(...Story Continued from Previous Page) As far as movies that truly scared us,
however, the "found footage" sensation "Paranormal Activity" and the unnerving Canadian import "Pontypool" were the ones that sent chills up our spine. So,
it's a tie!
And the winner is: "Paranormal Activity" and "Pontypool"
Best Actor
Sharlto Copley came out of nowhere with a
terrific, affecting lead performance in "District 9," playing a man who starts
out a total jerk and ends up more humane even as he becomes less human. Zachary Quinto had one of the hardest tasks in this year's
"Star Trek" reboot, playing Spock in the same movie with the original (Leonard Nimoy), and he captured the Vulcan's mix of logic
and emotion beautifully. Stephen McHattie came in crystal clear as a grizzled,
burnt-out radio host in "Pontypool," while Viggo Mortensen's devotion to his son against all
odds made "The Road" all the more heartbreaking. Yet it's Sam Rockwell, or shall we say several Sam Rockwells, who
takes the prize for his poignant, despairing one-man show in "Moon."
And the winner is: Sam Rockwell for
"Moon"
Best Actress
Just like in mainstream Hollywood, juicy genre roles for women are hard to
come by. Katie Featherston's projection of real fear and increasing hopelessness
was one of the unsung aspects of "Paranormal Activity," while Lisa Houle's
determined radio producer in "Pontypool" tried bravely to keep her cool in a bad
situation. The "utter fearlessness" prize goes to Charlotte Gainsbourg for her bold, shocking and thoroughly
rattling turn in Lars Von Trier's controversial "Antichrist." In "Drag Me to Hell," Alison Lohman digs deeper than expected beneath the surface
of her ambitious bank employee. But it is Zoe Saldana who wins for somehow creating a real,
breathing, emotional character out of a computer program as the all-CG Neytiri
in "Avatar."
And the winner is: Zoe Saldana for
"Avatar"
Best Supporting Actor
2008 was dominated by Heath Ledger's Joker, but last year brought a crop of
standout supporting nominees. Jackie Earle Haley's tortured Rorschach and Billy Crudup's cosmic Dr. Manhattan were the two most
interesting and sympathetic characters in the underrated "Watchmen" ensemble,
while Liev Schreiber was one of the few highlights of the
otherwise woeful "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" as a feral, cunning Sabretooth. As
"the boy" in "The Road," Kodi Smit-McPhee tugged at your heart without being
cloying. The winner, however, is Karl Urban for nailing the biting wit, cynicism and
compassion of Dr. Leonard McCoy in "Star Trek," a touching tribute to DeForest
Kelley, the original "Bones," and a fine acting job in its own right.
And the winner is: Karl Urban for "Star
Trek"
Best Supporting Actress
Potential nominees for supporting actress don't have it any easier than their
counterparts in the Best Actress category, so the pickings were slim this year.
Zoe Saldana scored in this category as well with her compassionate take on Uhura
in "Star Trek," while Sigourney Weaver brought some tough-broad sass to an
underwritten scientist role in "Avatar." We'll also give Carla Gugino and Malin Akerman props for their mother-daughter
superhero team in "Watchmen." The surprise of the lot, however, was little Isabelle Fuhrman for her thoroughly creepy turn as
an "Orphan" who is not what she seems.
And the winner is: Isabelle Fuhrman for "Orphan"
Best Director
Another close race this time: Sam Raimi proved he was able to go back to his
genre roots with the scary yet fun "Drag Me to Hell," while John Hillcoat's visualization of "The Road" perfectly
captured the book's unrelieved despair and flicker of humanity. J.J. Abrams took the tired old "Star Trek" franchise and
reinvented it as one of the most exciting sci-fi treats of the year. Finally,
though, it comes down to two visionaries: James Cameron took filmmaking to a whole new level
with the creative power of "Avatar," yet, a better story, more originality and
deeper characters, matched to often equally brilliant effects, give Neill Blomkamp the edge for "District 9."
And the winner is: Neill Blomkamp for "District
9"
Best Scene of Crap Getting Blown Up
Even the year's lamer movies had at least one cool action/destruction
sequence. The fight in the forest between Optimus, Starscream and Megatron was
the one half-decent scene in the otherwise dismal "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." A chase through the
desert involving all kinds of robots and an exploding gas station was likewise a
standout in "Terminator Salvation." The opening battle in "Star Trek" was
immediately gripping, while the closing firefight in "District 9" was equally
harrowing and breathless. It's "Avatar," however, that takes the prize for the
destructive attack on the Na'vi's Hometree, a sequence as jaw dropping as it was
tragic.
And the winner is: "Avatar"
Best Gore Scene
The gruesome attack by Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) on bank clerk Christine
(Alison Lohman) was a gross highlight of "Drag Me to Hell," but was easily
topped by Johnathon Schaech getting his head ripped in half by the
slasher Chrome Skull in the little-seen "Laid to Rest." The screen dripped with gore and bodily
fluids in Ti West's "Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever," while the usual
parade of torture in "Saw VI" climaxed with a victim's flesh eaten away by acid
until it came apart at the seams. None of this, however, was nearly as
unwatchable as the final 20 minutes of "Martyrs," which ended with the lead character
beaten relentlessly before being flayed alive.
And the winner is: "Martyrs"
Best Attempt to Earn the Fanboys' Wrath
So who did their best in 2009 to make the fan community seethe with rage?
Writer/director Olatunde Osunsanmi thought he could pull one over on us with the
alleged "true story" behind his UFO folly "The Fourth Kind," but savvy bloggers saw through his act
quickly. Plenty of folks liked "Transformers 2," but we hate Michael Bay for dumbing down the art of filmmaking. No one
involved in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," neither the director, the
studio nor the cast, seemed to care that the movie was two hours of tedium. But
our biggest thumbs-down goes to 20th Century Fox for ruining the once-decent "X-Men" franchise with the ill-advised "X-Men Origins:
Wolverine."
And the winner is: 20th Century Fox for "X-Men
Origins: Wolverine"
Don Kaye covers films, TV and entertainment for MSN.com.
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