With the 2018 Golden Globes happening on Monday, it’s time to take a look at the favourite contenders. The following picks have risen to the challenge of providing relatable, powerful and captivating works, with some actors showcasing some of their best performances so far.
BEST MOTION PICTURE (DRAMA)
Our Pick: Dunkirk – Nolan’s master visuals lent themselves beautifully to Dunkirk, creating a stark, heavy film that explored the human side of war.
Other Nominees: Call Me by Your Name, The Post, The Shape Of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
BEST MOTION PICTURE (MUSICAL/COMEDY)
Our Pick: The Disaster Artist – The Room has long been a cult phenomenon, and the film about the film is as meta and ridiculous as they come!
Other Nominees: Get Out, The Greatest Showman, I, Tonya, Lady Bird
BEST MOTION PICTURE (ANIMATED)
Our Pick: Coco – It’s a gorgeous, heartfelt film that honours Mexican culture and history with its eye-popping visuals, sweeping score and brilliant performances.
Other Nominees: The Boss Baby, The Breadwinner, Ferdinand, Loving Vincent
BEST ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE (DRAMA)
Our Pick: Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) – Oldman’s talent and reverence for material is always evident, not only due to his stellar performance but for his refreshing and intriguing portrayal of Winston Churchill.
Other Nominees: Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name), Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), Tom Hanks (The Post), Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq)
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE (DRAMA)
Our Pick: Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) – The unlikely romance in the Shape of Water is palpable and believable because of the sheer strength of Hawkins’ performance.
Other Nominees: Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Meryl Streep (The Post), Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World)
BEST ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE (MUSICAL/COMEDY)
Our Pick: Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver) – This perfectly balanced musical comedy shows Elgort’s versatility as an actor. His light-hearted portrayal of Baby combined with his action hero exterior eliminated any possible cheesiness that could seep through a fifties-esque undertone.
Other Nominees: Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Steve Carell (Battle of the Sexes), James Franco (The Disaster Artist), Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman)
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE (MUSICAL/COMEDY)
Our Pick: Judi Dench (Victoria & Abdul) – Portraying the unusual relationship between the monarch Queen Victoria and her friend Abdul, Dench captures both the powerful and heartwarming nature in her later life.
Other Nominees: Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Emma Stone (Battle of the Sexes), Helen Mirren (The Leisure Seeker)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE
Our Pick: Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name) – Hammer’s powerful performance will stick with you for days.
Other Nominees: Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project), Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water), Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE
Our Pick: Allison Janney (I, Tonya) – Janney’s uncanny portrayal of Tonya’s mother is almost parallel. The wittiness and unforgiving nature of her character make audiences hate her even more.
Other Nominees: Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Hang Chau (Downsizing), Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water)
BEST DIRECTOR (MOTION PICTURE)
Our Pick: Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk) – Nolan’s vision for Dunkirk drove the beauty and poignancy of the film forward. The storytelling of the film is masterful, thanks in part to Nolan’s experience and visual panache.
Other Nominees: Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water), Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Ridley Scott (All The Money in the World), Steven Spielberg (The Post)
BEST SCREENPLAY (MOTION PICTURE)
Our Pick: The Shape of Water – Originality is hard to come by, but with The Shape of Water’s unique subject matter and dense heart, it feels wholly new and builds its story spectacularly.
Other Nominees: Lady Bird, The Post, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Molly’s Game
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MOTION PICTURE)
Our Pick: Dunkirk – Hans Zimmer eerily captures the tension on the beaches of Dunkirk, bringing to life the feeling of uncertainty during war with his nail-biting score.
Other Nominees: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Shape of Water, Phantom Thread, The Post
BEST FOREIGN FILM
Our Pick: First They Killed My Father – From Angelina Jolie comes an incredibly powerful story about the childhood of Luong Ung. Recounting her experiences as a child soldier in the Pol Pot regime, Ung’s contribution to the screenplay of this foreign film enhances the harshness of her reality.
Other Nominees: In the Fade, Loveless, The Square, A Fantastic Woman
BEST TELEVISION SERIES (DRAMA)
Our Pick: Game of Thrones – Up against some serious competition, Game of Thrones will most likely scrape a win this time for its continual ability to grip viewers’ attention and expand their imagination.
Other Nominees: The Crown, The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, This is Us
BEST TELEVISION SERIES (COMEDY)
Our Pick: Master of None – This series is an original, irreverent and uber-relevant look at navigating life delivered with heart and wit, with Aziz Ansari soars in his scatterbrain magnum opus.
Other Nominees: SMILF, Will & Grace, Blackish, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
BEST TELEVISION PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR (MUSICAL/COMEDY)
Our Pick: William H. Macy (Shameless) – No matter how much Frank Gallagher screws up, the audience still loves him, which is because of how fine a job William H. Macy does portraying him.
Other Nominees: Anthony Anderson (Blackish), Aziz Ansari (Master of None), Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace)
BEST TELEVISION PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS (MUSICAL/COMEDY)
Our Pick: Alison Brie (Glow) – Exploring the wonderful and weird world of women’s wrestling, GLOW was led spectacularly by Alison Brie’s nuanced performance as Ruth Wilder and her Soviet heel alter ego, Zoya the Destroya.
Other Nominees: Pamela Adlon (Better Things), Issa Rae (Insecure), Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Frankie Shaw (SMILF)
BEST TELEVISION PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR (DRAMA)
Our Pick: Jason Bateman (Ozark) – This new Netflix Original Series showcases a darker side of Bateman, and proves he’s just as good at drama as he is comedy.
Other Nominees: Sterling K. Brown (This is Us), Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Live Schreiber (Ray Donovan)
BEST TELEVISION PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS (DRAMA)
Our Pick: Claire Foy (The Crown) – In a gripping series about the current Royal family, Claire Foy portrays the young monarch Elizabeth II in her early days, showcasing a smorgasbord of emotional tensions and moral conflictions.
Other Nominees: Caitriona Balfe (Outlander), Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Deuce), Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
BEST TELEVISION PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR (LIMITED SERIES)
Our Pick: Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) – Tasked with playing the horrifying BOB, the clueless Dougie, and everybody’s favourite FBI agent, Dale Cooper, Kyle MacLachlan through the wringer this year. Pulling off each role flawlessly, he successfully portrays subtleties in each character in an astounding way.
Other Nominees: Robert De Niro (The Wizard of Lies), Jude Law (The Young Pope), Ewan McGregor (Fargo), Geoffrey Rush (Genius)
BEST TELEVISION PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS (LIMITED SERIES)
Our Pick: Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies) — It’s a tough call between Kidman and Witherspoon for this one, but Kidman steals the show.
Other Nominees: Jessica Biel (The Sinner), Jessica Lange (Feud: Bette and Joan), Susan Sarandon (Feud: Bette and Joan), Reese Witherspoon (Big Little Lies)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (TELEVISION)
Our Pick: David Harbour (Stranger Things) – Bringing the grit that is Chief Jim Hopper, Harbour’s character seriously develops within Season 2 of Stranger Things with his role as a parental figure at the forefront of the show’s storyline.
Other Nominees: Alfred Molina (Feud: Bette and Joan), Alexander Skarsgard (Big Little Lies), David Thewlis (Fargo), Christian Slater (Mr. Robot)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (TELEVISION)
Our Pick: Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies) – Another category where two actresses from the same show are vying for the main prize and while it’s not an easy pick, Woodley delivers real emotion throughout.
Other Nominees: Laura Dern (Big Little Lies), Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), Christy Metz (This is Us), Michelle Pfeiffer (The Wizard of Lies)
BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Our Pick: Big Little Lies – Big Little Lies is the mystery of the year, pulling in serious Hollywood heavyweights to explore the darker layers of a Stepford town. Despite chewing through the bestselling source material, the fans have demanded a second season, and passionate artist Reese Witherspoon has obliged.
Other Nominees: Fargo, Feud: Bette and Joan, The Sinner, Top of the Lake: China Girl
Foxtel’s Fox 8 will be broadcasting the event in Australia, kicking off at 11am AEDT with the red carpet.
