I live in a suburb of Philadelphia, and today's (Tuesday Dec 14th) Golden Globe Nominations were inevitably overshadowed by the Philadelphia Phillies signing of Cliff Lee, and rightfully so. Once the excitement subsides, avid moviegoers will be dying to get the latest scoop on what films will be headlining this year's award season.
I finally had a chance to carefully sort through the 2011 nominees for each of the major motion picture categories, and the Golden Globes seem to have done an above average job with this year's nominations. But as we all know, nothing's perfect. So allow me to fill you in on the deserved nominees and the overlooked snubs at the year's inaugural ceremony.
For starters, let me point out that I haven't seen a few of this year's recognized films. Notably: The King's Speech, Blue Valentine, The Tourist, Frankie and Alice, and a few others. That being said, I still had the chance to view over 85 movies released this year and have plenty of insight to offer.
*** Best Picture (Drama)
The nominees are The King's Speech, Black Swan, The Fighter, The Social Network, and Inception.
Analysis: With all the buzz surrounding The King's Speech, I have to accept its place on this short list. Black Swan, The Social Network, and Inception all landed in my Top Ten films of the year, therefore, I can't question those choices. However, The Fighter was simply mediocre and I have to seriously question its place amongst these elite nominees. The film is rather non-climactic and too slow paced to garner such recognition. The Golden Globes simply have this one wrong.
Snubs: The Fighter should easily be replaced by another film that deserves serious consideration, such as Nowhere Boy, The Town, True Grit, or 127 Hours. All of which currently reside on my Top Ten list for 2010.
*** Best Picture (Comedy or Musical)
The nominees are Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist, Burlesque, Red, and The Kids Are All Right.
Analysis: I don't know what the committee was thinking, but they got these nominations ALL WRONG. Alice in Wonderland isn't very good at all and Red consists of more "been there, done that" action sequences than it does laughs. The Kids Are All Right was an acceptable nominee although it is still slightly over-hyped.
Snubs: Get Low has remained my number one film of the year for a long time now, and I am baffled by its lack of recognition. It's a great story that's delivered to perfection. Also, Easy A, Kick Ass, and Due Date are three other top-notch comedies (all much better than the nominated list above) that were completely overlooked by the Golden Globes.
*** Best Actor (Drama)
The nominees are Colin Firth (The King's Speech), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), James Franco (127 Hours), Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter), and Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
Analysis: Colin Firth seems to be the frontrunner as we approach the ceremony and no one can dispute James Franco's unbelievable real life portrayal of outdoor enthusiast Aron Ralston. Jesse Eisenberg was very good and deserving of a nomination, but Mark Wahlberg is puzzling. Marky Mark (he'll never lose that title in my eyes) gives the fourth best performance in The Fighter, and I don't understand these critics love fest for the film.
Snubs: A few other noteworthy performances this year come from well the known actors like Michael Douglas (Solitary Man), Leonardo Dicaprio (Inception), and especially Jeff Bridges for his portrayal of U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn in the epic True Grit. Each of whom offers a more memorable role than Wahlberg.
*** Best Actor (Comedy or Musical)
The nominees are Johnny Depp (The Tourist and Alice in Wonderland), Paul Giamatti (Barney's Version), Jake Gyllenhall (Love and Other Drugs), and Kevin Spacey (Casino Jack)
Analysis: It looks as though there's a wicked man-crush going on here with Johnny Depp. Depp is good, but hardly award-worthy in Tim Burton's imagining of Alice in Wonderland. In addition, The Tourist looks like it's far from a masterpiece (pure speculation since I haven't seen it). Gyllenhall was decent and the other two (Giamatti and Spacey) are proven actors who garner the occasional nomination purely on reputation.
Snubs: Robert Duvall, Robert Duvall, Robert Duvall (Get Low). He gives, hands down, one of the top performances of the year for any movie, let alone a comedy. He's the ultimate snub, and I can't understand how his role has become completely forgotten. Get Low had a very early release date this year, but Duvall's delivery still reasonates with me.
*** Best Actress (Drama)
The nominees are Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), and Halle Berry (Frankie and Alice)
Analysis: I really don't have any complaints on this crop of nominees. I thoroughly enjoyed Kidman, Lawrence, and Portman in their roles. Based solely on hearsay, Williams and Berry also seem deserving of their nominations. No real complaints here.
Snubs: I believe and argument can be made for Hilary Swank (Conviction) and Naomi Watts (Fair Game). Both were very good in their respective roles this year, but ultimately, I think the Golden Globes got it right.
*** Best Actress (Comedy or Musical)
The nominees are Annette Bening and Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right), Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs), Angelina Jolie (The Tourist), and Emma Stone (Easy A)
Analysis: Once again, the committee does a solid job of acknowledging worthy performances by female leads. I can't dispute any of their nominees here.
Snubs: None
*** Best Director
The nominees are Christopher Nolan (Inception), David Fincher (The Social Network), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), Tom Hooper (The King's Speech), and David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Analysis: Perhaps you're starting to see a recurring theme. Four of these directors are worthy of their nominations, yet I question only one of them. Obviously, David O. Russell is the odd man out. The Fighter is a terribly overrated and slow-moving film. I don't see anything above and beyond with the film's direction, and it seems as though he was just picked to be picked.
Snubs: On the other hand, there are many other directors worthy of recognition. Danny Boyle (127 Hours) paints a vivid picture of survival and redemption with his 2011 hit. Also, the Coen Brothers do an excellent job teleporting the audience into the wild west with their overly snubbed feature True Grit. Other notable direction came from Debra Granik (Winter's Bone), Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer), and Ben Affleck (The Town), all of which deserve some serious consideration for their excellent work.
*** Best Supporting Actor in a Major Motion Picture
The nominees are Christian Bale (The Fighter), Michael Douglas (Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Jeremy Renner (The Town), and Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
Analysis: I am very surprised to see Michael Douglas land this nomination. Part of me thinks it's the Golden Globes way of indirectly recognizing him for his lead work in Solitary Man. Jeremy Renner is a bit of a surprise as well, but he's well deserving of it. Garfield and Rush are also warranted nominees, but Christian Bale should win. Despite my lack of enthusiasm surrounding The Fighter, Bale stole the film and made it bearable to watch.
Snubs: There are numerous Supporting Actor performances worthy of a nomination this year. I expected to see Sam Rockwell (Conviction) and Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) amongst the nominees. A few others worth mentioning are Sean Penn (Fair Game) and Bill Murray (Get Low).
*** Best Supporting Actress in a Major Motion Picture
The nominees are Amy Adams and Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), and Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Analysis: I haven't seen or heard much about Animal Kingdom or Jacki Weaver's performance in the film, so I was shocked to see her nomination. The other four nominees were rather expected. Yet again, the committee gets it right with its female categories.
Snubs: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) is easily the biggest snub here. She is simply wonderful as little Mattie Ross, the vengeful daughter or a man murdered in cold blood. A few other supporting roles that could have been recognized without debate were offered by Carey Mulligan (Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps), Dianne Wiest (Rabbit Hole), and Kristin Scott Thomas (Nowhere Boy).
Well that about wraps up my take on the nominees for this year's Golden Globes. I was shocked to discover that True Grit and Get Low received zero nominations. Both films were amongst the best of the year, along with 127 Hours, which only received a single nomination. The Oscars will hopefully make the necessary corrections, and properly recognize these worthy films. On a side note, many of the movies mentioned above are available on DVD or are currently playing in theatres. Be sure to check them out before January's airing of the 2011 Golden Globes, so you can form an opinion of your own.
I finally had a chance to carefully sort through the 2011 nominees for each of the major motion picture categories, and the Golden Globes seem to have done an above average job with this year's nominations. But as we all know, nothing's perfect. So allow me to fill you in on the deserved nominees and the overlooked snubs at the year's inaugural ceremony.
For starters, let me point out that I haven't seen a few of this year's recognized films. Notably: The King's Speech, Blue Valentine, The Tourist, Frankie and Alice, and a few others. That being said, I still had the chance to view over 85 movies released this year and have plenty of insight to offer.
*** Best Picture (Drama)
The nominees are The King's Speech, Black Swan, The Fighter, The Social Network, and Inception.
Analysis: With all the buzz surrounding The King's Speech, I have to accept its place on this short list. Black Swan, The Social Network, and Inception all landed in my Top Ten films of the year, therefore, I can't question those choices. However, The Fighter was simply mediocre and I have to seriously question its place amongst these elite nominees. The film is rather non-climactic and too slow paced to garner such recognition. The Golden Globes simply have this one wrong.
Snubs: The Fighter should easily be replaced by another film that deserves serious consideration, such as Nowhere Boy, The Town, True Grit, or 127 Hours. All of which currently reside on my Top Ten list for 2010.
*** Best Picture (Comedy or Musical)
The nominees are Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist, Burlesque, Red, and The Kids Are All Right.
Analysis: I don't know what the committee was thinking, but they got these nominations ALL WRONG. Alice in Wonderland isn't very good at all and Red consists of more "been there, done that" action sequences than it does laughs. The Kids Are All Right was an acceptable nominee although it is still slightly over-hyped.
Snubs: Get Low has remained my number one film of the year for a long time now, and I am baffled by its lack of recognition. It's a great story that's delivered to perfection. Also, Easy A, Kick Ass, and Due Date are three other top-notch comedies (all much better than the nominated list above) that were completely overlooked by the Golden Globes.
*** Best Actor (Drama)
The nominees are Colin Firth (The King's Speech), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), James Franco (127 Hours), Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter), and Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
Analysis: Colin Firth seems to be the frontrunner as we approach the ceremony and no one can dispute James Franco's unbelievable real life portrayal of outdoor enthusiast Aron Ralston. Jesse Eisenberg was very good and deserving of a nomination, but Mark Wahlberg is puzzling. Marky Mark (he'll never lose that title in my eyes) gives the fourth best performance in The Fighter, and I don't understand these critics love fest for the film.
Snubs: A few other noteworthy performances this year come from well the known actors like Michael Douglas (Solitary Man), Leonardo Dicaprio (Inception), and especially Jeff Bridges for his portrayal of U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn in the epic True Grit. Each of whom offers a more memorable role than Wahlberg.
*** Best Actor (Comedy or Musical)
The nominees are Johnny Depp (The Tourist and Alice in Wonderland), Paul Giamatti (Barney's Version), Jake Gyllenhall (Love and Other Drugs), and Kevin Spacey (Casino Jack)
Analysis: It looks as though there's a wicked man-crush going on here with Johnny Depp. Depp is good, but hardly award-worthy in Tim Burton's imagining of Alice in Wonderland. In addition, The Tourist looks like it's far from a masterpiece (pure speculation since I haven't seen it). Gyllenhall was decent and the other two (Giamatti and Spacey) are proven actors who garner the occasional nomination purely on reputation.
Snubs: Robert Duvall, Robert Duvall, Robert Duvall (Get Low). He gives, hands down, one of the top performances of the year for any movie, let alone a comedy. He's the ultimate snub, and I can't understand how his role has become completely forgotten. Get Low had a very early release date this year, but Duvall's delivery still reasonates with me.
*** Best Actress (Drama)
The nominees are Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), and Halle Berry (Frankie and Alice)
Analysis: I really don't have any complaints on this crop of nominees. I thoroughly enjoyed Kidman, Lawrence, and Portman in their roles. Based solely on hearsay, Williams and Berry also seem deserving of their nominations. No real complaints here.
Snubs: I believe and argument can be made for Hilary Swank (Conviction) and Naomi Watts (Fair Game). Both were very good in their respective roles this year, but ultimately, I think the Golden Globes got it right.
*** Best Actress (Comedy or Musical)
The nominees are Annette Bening and Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right), Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs), Angelina Jolie (The Tourist), and Emma Stone (Easy A)
Analysis: Once again, the committee does a solid job of acknowledging worthy performances by female leads. I can't dispute any of their nominees here.
Snubs: None
*** Best Director
The nominees are Christopher Nolan (Inception), David Fincher (The Social Network), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), Tom Hooper (The King's Speech), and David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Analysis: Perhaps you're starting to see a recurring theme. Four of these directors are worthy of their nominations, yet I question only one of them. Obviously, David O. Russell is the odd man out. The Fighter is a terribly overrated and slow-moving film. I don't see anything above and beyond with the film's direction, and it seems as though he was just picked to be picked.
Snubs: On the other hand, there are many other directors worthy of recognition. Danny Boyle (127 Hours) paints a vivid picture of survival and redemption with his 2011 hit. Also, the Coen Brothers do an excellent job teleporting the audience into the wild west with their overly snubbed feature True Grit. Other notable direction came from Debra Granik (Winter's Bone), Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer), and Ben Affleck (The Town), all of which deserve some serious consideration for their excellent work.
*** Best Supporting Actor in a Major Motion Picture
The nominees are Christian Bale (The Fighter), Michael Douglas (Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Jeremy Renner (The Town), and Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
Analysis: I am very surprised to see Michael Douglas land this nomination. Part of me thinks it's the Golden Globes way of indirectly recognizing him for his lead work in Solitary Man. Jeremy Renner is a bit of a surprise as well, but he's well deserving of it. Garfield and Rush are also warranted nominees, but Christian Bale should win. Despite my lack of enthusiasm surrounding The Fighter, Bale stole the film and made it bearable to watch.
Snubs: There are numerous Supporting Actor performances worthy of a nomination this year. I expected to see Sam Rockwell (Conviction) and Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) amongst the nominees. A few others worth mentioning are Sean Penn (Fair Game) and Bill Murray (Get Low).
*** Best Supporting Actress in a Major Motion Picture
The nominees are Amy Adams and Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), and Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Analysis: I haven't seen or heard much about Animal Kingdom or Jacki Weaver's performance in the film, so I was shocked to see her nomination. The other four nominees were rather expected. Yet again, the committee gets it right with its female categories.
Snubs: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) is easily the biggest snub here. She is simply wonderful as little Mattie Ross, the vengeful daughter or a man murdered in cold blood. A few other supporting roles that could have been recognized without debate were offered by Carey Mulligan (Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps), Dianne Wiest (Rabbit Hole), and Kristin Scott Thomas (Nowhere Boy).
Well that about wraps up my take on the nominees for this year's Golden Globes. I was shocked to discover that True Grit and Get Low received zero nominations. Both films were amongst the best of the year, along with 127 Hours, which only received a single nomination. The Oscars will hopefully make the necessary corrections, and properly recognize these worthy films. On a side note, many of the movies mentioned above are available on DVD or are currently playing in theatres. Be sure to check them out before January's airing of the 2011 Golden Globes, so you can form an opinion of your own.
Reminder to everyone: The very talented Ms. Naomi Watts has actually been ignored and snubbed by this small group of people calling themselves the HFPA for 11 years, year after year since Mulholland Drive in 2001.
ReplyDeleteVery True. She was excellent in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, but I feel that this year's crop of Best Actress nominees is stronger than it was in 2001.
ReplyDelete