MTV Movie & TV Awards

Brady Rust page editor

As the MTV Movie & TV Awards approach, Sheldon students begin to vote for and discuss the nominees of this year’s ceremony. Daunting categories such as “Best Movie,” “Best TV Show,” “Best Performance in a Movie,” and “Best Performance in a TV show,” have sparked discourse among many. This year showcases a wide range of nominations, including many unpredictable nominations, such as M3GAN (“M3GAN”), and the Bear (“Cocaine Bear”) for the category of “Best Villain.” This wide range encourages fans to prove their dedication and vote for and argue in favor of their favorite nominees. Ten various Sheldon students provided their opinions on the 2023 MTV Award nominees.

The “Best Movie” category consists of: “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Elvis,” “Nope,” “Scream VI,” “Smile,” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and “Scream VI” were the most popular among the ten students, each with three votes.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” follows the nation of Wakanda after the death of the Black Panther, who was played by Chadwick Boseman, who unfortunately passed away in August 2020. Junior Emma Shirtcliff showed her support for the movie, “The movie is purely outstanding to watch, and it also honors [Boseman].” The quality costume design and thematic elements of the film make it a top contender for its category, while also providing a lasting memory of Boseman.

“Scream VI” is the newest installment of the “Scream” franchise, continuing the legacy of Ghostface, but brings the meta-slasher franchise out of the quaint town of Woodsboro, all the way to New York City. Outstanding performances from Melissa Barrera, Courtney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, and Jenna Ortega, continued the franchise’s depiction of frightened yet fearless ‘final girls.’ Junior Brody Rust agrees with this claim stating, “Scream IV should win because it was one of the best in the series, as it paralleled previous films while also incorporating new elements. Jenna Ortega also had a great performance.” Additionally, Gale Weathers (played by Cox), is the first female character in a mainstream horror franchise that has appeared in six consecutive installments.

The “Best TV Show” category is composed of “Stranger Things,” “The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus,” “Wednesday,” “Wolf Pack,” “Yellowstone,” and “Yellowjackets.” Of these nominations, “The Last of Us,” and “The White Lotus” were the most admired, with three votes each.

“The Last of Us” depicts Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) in a post-apocalyptic world, where mutated fungi pose the threat to turn humanity into mindless ‘infected.’ The show is based on the eponymous video game, and has proven to be one of the most successful video game to TV adaptations. Junior Sheah Yi disclosed her appreciation for the show, “Pedro and Bella’s compatibility creates the foolproof duo of Ellie and Joel. The two compliment each other perfectly, which not only shapes the perfect pair for “The Last of Us,” but also makes them so admirable in real life.” The show resonated with many and holds the record as the most-watched show in the history of HBO Max.

“The White Lotus” is an anthology series, bringing together a new cast of characters to a new resort each season. The show takes a group of travelers and provides for them a mysterious environment that reveals their secrets, and often pits them against one another. Rust advocated for the series, saying, “It has a lot of political and social relevance while maintaining a casual environment through the use of humor and satire.” While the cast completely changes from season one to two, Jennifer Coolidge reprises her comedic role as Tanya Mcquoid, a lonely tourist.

The “Best Performance in a Movie” category is made up of Austin Butler (Elvis, “Elvis”), Florence Pugh (Alice, “Don’t Worry Darling”), KeKe Palmer (Emerald Haywood, “Nope”), Michael B. Jordan (Adonis Creed, “Creed III”), and Tom Cruise (Pete Mitchell, “Top Gun: Maverick”). The most liked performances came from Austin Butler and Florence Pugh.

“Elvis” places Austin Butler in the role of Elvis Presley, “the King of Rock and Roll.” Butler’s portrayal of this hit artist left many awestruck as he personified the life and achievements of Elvis with skill. Junior Abigail Lee believes Butler is the obvious winner within this category, “He was always so immersed in his character. I think the mannerisms present in his acting really made him become Elvis in a sense, who is such a significant person in music history.” In addition to his similar physical appearance, Butler also took it upon himself to sing the music in the film himself. His voice can be heard as the only vocals present in the music of Elvis’s early life, but is actually blended together with Elvis’s voice in the music performed during the film’s depiction of his later life.

The psychological thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” presents Florence Pugh as a suburban housewife, trapped in a peculiar neighborhood, far away from those outside of the community. As the storyline unfolds, Pugh delivers a strong performance as an unrelenting female lead. Junior Finley Olsen reinforced this nomination, saying, “Her acting seemed so genuine and she really sold the part in my opinion.” Pughs acting within this film sets her apart from the rest of the cast, just as the film sets her character apart from the other residents of Victory, “California.”

Nominations for “Best Performance in a TV Show” category includes, Aubrey Plaza (Harper Spiller, “The White Lotus”), Christina Ricci (Misty Quigley, “Yellowjackets”), Jenna Ortega (Wednesday Addams, “Wednesday”), Riley Keough (Daisy Jones, “Daisy Jones & The Six”), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield, “Stranger Things”), and Selena Gomez (Mabel Mora, “Only Murders in the Building”). The most respected of these nominations were Sadie Sink and Jenna Ortega. Known best for her role as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things, Sadie Sink exceeded expectations in the most recent season of the series. Her character experienced debilitating traumas and Sink executed the role very admirably. Olsen congratulated this performance, “her emotions are perfect and she’s able to portray Max very well.” Sink outperformed a majority of the cast this season, while notable performances also came from Millie Bobby Brown (as Eleven), Caleb McLaughlin (as Lucas Sinclair), and Joseph Quinn (as Eddie Munson).

The Netflix series “Wednesday” puts Jenna Ortega in the iconic role of Wednesday Addams. This adaptation of the Addams Family cartoon portrays Wednesday as a makeshift detective solving a string of murders that take place at the gothic boarding school she attends. The show found huge success among viewers of all ages, and allowed Ortega to further develop her skills as a young actor. Junior Julian Eclarinal notes Ortega’s skill, “she was able to hold a straight face throughout the entire show and had to learn how to keep herself composed.” He also comedically noted the contrast between her role as Wednesday, and the roles she played when she began her career as an actor, “She’s just a silly queen crazy girl stuck in the middle.” “Wednesday” broke several Netflix records, receiving nearly 6 billion views within the first week of its premier.

The “Best Villain” category contains Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”), Harry Styles (Jack Chambers, “Don’t Worry Darling”), Jamie Campbell Bower (Henry Creel, “Stranger Things”), M3GAN (voiced by Jenna Davis, “M3GAN”), and The Bear (“Cocaine Bear”). Although Jamie Campbell Bower and Harry Styles received a lot of praise for their roles, M3GAN and the Bear stand out as the comedic and campy killers of their respective horror films.

M3GAN acts as the villainous antagonist of “M3GAN,” in the form of a bloodthirsty child-like android. Eclarinal commemorates the android’s performance, simply because “she crazy.” The film was much more successful at the box office than expected, and satisfied horror fans looking for a suspenseful yet comedic thriller/horror.

“Cocaine Bear” follows the real life incident in which a bear was found dead after overdosing on cocaine. The Bear received an unexpected nomination for its role in the film, but has many supporters mainly due to the humor surrounding its nomination, given the fact that it is completely CGI. While the Bear in the film is a bloodthirsty killer, the real Cocaine Bear did not kill anyone, and is currently on display in a mall in Kentucky.

The MTV Movie & TV Awards spur a lot of debate among fans, and Sheldon is no exception to that. As die hard fans vote and advocate for their top picks, the decision ultimately belongs to the general public. This year’s ceremony takes place on Sunday May 7, and is hosted by Drew Barrymore, who was coincidentally named “Best Host” during last year’s awards. graphic by Sofia El-Shammaa