One might think an awards show put on by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films might skew to the fringes of the mainstream and beyond, but a quick glance down this year’s Saturn Awards nominations reveal much more in common with the Oscars.
While the Saturn Awards’ diverse categories find ways to beef up 2012’s under-appreciated blockbuster entries — The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey leads with 9 nominations, followed by Life of Pi (8) and Skyfall (7) — grey areas of genre categorization keep the list in check with this year’s Academy lineup. Argo and Zero Dark Thirty for Best Thriller? Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables for Best Actor? Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy for Best Actress?? A pulp movie, no doubt, but as a choice from the connoisseurs of sci-fi and fantasy? There’s a certain level of risk lacking in this year’s nominations. Perhaps the geekier pop culture of the world has simply been widely embraced.
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Check out the full list of nominations below, which admittedly do show some love for the weird and wild movies that made their way to theaters in 2012:
Best Science Fiction Film
Marvel’s 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 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
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Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, Skyfall
Michael Fassbender, Prometheus
Clark Gregg, The Avengers
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Dark Knight Rises
Ian McKellen, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises
Judi Dench, Skyfall
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Charlize Theron, Snow White and the Huntsman
Gina Gershon, Killer Joe
Best Animated Film
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
Wreck-It Ralph
Best International Film
Anna Karenina
Chicken with Plums
The Fairy
Headhunters
My Way
Pusher
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 Direction
Willian 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
For the rest of the awards, including technical categories and TV, head to the Saturn Awards website.
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
[Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]
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