Well, whaddayaknow. Award season is officially here, folks… though I doubt anyone is rolling out the red carpet just yet given Covid-19 (and its myriad of strains) are far from being contained.

Well, here are the full nominations below and my commentary in each category + some of my winner pick/prediction highlighted in bold magenta:

Best Motion Picture – Drama 

• “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• “Mank” (Netflix)
• “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
• “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) 
• “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

I’ve only seen two on this list so I guess I should catch up on the rest, but I really want Promising Young Woman to get recognized. It’s such a bold, provocative film that makes a strong statement of a timely topic. Perhaps one of the few films that really stayed with me long after the end credits rolled.

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

• “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)
• “Hamilton” (Walt Disney Pictures)
• “Palm Springs” (Neon)
• “Music” (Vertical Entertainment)
• “The Prom” (Netflix)

I actually haven’t seen any of these yet. The only one I want to see is Palm Springs and Hamilton, so my prediction here is pure gut instinct.

Best Director – Motion Picture

• Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
• David Fincher, “Mank” (Netflix)
• Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)
• Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
• Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Glad to see three female filmmakers being recognized here, perhaps the first time women outshone men in this category!! I think Fennell did an outstanding job making Promising Young Woman, and it’s her directorial debut, which is all the more amazing. But Chloè Zhao’s done some extraordinary work and Nomadland is a phenomenal film in its own right, so I’d be happy if any of those women win this year.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
• Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”)
• Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)
• Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”)
• Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)

I think it’s safe to say I’m cheering for Promising Young Woman this year! It’s such inspired casting to have Carey Mulligan in such a provocative role and she absolutely nailed it. I do have a feeling Viola Davis and Vanessa Kirby might run away with the award.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
• Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
• Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)
• Gary Oldman (“Mank”)
• Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”)

Oh man!! I’m thrilled to see Riz Ahmed and Tahar Rahim both nominated and having seen both films recently, they’re the beating heart of their respective films! I can’t choose between the two so I’m just going to make a random prediction. I have a feeling the HFPA would give a post-humous award to the late Chadwick Boseman.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

• Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
• Kate Hudson (“Music”)
• Michelle Pfeiffer (“French Exit”)
• Rosamund Pike (“I Care a Lot”)
• Anya Taylor-Joy (“Emma”)

Since I’ve only seen one of these (I Care A Lot hasn’t even been released yet!), I can’t pick anyone in this category either. I like Taylor-Joy but I don’t think she was all that extraordinary in Emma, she’s far more memorable in The Queen’s Gambit. I have a feeling Le Pfeiffer might walk away with the award here.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

• Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
• James Corden (“The Prom”)
• Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”)
• Dev Patel (“The Personal History of David Copperfield”)
• Andy Samberg (“Palm Springs”)

I know we’re not supposed to pick the only one performance we’ve seen, but oh well, it’s my blog, I make the rules, ha! I LOVE Dev Patel and he’s terrific in The Personal History of David Copperfield so I hope he wins!

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture 

• Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”)
• Olivia Colman (“The Father”)
• Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”)
• Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”)
• Helena Zengel (“News of the World”)

Whoa!! Nice for Helena Zengel to get nominated here, as I mentioned in my review of News Of The World, the 12-year-old German actress held her own against Tom Hanks! She’s got tough competition here, though having seen The Mauritanian, I don’t think Jodie Foster’s performance was anything special. Given the recent buzz around Minari, I thought Youn Yuh-jung would nab a nomination in this category.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

• Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
• Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
• Jared Leto (“The Little Things”)
• Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”)
• Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)

Ok, I’m definitely going to see One Night in Miami this weekend!! I’ve only seen On The Rocks, and no I don’t think Bill Murray deserved a nomination, let alone win. My gut says Daniel Kaluuya will run away with the award, and he seems to be a shoo-in for an Oscar as well.

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture 

• Emerald Fennell – “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
• Jack Fincher – “Mank” (Netflix)
• Aaron Sorkin – “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
• Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton – “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Chloe Zhao – “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Thrilled to see Emerald Fennell getting recognized for her bold + witty writing in the dark comedy. She wrote several episodes for Killing Eve, one of the edgiest, most entertaining thrillers of recent memory. To go against Aaron Sorkin in her first feature screenplay is quite a feat. Oh and is this the first time a father and son get nominated for the same film? Kudos to Jack and David Fincher!!

Best Original Score – Motion Picture 

• “The Midnight Sky” (Netflix) – Alexandre Desplat
• “Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Göransson
• “News of the World” (Universal Pictures) – James Newton Howard
• “Mank” (Netflix) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
• “Soul” (Pixar) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste

So many double nominees this year… but Trent Reznor + Atticus Ross are one of the best composers working today. Talk about range… Mank + Soul are two very different movies. I think they’d walk away with one of them.

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language 

• “Another Round” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
• “La Llorona” (Shudder)
• “The Life Ahead” (Netflix)
• “Minari” (A24)
• “Two of Us” (Magnolia Pictures)

Can’t believe I’ve only seen The Life Ahead on this list, which is a lovely movie. I really want to see Minari but it’s not available on streaming yet. Another Round also looks really good based on my fellow bloggers’ reviews, another fruitful collaboration between Thomas Vinterberg and Mads Mikkelsen.

Best Motion Picture – Animated 

• “The Croods: A New Age” (Universal Pictures)
• “Onward” (Walt Disney Pictures)
• “Over the Moon” (Netflix)
• “Soul” (Walt Disney Pictures)
• “Wolfwalkers” (Cartoon Saloon)

Yay! Two of my fave animated movies of 2020 are nominated!! Hard to choose between the two, but if I must, I’d vote for Wolfwalkers.

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Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• “Emily in Paris” (Netflix)
• “The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max)
• “The Great” (Hulu)
• “Schitt’s Creek” (CBC)
• “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)

The only one I’ve seen here is Emily in Paris but only for a single episode because it was practically unwatchable! I definitely don’t think it deserves any kudos, it’s just so silly and shallow… I mean if they must nominate a French comedy, why not Call My Agent! (Dix Pour Cent) which is head and shoulders above the Darren Star creation, ugh.

Best Television Series – Drama 

• “The Crown” (Netflix)
• “Lovecraft Country” (HBO Max)
• “The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus)
• “Ozark” (Netflix)
• “Ratched” (Netflix)

Yay for The Crown and The Mandalorian!! They couldn’t be more different in style and tone but both are excellently-crafted. I really need to see Lovecraft Country!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama 

• Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)
• Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)
• Emma Corrin (“The Crown”)
• Laura Linney (“Ozark”)
• Sarah Paulson (“Ratched”)

I’m confused how Olivia Colman and Emma Corrin are both considered lead in The Crown. Colman is always excellent but Corrin as Princess Diana is no doubt the breakout star of the latest season. I also love Jodie Comer in Killing Eve but I haven’t been caught up in the latest season yet.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

• Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
• Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”)
• Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)
• Al Pacino (“Hunters”)
• Matthew Rhys (“Perry Mason”)

I adore Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles in The Crown but man, Matthew Rhys is outstanding in Perry Mason and he has been so grossly underrated in everything that I want him so badly to win this thing!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

• Lily Collins (“Emily in Paris”)
• Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)
• Elle Fanning (“The Great”)
• Jane Levy (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”)
• Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Seriously, Lily Collins??! I could see the show getting a nod for Best-but-Most-Impractical-Clothes category, but that dumb show shouldn’t even be nominated in any category, come on!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

• Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)
• Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)
• Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)
• Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)
• Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)

I’m so behind on so many shows, but just based on the buzz on Schitt’s Creek, I think one of the Levys would probably nab an award.

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• “Normal People” (Hulu/BBC)
• “The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)
• “Small Axe” (Amazon Studios/BBC)
• “The Undoing” (HBO)
• “Unorthodox” (Netflix)

I really want to see Small Axe, man too many shows too little time! But The Queen’s Gambit was simply amazing, one of the best miniseries I’ve seen ever. So yeah I’m rooting for that!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”)
• Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”)
• Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”)
• Nicole Kidman (“The Undoing”)
• Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)

Ok so I said earlier that I don’t think Anya Taylor-Joy was all that great in Emma, but she was phenomenal in The Queen’s Gambit!! She’s in nearly every single scene and carried the show so effortlessly in a breathtaking performance.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• John Boyega (“Small Axe”)
• Brendan Gleeson (“The Comey Rule”)
• Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)
• Jim Parsons (“Hollywood”)
• Donald Sutherland (“The Undoing”)

So many shows to catch up on!! I’ve heard great things about Small Axe though, that’s one I’m most looking forward to seeing.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)
• Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)
• Julia Garner (“Ozark”)
• Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”)
• Cynthia Nixon (“Ratched”)

When I was watching the latest season of The Crown, somehow I knew Gillian Anderson and Helena Bonham Carter as the two Margarets would be vying for awards. The latter has portrayed Princess Margaret brilliantly in the previous season, but Anderson underwent such a transformation, down to her distinct voice, to play Margaret Thatcher, so my money is on her this year.

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Biggest Surprises

Let’s start with the good surprises first…

• Helena Zengel as one of the youngest nominee in News Of the World
• Three female directors in the Best Director category, woo hoo!!
• Emerald Fennell getting a Best Director AND Best Screenplay nods!! Yes, she deserved it!!

… now the wtf bad surprises

• James Corden in the Best Actor category in Prom??! Wait what? I thought the buzz has been that it was the worst casting ever and that he’s the worst thing about the show.
• Lily Collins in Emily in Paris, oh geez! Nothing against Lily but come on, that show is just plain silly, more froth than the latte she sips on those Parisian cafè!

I think the biggest head-scratcher that’s neither good or bad is… MUSIC in the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Kate Hudson in Best Actress category. Ummm, what in the world is that movie?? Never even heard about it before until today. I had to look it up on IMDb. Apparently it’s directed by Australian singer Sia and it’s about music and autism. O-kay.

Most egregious snubs

• Based on what I’ve read so far, I’m stunned that Spike Lee wasn’t nominated for Da 5 Blood, which many, including my friend/contributor Ted deemed as his best work.
• No Steven Yeun for Minari??
• I’ve written my review for The Life Ahead that I’ll post later this month. I thought Sophia Loren was wonderful in a comeback role, so I was surprised she wasn’t nominated and neither was the film.
• I was also impressed by Zendaya in Malcolm and Marie (review coming later this week!). I really thought she’d be nominated here.
• Tom Hanks already took home a bazillion awards in his illustrious but still I’m surprised he didn’t get a nomination this year.
• I’m still shaking my head that HFPA thought the fluffy Emily In Paris was somehow better than the edgy, funny and downright entertaining Bridgerton! I just cant…🙄

Note to self: Gotta check out I May Destroy You.

Thanks to Buzzfeed for recommending 16 other shows better than Emily in Paris – heck I’m sure there are even more shows than that! Even the writer of Emily in Paris agreed that I May Destroy You should have been nominated!! (I don’t subscribe to The Guardian but even the title of the article says it all.

Oh well, I guess every year the HFPA gives us plenty of reasons to talk about. We’ll see what other shenanigans are in store come February 28. The broadcast will be bicoastal this year with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting from NYC and LA.. Fey will host her segments from Rockefeller Center, while Poehler will do hers from the Beverly Hilton. These are interesting times indeed!

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So what are your thoughts on the Golden Globes nominees? Who do you think are snubbed and who are you rooting for?

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