THE 2012 GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13.
There are few surprises here, and I cannot comment on all the nominees as much as I would like at this point given that I have yet to see certain films such as Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty, Les Misérables, and Silver Linings Playbook. There are some surprises and perhaps some snubs, and there are some of the usual suspects the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has recognized before. Hit the jump for the full list of nominees and our thoughts.
Best Picture, Drama: “Argo” “Django Unchained” “Life of Pi” “Lincoln” “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” “Les Misérables” “Moonrise Kindgom” “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” “Silver Linings Playbook”
Best Director: Ben Affleck, “Argo” Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty” Ang Lee, “Life of Pi” Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln” Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”
Best Actor, Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln” Richard Gere, “Arbitrage” John Hawkes, “The Sessions” Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master” Denzel Washington, “Flight”
Best Actress, Drama: Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty” Marion Cotillard, “Rust and Bone” Helen Mirren, “Hitchcock” Naomi Watts, “The Impossible” Rachel Weisz, “The Deep Blue Sea”
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jack Black, “Bernie” Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook” Hugh Jackman, “Les Misérables” Ewan McGregor, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” Bill Murray, “Hyde Park on Hudson”
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: 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”
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, “Argo” Leonardo DiCaprio, “Django Unchained” Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master” Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln” Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, “The Master” Sally Field, “Lincoln” Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables” Helen Hunt, “The Sessions” Nicole Kidman, “The Paperboy”
Best Screenplay: Mark Boal, “Zero Dark Thirty” Tony Kushner, “Lincoln” David O’Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook” Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained” Chris Terrio, “Argo”
Foreign Language Film: “Amour” “A Royal Affair” “The Intouchables” “Kon-Tiki” “Rust and Bone”
Picture, Drama: Few surprises here, though I was not as impressed with Life of Pi as some critics, audiences, and the HFPA is. I also wonder what the HFPA thought about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, End of Watch, Looper, Seven Psychopaths, and Beasts of the Southern Wild — so the HFPA that tries to be daring and risk-taking has made many safe choices. Picture, Musical/Comedy: I am surprised that the well-received and wonderfully-acted but fairly unoriginal Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is in this list; I expected Les Misérables and Silver Linings Playbook to be here and without having seen it yet, I would predict Les Misérables to win. I’m thrilled to see the extraordinary Wes Anderson film Moonrise Kingdom nominated. And I’m utterly flabbergasted to see the relatively unseen and unfavored Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is in this list (wasn’t there something else to fill this fifth spot?).
Best Director: No real surprises and while some who have seen Bigelow’s work are already saying she’ll repeat her Hurt Locker award success, I think the HFPA may stretch a bit and recognize the wonderfully deft work of Ben Affleck in his third directorial outing with Argo. Unlike some of these films (again, based on what I’ve seen and based on what I know about the others yet seen) that require little real direction (in my view) and are not edited too well, Argo is taut and expertly driven by the man at the helm. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Paul Thomas Anderson’s absence for The Master; perhaps he was bumped by the HFPA’s love for Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Best Actor, Drama: Again, few surprises, though I was underwhelmed by Denzel Washington’s no-real-challenge job in Flight. The film begins so brilliantly and then descends into overwrought, unsteady melodrama with Washington leading the way (just my opinion; it’s obviously not shared by some major critics). The others are absolutely expected and the contest is likely to come down to Daniel Day-Lewis for his brilliant performance as Abraham Lincoln and Joaquin Phoenix’s work in The Master. I’m thrilled to see Richard Gere and John Hawkes nominated, though I don’t see them winning unless the HFPA wants to honor the careers of these two men. Best Actor, Musical/Comedy: As is often the case, the HFPA muddies the other critics’ choice awards, SAGs, and Oscars by creating a second category for musical and comedy films. I’m happy to see Jack Black here for Bernie which I reviewed for this site and called the first Oscar-caliber performance of the year. I sort of expected Bernie might be the fifth film nominated in the musical/comedy category rather than Yemen. Hugh Jackman is in a well-known, meaty role as Jean Valjean. Bradley Cooper, by all accounts, gives his first grown-up performance as a “real” actor in Silver Linings Playbook. The Ewan McGregor nom is a complete surprise; though he’s a wonderful actor, still, for this movie? And finally, one of the best comedic (and equally dramatic when needed) actors of the last 25 years, Bill Murray, comes out of nowhere for portraying Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson. Personally, I like Jack Black in this category but I wouldn’t be surprised by a Bradley Cooper win.
Best Actress, Drama: There are really no surprises here, though it would have been wonderful if Quvenzhané Wallis had been recognized for Beasts of the Southern Wild. While I’ve yet to see Jessica Chastain’s work in Zero Dark Thirty, many prognostigators are predictings she’s the odds-on favorite to win here and at the Academy Awards. Her main competition is likely to be Rachel Weisz, who has been picking up some awards for her work in the film version of the famous play The Deep Blue Sea (though I wasn’t very impressed with the film or her work; she’s had more demanding roles, been better, and been awarded for it — i.e., The Constant Gardener). Noami Watts is always a strong addition to a film; her work in Mulholland Dr. is still considered in some circles as the one that got away at the 2002 Oscar ceremony. Finally, Marion Cotillard is an excellent actress and I hear she’s great in Rust and Bone, but she’s likely to be passed over for the newer “it” girl, Chastain. Best Actress, Musical/Comedy: Meryl Streep, always a perennial favorite, has been given a record 27th Golden Globe nomination for her nice but casual work in Hope Springs. Judi Dench — another acting legend — is recognized for her usually strong performance in Marigold Hotel. As much as I admire Streep and Dench’s work, they don’t do anything extraordinary in these films or with their performances. Emily Blunt is great in great parts, but I don’t think Yemen is one of those. Maggie Smith has been recognized elsewhere for her supporting work in Marigold Hotel and, as usual, she’s great in it; I have yet to see Quartet, but I’m a Maggie-phile, so I’m happy to see her recognized. I’m left thinking another “it” girl will be awarded, and that’s Jennifer Lawrence for her work in Silver Linings Playbook. Lawrence, unlike Streep, Dench, or Smith, is only good when the material is good and she’s been almost unwatchable in what I thought were unwatchable films — The Hunger Games and House at the End of the Street are recent examples (again, just my humble opinion).
Best Supporting Actor and Actress: The HFPA shows big love to Django Unchained by recognizing the talented Leo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz. I’m thrilled to see Alan Arkin here for Argo, Tommy Lee Jones for his excellent portrayal as Thaddeus Stevens in Lincoln, and Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master. What is surprising is no Golden Globe love for New York Film Critics Circle winner Matthew McConaughey for Magic Mike (and Bernie). The HFPA also overlooked one of the most talented character actor in the business, William H. Macy, for his short but strong role as a priest in The Sessions. As is often the case, the supporting category is very strong, and I couldn’t predict a winner if you put a gun to my head. The women selected reveal no surprises. It’s great to see Sally Field here because she gives the definition of a “supporting” performance in Lincoln and she’s damn good. Helen Hunt is fine, but nothing too special in The Sessions (it’s really Hawkes’ picture). Nicole Kidman is always giving striking performances when she picks the right material, and while The Paperboy was not well received and not widely seen, it’s not surprising that her white-trash-Barbie-doll-come-to-life is recognized for, if nothing else, its brazeness. Amy Adams is generally a solid actress in everything, and she’s pretty good in The Master, holding her own with Hoffman and Phoenix just as she held her own in Doubt and The Fighter with other extraordinary actors giving memorable performances. But the winner here is likely to be Anne Hathaway who’s supposedly wonderful as the tragic Fantine from Les Misérables. My money’s on Hathaway all the way.
Best Screenplay: This is a tough category in a great year for some great scripts. Sadly, there wasn’t room for the wonderfully original Moonrise Kingdomand some other terrific, original films such as Looper, Seven Psychopaths, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Amour; some might think The Master was snubbed here, but I didn’t care for the movie that much, so I’m not surprised nor saddened (Paul Thomas Anderson can deliver extraordinary material — e.g., Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood — but I agree with Roger Ebert that he missed the mark here). The five writers are all strong contenders and I don’t want to venture a guess as to who the HFPA picks here.
Best Foreign Film: Well, I’ve only seen Amour, though the others are on my list to see. And anyone who read my review of Amour and is at all familiar with my views of Michael Haneke’s work knows I want Amour to win in hopes that it will get more people to see this extraordinary, mysterious, shocking, moving, masterful movie.
