” an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that introduces the McU’s first stand-alone, female-franchise title character—Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel.

Set in the 1990s, “Captain Marvel” sidesteps the traditional originstory template, with Carol Danvers already possessing her superhero powers. Leaving her earthly life behind, she joins an intergalactic elite Kree military team called Starforce, led by their enigmatic commander, Yon-Rogg. But after Danvers has trained and worked with the Starforce team, and become a valued member, she finds herself back on Earth with new questions about her past. While on Earth she quickly lands on the radar of Nick Fury, and they must work together against a formidable enemy in the form of the Skrulls—the notorious Marvel bad guys made even more dangerous by their shape-shifting abilities—and their leader, Talos, who is...

Last night's Saturn Awards were truly dominated by Marvel movies, mostly from Marvel Studios. The biggest hit was Black Panther, which single handedly brought in a whopping 5 awards. Other wins from Marvel were for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and The Punisher, in addition to Logan, which didn't technically come from Marvel Studios, but is a Marvel property nonetheless.

Among Black Panther's five wins were Best Comic-To-Film Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, Best Make-Up, and Best Supporting Actress, which Danai Gurira won. Additionally, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 won Best Special Effects, Spider-Man: Homecoming won Best Performance by a Young Actor for Tom Holland, Logan won Best Supporting Actor for Patrick Stewart, and Marvel's The Punisher won Best New Media Superhero Series. All things considered, it was a great night for Marvel.

Outside of Marvel properties, Star Wars: The Last Jedi managed to earn itself three Saturn Awards.

Disney-Marvel’s blockbuster “Black Panther” reigned at the Saturn Awards with five wins, followed by “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” with three.

“Better Call Saul” and “Twin Peaks” won three Saturns each, followed by “The Walking Dead” and “Star Trek: Discovery” with two apiece.

Winners of the 44th edition of Saturn Awards were announced on Wednesday night by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films at Castaway restaurant in Burbank, Calif. The event was hosted by Jonah Ray of Netflix’s “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return.” The Saturn Awards honor the best in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other genres.

“Black Panther” was named best comic-to-film, along with best director (Ryan Coogler), best supporting actress (Danai Gurira), best production design (Hannah Beachler), and best makeup (Ken Diaz and Joel Harlow).

The best science fiction film trophy went to “Blade Runner 2049” and the best fantasy...

Registration is now open for View Conference 2018. The conference, which spotlights the latest in computer graphics, animation, visual effects, games, Vr, Ar and mixed reality, will be held Oct. 22-26 in Turin, Italy.

Last year’s edition featured such speakers as John Nelson, Oscar-winning VFX supervisor for “Blade Runner 2049,” as well as nominees Joe Leteri (“War for the Planet of the Apes”) and Christopher Townsend (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”), ILMxLAB’s Vicki Dobbs Beck, “The Little Prince” director Mark Osborne, “Boss Baby” director Tom McGrath, Bonfire Studios’ Rob Pardo and Vr shop Baobab Studios’ Eric Darnell and Maureen Fan.

The conference is also accepting submissions for its film competitions, the View Award for animated shorts and the Italianmix Award for Italian short films, through Sept. 15.

Entries for the View Award must be either 2D or 3D animated films with a running time of 30 minutes or less. Films...

Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel

Brie Larson (left) gets hands-on help from Brigadier General Jeannie Leavitt, 57th Wing Commander (right), on a recent trip to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to research her character, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel, for Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel.”

Photo: Brad Baruh ©Marvel Studios 2019

Marvel Studios has begun principal photography in Los Angeles, California, on its newest film, “Captain Marvel.” The production is shooting in and around the greater Los Angeles area, which will also serve as the production base for the film. The production will also shoot on location in Fresno, California, as well as locations in Louisiana, including Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Set for release in the United States on March 8, 2019, Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” is directed by the writing/directing team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, whose credits include “Mississippi Grind” and “Half Nelson.” An all-star collective of accomplished writers penned the screenplay,...

Marvel Studios has officially started production on Captain Marvel and we have some cool news details to share! A synopsis has been released for the film and we've also learned that some other characters from previous Marvel films are set to return.

According to the press release sent out Clark Gregg will reprise his role as Agent Coulson, which was awesome to hear! It's also been revealed that two villains from the first Guardians of the Galaxy film will also return. Those characters include Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou. The press release doesn't say who they are playing, but it's safe to say they will be back as the Kree villain Ronan the Accuser and his henchman Korath the Pursuer.

They will join previously cast Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Gemma Chan and Lashana Lynch. Other new cast members include Algenis Perez Soto (Sugar), Rune Temte...

The 2018 Academy Awards took place on March 4 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The 90th annual ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The full list of winners is below.

Supporting Actor:

Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”

Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”

Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”

Makeup and Hair:

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick

“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard

“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Costume Design:

“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran

“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran

“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira

“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

Best Documentary Feature:

“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman

“Faces Places,” Jr, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda

“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen

“Strong Island,...

Best Picture

The Shape of Water

Call Me By Your Name

Darkest Hour

Dunkirk

Get Out

Lady Bird

Phantom Thread

The Post

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actor

Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread

Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Best Actress

Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water

Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Meryl Streep, The Post

Best Supporting Actor

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...

Not viewing himself as a comic book fan when he interviewed for 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend was surprised that he got that job, and even more so, that his relationship with the studio has continued through several films. Townsend's collaboration with Marvel would be a rewarding one—receiving his first Oscar nomination several years back for Iron Man 3, the VFX supervisor finds himself back in consideration this…...

Star Wars is a machine. And some of the best people in the industry work on all aspects of these movies, as now controlled by Disney. So it should come as no shock that The Last Jedi was nominated for a handful of Oscars this Tuesday. Some believed that the 8th Star Wars sequel in the Skywalker saga could even take Best Picture, with noms for Best Director Rian Johnson and Supporting Actor Mark Hamill. That didn't come to pass. But John Williams appears to be a lock for his Best Original Score.

John Williams is the second most-nominated individual in Oscar history, and The Last Jedi marks his 51st nomination. Out of those 51 noms, though, he has only taken home 5 golden statues. Perhaps the latest Star Wars movie will bring him his sixth win.

Williams has some pretty stiff completion in the Best Original Score category. Also nominated on...

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature “Blade Runner 2049” (John Nelson, Karen Murphy Mundell, Paul Lambert, Richard Hoover, and Gerd Nefzer) “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (Christopher Townsend,...

Announcing the nominees for their 16th annual Ves Awards, the Visual Effects Society brought welcome news for Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049” and Matt Reeves’s “War for the Planet of the Apes,” each up for seven statuettes. “Despicable Me 3” is the most-nominated animated film of the year (5), while the most-honored title overall is “Game of Thrones” (11).

The 21-year-old organization consists of 3,400-plus members in 35 nations. Each year, it recognizes visual effects innovators in film, animation, television, commercials, and video games.

In 2017, Disney’s “The Jungle Book” remake claimed five Ves trophies, more than any other feature (nominations leader “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” was shutout). It’s director-producer, Jon Favreau, will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award; Weta Digital director and four-time Oscar winner Joe Letteri will accept the Georges Méliès Award, named for the late French illusionist and filmmaker. Letteri is also a nominee...

A bunch of sequels and a remake are vying for the Best Visual Effects Oscar this year, many of them from Disney, including Bill Condon’s live-action remake of Disney’s classic “Beauty and the Beast,” Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok” and Lucasfilm’s upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

Three Fox films offer stunning VFX: “War for the Planet of the Apes,” which advances its visual effects technology over the last Matt Reeves installment featuring Weta Digital’s astonishing array of digital apes led by performance capture master Andy Serkis as Caesar, could win Weta’s Joe Letteri (“Avatar,” “King Kong,” “The Lord of the Rings”) his fifth Oscar. Another visually sumptuous sequel is Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049.” And Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” is also impressive.

Two Warner Bros. blockbusters, Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic “Dunkirk” and Patty Jenkins’ World War I superhero origin myth “Wonder Woman,...

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is out on Blu-ray/DVD after becoming one of the most successful movies of 2017. By many accounts, it didn't best the original, but it still made a boatload of money and made Marvel fans plenty happy. There's a lot to love about the movie, like Rocket Raccoon, well, being himself. Now, a new VFX video shows us what went into crafting Rocket for Guardians 2 and, quite frankly, it is horrifying. You can't unsee skinless Rocket Racoon.

That's right. The folks at Framestore, who crafted more than 600 VFX shots for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, recently published a video that gives a nice breakdown of everything that went into creating some of the scenes they worked on. At around the 55 second mark, we get to see Rocket and, once they strip away his fur and everything that makes him look like a Racoon, he...

After a successful box office run this summer, fans can finally own Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but today a new video surfaced that isn't found on the Blu-ray or DVD bonus features. The special effects artists at Framestore put together a four minute video that breaks down some of the effects work they did on the movie, showing scenes before their work and after. Here's the Framestore description of the video below, revealing that they worked a lot on Rocket Raccoon and Baby Groot.

"Rocket returned home to Framestore for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, in which our team created the look and led the animation on the wise-cracking Raccoon and that of his new sidekick: the adorable, scene-stealing Baby Groot. Happy to be back in Gunn's wacky universe, we collaborated with VFX Supervisor Christopher Townsend to deliver over 620 shots ranging from creature work, spaceships, 'the best...

Hitting theaters May 5, 2017 is Marvel Studios’ Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.

On Wednesday, director James Gunn debuted the first poster from the new adventure on his Facebook page.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Slither”). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (“Jurassic World,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (“Spectre,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Drax; Vin Diesel (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Furious 7”) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (“Joy,” “American Sniper”) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Jumper”) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Big Short”) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Gilmore Girls”) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff...

Marvel Studios has begun principal photography in Atlanta, Georgia, on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is slated to hit U.S. theaters on May 5, 2017. The production will shoot at Atlanta's Pinewood Studios. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, Slither). The studio has also released the first official photo, which you can see below, and confirmed new cast members as well.

The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre, Guardians of the Galaxy) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Guardians of the Galaxy, Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (Joy, American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy,...

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Marvel Studios and James Gunn have officially announced the start of principal photography on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Tiny Groot even came along for the first cast image!

Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Dave Bautista return to portray Star-Lord, Gamora, and Drax, along with Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel lending their voices to Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, and Karen Gillan also return as Yondu, Kraglin, and Nebula.

New faces to join the cast include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby), Chris Sullivan (The Knick) and Kurt Russell are all officially onboard. Their characters have yet to be revealed, but I really hope Russell plays a bad guy, with a very long mustache perhaps.

Check out the announcement from Gunn himself on Twitter and read the long and tedious press release from Marvel below if you want.

Principal Photography Begins...

Pump up your Guardians of the Galaxy Mix Tape Vol. 1 soundtrack and celebrate because Marvel announced that director James Gunn has officially started production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2!

They've also released the fun teaser image that you can see above and announced the full cast of the film, which includes newcomers Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby), Chris Sullivan (The Drop), Pom Klementieff who will most likely be playing Mantis, and Kurt Russell, who is rumored to be playing Star-Lord's dad! Marvel issued a press release this morning, and it included the following logline:

Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

It doesn't give us much, but it's something to get us excited! I can't wait for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2! The...

©Marvel 2017

Marvel Studios has begun principal photography at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, which is slated to hit U.S. theaters on May 5, 2017. The production will shoot at Atlanta’s Pinewood Studios.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Slither”). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (“Jurassic World,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (“Spectre,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Drax; Vin Diesel (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Furious 7”) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (“Joy,” “American Sniper”) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Jumper”) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Big Short”) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,...

The Guardians of the Galaxy are officially back in action, as today brings word that James Gunn has started production on Vol. 2 reuniting the original cast with some newcomers as well.  Come inside to check out the full press release!  

Aside from the plethora of upcoming Star Wars films, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has to be one of my most anticipated films on the horizon.  The first film serves as a wonderful science fiction adventure, with endearing characters, and I can't wait to see what happens to them next.  Along with the production announcement, comes a new cast list, announcing new actors including Kurt Russell!  

Previously Russell had been rumored to be up for the part of Peter Quill's (Chris Pratt) mysterious father...While the announcement doesn't reveal which part he's playing, it looks like those rumors may prove to be true.  Anywho, check out the full release...

As if Avengers: Age Of Ultron wasn't already completely stuffed, the film came very close to introducing another version of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to the film. Screenrant spoke with Avengers: Age Of Ultron VFX supervisor Christopher Townsend who revealed how different the Hulk could have been during the film's Hulkbuster sequence in which the Hulk was under the spell of Scarlet... Read More...

In anticipation of Avengers: Age of Ultron's Blu-ray/DVD release, Screen Rant recently spoke with Visual Effects supervisor Christopher Townsend about his team's incredible contribution to the movie, and how they almost introduced the Incredible grey Hulk during the Hulkbuster showdown. "What Joss wanted to do was he said, “I wanted to have a Hulk that’s this berserker Hulk,” said Townsend. "Berserker Hulk was this Hulk that Hulks out, was what we had come up with on set. And then we sort of started talking about, 'Well what are those extremes?' And Ilm started playing with a deformed body with a deformed face with one eye larger than another. You know, like crooked teeth, and drooling, and red eyes, and all this kind of stuff. Then we started playing with color and we started to de-saturate him and give him sort of red around his eyes and...

Way back in January, five months before Avengers: Age of Ultron hit theaters, it was revealed that the toy company Funko was debuting a Savage Grey Hulk action figure, which had many speculating whether or not we would see Grey Hulk in the sequel. As it turns out, Grey Hulk never made it to the screen, but it was initially part of the story. Director Joss Whedon wanted the Green Goliath (Mark Ruffalo) to turn grey, after Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) uses her mind-controlling powers on him. In a new interview with Screen Rant, visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend explained what the director wanted to achieve with Grey Hulk.

"What Joss Whedon wanted to do was he said, 'I wanted to have a Hulk that's this berserker Hulk.' Berserker Hulk was this Hulk that Hulks out, was what we had come up with on set. And then we sort of started talking about,...

While the comic books originally envision Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver as the mutant offspring of Magneto . though, apparently that.s now not the case . Avengers: Age of Ultron saw Wanda and Pietro Maximoff receive their abilities through Baron von Strucker.s experiments with the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. Visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend, as it turns out, wanted to pay homage to this new origin for the film.  Cinema Blend spoke with Townsend over the phone ahead of the film.s DVD and Blu-ray release, specifically in regards to Wanda. She introduces something we.ve never seen in the McU yet: magic. First, we asked whether Wanda.s abilities are just a taste of the magic to come in next year.s Doctor Strange. Though Townsend said he doesn.t know what.s going on with that film, he did confirm a connection between the visuals...

Guardians of the Galaxy proved a number of things for Marvel. One, that the superhero studio giant could create a worldwide sensation out a team of obscure comic book characters. Two, audiences welcomed exploring worlds they have never seen on the big screen before. And three, a foulmouthed, gun-toting raccoon and a tree of few words could become viral sensations. Despite this immense success, Marvel is confident they can top the first go around.  Ahead of the DVD and Blu-ray releases for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Cinema Blend spoke over the phone with Christopher Townsend, the film.s VFX supervisor who is also working on Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. We asked how he could help top the first film, and his answer suggests the property.s success opened the door for even more grand effects. He said,    We want to challenge and surprise the audience, just as much in...

Doctor Strange will open up the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the mystical realm, but it turns out we already got a taste of it in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen, is powered by magical forces beyond her understanding. Might what we.ve seen from her telekinetic and mind-altering abilities have some connection with Doctor Strange?  Ahead of the DVD and Blu-ray release for Age of Ultron, Cinema Blend spoke with the film.s VFX supervisor Christopher Townsend -- whose Marvel credits also include Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The First Avenger. Since Olsen partnered with a professional dancer to create a whole new vocabulary of physical combat for the character, we asked whether the visuals surrounding her powers set the standard for mysticism in Doctor Strange. Though Townsend said he doesn.t know anything about what Marvel is planning for the 2016 film, he did...

With a flair for the literal and a cape to match Thor’s, Paul Bettany’s Vision is the undisputed Mvp ofThe Avengers: Age of Ultron. Bettany’s graduation from Jarvis to Vision, however, took a lot more than just red makeup.

Executive producer Victoria Alonso and visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend escort us behind the scenes of Joss Whedon’s Age of Ultron for an exclusive look at how Vision came to life. No, it doesn’t involve Iron Man’s A.I. obsession or a rebellious Ultron, but rather a visual effects process called the “Uncanny Valley.”

What is the “Uncanny Valley,” and why is it so important to the character of Ultron? Let’s have Victoria and Christopher explain in the Canadian debut of bonus features from Age of Ultron’s home video release!

The Avengers: Age of Ultron also stars Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans,...

Last week, we showed you two previews for Avengers: Age of Ultron's release on 3D Digital and Digital HD September 8 and on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Sd and VOD October 2. While those previews showcased new characters Vision (Paul Bettany) and Ultron (James Spader), today we have yet another featurette, which features the superhero siblings Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Both of the stars reveal how they worked with director Joss Whedon to develop their incredible super powers.

We also get plenty of behind-the-scenes footage with Joss Whedon, executive producer Victoria Alonso, and visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend showcasing how they came up with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's powers, while Elizabeth Olsen reveals she even worked with a dancer, to get the right movements down to portray Scarlet Witch. We also get to see early concept art for each character, showing the evolution of their powers from pre-production through the actual shoot.