The Golden Globes Predictions: Sure, Why Not?

Ah yes, The Golden Globes - the yearly ceremony held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association where awards are handed out to the biggest stars in the business. A copious amount of alcohol is served to the rich and famous, and we watch for whatever reason we watch these telecasts every year. We watch to root for our favorites, to post snarky comments online, to drink along, and to wonder what in the world Harrison Ford is on. 

This Sunday, The Globes are being hosted by Jimmy Fallon, a man who's not exactly the most exciting host you could think of, but he's certainly a safe choice. No mean Mr. Ricky Gervais this year to harm the fragile egos of the elite, just good ol' safe Jimmy Fallon. Here's hoping he can make it through his opening monologue without a guitar or breaking out in a giggle fit at one of his own jokes.

So without further ado, here are my personal picks for who will take home a Globe in the major categories, and why.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

The Supporting Actress category is filled with some great nominees this year, and should be a good representation of what we'll see at the Oscars next month. Outside of Nicole Kidman's nomination for Lion, it would be easy to see these extremely talented women show up in a few weeks. The nominees this year are:

• Viola Davis - Fences
• Naomie Harris - Moonlight
• Nicole Kidman - Lion
• Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures
• Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea

Personally, I feel that this is Viola Davis' year. Her performance in Denzel Washington's Fences is almost other-worldly in its power. She bares her soul in ways that few actresses have. She's one of the best of her generation and the Globe should rightfully be hers.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

From an industry veteran to great actors who've yet to receive recognition, Best Supporting Actor is an odd duck this year. All of these men are deserving, well, almost all of them. Anyone with ten seasons of The Big Bang Theory on their resume should be immediately disqualified, let's be real. The nominees this year are:

• Mahershala Ali - Moonlight
• Jeff Bridges - Hell or High Water
• Simon Helberg - Florence Foster Jenkins
• Dev Patel - Lion
• Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Nocturnal Animals

Jeff Bridges is the favorite here for his performance as a surly Texas Ranger hot on the trail of a duo of bank robbers in Hell or High Water. I'll go against the grain with my pick of Aaron Taylor-Johnson however, as he gave one of the most disturbing and villainous turns since Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men. Johnson is an absolute beast in Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals. He's everything a villain should be; menacing, morally repugnant, sleazy, and unrepentant. Supporting awards can often go to a great villain, with Bardem and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight being the best examples.

Best Performance by an Actress - Musical or Comedy

Meryl Streep got nominated for an award?! Color me surprised! Anyway, the nominees run the gamut from the veterans (Annette Bening, Meryl Streep) to relative newcomers (Lily Collins, Hailee Steinfeld) to somewhere in between (Emma Stone). The nominees are:

• Annette Bening - 20th Century Women
• Lily Collins - Rules Don't Apply
• Hailee Steinfeld - The Edge of Seventeen
• Emma Stone - La La Land
• Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins

As much as I would love to see Hailee Steinfeld win, this is Emma Stone's Globe. Stone gives a whirlwind performance in La La Land, and with all the buzz, she's essentially a lock here. 

Best Performance by an Actor - Musical or Comedy

They keep trying to give Jonah Hill awards, huh? Welp, they might as well keep trying. The Globes always tend to nominate fan favorites in their categories and Lead Actor in a Comedy/Musical is no exception this year. Here's a category that features some very familiar faces and the nominees include: 

• Colin Farrell - The Lobster
• Ryan Gosling - La La Land
• Hugh Grant - Florence Foster Jenkins
• Jonah Hill - War Dogs
• Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool

My first reaction to the nominees was essentially "Ryan Reynolds? Okay yeah." I'll admit that his performance in Deadpool was equal turns funny and even heartwarming at times, but no one in the category can hold a candle to apparent song and dance man Ryan Gosling. His performance in La La Land is something else. Gosling really can do it all. The Globe is his.

Best Performance by an Actress - Drama

Now we come to the heavy hitters of 2016. These five women all did some of the best work of their respective careers and in a perfect, just world, we'd have a five way tie. Unfortunately, much like the Highlanders of old, there can be only one. The nominees are:

• Amy Adams - Arrival
• Jessica Chastain - Miss Sloane
• Ruth Negga - Loving
• Natalie Portman - Jackie
• Isabelle Huppert - Elle

Amy Adams has been one of my favorite actresses since I first noticed her in Enchanted where she played a Disney Princess transported to the real world. It was a great performance in an underrated film. This year she gave two great performances in the one-two punch of Arrival following quickly by Nocturnal Animals, so this might be a dual nomination. Isabelle Huppert in Elle on the other hand is the dark horse in this category. Her turn in Paul Verhoeven's latest is shocking to say the least. 

That said, Natalie Portman is almost guaranteed to walk away with the Globe on Sunday. Not only is Jackie one of the best films of 2016, Portman gives one of the best female performances in a long while. She transformed into Jackie Kennedy in a way that I didn't think possible. It's a harrowing turn in a devastating picture. 

Best Performance by an Actor - Drama

A sad man, a loving man, a war man, an outsider man, and a working man walk into a bar, the bartender says "What brings you here?" They reply, "We heard you were serving Golden Globe nominations." The bartender nods and serves up five fresh nominations. The nominees are:

• Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea
• Joel Edgerton - Loving
• Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge
• Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic
• Denzel Washington - Fences

Okay, I'll admit it, out of these five performances I've only seen Denzel Washington's. So yeah, even though Number One Sad Boy Casey Affleck seems to be the popular pick, I'm going with Denzel. The performances in Fences are what make the film, and Washington gave an almost overbearing one. Plus, I don't think the Hollywood Foreign Press can endure the stern, disapproving look that Denzel will give them, should he lose. 

Best Director - Motion Picture

A category that mixes a long-time acclaimed director with indie darlings, Best Director has assembled the cream of the crop in 2016. It surely would've been a more interesting category had directors such as Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) or Paul Verhoeven (Elle) were thrown into the mix, but we'll have to make do with those who were nominated. They are:

• Damien Chazelle - La La Land
• Tom Ford - Nocturnal Animals
• Mel Gibson - Hacksaw Ridge
• Barry Jenkins - Moonlight
• Kenneth Longeran - Manchester by the Sea

Mel Gibson is the veteran here and the Hollywood Foreign Press loves a good comeback story. Hacksaw Ridge is his directorial effort since 2006's Apocalypto and by all accounts it's a visceral and brutal experience, which is to be expected when it comes to Gibson's filmography. However, The Golden Globes also love beautiful people and that's why I'm going with Tom Ford this time around. Nocturnal Animals is not a film for everyone, or even a picture that's on everyone's radar, but it's a thrilling story featuring a complex plot of a story within a story. Framing a tale of revenge in the constructs of a novel is a stroke of genius and Ford's ambition here should be recognized.

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Most years this category is strictly filled with comedies, seeing as how musicals aren't all that prevalent these days. Happily, we had two really great musicals to enjoy in 2016, Once director John Carney gave us Sing Street, and Whiplash director Damien Chazelle delivered La La Land. In addition to those films, the nominees include:

• 20th Century Women
• Deadpool
• Florence Foster Jenkins
• La La Land
• Sing Street

Okay, hold up, Deadpool? An entertaining film, with the right mindset, but awards worthy? I'm not so sure about that. This might be the first modern comic book movie to receive such distinction but I just don't see this fan favorite winning on Sunday. La La Land on the other hand? Oh my, this is one of the most critically acclaimed musicals since Chicago in 2002. It's one for the ages and the Hollywood Foreign Press would be fools to not give it the statue. 

Best Motion Picture - Drama

In the past, the Best Picture - Drama category has been a look at things to come at the Oscars. Does the winner here always prevail with the Academy? No, of course not, but it's usually a good indicator of what will at least be in the running. The nominees this year include:

• Hacksaw Ridge
• Hell or High Water
• Lion
• Manchester by the Sea
• Moonlight

The industry loves a good war picture as much as they love a good western. In that respect Hacksaw Ridge has a pretty good chance at pulling off an upset win. The same goes for my personal favorite of the nominees, Hell or High Water. Hell or High Water isn't your typical western in that it's more of an indictment of the banking industry, think The Big Short set in Texas and starring The Dude and Captain Kirk. All of this doesn't matter as I believe that Manchester by the Sea will take home the prize. The story of man and the life around him passing him by, it is by all accounts a devastating picture, and what exemplifies Drama more than that?

No matter the outcome, Sunday's ceremony should at least be an entertaining affair, and that's basically why we watch The Golden Globes in the first place.