NEW YORK 鈥� After a year where the pandemic nearly emptied movie
The Globes, delayed about two months due to the coronavirus, tried to muster some of the awards' usual buzz on Wednesday in a largely virtual awards season bereft the kind of red-carpet glamour the Globes annually feast on. And perhaps to account for the otherwise lack of it, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association heaped nominations on two lavish period pieces rich in royalty 鈥� both the Hollywood variety (the black-and-white "Mank" dramatizes the making of 鈥淐itizen Kane鈥�) and the British kind.
鈥淢ank,鈥� about 鈥淐itizen Kane鈥� co-writer Herman Mankiewicz, landed nominations for best film, drama; best actor for Gary Oldman; best director for Fincher, best supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried; best score; and best screenplay for Jack Fincher, the director鈥檚 father who penned the script before dying in 2003.
鈥淪ometimes you just have to think, what does it mean in the whole big scheme of things with this worldwide, global thing going on," Oldman said from London. 鈥淏ut you know, we want to kind of get back to some kind of normalcy. Life goes on."
Netflix, which topped all studios at the Globes last year, too, led with a commanding 42 nominations, with 22 coming in film categories and 20 in television. No other studio was close.
The day belonged to the streaming services. Disney+ (鈥淭he Mandalorian鈥�) and HBO Max (鈥淭he Flight Attendant鈥�) both notched their first Golden Globe nominations. Amazon, with Regina King's 鈥淥ne Night in Miami,鈥� about a meeting of four Black icons in 1964, and Steve McQueen's film anthology 鈥淪mall Axe,鈥� landed 10 total nominations 鈥� a total matched by the Disney-owned Hulu, including nods for the Catherine the Great series "The Great," with Elle Fanning, and the Andy Samberg time-warp comedy 鈥淧alm Springs.鈥� Apple TV+, too, scored several nods including the Jason Sudeikis series 鈥淭ed Lasso,鈥� the Irish animated film 鈥淲olfwalkers鈥� and Bill Murray's performance in Sophia Coppola's father-daughter comedy 鈥淥n the Rocks.鈥�
鈥淭he Crown鈥� landed six nominations including best series, drama, and acting nods for Olivia Colman and Josh O鈥機onnor. The final season of 鈥淪chitt鈥檚 Creek鈥� trailed with five nominations, while Netflix鈥檚 鈥淥zark鈥� (four nods) and 鈥淭he Queen鈥檚 Gambit鈥� (two nods) also added to the streamer鈥檚 totals. ("Queens Gambit" star Anya Taylor-Joy was nominated for both the hit show and for the Jane Austen adaptation 鈥淓mma.鈥�)
Aaron Sorkin鈥檚 鈥淭he Trial of the Chicago 7鈥� 鈥� also a Netflix release, about the countercultural clash and subsequent trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention 鈥� came in second among movies with five nominations, including nods for best film, drama; best director and best screenplay for Sorkin; supporting actor for Sacha Baron Cohen; and best song.
鈥淥n the one hand, it is strange to be celebrating when so many people are suffering but on the other hand, at least for movie lovers, the Golden Globes are a fun thing,鈥� said Sorkin by phone. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be a weird ceremony this year. ... Who knows what it鈥檚 going to look like.鈥�
The other nominees for best film in the drama category were Chloe Zhao鈥檚 itinerant drama 鈥淣omadland," Emerald Fennell鈥檚 鈥淧romising Young Woman鈥� and Florian Zeller鈥檚 dementia drama 鈥淭he Father.鈥�
Netflix doesn't report box office figures and both 鈥淣omadland鈥� and 鈥淭he Father鈥� are yet to open beyond a qualifying run in
鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to shine a light on some smaller movies,鈥� said Riz Ahmed, nominated for his performance as a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing in 鈥淪ound of Metal.鈥� 鈥淵ou can always find the opportunity in the obstacle.鈥�
A year after fielding no female nominees for best director 鈥� or a best film nomination for any movie directed by a woman 鈥� the HFPA nominated more female filmmakers than it ever has before. King, Zhao and Fennell were nominated for best director, alongside Sorkin and Fincher. Zhao is the first woman of Asian descent nominated for best director.
鈥淚'm very proud and I love their movies,鈥� said Zhao by Zoom on Wednesday, referring to King and Fennell's films. 鈥淚t's a really exciting time.鈥�
By splitting up films between drama and comedy or musical, the Globes gave a boost to an awards season wildcard, 鈥淏orat Subsequent Moviefilm.鈥� Baron Cohen's 鈥淏orat鈥� sequel 鈥� one of the few nominees partially shot during the pandemic 鈥� was nominated for best picture, comedy or musical, best actor in a comedy for Baron Cohen and best supporting actress for Maria Bakalova.
Celebrating the nominations for both 鈥淏orat鈥� and 鈥淭he Trial of the Chicago 7,鈥� Baron Cohen said in a statement: 鈥淭hese two films are different, but they share a common theme鈥攕ometimes we have to protest injustice with our own farce.鈥�
Should neither win, he said, 鈥淚 promise to hire Rudy Giuliani to contest the results.鈥�
Also nominated for best picture in the comedy or musical category were: 鈥淧alm Springs,鈥� 鈥淭he Prom," 鈥淢usic鈥� and 鈥淗amilton.鈥� The film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical isn't eligible for the Academy Awards but was for the Globes, which also nominated Miranda's performance.
As expected, Chadwick Boseman was nominated posthumously his performance in George C. Wolfe's August Wilson adaptation 鈥淢a Rainey's Black Bottom," as was his co-star, Viola Davis. Other acting nominees included Andra Day ("The United States vs. Billie Holiday"), Vanessa Kirby ("Pieces of a Woman"), Daniel Kaluuya (鈥淛udas and the Black Messiah鈥�), Leslie Odom, Jr. ("One Night in Miami"), Glenn Close ("Hillbilly Elegy"); James Corden ("The Prom") and the young star of 鈥溸Ｄ躺缜� of the World,鈥� Helena Zengel.
Gauging the awards prospects of most films has been difficult this winter, with none of the usual screenings and events happening in-person, and a number of the films once expected to be lead contenders postponed. But there were still plenty of choices by the press association 鈥� an always unpredictable group of 89 voting members 鈥� that nevertheless surprised observers Wednesday.
Spike Lee, whose daughter Satchel and son Jackson are Globes ambassadors this year, saw his Vietnam veteran drama 鈥淒a 5 Bloods鈥� unexpectedly shut out. Nominations for Jared Leto's performance as a serial killer in the just-released 鈥淭he Little Things鈥� and for the Sia-directed musical 鈥淢usic" were so far out of left field that they seemed likely to rank among previous wayward Globes nominees like 鈥淭he Tourist."
The press association also drew much criticism for an earlier decision to consider Lee Isaac Chung鈥檚 lauded immigrant drama 鈥淢inari," about a Korean-American family in Arkansas in which the characters largely speak Korean, ineligible for its top award. The group instead nominated 鈥淢inari鈥� for best foreign language film.
The nominations announcement was also scaled down due to the pandemic. Presenters Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji P. Henson read nominees not from a teleprompter but holding print-outs and streaming live from what appeared to be their homes.
The Globes are typically the first major show of Hollywood鈥檚 awards season, which ends with the crowning of the best picture winner at the Oscars. They鈥檒l retain that distinction, despite being delayed nearly two months and opting for a bi-coastal ceremony to be hosted by Tina Fey from New York and Amy Poehler from Beverly Hills, Calif. The Oscars are set for April 25.
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Film Writer Lindsey Bahr and Entertainment Writers Andrew Dalton and Brooke Lefferts contributed to this report.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
