Golden Globes nominations reax: Don't got 'Milk'?!
The biggest jaw dropper among the Golden Globe nominations is the omission of "Milk" in the best picture category, of course — just one day after it won that prize from the New York Film Critics Circle. Can it still win at the Oscars? Sure. Twice, Oscar's eligible best pic champs weren't even nommed at the Golden Globes: "Crash" and "The Sting." Besides, we're used to the Oscars and Golden Globes going their own ways recently. The Golden Globes dispense separate kudos for drama and comedy-musical races, which makes comparisons to the Oscars difficult, but in the past 64 years, the Oscars have validated one of the Golden Globe top pics 42 times. Over the past three years, they disagreed on best picture, which is odd. Last year, the Oscars opted for "No Country for Old Men," Globers went for "Atonement." Two years ago: Oscars, "The Departed"; Globes, "Babel". Three years ago: Oscars, "Crash"; Globes, "Brokeback Mountain."
It's also curious that Cate Blanchett is missing from the lead actress lineup while her costar Brad Pitt got nommed and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is up for best pic. A lot of pundits had predicted that the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. would take care of Pitt with a supporting-actor nom for "Burn After Reading" and snub him in lead in favor of Clint Eastwood ("Gran Torino"). However, please note that I didn't fall for that in my predictions! (Voters still took care of Clint in the music categories with two bids.) In the past, Brad won one Globe ("12 Monkeys," 1995) out of three nominations. Cate Blanchett has won two Globes for seven nominations: lead drama actress for "Elizabeth" (1998); and supporting for "I'm Not There" (2007).
Since Angelina Jolie got nommed for "Changeling," that means both halves of Brangelina will be at the Globes. Too bad Jennifer Aniston didn't make the list for "Marley & Me." She was considered to be a serious contender in the comedy-musical race for lead actress.
Other notable acting snubs in the film races at the Golden Globes:
Will Smith, "Seven Pounds"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
James Franco, "Milk"
Dev Patel, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Globers are so crazy for musicals that if a successful one gets nominated it almost always wins the best pic prize. Consider these champs of recent years: "Sweeney Todd," "Dreamgirls," "Walk the Line," "Chicago," "Moulin Rouge!" and "Evita." Heck, they even nominated flops like "The Producers" and "Phantom of the Opera." So there was a chance that they might give a top slot to super-hit "High School Musical 3: Senior Year." I'd heard ahead of time from trusty Globe sources that that was unlikely, but some said that the HFPA might toss Zac Efron a bone. That didn't happen either, though. Whazzup? Don't Globers like bubblegum?
Lucky that Ben Stiller has a good sense of humor. He got snubbed for his "Tropic Thunder" but got upstaged by supporting stars Robert Downey Jr. and, in an uncredited role, Tom Cruise!
Photo credit: Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.
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To the first comment from Larry. Man, you are so out of line, asking to boycott an award show because a gay-themed film didn't get a nod as best picture? Give me a break. I'm gay, I saw the movie and I agree with the Globes, that is not the best piece of work of Gus Van Sant. Is just a question of taste. And they even have Sean Penn as best actor! Be careful my friend, we don't want fundamentalists like you in our agenda for equity. That could be very countraproductive. (I remember the Globes gave the best picture to Brokeback Mountain), so I don't think they are 'homophobic' as you are saying. So grow up and better go and see the movies for yourself!
Posted by: Jon | December 14, 2008 at 05:06 PM
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's glaring omission in most categories of this year's near universally acclaimed masterpiece, "Milk" is the absolute worst demonstration of homophobia at play.
Only the day before this year's Globe nominations, "Milk" justly received the best picture award by the second oldest and most venerable of the nation's critical groups, the New York Critics CIrcle.
No other dramatic film has been more acclaimed all year, save possibly "Slumdog Millionaire" than has been "Milk."
No, not even that ball of fluff, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," very much in the vein of "Forrest Gump" (both films adapted by Eric Roth), had anywhere near the acclaim of "Milk."
One may wonder why a seemingly gay-friendly group like the HFPA would this year become so brazenly homophobic. After all, they concurred with almost all critical concensus when they bestowed "Brokeback Mountain" with their top prize for motion picture drama in 2005.
But one must recall that that masterpiece still concerned great iconic imagery--that of cowboys, even if those male cowboy principals were doomed to become hopelessly lifelong lovers.
"Milk" is, however, a great political statement, with incredible impact for today. It concerns a gay tragedy which decades afterwards still speaks volumes about same sex coupling prejudice, particularly in the wake of the passage of California's Proposition 8.
The Globes would have none of it. They would show no courage of social conviction. The message sent by the omission from all but one category for "Milk" indicates the level to which the HFPA will appease anti-gay groups for a share of those prejudicial almighty dollars.
When AMPAS decided to reward the inferior "Crash" over the masterpiece "Brokeback Mountain" for the year 2005, the Film Academy forever became tainted. Indeed it has since lost its relevance.
Despite all the protests indicating that the then shocking choice only revealed a matter of disagreement on critical opinion, in truth, it too revealed a blatant homophobia.
The Film Academy became a joke; the year all the major guilds--Producer's, Director's, Writer's--chose, like almost every other critical group, "Brokeback Mountain," while AMPAS decided to crash with "Crash."
That selection became perhaps the Academy's most mocked selection since it decided upon "The Greatest Show on Earth" over "High Noon" for the year 1952.
It is time that gay groups, who have been instrumental in the development and artistry of the film industry from its genesis, no longer stood for such homophobia.
After AMPAS' homophobic slap with the selection of "Crash" over "Brokeback Mountain," many former steadfast Oscar viewers, both in and out of the gay community, could no longer witness the Academy Awards.
I suspect that may well be the case for those same groups with any future Globe telecasts as well.
My own hope is that gay groups and their sympathizers in and out of the film industry boycott this year's Globe party.
Gay groups can start giving back the slaps they have too long endured.
"Frost/Nixon" and "Doubt" are really both stodgy renderings of stage plays. "The Reader"s reviews have often read quite painfully. And "Revolutionary Road" has been at best a mixed critical bag.
But "Milk" has received near-universal acclaim, and, again, is the choice of New York Film Critics, a group right on the money since 1935 (they preferred 1941's "Critizen Kane" to "How Green Was My Valley," unlike AMPAS).
Let's all just say "no" to the Globes. Gay groups and fair-minded others should "crash" that 2009 Globe party.
And let it be known hereafter, that there will be no future prejudice of any kind tolerated, "not no-way, not no-how!"
Posted by: Larry | December 12, 2008 at 02:41 PM
I know this has nothing to do with the film categories (although I will say that I am happy as hell about the underrated and sublime Viola Davis getting noticed and upset about "Milk" being overlooked as well as Debra Winger and Rosemarie DeWitt for "Rachel Getting Married"), but I CANNOT BELIEVE, in the television category, that Phylicia Rashad was NOT nominated for her killer performance in the TV remake of "A Raisin in the Sun." I find that unforgivable, truth be told.
Posted by: Mark | December 11, 2008 at 05:10 PM
Actually the trend of the Globes and Oscars disagreeing on the top award has happened for the past 4 years. It happened four years ago when the Oscars went for "Million Dollar Baby" and the Globes went for "The Aviator".
Posted by: Charles | December 11, 2008 at 01:38 PM
i think Dark Knight deserved best pic drama nod. and mama mia best comedy i dont think so it wasnt that great. i know i wont be watching the highly overrated globes this year.
Posted by: Dan | December 11, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Please try your best to make this the last time you use a variation of "Got Milk?" in a headline.
Posted by: gorelick | December 11, 2008 at 12:37 PM
Does anyone think this makes Sean Penn more likely to win? Or less? What effect might the reaction of the general public to these nominations have on the actual voting? I too am sad about "Milk".
Posted by: billy | December 11, 2008 at 12:27 PM
Phil's right, Tom Cruise was credited at the end of the movie. I believe he got the coveted "and" credit, didn't he?
Posted by: Marcus | December 11, 2008 at 11:14 AM
At least the wonderful James Franco is on their minds! He got nominated for "Pineapple Express" Yikes!
And Ralph Fiennes has been out campaiging for a Supp. Nod. It could've also have been for "The Reader" and Paramount Vantage was pushing "The Heiress" so much SOMEthing had to give! And Ralph was very, very good in that.
Sick about "Milk", though...
Posted by: Stephen Holt | December 11, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Tom Cruise getting nominated is a joke. I get they want stars at their show, but seriously? Can anyone actually say his performance was one of the best of the year? No. No. No.
Posted by: Chloe | December 11, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Tom Cruise's role in Tropic Thunder was not uncredited. And it wasn't a "cameo" in case anybody wanted to use that word.
Posted by: Phil | December 11, 2008 at 10:18 AM