Saturn Awards: ‘Avengers,’ ‘Breaking Bad’ lead sci-fi-fantasy-horror pack
“Marvel’s The Avengers” and “Breaking Bad” collected the most statuettes as the Academy Of Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Films handed out its Saturn Awards Wednesday night in Burbank.
“Avengers” took home honors for top science fiction film; Joss Whedon as director; Clark Gregg as supporting actor; and for special effects — that kudo going to the team of Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick.
Other pictures getting “best” honors were “Life of Pi” as fantasy film; “The Cabin in the Woods” as horror/thriller; and “Skyfall” as action/adventure. Matthew McConaughey was honored as actor for “Killer Joe.”
The Saturns are an unapologetic geekfest where genre shows and stars take center stage. This year that produced an unusual echo of the Oscars. While AMPAS honored Jennifer Lawrence for “Silver Linings Playbook” and Anne Hathaway for “Les Miserables,” the Saturns for film acting went to the same pair for different roles: Best Actress went to Lawrence for “The Hunger Games,” and Supporting Actress to Hathaway instead for her movie-stealing turn as Selena Kyle/Catwoman in “The Dark Knight Rises.”
“Breaking Bad” took three TV awards: Best Presentation on Television; Jonathan Banks for supporting actor; and Bryan Cranston for best actor, shared with Kevin Bacon (“The Following”) in a tie vote.
“The Walking Dead” was honored as top syndicated/cable series. “Revolution” was top network series and “Teen Wolf” was top youth-oriented series. Anna Torv of “Fringe” was top TV actress.
Clark Gregg have the night’s most impassioned acceptance: “I’m such a sci-Fi geek,” he confessed, remembering that when he first played Agent Colson in “Iron Man” “I was as geeking out to meet Robert Downey Jr. as to talk to Tony Stark.”
Among the special achievement awards handed out this year was the Lifetime Achievement Award to William Friedkin; the inaugural Dan Curtis Legacy Award to “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan and the Visionary Award to Richard Matheson, who died Sunday at 87.
Matheson’s son Richard Christian Matheson accepted for him, admitting “It’s been a rough week,” and saying he felt his father was at the event “in some way.”
Accepting his own award,”Revolution” creator Eric Kripke explained that his boyhood dream had been to film a Matheson story as his film school project. When Matheson’s reps said no, he contacted Matheson directly. Matheson faxed back his blessing for the pic, which launched his career. “So thank you, Richard Matheson, for my career,” said Kripke.
Quentin Tarantino, accepting the award for film writing, said that Matheson was the first screenwriter whose name he knew. He said he’d just rewatched Matheson’s “The Night Stalker” and “if anyone out there is thinking of remaking it, you don’t need to change a fuckin’ thing.”
Luminaries and genre stars in attendance ranged from Friedkin with wife Sherry Lansing (“the best award I’ve ever won” Friedkin called her from the dais); writer-directors Tarantino, Shane Black and Joss Whedon; to original “Dark Shadows” actresses Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott and “Creature of the Black Lagoon” star Julie Adams. “Fringe” thesp Lance Reddick was Masters of Ceremonies.
Presenter Wayne Brady spoke at length about how happy he was to finally make it to the Saturns, “How many brothers are there in sci-fi? I’m not Lando Calrissian and I’m not Lance (Reddick).”
Noah Wylie, who starred in two telepics Frakes directed, accepted Frakes’s Life Career Award when Frakes was unable to attend due to a death in the family.
Here is the full list of winners at the 39th Annual Saturn Awards:
FILM AWARDS
Best Science Fiction Film: Marvel’s The Avengers
Best Fantasy Film: Life of Pi
Best Horror/Thriller Film: The Cabin in the Woods
Best Action/Adventure Film: Skyfall
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Killer Joe)
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games)
Best Supporting Actor: Clark Gregg (Marvel’s The Avengers)
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises)
Best Performance by a Younger Actor: Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi)
Best Director: Joss Whedon (Marvel’s The Avengers)
Best Writing: Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)
Best Production Design: Dan Hennah (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Best Editing: Alexander Berner (Cloud Atlas)
Best Music: Danny Elfman (Frankenweenie)
Best Costume: Paco Delgado (Les Miserables)
Best Make-Up: Heike Merker, Daniel Parker, Jeremy Woodhead (Cloud Atlas)
Best Special Effects: Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick (Marvel’s The Avengers)
Best Independent Film Release: Killer Joe
Best International Film: Headhunters
Best Animated Film: Frankenweenie
TELEVISION AWARDS
Best Network Television Series: Revolution
Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series: The Walking Dead
Best Presentation on Television: Breaking Bad
Best Youth-Oriented Series on Television: Teen Wolf
Best Actor on Television: Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Kevin Bacon (The Following) – tie
Best Actress on Television: Anna Torv (Fringe)
Best Supporting Actor on Television: Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad)
Best Supporting Actress on Television: Laurie Holden (The Walking Dead)
Best Guest Star on Television: Yvonne Strahovski (Dexter)
HOME ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS
Best DVD/BD Release: Touchback
Best DVD/BD Special Edition Release: Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut
Best DVD/BD Collection Release: Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection
Best DVD/BD Television Series Release: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 1 & 2
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS FROM THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE FICTION,
FANTASY & HORROR FILMS
The Lifetime Achievement Award: William Friedkin
The Dan Curtis Legacy Award: Vince Gilligan
The Visionary Award: Richard Matheson
The Life Career Award: Jonathan Frakes
Theater Showcase Award: Silence! The Musical
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