Award season is setting in and it’s time to pick the frontrunners for the Golden Globes’ best picture nominees. Variety editors Jenelle Riley and Clayton Davis surveyed the contenders for Awards Circuit, presented by HBO, selecting who will go home with the globe and who is disqualified, critically acclaimed Lee Isaac Chung’s drama “Minari” is ineligible!
Beginning with drama, Riley and Davis began with the assessment of Frances McDormand-starring “Nomadland,” star-studded “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and Netflix’s “Mank.”
“Who doesn’t love a story about Hollywood? Well, Hollywood certainly does,” Riley said. And that’s no surprise the members of the award elite love to throw statues at Hollywood-centric storylines such as “La La Land,” “The Artist,” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.”
Other possible surprises? Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” Regina King’s “One Night in Miami,” Florian Zeller’s “The Father,” Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman,” Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal” and Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
“I can’t think of a film that has gut-punched me harder this year than ‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’” Davis also said. “This is one of the big things everyone needs to keep an eye on.”
The King film has yet to be released, but is already one of the buzziest films of the year. It comes out on HBO Max and in theaters on Feb. 12.
To cap the list of prospective nominees, Davis and Riley looked at the best in comedy— a necessary form of escapism this year. They listed “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “Hamilton,” “The Prom,” “On the Rocks” and “Palm Springs.”
Though shut down, Broadway had quite the year. The wide-release of “Hamilton” brought the beloved historical musical into homes across the nation.
“It was one of the big gifts during the pandemic,” Riley stated.
More importantly, “Hamilton” brought up a conversation Hollywood has been avoiding— the distinction between film and television.
“The fact that the Golden Globes accepted this as a film and the Oscars would not, this now elevates that conversation,” Davis said.
Watch for what wins at the Golden Globes on Feb. 28.
