Golden Globes Predictions

Well, I was correct when I predicted that the Globes wouldn't even be held this year. We're now stuck with me being right and an hour-long news conference on Sunday announcing the winners. Great fun. On that note, I feel a little pumped about my prophetic abilities and am going to lend them to the speculations of whom the winners will be. Here goes! (Please bear in mind that I have yet to see all of the nominated films, so my knowledge is limited, but I have good intuition.)

Italics-who I think should win
Underline-Who will win

Best Original Score
Grace Is Gone
The Kite Runner
Atonement
Eastern Promises
Into The Wild

Dario Marianelli has smoothly added another dimension to film scores and I think the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will be able to recognize that as astutely as I did.

Best Screenplay
Atonement
Charlie Wilson's War
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Juno
No Country For Old Men

Now, I've seen all but one of these choices (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), and I think Juno displays a perfect balance between reality, comedy and romance. Diablo Cody (who penned Juno) is an up-and-coming scribe and she used to be a stripper. The HFPA loves stories like that.

Best Director
Tim Burton – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – No Country For Old Men
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Ridley Scott – American Gangster
Joe Wright – Atonement

I think the Coen Bros. have the best chance of winning, given the competition. However, Paul Thomas Anderson is not nominated for There Will Be Blood (an omission that will be corrected at the Oscars, trust me), and he would be my first choice.

Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France, United States)
The Kite Runner (United States)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)

I have no idea! I have yet to see a single one of these nominations. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is picking up momentum and is NOT eligible for a nom at the Oscars due to some cumbersome stipulations, so the HFPA might want to recognize it because the Academy won't. Lust, Caution is the latest from director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) and it's a daring, sexually explicit film--the Globes LOVES stuff like that. Persepolis is probably the most original of the films. A black-and-white animated film based off of a graphic novel about an Islamic revolution in France. It's original and different and...they love that.

Best Animated Feature Film
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

Ratatouille boasts being an animated for adults...and maybe children. It's a well-made film that's certainly entertaining and isn't...bad? The Globes will fall for this.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Casey Affleck – The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem – No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta – Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton

As much as I love PSH in Charlie Wilson's War (only that man could take an otherwise lame line and make into a subtly humorous punch line), but I'm going to have to go with Spaniard Javier Bardem. He was eerie and practically demonic in No Country for Old Men. He looked and played the part, his entire person immaculately portraying one of the creepiest characters I've seen on film.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett – I'm Not There
Julia Roberts – Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

I'm slightly confused about Julia Roberts's nomination. She was slightly miscast as a religious conservative socialite of the 1970's in Charlie Wilson's War. I feel like Saoirse Ronan has a good chance of taking the statue, but I feel even more confident that the HFPA will go with the flow of most of the other critics circle's choices and acknowledge Amy Ryan for Ben Afleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling – Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks – Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Savages
John C. Reilly – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

I've only witnessed Johnny Depp, Ryan Gosling, and Tom Hanks's performances of this lot. So I'll refrain from saying whom I think should win. I want to say that the Globes will award Philip Seymour Hoffman because he's just a great actor and most likely delivered the best performance of the lot.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams – Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky – Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page – Juno

Ellen Page is going to dominate this category UNLESS Amy Adams sneaks in to upset.

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Despite being and sounding pretty, Across the Universe tried too hard to form a plot around already-written songs, Charlie Wilson's War was entertaining enough, but failed to be much more than a "message" movie. Hairspray was probably the last addition to this list, and Sweeny Todd may be a good musical, but it hardly lives up to others and can't even compete with Juno. Juno will win. It has so many things going for it: good acting, great writing and heart. A regular old Captain Planet.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy – Atonement
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington – American Gangster

I'm sorry, I don't really need to discuss this one. Daniel Day-Lewis has the best performance of the men, and I'm not afraid to say that he also has the best performance of the millennium...I can say that because we're only eight years into it. However, I imagine he'll be able to hold that title for a long time.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Jodie Foster – The Brave One
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement

I don't feel comfortable giving my opinion on this matter (I've only seen Atonement but something tells me that Julie Christie will win.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

I guarantee that there does not need to be seven nominees for this category. But I guess it's not my choice. It comes down to two films (though I'm sure they're all excellent): No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. Most critics circles have chosen No Country for Old Men but There Will Be Blood is picking up steam as the rave reviews roll in. I want to say that the HFPA will go for Country, but I also think it's quite possible that Blood could come out ahead. We'll find out this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. CST!