"Mad Max: Fury Road" wins 6 Oscars 2016

 

George Miller's post-apocalyptic movie, Mad Max: Fury Road won six Oscars at the annual ceremony held February 28, 2016. It was nominated for ten, including Best Picture.  It took home most of the technical awards though. It won Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing. It's other nominations were for Best Direction for George Miller, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.

The Revenant garnered a whopping twelve nominations but only won three: Best Directing for Alejandro G. Inarritu, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Leonardo DiCaprio, and Best Cinematography.  Tom Hardy, who also starred in Mad Max: Fury Road, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was nominated for five Academy Awards. John Williams was nominated for Best Music (Original Score), Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. 

Leonardo DiCaprio's acceptance speech

Happy birthday, Qui-Gon Jinn!

Liam Neeson, born June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, is an Oscar nominated actor and played Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (my favorite role of his). He has continued to voice Qui-Gon Jinn in other Star Wars productions.

He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in Schindler's List. He's been nominated for 3 Saturn Awards and 3 Golden Globe Awards. He received a Grammy nomination in 2001 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for The Polar Express. He has also been nominated for two Tony Awards.

He appeared in Excalibur where he met Helen Mirren and began a relationship with her.  He later appeared in Krull in 1983 with Robbie Coltrane. He starred in Suspect with Cher in 1987.  Neeson appeared in Wrath of the Titans with Ralph Feinnes 

"Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" released 1983

George Lucas's third movie in the Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi, was released in US theaters May 25, 1983. It opened to positive reviews and received numerous awards.  It won a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects.  It was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Original Score for John Williams, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Sound. 

Of course, the nominations for the top Oscars were reserved for the dramas and biopics. Terms of Endearment is a good movie, and I've seen The Right Stuff, but were they better than Return of the Jedi for Best Picture?  I can tell you which one I've seen more than once. No plans to see any of the others.

John Williams's score lost to Bill Conti's score for The Right Stuff? Yeah, right. The Oscar committee stands by its "no horror, no science fiction" movies for any of the acting awards.  Good thing the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror films gives due credit.  Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher won Saturns for their acting prowess. 

Happy birthday, Billy Dee Williams!

Billy Dee Williams, born April 6, 1937 in New York City, is best known for his role as Lando Calrissian in Star Wars Episodes V: The Empire Strikes Back, VI: Return of the Jedi, and IX: The Rise of Skywalker.  He's also voice Calrissian in many of the spin-offs and Lego versions.  He received two Saturn nominations for his role as Calrissian.  

He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his performance in Brian's Song.

"Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" wins Golden Raspberry for Jar Jar Binks

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace got a lot of hate when it was released.  Admittedly, it had some huge shoes to fill after the earlier three movies, but I think it is one of the best movies out there.  A lot of movies, and I do mean a lot, don't even come close to matching it.  It did have its flaws, of course, such as introducing one of the most annoying characters of all time, Jar Jar Binks.  And it's better than any of the final three movies in the series.  

I don't think it deserved the criticism it received at the 20th Golden Raspberry Awards, held March 25, 2000. It was nominated for seven Razzie awards, but only took home one.  Ahmed Best won Worst Supporting Actor for his work as Jar Jar Binks.

Phantom Menace was nominated for Worst Picture, Sofia Coppola for Worst Supporting Actress, Jake Lloyd for Worst Supporting Actor for his performance as Anakin Skywalker, Worst Screen Couple for Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman, Worst Director for George Lucas (seriously?), and Worst Screenplay for Lucas (really?).  

However, Wild Wild West was the top winner (loser?) for the evening, taking home five awards from its nine nominations. Multi-Grammy award winner Stevie Wonder shared the Worst Original Song with co-writers Will Smith, and Kool Moe Dee.

"Return of the Jedi" wins five Saturn Awards 1984

IMHO, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is one of the best movies ever made.  Fortunately, I might not be the only one who thinks that, since the movie was nominated for ten Saturn Awards, and won five at the annual ceremony by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, March 24, 1984.

It won Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor for Mark Hamill for his performance as Luke Skywalker,  Best Costumes for Aggie Guerard Rodgers and Nilo Rodis-Jamero, Best Make-up for Phil Tippett and Stuart Freeborn, and Best Special Effects for Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Ken Ralston.  

Return of the Jedi was nominated for Best Director for Richard Marquand, Best Actress for Carrie Fisher, Best Supporting Actor for Billy Dee Williams, Best Writing for Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas, and Best Music for John Williams. 

Something Wicked This Way Comes, an unusually dark film from Walt Disney won Best Fantasy Film and Best Writing for Ray Bradbury.  It was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Jonathan Pryce, Best Music, Best Costumes, Best Make-up, and Best Special Effects.

Krull was not a box-office success, but I'm glad to see that the Academy showed it some love.  They nominated it for Best Fantasy, Best Music, and Best Costumes. 

"Star Wars: A New Hope" wins 8 Saturn Awards 1978

George Lucas's iconic, groundbreaking, phenomenal, masterpiece Star Wars won 8 Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films at the 5th annual ceremony held January 14, 1978.

Star Wars won Best Science Fiction Film, Best Supporting Actor for Alec Guinness, Best Director for George Lucas, Best Writing for Lucas, Best Music for John Williams, Best Costumes for John Mollo, Best Makeup for Rick Baker and Stuart Freeborn, Best Special Effects for John Dykstra and John Stears, 

George Lucas tied with Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) for Best Director.  John Williams tied with himself for his score for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Star Wars was nominated for Best Actor for Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, Best Actress for Carrie Fisher, and Best Supporting Actor for Peter Cushing.

The film also received several special awards: Outstanding Art Direction, Outstanding Cinematographer, Outstanding Editing, Outstanding Set Direction, and Outstanding Sound.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" wins eight Saturn Awards 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the continuation of the Star Wars series, was nominated for a whopping 15 Saturn Awards, the most nominated film by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, and won eight at the annual ceremony held June 22, 2016.

The film won: 

Best Science Fiction Film

Best Writing for Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams and Michael Arndt

Best Actor for Harrison Ford

Best Supporting Actor for Adam Driver

Best Music for John Williams

Best Editing for Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

Best Make-up for Neal Scanlan

Best Special Effects for Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach,Neal Scanlan, and Chris Corbould

The Force Awakens was nominated for:

Best Director for J. J. Abrams

Best Actor for John Boyega

Best Actress for Daisy Ridley

Best Supporting Actress for Carrie Fisher and Lupita Nyong'o

Best Production Design for Rick Carter and Darren Gilford

Best Costume Design for Michael Kaplan

"Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" wins two Saturn Awards 2000

Although nominated for 10 Saturn Awards, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace garnered only two of the trophies at the Academy of Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy's 26th annual ceremony June 6, 2000.  

The first chapter in the Star Wars saga took home the awards for Best Costumes for Trisha Biggar and Best Special Effects.  Liam Neeson was nominated for Best Actor for his performance as Qui-Gon Jinn.  Ewan McGregor was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Pernilla August was nominated for Best Supporting Actress as Shmi Skywalker.  Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman were both nominated for Best Young Actor/Actress.  George Lucas was nominated as Best Director.  The Phantom Menace received nominations for the Best Science Fiction Film and for Best Make-up.

Star Wars wins 12 Saturn Awards 1978

Star Wars: A New Hope was nominated for 8 Saturn Awards and walked away with 12 trophies at the 5th annual ceremony held May 14, 1978.  

It won Best Science Fiction Film, Best Supporting Actor for Alec Guinness, Best Writing for George Lucas, Best Costumes, Best Makeup, and Best Special Effects for John Dykstra and John Stears.  John Williams tied with himself for Best Music for Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. George Lucas tied for Best Director with Steven Spielberg for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  

Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford were both nominated for Best Actor, and Carrie Fisher was nominated for Best Actress.  Peter Cushing was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

Star Wars was given five special awards:

Outstanding Art Direction for Norman Reynolds and Leslie Dilley

Outstanding Cinematographer for Gilbert Taylor

Outstanding Editing for Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and Richard Chew

Outstanding Set Decoration for Roger Christian

Outstanding Sound for Ben Burtt, Don MacDougall, and Sam F. Shaw.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was nominated for seven awards but only won the two awards for which it tied with Star Wars. 

John Williams wins 3 Grammy Awards 1978

John Williams took home three Grammy Awards at the 20th annual celebration held February 23, 1978.  His composition of Star Wars soundtrack won Best Instrumental Composition for Main Title from Star Wars, Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special, and Best Pop Instrumental Performance.  He had the most wins of that evening.

The Eagles went home with two wins: Record of the Year for Hotel California and Best Arrangement for Voices for New Kid In Town. 

Fleetwood Mac won Album of the Year for Rumours.

"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" wins 5 Saturn Awards 2021

The latest installment of the Star Wars franchise, The Rise of Skywalker, won 5 Saturn Awards at the 46th ceremony of the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, October 26, 2021.   It had been nominated for a total of 12 awards.

It won Best Science Fiction Film Release, Best Film Director for J. J. Abrams, Best Film Music for John Williams, Best Film Makeup, and Best Film Special/Visual Effects.  It was nominated for Best Film Writing, Best Actress in a Film for Daisy Ridley, Best Supporting Actor in a Film for Adam Driver and Ian McDiarmid, Best Film Editing, Best Film Production Design, and Best Costume Design.

Knives Out, a much better movie to me, won four Saturns: Best Thriller Film Release, Best Supporting Actress in a Film for Ana de Armas, Best Film Editing, and Best 4K Film Release.  It was nominated for Best Actor in a Film for Daniel Craig, Best Supporting Actor in a Film for Chris Evans, Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis, and Best Film Music.

Patrick Stewart won the Award for Best Actor on Television for his performance as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard.  Picard was nominated for Best Science Fiction Television Series, Best Performance by a Younger Actor on a Television Series for Isa Briones, and Best Guest Performance on a Television Series for Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine.

Star Trek: Discovery won two Saturns: Best Science Fiction Television Series and Best Supporting Actor on Television for Doug Jones. Sonequa Martin-Green was nominated for Best Actress on Television. 

Godzilla even won a Saturn for Best DVD/BD Collection: Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975.  Gamera: The Complete Collection was nominated for the award. 

Happy birthday, Star Wars/Harry Potter actor Warwick Davis!

Warwick Davis, born February 3, 1970 in Surrey, England, has appeared in several Star Wars movies and all of the Harry Potter movies.  He was 11 years old when his grandmother encouraged him to audition for Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, when she heard they were looking for people under 4 feet tall.  He was cast as an extra and was given the role of Wicket, when Kenny Baker, who was originally cast in the role, fell ill.  Davis plays the Ewok who finds Leia in the woods.  

He's appeared in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

After the success of Return of the Jedi, he was cast in the title role in Willow.  He played Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter movies.

Happy birthday, Cassian Andor actor Diego Luna!

Uber-sexy actor Diego Luna, born December 29, 1979 in Mexico City, Mexico, has set the universe alive with his portrayal of Cassian Andor in Star Wars: Rogue One and then on Disney's Andor.  He has won numerous awards from the Latin and Spanish communities, and has received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in Andor!

Happy birthday, Samuel L Jackson!

Sexy and talented actor Samuel L. Jackson, born December 21, 1948 in Washington, DC is one of my favorite actors.  He has won numerous awards for his acting and has been nominated for an Oscar.  He's appeared in many of my favorite movies, too.  He has played Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mace Windu in the Star Wars movies, and he is the voice of Frozone in the Incredibles movies.

Other movies that I enjoy watching him in are Deep Blue Sea, Jurassic Park, and 1408.

"Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi" released 2017

The second installment of the third Star Wars trilogy, episode 8 The Last Jedi opened across the US December 15, 2017, after its premiere in Los Angeles December 9.  It opened to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.  

I enjoyed the movie as well and will watch it again, but I had some issues with it.  First and foremost was the god-awful wig Laura Dern wore throughout the film.  It was so off-putting and I hate the hair style, the purple color notwithstanding.  

The second problem was the secondary plot of Finn (John Boyega) and Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) trying to disable the First Order's tracking device. Although they had many exciting adventures, their secret mission failed and did nothing to continue the plot. 

Unfortunately, many racists had problems with John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran, both people of color, having major roles in the Star Wars saga.  The problem was so bad that Tran left social media. 

Come on, guys!

The Last Jedi was nominated for four Academy Awards, it won three Saturn Awards (Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films): Best Writing: Rian Johnson, Best Actor: Mark Hamill, and Best Editing for Bob Ducsay.  It was nominated for 10 more Saturns.

John Williams' soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy.

Carrie Fisher, everyone's favorite princess, born 1956

I remember hearing the news that Carrie Fisher had passed away. So many of us Star Wars fans mourned the loss of our Princess Leia, whom we had loved since she appeared in Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977.  Born October 21, 1956 to Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, she played Leia in five Star Wars movies.  She passed after her work on The Last Jedi had been completed.

Carrie appeared in Soapdish, When Harry Met Sally, Sibling Rivalry (movies I enjoyed watching), and Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death, which is one of my least favorite mysteries and movies.

She was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards (no Oscars?).  I knew she wrote novels that were turned into movies, but I just learned she also did a lot of screenwriting and editing.  Wow!

She passed away December 27, 2016. 

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Oscar Isaac, Guatemalan-American actor

Incredibly handsome and versatile actor, Oscar Isaac, born in Guatemala City, Guatemala March 8, 1979, has won numerous awards for his acting.  He won a Golden Globe and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy.

He is best known for his portrayal Poe Dameron in the Star Wars movies, Episodes VII-IX.  He also starred as Apocalypse in X-Men: Apocalypse and Dune as Duke Leto Atreides.

Now I have to start binge watching Moon Knight!

"The Mandalorian wins seven Primetime Emmy Awards 2020

After only one season, The Mandalorian proved to be a powerhouse in the creative arts and won seven Primetime Emmys at the 72nd ceremony September 20, 2020.  The Disney-produced Star Wars spin-off won: 

1.     Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour),
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score),
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour),
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation,
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation,
Outstanding Special Visual Effects,
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie

It was nominated for seven more:

Outstanding Drama Series,

Outstanding Guest Actor (Giancarlo Esposito) in a Drama Series,

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes,

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special,

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (3 episodes nominated)

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" wins two Academy Awards 1978

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a Steven Spielberg blockbuster released in December 1977, won two Academy Awards at the 50th ceremony April 3, 1978.   It won Best Cinematography for Vilmos Zsigmond, and a Special Achievement Award for sound effects editing for Frank Warner.

It was nominated for Best Director for Spielberg, Best Supporting Actress for Melinda Dillon, Best Original Score for John Williams (he lost to himself), Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.  It lost out to Star Wars in every category except Cinematography.