The List of 7

It's Bake-Off time! The visual effects branch of the Academy have narrowed their 'list of 15' films to the seven films that will be participating in the bake-off for the race for this year's Oscar nominations.

• “Australia”
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
• “The Dark Knight”
• “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
• “Iron Man”
• “Journey to the Center of the Earth”
• “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”

The Executive Committee narrowed the List of 15 to these seven earlier this week. The Bake Off, which features 15 minute reels from each film, will take place on January 15, where the entire visual effects branch gets to vote on the final three nominees for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. As always, the entire Academy then votes for the winner of the award.

My predictions were way off this year. While I got four films right, I thought "Indy," "Caspian" and "Spiderwick" would have made it to the bake-off, rather than "Australia," "Mummy 3" and "Journey."

My not-to-be-trusted predictions for the three nominees? "Dark Knight," "Iron Man," and "Benjamin Button," which are coincidentally my personal choices of the three films that deserve a nomination.