The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror Films has announced the nominees for its 39th annual Saturn Awards. The winners will be announced in June.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the leading film with nominations for the prestigious Saturn Awards presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Peter Jackson’s return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth received 9 nominations. Other films receiving major nominations include Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (8 nominations), and the 23nd entry in the James Bond franchise, Skyfall (7 nominations).
Comic book icons-turned-cinematic spectacles, Marvel’s The Avengers and Christopher Nolan’s triumphant conclusion to his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, followed closely behind with 6 nominations each, along with the epic musical based on Victor Hugo’s classic Les Miserables. Warner Bros. received a leading total of 23 nominations, while Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures each received 14 nominations for their ambitious slate of films released last year.
Television Entertainment also received nominations from the 41 year old Academy. Leading this prestigious list was the beloved series, Fringe, which received 6 nominations and ended a five year run on the Fox Network. Other notable series receiving multiple nominations include Showtime’s Dexter (5 nominations), and with 4 nominations each, Breaking Bad (AMC), Falling Skies (TNT), Leverage (TNT), Revolution (NBC), and The Walking Dead (AMC).
The non-profit organization was founded in 1972 by noted film historian, Dr. Donald A. Reed. His goal was to find an outlet to honor and recognize genre entertainment often overlooked by mainstream awards organizations. The Saturn Awards is considered the premier award for the entertainment we dub “exaggerated and/or enhanced reality”. The scope of the genres we honor has been broadened in recent years running the gamut from dark and edgy entertainment to colorful and life-affirming fable-esque slices of life.
This year, the Academy is thrilled to inaugurate a new film category honoring independent film releases alongside the high-budgeted films which help drive the box-office. Organization President Robert Holguin states “I’ve long admired and respected independent filmmakers and their focused vision. I’m thrilled to see the organization create a category which expressively allows our membership to champion personal film projects which helps expand ideas and creativity in the genre field.”
This year’s 39th Annual Saturn Awards is slated to take place in June. Please visit the Academy’s website for a listing of this year’s nominations, www.saturnawards.org.
This year’s nominees are:
Film Awards:
Best Science Fiction Film:
The Avengers
Chronicle
Cloud Atlas
The Hunger Games
Looper
Prometheus
Best Fantasy Film:
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Ruby Sparks
Snow White and the Huntsman
Ted
Best Horror/Thriller Film:
Argo
The Cabin in the Woods
The Impossible
Seven Psychopaths
The Woman in Black
Zero Dark Thirty
Best Action/Adventure Film:
The Bourne Legacy
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Skyfall
Taken 2
Best Independent Film Release:
Compliance
Hitchcock
Killer Joe
The Paperboy
Robot and Frank
Safety Not Guaranteed
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Best Actor:
Christian Bale (in The Dark Knight Rises)
Daniel Craig (in Skyfall)
Martin Freeman (in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Hugh Jackman (in Les Miserables)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in Looper)
Matthew McConaughey (in Killer Joe)
Best Actress:
Jessica Chastain (in Zero Dark Thirty)
Ann Dowd (in Compliance)
Zoe Kazan (in Ruby Sparks)
Jennifer Lawrence (in The Hunger Games)
Helen Mirren (in Hitchcock)
Naomi Watts (in The Impossible)
Best Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem (in Skyfall)
Michael Fassbender (in Prometheus)
Clark Gregg (in The Avengers)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in The Dark Knight Rises)
Ian McKellen (in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Christoph Waltz (in Django Unchained)
Best Supporting Actress:
Judi Dench (in Skyfall)
Gina Gershon (in Killer Joe)
Anne Hathaway (in The Dark Knight Rises)
Anne Hathaway (in Les Miserables)
Nicole Kidman (in The Paperboy)
Charlize Theron (in Snow White and the Huntsman)
Best Performance by a Younger Actor:
CJ Adams (in The Odd Life of Timothy Green)
Tom Holland (in The Impossible)
Daniel Huttlestone (in Les Miserables)
Chloe Grace Moretz (in Dark Shadows)
Suraj Sharma (in Life of Pi)
Quvenzhane Wallis (in Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Best Direction:
William Friedkin (for Killer Joe)
Peter Jackson (for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Rian Johnson (for Looper)
Ang Lee (for Life of Pi)
Chrstopher Nolan (for The Dark Knight Rises)
Joss Whedon (for The Avengers)
Best Writing:
Tracy Letts (for Killer Joe)
David Magee (for Life of Pi)
Martin McDonagh (for Seven Psychopaths)
Quentin Tarantino (for Django Unchained)
Joss Whedon (for The Avengers)
Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (for Cabin in the Woods)
Best Production Design:
Hugh Bateup and Uli Hanisch (for Cloud Atlas)
Sarah Greenwood (for Anna Karenina)
David Gropman (for Life of Pi)
Rick Heinrichs (for Dark Shadows)
Dan Hennah (for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Eve Stewart (for Les Miserables)
Best Editing:
Stuart Baird and Kate Baird (for Skyfall)
Alexander Berner (for Cloud Atlas)
Bob Ducsay (for Looper)
Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek (for The Avengers)
John Gilroy (for The Bourne Legacy)
Tim Squyres (for Life of Pi)
Best Music:
Mychael Danna (for Life of Pi)
Danny Elfman (for Frankenweenie)
Dario Marianelli (for Anna Karenina)
Thomas Newman (for Skyfall)
Howard Shore (for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Hans Zimmer (for The Dark Knight Rises)
Best Costume:
Jacqueline Durran (for Anna Karenina)
Kym Barrett and Pierre-Yves Gayraud (for Cloud Atlas)
Sharen Davis (for Django Unchained)
Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey, and Richard Taylor (for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Paco Delgado (for Les Miserables)
Colleen Atwood (for Snow White and the Huntsman)
Best Make-Up:
Heike Merker, Daniel Parker, and Jeremy Woodhead (for Cloud Atlas)
Gregory Nicotero, Howard Berger, Peter Montagna, and Julie Hewett (for Hitchcock)
Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater, and Tami Lane (for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
David Marti, Montse Ribe, and Vasit Suchitta (for The Impossible)
Naomi Donne, Donald Mowat, and Love Larson (for Skyfall)
Jean Ann Black and Fay Von Schroeder (for Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2)
Best Special Effects:
Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, and Dan Sudick (for The Avengers)
Grady Cofer, Pablo Helman, Jeanie King, and Burt Dalton (for Battleship)
Joe Letteri, Erric Saindon, David Clayton, and R. Christopher White (for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Chris Corbould, Peter Chiang, Scott R. Fisher, and Sue Rowe (for John Carter)
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan de Boer, and Donald R. Elliott (for Life of Pi)
Cedric Nicholas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould, and Michael Dawson (for Snow White and the Huntsman)
Best International Film:
Anna Karenina
Chicken With Plums
The Fairy
Headhunters
My Way
Pusher
Best Animated Film:
Brave
Frankenweenie
Paranorman
Wreck-It Ralpg
Television Awards:
Best Network Television Series:
Elementary
The Following
Fringe
Once Upon a Time
Revolution
Supernatural
Best Syndicated Cable Television Series:
American Horror Story: Asylum
Dexter
Leverage
The Killing
True Blood
The Walking Dead
Best Television Presentation:
Breaking Bad
Continuum
Falling Skies
Game of Thrones
Ken Follett’s World Without End
Mockingbird Lane
Spartacus: War of the Damned
Best Youth-Oriented Series on Television:
Arrow
Beauty and the Beast
Doctor Who
Merlin
Teen Wolf
The Vampire Diaries
Best Actor:
Kevin Bacon (in The Following)
Billy Burke (in Revolution)
Bryan Cranston (in Breaking Bad)
Michael C. Hall (in Dexter)
Joshua Jackson (in Fringe)
Timothy Hutton (in Leverage)
Andrew Lincoln (in The Walking Dead)
Best Actress:
Moon Bloodgood (in Falling Skies)
Mireille Enos (in The Killing)
Sarah Paulson (in American Horror Story: Asylum)
Charlotte Riley (in Ken Follett’s World Without End)
Tracy Spiridakos (in Revolution)
Anna Torv (in Fringe)
Best Supporting Actor:
Jonathan Banks (in Breaking Bad)
Giancarlo Esposito (in Revolution)
Todd Lasance (in Spartacus: War of the Damned)
Colm Meaney (in Hell on Wheels)
David Morrissey (in The Walking Dead)
John Noble (in Fringe)
Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Carpenter (in Dexter)
Sarah Carter (in Falling Skies)
Anna Gunn (in Breaking Bad)
Laurie Holden (in The Walking Dead)
Jessica Lange (in American Horror Story: Asylum)
Beth Riesgraf (in Leverage)
Best Guest Starring Role in a Series:
Blair Brown (in Fringe)
Terry O’Quinn (in Falling Skies)
Lance Reddick (in Fringe)
Mark Sheppard (in Leverage)
Ray Stevenson (in Dexter)
Yvonne Strahovski (in Dexter)
DVD/Blu Ray Awards:
Best DVD/BD Release:
Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike
Chained
Cosmopolis
The Possession
A Thousand Cuts
Touchback
Best DVD/BD Special Edition Release:
Jaws (100th Anniversary Edition [sic])
Lawrence of Arabia (50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition)
Les Vampires Classic Edition
Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut
Stanley Kubrick’s Fear and Desire
Best DVD/BD Collection:
Alfred Hitchcock (The Masterpiece Collection)
Battle Royale (The Complete Collection)
Bond 50 (The Complete 22 Film Collection)
Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series
The Ultimate Buster Keaton Blu-Ray Collection
Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection
Best DVD/BD TV Series:
In Search Of: The Complete Series
Logan’s Run: The Complete Series
The River: The Complete First Season
Shazam! The Complete Live-Action Series
Spartacus: Vengeance (The Complete Second Season)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 1 and 2)