Roll out the red carpet and flash the fakest grin you can muster because awards season has well and truly arrived!
The unveiling of the Golden Globe nominations for 2015 signals that it’s time to forget about popcorn-munching blockbusters for a few months and pretend like we’re all really interested in who takes home a shiny piece of metal with their name on it.
So, what conclusions and observations can we construe from the list of nominees for this year?
Another headline from Friday’s Globes line-up was Leonardo DiCaprio’s nomination in the Best Actor category – his new film, The Revenant, has been getting a lot of buzz and Leo’s performance in particular has been garnering a lot of attention. Leo is not short on Golden Globes, but the perceived lack of competition amongst his fellow male leads this year could just mean that he’s on the fast track to his first Best Actor Oscar. Oh crap, did I just jinx it?
It takes something truly special for a blockbuster to be recognised this time of year, especially one that hit cinemas way back in May. That being said, Mad Max: Fury Road has been steadily racking up the awards since then, with the National Board of Review (amongst others) naming it their best film of 2015.
Even still, it was a genuine surprise to see George Miller’s much-lauded action film land so much adulation; a cheeky nomination in the Best Picture (Drama) category sees Fury Road sneak ahead of more conventional awards season films like Steve Jobs and Brooklyn, all of which had to settle for a meagre collection of acting and technical nominations instead. It’s still too early to say whether Fury Road can carry this momentum all the way to the Oscars, but stranger things have happened.
Netflix led the way (8 nominations) with Narcos popping up in the Best Television Series – Drama category alongside heavyweights like Game of Thrones and Empire, whilst Orange is the New Black ranks beside HBO shows like Silicon Valley and Veep in the Comedy field.
The love for streaming doesn’t end there though; lesser known shows like Casual (Hulu), Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon), Transparent (Amazon), Master of None (Netflix) and Grace and Frankie (Netflix) all popped up in the various acting categories, showing that the HFPA like to keep at least one finger on the pulse of what is currently hot on newer, digital platforms.
What did you think of the Golden Globes nominations for this year? Did any films or shows that you were rooting for miss the cut? Let me know in the comments section below!
So, what conclusions and observations can we construe from the list of nominees for this year?
Hedging their bets
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| Acclaim for Carol is building - can it carry across to the Oscars? |
If there is one deduction we can draw from awards season thus far, it’s that anyone can, and probably will, win. In years gone by, the Globes have signalled the arrival of a clear front-runner that looks set to take the season by storm, such as Birdman or Argo.
This year, we’re not having as much luck picking a favourite; the nominations are split fairly evenly, with headline films like The Danish Girl, Steve Jobs, Bridge of Spies and Brooklyn all missing from the essential Best Motion Picture categories.
Carol is probably be the closet it gets – Todd Hayne’s masterpiece picked up 5 nods, including Best Director and Best Actress nominations for both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. But stacked up alongside films like Spotlight and The Revenant, even that doesn’t seem like a clear leader of the pack.
This year, we’re not having as much luck picking a favourite; the nominations are split fairly evenly, with headline films like The Danish Girl, Steve Jobs, Bridge of Spies and Brooklyn all missing from the essential Best Motion Picture categories.
Carol is probably be the closet it gets – Todd Hayne’s masterpiece picked up 5 nods, including Best Director and Best Actress nominations for both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. But stacked up alongside films like Spotlight and The Revenant, even that doesn’t seem like a clear leader of the pack.
Leo leads the pack
Another headline from Friday’s Globes line-up was Leonardo DiCaprio’s nomination in the Best Actor category – his new film, The Revenant, has been getting a lot of buzz and Leo’s performance in particular has been garnering a lot of attention. Leo is not short on Golden Globes, but the perceived lack of competition amongst his fellow male leads this year could just mean that he’s on the fast track to his first Best Actor Oscar. Oh crap, did I just jinx it?
LOLs in Space
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| Stand-up starman - Matt Damon in The Martian |
One decision that got tongues wagging was the HFPA’s decision to include Ridley Scott’s The Martian in the Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) category. Y’know, The Martian – a film where Matt Damon gets stranded on Mars millions of miles away from another human being in an uplifting tale of human endeavour and survival against the odds. Sure it had some gags in it – but a comedy?
It’s a bit of a stretch, but I can kind of see the logic here. Either they plonk it in Comedy or it gets shut out of a nomination entirely, and when you’ve got a film as good as The Martian up for selection, you squeeze it in whenever and wherever you can. Plus, it almost makes up for Scott’s film being practically ignored by the SAG Awards earlier in the week.
It’s a bit of a stretch, but I can kind of see the logic here. Either they plonk it in Comedy or it gets shut out of a nomination entirely, and when you’ve got a film as good as The Martian up for selection, you squeeze it in whenever and wherever you can. Plus, it almost makes up for Scott’s film being practically ignored by the SAG Awards earlier in the week.
Witness the fury
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| Just another day in Australia - George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road |
Even still, it was a genuine surprise to see George Miller’s much-lauded action film land so much adulation; a cheeky nomination in the Best Picture (Drama) category sees Fury Road sneak ahead of more conventional awards season films like Steve Jobs and Brooklyn, all of which had to settle for a meagre collection of acting and technical nominations instead. It’s still too early to say whether Fury Road can carry this momentum all the way to the Oscars, but stranger things have happened.
Finger on the pulse
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| Aziz Ansari in Master of None |
While the film categories were mainly filled with the usual suspects, the television nominations were filled with acknowledgements to the new king of the hill; streaming.
The love for streaming doesn’t end there though; lesser known shows like Casual (Hulu), Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon), Transparent (Amazon), Master of None (Netflix) and Grace and Frankie (Netflix) all popped up in the various acting categories, showing that the HFPA like to keep at least one finger on the pulse of what is currently hot on newer, digital platforms.
What did you think of the Golden Globes nominations for this year? Did any films or shows that you were rooting for miss the cut? Let me know in the comments section below!
This article was originally published over at Hooked on Film, a Perth based website where you can find even more new release movie reviews, features, interviews and insight. Click here to check it out.
DiCaprio is winning. And lord save the one who wins if it is not Leo, because that person would get so much hate.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope so - I haven't seen The Revenant yet but DiCaprio does seem like he's the front-runner right now. Thanks for commenting Sati!
DeleteI'm okay with The Martian being in comedy. It's probably funnier than Joy.
ReplyDeleteI really want to see Carol and it's nowhere near me. I hope it gets a wider release.
It's a lot funnier than Joy. A lot funnier. I was lucky enough to see Carol a few weeks back, and it's just brilliant. I think it opens here in a few weeks.
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