In Contention

By Josh Spiegel

December 18, 2009

Does the FAA know about them?

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I suppose that, with Christmas coming up in just a week, it's absolutely appropriate that the 2009 movie season gives us a huge heap of awards and nominations so close to the holiday. As I mentioned last week, there was nothing topical to talk about, in terms of recent announcements. This week, we've got the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and the AFI Awards. Even though they were announced this week, I figured that, as a Christmas present to you, the reader, we'll discuss a bounty of critics' awards and nominations next week. It may not be as flashy as Golden Globes, but there's still going to be plenty to talk about on a merry Christmas. But, before you're done today, we might as well talk about the awards prospects for Avatar. Hopefully, by the end, you won't feel too overstuffed. Right now, it's time to prepare yourselves. Let's get into some big news from this week.

First, the Golden Globes, also known as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, announced its nominations for the year of film. The awards, which will be bestowed upon various winners on Sunday, January 17th, seem to initially favor the George Clooney film Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman. Up in the Air received six nominations, including Best Picture (Drama), Best Actor, Best Director, and two nods for Best Supporting Actress, for Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Other big vote-getters were Nine, with five nominations, including Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Best Supporting Actress, for Marion Cotillard; Avatar, with four nominations, including Best Picture (Drama), Best Director, for James Cameron, Best Score, and Best Song; and Inglourious Basterds, also with four nominations, including Best Picture (Drama).




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Notable snubs included The Lovely Bones, which only got a Best Supporting Actor nod for Stanley Tucci; and An Education, which only got a Best Actress nomination for Carey Mulligan. Also, though Precious got three nods, its director, Lee Daniels, was snubbed. Whereas Daniels' film got love and he got none, Invictus was not nominated for Best Picture (Drama), while its helmer, Clint Eastwood, got a Best Director nomination. For the most part, there aren't a lot of surprises here (unless you want to consider The Hangover getting a Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) nomination a crazy surprise), as most of the stereotypes surrounding the Globes got reinforced. They love celebrities, mostly because they want to showcase as many celebs as possible during the televised ceremony. Frankly, this year's ceremony will be worth watching, if only because English comic Ricky Gervais will be hosting.

But what of the Globes serving as a crystal ball for the Oscars? A lot of people see, or used to see, the Golden Globes as something of an Oscar pre-game. It's an interesting notion, especially since the HFPA has been nothing near accurate in predicting the Best Picture Oscar winner in the past years. In the past five years, only their 2008 choice for Best Picture (Drama), Slumdog Millionaire, won the Oscar. Of course, in the past ten years, the HFPA has gotten six of ten Oscar winners right; from 1999 to 2003, they had a perfect record, but once 2004 came around, they became a lot iffier. In general, it's healthy to take the HFPA with a grain of salt, as the voters are all foreign journalists, some of whom have been accused of having somewhat questionable credentials or taking gifts for nominations and/or awards. The Golden Globes are a fun precursor to the Oscars, but not nearly as self-important as they'd like to be.


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