It seems that Oscar will be almost the year of the sequels, at least according to the short list recently announced for the special effects category by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. But despite releasing two sequels this year, The Matrix won't be among the bunch.

The Academy released its short list of potential nominees last week. While "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" as well as "Hulk," "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," "Peter Pan," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "X2: X-Men United" all are on the consideration list, neither of the two Matrix movies are on the list. Which is surprising, considering the fact that "The Matrix" was a surprise Oscar special effects winner in 1999.

That list will be culled down to three, with final nominees being announced Jan. 27, along with the mainstream nominees.

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