JARED Leto (left) and Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”
LOS ANGELES—Will Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, both in “Dallas Buyers Club,” win Best Actor-Drama and Supporting Actor honors in the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday evening (Monday morning, Manila time)? Will David O. Russell’s film about two cons, “American Hustle,” hustle its way and win the Best Film-Comedy or Musical prize and several other awards?
While moviegoers and TV viewers have their bets in the 71st Golden Globe Awards to be handed out at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, it’s going to be an exciting, open-wide race. Unlike in the 2013 and 2008 Golden Globes, for example, when Daniel Day-Lewis’ towering performances in “Lincoln” and “There Will Be Blood,” respectively, made him a predictable Best Actor-Drama winner, this year it will be a tough call for most of the categories.
Close fight
That close fight is reflected especially in the Best Actor-Drama derby. Will McConaughey’s portrayal of a real-life modern Texas cowboy diagnosed as HIV-positive in “Dallas” prevail over Robert Redford (“All Is Lost”), Tom Hanks (“Captain Phillips”), Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”) and Idris Elba (“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”)?
In the Best Actress-Drama category, Cate Blanchett’s delineation of a contemporary Blanche Dubois faces strong competition from Judi Dench (“Philomena”), Sandra Bullock (“Gravity”), Emma Thompson (“Saving Mr. Banks”) and Kate Winslet (“Labor Day”).
SANDRA Bullock in “Gravity.”
Will “Rush” pull a surprise over “Gravity,” “Philomena,” “12 Years a Slave” and “Captain Phillips” in the Best Film-Drama battle?
Will Amy Adams win her first Golden Globe trophy for her role as a con woman affecting a British accent in “American Hustle” when the Best Actress-Comedy or Musical envelope is opened? Standing in her way are Greta Gerwig (“Frances Ha”), Julie Delpy (“Before Midnight”), Meryl Streep (“August: Osage County”) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Enough Said”).
Solid choices
In the tight Best Actor-Comedy or Musical bout, Christian Bale’s beer-bellied hustler with an elaborate comb-over in “American Hustle” may lead him to the stage again (he won Best Supporting Actor in 2010 for “The Fighter”). But these gents—Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf of Wall Street”), Joaquin Phoenix (“Her”), Bruce Dern (“Nebraska”) and Oscar Isaac (“Inside Llewyn Davis”)—are equally solid choices.
LEONARDO DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
“The Wolf,” “Her,” “Nebraska” and “Inside” all have the potential to spoil “American Hustle’s” reign at the star-studded International Ballroom in the Hilton.
In previous years, Jared Leto’s essay of an HIV-positive transgender in “Dallas” may have made him a Best Supporting Actor shoo-in but in a bumper crop of outstanding male performances, Daniel Bruhl (“Rush”), Barkhad Abdi (“Captain Phillips”), Michael Fassbender (“12 Years”) and Bradley Cooper (“American”) are standing in Jared’s way.
Will Jennifer Lawrence go up the stage again as a winner like she did last year for “Silver Linings Playbook”? This time, she’s in the running for Best Supporting Actress (for her performance as a volatile, unpredictable wife in “American”) against Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years”), June Squibb (“Nebraska”), Sally Hawkins (“Blue”) and Julia Roberts (“August”).
David O. Russell’s high-energy direction of a 1970s con/mob film, “American” pits him against the outstanding work of Paul Greengrass (“Captain Phillips”), Alfonso Cuaron (“Gravity”), Steve McQueen (“12 Years”) and Alexander Payne (“Nebraska”) in the Best Director field.
Foreign films
Italy’s “The Great Beauty,” a poignant meditation on life and art, and France’s “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” the acclaimed and explicit lesbian love drama, lead the Best Foreign Film nominees. Also in the race are Japan’s “The Wind Rises,” Iran’s “The Past” and Denmark’s “The Hunt.”
IDRIS Elba and Naomie Harris in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
“The Croods,” “Frozen” and “Despicable Me 2” are duking it out for the Best Animated Feature Film honors.
Will U2’s “Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” top Filipino-American Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen’s “Let It Go” from “Frozen” in the Best Original Song category? They face solid competition from Coldplay’s “Atlas” (from “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”), Taylor Swift’s “Sweeter Than Fiction” (“One Chance”) and “Please Mr. Kennedy” (“Inside”).
In the Best Original Score competition, will John Williams’ work on “The Book Thief” dominate a field that includes Hans Zimmer’s “12 Years,” Steven Price’s “Gravity,” Alex Ebert’s “All Is Lost” and Alex Heffes’ “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”?
Spike Jonze’s “Her,” a beautifully rendered vision of the near future when high-waist pants wearing guys can fall in love with an OS, leads formidable Best Screenplay nominees: Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan (“Philomena”), Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell (“American Hustle”), Bob Nelson (“Nebraska”) and John Ridley (“12 Years”).
(Tomorrow: the TV categories)
(E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.)