The nominations for the 75th Golden Globe Awards have just been released, and, as usual, they are eclectic mix of mistakes and well-deserved recognitions. But should we expect anything less from this odd collection of roughly 90 foreign journalists whose tastes range from the staid to the sleazy to the sublime?

For a complete list of the nominees, visit GoldenGlobes.com. Let me offer just a few thoughts about the film nominees to whet your appetite for this year’s awards season.

I’ll start with the good news: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has selected Dunkirk and The Post as two of its nominees for best drama. Those two should rightfully battle it out for the top honor, as they are far better than the other three nominees in that category: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; The Shape of Water; and Call Me by Your Name.

The most glaring error here is the omission of Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour. Yes, the HFPA has nominated Gary Oldman for his portrayal of Winston Churchill, but the film itself was snubbed.

Lady Bird, one of the five films nominated for best comedy or musical, seems a lock. Its win would help make up for the inclusion of a couple of films in that category that simply don’t belong: I, Tonya, which isn’t good enough; and Get Out, which is neither a straight comedy nor a musical.

Another disappointing decision is to not recognize either Blade Runner 2049 or War for the Planet of the Apes. Perhaps that speaks to the odd organization of the awards, which forces films into either the drama or comedy/musical category, leaving sci-fi and horror often dangling in the wind. I’m also surprised that Stronger, Mother! and Beauty and the Beast were overlooked, especially because the latter fits so well into the musical category.

The acting nominations overall aren’t too bad, but, as I predicted, Sam Elliott’s career-defining performance in The Hero has been forgotten. Instead, the HFPA chose to recognize an actor at the beginning of his career: Timothée Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name. Though it’s a fine performance, that was a mistake. Still, Oldman is a lock for this category.

There’s a lot to talk about regarding the supporting categories, but I’ll single out just one nice surprise: Hong Chau in Downsizing. The film, though much better than most reviews are saying, is not Alexander Payne’s best, but Chau is superb. Still, I’m rooting for Laurie Metcalf, who plays the mother in Lady Bird.

A non-surprise among supporting-actor nominations – but one that will nevertheless be noticed by Florida audiences – is the inclusion of Willem Dafoe for The Florida Project, which was filmed in the Orlando area. His performance isn’t any better than a host of other possible nominees, including Bob Odenkirk in The Post, but it’s understandable considering the buzz surrounding the film.

Among directors, the HFPA clearly loves Guillermo del Toro, as they gave The Shape of Water seven nominations, more than any other film. That’s more than it deserves, though Sally Hawkins and Richard Jenkins are deserving of their acting nominations.

The biggest surprise in the director category is the inclusion of Ridley Scott for All the Money in the World, when the film itself wasn’t nominated. Perhaps they admire his gutsy decision to revamp the movie only weeks before its release by cutting all of Kevin Spacey’s scenes and replacing them with new footage of Christopher Plummer.

The second-best film of the year, behind Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, is Loving Vincent. So it’s nice to see it get a nomination for best animated feature. If it wins over Coco, which is also very good, that might allow me to forgive the HFPA for not including it among its nominees for best drama.

The awards ceremony will be hosted by Seth Myers on January 7.

Copyright 2017 © Cameron Meier