The Golden Globe film nominations are in, and they resolve... nothing. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is apparently quite happy to toss bouquets to any movies with a European place name in its title: Both "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "In Bruges" were nominated in the Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy category. "In Bruges" got two Best Actor nominations (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson), while "Vicky Cristina Barcelona got nods for actor (Javier Bardem), actress (Rebecca Hall), and supporting actress (Penelope Cruz). The place-name theory does not extend to Australia or "Australia," which got bupkes. (You can read the full list of film nominations below; for the TV awards, visit the award site or see what my colleagues have to say on the Viewer Discretion blog.)
How do we know this is the Golden Globes and not the Oscars? Because Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr got supporting actor nominations for their scurrilously funny turns in "Tropic Thunder," while James Franco is over in the Best Actor, Musical or Comedy category for his charmingly hapless stoner in "Pineapple Express." Meanwhile, Meryl Streep has staked claims in both Best Actress categories, for Drama ("Doubt") and Musical or Comedy ("Mamma Mia!"). Yes, "Mamma Mia!" is up for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy, and may represent the worst movie ever nominated in the category. (Did I say it wasn't enjoyable? Not at all.) Kate Winslet is up for a deuce as well: Best Actress (Drama) for "Revolutionary Road" and Best Supporting Actress for "The Reader".
Other surprises and omissions? "The Dark Knight" picked up one measly nomination, for Heath Ledger's performance. "WALL-E" got stuck at the Best Animated Feature kids' table with "Bolt" and "Kung Fu Panda". "Rachel Getting Married" squeaked in with only a Best Actress nod for Anne Hathaway. Clint Eastwood wasn't nominated for Best Director and neither of his movies, "Changeling" and "Gran Torino" made it into the big horserace. Angelina Jolie picked up a Best Actress (Drama) nod for the former and Eastwood himself got two music nominations for the latter, though, even if his singing of the theme from "Gran Torino" gives Pierce Brosnan in "Mamma Mia!" (mercifully un-nominated) a run for his atonal money.
Elsewhere, the HFPA is clearly drinking the year-end Kool-Aid, with such certified Oscar white elephants as "Revolutionary Road," "The Reader," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and "Frost/Nixon" coming in for multiple nominations. (In my opinion, they're all problematic at best and snoozeworthy at worst.) Pretty much the entire cast of "Doubt" was nominated (Streep in a lead category, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis for supporting). And Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson -- pretty much the entire cast of "Last Chance Harvey" -- were both nominated, and the only reason I can figure for that is that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association likes their previous movies a lot. "Slumdog Millionaire," meanwhile continued its march to Oscar with a Best Motion Picture (Drama) nomination and nods for director Danny Boyle, writer Simon Beaufoy, and composer A.R. Rahman.
Don't try to make sense of any of this -- there is none. Just watch the big show on January 11th and marvel at the self-congratulatory glitz.
Best Motion Picture - Drama:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama:
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama:
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kristen Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long"
Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"
Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
"Burn After Reading"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"In Bruges"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
Javier Bardem "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Colin Farrell, "In Bruges"
James Franco, "Pineapple Express"
Brendan Gleeson, "In Bruges"
Dustin Hoffman, "Last Chance Harvey"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
Rebecca Hall, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Frances McDormand, "Burn After Reading"
Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia!"
Emma Thompson, "Last Chance Harvey"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
Tom Cruise, "Tropic Thunder"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Ralph Fiennes, "The Duchess"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
Best Animated Feature:
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"WALL-E"
Best Foreign Language Film:
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" (Germany)
"Everlasting Moments" (Sweden/Denmark)
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
"I've Loved You So Long" (France)
"Waltz with Bashir" (Israel)
Best Director - Motion Picture:
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Sam Mendes, "Revolutionary Road"
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture:
Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"
David Hare, "The Reader"
Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"
Eric Roth, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"
Best Original Score - Motion Picture:
Alexandre Desplat, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Clint Eastwood, "Changeling"
James Newton Howard, "Defiance"
A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Hans Zimmer, "Frost/Nixon"
Best Original Song - Motion Picture:
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E"
"Gran Torino" from "Gran Torino"
"I Thought I Lost You" from "Bolt"
"Once in a Lifetime" from "Cadillac Records"
"The Wrestler" from "The Wrestler"
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