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By PHILIP WUNTCH
Film Critic Emeritus
2007 is shaping up as the best movie year since 1999. For proof, take a look at the omissions from the Golden Globe nominations, announced this morning.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a notoriously accommodating group. This year, the membership stretched its best dramatic picture nominees to seven, rather than the customary five. Still, there were glaring omissions in all categories.
"Atonement" dominated the nominations, and its prominence reiterates the differences between the Globes and hifalutin critics' groups. Adored by audiences but merely respected by critics, the lavish film version of the best-selling tragic romance had made scarcely a dent in many year-end critics selections. Even with "Atonement," there was a notable omission, with Vanessa Redgrave's supporting performance, which ties up all the plot strings, slighted.
Other omissions were even more painful. The haunting "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," with brilliant direction by 83-year-old Sidney Lumet and a spellbinding supporting turn by Albert Finney, was left out in the cold. "Into the Wild" met a similarly chilly fate. Hal Holbrook's poignant supporting performance was considered a shoo-in, while Emile Hirsch's lead performance and Sean Penn's direction were deemed strong possibilities.
Although Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett received nods in both leading and supporting categories, Tommy Lee Jones' stunning work in "In the Valley of Elah" and "No Country for Old Men" was ignored. In the early days of the Golden Globes, the membership made no secret that it rewarded co-operative interview subjects. To say that Mr. Jones has never been a warm interview subject would be an understatement. Could that have factored into the voting?
Another "No Country" no-show was Josh Brolin's breakthrough peformance, while a supporting actress nod for Kelly Macdonald as Brolin's loving if inarticulate wife would have been well-chosen. In one of the year's least-publicized outstanding performances, the Scottish-born actress ("Trainspotting," "Gosford Park," "Intermission") was perfect in dialect and emotional resonance.
"In the Valley of Elah" was one of the year's most disheartening box-office flops. Did that sad fact also enter into the play-offs? Or are voters still grinding an axe for "Elah" director Paul Haggis, whose "Crash" was an unexpected and controversial best-picture Oscar champion two years ago? Paul Thomas Anderson's direction of "There Will Be Blood," a distinct change of pace for the "Magnolia"/"Boogie Nights" director, was also left in the dust.
In recent years, the Golden Globes have been crowned as near-certain indicators of Oscar nominations. This year, the mood is more "kinda, sorta." Globe winners will be announced Jan. 13.
Film Critic Emeritus
2007 is shaping up as the best movie year since 1999. For proof, take a look at the omissions from the Golden Globe nominations, announced this morning.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a notoriously accommodating group. This year, the membership stretched its best dramatic picture nominees to seven, rather than the customary five. Still, there were glaring omissions in all categories.
"Atonement" dominated the nominations, and its prominence reiterates the differences between the Globes and hifalutin critics' groups. Adored by audiences but merely respected by critics, the lavish film version of the best-selling tragic romance had made scarcely a dent in many year-end critics selections. Even with "Atonement," there was a notable omission, with Vanessa Redgrave's supporting performance, which ties up all the plot strings, slighted.
Other omissions were even more painful. The haunting "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," with brilliant direction by 83-year-old Sidney Lumet and a spellbinding supporting turn by Albert Finney, was left out in the cold. "Into the Wild" met a similarly chilly fate. Hal Holbrook's poignant supporting performance was considered a shoo-in, while Emile Hirsch's lead performance and Sean Penn's direction were deemed strong possibilities.
Although Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett received nods in both leading and supporting categories, Tommy Lee Jones' stunning work in "In the Valley of Elah" and "No Country for Old Men" was ignored. In the early days of the Golden Globes, the membership made no secret that it rewarded co-operative interview subjects. To say that Mr. Jones has never been a warm interview subject would be an understatement. Could that have factored into the voting?
Another "No Country" no-show was Josh Brolin's breakthrough peformance, while a supporting actress nod for Kelly Macdonald as Brolin's loving if inarticulate wife would have been well-chosen. In one of the year's least-publicized outstanding performances, the Scottish-born actress ("Trainspotting," "Gosford Park," "Intermission") was perfect in dialect and emotional resonance.
"In the Valley of Elah" was one of the year's most disheartening box-office flops. Did that sad fact also enter into the play-offs? Or are voters still grinding an axe for "Elah" director Paul Haggis, whose "Crash" was an unexpected and controversial best-picture Oscar champion two years ago? Paul Thomas Anderson's direction of "There Will Be Blood," a distinct change of pace for the "Magnolia"/"Boogie Nights" director, was also left in the dust.
In recent years, the Golden Globes have been crowned as near-certain indicators of Oscar nominations. This year, the mood is more "kinda, sorta." Globe winners will be announced Jan. 13.
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