Best Cinematography 2005?

[Pinguin]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 4:51pm

The ASC nominees announced today were:

BATMAN BEGINS (Wally Pfister)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Rodrigo Prieto)
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (Robert Elswit)
KING KONG (Andrew Lesnie)
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (Dion Beebe)


What movie would YOU pick for Best Cinematography of 2005?

My vote would DEFINITELY go for The Constant Gardner.

Updated On: 1/11/06 at 04:51 PM

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 4:54pm

I have six picks:

SIN CITY
SIN CITY
SIN CITY
SIN CITY
SIN CITY

and

JARHEAD

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 4:56pm

Did I mention SIN CITY?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 4:57pm

Well, I think Sin City is more art direction than cinematography. I would also pick Constant Gardener but the ASC disagrees. Of their picks, I would go with Memoirs Of A Geisha.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 5:02pm

MUNICH, which apparently got snubbed by the American Society of Cinematographers.

Of that list, I'd go with BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, though it was Ang Lee's choice of shots more than anything.

Both KING KONG and SIN CITY look amazing, but they both used digital grading extensively -- I don't know how that should feature into such accolades, since you can now just press a button and change the colour of the sky. It's gonna be interesting how people judge cinematography in the decades ahead.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 5:15pm

I was thinking about the same thing -how exactly does one judge a movie like Sin City against a movie like The Constant Gardner or Munich...


popcultureboy -yeah, of their picks I would say Geisha too, but The Constant Gardner still sticks out in my mind as the best of the year.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 5:20pm

If the Academy wasn't so conservative, they might go back to having two Cinematography awards (just like they did back in the day, with B+W and colour): one for digitally-enhanced cinematography and one for traditional.

I'm happy that KONG got a nod, though, because digital alterations or not, many shots are breathtakingly beautiful. Incidently, I'm still scratching my head and wondering how they did the whole sequence on the top of the Empire State Building -- it looks too good to be all CGI, but I don't think it's a miniature, either.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 5:21pm

I think Syriana was beautifully shot.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 5:31pm

I still love Good Night and Good Luck...not just because it's black and white, but to me, so much of the tone was caught in the way it was shot, the unspoken confrontation, the quiet desperation...I'm just a sucker for it all!

I also would say Geisha from their list.

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 5:35pm

Let's see, I think Good Night, etc. was a combination of art direction and cinematography which brought about the amazing look and atmosphere of the film. Maybe Geisha for cinematography but I didn't see King Kong yet so I'll wait til then.

[broadway86]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 5:49pm

Without a doubt, Brokeback Mountain. Exceptional camera work, without ever being self-indulgent. The color palettes, the framing, the chilly atmosphere... all flawless. Updated On: 1/11/06 at 05:49 PM

[Luscious]

Posted: 1/11/06 at 7:05pm

Brokeback. Beautiful cinematography sans CGI. MOAG would be my second choice.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/12/06 at 3:22am

The Constant Gardener had GLORIOUS cinematography--I thought it would have surely been nominated here.

But those nominees all prob deserve to be there I would say.

[Plum]

Posted: 1/12/06 at 3:29am

Nice to see I'm not the only one thinking of The Constant Gardener. I hope Fernando Meirelles gets some recognition, too.

[DG]

Posted: 1/12/06 at 5:11am

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 1/12/06 at 5:21am

I'm hoping that The Constant Gardner will still get a nod for the Cinematography Oscar...we'll see!!!



hehehe...I didn't think of March of the Penguins :0)

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/12/06 at 1:42pm

I would go with KING KONG - who's cinematography is anything but subtle - but always breathtaking.

On a more delicate level, the cinematography of GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK is totally brilliant.

[DG]

Posted: 1/12/06 at 2:26pm

The main reason I would pick PENGUINS is because of what they were able to achieve under their extraordinarily restricted conditions.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/12/06 at 2:55pm

Andrew Lesnie (KING KONG) is one of the best cinematographers working in film. Besides the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy (all of which looked divine, like a Renaissance painting in movement), he also did the vibrant photography of BABE. Most of his resume is made up of Australian movies, but his work is always lovely.

Updated On: 1/12/06 at 02:55 PM