Golden Globe Nominations

Some immediate (and I do mean immediate) reactions . . .

SEVEN nominees for best dramatic film? Really? Apparently, the Hollywood Foreign Press had quite some difficulty winnowing the field. Was it just not a stellar year for films, meaning that there are a lot of mediocre offerings here? Or was it such a good year that seven films really deserve a nomination? I'm not necessarily leaning towards the latter. My pick? I'll let you know after I see There Will Be Blood. As much as I love Cronenberg, Eastern Promises should not have been nominated. I think Atonement will probably take it.

I really have no opinion on Best Musical/Comedy, though I would really like to see both Juno and Sweeney Todd. As expected, I have absolutely no interest in a film that stars BOTH Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

The usual suspects for Best Actor, plus James McAvoy. Good on you, James McAvoy. But you don't have a prayer. My guess is that this is Day-Lewis's game to lose.

The usual suspects for Best Actress. Yawn.

Even more of the usual suspects for Best Actor (Comedy/Musical), though the Best Actress field is a bit more interesting! A foreign broad! A couple of youngsters! Amy Adams! (I must confess that I have loved Amy Adams ever since Drop Dead Gorgeous.) This I find to be the most interesting category of the major acting awards. It could go all over the place.

Best Actor, Supporting Role - I'm backing Bardem all the way. And I would love to see him beat the shit out of Travolta while both are in character. That would be rad. I was forced to endure Hairspray on an airplane a month or so ago, and I am still very angry. Speaking of, why no James Marsden here?

Supporting Actress - Saoirse Ronan did a very good job with a very difficult part. Plus, she's gorgeous, and Atonement will likely go far this year. Yay Cate as Dylan, and yay Tilda Swinton, no matter what she does. Shut up, Julia Roberts.

Wow, Schnabel got a directing nod! Who would have thunk it back in the 1980's? I've heard very good things about Diving Bell, and I've really enjoyed his other films (Basquiat is a favorite). But I vote Coen, all the way.

Dammit, why did they have to go and give Aaron Sorkin a stupid Golden Globe nomination? Like that's going to help his ego.

Ah-ha - Diving Bell shows up under foreign films. Interesting. As did The Kite Runner (which seems to have flopped all around here) and Lust, Caution (ditto). However, I've heard nothing but amazing things about 4 Months.

My prediction is that Atonement is the horse to beat this year. Not that I necessarily agree that it should be held so highly, but it's a very good technical movie, and awards usually . . . award that. No Country is really dark and a lot of audiences hated it. And There Will Be Blood disappears on the list after Day-Lewis's nomination. There's Charlie Wilson's War, of course, which no one has actually seen yet. And Sweeney Todd - it's going to be interesting to see how well that does at the box office. I have the feeling that it's going to be a very hard sell, but I could be wrong.