"Avengers: Endgame," "Game of Thrones" are top winners in film and TV, respectively
By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Kevin Feige was honored at the 45th annual Saturn Awards but the Marvel Studios president gave higher praise to someone other than himself.
Feige said in a video message Friday night that he was “humbled” after accepting the inaugural Stan Lee Builder award, named after the late Marvel Comics mastermind. He paid homage to Lee for kick-starting the Marvel legacy, calling him a “genius.”
“He was enthused with humanity and kindness,” said Feige, who did not attend the ceremony but spoke on a large video screen. “He put that into every creation he had, which is why they all still resonate today. It will resonate for centuries to come.”
Feige was recognized for the successful creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a film world with multiple story lines and characters that so far has spanned 23 films over 11 years. The latest phase of the franchise triumphantly concluded with the record-breaking “Avengers: Endgame” film, which topped the evening with six awards including best comic-to-motion picture release. Leading the way in television was “Game of Thrones” with four Saturn wins.
The awards show was simulcast for the first time on several platforms including its official YouTube channel, Twitch, Cinedigm’s CONtv and Pluto TV Sci-Fi Channel.
Aisha Tyler hosted the event, created in 1973 to recognize horror, sci-fi and fantasy films that typically don’t get recognized at major award shows. The awards were presented at the Avalon Hollywood venue in Los Angeles.
“Iron Man” and “Lion King” director Jon Favreau and Marvel’s head of television Jeph Loeb also received honorary awards. Favreau was handed the Saturn Visionary award for his work in modern cinema, while Loeb was given the Dan Curtis Legacy award, which highlights the accomplishments in genre television.
Favreau remembered when he first saw a Saturn Award while visiting Feige’s office years ago. He also spoke about the progression of superhero films along with sci-fi and fantasy genres.
“At the time, people weren’t really recognizing superhero films or genre films. Now, we’re a part of mainstream,” Favreau said. “Now horror, superheroes and sci-fi have become a part of what keeps the film business going. But way back when I was growing up, it was a small group in the lunch room that liked that kind of stuff. … It’s so amazing how this has blossomed.”
Loeb said his father’s colorful stories of his workday during his childhood encouraged him to become a storyteller.
“He told a story about going to the post office. But in my mind, he was Indiana Jones meets Jesse James,” he said. “He was a stockbroker for 37 years, but he made me want to be a storyteller. … They say in this business don’t meet your heroes.
You’ll find out they’re just mortals. But I have and they’re in this room. They’re in my office and on my sets.”
“Halloween” star Jamie Lee Curtis received a standing ovation after winning best actress in a 2018 film. The actress isn’t a huge fan of horror films but said she was grateful that her role in the first “Halloween,” in 1978, help kick-start her career.
“I never, ever, ever thought I would be an actress,” Curtis said.
Robert Downey Jr. won best actor for his work in “Avengers: Endgame.”
George Takei, the “Star Trek” actor, called himself an “O.G. nerd” before announcing HBO’s “Westworld” as the winner for best science fiction television series.
“Supergirl” star Melissa Benoist accepted the award for the CW show, which won best superhero television series.
Here’s a category-by-category rundown of the winners:
2019 SATURN AWARDS WINNERS
FILM
BEST COMIC-TO-MOTION PICTURE RELEASE
Avengers: Endgame Marvel / Walt Disney Studios
BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM RELEASE
Ready Player One Warner Bros. Pictures
BEST FANTASY FILM RELEASE
Toy Story 4 Pixar Animation / Walt Disney Studios
BEST HORROR FILM RELEASE
A Quiet Place Paramount
BEST ACTION / ADVENTURE FILM RELEASE
Mission: Impossible – Fallout Paramount
BEST THRILLER FILM RELEASE
Bad Times at The El Royale 20th Century Fox
BEST ANIMATED FILM RELEASE
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sony Pictures
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM RELEASE
Mandy RLJ Entertainment
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM RELEASE
Burning Well Go USA
BEST ACTOR IN A FILM
Robert Downey Jr. Avengers: Endgame Marvel / Walt Disney Studios
BEST ACTRESS IN A FILM
Jamie Lee Curtis Halloween Universal
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A FILM
Josh Brolin Avengers: Infinity War Marvel / Walt Disney Studios
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A FILM
Zendaya Spider-Man: Far From Home Marvel / Sony Studios
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUNGER ACTOR
Tom Holland Spider-Man: Far From Home Marvel / Sony Pictures
BEST FILM DIRECTOR
Jordan Peele Us Universal Pictures
BEST FILM SCREENPLAY
Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, John Krasinski A Quiet Place
Paramount
BEST FILM PRODUCTION DESIGN
Charles Wood Avengers: Endgame Marvel / Walt Disney Studios
BEST FILM EDITING
Jeffrey Ford, Matthew Schmidt Avengers: Endgame
Marvel / Walt Disney Studios
BEST FILM MUSIC
Marc Shaiman Mary Poppins Returns Walt Disney Studios
BEST FILM COSTUME
Michael Wilkinson Aladdin Walt Disney Studios
BEST FILM MAKE-UP
John Blake, Brian Sipe Avengers: Endgame
Marvel / Walt Disney Studios
BEST FILM SPECIAL/VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers: Endgame Marvel / Walt Disney Studios
TELEVISION AND STREAMING TELEVISION
BEST SUPERHERO TELEVISION SERIES
Supergirl The CW
BEST SCIENCE FICTION TELEVISION SERIES
Westworld HBO
BEST FANTASY TELEVISION SERIES
Game of Thrones HBO
BEST HORROR TELEVISION SERIES
The Walking Dead AMC
BEST ACTION / THRILLER TELEVISION SERIES
Better Call Saul AMC
BEST ANIMATED SERIES ON TELEVISION
Star Wars Resistance Disney Channel
BEST ACTOR ON A TELEVISION SERIES
Sam Heughan Outlander Starz
BEST ACTRESS ON A TELEVISION SERIES
Emilia Clarke Game of Thrones HBO
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR ON A TELEVISION SERIES
Peter Dinklage Game of Thrones HBO
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS ON A TELEVISION SERIES
Danai Gurira The Walking Dead AMC
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUNGER ACTOR ON A TELEVISION SERIES
Maisie Williams Game of Thrones HBO
BEST GUEST STARRING PERFORMANCE ON A TELEVISION SERIES
Jeffrey Dean Morgan The Walking Dead AMC
BEST STREAMING SUPERHERO TELEVISION SERIES
Marvel’s Daredevil Netflix
BEST STREAMING SCIENCE FICTION, ACTION, & FANTASY SERIES
Star Trek: Discovery CBS All Access
BEST STREAMING HORROR & THRILLER SERIES
Stranger Things Netflix
BEST ACTOR IN STREAMING PRESENTATION
Henry Thomas The Haunting of Hill House Netflix
BEST ACTRESS IN STREAMING PRESENTATION
Sonequa Martin-Green Star Trek: Discovery CBS All Access
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN STREAMING PRESENTATION
Doug Jones Star Trek: Discovery CBS All Access
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN STREAMING SERIES
Maya Hawke Stranger Things Netflix
HOME ENTERTAINMENT
BEST DVD / BD RELEASE
King Cohen La La Land
BEST DVD / BD CLASSIC FILM RELEASE
2001: A Space Odyssey (4K) Warner
BEST DVD / BD SPECIAL EDITION RELEASE
Waterworld Limited Edition Arrow
BEST DVD / BD COLLECTION RELEASE
Universal Classic Monsters 30 Film Collection Universal
BEST DVD / BD TELEVISION MOVIE OR SERIES RELEASE
The Outer Limits (Season 1 and 2) Kino Lorber Studio Classics
LOCAL LIVE STAGE PRODUCTION
BEST LOCAL LIVE STAGE PRODUCTION
Puppet Up! Uncensored Henson Alternative
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More