Golden Globe Nominations: First Reactions

Ah the Golden Globes. The first sign that award season has begun. The time to look back over the movies of the past year and frantically try and watch them all before the night of the award ceremony. Like every year, the Golden Globes are always the first peak as to what movies and shows will get recognition over the next several months so without further a due, lets take a look at the nominations that we have.

BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

All right Black Swan and The Social Network were to be expected with all the positive buzz they have been getting. It’s also nice to see a summer flick like Inception getting the nod. Don’t know what it’s chances of actually winning are but a nomination is a step in the right direction. Surprised that there is no nomination for True Grit but nice selection of movies all in all.

BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist

Ok, everything that’s right about the Drama category is wrong about this one. Right off the bat we have Alice in Wonderland? A movie that was neither funny nor all that entertaining? Granted there isn’t a whole lot that I remember laughing at this year, but surely there is a more deserving movie that could have taken that place. Repeat rant for Burlesque and then we end with The Tourist? To be fair I haven’t seen it but nothing about the plot or the trailers would indicate that it belongs in this category. And a look at IMDb places the movie in the Drama and Thriller genres.

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

Directors of the best movie nominees across the board. I guess if they directed a good movie then they must be a good director.

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

Franco’s been getting a lot of talk and he really has to carry that whole movie but I would be excited to see Jesse Eisenberg take this one. Remember how much we scoffed at the idea of a Facebook movie when it was first announced? How wrong we were.

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

This is the category that I have the least interest in so far having not seen that many of these films. Movies such as Frankie and Alice and Rabbit Hole have been hard for many average Americans to find. So until further notice I’m saying that anyone can have this category.

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

Johnny Depp has been nominated twice and both times I find myself heavily questioning the decision (see same arguments from above) Other than that was there really not that much funny stuff this year? I mean Robert Downey Jr. was as funny or funnier in Iron Man 2 than any of the nominations.

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

I would be stoked to see Emma Stone take this one. Easy A is the kind of movie that got surprisingly positive reviews but never seemed to have a chance at getting any statues. I really like the idea of a movie who’s main purpose is to be funny winning in a category with the word comedy in the title.

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

Again a category that True Grit seems to have a character all made out for, and its is completely absent. Is it going to get nothing this year? And Helena Bonham Carter got a nomination which I didn’t expect but at least its not for Alice in Wonderland which would have been even more confusing.

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

I missed The Town and am going to have to come back around to see that because I have heard great things about Renner. I guess they might be true if he’s going to get nominated for it.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
The Concert
The Edge
I Am Love
In a Better World

Having seen zero of these films, there’s not much to say. I hope that they’re good.

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

Of all the nominations, the one I probably care the most about is Aaron Sorkin getting this one. Perhaps the most intense and captivating screenplay to come around in a long time the first ten minutes of the movie should be enough to secure this award.

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

BBBBBRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

There is little to no doubt that Toy Story 3 deserves and will walk away with this award, so this is a category that I would like to know about the second place winner. I vote for How to Train Your Dragon, the best thing that Dreamworks has put out since the first Shrek if not ever.

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)

It’s a personal preference but I like it when the Best Original Song is actually sung in the movie. Something like Tangled or Country Song, I seem to always end up rooting for those songs whether or not they’re actually the best song of the year.

Well that initial reactions to the movie categories. I’ll try and get the television nominations up soon. I’m not a big fan of laugh tracks but maybe there it will at least help the voters to know what is and isn’t a comedy