Golden Globes Predictions

Best Picture (Drama)

Will Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Because the Globes and the Oscars have never agreed on Best Picture since LOTR; I'm assuming Button goes the Atonement route...)

Possibly: Slumdog Millionaire

My Preference: The Reader

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)

Will Win: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Possibly: Happy-Go-Lucky

My Preference: Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Director

Will Win: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Possibly: David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

My Preference: Stephen Daldry - The Reader

Best Screenplay

Will Win: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Possibly: Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

My Preference: 

Best Actor (Drama)

Will Win: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler (I'm guessing that the momentum shifts here)

Possibly: Sean Penn - Milk (Would be a home-run, but he's too critical of the 

Globes, and won recently)

My Preference: Sean Penn - Milk

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)

Will Win: Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey

Possibly: Colin Farrell - In Bruges

My Preference: James Franco - Pineapple Express

Best Actress (Drama)

Will Win: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

Possibly: Meryl Streep - Doubt

My Preference: Kristin Scott Thomas - Il y a longtemps que je t'aime / Meryl Streep - Doubt (sentiment!)

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)

Will Win: Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

Possibly: Meryl Streep - Mamma Mia!

My Preference: Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Supporting Actor

Will Win: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Possibly: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

My Preference: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress

Will Win: Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Possibly: Kate Winslet - The Reader

My Preference: I really love them all except for Amy Adams.  Kate Winslet is the best, but it's category fraud.  I guess... Viola Davis - Doubt

Best Original Score

Will Win: Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Possibly: A. R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

My Preference: Clint Eastwood - Changeling (The only thing that I LOVED about the movie)

Best Original Song

Will Win: Bruce Springsteen - "The Wrester" from The Wrestler

Possibly: Clint Eastwood - "Gran Torino" from Gran Torino

My Preference: Bruce Springsteen - "The Wrester" from The Wrestler

Best Foreign Language Film

Will Win: Waltz with Bashir

Possibly: Gomorrah

My Preference: Waltz with Bashir

Best Animated Film

Will Win: WALL-E

Possibly: WALL-E

My Preference: WALL-E

BFCA Predictions

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director: Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Film: WALL-E

Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire

Best Foreign Language Film: Gomorrah

Best Action Movie: The Dark Knight

Best Comedy Movie: Tropic Thunder

Best Picture Made for Television: John Adams

Best Composer: Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Song: "The Wrestler" by Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler

Best Acting Ensemble: Milk

Best Young Actor/Actress: Dev Pastel - Slumdog Millionaire

"Well... I guess it wasn't a triumph or anything, was it?"

Well put, Frank.

My favourite NBR citations

It's probably too late to post this, but I'm glad that I was able to think about what I liked about the National Board of Review's awards, in spite of some disappointing picks (*cough* Slumdog Millionaire *cough*).

4) Changeling is mentioned in the Top Ten Films
Maybe it wasn't the masterpiece that Cannes proclaimed it to be, but it also wasn't the piece of shit that the New York press hissed it was. The direction and screenplay was uneven, but it was ultimately a solid film with some dynamic performances and stunning production values.

3)Viola Davis's Breakthrough performance by an Actress win
Okay, I have not yet seen Doubt, so I am not really qualified to comment on the value of this victory, but I wish instead that it had been in the full-fledged Supporting Actress category. She is a fantastic actress; she is my Best Supporting Actress of 2002 for Solaris (and Far from Heaven). But how is this a breakthrough? She's a Tony winner, for crying out loud!

2)WALL-E is mentioned in the Top Ten Films
I hate how deserving animated films are automatically demoted to the animation ghetto, and are seldomly mentioned in the same top ten lists as live action features. It is great that WALL-E is included in this list. This film should be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, but of course it won't be.

1)Anne Hathaway's Best Actress win
I am hoping that this win will create traction for the possibility of an Oscar turn for Anne Hathaway. I really, really love Rachel Getting Married, and was unexpectedly blown away by her adroit scenery chewing. Kym is such an unlikeable character, because of her druggie-diva antics and desire to make her personal hell a bigger deal than her sister's Big Day. But Anne, evidently, was able to find enough that she liked in Kym and what makes the people around her love her, and picked out the moments where she could add colour to a potentially one-note performance. I hope that there is enough space in the shortlist for her inclusion; she could benefit more from a nomination than any of the actresses in the unimaginative line-up of the Blanchetts, Streeps, and Winslets.

Meryl's Globe prospects

At the top of the year, I brazenly forecasted a victory for Meryl Streep at the 66th Golden Globe awards.  The Golden Globe is essentially the Meryl Streep Award; she has won a staggering six times! I reasoned that if she had momentum for and possibility of an awards sweep for her role as Sister Alyosius, that she would win for Doubt.  If Doubt flopped, then it seemed obvious that she would cement her status as the actress with the most Globe wins even further by winning trophy number seven for Mamma Mia!, effectively breaking her tie with Jack Nicholson as the thespian with the most citations.

As more competitors have emerged in the Best Actress categories, I have become doubtful that Meryl Streep will win her seventh Globe this year. But like everyone else with even the most rudimentary sense of this year's competition, I am predicting that barring a huge upset, Meryl Streep will be cited in another two shortlists at the Golden Globes for Doubt and Mamma Mia!  When this happens, she will eclipse Jack Lemmon's record for the most Globe nominations.  So I'm excited!

Right now, I am predicting that Kate Winslet will win her first Globe for Revolutionary Road in the Drama race, and that Sally Hawkins will snag the award in the Musical/Comedy arena for Happy-Go-Lucky.  Now that Anne Hathaway has received placement in the Drama category for Rachel Getting Married, the field in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category is even less competitive and I get this nagging feeling that Meryl could upset Sally Hawkins for the win.