“X-Men: First Class” and “Real Steel” Up for Visual Effects Oscar

What would you rather stare at for two hours: a bunch of British wizards or badass, life-size versions of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots? The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its ten finalists for the Academy Award for visual effects and, unsurprisingly, there?s not a romantic comedy in the bunch.

Real Steel

?Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2? and ?Real Steel? are two of the top contenders for the 84^th Academy Awards, set for February 26, according to a recent article for NYDailyNews.com. The academy is narrowing down the ten finalists down to five nominees for the upcoming ceremony and will announce the nominations on January 24.

This year?s nominees offer a visceral escape from the norm with the help of increasingly intense computer-generated effects. Could you really imagine ?Rise of the Planet of the Apes? ? another finalist this year ? with the effects of the 1968 original? Not even in 1998 would that fly.

While they may not win any awards for heartfelt drama, movies based on popular comic strips and cartoons certainly owned Hollywood in this visual department this year. ?X-Men: First Class,? ?Transformers: Dark of the Moon? and ?Captain America: The First Avenger? are also up for possible nomination. Just think. If one of them wins, you won?t have to worry about wearing your ?Wolverine Is My Homeboy? T-shirt out of the house ever again.On second thought?