PCB and GG Nominations

The nominations are out for the Golden Globes. What follows is a long list of them, with my thoughts and comments. Enjoy.

Best film - Drama
Babel

The big winner in terms of nominees, but will it win out on the night? I can’t comment as this was the other movie I had to give up a ticket for when I went to NYC recently. It opens in the UK next month.

The Departed

An amazing film. Looks like my prediction of it being overlooked at awards time was wrong.

Little Children

Didn't see it. Am dying to and will see it the instant it's out on DVD.

The Queen

A very very good if not entirely great film. I think it’s getting a lot of the attention for its subject matter and its performances rather than the finished product

Bobby

Doesn't open in the UK until January so again I have no comment.


Best film - Musical Or Comedy

Borat

UGH

Little Miss Sunshine

Another film I managed to miss, much to my chagrin. Nobody who saw it has a bad word to say about it so it would be nice if this was the little film that could and picked up the award on the night.

Dreamgirls

However, if this film doesn't walk off with the big prize, I will be shocked.

The Devil Wears Prada

Not overly sure the film as a whole merits a nomination. Yes it's cute and yes it's funny but really.

Thank You For Smoking

Another film that passed me by. For some reason I really couldn't be bothered to drag myself to the movies much over the summer.

Best director - film

Clint Eastwood - Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood - Letters from Iwo Jima

So Clint gets two nominations for director. And yet Flags wasn't considered good enough for a Best Picture nod? Man, I bet Martin Scorcese hates him. Chances are though the dual nominations will end up cancelling each other out.

Stephen Frears - The Queen

I seriously doubt he's in with a shot of winning but the direction of the movie is brilliantly understated so it's a deserved nomination.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Babel

If only because he directed Amores Perros, he should win.

Martin Scorsese - The Departed

It's a return to form that does truly deserve all the accolades. I am really surprised to see the nomination though, I honestly thought it would be a little too much for awards ceremonies. But then, GoodFellas got like eight million nominations so what do I know?


Best performance by an actress in a film - Drama
Penelope Cruz - Volver

I know it's wrong, but I hate her. She's apparently much less annoying and a far better actress when she's using her native language but I don't know if I agree with that. However, Volver is yet another film I didn't see, so I don't know if I hate her in it. But I do hate her.

Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal

This woman can do no wrong. Seriously. None.

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Sherrybaby

She's so effing talented and it's nice to see her being nominated for anything, frankly.

Kate Winslet - Little Children

See above.

Helen Mirren - The Queen

This is the performance to beat though. Mirren has done pretty much a clean sweep since the film debuted on the festival circuit so if she doesn't win, I'll be stunned.


Best performance by an actor in a film - Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed

Another dual nomination, one very much deserved (The Departed), the other, judging from the trailer as the film doesn't open in the UK until next year, very much not. His accent in Blood Diamond is a joke, for starters.

Peter O'Toole - Venus

I didn't even know this performance had any awards buzz about it.

Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness

Eh, I find him inoffensive enough but dear CHRIST this film looks bad. It looks like the worst kind of cloying sentimental claptrap. I wouldn't see it with someone else's eyes.

Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

The male Helen Mirren. If he doesn't walk off with the Globe, I'll be stunned.

Best performance by an actress in a film - Musical or Comedy

Annette Bening - Running With Scissors
Toni Collette - Little Miss Sunshine
Beyonce Knowles - Dreamgirls
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Renee Zellweger - Miss Potter

I've only seen one of these performances (Streep) so I will not do individual comments on them this time. But if Beyonce wins, I'll be furious.

Best performance by an actor in a film - Musical Or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat

Sigh.

Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean

Is that a joke? He was horrendous in this movie. He barely deserved his nomination for the first film, where he was actually good.

Aaron Eckhart - Thank You for Smoking
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Kinky Boots
Will Ferrell - Stranger than Fiction

Again, I haven't seen those last three performances so I can't really say anything. I would love to see Ejiofor win though, purely because he's incredible in everything I have seen him in.

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a film

Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

Wow I suck. I've only seen one of these performances too. And it's the nomination I'm probably happiest about. Emily Blunt is just glorious. Good for her.

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a film

Ben Affleck - Hollywoodland
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson - The Departed
Brad Pitt - Babel
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

Ok, so continuing on the theme of sucking, I have only seen two performances here. And I am so shocked at Marky Mark's nomination. He was the one blot on The Departed's landscape. Horrible. Matt Damon was much more deserving of a nod.


Best foreign language film

Apocalypto (US)

Crazy Mel's follow up to The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre hasn't been anywhere near as successful but the critics seemed to love it, which would explain this nomination I suppose.

Letters From Iwo Jima (US)

Will more than likely be the winner in this category, I would think, given the head of steam it's building up (which would explain why the release date was moved up from February 07).

The Lives of Others (Germany)
Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico)

I would love to see this movie win though. It's just so fucking amazing.

Volver (Spain)


Best animated feature film

Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

I haven't seen any of these. My inner child hates me.


Best screenplay - film

Guillermo Arriaga - Babel
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta - Little Children
Patrick Marber - Notes on a Scandal
William Monahan - The Departed
Peter Morgan - The Queen

Why don't the GG's split adapted and original? That doesn't really seem very fair.


Best original song - film
Listen - Dreamgirls
Never Gonna Break My Faith - Bobby
The Song of the Heart - Happy Feet
Try Not to Remember - Home of the Brave
A Father's Way - The Pursuit of Happyness

Does anybody honestly think anything other than Dreamgirls will take this category?


Best original score - film

Alexandre Desplat - The Painted Veil
Clint Mansell - The Fountain
Gustavo Santaolalla - Babel
Carlo Siliotto - Nomad
Hans Zimmer - The Da Vinci Code

I can only assume Zimmer's nomination is a joke of some kind. I love Clint Mansell's work generally so it would be nice to see him win. The Fountain tanked and has absolutely no buzz whatsoever though so I don't really think his triumph is likely.


Best television series - Drama

24

This nod would be for the 5th season, which I have to say I didn't think much of. They really had to s t r e t c h out the plot to get it to the full 24 episodes.

Big Love

Can we say boring? I'm willing to give it a second chance on DVD but the first two episodes bored me so intensely I didn't watch any more of it.

Grey's Anatomy

God I love this show. And the second season was pretty fucking incredible. So it would be nice, after it left the Emmys with egg all over its face, to see the show pick up the award here.

Heroes

Starts in the UK in February and I seriously CANNOT wait.

Lost

This nod is for the second season, which was a little bit shit. And not just because it had a tough act to follow after its brilliant first season. It was a little bit shit because it did nothing for the majority of the season. All this great promise was squandered and the bollocks with the hatch and the button was particularly annoying. I seriously hope it doesn't win.

Best performance by an actress in a television series - Drama

Patricia Arquette - Medium

Love her. And she is utterly mesmerising in this show. Her style is perfect for the role.

Edie Falco - Sopranos

I've never seen a single episode, but Edie Falco pretty much kicks ass in everything she does.

Evangeline Lilly - Lost

What? Why?

Ellen Pompeo - Grey's Anatomy

Oh fuck off, really? She's hateful awful in the show. I have said it before but it takes a talented actress to take someone as patently unloveable and annoying as Meredith and make you care about her and you, Ms Pompeo, are not that actress.

Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

Never seen it but I've also never seen a bad Kyra Sedgwick performance.

Best performance by an actor in a television series - Drama

Patrick Dempsey - Grey's Anatomy

He's so hot. He's really grown into his looks and his talent.

Michael C Hall - Dexter

I've not seen this show but it would be nice for Hall to win if only to make up for the lack of love he was shown for his on the money performance as David Fisher in Six Feet Under.

Hugh Laurie - House

I've only seen a handful of episodes but Laurie has been pretty outstanding in all of them. It's a brilliantly written character and Laurie has one of the most convincing American accents around.

Bill Paxton - Big Love

If they give it to him, will he stop taking his clothes off on the show?

Kiefer Sutherland - 24

His character had no arc this season. All he did was shout for 24 episodes.

Best television series - Musical Or Comedy

Desperate Housewives

The second season sucked. I gave up on it.

Entourage

Absolute comedy genius.

The Office

I hate the UK version so I have no desire to ever see the US one.

Weeds

I have only seen a few episodes (I have the whole first season on DVD I just haven't watched it all yet) but it's top notch stuff, judging on what I have seen.

Ugly Betty

Not on in the UK yet...


Best performance by an actress in a television series - Musical Or Comedy

Marcia Cross - Desperate Housewives
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty
Felicity Huffman - Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds

I'm starting to bore myself now and I am sure nobody is still reading by this point, so I'll just say if anyone but Parker wins this, there will be hell to pay.

Best performance by an actor in a television series - Musical Or Comedy

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Zach Braff - Scrubs
Steve Carrell - The Office
Jason Lee - My Name is Earl
Tony Shalhoub - Monk

As much as I love Zach Braff, I think if there's any justice the award will go to Jason Lee.

Best mini-series or film made for television

Bleak House
Prime Suspect: The Final Act
Broken Trail
Elizabeth I
Mrs Harris

Surely this award belongs to Bleak House. It was an epic adaptation, ambitious as well as innovative and packed to drawstrings with great performances.


Best performance by an actress in a mini-series or film made for television

Gillian Anderson - Bleak House

Whatthefuckever. Hers was probably the weakest link in a very strong chain. That Anna Maxwell Martin has been overlooked is travesty.

Annette Bening - Mrs Harris
Helen Mirren - Elizabeth I
Helen Mirren - Prime Suspect: The Final Act

Not content with winning every film award under the sun, Mirren doubles her TV award chances with this dual nomination. Her final performance as Jane Tennison is richly deserving of all the praise being heaped upon it.

Sophie Okonedo - Tsunami: The Aftermath


Best performance by an actor in a mini-series or film made for television

Andre Braugher - Thief
Robert Duvall - Broken Trail
Michael Ealy - Sleeper Cell: American Terror
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Tsunami: The Aftermath
Bill Nighy - Gideon's Daughter
Ben Kingsley - Mrs. Harris
Matthew Perry - The Ron Clark Story

Why so many nominations in this category? Bill Nighy was wonderful in Gideon's Daughter, it has to be said.


Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or film made for television

Toni Collette - Tsunami: The Aftermath
Emily Blunt - Gideon's Daughter
Katherine Heigl - Grey's Anatomy
Sarah Paulson - Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Elizabeth Perkins - Weeds

Gosh I am actually torn here. I documented my love for Ms Blunt at the beginning of what has now become the world's longest blog entry. But Heigl was superb in Grey's, her character arc was the most interesting and challenging of the lot. And Perkins performance in Weeds is a joy to behold.

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or film made for television

Thomas Haden Church - Broken Trail
Jeremy Irons - Elizabeth I
Justin Kirk - Weeds
Masi Oka - Heroes
Jeremy Piven - Entourage

They probably needn't have bothered with the first four nominees. This award has Piven's name all over it.


So there you are. That's my not terribly coherent take on the Golden Globes. I am very hungover right now so cut me some slack.