American Society of Cinematographers Nominations

The best pieces of cinematography of 2011, as per their own peers are:

• The Artist- Guillaume Schiffman
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- Jeff Cronenweth
• Hugo- Robert Richardson
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy- Hoyte Van Hoytema
• The Tree of Life- Emmanuel Lubezki

The biggest surprise must be the inclusion of Van Hoytema for his work on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which has had a soft awards run so.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo's inclusion should be surprising, considering films it bested, but it's awards (and specifically guild) turn-up has been the most surprising element of the second stage of Oscar mania.  With it's near perfect (save for SAG) guild run, could this film really be on its way to a Best Picture nomination?  Really...this is second-tier Fincher people; just stating.

SOME TRIVIA:
Schiffman, a longtime collaborator of The Artist director Michel Hazanavicius back in France is celebrating his first ASC nomination.  His work also includes last year's art house flick Gainsbourgh: A Heroic Life (a Best Make-Up finalist for this years Oscars.)  Very likely he'll be championed by the Academy.

Cronenweth has collaborated with David Fincher before, earning both an ASC and Oscar nomination last year for his (far superior) work on The Social Network.  He has also lensed Fight Club, Down With Love and One Hour Photo.

Richardson is one of the biggest and most acclaimed cinematographers currently working, and the current go-to-cameraman for both Scorsese and Tarantino.  He started to gain notoriety for his work with Oliver Stone, earning his first ASC nomination for 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and his first Oscar nomination for 1987's Platoon.  While this is his tenth ASC nomination (he was last nominated for 2009's Inglourious Basterds), he has yet the win the prize.  Richardson has, however, been Oscar-nominated six times and the Oscar twice-- for The Aviator (2004) and JFK (1991.)

Van Hoytema is receiving his first ASC mention, but has produced memorable work on films such as The Fighter and his last collaboration with Tinker Tailor director Tomas Alfredsen-- the dreamy vampire coming of age tale Let the Right One In.

Lubezki is one of the major cinematographers of modern cinema.  While that sounds like hyperbole, his work backs up that statement.  The preferred DP of Alfonso Cuaron and, now Terrence Malick has illuminated movie screens with some of the astonishing and inventive camera work of last fifty years.  He earns his third ASC mention for his work on The Tree of Life, a film I didn't even care for mostly, but still deserves to win-- he was previously honored by the ASC for the startlingly brilliant work he did for 2006's Children of Men and was also nominated in 1999 for Sleepy Hollow.  He has earned four Oscar nominations for Children of Men, The New World, Sleepy Hollow and A Little Princess-- he has yet to win!!!!

Last years line-up was:

• Black Swan
• Inception
• The King's Speech
• The Social Network
• True Grit

In a rare move-- the Oscar nominations matched 100% and Inception took both prizes.  If that holds true this year, than films like War Horse, Drive and Midnight in Paris will be one nomination-less than perhaps hoped for.

The 50 Best Shot Films of the Last Decade

The American Society of Cinematographers just released a poll of the best shot films of the last ten years (1998-2008), released by American Cinematographers.

The poll is a follow-up to one published in AC in March ’99 in honor of the ASC’s 80th anniversary; that vote covered the best-shot movies of 1894-1997. For the new poll, AC asked subscribers to nominate 10 films released between 1998 and 2008 that they believed had the best cinematography. A final ballot listing the 50 most popular nominees was then posted on the ASC website, and the final vote was open to the public. More than 17,000 people around the world participated in the final vote. 

1. Amelie- Bruno Delbonnel (2001)  OSCAR NOMINEE
2. Children of Men- Emmanuel Lubezki (2006) OSCAR NOMINEE
3. Saving Private Ryan- Janusz Kaminski (1998)  OSCAR WINNER
4. There Will Be Blood- Robert Elswit (2007)  OSCAR WINNER
5. No Country for Old Men- Roger Deakins (2007)  OSCAR NOMINEE
6. Fight Club- Jeff Croenweth (1999)
7. The Dark Knight- Wally Pfistor (2008)  OSCAR NOMINEE
8. Road to Perdition- Conrad L. Hall (2002)  OSCAR WINNER
   
9. City of God- Cesar Charlone (2003)  OSCAR NOMINEE
10.  American Beauty- Conrad L. Hall (1999)  OSCAR WINNER
11. The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford- Roger Deakins (2007)  OSCAR NOMINEE
12. (tie) In the Mood for Love- Christopher Doyle (2001); Pan's Labyrinth- Guillermo Navarro (2006)  OSCAR WINNER
13. The Lord of the Rings trilogy- Andrew Lesnie (2001-2003)  OSCAR WINNER 
14. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind- Ellen Kuras (2004)
15. Gladiator- John Matheison (2000)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
16. The Thin Red Line- John Toll (1998)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
17. The Diving Bell & the Butterfly- Janusz Kaminski (2007)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
18. Slumdog Millionaire- Anthony Dod Mantle (2008)  OSCAR WINNER
19. (tie) Eyes Wide Shut- Larry Smith (1999); Requiem for a Dream- Matthew Libatique (2000) 
20. Kill Bill- Robert Richardson (2003-2004) 
21. Moulin Rouge!- Donald M. MacAlpine (2001)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
22. The Pianist- Pawel Edelmen (2002)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
23. Hero- Christopher Doyle (2004) 
24. Black Hawk Down- Slawomir Idziak (2001)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
25. O Brother, Where Art Thou?- Roger Deakins (2000)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
26. Babel- Rodrigo Prieto (2006) 
27. Lost in Translation- Lance Acord (2003) 
28. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon- Peter Pau (2000)  OSCAR WINNER 
29. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Claudio Miranda (2008)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
30. The Man Who Wasn't There- Roger Deakins (2001)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
31. The New World- Emmanuel Lubezki (2005)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
32. Sin City- Robert Rodriguez (2005) 
33. Atonement- Seamus McGarvey (2007)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
34. Munich- Janusz Kaminski (2005) 
35. The Prestige- Wally Pfsiter (2006)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
36. Memoirs of a Geisha- Dion Beebe (2005)  OSCAR WINNER 
37. The Aviator- Robert Richardson (2004)  OSCAR WINNER 
38. Zodiac- Harris Savides (2007) 
39. The Insider- Dante Spinotti (1999)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
40. Gangs of New York- Michael Ballhallas (2002)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
41. (tie) Brokeback Mountain- Rodrigo Prieto (2005)   OSCAR NOMINEE;   The Fountain- Matthew Libatique (2006) 
42. The Fall- Colin Watkinson (2008) 
43. The Passion of the Christ- Caleb Deschanel (2004)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
44. Snow Falling on Cedars- Robert Richardson (1999)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
45. House of Flying Daggers- Xiaoding Xhao (2004)  OSCAR NOMINEE 
46. Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow- Eric Adkins (2004)

Now, of course, lists like this are truly arbitrary, but with certain exceptions all the big names are present (Robert Richardson, Roger Deakins, Emmanuel Lubezki, etc.) as well they should be, they've conceived beautiful images.  Love some of the perhaps unexpected choices like Zodiac, Lost in Translation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, brilliantly made films that were less than appreciated (at least visually) in they're day.  However, one mind boggling omission kind of irks me-- in a list that progressive enough to feature a Batman film, a Jude Law green screen oddity, and Sin City?-- where's one of the most beautifully filmed features ever: Far From Heaven, with Ed Lachman's swooning, period specific Technicolor feast for the eyes.  Where?