The 72nd Annual Golden Globes Nominations

The nominations for the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, aka the Starf*cker Awards, were announced this morning. I call them by that more derogatory term because, let's face it, the Globes are essentially a bastardization of the Oscars and the Emmys, only with more alcohol and nominees that are apparently based more on who they can get to walk their red carpet than any realistic merit Remember how Johnny Depp scored not one, but TWO nominations for Best Actor - Comedy/Musical in 2010? For Alice in Wonderland AND The Tourist? Never forget.

This year, there were some surprises to go along with the usual Oscar forerunners. The biggest is perhaps the complete exclusion of Unbroken, including Angelina Jolie for Best Director. Being left out at the Globes isn't always damaging - Crash managed to win an Oscar with very little Globes love - but it looks damaging nonetheless for the film's hopes. On the other end of the spectrum, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) ruled with seven nominations, possibly establishing it as a real threat for Oscar dominance.

On the television side, the Alphabet Networks found themselves pushed out here just as they were at the Emmys, with cable networks, Netflix, and even Amazon asserting their place in the quality television landscape. Perhaps the biggest surprise: five-time Best Comedy Series Emmy winner Modern Family was completely shut out, as was last year's victor in that category at the Globes, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

The Golden Globes ceremony will be held on January 11. Below is a complete list of nominees, with commentary.

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA

Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

As previously stated, it's surprising that Unbroken couldn't pull it out here, especially since the film has been building some momentum lately. Interstellar is also a somewhat-surprising exclusion (Inception had scored a nod here in 2010), but given the heat around other films it's not that unexpected. The same can be said of Gone Girl, too, since the Globes tend to be drawn to big hits. Otherwise, Boyhood continues to steamroll through the awards season, and Selma is gaining the heat it needed to become a major player.

More after the jump.



BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA

Pike

Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Out of these women, Aniston is the least likely to make the transition to the Oscar category. Even with her SAG nomination yesterday, it doesn't seem likely that she'll build enough heat to break through, especially with steeper competition from Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night). The big question here is: will this be where Moore picks up her first major win, or will another one of these women steal her thunder?

BEST ACTOR - DRAMA

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo, Selma
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

The biggest surprise here is Gyllenhaal, who's absolutely fantastic in Nightcrawler but never seemed like a real contender (the film is, to say the least, not everyone's cup of tea). As far as exclusions go, this probably doesn't help Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) or Oscar Isaac (A Most Violent Year) very much. Otherwise, as with the previous category, this seems like a very possible Oscar category.

BEST PICTURE - COMEDY/MUSICAL

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into the Woods
Pride
St. Vincent

The Globes really went in on The Grand Budapest Hotel, which will really help raise the film's profile through the rest of the season. Pride is the biggest surprise, since it's mostly been overlooked this year. It likely won't make much more of a splash, but this is a great get for the film. Inherent Vice, Big Eyes, Neighbors, and Annie are the big names on the outside looking in.

BEST ACTRESS - COMEDY/MUSICAL

Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred Foot Journey
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars
Quvenzhane Wallis, Annie

So here's a stunner: Moore, nominated for a mostly-reviled David Cronenberg film for which she won  Best Actress at Cannes. This is a big one for Moore, highlighting the other major performance she's turned in this year and won raves for (don't expect the Oscar translation for this one, but it's notable nonetheless). It's also great to see that Wallis has not been forgotten, even if Annie largely has been.

BEST ACTOR - COMEDY/MUSICAL

Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Bill Murray, St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes

If we're being honest, this is likely Keaton's to lose. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if Fiennes (who is a dark-horse Oscar contender) or Murray (who is not) ended up claiming this one. Once again, they've shown restraint by not nominating Johnny Depp for showing up in something (in this case, Into the Woods), so good for them.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Kiera Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

This is likely the Oscar category at this point. But who will they reward? Arquette seems like the likely frontrunner here, but any of the others seem just as strong.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE

Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

It's interesting to watch Duvall return to the conversation. His campaign seemed like it was dead in the water once the film opened to terrible reviews. But since then, no one else has really stepped up in terms of momentum, and now Duvall seems likely on his way to the Oscar nomination that he's flirted with over the last couple of years (remember when he was a fringe contender for Get Low four years ago?). I'm surprised that there's not more heat on Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher). It would be category fraud, certainly, but he would at least be a little more inspired choice than the shoulder-shrug nomination of Duvall.

BEST DIRECTOR

Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

This is a terrifically eclectic mix of auteurs, a better lineup than most of us expected from the Globes. What's perhaps most surprising is that Fincher could score a nomination here, but Gone Girl missed out in the Best Picture category. Equally interesting is who they left out: Angelina Jolie (Unbroken), Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), and Clint Eastwood (American Sniper).

BEST SCREENPLAY

Boyhood

Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game

It's interesting that Boyhood continues to rack up hardware for its screenplay, given the unconventional, quasi-on-the-fly nature of the filming process. I was certain that it would be seen more as an achievement of directing, but the screenplay seems like a real contender now too.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The LEGO Movie

There's a very real possibility that this could translate to the Oscars, except for maybe The Book of Life. The Academy tends to show favor toward at least one foreign entry, such as Song of the Sea or The Tale of Princess Kaguya, each of which seem more likely than The Book of Life. Will The LEGO Movie prevail, or has Big Hero 6 stolen its thunder?

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Force Majeure (Turist) (Sweden)
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (Israel)
Ida (Poland/Denmark)
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Mandariinid) (Estonia)

All five of these films are their respective nations' official submissions to the Academy, so there's a very real chance that these films could end up on the finalist list, if not pick up nominations. The most surprising inclusion is Tangerines; the film has been very under-the-radar so far, so this nomination will certainly raise its profile. Notable exclusions: Winter's Sleep (Turkey), Two Days, One Night (Belgium), Wild Tales (Argentina).

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Johann Johansson, The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar

The inclusion of Sanchez's impressive all-drum score for Birdman is a big win for him, giving him momentum toward a (hopeful) Oscar nomination.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Big Eyes," music and lyrics by Lana Del Rey (Big Eyes)
"Glory," music and lyrics by John Legend and Common (Selma)
"Mercy Is," music and lyrics by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye (Noah)
"Opportunity," music and lyrics by Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, and Will Gluck (Annie)
"Yellow Flicker Beat," music and lyrics by Lorde (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1)

The Academy hasn't released its shortlist for the Best Original Song category, so there's no telling which of these have a shot at the Oscar. Still, it's exciting to see "Yellow Flicker Beat" earn recognition.

BEST TV SERIES - DRAMA

The Affair
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards

The Globes have a tendency to anoint new shows before the Emmys have an opportunity to, and this year, Showtime's The Affair has been the recipient of that love. It's amazing that Downton Abbey still receives so much love after so many critics have checked out on it; at this point, it just feels like a default nomination.

BEST ACTRESS - TV DRAMA

Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Ruth Wilson, The Affair
Robin Wright, House of Cards

I'm pleased with the Davis nod; she's easily the best thing about her show (and the only thing that's really working on it). Otherwise, nothing terribly surprising here.

BEST ACTOR - TV DRAMA

Clive Owen, The Knick
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist
Dominic West, The Affair

There's not too much surprising here. Mad Men has long since been abandoned by the Globes (and the Emmys, let's face it), so Jon Hamm's exclusion isn't all that surprising. What will be interesting is to see who ends up victorious here.

BEST TV SERIES - COMEDY/MUSICAL

Girls
Jane the Virgin
Orange is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent

This category has some surprises in it. The inclusion of Jane the Virgin (the most buzzed-about network show of the season) and Transparent (a big win for Amazon Studios) are big for those respective shows. And among the missing: The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Louie, and Veep.

BEST ACTRESS - TV COMEDY/MUSICAL

Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black

An exciting inclusion for Rodriguez, but otherwise more of the same.

BEST ACTOR - TV COMEDY/MUSICAL

Louis C.K., Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Ricky Gervais, Derek
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

This has to be Tambor's to lose, right? I'm very curious to see how these nominations are going to translate to the Emmys next year.

BEST MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE

The Normal Heart

Fargo
The Missing
The Normal Heart
Olive Kitteridge
True Detective

Unlike the Emmys, the Globes are treating True Detective as a miniseries, further blurring the lines between miniseries and recurring series. It's the likely winner here, but The Normal Heart and Fargo have a good shot too. Big exclusion: American Horror Story: Freak Show.

BEST ACTRESS - MINISERIES/TV MOVIE

Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Frances O'Connor, The Missing
Allison Tolman, Fargo

There's a good chance that Tolman could end up with a victory here, but the more likely winner is McDormand.

BEST ACTOR - MINISERIES/TV MOVIE

Martin Freeman, Fargo
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo

There's no doubt that this is McConaughey's to lose, but wouldn't it be fun if, say, Ruffalo or Harrelson pulled off an upset?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE

Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Allison Janney, Mom
Michelle Monaghan, True Detective

Aduba is every bit deserving of the recognition she's been receiving for OITNB, and I'm hopeful that she'll pick up the win here. It's strange that the Globes have such wide-open supporting television categories; it makes for a really wild mix of performances.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE

Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Colin Hanks, Fargo
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Obviously, Bomer has a high-fame profile, but it's odd that he's the representative from The Normal Heart here when there were a number of better performances in the film. Also: could Cumming end up as the winner, as I certainly hope he will?