As we ring in the new year we also ring in award season. The Golden Globes present the first massive showcase for cinema with the nominations coming out last month. Not only were the nominations announced, so too were the betting odds and lines.
So let us take a look at the big screen noms and see who the favorites and darkhorses are to be hoisting some hardware on January 10th.
Best Film – Drama
Spotlight opens as the favorite to win Best Film – Drama on the back of critical and mass praise. The film about how the Boston Globe unearthed the sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church has had critics and the public alike revelling in competent journalism.
After months of speculation and hype, The Revenant hit theatres in a limited release to good reviews. Early critic reviews seem mixed, but the general consensus is that the Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle has the best chance of beating out Spotlight.
Best Film – Comedy
This category became greatly more interesting with The Martian and Joy being called comedies. Both of these films seemed to be on the outside looking in to get a nomination in the Best Film – Drama category, but become two of the favorites on the comedy ballot.
The Martian opened with the lead in the odds, which is probably the right choice. The film was able to mix brevity into its tense moments in a masterful way. The Big Short initially opened at +200 before the films wide release, but has since climbed up to -175.
Best Director
This category looks like a dogfight early on. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu got the nod as the initial favorite, but was overpassed by Ridley Scott as the award show closes in. Inarritu is coming off an Oscar win for Best Picture last year for Birdman and has a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Scott has been at the helm of some of the most culturally siginificant movies of the past 30 years, but has never won a major award for his directing.
Behind Inarritu and Scott there is a logjam with several prestigious names on the ballot, but one name that sticks out as a sneaky darkhorse is George Miller. The Mad Max director has been largely out of the scene, unless you count movies about talking animals, for over two decades, but nobody can question that his direction in the newest Mad Max entry was brilliant.
Best Actor – Drama
It seems every year we are talking about how Leonardo DiCaprio will finally sweep the awards season, which will be capped off by his first Oscar win. This year seemingly lacks a transcendent role that defies all debate in a similar fashion to last year. DiCaprio's name and extended airtime in The Revenant have him as the heavy favorite in a rather listless category.
The surprise nomination in this category is Bryan Cranston, but perhaps it shouldn't be. Hollywood loves Hollywood and with Cranston playing disgraced screewriter Dalton Trumbo, the nomination seems obvious in hindsight. Plus, I feel there is a sentiment that Hollywood wants to prove he is more than a television actor.
Best Actress – Drama
This category seems like a two actress race early between Cate Blanchett and Brie Larson. Blanchett takes the lead in Brooklyn, an emotionally intelligent film set upon the backdrop of New York in the early ‘50s. Larson plays a stunning portrayal of a woman who has been held captive in a small room while birthing and raising a child in captivity.
Saoirse Ronan could be the darkhorse here, with votes tending to go towards the strong romantic films for this category. Ronan put on an elegant performance as a young woman who is torn between her life in Brooklyn or home in Ireland.