By Chris Kavan - 12/16/12 at 12:53 PM CT
With various critics associations weighing in, movie awards season is off and running. However, many view the Golden Globes as the real precursor to the Academy Awards. This year is no exception when it comes to both surprise nominations that seem completely out of the blue and bizarre exclusions that seem mind-boggling. Here is the full list - look for the live forum when the Golden Globes air on Sunday, January 13, 2013.
BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Surprises: I'm a big Quentin Tarantino fan, but he is often overlooked come awards time, so the inclusion of Django Unchained makes me happy, but comes as a bit of a mild surprise. Life of Pi is a late-bloomer - becoming a hit with movie-goer and critics alike - that has been noticed and it probably knocked some early front-runners out of the way. Speaking of which...
Snubs: The Master is the perfect Oscar contender - a wealth of characters, a convoluted story that has many different interpretations, yet it didn't quite catch on with audiences. I myself found it a bit too much but I figured the people in charge might think different.
Beasts of the Southern Wild - One of the biggest indie movies of the year has been gaining traction for both the film and young star Quvenzhané Wallis, but despite the recent push, it didn't have enough to make it on the list. I myself am looking forward to watching this one, but I haven't had a chance to yet, so I can't comment on how worthy it is to belong here.
BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
The Silver Linings Playbook
Surprises: No doubt that Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is the odd man out here. According to our website only 17 people have watched it (as opposed to 59 for Moonrise Kingdom) and it only has a tepid 2.5 overall rating. General audiences weren't much kinder, as the film found on minimal success when it was released.
Snubs: Maybe the reason Salmon Fishing was included was because there just isn't anything better to fill in its slot. Granted, the highest-grossing comedy film of the year featured a talking childhood toy (Ted). While that movie may be a whole lot of fun to watch, it's not the kind of film that is recognized by serious organizations.
BEST DIRECTOR
Ben Affleck: Argo
Kathryn Bigelow,: Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Lee: Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg: Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino: Django Unchained
Surprises: Once again, Tarantino manages to snag a nomination away from those I would normally expect to take it away from him, namely...
Snubs:
David O. Russell: The Silver Linings Playbook
Paul Thomas Anderson: The Master
Tom Hooper: Les Miserables
I think any of the above three have just as much claim to the best director nomination as those named. As said earlier, The Master has lost a bit of steam, but one can't deny it was beautifully crafted. Likewise, Silver Linings and Les Mis could easily take the place of Life of Pi and Django Unchained in my book. It just goes to show this is a much better year for great movies compared to 2012.
BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
Daniel Day-Lewis: Lincoln
Richard Gere: Arbitrage
John Hawkes: The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix: The Master
Denzel Washington: Flight
Surprises: I wouldn't say any of these are outright surprises, though I feel that Richard Gere could have easily been replaced by...
Snubs: Anthony Hopkins: Hitchcock - I feel that Hopkins turned in a performance that was just as good a transformation as Daniel-Day Lewis in Lincoln. Bringing a well-known figure to life on the big screen is a daunting task, and Hopkins did an amazing job. Still, I believe that Day-Lewis has a lock on this category and it's his to lose.
BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Jessica Chastain: Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard: Rust & Bone
Helen Mirren: Hitchcock
Naomi Watts: The Impossible
Rachel Weisz: The Deep Blue Sea
Surprises: Rachel Weisz is always a good choice, but I have a feeling that nomination could easily have gone to...
Snubs: Quvenzhané Wallis: Beast of the Southern Wild - the young girl with a wild name turns in a career-making performance as the young Hushpuppy. Something tells me if there was a sixth spot, she would take it.
Emmanuelle Riva: Amour - Michael Haneke's drama has been seen as a front-runner for the best foreign award, and Riva has been winning praise as well. I think that the inclusion of Cotillard may have swayed away from including a second foreign nomination in this category - but she's just as deserving as anyone on the list.
BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jack Black: Bernie
Bradley Cooper: Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman: Les Miserables
Ewan McGregor: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Murray: Hyde Park on the Hudson
Surprises: A lot of interesting choices here - Ewan McGregor represents the random inclusion of Salmon Fishing once again. Bill Murray manages to sneak in for the tepid reception of Hyde Park on the Hudson and Jack Black get a nod for Bernie (not that I'm complaining - I think it's easily his best role to date)
Snubs: No love for Moonrise Kingdom? I would have taken Bruce Willis or Edward Norton over McGregor or Murray on the list - heck, even the young unknown Jared Gilman would have been a better choice in my mind.
BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Emily Blunt: Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Judi Dench: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Jennifer Lawrence: Silver Linings Playbook
Maggie Smith: Quartet
Meryl Streep: Hope Springs
Surprises: Emily Blunt for Salmon Fishing and I think the Globes just want to throw in Meryl Streep because they can as Hope Spring was not exactly a barn burner.
Snubs: If Jack Black could be nominated for Bernie, why not Shirley MacLaine, who was just as much fun as the not-so-sweet old lady who makes everyone's life around her a living hell. And, once again, no love for Moonrise Kingdom where Frances McDormand or Kara Hayward could easily have been nominated in my book.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin: Argo
Leonardo DiCaprio: Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman: The Master
Tommy Lee Jones: Lincoln
Christoph Waltz: Django Unchained
Surprises: Can't say these actors aren't deserving, but perhaps two nominations from Djano Unchained is a big much, considering one big name was left off this list...
Snubs: Robert De Niro: The Silver Linings Playbook - Considering some of the choices he's made recently (Stone? Righteous Kill? Everybody's Fine? Being Flynn?) this represents a big leap forward. He owned the role and was an integral part in making Silver Linings a success. A huge oversight as far as I'm concerned.
Javier Bardem: Skyfall - The Bond villain is one of the most interesting in years, and Bardem has managed to gain support elsewhere, but the Globes apparently just don't like this spy game as much as most people
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams: The Master
Sally Field: Lincoln
Anne Hathaway: Les Miserables
Helen Hunt: The Sessions
Nicole Kidman: The Paperboy
Surprises: Nicole Kidman, who gets peed on and plays a sexed up trailer-trash version of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct - not quite the same performance as The Hours here.
Snubs: Judi Dench: Skyfall - Once again, no love for the ever-popular Bond film. She certainly turned in a memorable performance and was a key element in making Skyfall the success it has become.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It-Ralph
Surprises: None, really. (I'm rooting for Wreck-It Ralph).
Snubs: Usually at least one more obscure foreign animated film sneaks in. I'm surprised The Secret of Arietty wasn't nominated over the disappointing Rise of the Guardians, as it deserves the nomination.
Those are the main awards I can weigh in on. I haven't seen any of the foreign language nominations (which are: Amour, A Royal Affair, The Intouchables, Kon-Tiki and Rust and Bone for those keeping track) so I can't really commend on them - though Amour appears to be the front-runner. Anyway, I will be here as the awards are announced on Jan. 13th on the forum - if you're going to watch, why not chime in with your own opinion? It should go a long way in predicting whether Lincoln, Les Mis or another film had the edge at the Academy Awards.
