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Hello, and welcome to another installment of “look, awards nominations!” Everyone knows the end of the year is just lousy with list-making, from best-of lists to nominations for awards that might as well be dictated on to scrolls, they read on for so long. But we are starting to get a little bit of a light at the end of the list-making tunnel, thanks to this morning announcements of the Golden Globe nods. No, it’s not the Oscars (snort, snort, definitely not the Oscars), but the Golden Globes are a big gun, a glitzy (and televised!) affair that both the Hollywood elite and fair-weather movie fans pay attention to. A Golden Globe means something. A Golden Globe nomination means something. (Presumably, that you might need to make some room in your home, because those damn globes are big.)
But what does it mean to you? Well, how about a quick and dirty rundown of the “best” films of the year that you might have previously passed off? Consider it a crib sheet of can’t-miss offerings, or at least the kind of stuff you should watch in order to help hold a conversation with the rest of your family this holiday season. Bonus points for correcting them on “that Angelina Jolie movie.” If you’re looking for some recommendations as to fresh programming to load into your eyeballs, today’s Golden Globe nominations certainly have some ideas for you.
First up, who the hell was nominated for a Golden Globe anyway? Let’s refresh! First up, the movie noms:
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
BOYHOOD
FOXCATCHER
THE IMITATION GAME
SELMA
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
JENNIFER ANISTON / CAKE
FELICITY JONES / THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
JULIANNE MOORE / STILL ALICE
ROSAMUND PIKE / GONE GIRL
REESE WITHERSPOON / WILD
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
STEVE CARELL / FOXCATCHER
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH / THE IMITATION GAME
JAKE GYLLENHAAL / NIGHTCRAWLER
DAVID OYELOWO / SELMA
EDDIE REDMAYNE / THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
BIRDMAN
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
INTO THE WOODS
PRIDE
ST. VINCENT
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
AMY ADAMS / BIG EYES
EMILY BLUNT / INTO THE WOODS
HELEN MIRREN / THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY
JULIANNE MOORE / MAPS TO THE STARS
QUVENZHANE WALLIS / ANNIE
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
RALPH FIENNES / THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
MICHAEL KEATON / BIRDMAN
BILL MURRAY / ST. VINCENT
JOAQUIN PHOENIX / INHERENT VICE
CHRISTOPH WALTZ / BIG EYES
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
BIG HERO 6
THE BOOK OF LIFE
THE BOXTROLLS
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
THE LEGO MOVIE
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
FORCE MAJEURE TURIST (SWEDEN)
GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE (ISRAEL)
IDA (POLAND/DENMARK)
LEVIATHAN (RUSSIA)
TANGERINES MANDARIINID (ESTONIA)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
PATRICIA ARQUETTE / BOYHOOD
JESSICA CHASTAIN / A MOST VIOLENT YEAR
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY / THE IMITATION GAME
EMMA STONE / BIRDMAN
MERYL STREEP / INTO THE WOODS
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
ROBERT DUVALL / THE JUDGE
ETHAN HAWKE / BOYHOOD
EDWARD NORTON / BIRDMAN
MARK RUFFALO / FOXCATCHER
J.K. SIMMONS / WHIPLASH
BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
WES ANDERSON / THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
AVA DUVERNAY / SELMA
DAVID FINCHER / GONE GIRL
ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU / BIRDMAN
RICHARD LINKLATER / BOYHOOD
BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
WES ANDERSON / THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
GILLIAN FLYNN / GONE GIRL
ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU, NICOLAS GIACOBONE, ALEXANDER DINELARIS, ARMANDO B / BIRDMAN
RICHARD LINKLATER / BOYHOOD
GRAHAM MOORE / THE IMITATION GAME
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT / THE IMITATION GAME
JOHANN JOHANNSSON / THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS / GONE GIRL
ANTONIO SANCHEZ / BIRDMAN
HANS ZIMMER / INTERSTELLAR
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“BIG EYES” – BIG EYES
“GLORY” – SELMA
“MERCY IS” – NOAH
“OPPORTUNITY” – ANNIE
“YELLOW FLICKER BEAT” – THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1
So many accolades!
Based purely on these nods – jeez, not even awards at this point – a few of the year’s more indie offerings (or, at the very least, more forward-thinking and experimental picks) have truly broken through. While both Birdman and Boyhood have led critical awards and nominations over the past few weeks, it wasn’t always clear if the duo could break through to the decidedly more mainstream side of things. The pair led this morning nominations, with Birdman pulling in seven to Boyhood’s five.
Birdman and Boyhood? Definitely recommended by the Globes.
But another film topped the noms – a more expected one, at that – as the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring The Imitation Game, which also boasts five nominations.
The Imitation Game: also definitely recommended by the Globes. What about the year’s other big biopic, The Theory of Everything? Recommended, too! Wait, we’re sensing a pattern here.
Anything else? How about Selma (four nominations), Big Eyes (three) and Into the Woods (also three)? That’s a nice variety right there, and one certainly reflective of upcoming box office offerings. How shocking, that some of the year’s already lauded films are picking up more mainstream recognition. This is kind of a nice trend – certainly not the kind of thing we often seeing during awards time. Is there an actual consensus hitting the books this year? Even one that honors out of the box features like Birdman and Boyhood?
Is everything changing? Eh, maybe not just yet, but it’s certainly a nice new trend.
On the flip side, there’s plenty of stuff that’s apparently not recommended by the Globes? Such “snubbed” features as Unbroken, American Sniper and Interstellar — all “big” films that have been mostly ignored by this year’s awards.
Oh, my God, we might be reaching peak critical consensus. Someone, call the Oscars.