'Shape of Water' leads Globe nominees

LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood's long awards season began to take shape on Monday with Golden Globe nominations that rewarded risk-taking and shone a spotlight on veterans and newcomers alike.

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water," a magical drama about a relationship between a strange river creature and a mute cleaner, collected a leading seven nods, including best drama, and director and acting nominations for Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer and Richard Jenkins.

"Above all, 'The Shape of Water' is about love overcoming fear and embracing the Other," Del Toro said in a statement.

"The Post," Steven Spielberg's pertinent drama about press freedom, followed with six nominations. The other nominees for the top best drama prize are British World War II tale "Dunkirk," gay romance "Call Me By Your Name" and the quirky dramedy "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."

The Golden Globes are chosen by about 90 journalists belonging to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, but they often foreshadow picks for the Oscars, the movie industry's highest awards.

"The Shape of Water" and "The Post" are also among frontrunners for Oscars in March. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announces its own nominations on Wednesday.

"Call Me By Your Name" took 10 years to get made. It also brought first-time Golden Globe nominations for actors Timothee Chalamet, 21, and Armie Hammer, 31. Chalamet also appears in another Golden Globes contender, "Lady Bird," though he was not nominated for that role.

The Italian director of "Call Me By Your Name," Luca Guadagnino, in a statement called it "a great cinematic romance that challenged conventions and proved that love is love."

Mother-daughter comedy "Lady Bird" got four nods, including for its star, Saiorse Ronan, and Laurie Metcalf, in her supporting role as the title character's mother. However, first-time director Greta Gerwig was snubbed in an all-male list for that category.