The British literary adaptation "Atonement" led the nominations for the 65th annual Golden Globe Awards this morning. The greatest suspense, however, surrounds how, and even if, the Globe awards show will go forward under the continuing cloud of the writers' strike.

In a notable shift reflecting the wide-open field for end-of-the-year movie awards contenders this year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association broke with tradition and nominated seven films in the best picture (drama) category, rather than five. They are: "American Gangster," "Atonement," "Eastern Promises," "The Great Debaters," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men," and "There Will Be Blood."

Nominees for best motion picture (musical or comedy) are "Across the Universe," "Charlie Wilson's War," "Hairspray," "Juno," and "Sweeney Todd."

In addition to its best picture nod, "Atonement," based on Ian McEwan's acclaimed novel about the long consequences of a young girl's lie, was nominated for best actress (Keira Knightley), actor (James McAvoy), supporting actress (Saoirse Ronan) director (Joe Wright), screenplay, and score.

The second most nominated film is "Charlie Wilson's War," Mike Nichols upcoming tale of a U.S. Congressman who funneled arms to Afghani guerillas fighting the Soviets in the 1980s. It was nominated in five categories: best motion picture (musical or comedy), best actor (Tom Hanks), supporting actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman), supporting actress (Julia Roberts), and screenplay (Aaron Sorkin).

Other multiple nominees for the Golden Globes, to be awarded on January 13, 2008, include the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" (best motion picture, drama; best supporting actor for Javier Bardem; best director; best screenplay), "Michael Clayton" (best motion picture, drama; best actor for George Clooney; best supporting actress for Tilda Swinton; best supporting actor for Tom Wilkinson), and Tim Burton's Stephen Sondheim adaptation "Sweeney Todd" (best motion picture, musical or comedy; best actor for Johnny Depp; best actress for Helena Bonham Carter; best director).

The critically acclaimed teen-pregnancy comedy "Juno" was nominated for best motion picture (musical or comedy) as well as for Diablo Cody's script and Ellen Page's lead performance. Other relative newcomers nominated for best actress in a musical or comedy were Nikki Blonsky for "Hairspray" (which received three nominations overall) and Amy Adams of the hit Disney comedy "Enchanted." In one of the few notable oversights, "Enchanted" was not nominated in the best motion picture (musical or comedy) category.

In other nominations, Cate Blanchett received two nods, for best actress (drama) as Queen Elizabeth I in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and for best supporting actress as Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There". Similarly, Hoffman was feted in both the best actor (musical or comedy) category for his portrayal of a troubled sibling in "The Savages" and for his supporting role as a rogue CIA agent in "Charlie Wilson' War."

While the Golden Globes are often considered a predictor of the subsequent Academy Awards, they more often serve to clarify the field of contenders. In recent years, the Oscar for best film has gone to a different movie than either of the Globe winners.

Here's the full list:

MOTION PICTURES:

Picture, Drama:
"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"Eastern Promises"
"The Great Debaters"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood."

Actress, Drama:
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Jodie Foster, "The Brave One"
Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart"
Kiera Knightley, "Atonement"

Actor, Drama:
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
James McAvoy, "Atonement"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Denzel Washington, "American Gangster"

Picture, Musical or Comedy:
"Across the Universe"
"Charlie Wilson's War"
"Hairspray"
"Juno"
"Sweeney Todd"

Actress, Musical or Comedy:
Amy Adams, "Enchanted"
Nikki Blonsky, "Hairspray"
Helena Bonham Carter, "Sweeney Todd"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose"
Ellen Page, "Juno"

Actor, Musical or Comedy:
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
Ryan Gosling, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Tom Hanks, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Savages"
John C. Reilly, "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"

Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Julia Roberts, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"

Supporting Actor:
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
John Travolta, "Hairspray"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"

Director:
Tim Burton, "Sweeney Todd"
Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Ridley Scott, "American Gangster"
Joe Wright, "Atonement"

Screenplay:
Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Aaron Sorkin, "Charlie Wilson's War"

Foreign Language:
"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," Romania
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," France and U.S.
"The Kite Runner," U.S.
"Lust, Caution," Taiwan
"Persepolis," France

Animated Film:
"Bee Movie"
"Ratatouille"
"The Simpsons Movie"

Original Score:
Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Edder, "Into the Wild"
Clint Eastwood, "Grace Is Gone"
Alberto Iglesias, "The Kite Runner"
Dario Marianelli, "Atonement"
Howard Shore, "Eastern Promises"

Original Song:
"Despedida" from "Love in the Time of Cholera"
"Grace Is Gone" from "Grace Is Gone"
"Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"
"Walk Hard" from "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"

TELEVISION:

Series, Drama:
"Big Love," HBO
"Damages," FX Networks
"Grey's Anatomy," ABC
"House," Fox
"Mad Men," AMC
"The Tudors," Showtime

Actress, Drama:
Patricia Arquette, "Medium"
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Minnie Driver, "The Riches"
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

Actor, Drama:
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, "The Tudors"
Bill Paxton, "Big Love"

Series, Musical or Comedy:
"30 Rock," NBC
"Californication," Showtime
"Entourage," HBO
"Extras," HBO
"Pushing Daisies," ABC

Actress, Musical or Comedy:
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Anna Friel, "Pushing Daisies"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"

Actor, Musical or Comedy:
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
David Duchovny, "Californication"
Ricky Gervais, "Extras"
Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies"

Miniseries or Movie:
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," HBO
"The Company," TNT
"Five Days," HBO
"Longford," HBO
"The State Within," BBC America

Actress, Miniseries or Movie:
Bryce Dallas Howard, "As You Like It"
Debra Messing, "The Starter Wife"
Queen Latifah, "Life Support"
Sissy Spacek, "Pictures of Hollis Woods"
Ruth Wilson, "Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre)"

Actor, Miniseries or Movie:
Adam Beach, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"
Ernest Borgnine, "A Grandpa for Christmas"
Jim Broadbent, "Longford"
Jason Isaacs, "The State Within"
James Nesbitt, "Jekyll"

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie:
Rose Byrne, "Damages"
Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers & Sisters"
Katherine Heigl, "Grey's Anatomy"
Samantha Morton, "Longford"
Anna Paquin, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"
Jaime Pressly, "My Name Is Earl"

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie:
Ted Danson, "Damages"
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Andy Serkis, "Longford"
William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
Donald Sutherland, "Dirty Sexy Money."

I just finished reading the rare Vanity Fair cover story that didn't make me sicker than I currently am. It was with Katherine Heigl (she's wearing a hat that could eat the ones Rosalind Russell wears in "His Girl Friday"). Heigl articulates her own feelings about the women in Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up": they're no fun; what's up with that? Heigl, of course, is the latest voice in a gathering chorus of women mystified by the lingering high of that movie. The explanation of that mystery usually begins with: "For real? Him?"

"Knocked Up" is extremely funny and, in many ways, very true. But a lot of those ways have only to do with the male characters in a manner that shortchanges the women. In the days, weeks, months after seeing it, that's the one thing that really stuck with me. It's what keeps the movie trapped in a sitcom's box: Schubbly funny guy; hot unfunny girl = laugh-track love. Apatow, of course, is far more sophisticated than merely that. He's trying to turn romantic comedy on its head-- it's just that upside-down his movie sometimes plays like a show on CBS. I tried to get at the nature of that this summer. (Meanwhile, what should we do with Alison's harsh mother -- Joanna Kerns -- or Ben's roommate's stoner-nymph girlfriend. What if she got pregnant? That'd be funny, too, right?)

In any case, over at Slate Meghan O'Rourke has crafted a fine close-read of the comedy disparity in "Knocked Up." Her breakdown of the hotel heart-to-heart between Pete and Ben is right on the money. She's even bothered to think about Pete's "tastes like a rainbow" line. This is not the last we'll be hearing about all this, especially as more people see "Juno," which is an indirect answer-movie to Apatow's (for one thing, a woman wrote it). Although, the darker companion piece is Cristian Mungiu's upcoming "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days," about a Romanian who has an abortion. It's the anti-Apatow.

I was looking forward to William Friedkin’s new film Bug, having heard so many great things about it, specifically the film being Friedkin’s best horror film since The Excorist. It’s an odd thought in itself, because Friedkin had only made one horror film between Bug and The Excorist. I suppose the thrillers count, and that said, I’m not quite sure where the horror genre comes into play here. Now, if someone said psychological horror, that might apply. (more…)

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What made me want to see this film more than the great cast and even the brilliant poster artwork, was the fact that there’s a big controversy surrounding this movie. Christian organizations in the US have called for a boycott of The Golden Compass because they feel it promotes atheism. I was curious whether I could spot the hidden agenda and whether it would bother me. And the fact that in order to make up my own mind I’d have to sit through a two hour big budget fantasy movie starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig didn’t hurt.
(more…)

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