It's that time of year again...

The chaos of the awards season is already upon us; that time of year when the good and ugly of the last twelve months is sifted through to determine whose work is worthy of recognition and whose is not. It begs a series of familiar questions, posed by cynics such as myself, such as why every Best Picture nomination for this year’s Golden Globes has been released in the latter half of the year. In fact, three of the five nominees: Black Swan, The King’s Speech, and The Fighter are all on limited release this week in the US, in perfect time for a nomination boost to ticket sales. Could be it a coincidence or perhaps concern that members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association have a short memory span?

In any case, the nominees for the Golden Globes make interesting reading. It seems that you cannot be a great director without helming a great film. It also demonstrates that a film can be a critical flop and still make it onto the critics’ nomination list. Yes, I’m talking about you The Tourist with 122 critical reviews listed here on Rotten Tomatoes and a whopping score of 20% with 98 of those reviews considered rotten. Nevertheless, Johnny Depp and his onscreen consort Angelina Jolie are both shortlisted for best comedy performances (Depp twice – boy isn’t he funny?!), whilst billion dollar Toy Story 3 is only able to secure a single nomination for Best Animation. It is perhaps rather short-sighted of the HFPA membership that such a vastly popular film is not considered for Best Picture, Comedy or Best Screenplay, whilst 127 Hours which has the barest bones of a script is nominated in the latter category. The strength of Danny Boyle’s film – and to my mind it is a great film – is in the acting and directing with so many tough, silent scenes in an enclosed space. The Englishman must at best be bemused by such a daft decision, whilst Franco’s supreme performance is going to face stiff competition from Colin Firth’s stammering King George.

Here are a handful of my predictions for this year’s Golden Globes based not on my personal preference but who I think will be awarded the prize on the night.

Best Picture, Drama: The Social Network
Best Picture, Comedy or Musical: The Kids Are Alright
Best Director: Christopher Nolan
Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin
Best Actor, Drama: Colin Firth
Best Actor, Comedy or Musical: Johnny Depp (Alice In Wonderland)
Best Actress, Drama: Michelle Williams
Best Actress, Comedy or Musical: Annette Bening
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush
Best Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter
Best Foreign Language Film: Biutiful
Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Best Miniseries or TV Movie: Carlos

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