There's no "right" and "wrong" when it comes to the annual Awards game. Opinions on subjective. But at this time of the year, films with Oscar aspirations really hope to stay on the radar of the normal moviegoer, and collecting nominations from places like the Golden Globes or the Critics' Choice awards really helps.
Usually, the Globes get it wrong. Occasionally, they think outside of the box and get it very right. Most of us waking up this morning expected A Star is Born, The Favourite and Green Book to pick up nominations. They are the oft-discussed frontrunners. But the Globes surprised us by spotlighting a handful of absolutely worthy contenders who got a boost in their Oscar bids. So here, we celebrate six picks that were perfect this morning:
Charlize Theron for Best Actress
Movies that come out earlier in the year are in danger of being forgotten by the time that awards season hits its stride. So it was delightful to hear Charlize Theron's name called out for her performance as a frazzled mom in Tully. Theron wears suburban motherhood like a suit of armor in the movie, embracing the frustration that comes with a newborn -- as well as a special-needs son. Tully is the better Jason Reitman movie released this year, and Theron deserves the love.
Elsie Fisher for Best Actress
If it were up to me, Elsie Fisher would with this year's Best Actress Oscar. Her performance as Kayla, the self-conscious lead of the beautifully awkward Eighth Grade, was a wonder to behold. (Stand down, Gaga fans, your queen was equally wonderful in A Star is Born.) I'm praying that she continues to get love, because the Globe nomination is a big step for her toward an Oscar nom, as well.
Black Panther for Best Motion Picture - Drama
Can Ryan Coogler's Black Panther actually WIN the Best Picture Oscar? Well, first it has to contend. And the Golden Globes giving the Marvel superhero movie a Best Picture nomination in the Drama category is all of the fuel that Marvel Studios needs to keep its Oscar campaign going. The movie now has awards cred, and it can only build from there.
Crazy Rich Asians for Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
This happens every year at the Globes, because they have a specific Musical or Comedy category. So a movie that probably doesn't have a shot at Oscar can contend for a Best Picture accolade at the Globes. As the Academy struggles to find a way to recognize popular movies, the HFPA shines some light and love on a crowd-pleaser of a film that deserves attention, and will help boost the television show's ratings. A win-win all around (love that Constance Wu got a nomination as well)!
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for Best Animated
Part of me feared that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse didn't screen for organizations in time. Or that groups would lazily tick a box for Pixar, because it's Pixar (even though Incredibles 2 is very good). But Spider-Man is revolutionary. Not just emotionally (though that's true). It's animation style is the likes of which we have never seen, and while it might not win -- see above, re: Pixar -- I'm just glad it's contending.
Timothee Chalamet for Best Supporting Actor
The "Boy" films aren't connecting this Awards season, be it Beautiful Boy, Boy Erased or the drug-fear drama Ben Is Back. But Timothee Chalamet really does outstanding work as a junkie teenager paralyzed by his cravings in the destructive Beautiful Boy, and he pierces through the melodrama of the material in a way that his co-star, Steve Carell, could not. If anyone from that movie deserves a nod, it's the Call Me By Your Name co-star, so kudos to the Globes for getting it right.
"Shallow" for Best Original Song
Did we expect this song to get nominated? Yes. It's still worth pointing out just how RIGHT the nomination is. When movies and music synthesize together, they can create magic. And "Shallow" is a mesmerizing, memorable moment in a movie that's filled with them. I hope Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga perform the song at EVERY single awards show from now until the Oscars. It'll never get old.
