And thus, it begins. Awards Season has officially started with the announcement of the nominations for the first major film awards of the year, the Golden Globes. It has been an interesting year with several good movies coming out steadily throughout the year. However, as December nears its end and the tidal wave of award contenders premiere, and I need to say goodbye to my husband for days at a time so that I can watch them all.

Unsurprisingly, Guillermo del Toro’s pseudo Sci-Fi romance, The Shape of Water, was the most nominated film with a total of seven nominations. These included Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (Sally Hawkins), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Octavia Spencer), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Richard Jenkins), and Best Director – Motion Picture (Guillermo del Toro). The film has been garnering awards buzz for months. This film has been widely considered del Toro’s best since Pan’s Labyrinth, which was nominated for six Academy Awards and won three. Hawkins is a true contender for the Best Actress award playing entirely silent role as a mute janitor who feels a kinship with a captured creature from the deep. If she does end up winning an Oscar, she will be the third performer to win the Best Actress prize for a (mostly) silent role following Jane Wyman for Johnny Belinda (1948) and Holly Hunter for The Piano (1993).

The Post and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri tied for the second most nomination with a total of six each. The Post tells the story of The Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham and Executive Editor Ben Bradlee and their struggle to publish information regarding the Pentagon Papers. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (Meryl Streep), Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Tom Hanks), and Best Director – Motion Picture (Steven Spielberg). This marks Streep’s 31st nomination for a Golden Globe, and will likely result in her record-breaking 21st Oscar nomination.

The black comedy/drama/crime film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri received nominations for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (Frances McDormand), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Sam Rockwell), and Best Director – Motion Picture (Markin McDonagh). I am going to take this moment to really plug this film. I saw it several weeks ago and I cannot even express how good it was. It wasn’t too dark and depressing, but the acting, specifically by McDormand and Rockwell, was impeccable. Go see it. Now. Seriously, stop reading this and go. Finish the article later.

As you may have read, Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World has been in the news a great deal, but not necessarily for its stirring performances or its compelling story. Unfortunately, the film gained real attention when Scott decided to remove actor Kevin Spacey from the film entirely after actor Anthony Rapp and several crew members from his show House of Cards accused him of sexual abuse and harassment. Scott spent Thanksgiving week reshooting Spacey’s scenes using Christopher Plummer instead. It obviously paid off. The film received nominations for Scott as Best Director, Plummer as Best Supporting Actor, and Michelle Williams as Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Drama indeed.

Rotten Tomatoes best reviewed movie of all time Lady Bird received expected nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy (Saoirse Ronan), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture (Laurie Metcalf), and Best Screenplay – Motion Picture (Greta Gerwig). Gerwig, who also directed the film, was not nominated for Best Director, which I found surprising. Since the voting bodies for the Globes and the Oscars do not overlap, it is possible that Gerwig will join a very select group of women who have been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars.

A few other surprises and snubs: Daniel Kaluuya received a nomination for Jordan Peele’s horror film Get Out (the film was also nominated for Best Musical or Comedy), Denzel Washington picked up another nomination for Roman J. Istrael, Esq., and The Big Sick was completely shut out! I honestly expected Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordan to receive nominations for their screenplay, and that Holly Hunter would receive a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
The Golden Globes will be hosted by Seth Meyers and will air January 7th on NBC.
-Ariadne Ansbro
See all of the nominations below:

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Call Me By Your Name
Dunkirk
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
The Disaster Artist
Get Out
The Greatest Showman
I, Tonya
Lady Bird

Best Motion Picture – Animated
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
A Fantastic Woman
First They Killed My Father
In the Fade
Loveless
The Square

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Meryl Streep, The Post
Michelle Williams, All the Money in the World

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Tom Hanks, The Post
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul
Helen Mirren, The Leisure Seeker
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Steve Carell, Battle of the Sexes
Ansel Elgort, Baby Driver
James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Hong Chau, Downsizing
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Director – Motion Picture
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Ridley Scott, All the Money in the World
Steven Spielberg, The Post

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, The Shape of Water
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, The Post
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Carter Burwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water
Jonny Greenwood, Phantom Thread
John Williams, The Post
Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Home,” Ferdinand
“Mighty River,” Mudbound
“Remember Me,” Coco
“The Star,” The Star
“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman

Best Television Series – Drama
The Crown
Game of Thrones
The Handmaid’s Tale
Stranger Things
This Is Us

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Blackish
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Master of None
SMILF
Will & Grace

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Big Little Lies
Fargo
Feud: Bette and Joan
The Sinner
Top of the Lake: China Girl

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jessica Biel, The Sinner
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Jessica Lange, Feud: Bette and Joan
Susan Sarandon, Feud: Bette and Joan
Reese Witherspoon, Big Little Lies

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Robert De Niro, The Wizard of Lies
Jude Law, The Young Pope
Kyle MacLachlan, Twin Peaks
Ewan McGregor, Fargo
Geoffrey Rush, Genius

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
Claire Foy, The Crown
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Deuce
Katherine Langford, 13 Reasons Why
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Freddie Highmore, The Good Doctor
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Pamela Adlon, Better Things
Alison Brie, GLOW
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Issa Rae, Insecure
Frankie Shaw, SMILF

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Anthony Anderson, Blackish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Kevin Bacon, I Love Dick
William H. Macy, Shameless
Eric McCormack, Will & Grace

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Chrissy Metz, This Is Us
Michelle Pfeiffer, The Wizard of Lies
Shailene Woodley, Big Little Lies

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Alfred Molina, Feud: Bette and Joan
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot
Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies
David Thewlis, Fargo