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Oscars Predictions: Best Visual Effects – ‘Love and Monsters’ and ‘Bloodshot’ Didn’t Make the Shortlist For Nothing

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's 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. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE

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DRAFT>>>PRE SEASON>>>REGULAR SEASON>>>POST SEASON

2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

UPDATED: Mar. 4, 2021

AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: “Mank,” “The Midnight Sky” and “Tenet” feel “safe” for the moment and then there are two interchangeable spots that could go to the documentary “Welcome to Chechnya” or perhaps a bigger film like “Mulan” after debuting on Disney Plus. People have mostly written off “Birds of Prey,” “Bloodshot” and “Love and Monsters” but one of those shortlist surprises are sure to make it, especially after making it this far.

WATCH RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE VOTING: All ten entries, which should have been all watched to get to the shortlist.

PRECURSORS LEADER:
“Tenet” (Warner Bros) – Mike Chambers, Scott R. Fisher, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley
Awards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021)
2021 Awards Season Calendar


AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:

  1. "Tenet" (Warner Bros.)
    Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley, Scott R. Fisher, Mike Chambers

    OSCAR HISTORY:
    Jackson - 1 nomination (2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road")
    Lockley - 2 nominations, 2 wins (2010's "Inception" and 2014's "Interstellar")
    Fisher - 1 nomination, 1 win ("Interstellar")
    Chambers - Never nominated
    -
    DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
    SYNOPSIS: Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
    STARRING: John David Washington, Elizabeth Debicki, Robert Pattinson, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh

  2. "Mank" (Netflix)
    Wei Zheng, Simon Carr, Pablo Helman, James Pastorius

    OSCAR HISTORY:
    Zheng - Never nominated
    Carr - Never nominated
    Helman - 3 nominations (2002's "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones," 2005's "War of the Worlds" and 2019's "The Irishman")
    Pastorius - Never nominated


    DIRECTOR: David Fincher
    SYNOPSIS: 1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
    STARRING: Tom Burke, Lily Collins, Joseph Cross, Charles Dance, Monika Gossman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Tuppence Middleton, Toby Leonard Moore, Gary Oldman, Tom Pelphrey, Amanda Seyfried, Sam Troughton

  3. "The Midnight Sky" (Netflix)
    Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, Dave Watkins, Max Solomon

    OSCAR HISTORY:
    Kasmir- Never nominated
    Lawrence - 3 nominations, 1 win (2013's "Gravity")
    Watkins - Never nominated
    Solomon - Never nominated


    DIRECTOR: George Clooney
    SYNOPSIS: This post-apocalyptic tale follows Augustine, a lonely scientist in the Arctic, as he races to stop Sully and her fellow astronauts from returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.
    STARRING: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir, Tiffany Boone, Caoilinn Springall

  4. "Mulan" (Walt Disney Pictures)
    Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury, Steve Ingram

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated

    DIRECTOR: Niki Caro
    SYNOPSIS: A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
    STARRING: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Tzi Ma, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, Yosan An, Rosalind Chao

  5. "Love and Monsters" (Paramount Pictures)
    Matt Sloan

    OSCAR HISTORY: TBD

    DIRECTOR: Michael Matthews
    SYNOPSIS: In a monster-infested world, Joel learns his girlfriend is just 85 miles away. To make the dangerous journey, Joel discovers his inner hero to be with the girl of his dreams.
    STARRING: Dylan O'Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker

NEXT IN LINE:

  1. "The One and Only Ivan" (Disney Plus)
    Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones, Santiago Colomo Martinez

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated

    DIRECTOR: Thea Sharrock
    SYNOPSIS: A gorilla named Ivan tries to piece together his past with the help of an elephant named Ruby as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity..
    STARRING: Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, Phillipa Soo, Chaka Khan, Mike White, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Danne DeVito, Ron Funches

  2. "Welcome to Chechnya" (HBO)
    Ryan Laney

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated

    DIRECTOR: David France
    SYNOPSIS: A group of activists risk their lives fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Chechnya.
    STARRING: Olga Baranova, David Isteev, Maxim Lapunov

  3. "Bloodshot" (Sony Pictures)
    François Dumoulin, Sébastien Francoeur, Chris Harvey,

    OSCAR HISTORY: TBD

    DIRECTOR: David S.F. Wilson
    SYNOPSIS: Ray Garrison, a slain soldier, is re-animated with superpowers.
    STARRING: Vin Diesel, Eiza González, Sam Heughan

  4. "Soul" (Pixar)
    Michael Fong, Bill Watral

    OSCAR HISTORY:
    Fong- Never nominated
    Watral- Never nominated

    DIRECTOR: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
    SYNOPSIS: A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.
    STARRING: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Daveed Diggs, Quest Love, Phylicia Rashad, Tina Fey, Graham Norton

  5. "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)" (Warner Bros.)
    Greg Steele, Thrain Shadbolt, Brendan Seals, Mark Hawker

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated

    DIRECTOR: Cathy Yan
    SYNOPSIS: After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
    STARRING: Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong

† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
††† = official eligible nominees not yet determined by AMPAS

AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14. “La La Land” is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The biggest Oscar “losers,” meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977’s “The Turning Point” and 1985’s “The Color Purple” at 11 each. The magnificent Dennis Muren has a stellar 6 Oscars in this category which include “The Abyss,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “Jurassic Park.” He also 2 Special Achievement Oscars for “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” of the “Star Wars’ series. Gordon Jennings and Ken Ralston have five wins each.


Academy Awards Predictions (All Categories)

2021 Golden Globes Predictions (Film)

2021 SAG Awards Predictions (Film)


About the Academy Awards (Oscars)

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.

  • The Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, April 25, 2021.

About the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes Awards, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is held annually with 93 members since 1944. The group recognizes excellence in film and television across drama and comedy or musical categories. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” holds the record for the most awards won by a single film with seven. Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express” are next in line with six each. Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the record for most nominations received by a film with 11 while Colin Higgins’ “Foul Play,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part III” and Mike Nichols’ “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” share the record for receiving the most nominations and not winning a single award at seven.

  • The Golden Globes are scheduled for Feb. 28, 2021.

About the SAG Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, hosted by SAG-AFTRA, is an annual award show that has become one of the most important and key indicators for the Oscars. Four films have won the most SAG awards with three: 1999’s “American Beauty,” 2002’s “Chicago,” 2011’s “The Help” and 2017’s “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Three movies have been nominated for the most SAG awards with five: 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” “Chicago” and 2008’s “Doubt.”

  • The SAG Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 4, 2021

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