The Golden Globes are awards given to films by the Hollywood Foreign Press, and they have always been seen as the first stone potentially paving the way to a win at the Oscars. In short, if film receives the Best Picture award at the Globes, it’s safe to say it has good chances of also picking up an Oscar. One thing is for sure, it’ll be more fun to watch than the Oscars as the ceremony has had its share of shocking moments in years past.
However, the most shocking aspect has always been the nominations themselves, and many have criticized the Globes for their safe mix of indie and mainstream movies. Yes, the choices aren’t always perfect, but at least they aren’t always glaringly obvious. 2016 was a good year in film and television, and it is clearly reflected in this year’s picks. The best thing about the Globes is the separation between drama and comedy in a lot of the categories (even though it’s not always easy to determine a film’s genre), as it allows certain films to shine that may not make the cut for real Oscar contention. Let’s take a look at the films and directors nominated for three of the major categories at the Golden Globes.
The Best Picture Drama nominations see Hacksaw Ridge, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Lion and Hell or High Water facing off. Moonlight is probably the clear favorite here (some calling it the best movie this year) even though Manchester by the Sea received the recognition of the National Board of Review. Lion seems to be the odd choice here and could have easily given its place to Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival or Scorsese’s Silence. It’s also very nice to see Mel Gibson making a comeback with what looks to be a very visceral war movie, and of course we’re delighted to see our personal favorite Hell or High Water getting a nomination, even though it most likely won’t win.
In the Comedy/Musical Best Picture category, 20th Century Women, Deadpool, Florence Foster Jenkins, Sing Street and La La Land are in competition. This is always a strange category (illustrated by last year’s nomination for The Martian) and some films here really feel like fillers. 20th Century Women is very forgettable and Florence Foster Jenkins looks like yet another needless Meryl Streep award vehicle. Even if Deadpool was a delightfully fun film, we’re not quite sure it deserves its inclusion here. However, politics dictate that the Globes need to please the studios as well. The clear favorite here is La La Land, which has already garnered amazing press and definitely seems like a strong Oscar favorite, but we would love seeing the great little indie Sing Street get some love.
Last but not least are the Best Director nominations which see Mel Gibson, Damien Chazelle, Tom Ford, Barry Jenkins and Kenneth Lonergan going head to head. Ford’s film Nocturnal Animals got very mixed reviews so he’s probably realistically out of the running (trying to bribe voters also doesn’t help), Lonergan (Manchester By The Sea) and Jenkins (Moonlight) are both strong contenders, and as interesting as it would be to see Mel Gibson recognized as one of the best directors in the world, Whiplash wunderkind Damien Chazelle will surely nab the award with La La Land.
All in all, those nominations make for an exciting ceremony, hopefully with some surprise picks. The show’s host will be Jimmy Fallon and you can tune in on January 8, 2017 to see if our predictions were correct.
Meanwhile, if you want to take a closer look at all the nominees, you can do so right here.
