If this time last year someone had said that the 2009 Golden Globes would have been a competition between James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow and Quentin Tarantino, I may have checked you hadn’t been overdoing the Christmas mould wine.
Cameron and Quentin may have won Oscars but their films are never traditionally seen as bankers to win awards. Bigelow’s Hurt Locker was an excellent film but also a complete surprise as she had not made a film for six years and was completely associated with action films. She and Cameron used to married so if one of them wins, do they have split the award 50/50? Maybe they should all have a fight. That would be fun to watch!
It is difficult to judge which films may come out on top as two of the Best Motion Picture nominees Precious and Up in the Air (starring George Clooney) yet to be released in the UK. The Globes are seen as a pre-cursor to the Oscars but these films are light years away from some of last year’s nominees (The Reader,Milk,Revolutionary Road). With the Oscars now shortlisting 10 films for the prized Best Motion Picture category, are we seeing a move towards more commercial fare taking home the big prize?
The ‘worthy’ films have some catching up to do. Nelson Mandela biopic Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon has nominees for acting and direction but missed in the best film category. Meanwhile Peter Jackson’s anticipated adaption of The Lovely Bones picked up just one nomination for best supporting actor (Stanley Tucci).
There is a strong showing from the British ladies. Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria), Helen Mirren (The Last Station) and Carey Mulligan (An Education) have all been nominated for Best Actress. It is pleasing to see that there are still some well written roles for women out there.
You can see a full list of the nominations here
