The Catching Fire Oscar Snub

We always have high apple pie in the sky hopes for The Hunger Games franchise, but we know that Catching Fire wasn’t going to get a shot at anything but technical awards, thanks to that “We don’t recognize anything that’s popular with the peasants” Academy attitude we’ve discussed before.

So you can imagine our reaction as we read down that list of nominees…

*scanning the acting categories*

JENNIFER LAWRENCE GOT NOMINATED FOR AMERICAN HUSTLE! AYYYYYYYYY!

Admission: We haven’t actual seen American Hustle yet. We’ve heard from others that Jen was fantastic, though the movie on the whole was a bit overrated. So YAY J-LAW!

We knew it would be the coldest day in hell when the Academy considered any actor for their role in a fantasy blockbuster aimed at young adults, even ones they love like Jen, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Stanley Tucci. Thus we’ll take little victories like actors we love getting nominated for other things.

And then…
*scanning the technical categories*

Bad Grandpa? The Lone Ranger… TWICE?! We don’t know what Disney is putting in that Academy kool-aid but DAMN, it must be powerful! But wait… No Catching Fire?!

What the actual fuck?

Let’s talk costumes. Many media outlets have repeatedly discussed the possibility of Catching Fire winning the Academy Award in this category as if the nomination itself was a no-brainer. And they’re right! Trish Summerville created a showcase of brilliantly crafted designs that not only looked spectacular on film, but told the story of each individual character. The intricate detail is honestly some of the most impressive costume design we’ve ever seen. Instead, pretty but same-y era movies got the recognition instead.

How about makeup and hairstyling? Are they really giving a nomination to The Lone Ranger for throwing sloppy face paint on Johnny Depp and Jackass for making Johnny Knoxville look geriatric? Yet the outrageous Capitol hair and makeup is totally overlooked! Then again, these are the same people who said the makeup that made Meryl Streep look like Margaret Thatcher was more award-worthy than the hundreds of intricate, unique designs found in the seventh Harry Potter film.

A small part of me wonders if Capitol Couture marketing hype, including the push into clothing and makeup sales (even going back to the nail polish line for the first film) , put a bad taste in the mouths of prominent Hollywood voters. Or maybe they don’t like that the style kinda mocks them. Who knows?

Don’t even get us started on visual effects! We’re glad Peter Jackson’s WETA got nominated for Desolation of Smaug, their work alongside the rest of the FX team on Catching Fire should also get recognition over most of the films actually nominated, which probably featured MORE special effects, but not necessarily effects of the same quality.

Alas, we should just accept that we’re talking about a bunch of old white guys making picks based off studio politics and this year, there was even less variety than usual. They stuck to their faves and they stuck to them HARD. Too bad it makes them look like total asses.

OH OH OH OH OH and MUSIC! Coldplay practically tailored ‘Altas’ specifically for the Academy. Plus, they tend to get attention of awards circuits in general. Now NOTHING? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Go Home, Academy. You’re Drunk.
The Girl With The Pearl

The Effects Are Bananas (B-A-N-A-N-A-S)

Watch out guys. In a recent interview, Francis Lawrence dropped the biggest news (to me, anyway) regarding The Hunger Games: Catching Fire that we’ve had in a while.

Will this one have better CGI?

Uh, yeah. I think the effects are phenomenal. If you know the book, there’s a monkey-mutt attack, and Weta, who did Rise of the Planet of the Apes and King Kong, did the monkeys for us.

WHOA! Hold up.

Weta refers to Weta Digital, a digital effects company co-founded by Peter Jackson, which is known for developing and utilizing ground-breaking technology and has done prestigious, award-winning visual effects work for so many movies, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, The Avengers, Avatar, Iron Man 3, King Kong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and so many others.

Weta’s most famous contribution to pop culture

Wait a second.

Are you telling me… that the monkey-mutts were done by a company who has done visual effects for movies that specifically require CGI monkeys and apes?

One criticism that was often heard among fans and non-fans alike is that The Hunger Games was a bit lacking on the visual effects side. Which, if you ask me, is all down to money. The budget for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire allows for a world-renowned visual effects company to step in and handle the CGI.

This news has made me a bit too excited about Catching Fire coming out. You know that the arena will be hidden from us for as long as Lionsgate can allow it, and I’m dying to know if my “just you wait for Catching Fire”‘s that I doled out to the skeptical masses have been proven right.

Kind of like this but less cars

So be excited, guys! They’ll most likely not be as bad as the dog-mutts.

Did Andy Serkis mocap for the lead monkey-mutt for this too?
Twiffidy