MTV Movie Awards asks whether 12 Years A Slave is really better than The Hunger Games
As part of its continued effort to “class up its act,” and bring a renewed integrity to the bestowing of awards upon film’s finest working actors that teenagers recognize, this year’s MTV Movie Awards has gritted its teeth and nominated the important, if often difficult-to-watch story of free people conscripted into violent servitude at the whims of a cruel aristocracy. Yes, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is up for MTV’s Movie Of The Year, alongside arguably just-as-prestigious Oscar favorites American Hustle, The Wolf Of Wall Street, and even 12 Years A Slave—every mention of which will surely evoke a far more somber tone of high-pitched whooping from the ceremony’s audience come April 13.
Other guarantees of Jennifer Lawrence’s obligatory attendance include pitting her Hunger Games performance against that of her American Hustle co-star Amy Adams; nominating their aggressive lip-locking in that film for “Best Kiss” and Lawrence’s “Live And Let Die” sort-of-sing-along for “Best Musical Moment;” including her in the Hunger Games group up for Best Fight; and basically doing everything short of creating a “Best Jennifer Lawrence…. Whatever. Best Jennifer Lawrence Thing” category. But such are the measures necessary to make certain the year in cinema is assayed to the standards one has come to expect from MTV, particularly in a year where there was no Twilight movie.
To be fair to MTV’s increasingly self-conscious “academy,” the list is surprisingly heavy on the year’s critical favorites—albeit mostly the ones that have the actors the kids like in them. Hustle and Wolf received the most nominations overall, while the lack of supporting actor categories—and thus the lack of chances to nominate people like Jared Leto and Barkhad Abdi—was addressed in categories like Best On-Screen Transformation and Best Villain, respectively. (Best of luck to Leto; sure, he may have wowed Oscar voters with his dramatic weight loss, but he never had to compete against Orlando Bloom’s wearing of pointy ears.)
If there’s one real surprise, it’s that Gravity’s final chance to be rewarded as the populist favorite it’s been all season seems to have been dashed in favor of honoring The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug. If there’s one consolation, it’s that Sandra Bullock was nominated for Best Actress, not Best Scared-As-Shit Performance.
Anyway, online voting is now open, so you may contribute to maintaining the integrity of the MTV Movie Awards by ensuring Danny McBride making Channing Tatum his ass-monkey isn’t robbed of its rightful #WTF Moment honor by the usual cronyism and studio politicking.
Movie Of The Year
12 Years A Slave
American Hustle
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Wolf Of Wall Street
Best Male Performance
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf Of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave
Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Female Performance
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Jennifer Aniston, We’re The Millers
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years A Slave
Best Scared-As-Shit Performance
Rose Byrne, Insidious: Chapter 2
Jessica Chastain, Mama
Vera Farmiga, The Conjuring
Ethan Hawke, The Purge
Brad Pitt, World War Z