Academy Unveils 10 Films That Will Contend for Best Visual Effects Oscar

Oh boy, we're less than three months away from the 85th Academy Awards now, and the Academy moved at least one race along today by releasing its shortlist for Best Visual Effects.

Ten films made this list, but if you want to predict which one has the best chance at winning, you should focus on the films that have a shot at Best Picture. What's that? That idea makes no senses? Shouldn't we just pay attention to which film actually had the best visual effects? Well, you would think so, but the Academy doesn't work like that. Last year, Rise of the Planet of the Apes featured a motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis that was so good there was talk of giving him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Rise of the Planet of the Apes wound up being upset by Hugo, which was a black mark on last year's Oscars.

Anyways, here's the list of possible Best Visual Effects nominees:

The Amazing Spider-Man, Cloud Atlas, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, John Carter, Life of Pi, The Avengers, Prometheus, Skyfall, Snow White and the Huntsman

Looking at the shortlist, I'd say Life of Pi has the best shot at this one. An Ang Lee film that's shot in 3D, Life of Pi is the only film on the list that's also on the OscarIndex.