THE GOLDEN MOON AWARDS NOMINATIONS
By Charlie Kiggs

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Not too many surprises in this GMA Edition’s list of nominees. The four main contenders – ‘Woman Of God’, ‘Jonestown’, ‘Frontier’ and ‘Oedipus Rex’ – are probably the four best films of the Season (with the permission of some of the comedies released) so I mostly agree with voters’ choices.

It is going to be a tight competition. My feeling is that the awards will be divided among these main candidates so none of them will get too many awards. Don’t expect a 6 or 5 awards winner this time.

Instead of clear winners or record breakers, this Edition is very much interesting because of the big duels going on. Of course, ‘Woman Of God’ vs. ‘Jonestown’ is the main duel of the Edition. But more specifically, I expect a tight duel between Oliver Stone and Ridley Scott for Best Director, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Pfeiffer for Best Actress, Josh Brolin and Peter Sarsgaard for Best Actor, Ben Tyler and D.R.Cobb for Best Screenplay, Al Pacino and David Strathairn for Best Supporting Actor and any possible winner at the Best Supporting Actress category. Of all of them, only Cate Blanchett and Josh Brolin look to me as clear favorites to win the leading acting categories. The rest of them are so tight that it will be a thrilling ceremony.

Some peculiarities can be pointed out this time. For once, nominations that usually go together have gone their own separate ways this time: only one of the Best Screenplay nominees – ‘Jonestown’ – is also a Best Director and Best Picture nominee too. Usually, Best Screenplay and Best Picture go together but this time that can only happen with ‘Jonestown’. Also, only one of the Best Picture nominees – ‘Woman Of God’ – shows up at the Best Adaptation and Original Concept categories, two categories that usually meet with the Best Picture nominees.

Another peculiarity is the surprising fact that Chad Taylor has been nominated at the Best Screenplay category with ‘The Lonely Polygamist’ and not with ‘Frontier’. Not very often a movie gets as its only nomination the Best Screenplay nod.

James Franco reaches the 7 nominations, becoming one of the most nominated talents ever at the GMA. Impressive achievement. Same can be said about Ridley Scott. He reaches his 6th nomination and that means Scott already is the most nominated movie director ever.

THE IGNORED

Some good movies were completely ignored by voters. The interesting ‘Somewhere Other Than The Night’ and the nice ‘Cousins’ didn’t get a single nomination. In my opinion, those are the two most remarkable absences in a list where 18 out of the 30 movies released this Season got at least one nomination.

It is the Best Supporting Actress category where I disagree more with voters’ choices. Marisa Tomei should have been there for her splendid work in ‘Somewhere Other Than The Night’ and any of the four wives of Mark Ruffalo in ‘The Lonely Polygamist’ could have been there too. Maybe it was hard to choose between them and that damaged their chances.

I miss Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zach Braff at the acting categories for their hilarious works in 'Stairway To Heaven'. Comedy characters always have it harder for nominations.

Also, there are two remarkable absences. Surprisingly, Martin Scorsese, usually a voters’ favorite, didn’t make it this time at the Best Director category for ‘Oedipus Rex’. His movie has got 5 nominations but it didn’t make it at the two main categories: Best Director and Best Picture. The other surprise to me is that James Bradley was ignored at the Best Screenplay category. ‘Woman Of God’ is the most nominated movie but this time voters may have felt tired of supporting Bradley’s writing works.

As usual, blockbusters and nominations have gone their own separate ways. The megahit ‘Metroid: Prime’ has been ignored by voters. Same goes for another one of the main blockbusters of the Season, ‘First Flight’. And other successful films like ‘Uncharted 2’ or ‘Green Arrow: Year One’ only were remembered at minor categories.

Westerns weren’t lucky either. Two interesting films like ‘The Sheriff, Saloon and the Storm’ and ‘This Far From Heaven’ were also forgotten by voters.

THE RETURNS

This Edition, most of the nominees have been around before. In fact, many of the nominees already own one or more Golden Moon Awards.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

DAKOTA FANNING
She may be young but she is an experienced candidate at the GMA. Dakota has already won one statue (Best Supporting Actress for ‘Carousel’ in Season 4) and she has been nominated three other times: Actress (‘Alice In Wonderland’, Season 1), Starring Couple (with Abigail Breslin in Season 9 for ‘The Fantastic Mansion’) and Supporting Actress (‘Prison Letters’, Season 14).

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN
This will be the second time that Dakota and Philip are rivals at the Best Starring Couple category. The previous one was back in Season 9. That time, Philip won the award with Johnny Depp for ‘Sherlock Holmes’. He has been nominated another two times: Villain (‘Netchasers’, Season 8) and Supporting Actor (‘The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay', Season 13).

DANIEL CRAIG
Winner of two Golden Moon Awards: Best Villain (‘Star Wars: New Order’, Season 3) and Best Supporting Actor (‘1066’, Season 8). Also nominee once for Best Actor (‘Powerhouse’, Season 5).

CATHERINE Z. JONES
Sixteen Seasons ago, back in Season 2, she won two awards for her work in the Wes Anderson’s film ‘Fools Game’: Best Actress and Best Starring Couple (together with her husband, Michael Douglas).

CHARLIZE THERON
The two times she has been nominated before, Charlize has taken the statue home: Best Supporting Actress for ‘Cathedral’ (Season 2) and Best Actress for ‘Love Lost’ (Season 16).

DAVID STRATHAIRN
His previous film in CMP before ‘Jonestown’ meant a win at the Best Actor category for him: it was ‘Otto Rahn’, back in Season 15.

EMMA WATSON
This is not the first time for Emma Watson at the best actress trio. She met at it with Charlize Theron in Season 16. Charlize won and Emma was nominee for ‘Snow’. But Emma did win the Best Starring Couple award with Jim Sturgess for that movie.

JAMES FRANCO
He has become one of the most nominated talents ever at the GMA. This will be his seventh time around. Two previous wins: Best Supporting Actor in Season 13 for ‘The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay’ (one of his rivals was his cast mate and also this Edition’s nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Best Starring Couple with Carey Mulligan in Season 15 with ‘A Farewell To Arms’. He has also been twice before at the Best Actor category (‘A Farewell To Arms’ and Season 16’s ‘Whatever Happened To Holden Caulfield?’) but he has not won this award yet. His other two nominations were Best Starring Couple with Tobey Maguire for ‘Whatever Happened To Holden Caulfield?’ and Best Villain in Season 16 for ‘Dark Shadows’.

RIDLEY SCOTT
Another veteran at the Golden Moon Awards. This is his 6th nomination. No other director has been nominated as many times as Scott. He has won two awards before as director and producer of the Best Picture winner ‘Uncommon Valour: The Frigate Captain’. But he has been nominated for Best Director three more times without winning: ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ (Season 10), ‘Gaspipe’ (Season 11) and ‘Uncommon Valour: Only The Valiant’ (Season 13). Past Edition, Ridley and Tony Scott were awarded with the honorary Full Moon Award.

PREVIOUS NOMINEES

BILLY BOB THORNTON
Back in Season 8, Thornton had his only previous chance to win a GMA: it was at the Best Supporting Actor category with ‘Maleficarum’.

AL PACINO
Like Thornton, Pacino has only had one previous chance to win a GMA. 14 Seasons ago, back in Season 4, he got a GMA nod at the Best Villain category with ‘The Law’.

CATE BLANCHETT
It was Season 12 and the movie was ‘The Curious Incident Of The Dog In the Night-Time’. Cate got her only previous nomination at the Best Supporting Actress category.

MICHELLE PFEIFFER
Michelle has not been too lucky at the GMA in the past. Three previous nominations and no win yet: Best Supporting Actress (‘Only In America’, Season 7) and Best Starring Couple (with Emile Hirsh) and Best Actress for ‘The Impossible Dream’ back in Season 12.

AND THE SCREENWRITERS…

BEN TYLER
Tyler has had an spectacular comeback to CMP after 9 Seasons away. The controversial ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ and the acclaimed ‘Stairway To Heaven’ have been to big events of the Season. This is going to be his third time at the Golden Moon Awards. He won the Best Screenplay award in Season 6 with his very first movie released, the comedy ‘Schroedinger’s Litterbox’, directed and starred by the same talents than ‘Stairway To Heaven’. In Season 9, he got his second Best Screenplay nomination for his successful big screen adaptation of the tv classic ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’.

CHAD TAYLOR
Chad is beginning to be as regular at the GMA as James Bradley. An amazing achievement: this is his fourth Edition in a row being nominated for Best Screenplay. Not even Bradley has made something like that. And this is his 7th attempt to win a statue. He already won the Best Screenplay award in Season 15 with ‘A Farewell To Arms’. He has fought at that category without winning four other times: ‘The Beatles’ (Season 12), ‘Amedia’ (Season 15), ‘Noon’ (Season 16) and ‘Alabama’ (Season 17). With ‘Amedia’, he also was nominated at the Best Director category.

D.R. COBB
It seems like he’s been part of CMP’s world forever but the truth is that his career as screenwriter begun in Season 17. This is his very first nomination at the Golden Moon Awards. But considering his intense creative activity and the quality of many of his stories, it is probably only the beginning of a recurrent presence at the nominations’ list.

THE PREDICTIONS

As said, I think this Edition is going to be a tight fight between the four most nominated movies. While some categories may have a more clear winner, others are extremely uncertain, so any prediction is riskier than ever this time.

Anyway, here go my predictions. And remember they are only based on my personal opinion. Don’t look for inside information or trustable hints in them.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

CATHERINE Z. JONES
Reason To Win: Her work in the Wonder Woman saga has always been praised by critics. The award would be a nice recognition to it.
Reason To Lose: Comic characters rarely win acting awards.
All In All: The nomination is reward enough for the impressive presence Catherine has shown in this franchise. Low chances.

CHARLIZE THERON
Reason To Win: She undoubtedly is the female star of the moment in CMP.
Reason To Lose: Again, as it happened with ‘Lost Love’, being here may be too much for playing a character that only shows up a few minutes on screen.
All In All: She won the Best Actress GMA with ‘Love Lost’ and her character was only seen on screen during the first half of the movie. So why shouldn’t she win here? It seems lately that you can put a picture of Charlize in a movie and she’ll get a GMA nod. Big chances.

SAOIRSE RONAN
Reason To Win: She is a rising star in CMP. The award would mean the definite impulse to move her up to the CMP’s A-list of actresses.
Reason To Lose: Still green? Looking at the three of them together, it’s obvious that the star presence of Catherine and Charlize completely shadows her.
All In All: Big options. But I’m not sure if as many as Charlize’s.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

AL PACINO
Reason To Win: It’s Pacino. And he has never won a GMA yet.
Reason To Lose: Hard to find any. It’s Pacino, you know.
All In All: This is one of those ‘33% chances’ fights.

DAVID STRATHAIRN
Reason To Win: He makes an excellent acting job in an excellent movie. That’s what winning awards is about.
Reason To Lose: Does he really play a supporting role or is it a leading one?
All In All: 33%. But maybe 33.5%. I have the intuition that voters are going to support strongly ‘Jonestown’.

LIAM NEESON
Reason To Win: Is there anybody out there who does not feel sympathy for good old Liam?
Reason To Lose: Pacino and Strathairn’s works look very much awardable.
All In All: I’ll give him the 33% but I think he has a very tough fight ahead of him.

BEST STARRING COUPLE

LIAM AIKEN & DAKOTA FANNING
Reason To Win: They were very much believable in their characters. The chemistry worked so well here.
Reason To Lose: ‘Just There’ has been less supported by voters than what I thought it would be.
All In All: I loved ‘Just There’ so I wish them best.

PETER SARSGAARD & ATTICUS SHAFFER
Reason To Win: That mysterious thing we call ‘chemistry’ worked at its highest level in their father and son relationship.
Reason To Lose: Sometimes voters are very predictable, sometimes they are not.
All In All: They should win. Their interaction in the movie was perfect. But I have the feeling they might end up losing.

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN & DANIEL CRAIG
Reason To Win: They are two highly prestigious stars in CMP’s world.
Reason To Lose: Did anybody really like ‘The Sky Is Grey’?
All In All: Big chances. Just because they are who they are.

BEST ACTRESS

CATE BLANCHETT
Reason To Win: Her name was engraved at the Best Actress statue one second after ‘Woman Of God’ was released.
Reason To Lose: Voters may feel naughty and act unpredictably.
All In All: Congratulations on anticipation, Cate.

EMMA WATSON
Reason To Win: She has become lately the second Female Star Of The Moment in CMP, right after Charlize.
Reason To Lose: Come on, let’s be serious.
All In All: Sooner or later, she is going to win this award. But not this time… I think.

MICHELLE PFEIFFER
Reason To Win: She does not show up often in CMP’s movies, but everytime she does she makes an impressive appearance. An award is beginning to be owed to her.
Reason To Lose: Cate.
All In All: It’s a duel between her and Cate. Cate is going to win. But it’s a duel anyway.

BEST ACTOR

JAMES FRANCO
Reason To Win: Yes, voters may feel naughty and do strange things, why not?
Reason To Lose: He didn’t starred in a movie. He starred in a lysergic fantasy.
All In All: Do not underestimate his chances. Franco is a most popular and supported star in CMP.

JOSH BROLIN
Reason To Win: Easy: he simply made an extraordinary acting work in ‘Jonestown’.
Reason To Lose: Voters may decide to punish him for being at the poor ‘The Goonies II’.
All In All: I would be so surprised if he does not make it.

PETER SARSGAARD
Reason To Win: Easy again: he was simply wonderful in ‘Frontier’.
Reason To Lose: It seems like a settled statement that Brolin is going to win here.
All In All: He is my choice. And I expect at least a tight duel. But I think that he won’t beat Brolin at the end.

BEST SCREENPLAY

BEN TYLER
Reason To Win: ‘Stairway To Heaven’ is the best comedy screenplay we have had in CMP since ‘Schroendinger’s Litterbox’.
Reason To Lose: ‘Jonestown’ is going to be a tough rival at all the categories, this one included.
All In All: He should win. He probably will. But don’t bet all your money on that… just in case.

CHAD TAYLOR
Reason To Win: His prestige as writer in CMP keeps growing movie after movie, specially now that he has focused on dramas and dramedies.
Reason To Lose: It’s the only nomination ‘The Lonely Polygamist’ has. That’s strange.
All In All: I just don’t understand why he got this nomination for ‘The Lonely Polygamist’ and not for ‘Frontier’. His chances would have been bigger with ‘Frontier’.

D.R.COBB
Reason To Win: Obviously, ‘Jonestown’ has made a big impact on voters and critics, much bigger than in audiences.
Reason To Lose: I’m not sure if ‘Jonestown’ is a ‘screenplay movie’.
All In All: One of the big duels of the night: Tyler vs. Cobb.

BEST DIRECTOR

JOEL & ETHAN COEN
Reason To Win: The Coen Brothers have deserved to be nominated before with some of his previous CMP’s films. ‘Frontier’ is the perfect occasion to recognize their talent.
Reason To Lose: ‘Frontier’ is the underdog candidate of the night. Stone and Scott are two heavy-weights.
All In All: I have the intuition that this Edition the Best Director and the Best Picture award might not go together, so they have a slight chance.

OLIVER STONE
Reason To Win: He built up a great movie with an old true story that didn’t look as interesting as it finally turned out to be.
Reason To Lose: Is Oliver Stone a better moviemaker than the Coen Brothers or Ridley Scott?
All In All: Big chances. But maybe I’m overestimating the chances of ‘Jonestown’.

RIDLEY SCOTT
Reason To Win: When Ridley is around, he always has big chances to win. And he has been mistreated lately by the GMA with too many failed nominations.
Reason To Lose: It all depends if I’m overestimating ‘Jonestown’ in these predictions or not.
All In All: He should win. ‘Woman Of God’ is the product of a very talented and gifted moviemaker.

BEST PICTURE

FRONTIER
Reason To Win: Sometimes, underdogs win.
Reason To Lose: Usually, underdogs do not win at the GMA.
All In All: I love this movie, no matter what will happen at the Gala.

JONESTOWN
Reason To Win: It’s a cool movie. And its win is less predictable than ‘Woman Of God’.
Reason To Lose: Is it that good?
All In All: Tight, extremely tight duel with ‘Woman Of God’.

WOMAN OF GOD
Reason To Win: It’s the typical ‘perfect’ movie conceived to win awards.
Reason To Lose: It looks too ‘traditional’ to vote for a top epic top budget top cast top everything historical film.
All In All: I’ll make my riskiest bet here: Best Director and Best Picture awards will split between ‘Woman Of God’ and ‘Jonestown’.