The Hollywood Foreign Press Association typically sprang a few surprises when it announced its Golden Globes nominations from the Beverly Hilton early this morning. Although many of the movie nominations were predictable, there were notable omissions.
“The Tree of Life,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” were all overlooked by the HFPA, which traditionally abjures the "difficult." The snubbing of “Tinker Tailor”’s Gary Oldman in the Best Actor, Drama category is impossible to fathom. “Bridesmaids”’ Melissa McCarthy was bizarrely passed over as a Best Supporting Actress nominee, though that movie’s lead, Kristen Wiig, was nominated in the Best Actress, Comedy or Musical slot.
So, too, was Michelle Williams for her turn as Marilyn Monroe in “My Week With Marilyn,” which, however, is neither a comedy or a musical, but a psychological drama, albeit a light one. This means Williams is kept apart from her main rival for the Best Actress Oscar, Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”), nominated for the Best Actress, Drama Globe.
“The Artist,” nominated for six awards, consolidated its position at this year’s awards favorite, despite having been shunted aside by two of the critics’ groups on Sunday. The primarily silent French movie is firm favorite now for the Best Picture Oscar. The HFPA nominated it in the Musical or Comedy category along with “50/50,” “Bridesmaids,” “Midnight in Paris,” and the genre-hopping “My Week With Marilyn.”
The nominees for the Best Drama Globe are “The Descendants,” “The Help,” “Hugo,” “Ides of March,” “Moneyball,” and “War Horse.” Of these, “The Descendants” and “Help” each won five nominations, the latter accruing three for actors — Viola Davis (Best Actress, Drama), Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain (both for Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture).
Davis and Streep are up against Glenn Close (“Albert Nobbs”), Rooney Mara (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”), and Tilda Swinton (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”). Nothing, then, for Kirsten Dunst, who gives a career performance in “Melancholia.”
Along with Wiig and Williams, the Best Comedy or Musical nominees are Charlize Theron (“Young Adult”), Jodie Foster, and Kate Winslet (both for “Carnage”). Winslet was also nominated as Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture for her performance in the HBO mini “Mildred Pierce.”
Spencer and Chastain will compete with Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”), Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”), and Berenice Bejo (“The Artist”).
Ryan Gosling, though overlooked for “Drive,” is a Globe nominee for both the Best Actor, Drama (“The Ides of March”) and Best Actor, Comedy or Musical (“Crazy Stupid Love”). The other Best Actor, Drama nominees are George Clooney (“The Descendants”), Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”), Michael Fassbender (“Shame”), and Leonardo DiCaprio (“J. Edgar”). The other Best Actor, Comedy or Musical Nominees are Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”), Brenda Gleeson (“The Guard”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“50/50”), and Owen Wilson (“Midnight in Paris”).
The Supporting Actor nominees are odds-on favorite Albert Brooks (“Drive”), Kenneth Branagh (“My Week With Marilyn”), Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”), Viggo Mortensen (“A Dangerous Method”), and Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”).
The nominated directors are Woody Allen (“Midnight in Paris”), George Clooney (“The Ides of March”), Michael Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”), and Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”). Steven Spielberg thus drew a blank for “War Horse” and “The Adventures of Tintin.” "Midnight" is looking good for Oscar nominations now.
In the Best Foreign Language Film Category, first-time feature director Angelina Jolie (“In the Land of Blood and Honey”) finds herself competing with such established auteurs as Pedro Almodóvar (“The Skin I Live In”), Zhang Yimou (“The Flowers of War”), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (“The Kid on a Bike). The highly regarded Iranian film “A Separation,” directed by Asghar Farhadi, completes the group. Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” was filmed in English so it wouldn’t have qualified for this section, but its absence from the Globe nominations is consistent with its poor perfomance in the awards season so far.
The HFPA made a more radical sweep with its television nominations. Competing against returnee “Boardwalk Empire,” Best Drama nominees “Game of Thrones,” “Homeland,” “American Horror Story,” and “Boss” enter the Globe race for the first time. All are cable shows.
“Glee” returns as a Best Comedy or Musical nominee (though not one of its actor nominees from last year will be competing). The other nominees are “Enlightened,” “Episodes,” “Modern Family,” and “The New Girl.”
The Best Miniseries or Motion Picture prize is likely to go to Brit favorite “Downton Abbey,” or “Mildred Pierce.” Also in the frame, though, are “The Hour,” “Cinema Verite,” and “Too Big To Fail.”
The Golden Globe Awards will be televised by NBC on January 15. The HFPA's Globe nominations invariably guarantee a starry turnout for the big show and, based on this year's choices, the host Ricky Gervais will have a glittering array of talent to ridicule—perhaps even Madonna, whose first film as director, “W.E.,” has been nominated for Best Score. The nomination for a Globe nominee most likely to be taunted by Gervais is Michael Fassbender, whose character in “Shame” is a sex addict.