Hulu Awards Week 7: John J. Joex’s List

Round 1 Nominations:

Best Family Movie:
This category had a limited number of choices, but it had enough good ones to pick from. I resisted the urge to nominate Arnold Schwarzenegger’s feature film debut, Hercules in New York (which the Academy Awards ingloriously snubbed in 1970), and went with these instead:

1. The Karate Kid – It has become an iconic movie, and for good reason. Younger and older viewers can enjoy it and it delivered lines that have become part of our culture like “wax on, wax off”.
2. Jumanji – A fun little romp through the imagination with Robin Williams in tow.
3. Dragonheart – Not a great movie, but not bad either. Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery help raise it up a notch.

Best Anime Series:
Oddly enough, I have never been a huge follower of the anime genre. Oh, I have seen many of the pivotal works of the genre, but I have not delved too much further than that. This category gave me the chance to explore further into the offerings, and I liked what I saw.

1. Death Note – This one is right up my ally. A teenager finds a notebook that will kill anybody whose name is written in it and decides to use it to kill evil people. The episodes I have seen so far are very well done.
2. Mushi-shi – This is an interesting and beautifully illustrated tale about a man who seeks out the supernatural creatures known as Mushi and helps people who they have brought misfortune to.
3. Astro Boy – Have to include this one in here. It is mostly geared for children, but it includes themes you don’t often see in kid’s programming such as discrimination and responsibility of actions. It looks like the episodes on Hulu are from the 2003 incarnation, but I would swear this is the 1980 version.

Best Cartoon Series (non-anime):
This category had a rather wide range of choices from the older-skewed Simpsons and Dilbert to the kid-friendly Casper.

1. The Pink Panther – Unfortunately, Hulu only has nine of the Pink Panther shorts available. Still, this is an all-time classic that can be enjoyed by young and old alike (and admit it, just reading this entry you now have the Henry Mancini in your head).
2. Exosquad – Billed as an “American Anime”, this series has unfortunately never received the recognition it deserves. Sadly, Hulu only has 12 of the 52 total episodes available and skips from episode ten to twelve.
3. The Simpsons – A true cultural phenomena. I have not followed this series as closely as others I know, but every time I do tune in, it makes me laugh.
4. Futurama – Another Matt Groening entry. Not quite at the level of The Simpsons, but it still has its moments.

Best Animated Short:
Ah, I remember well the days when each year I would head to the local art-house with friends to see the latest International Tournee of Animation release. The early ones I saw provided a cornucopia of animated shorts including some of the earliest experiments with CGI animation. Alas, later entries in the film series proved much more tedious, and I eventually lost interest. So as I approached this category, I had hopes of finding entries that harkened back to those early, more exciting days of the Tournee. Unfortunately, I found much more of the tedious variety in the selections available.

1. Poor God – There are several world leaders who should be locked up in a room and forced to watch this repeatedly until they finally get it.
2. Nun Fight Club – The name says it all. A hilarious piece.
3. Leviathan – This surreal and visually stunning piece claims to be based on Thomas Hobbes’ book of the same name. It appears the creators of this short take a dim view of his subject.
4. Vaudeville – Don’t let the name fool you. This is a somber piece about loss of cultural identity.

Round 2 Nominations:

Best Dramatic TV Series:

1. Picket Fences – Want proof that this series deserves the nod for best Dramatic series? Watch the Season 2 episode Cross Examination. A powerful question of faith episode that provides a true challenge to the viewers by presenting multiple perspectives instead of simply skewing to one side. An all-time high point for television. And while not every episode rose to this level, many came close through the first two seasons.
2. Raines – Glad to see this one made to Round 2. Somebody else must have discovered this gem as well.
3. ER – I liked it early on, but lost interest in later seasons.
4. John Doe – Kind of an interesting series, though it never met up to its potential.
5. House – Can provide some engaging drama at times.

Best Dramatic Movie:
Four of my Round 1 nominations advanced and I will throw Death Wish in there to round out the five for this round.

1. In the Heat of the Night
2. Kagemusha
3. Moby Dick
4. The Great Train Robbery
5. Death Wish

Best Short Format Comedy Series:
My three Round 1 nominations made it through. The next two were tolerable.

1. Carpet Bros
2. The Writer’s Room
3. Mr. Justice and Powerful Girl
4. Gaytown
5. Dorm Life

Round 3 Nominations:

Best Movie Comedy:

Men in Black – An easy choice. The best among Hulu’s offerings and a great movie period.

Best Comedy TV Show:

The Simpsons – I’m giving this the nod over Buffy because I consider that more of a fantasy/supernatural series that just happened to have some really funny moments. The Simpsons definitely has earned its mark among comedy shows.

Best Comedic Short:

Shaolin Delivery Boy – Glad this made it to the final round. It was definitely the best among the choices available.

Best Short Format Series (Non Comedy):

Gemini Division – I was sorry that Devil’s Trade did not make it through to the end, but this is a decent enough second choice.

(Editor's Note: The general public can participate in the nominations as well. Go to the links above for any or all of the categories you are interested in and cast your vote for the shows you think should win. All of the general votes will be tallied up and count as one panelist in deciding the final winners. PSW)