Here are the nominations for the 2008 Golden Globes, followed by my thoughts:
BEST DRAMA
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
ACTOR (DRAMA)
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortenson - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster
ACTRESS (DRAMA)
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement
MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson’s War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd
ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson’s War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page - Juno
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
Persepolis
ANIMATED FILM
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck - Assassination of Jesse James
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wikinson - Michael Clayton
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There
Julia Roberts - Charlie Wilson’s War
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
DIRECTOR
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright - Atonement
SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody - Juno
Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson’s War
ORIGINAL SCORE
Into the Wild
Grace is Gone
Kite Runner
Atonement
Eastern Promises
ORIGINAL SONG
“Despidida” - Love in the Time of Cholera
“Grace is Gone” - Grace is Gone
“Guaranteed” - Into the Wild
“That’s How You Know” - Enchanted
“Walk Hard” - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Here is a list of nominations by movie:
Atonement 7
Charlie Wilson’s War  5
Michael Clayton   4
No Country For Old Men   4
Sweeney Todd   4
American Gangster   3
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly  3
Eastern Promises 3
Hairspray   3
Juno   3
Enchanted  2
Grace is Gone   2
Into The Wild   2
The Kite Runner  2
There Will Be Blood   2
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story   2
Who got screwed this year: How did There Will Be Blood only get two nominations? Even American Gangster got listed three times? Blood is mysteriously absent from the Best Original Score (Are you kidding me?), Paul Thomas Anderson’s name isn’t listed under the Best Director nominations, and Blood Star Paul Dano is completely missing from the best supporting actor list.
I would have liked to have seen Sean Penn’s Into The Wild on the Best Picture list, as I don’t quite agree that American Gangster, Atonement or Eastern Promises really deserve to be up there. Where’s David Fincher’s Zodiac? Where’s Michael Moore’s Sicko?
How could the Foreign Press skip over Fox Searchlight’s Once for best original song? And for that matter, how was Once completely forgotten from the Best Musical or Comedy category, as it’s probably the best musical of the year. Similarly, the category doesn’t contain the second and third best comedies of the year: Knocked Up and SuperBad.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I totally agree with you. Why do we even get bothered though, when we shouldn’t really expect our opinions to be shared by the POWERS THAT BE (even if it only is the Hollywood Foreign Press). It was also embarassing to see the Kite Runner as foreign language film. yes, okay, it’s it pashtun and another afghani language, but it’s directed by marc foster and financed by american studios. Also, I’m not sure that C. Afleck is really a supporting actor in TAOJJBTCRF.
Yeesh.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
American Gangster is absolute crap and won’t stand the test of time as a good film even. Screws those noms. It’s a travesty that PTA was snubbed, and Juno didn’t do so hot either. And The Great Debaters over Zodiac? Wtf. Politics.
Glad to see Viggo got the best actor nom for EP though. That performance is for the ages.
Is Atonement the runaway this year? Buzz is definitely building.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
once again Hollywood award shows fail me. for the past three years most of the movies on the golden globes and especially the Oscars have been ones that i have not watched or have been ones that have not made a lot of money (ie people didn’t like the movie). they just push forward their own agendas. now some of the movies i have seen and liked. Juno, enchanted, Simpson’s movie. and i agree that superbad and knocked up should have been in there also. other movies i liked were
bourne 3 spiderman 3 transformers, pirates 3, and sunshine. watching these things used to be fun because it was movies that i liked and had seen competing with one another. i also think its crap if they put a movie on there that has not even been released yet
December 13th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
I can’t believe Gone Baby Gone didn’t get nominated… I mean “Michael Clayton” over “Gone Baby Gone”? wtf.. michael clayton I thought was great, but my gut is telling me Affleck got robbed
December 13th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I’m psyched to see Amy Ryan nominated for BSA in Gone Baby Gone. The scene with her talking in the back seat had Oscar written all over it. But how about John Travolta’s nomination for Hairspray. Now, I haven’t seen the movie, but I read a lot of positive reviews — ALL OF WHICH suggested that Travolta was the only problem in an otherwise fun and flawless film.
December 13th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Seems like someone has quite the PTA hard-on….
December 13th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Blood is amazing and should be there for score and PTA for director.
I am also upset that there was no other love for Jesse James, what a shame WB is not pushing it. It was such an amazing file as well… and Brad Pitt did a hell of job in it.
December 13th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Good to see NCFOM up there with TWBB. Very dissapointed Zodiac and Jesse James were left out.
And no Javier Bardem in the actor category?
Then again Jesse James had a horribly put together release deal. I hope it gets a proper release because that film and Nick Caves soundtrack are phenomenal.
I think the GG suck like every other award show. But I’m just sayin’ ;)
December 13th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I agree with a lot of the sentiments here, but I’ll just add that Zodiac and Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead are the best movies that got ZERO nominations.
If Zodiac were to only get one nomination, I think you have to give it to Fincher for what was one of the best directing job in recent years.
And Devil… the whole ensemble. I think you could argue for four acting nominations, writing, directing, and picture.
December 13th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
I still need to see “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead” :(
December 13th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Why do they always forget the other great films played earlier this year and only include the late ones. I’ve seen a lot of good films this year and I haven’t seen most of the nominees. What is this, trying to sell me a movie ticket? I say, David Yates did great in directing the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (I know it’s a fantasy that doesn’t add to the traditional standards but its really the best in the HP series) and also the ZODIAC’s direction as well.
December 13th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
How did Robert Downey Jr. not get nominated for Zodiac or Hal Holbrook for Into the Wild? They were definitely the best performances I’ve seen this year
December 13th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
How come no love for Chritian Bale? 3 great performances this year as Jack/Pastor John in I’m Not There, Rescue Dawn, and Dan in 3:10 to Yuma. That guy is always getting snubbed.
December 13th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Were there that little animated films this year? Only 3?
Bale seems to be getting screwed here.
And does this mean Sweeney Todd is a good movie?
December 13th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
‘Once’ = snubbed
December 14th, 2007 at 12:59 am
Eastern Promises for best picture…is this a joke???
I mean it wasn’t bad…but BEST PICTURE OF 2007 thats a fucking joke…
Into The Wild definitely deserves the spot over that. Hell there are alot of movie that have come out this year that were a hell of a lot better than Eastern Promises…wow whoever picks these things is so obviously driven by something other than quality of films…(a.k.a $$$)
December 14th, 2007 at 1:00 am
Oh and another thing…has anyone even fucking seen Sweeny todd?????
December 14th, 2007 at 2:27 am
Zach,
I believe there already has been a few screenings for Sweeney Todd. There’s already reviews posted so there had to have been at least 1 screening. Not that that matters because in all likelyhood whoever it is that picks these movies was given a copy by the studio. Walk Hard and Charlie Wilson’s war are on that list but haven’t come out yet also.
December 14th, 2007 at 2:51 am
Every year new nominations, every year people pissed over nominations. Face it, there’s a lot of good movies, and you can’t nominate them all. And in the end, only one wins the waward anyway.