Golden Globe Predictions

Golden Globe Nominations

Best Film - Drama

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• The Reader
• Revolutionary Road
• Slumdog Millionaire

Predicted Winner: Initially, I would have said Benjamin Button takes this. It's so the HFPA's style (big, epic, pretty). HFPA has been breaking with the Oscars in the best picture category for some time, but I'm guessing that the steamroll/international flavor of Slumdog Millionaire will be too difficult for them to pass up. I've been really hard on Slumdog of late. It's overrated, yes, but still a good movie. Also, if it keeps the even more overrated and uneven Benjamin Button from winning best picture, then I say hooray.

Spoiler: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Film - Musical or Comedy

• Burn After Reading
• Happy-Go-Lucky
• In Bruges
• Mamma Mia!
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Predicted Winner: Vicky Cristina Barcelona takes this, I think. Though any of these five are believable winners. It's a very wide open category.

Spoiler: Burn After Reading. The didn't give the Coens best picture last year. Penance?

Best Actor - Drama

• Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
• Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn - Milk
• Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Predicted Winner: I still say Sean Penn wins here, as I predicted initially. But that doesn't mean he'll win the Oscar. Crowe swept most of the precursors in 2001 and they still gave it to Denzel Washington. Being a previous winner always makes it difficult, unless your last name is Swank. I'm just glad that best actor seems to be between two great performances (Penn vs. Rourke).

Spoiler: Mickey Rourke

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy

• Javier Bardem - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Colin Farrell - In Bruges
• James Franco - Pineapple Express
• Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
• Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey

Predicted Winner: Dustin Hoffman, though will they really let In Bruges go home empty-handed? Clearly, they like it alot.

Spoiler: Colin Farrell

Best Actress - Drama

• Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie - Changeling
• Meryl Streep - Doubt
• Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime)
• Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Predicted Winner: I'll kick myself if I don't predict Anne Hathaway and she ends up winning, so that's what I'm going to do. Streep is obviously the logical choice, but she has six Golden Globes. I don't get this whole "they won't let Streep go home empty-handed" business. The spoiler, I believe is...

Spoiler: Kate Winslet, who has NEVER won a Globe (can you believe that?) And the HFPA clearly liked Revolutionary Road a lot more than everyone else did. She could very well win.

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy

• Rebecca Hall - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
• Frances McDormand - Burn After Reading
• Meryl Streep - Mamma Mia!
• Emma Thompson - Last Chance Harvey

Predicted Winner: Sally Hawkins should take this. The HFPA is not stupid enough to give it to Streep (knock on wood).

Spoiler: Streep, anyhow.

Best Supporting Actor

• Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
• Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
• Ralph Fiennes - The Duchess
• Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
• Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
  

Predicted Winner: Heath Ledger. The end.

Spoiler: With Josh Brolin out of this race, is there really a spoiler here?

Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Adams - Doubt
• Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Viola Davis - Doubt
• Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
• Kate Winslet - The Reader

Predicted Winner: Kate Winslet. This is an easy place for them to reward her. I think BFCA indicated the beginnings of a sweep.

Spoiler: Believe it or not, it's not Cruz. Viola Davis.

Best Director

• Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
• Stephen Daldry - The Reader
• David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
• Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road

Predicted Winner: Danny Boyle.

Spoiler: David Fincher

Best Screenplay

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth
• Doubt - John Patrick Shanley
• Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan
• The Reader - David Hare
• Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy

Predicted Winner: This is a good place to reward Slumdog Millionaire.

Spoiler: None

Best Foreign Language Film

• The Baader Meinhof Complex (Der Baader Meinhof Komplex) • Germany
• Everlasting Moments (Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick) • Denmark/Sweden
• Gomorrah (Gomorra) • Italy
• I've Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) • France
• Waltz with Bashir (Vals im Bashir) • Israel

Predicted Winner: Waltz with Bashir

Best Animated Film

• Bolt
• Kung Fu Panda
• WALL-E

Predicted Winner: I'm not going to dignify this with a prediction.

Best Original Score

• "Changeling" - Clint Eastwood
• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - Alexandre Desplat
• "Defiance" - James Newton Howard
• "Frost/Nixon" - Hans Zimmer
• "Slumdog Millionaire" - A. R. Rahman

Predicted Winner: Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song

• "I Thought I Lost You" - Bolt
• "Once in a Lifetime" - Cadillac Records
• "Gran Torino" - Gran Torino
• "Down to Earth" - WALL-E
• "The Wrestler" - The Wrestler

Predicted Winner: God, anyone but Clint Eastwood. I say The Wrestler takes this.