Hollywood’s most ridiculous awards ceremony returns, albeit six weeks later than usual. Even with its value to awards season decreasing every year (and rightly so), and with the (not so) shocking allegations hanging over HFPA members, they may have been wise to let the globes rest for a year. However, here we are. So, let’s see who the virtual winners on Sunday night might be…
Best Motion Picture - Drama
• The Father
• Mank
• Nomadland
• Promising Young Woman
• The Trial of the Chicago 7
PREDICTIONS
Theo: “Nomadland” — Chloe Zhao will most likely take home a terrific double, with her film becoming the first Female directed Movie to take home the best picture prize.
Jordan: “Mank” — I don’t think the old farts at the HFPA will be able to resist the old-school Hollywood theatrics of Fincher’s industry epic. But yeah, if they don’t go for Fincher’s film then it will no doubt be Zhao’s.
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
PREDICTIONS
Theo: Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman” — The strongest category on the board for me, but Mulligan’s electric, pulsating turn in Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut will play better with voters than McDormand’s understated role in “Nomadland”.
Jordan: Frances McDormand, “Nomadland” — Something tells me the love the HFPA has for Queen Frances will continue on Sunday night. I’ve been hearing whispers of the voters not being too keen on “Promising Young Woman,” so I’ll go by that intel and predict McDormand.
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
PREDICTIONS
Theo: Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” — Boseman will make another step toward a posthumous Oscar here for his career best turn in the Netflix drama based on August Wilson’s famous play.
Jordan: Anthony Hopkins, “The Father” — My gut tells me it’s Hopkins. I found Boseman’s performance to not be worthy of a win and given that the Globes are a less politically-minded voting body than the Academy, they’ll favour the best performance instead of the most popular one on Twitter.
Best motion picture - musical or comedy
• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
• Hamilton
• Music
• Palm Springs
• The Prom
PREDICTIONS
Theo: “Borat Subsequent Movie Film” — The start of a very successful night for the sequel written and shot during lockdown.
Jordan: “Borat Subsequent Movie Film” — Gee, Theo. Is it really going to be Borat? This is a very weak category. I’d prefer if “Palm Springs” pulled through, but Sacha Baron Cohen and “Borat” do have the momentum. Finally, count me into your corner for a prediction.
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
PREDICTIONS
Theo: Maria Bakalova “Borat Subsequent Film” – On her way to what seemed like, at one point, a long shot for an Oscar nomination, Bakalova will round out a hat-trick of wins for the outrageous sequel.
Jordan: Maria Bakalova “Borat Subsequent Film” — What a truly strange but feel-good story Bakalova has become this awards season. Yes, I agree, she will probably win and get an Oscar nomination . However, watch out for Rosamund Pike, in what was essentially a lead performance, but a damn good one.
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
PREDICTIONS
Theo: Sacha Baron Cohen “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” — If there’s anything the Globe voters love it’s feeling that they’re part of an awards story. Fourteen years after he picked up the globe for the Kazakhstan native, Cohen will walk away with it again.
Jordan: Another limp bunch of nominees in the “musical or comedy” category. Cohen will win, but Samberg deserves it more, much more. In fact, if this were a just world, “Palm Springs” would win in every category it is nominated.
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
PREDICTIONS
Theo: Glenn Close, “Hillbilly Elegy” — There are many ways they could go here, Olivia Colman could cement her place as a HFPA darling and win her fourth globe, Seyfried could get honored for her career best turn in the slightly forgotten about “Mank”, or as I predict, they will give the award to seven time Oscar nominee and three time globe winner, Glenn Close for her over the top, extremely awards bait-y role in the much maligned “Hillbilly Elegy”. A win for Close would certainly be designed to make a splash.
Jordan: Olivia Colman, “The Father” — I just can’t see Colman losing this one. The movie Close is in is already very divisive and she has given us much better performances in her illustrious four decade career. Seyfried’s overrated work in “Mank” is already losing momentum with a few key snubs the last month. If the HFPA really want to make a splash then they’d give it to Foster or Zengel — and I wouldn’t put it past them to do so.
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
PREDICTIONS
Theo: Sacha Baron Cohen “The Trial of the Chicago 7” — A great night for Cohen could get even better here if he takes home the win for his career best work in Aaron Sorkin’s pulpy and powerful political courtroom drama.
Jordan: Sacha Baron Cohen “The Trial of the Chicago 7” — I can’t seen anybody else winning. There’s a deep love for Murray, and I’d be over the moon if his lovely performance in “On the Rocks” won, but it’ll be Sacha Baron Cohen and the shitty American accent he used in ‘Trial’ winning.
Best Director - Motion Picture
• David Fincher, Mank
• Regina King, One Night in Miami
• Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
• Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
• Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
PREDICTIONS
Theo: Chloe Zhao “Nomadland” — Zhao would become only the second Female director to take home the globe, after Barbra Streisand in 1983. She has also set the record for most guild wins for best director in an awards season and looks well on her way to a clean sweep.
Jordan: David Fincher, “Mank” — Much like in the Film category, I believe Fincher and his film have this. “Mank” was very much intended for a voting body like HFPA to shower it with awards. I get it, “Nomadland” is the critical favourite, hell, maybe even the Oscar favourite, but does is it have the same kind of accessibility with Globe voters as it does with Academy voters? ‘Trial’ does, ‘Mank’ does, I’m not quite sure about Zhao’s film.
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
• The Father
• Mank
• Nomadland
• Promising Young Woman
• The Trial of the Chicago 7
PREDICTIONS
Theo: Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of Chicago 7” — Sorkin has long been a darling of the Hollywood Foreign press. Picking up wins for “The Social Network” and for “Steve Jobs” even with Jobs failing to land an Oscar nomination that year. I expect he’ll be honoured again here, even up against arguably heavier hitters.
Jordan: Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of Chicago 7” — it would be shocking if Sorkin lost this category. A great, hard-to-resist narrative would be for David and, his late dad, Jack Fincher winning this award, but ‘Trial’ is so thickly Sorkin-esque and, judging from their past history, the HFPA absolutely loves that.
Best Motion Picture - Animated
• The Croods: A New Age
• Onward
• Over the Moon
• Soul
• Wolfwalkers
PREDICTIONS
Theo: “Wolfwalkers” — This one is more out of hope than expectation. The undoubted best animated film of last year, Tomm Moore and Cartoon Saloon created an experience, both from a technical and storytelling point of view that’s far beyond the other nominees. Everyone’s head will say Pixar’s “Soul” will take it, but let’s hope they do the right thing.
Jordan: “Soul” — I sort of see how you would come to this conclusion, Theo. “Wolfwalkers” very much adheres to the foreign sensibilities of the HFPA. You may very well be right in choosing it to upset Pixar’s latest gem, but I’ll play it safe here, audiences absolutely loved “Soul” and giving it the animated Globe is a no-brainer.
Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language
• Another Round (Denmark)
• La Llorona (Guatemala)
• The Life Ahead (Italy)
• Minari (USA)
• Two of Us (France)
PREDICTIONS
Theo: “Another Round” — Don’t expect the backlash to “Minari” being placed in this category (when it’s an American production) to have rung with stubborn HFPA members, a film many believed should have been in Best Picture. It’s a shame that a win for this terrific film from Denmark could be overlooked. Mads Mikkelsen shines in this powerful comedy/drama that I encourage people to seek out.
Jordan: “Another Round” — I’m not as confident as you are, but I do believe the Danish film will squeeze by and pull off the win. “Minari” is a very likeable movie. Controversy or not, it isn’t out of bounds to think it has enough votes to win the category. I’m just reluctant to choose it because “Another Round” has been absolutely killing it in the international scene, winning award after award. It’s a toss-up, but the non-American movie wins.
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
• Mank - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
• The Midnight Sky - Alexandre Desplat
• News of the World - James Newton Howard
• Soul - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste
• Tenet - Ludwig Göransson
PREDICTIONS
Theo: “Mank,” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross — With two nominations on this list, I expect Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will walk away with their second Globe after 2010’s “The Social Network”. Their second win for scoring a Fincher film.
Jordan: “Mank,” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross — What a luscious and surprising score the dynamo team of Reznor/Ross gave us. And yet, I can’t choose which I prefer more: Their old-school “Mank” score or the Jazzy fusioned amalgam they concocted in “Soul.”