The nominations for the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards will have been out for almost an entire day by the time you read this, so you’ve undoubtedly had plenty of time to scratch your heads and wonder, “hey, what about that Coen Brothers movie?” And while we still don’t have an answer to that one, we can see that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (or HFPA, as they are known to their friends) did slip in a few surprises in their 68th year. Don’t let anyone say that they can’t still be hip. So here, along with a list of all the film-related nominees, is a list of five interesting and (sometimes) pleasant surprises.
1. Jackie Weaver, Best Supporting Actress (Drama) for Animal Kingdom
In the Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom, Weaver is a force of nature. Manipulative, devious and all with a sweet grandmother’s smile, her character weaves together most of the film’s exhaustive tension. Not only is it nice to see her nominated, it would be appropriate to see her win for a performance so affecting.
2. Summit’s Red for Best Picture, Comedy or Musical
An action comedy starring Bruce Willis is nominated for a Globe. No, not the one directed by Kevin Smith. That should earn itself a Razzie, should justice emerge and reveal itself to be existent. This one is a complete 180-degree flip from its source material and an energetic ride filled with wonderful, timeless talents. Also, John Malkovich carries around a pink pig. Well done, Studio that brought us Twilight.
3. Four nominations for The Kids Are All Right
I’d almost resigned to thinking that everyone had forgotten about this little gem. Debuting at Sundance and playing theaters mid-summer is never a good release strategy for an awards contender. But then again, clearly something stuck with the worldly press. Despite the fact that it’s noms come in that extraneous “Comedy or Musical” category not recognized by the Academy, there are some Oscar-worthy performances here, especially from Julianne Moore and Anette Bening.
4. The Walking Dead for Best Dramatic Television Series
Is this a joke? I enjoy The Walking Dead as much as the next nerd, but it’s beyond me to think that it deserves a nomination when shows like Fringe and Sons of Anarchy are left out in the cold. And what about Breaking Bad? The single best drama on television now, if for a good many years gets one lonely nomination (a very deserving Bryan Cranston for Best Actor, Drama)? It’s cats and dogs, living together!
5. The Oscar Race is down to four…
If the Globes are to be heralded as the sign of things to come, the race for Oscar’s gold appears to be down to a sprint involving Black Swan, The Fighter, The King’s Speech and The Social Network. Across the board, these four films have slipped nominees into just about every category. But what of Inception, you may ask? Christopher Nolan is getting some love, but it doesn’t have the momentum to stay with the likes of Black Swan, nor does it have the performances of The King’s Speech. These feel like the movies the Academy will want, through and through. Well, almost. If the Academy wants to be traditional, it will like The King’s Speech. Black Swan might be a bit too aggressive for it, but that’s just my take.
See the full list of film nominees below and see the television nominations over at GoldenGlobes.org.
BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist
BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronosfsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter
BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter
BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Anette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie, The Tourist
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A
BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp, The Tourist
Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version
Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jackie Weaver, Animal Kingdom
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Michael Douglas, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
The Concert
The Edge
I Am Love
In a Better World
BEST SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David Seidler, The King’s Speech
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, The King’s Speech
Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland
A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Hans Zimmer, Inception
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Bound To You” (Burlesque)
“Coming Home” (Country Strong)
“I See The Light” (Tangled)
“There’s a Place For Us” (The Chronicles of Narnia)
“You Haven’t Seen The Last of Me” (Burlesque)