38th Saturn Awards Nominate Cloud Atlas, Avengers

By Rudie Obias | Updated 7 months ago

It’s awards season! Every year, the Academy of Arts and Sciences honors the very best in film and movie production. But every year, it seems like genre films get shut out of the conversation when it comes to naming the best movies of the year. Luckily, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films takes the time to honor the very best in their respective genres. The 38th Annual Saturn Nominations were announced, and it looks like the Wachowskis and Marvel are at the top of the science fiction genre category with five nominations for Cloud Atlas and six for The Avengers.

Rounding out the science fiction genre category were Rian Johnson’s Looper, The Hunger Games, and the Alien prequel, Prometheus. The Saturn Awards also honored indie science fiction films including Robot & Frank, Safety Not Guaranteed, and the apocalyptic romantic comedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Looper, and Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for Best Actress for her role in The Hunger Games.

Rian Johnson received a nomination for directing Looper, while Joss Whedon was nominated twice, for directing The Avengers and co-writing The Cabin in the Woods with director Drew Goddard. It’s good to see movies like Battleship and John Carter get some recognition for visual and special effects, no doubt the only reason to honor those films.

On the television side, Revolution, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, Continuum, and Falling Skies all received nominations for the Best TV Series in their respective categories. According to THR, the award ceremony’s date and time will be announced in a few weeks. Looking at the list of Saturn Award nominations, 2012 was a very good year for sci-fi. Let’s hope there’s more sci-fi goodness to come in 2013. Check out the full list of Saturn Award nominations below:

FILM NOMINATIONS

Best Science Fiction Film

• Marvel’s The Avengers – Marvel / Walt Disney Studios
• Chronicle – 20th Century Fox
• Cloud Atlas – Warner Bros.
• The Hunger Games – Summit / Lionsgate
• Looper – Sony Pictures
• Prometheus – 20th Century Fox

Best Fantasy Film

• The Amazing Spider-Man – Sony Pictures
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Warner Bros.
• Life of Pi – 20th Century Fox
• Ruby Sparks – Fox Searchlight
• Snow White and the Huntsman – Universal
• Ted – Universal

Best Horror/Thriller Film

• Argo – Warner Bros.
• The Cabin in the Woods – Lionsgate
• The Impossible – Summit / Lionsgate
• Seven Psychopaths – CBS Films
• The Woman in Black – CBS Films
• Zero Dark Thirty – Sony Pictures

Best Action/Adventure Film

• The Bourne Legacy – Universal
• The Dark Knight Rises – Warner Bros.
• Django Unchained – The Weinstein Co.
• Les Miserables – Universal
• Skyfall – Sony Pictures
• Taken 2 – 20th Century Fox

Best Independent Film Release

• Compliance – Magnolia
• Hitchcock – Fox Searchlight
• Killer Joe – LD Entertainment
• The Paperboy – Millennium
• Robot & Frank – Samuel Goldwyn Films
• Safety Not Guaranteed – FilmDistrict
• Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – Focus Features

Best International Film

• Anna Karenina – Focus Features
• Chicken With Plums – Sony Pictures Classics
• The Fairy – Kino Lorber
• Headhunters – Magnolia
• My Way – Well Go USA
• Pusher – Radius

Best Animated Film

• Brave – Pixar / Walt Disney Studios
• Frankenweenie – Walt Disney Studios
• ParaNorman – Focus Features
• Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Studios

Best Actor

• Christian Bale, The Dark Knight Rises
• Daniel Craig, Skyfall
• Martin Freeman, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Looper
• Matthew McConaughey, Killer Joe

Best Actress

• Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
• Ann Dowd, Compliance
• Zoe Kazan, Ruby Sparks
• Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
• Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
• Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Best Supporting Actor

• Javier Bardem, Skyfall
• Michael Fassbender, Prometheus
• Clark Gregg, Marvel’s The Avengers
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Dark Knight Rises
• Ian McKellen, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress

• Judi Dench, Skyfall
• Gina Gershon, Killer Joe
• Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises
• Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
• Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
• Charlize Theron, Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Performance By a Younger Actor

• CJ Adams, The Odd Life of Timothy Green
• Tom Holland, The Impossible
• Daniel Huttlestone, Les Miserables
• Chloe Grace Moretz, Dark Shadows
• Suraj Sharma, Life of Pi
• Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Direction

• William Friedkin, Killer Joe
• Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Rian Johnson, Looper
• Ang Lee, Life of Pi
• Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises
• Joss Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers

Best Writing

• Tracy Letts, Killer Joe
• David Magee, Life of Pi
• Martin McDonagh, Seven Psychopaths
• Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
• Joss Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers
• Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods

Best Production Design

• Hugh Bateup, Uli Hanisch, Cloud Atlas
• Sarah Greenwood, Anna Karenina
• David Gropman, Life of Pi
• Rick Heinrichs, Dark Shadows
• Dan Hennah, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Eve Stewart, Les Miserables

Best Editing

• Stuart Baird, Kate Baird, Skyfall
• Alexander Berner, Cloud Atlas
• Bob Ducsay, Looper
• Jeffrey Ford, Lisa Lassek, Marvel’s The Avengers
• John Gilroy, The Bourne Legacy
• Tim Squyres, Life of Pi

Best Music

• Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
• Danny Elfman, Frankenweenie
• Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina
• Thomas Newman, Skyfall
• Howard Shore, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Hans Zimmer, The Dark Knight Rises

Best Costumes

• Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina
• Kym Barrett, Pierre-Yves Gavraud, Cloud Atlas
• Sharen Davis, Django Unchained
• Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Paco Delgado, Les Miserables
• Colleen Atwood, Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Make-Up

• Heike Merker, Daniel Parker, Jeremy Woodhead, Cloud Atlas
• Gregory Nicotero, Howard Berger, Peter Montagna, Julie Hewitt, Hitchcock
• Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater, Tami Lane, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• David Marti, Montse Ribe, Vasit Suchitta, The Impossible
• Naomi Donne, Donald Mowat, Love Larson, Skyfall
• Jean Ann Black, Fay Von Schroeder, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

Best Special Effects

• Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick, Marvel’s The Avengers
• Grady Cofer, Pablo Helman, Jeanie King, Burt Dalton, Battleship
• Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Chris Corbould, Peter Chiang, Scott R. Fisher, Sue Rowe, John Carter
• Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan de Boer, Donald R. Elliott, Life of Pi
• Cedric Nicholas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Courbould, Michael Dawson, Snow White and the Huntsman

TELEVISION NOMINATIONS

Best Network Television Series

• Elementary – CBS
• The Following – Fox
• Fringe – Fox
• Once Upon a Time – ABC
• Revolution – NBC
• Supernatural – CW

Best Syndicated Cable Television Series

• American Horror Story: Asylum – FX
• Dexter – Showtime
• Leverage – TNT
• The Killing – AMC
• True Blood – HBO
• The Walking Dead – AMC

Best Television Presentation

• Breaking Bad – AMC
• Continuum – Syfy
• Falling Skies – TNT
• Game of Thrones – HBO
• Ken Follett’s World Without End – Reelz
• Mockingbird Lane – NBC
• Spartacus: War of the Damned – Starz

Best Youth Oriented Series on Television

• Arrow – CW
• Beauty and the Beast – CW
• Doctor Who – BBC America
• Merlin – Syfy
• Teen Wolf – MTV
• The Vampire Diaries – CW

Best Actor

• Kevin Bacon, The Following
• Billy Burke, Revolution
• Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
• Michael C. Hall, Dexter
• Joshua Jackson, Fringe
• Timothy Hutton, Leverage
• Andrew Lincoln, The Walking Dead

Best Actress

• Moon Bloodgood, Falling Skies
• Mireille Enos, The Killing
• Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Asylum
• Charlotte Riley, Ken Follett’s World Without End
• Tracy Spiridakos, Revolution
• Anna Torv, Fringe

Best Supporting Actor

• Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad
• Giancarlo Esposito, Revolution
• Todd Lasance, Spartacus: War of the Damned
• Colm Meaney, Hell on Wheels
• David Morrissey, The Walking Dead
• John Noble, Fringe

Best Supporting Actress

• Jennifer Carpenter, Dexter
• Sarah Carter, Falling Skies
• Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
• Laurie Holden, The Walking Dead
• Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
• Beth Riesgraf, Leverage

Best Guest Starring Role in a Series

• Blair Brown, Fringe
• Terry O’Quinn, Falling Skies
• Lance Reddick, Fringe
• Mark Sheppard, Leverage
• Ray Stevenson, Dexter
• Yvonne Strahovski, Dexter

HOME-ENTERTAINMENT NOMINATIONS

Best DVD/Blu-ray Release

• Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike – Atlas Distribution/Fox
• Chained – Anchor Bay
• Cosmopolis – Entertainment One
• The Possession – Lionsgate
• A Thousand Cuts – Lorber Films
• Touchback – Anchor Bay/Starz

Best DVD/Blu-ray Special Edition Release

• Jaws (Universal 100th Anniversary Edition) – Universal
• Lawrence of Arabia (50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition) – Sony
• Les Vampires Classics Edition – Kino International
• Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut – Warner
• Stanley Kubrick’s Fear and Desire – Kino International

Best DVD/Blu-ray Collection

• Alfred Hitchcock (The Masterpiece Collection) – Universal
• Battle Royale (The Complete Collection) – Anchor Bay
• Bond 50 (The Complete 22 Film Collection) – MGM
• Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series – MPI
• The Ultimate Buster Keaton Blu-ray Collection – Kino Lorber
• Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection – Universal

Best DVD/Blu-ray TV Series

• In Search Of: The Complete Series – Visual Entertainment
• Logan’s Run: The Complete Series – Warner
• The River: The Complete First Season – ABC Studios
• Shazam! The Complete Live-Action Series – Warner Archive
• Spartacus: Vengeance (The Complete Second Season) – Starz/Anchor Bay
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (Seasons 1 & 2) – Paramount