The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘Mank’ leads Golden Globe nominees with 6; Netflix dominates IN THE SPOTLIGHT
After a year where the pandemic nearly emptied movie theaters, Netflix dominated nominations to the 78th Golden Globe Awards on Wednesday, with David Fincher’s “Mank” leading film nominees with six nods and “The Crown” topping all television series.
The Globes, delayed about two months due to the coronavirus, tried to muster some of the awards’ usual buzz on Wednesday in a largely virtual awards season bereft the kind of red-carpet glamour the Globes annually feast on.
“Mank,” about “Citizen Kane” co-writer Herman Mankiewicz, landed nominations for best film, drama; best actor for Gary Oldman; best director for Fincher, best supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried; best score; and best screenplay for Jack Fincher, the director’s father who penned the script before dying in 2003.
Netflix, which topped all studios at the Globes last year, too, led with a commanding 42 nominations, with 22 coming in film categories and 20 in television. No other studio was close. The day overall belonged to the streaming services. Disney+ (“The Mandalorian”) and HBO Max (“The Flight Attendant”) both notched their first Golden Globe nominations. Apple TV+ scored nods for “Ted Lasso,” “Wolfwalkers” and “On the Rocks.” Amazon was competitive with Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” and Steve McQueen’s anthology “Small Axe.”
“The Crown” landed six nominations including best series, drama, and acting nods for Olivia Colman and Josh O’Connor. The final season of “Schitt’s Creek” trailed with five nominations, while Netflix’s “Ozark” (four nods) and “The Queen’s Gambit” (two nods) also added to the streamer’s totals. (“Queens Gambit” star Anya Taylor-Joy was nominated for both the hit show and for the Jane Austen adaptation “Emma.”)
Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” — also a Netflix release, about the countercultural clash at the 1968 Democratic
National Convention — came in second among movies with five nominations, including nods for best film, drama; best director and best screenplay for Sorkin; supporting actor for Sacha Baron Cohen; and best song.
The other nominees for best film in the drama category were Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland,” Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” and Florian Zeller’s “The Father.” Also nominated were the stars of each: Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”), Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) and Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”).
A year after fielding no female nominees for best director — or a best feature film nomination for any movie directed by a woman — the HFPA nominated more female filmmakers than it ever has before. King, Zhao and Fennell were nominated
for best director, alongside Sorkin and Fincher.
By splitting up films between drama and comedy or musical, the Globes gave a boost to an awards season wildcard, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” Baron Cohen’s film — one of the few nominees partially shot during the pandemic — was nominated for best picture, comedy or musical, best actor in a comedy for Baron Cohen and best supporting actress for Maria Bakalova.
Also nominated for best picture in the comedy or musical category were: “Palm Springs,” “The Prom,” “Music” and “Hamilton.”
As expected, Chadwick Boseman was nominated posthumously his performance in George C. Wolfe’s August Wilson adaptation “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” as was his co-star, Viola Davis.