It might not have the same cachet as best actor, best director or best picture, but the Academy Award for best visual effects has been a mainstay of the Oscars since 1977.
That was just the first time the award was formally called that, of course, with "Wings" earning the earliest official recognition for "engineering effects" back in 1927.
Check out all Oscar winners for visual effects
But let's jump forward 89 years and see who's up for the coveted VFX Oscar on February 28.
'Ex Machina'
What is it? "Ex Machina" is the movie everyone seems to love, even if you don't know anyone who saw it. It's also the directorial debut of Alex Garland, author of "The Beach". The film adaptation starred Leonardo DiCaprio, which is important because this year he must be a part of every conversation about the Oscars that you have.
What's it about? Oh, the usual stuff, like Turing Tests, artificial intelligence and a robot with the face of Alicia Vikander. That's all I'm telling you because you should really watch it.
Why is it nominated? "Ex Machina" didn't follow the typical practice of green screen sequences or motion capture during the shooting of the film. All the effects to create Vikander's robotic appearance were done in post production, which is pretty rare these days. It was certainly a first for FX company Double Negative, which had previously worked on the likes of "Interstellar", "Inception" and "Captain America".
Will it win? It's already been nominated for its effects four times this award season, and the visual effects supervisor Andrew Whitehurst picked up one win at the British Independent Film Award for outstanding achievement in craft. But no, it won't win. Both industry insiders and online betting establishments have it at a long shot.
'The Martian'
What is it? Seriously? "The Martian"? The Matt Damon-helmed, Ridley Scott-directed adaptation of the book by Andy Weir? You're seriously saying you've never heard of it? Well, you might remember Matt Damon from "The Departed", a film he was in with DiCaprio.
What's it about? Well, potatoes and disco music mostly, but also science, space and Mars because that's where most of the film takes place.
Why is it nominated? MPC, the company responsible for the effects, dropped in a lot of terrain details and, obviously, weather effects to make Mars look so impressively real. It also added precise details like the glass visors in helmets of the Marstronauts. MPC has a neat reel showing the VFX breakdown.
Will it win? So far "The Martian" is the VFX bridesmaid and never the bride, nominated six times without any luck. Gold Derby, a site dedicated to predicting show business awards, has it as an 80 to 1 outsider, while other places are more bullish on its chances. For my money, I think the completely baffling Golden Globe win for Best Comedy or Musical will hurt its chances of being taken seriously at the Academy Awards.
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