Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

I'd say Anna Karenina, yes. Costume Design and - maybe - Production Design Oscars unless Les Mis becomes an undeniable frontrunner. Lincoln isn't out here yet but from what I've seen of it it doesn't seem flashy enough to take many of the below-the-line prizes.

Is Anna Karenina the most lavish prospective nominee then?

I'm sure there was plenty of worth set work in Les Miserables but Hooper failed to show us much of it. Honestly, this film should have been opened out and made to feel more epic - although I enjoyed much of the movie, I don't recall the last time a huge-budget production felt so small and stage-bound. The excessive close-ups probably doom any chances of winning this category, unless it sweeps. No doubt it'll be nominated, though.

Les Miz will be nominated--and might even win--for its production design because it's so elaborate, but I found it ineffective. It was too cartoon-y for me. You always realized you were looking at a set. It was as if they didn't want to make a film, but to just transport the musical play to the world's largest stage. The barricade set, which would serve its purpose on a theatrical stage, looked ridiculously feeble in the film.

dws1982 wrote:There's such a negative vibe around The Hobbit (and it reeks of "been there, done that") that I'm guessing that they'll go somewhere else for their winner--most likely Cloud Atlas. It covers several different locations and time periods, and the production design is by far the most successful element in the film.

That would make me very, very happy. A nomination for Visual Effects would also be wonderful. What is interesting about CLOUD ATLAS is it would technically be eligible in all three categories for the ADG awards.

Nope, didn't care for it at all really. Terribly, sluggishly, paced; badly cast. I didn't think that the Wachowski's and Tykwer made for a very good directing team--it was easy to tell which sequences were directed by who without looking it up--and even though I respected the ambition of taking on that novel (which I've tried--unsuccessfully--to read several times), I didn't think it ever came together as anything interesting or meaningful. Back in my younger days, when I liked to smoke some weed and talk philosophy, I probably would've loved it.

I haven't seen Cloud Atlas, but I'd like it if that happened. There is a strong been there/done that vibe surrounding The Hobbit and incredibly negative backlash against its HFR presentation. Anybody with a ballot whose only experience with the film is in HFR is a lost cause. There's a chance that The Hobbit will stiff on Oscar morning. I don't hate the film but I certainly can't think of a single award it deserves. I guess Best Visual Effects would be fine for all of the good effects in the film.

Did you like Cloud Atlas, Daniel?

There's such a negative vibe around The Hobbit (and it reeks of "been there, done that") that I'm guessing that they'll go somewhere else for their winner--most likely Cloud Atlas. It covers several different locations and time periods, and the production design is by far the most successful element in the film.

Moonrise Kingdom is the big omission here. I was really hoping that it might pick up an Oscar nomination for creating one of Wes Anderson's most delightful dollhouses since The Royal Tenenbaums. Django Unchained absolutely does not deserve a mention here. Costume Design, absolutely. But not Production Design.

I'd wager...

Contemporary - Skyfall
Fantasy - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Period - Anna Karenina

If you take all the period nominees, but replace ARGO with THE HOBBIT, you have your Oscar nominees. However, if ARGO does get an Oscar nomination in this category, that will be a good sign for its chances to win Best Picture.

Via AwardsDaily:

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A FEATURE FILM IN 2012:

Period Film

ANNA KARENINA
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
ARGO
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
DJANGO UNCHAINED
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
LES MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
LINCOLN
Production Designer: Rick Carter

Fantasy Film

CLOUD ATLAS
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
LIFE OF PI
Production Designer: David Gropman
PROMETHEUS
Production Designer: Arthur Max
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
Production Designer: Dan Hannah

Contemporary Film

FLIGHT
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
SKYFALL
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
Production Designer: Alan MacDonald
THE IMPOSSIBLE
Production Designer: Eugenio Caballero
ZERO DARK THIRTY
Production Designer: Jeremy Hindle