Bonus post time again! As I promised yesterday and today, I'm continuing my examination of the Saturn Awards nominees so that I can vote by the December 30th deadline and share my votes on National Science Fiction Day. To that end, here is the paragraph about the second most nominated film, Oppenheimer from Deadline.
Oppenheimer has 11 noms including for Best Thriller Film, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.) and Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt), with Nolan up for Best Direction and Best Screenwriting.Follow over the jump for Oppenheimer's nominations at the Saturn Awards along with my analysis and provisional votes.
Best Thriller FilmAs Deadline reported and I double-checked, Oppenheimer has eleven nominations, placing it second behind Avatar: The Way of Water for overall nominations and well ahead of its competition in this category. The Menu has five nominations while Don’t Worry Darling, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Knock at the Cabin, and The Lesson each have only this one. Yes, I corrected the order, as Deadline didn't alphabetize the nominees accurately.* Before I handicap these movies, I'm revisiting what I already wrote about two of them, beginning with a passage from The best and worst movies at the box office for New Year's Eve 2022.
Don’t Worry Darling (Warner Bros./New Line Cinema)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)
The Lesson (Bleecker Street)
The Menu (Searchlight Pictures)
Knock at the Cabin (Universal Pictures)
Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
"Don't Worry Darling" was actually good if flawed. It delivered even more science fiction content than the retrofuturistic trailer and posters promised. The problem, as Grace pointed out, was in the paradoxically behind-the-scenes yet very public drama involving the cast and director. That poisoned the film. Too bad.I'm glad it got the nomination in this category at the Saturn Awards. It's one of the better recognitions for the film, right behind winning The Drama Movie of 2022 at the People's Choice Awards and Best Movie By A Woman and Courage In Filmaking Award at the Women's Film Critic Circle Awards. A much better film and director will almost certainly win those awards this time, as I expect Barbie and Greta Gerwig should accept both.
I mentioned Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery twice, first in Beyond The Trailer and WatchMojo look at the top movies and TV shows of 2022, where Grace Randolph listed it among her ten favorite films of 2022 and WatchMojo gave it an honorable mention, and again in The Razzies nominees recognize 'the worst of cinematic under-achievements' from 2022, where I called "its satirical look at tech billionaires...deft..." That written, I'm not voting for either of them. My default position on Saturn Awards nominees absent strong personal opinion is to vote for the entertainment professionals' choice, which is Oppenheimer. It has 13 nominations at the Critics Choice Awards, including Best Picture, and eight nominations at the Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture, Drama. Six of eight Gold Derby editors think Oppenheimer will win the former and eight of ten editors picked it to win the latter. I don't need to watch the film to know it's the best in this category and vote for it.
Next, a category Oppenheimer earned a nomination in that Avatar: The Way of Water missed.
Best Supporting Actress in a FilmEmily Blunt has nominations for Supporting Actress in a film at both the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes, which the other actresses in this year's nominated films didn't earn. However, the Gold Derby editors don't think she'll win either award. On the other hand, Angela Bassett won both awards last year, but lost to Jamie Curtis as Everything Everywhere All at Once earned seven Academy Awards, while Curtis didn't even earn a nomination at last year's Saturn Awards. Hmph. At least Bassett's getting an honorary Oscar at next year's ceremony. Based on that record, I'm voting for Bassett.
Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Jane Curtain, Jules (Bleecker Street)
Melissa McCarthy, The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney Studios)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Sophie Wilde, Talk to Me (A24)
I'll feature Bassett when I blog about superhero films. Today, I'm sharing Gold Derby interviewing Emily Blunt ('Oppenheimer') on director Christopher Nolan: 'He gives you wings'.
Emily Blunt ('Oppenheimer') on director Christopher Nolan: 'The performances in his movies are really great because he gives you wings.' The film is about Oppenheimer heading up the Manhattan Project and his eventual fall from grace during his 1954 security hearing. Gold Derby editors Rob Licuria and Marcus Dixon host this webchat.Good luck, Emily, at the awards shows coming up.
Now to revisit the categories I covered in 'Avatar: The Way of Water' leads Saturn Awards with 12 nominations.
I have nothing to add, so watch Gold Derby's Cillian Murphy 'very flattered' by 'Oppenheimer' Oscar buzz, tries 'not to think about it too much'.Best Actor in a FilmSam Worthington is the science fiction film nominee in this category. I also think he's the weakest. Ben Kingsley has an Oscar and a Saturn Award along with three Oscar nominations, two Saturn Award nominations, a BAFTA Award, a Critics Choice Award, and a Grammy Award. Ralph Fiennes has two Oscar nominations and three Saturn Award nominations. Harrison Ford has a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe, four Saturn Award nominations, and an Oscar nomination. Cillian Murphy has a Critics Choice Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for Oppenheimer in addition to this Saturn Award nomination, his second. He's almost certainly getting an Oscar nomination for his acting in Oppenheimer as well. That's enough to have me pencil him in as my vote, although I expect the plurality of Saturn Award voters will cast their ballots for Harrison Ford. Both Chris Pratt and Keanu Reeves have three Saturn Award nominations, along with a bunch of People's Choice Award nominations. Sam Worthington has a Saturn Award for the first Avatar movie along with this nomination. His next biggest award is a Teen Choice Award. I'm not convinced that he will repeat in this company.
Ralph Fiennes, The Menu (Searchlight Pictures)
Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Ben Kingsley, Jules (Bleecker Street)
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 3 (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Keanu Reeves, John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate Films)
Sam Worthington, Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Cillian Murphy 'very flattered' by 'Oppenheimer' Oscar buzz, but he tries 'not to think about it too much.' As he explains, "When we're making movies, you just wanna make the best movie possible." Gold Derby editor Marcus Dixon hosts this webchat.Good luck with the Saturn Awards electorate, although Murphy probably won't need it as much with the bigger awards.
I'm including the other Best Actor nominee in a thriller film in the image for the next category, one in which The Menu earned a nomination but Oppenheimer didn't.
As the image above shows, Anya Taylor-Joy's performance in The Menu earned a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at last year's Golden Globes. My choice, Margot Robbie, earned nominations at both the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes, as did Viola Davis last year, so I'm even more confident that they are my top two choices and that I'm going to vote for Robbie.Best Actress in a FilmAmber Midthunder and Zoe Saldana are the science fiction film nominees here and, like Sam Worthington, I think they're among the weaker nominees in this field along with the aptly named Mia Goth. The strongest nominees are Oscar, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Award winner Viola Davis, Critics Choice winner, and Oscar and Golden Globes nominee Margot Robbie, and Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award winner and Emmy nominee Anya Taylor-Joy, in that order. Of the three, my choice is between Davis and Robbie. Davis got snubbed for an Oscar nomination earlier this year, likely being replaced by Andrea Riseborough, so I'm glad she got a nomination here. I don't know if that's enough get me to vote for Davis. She may be the stronger actress overall, but I think Robbie has the better nominated performance for Barbie, so she has my vote for now. I'd like to think she has a plurality of the other voters, too. That written, Saldana, like Worthington, has a Saturn Award for this role in the first Avatar movie, which might be enough to persuade people to vote for her.
Viola Davis, The Woman King (TriStar Pictures)
Mia Goth, Pearl (A24)
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu (Searchlight Pictures)
Amber Midthunder, Prey (20th Century Studios/Hulu)
Margot Robbie, Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Zoe Saldana, Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
No younger actors in Oppenheimer, so on to the nominees behind the camera.Best Supporting Actor in a FilmStephen Lang is the nominee from a science fiction film and, like his co-stars from Avatar: The Way of Water, I think he's among the weakest in the field. Also like his co-stars, he's a previous Saturn Award winner for the same role in the original Avatar movie. The strongest on paper are Oscar and Golden Globe winner Nicholas Cage, Three-time Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and Emmy winner Michael Keaton, Golden Globe winner Ryan Gosling, and Golden Globe and three-time Saturn Award winner Robert Downey, Jr. Mads Mikkelsen looks much weaker on paper, but he is a previous Saturn Award winner and BAFTA nominee. I think he's better than his IMDB page suggests.
Nicolas Cage, Renfield (Universal Pictures)
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Ryan Gosling, Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Michael Keaton, The Flash (DC/Warner Bros. Pictures)
Stephen Lang, Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Mads Mikkelsen, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
That written, this award is about these nominated performances, not the actors' entire careers. On that basis, I think it's between Downey and Gosling. "Barbenheimer" lives! The Gold Derby editors think Downey is going to win this category at Critics Choice and Golden Globes, but this is not the same electorate and electorates matter. Right now, I'm voting for Gosling, who I thought did a terrific job in Barbie. I might change my mind if I watch Oppenheimer by the 30th, but don't count on it. I'm also not counting on a plurality of Saturn Awards voters agreeing with me.
Both Nolan and the writers of The Menu have nominations in the next category.Best Film DirectionJames Cameron, Greta Gerwig, James Gunn, and Christopher Nolan make this an all-star field, one that James Mangold, Mark Mylod, and the Philippou brothers should be thrilled to be part of. As the Twitter image above shows, Cameron earned a nomination for Best Director at last year's Golden Globes and also a nomination at the Critics' Choice Awards, but won neither and was snubbed at the Oscars for Best Director. It's too early to know if the same thing will happen to Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan, who both have directing nominations both awards (I think both will earn Oscar nominations), but the Gold Derby editors think that Nolan will win the directing award at both shows. That doesn't mean that I'm following suit. Right now, I'm voting for Gerwig. I'm not confident the rest of the Saturn Awards electorate will agree with me. I wouldn't put it past them to vote for Cameron because the Oscars snubbed him. As I've written about the Saturn Awards for years, "the Saturn Awards are about entertainment not art, they don't care for subtle, and they love to stick it to the experts." Voting for Cameron would do all three.
James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Greta Gerwig, Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 3 (Marvel/Walt Disney Pictures)
James Mangold, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Mark Mylod, The Menu (Searchlight Films)
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou, Talk to Me (A24)
Reiss and Tracy may be the odd writers out in this field, but they did earn a WGA nomination in original screenplay for The Menu, ranking it third among professional choices, and they were interviewed by Gold Derby. Watch Seth Reiss and Will Tracy ('The Menu' writers): 'We are freaked out by different things'.Best Film ScreenwritingTwo other directors join Cameron, Gerwig, and Nolan, Christopher McQuarrie for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Ti West, who co-wrote his script with Mia Goth, the star of Pearl. That's certainly a collection of auteurs! That makes Seth Reiss and Will Tracy of the The Menu odd writers out in this field, as they're part of the only writing team that doesn't include the film's director.
Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron and Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Barbie, Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Menu, Seth Reiss & Will Tracy (Searchlight Films)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Erik Jendresen & Christopher McQuarrie (Paramount Pictures)
Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan (Universal Pictures)
Pearl, Ti West & Mia Goth (A24)
The writers of two movies earned nominations for their scripts at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes, Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig for Barbie and Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer. They're in separate categories at the Critics Choice Awards, Gerwig for Original Screenplay and Nolan for Adapted Screenplay. Gold Derby's editors think Baumbach and Gerwig have the inside track to win Original Screenplay with six picking them to ascend the stage while they think Poor Things, which I expect will be nominated for Best Fantasy Film at next year's Saturn Awards, will beat Oppenheimer for Adapted Screenplay with six of eight editors also picking it. The three films are competing in the same category at the Golden Globes, which has only one screenplay category. The Gold Derby editors are tied, with five each picking Barbie and Poor Things with Oppenheimer placing no higher than second and most editors thinking it's in third. I don't have to worry about Poor Things this year, so I'm voting for Barbie, which I really enjoyed. Right now, I don't care what the rest of the Saturn Awards voters think about this category.
Seth Reiss and Will Tracy ('The Menu' writers): 'We are freaked out by different things.' For the film, a young couple (Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult), go to a remote island and are at the mercy of a dangerously eccentric chef. Gold Derby editor Matt Noble hosts this webchat."The twist is not cannibalism." On the one hand, that's a relief. On the other, it makes me worried what it really is.
Since today's topic is thriller film nominees, watch Luisa Abel and Jaime Leigh McIntosh ('Oppenheimer' makeup and hair) on Christopher Nolan's film.Best Film Make-UpPrey earned a nomination here, not Avatar: The Way of Water, the one category where that happened. Since Oppenheimer is the only nominee also nominated for Hair and Makeup at the Critics Choice Awards — the Golden Globes doesn't have a comparable category — I guess it's the professional choice, but I'm not enthused about it. I'm more likely to vote for Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3. The rest of the Saturn Award electorate will probably vote for a horror film. I'll revisit my provisional vote after I examine the superhero and horror nominees.
The Covenant, Donald Mowat (United Artists Releasing)
Evil Dead Rise, Luke Polti (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3, Alexei Dmitriew (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Oppenheimer, Luisa Abel, Jason Hamer (Universal Pictures)
Prey, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr. (20th Century Studios/Hulu)
Renfield, Christien Tinsley (Universal Pictures)
Luisa Abel and Jaime Leigh McIntosh ('Oppenheimer' makeup and hair) on getting it right: Christopher Nolan 'is not adjusting anything in post.' The film tells the story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. Gold Derby editor Denton Davidson hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with film makeup and hair designers.After listening to this interview, I might be more inclined to vote for Oppenheimer, based on the hair and makeup making the aging of the actors looking realistic, but I don't think the rest of the Saturn Awards electorate will go along. The other nominees are more showy and the Saturn Awards are not into subtle.
Now for a category where I think the experts and entertainment professionals are full of it.
I think Oppenheimer is even more out of place in this category than Avatar: The Way of Water.Best Film EditingLook at all the action films!
Avatar: The Way of Water, Stephen Rivkin, David Brenner, John Refoua, James Cameron (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Fast X, Dylan Highsmith, Kelly Matsumoto, Corbin Mehl, Laura Yanovich (Universal Pictures)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker, Dirk Westervelt
(Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
John Wick: Chapter 4, Nathan Orloff (Lionsgate Films)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Eddie Hamilton (Paramount Pictures)
Oppenheimer, Jennifer Lane (Universal Pictures)
...
Right now, I'm tempted to vote for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It may be nominated as a fantasy film, but it has plenty of action. I'm not tempted to vote for Oppenheimer, which is the only nominee here also nominated for editing at the Critics Choice Awards. That may make it the professional choice, but any movie that long makes me wonder how well edited it really is.
Still am. Next!Best Film Production DesignAt least Avatar: The Way of Water earned a nomination for Best Achievement in Production Design at the Academy Awards, so it's a professional choice. However, Barbie and Oppenheimer have current nominations for Production Design at the Critics Choice Awards, so they're also professional choices. Gold Derby's editors prefer Barbie to Oppenheimer with five picking Barbie, three choosing Poor Things, but none ranking Oppenheimer first. I agree — best doll houses in the movies — so I'm planning on voting for Barbie.
Avatar: The Way of Water, Dylan Cole, Ben Proctor (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Barbie, Sarah Greenwood (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3, Beth Mickle (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
John Wick: Chapter 4, Kevin Kavanaugh (Lionsgate Films)
Oppenheimer, Ruth De Jong (Universal Pictures)
Renfield, Alec Hammond (Universal Pictures)
Ellen Mirojnick, Oppenheimer's costume designer, announced the movie's Saturn Award nominations at her Instagram page, so she's campaigning. I approve. On that note, watch Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick on 'Oppenheimer's' 'superhero moment' and search for his iconic hat for Gold Derby.Best Film CostumeThere are two professional choices in this field, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which won Ruth E. Carter a second Oscar, and Barbie, which co-leads the Gold Derby editors' picks along with Poor Things at the Critics Choice Awards. Right now, I'm planning on voting for the Oscar winner.
Avatar: The Way of Water, Bob Buck, Deborah Scott (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Barbie, Jacqueline Durran (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ruth E. Carter (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3, Judianna Makovsky (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Joanna Johnston (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Oppenheimer, Ellen Mirojnick (Universal Pictures)
Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick on 'Oppenheimer's' 'superhero moment' and the global search for his iconic hat. She shares the two key notes she got from Christopher Nolan. Gold Derby editor Joyce Eng hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with costume design awards contenders.Of course, it's about Oppenheimer's hat and how it fit Nolan's vision.
I'm sharing Gold Derby's ‘Oppenheimer’ visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson on recreating the Trinity Test as the final interview video of the post.Best Film Visual / Special EffectsAvatar: The Way of Water won the Oscar in this category earlier this year. Meanwhile, the Gold Derby editors' favorite to win this category at the Critics Choice Awards, Oppenheimer, didn't even make the Oscars shortlist for Special Visual Effects. Some professional choice. I'm voting for Avatar: The Way of Water.
Avatar: The Way of Water, Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
The Creator, Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, Neil Corbould (20th Century Studios)
Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3, Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Andrew Whitehurst, Kathy Siegel, Robert Weaver, Alistair Williams (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland, Neil Corbould (Paramount Pictures)
Oppenheimer, Andrew Jackson, Giacomo Mineo, Scott Fisher, Dave Drzewiecki (Universal Pictures)
Oppenheimer’ visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson on recreating the Trinity Test. Christopher Nolan's “Tenet,” won an Oscar for Jackson in the Best Visual Effects category in 2020. Gold Derby editor Christopher Rosen hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with VFX contenders.Too bad the Oscars snubbed his work. His hope at the Saturn Awards would come from the voters wanting to stick it to the experts.
That's it for today's installment. Stay tuned for Christmas Eve tomorrow followed by my examination of the fantasy film nominees.
*As I wrote in yesterday's footnote, "I found math errors in Deadline's previous two Saturn Awards nominations articles, so I know to look." I found another math error, or at least an omission, in this year's. That will feature prominently in the next installment of this series.
Previous posts about the 51st Saturn Awards
No comments:
Post a Comment