Golden Globe nominations are out, and reading through the movie list feels like looking through pictures of great parties someone forgot to invite you to: Revolutionary Road, Frost/Nixon, Doubt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader — films that hardly anyone but critics have had the chance to see. Studios usually sit on their awards hopefuls until pretty late in the game, but it seems like they’ve been super hoarders this year.
At least now we know that these flicks might actually be as good as everyone said they would be — or (Dark Knight be damned) perhaps the movies we’ve liked from the past eleven months pale in comparison to the ones that are about to come out in the next two weeks.
Read through for a full list of nominees and our thoughts on the few performances that we have seen.
We were happy to spot three acting noms for Vicky Christina Barcelona, which had one of the best ensemble casts of the year (minus Scarlett, who Woody needs to ditch). Tropic Thunder also got two well-deserved “Best Supporting Actor” nominations for Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. Their biggest competition comes in the form of Heath Ledger, whose nomination is the only nod The Dark Knight received from the Hollywood Foreign Press. Odd, considering Mamma Mia appears twice, blinding our sensitive culture-blogger eyes.
Happy-Go-Lucky — which in a rare case of honesty in Hollywood is exactly what it sounds like — was nominated both for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical) and Best Actress; we hope it makes a big splash at the ceremony because that might make the already predictable wins a bit less boring (we’re lookin’ at you Kate Winslet).
A quick side note about TV (which always play second fiddle): Mad Men, 30 Rock, and John Adams will dominate the GGs in the same way they’ve dominated the water cooler convo in our office for the past year.
BEST PICTURE (DRAMA)
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Frost/Nixon • Revolutionary Road • The Reader • Slumdog Millionaire
BEST PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
• Mamma Mia! • Vicky Cristina Barcelona • Burn After Reading • Happy-Go-Lucky • In Bruges
BEST ACTOR (DRAMA)
• Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road • Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon • Sean Penn, Milk • Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA)
• Angelina Jolie, Changeling • Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married • Meryl Streep, Doubt • Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long • Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
BEST ACTOR (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
• Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona • Colin Farrell, In Bruges • James Franco, Pineapple Express • Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey • Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
BEST ACTRESS (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
• Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky • Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading • Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia! • Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey • Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
SUPPORTING ACTOR
• Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder • Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder • Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt • Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight • Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
• Amy Adams, Doubt • Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona • Viola Davis, Doubt • Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler • Kate Winslet, The Reader
DIRECTOR
• David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire • Stephen Daldry, The Reader • Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon • Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road
ANIMATED FILM
• WALL-E • Bolt • Kung Fu Panda
SCREENPLAY
• Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire • David Hare, The Reader • Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon • Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
• Gomorrah • I’ve Loved You So Long • Waltz with Bashir • The Baader Meinhof Complex • Everlasting Moments
ORIGINAL SCORE
• Defiance • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Slumdog Millionaire • Frost/Nixon • Changeling
ORIGINAL SONG
• “Down to Earth” from WALL-E • “Gran Torino” from Gran Torino • “I Thought I’d Lost You” from Bolt • “Once in a Lifetime” from Cadillac Records • “The Wrestler” from The Wrestler
DRAMATIC TV SERIES
• Dexter • House M.D. • In Treatment • Mad Men • True Blood
BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA
• Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment • Michael C. Hall, Dexter • Jon Hamm, Mad Men • Hugh Laurie, House M.D. • Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors
BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
• Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters • Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU • January Jones, Mad Men • Anna Paquin, True Blood • Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
• Californication • Entourage • The Office • 30 Rock • Weeds
BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
• Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock • Steve Carell, The Office • Kevin Connolly, Entourage • David Duchovny, Californication • Tony Shalhoub, Monk
BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
• Christina Applegate, Samantha Who? • America Ferrera, Ugly Betty • Tina Fey, 30 Rock • Debra Messing, The Starter Wife • Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
• Cranford • Bernard & Doris • John Adams • A Raisin in the Sun • Recount
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
• Judi Dench, Cranford • Laura Linney, John Adams • Catherine Keener, An American Crime • Shirley MacLaine, Coco Chanel • Susan Sarandon, Bernard & Doris
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
• Ralph Fiennes, Bernard and Doris • Paul Giammatti, John Adams • Kevin Spacey, Recount • Keifer Sutherland, 24: Redemption • Tom Wilkinson, Recount
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
• Eileen Atkins, Cranford • Laura Dern, Recount • Melissa George, In Treatment • Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters • Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
• Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother • Denis Leary, Recount • Jeremy Piven, Entourage • Blair Underwood, In Treatment • Tom Wilkinson, John Adams
CECIL B. DEMILLE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD • Steven Spielberg