Atonement, Charlie Wilson's War Lead Golden Globe Nominations
December 13, 2007
If foreign critics are right, Atonement has little to atone for. The adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel led this year's Golden Globe nominations with seven nods. Charlie Wilson's War (five), Michael Clayton (four) and No Country for Old Men (four) also received multiple nominations. I'm not a betting woman, but if I were, I'd count on all of these snagging Academy Award nominations too.
On to the full list, with comments:
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Jodie Foster (right) - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement
Blanchett won a Golden Globe in 1999 for Elizabeth, but weak reviews will probably prevent her from a repeat. Based on acting chops and the complexity of their roles, Jolie or Christie should take this, but Knightley could triumph if Atonement pulls a Titanic.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page - Juno
I'm surprised Enchanted wasn't among the Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical nominees. Fortunately, Adams will probably make up for it by winning Best Actress. (Caveat: I'm saying this not having yet had the chance to hear Bonham Carter sing.)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
George Clooney (left) - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster
Five strong actors, five strong roles. Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men), Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) and Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) could've been here too. I'm guessing that the fifth time will be the charm for Day-Lewis, for his role in the adaptation of Upton Sinclair's Oil.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Reilly is one of my favorites, so I hope he scores a win for this spoof of singer-songwriter biopics. But Hanks is a favorite of the foreign press and might win Golden Globe #5.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Julia Roberts (right) - Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
Tough call. Forced to choose, I'd say Ryan by a nose over Ronan and Swinton, as a consolation prize for Gone Baby Gone not getting more nominations.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
What on earth is Travolta doing in this group? His nomination is a triumph of padding over performance. I will be satisfied if anyone but him wins. Ugh.
Best Motion Picture - Drama
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Greed, crime, deceit, revenge — anyone sense a theme here? The only drama that isn't heavy-duty is The Great Debaters, which falls squarely into the inspirational-teacher-based-on-a-true-person category. It's a crowded competition (with two more entries than usual), but Atonement and No Country for Old Men are the ones to beat here.
Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd
This is an odd mix: a revue of the The Beatles, a dance-movie remake, a Stephen Sondheim musical, a coming-of-age dramedy, and the tale of a congressman's secret doings in Afghanistan. Your guess is as good as mine.
Best Animated Feature Film
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
I'm torn, but Pixar's Ratatouille is just too fun and well-made not to pick. Sorry, Seinfeld, but your talking bee is no match for Remy the rodent chef.
Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France and USA)
The Kite Runner (USA)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)
Best Director - Motion Picture
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright - Atonement
Only the Coens and Scott have been nominated before, so this seems to be up for grabs.
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Diablo Cody - Juno
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War
I usually like Sorkin (Studio 60's demise notwithstanding), but Harwood's screenplay has gotten lots of kudos, and the Coen Brothers can never be counted out.
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild
Clint Eastwood - Grace Is Gone
Alberto Iglesias - The Kite Runner
Dario Marianelli - Atonement
Howard Shore - Eastern Promises
Marianelli is probably the favorite because of Atonement. Eastwood could be the dark horse, though.
Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Despedida - Love in the Time of Cholera
Grace Is Gone - Grace Is Gone
Guaranteed - Into the Wild
That's How You Know - Enchanted
Walk Hard - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Tune in to NBC on January 13 for the awards — assuming that the writers' strike doesn't interfere.
Jodie Foster photo by Franz Richter is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5.
