Golden Globes 2007 Cheatsheet

Here are my picks for the 2007 Golden Globes!

Best Motion Picture - Drama

NOMINEES

Babel
Anonymous Content Production/Una Producción De Zeta Film/Central Films Production; Paramount Pictures/Paramount Vantage

Bobby
Michel Litvak Productions/Bold Films; MGM/The Weinstein Company

The Departed
Warner Bros. Pictures

Little Children
New Line Cinema

The Queen
Granada; Miramax Films

WILL WIN: The Departed

SHOULD WIN: The Queen

WINNER: BABEL!! (7 out of 10! Not too shabby) I am not displeased since it showed the power of international cinema, at its best. Anyone who has seen the abysmal film, "One Day In Europe" knows that a multi-story pic with intersecting themes, is no mean feat to get right. Right, ladies and gents, I'm off to sleep, perchance to dream of my own Golden Globe one day. I'm a lock for Best Mouth Who Can't Shut Up And Doesn't Want To.

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan
One America; Twentieth Century Fox

The Devil Wears Prada
Twentieth Century Fox

Dreamgirls
DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures

Little Miss Sunshine
Big Beach/Bona Fide Productions; Fox Searchlight Pictures

Thank You For Smoking
Room 9 Entertainment/David O. Sacks Production/Contentfilm; Fox Searchlight Pictures

WILL WIN: Dreamgirls

SHOULD WIN: Thank You For Smoking


WINNER: Dreamgirls! Well done. If just to pre-empt another go 'round of poop, fart, and nad jokes from Baron Cohen. It broke Nicholson's heart. (6 out of 10, with 7 sorted, my son)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio – Blood Diamond

Leonardo DiCaprio – The Departed

Peter O'Toole – Venus

Will Smith – The Pursuit Of Happyness

Forest Whitaker – The Last King Of Scotland

WILL WIN: Leonardo Di Caprio (The Departed)

SHOULD WIN: Forest Whitaker


WINNER: Forest Whitaker!! Yes, upset baby, and totally deserved! I just hope that Forest hasn't blown his Oscar chances, because I doubt that anyone wants to slog through another of his totally tongue-tied acceptance speeches. Ah well. Well done, boyo! (7 out of 10, 9 defined)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Penélope Cruz – Volver

Judi Dench – Notes On A Scandal

Maggie Gyllenhaal – sherrybaby

Helen Mirren – The Queen

Kate Winslet – Little Children

WILL WIN: Helen Mirren

SHOULD WIN: Helen Mirren


WINNER: Helen Mirren! (7 out of 10, with 8 defined) She gave an almost unacceptably short acceptance speech, which she must polish for the 1 billion Oscar night viewers in March. Although she modestly thought that the audience had fallen in love with the real Queen, I can tell you, no Helen, we adored YOU FOR YOUR SAKE -- Heh. Which echoes the central theme of that film, of course.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Sacha Cohen – Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan

Johnny Depp – Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Aaron Eckhart – Thank You For Smoking

Chiwetel Ejiofor – Kinky Boots

Will Ferrell – Stranger Than Fiction

WILL WIN: Sacha Baron Cohen

SHOULD WIN: Will Ferrell


WINNER: Sacha Baron Cohen. (5 out of 10, 6 defined) It was expected, and he's giving the crowd what they want -- jokes about Golden Globes, anuses and testicles, as well as buttocks and fart jokes. Perhaps I never went through this phase as a kid, but coprolalia has never been my colostomy bag...

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Ben Affleck – Hollywoodland

Eddie Murphy – Dreamgirls

Jack Nicholson – The Departed

Brad Pitt – Babel

Mark Wahlberg – The Departed

WILL WIN: Brad Pitt

SHOULD WIN: Eddie Murphy


WINNER: Eddie Murphy! (Still 2 out of 10, with 3 categories defined) Not too shabby. It seems that the Globes are big on Dreamgirls, and perhaps this will see them through to the Oscars. Eddie looked great in black on black, which is difficult to do, as Jamie Foxx can tell you. He has also sold his soul to the devil, because he hasn't aged a whit since his SNL days.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Annette Bening – Running With Scissors

Toni Collette – Little Miss Sunshine

Beyoncé Knowles – Dreamgirls

Meryl Streep – The Devil Wears Prada

Renée Zellweger – Miss Potter

WILL WIN: Meryl Streep

SHOULD WIN: Meryl Streep


WINNER: Meryl Streep! (2 out of 10) Who else, but the most consummate actress of her generation (Gena Rowlands being the greatest American actress still alive). She is saying what everyone knows, that 2006 was an excellent year for 'gal' movies, and she's right. Great line: "I think I've worked with everyone in this room".

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Adriana Barraza – Babel

Cate Blanchett – Notes On A Scandal

Emily Blunt – The Devil Wears Prada

Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls

Rinko Kikuchi – Babel

WILL WIN: Jennifer Hudson

SHOULD WIN: Rinko Kikuchi


WINNER: Jennifer Hudson! (1 out of 10, so far) She gave a gracious speech, and her newly-toned physique and face looked very refined. Shame about Rinko, but not undeserved win by this ex-American Idol.

Best Director - Motion Picture

Clint Eastwood – Flags Of Our Fathers

Clint Eastwood – Letters From Iwo Jima

Stephen Frears – The Queen

Alejandro Iñárritu – Babel

Martin Scorsese – The Departed

WILL WIN: Martin Scorsese

SHOULD WIN: Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima)

WINNER: Marty! (4 out of 10, with 5 categories defined) Great stuff, though you all have to check out Infernal Affairs, which is even better than The Departed. Nevertheless, I think it was a stroke of genius to have situated this in Boston, with its Irish/Italian dynamic. I think Martin Scorsese will win the Oscar this year, too. Oops, Devils with Dirty Faces comment fell like a clump.

Best Foreign Languge Film

Apocalypto (United States)
Touchstone Pictures/Icon Productions; Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Letters From Iwo Jima (Japan, United States)
Warner Bros. Pictures/DreamWorks Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures

The Lives Of Others (Germany)
Wiedemann & Berg/Bayerischer Rundfunk/ARTE/Creado Film; Sony Pictures Classics

Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico)
Tequila Gang/Esperanto Filmoj/Estudios Picasso; Picturehouse

Volver (Spain)
El Deseo; Sony Pictures Classics

WILL WIN: Letters From Iwo Jima

SHOULD WIN: Pan's Labyrinth


WINNER: Letters From Iwo Jima! (3 out of 10, with 4 categories defined). I knew it. In fairness to what can be seen as this American win in a bizarre "Foreign" category, so far the Golden Globes has been a love-fest for Brits. Helen Mirren, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Jeremy Irons, and the poxy Peter Morgan with a Dubya allusion. I'm sad for Pan's Labyrinth, though. Still, good one Clint.

Here's the rest of the balloting.

For my money, this past year 2006 has been amongst the best years in recent times, for terrific pure acting. But as has been mentioned in my other film-centric posts -- it's been a very bad year for GREAT FILMS.

Two exceptions are Children of Men (not even nominated! A travesty), and Pan's Labyrinth, which has been shunted off to the Best Foreign Film category -- in fairness, that way it stands an excellent chance of winning, since Almodóvar has won before, and the votes might be divided enough between he and Eastwood.

I liked Leonardo Di Caprio in both Blood Diamond and The Departed, but his performance was middling at best compared to one of the finest performances by character actor, Forest Whitaker. I won't even mention Ryan Gosling in Half-Nelson, and Edward Norton in The Painted Veil, both of whom got shafted at the Globes this year.

Just about the only lock is Helen Mirren. Her performance was likewise, one for the ages.

Remember, the Academy are much more conservative than the Golden Globes, so anything can happen on the night.

Let's see how right or wrong I am, come Monday.