Golden Globe Musings: Best Motion Picture – Drama

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced in just a few weeks, so here’s a survey of the contenders and the most likely predictions at this time. Weigh in with your thoughts, and let me know if I’ve left off anyone important. A reminder that the Globes are wildly unpredictable and that it is still a bit early to gauge the reception or awards potential of a number of the so-called “contenders” at this point.

Last year’s nominees:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air

Last year, this category gave us our eventual Oscar Best Director nominees and presumable five Best Picture nominees if that was still how the rules worked. The leading five seem somewhat clear this year, though I underestimated both “Avatar”and “Inglourious Basterds” in favor of “An Education” (nominated for Best Picture) and “Invictus” (nope). Four contenders seem like sure things, starting with The King’s Speech and The Social Network. Next up, we have Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours and Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Given the inclusion of James Cameron’s science fiction epic last year, I don’t really doubt the chances of the dream-invading film. My current pick for the final slot is David O’Russell’s The Fighter, though it could also go to Black Swan or True Grit. On the next tier, we have Another Year, The Ghost Writer, Hereafter, Rabbit Hole, Secretariat, The Way Back, and a film that I suspect will pick up steam later in the awards race, Winter’s Bone.

Predicted nominees:
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network