‘Atonement’ tops Golden Globes

BEVERLY HILLS, California – Two movies set against different wars, ‘Atonement’ and ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’, dominated the Golden Globe nominations yesterday with ‘Atonement’ earning seven nods, including a bid for best drama, to lead all film contenders.

The World War Two saga also earned best dramatic actor and actress nominations, respectively, for Scottish performer James McAvoy and his English-born leading lady, Keira Knightley, for their roles as lovers torn apart by a family lie and the conflict in Europe. The filmmaker behind ‘Atonement’, Joe Wright, was nominated for best director, and the 13-year-old actress, Saoirse Ronan, earned a nod for her supporting role as the younger sister who betrays Knightley’s character.Other nominations came for best screenplay and musical score.In a first for the Golden Globe awards, which are given out by some 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the top category of best film drama was shared by seven nominees instead of the usual five.”That tells us it was a very good year for dramas, and it was very difficult for us to pick the nominees,” HFPA president Jorge Camara said.He said that three movies tied for the fifth position among dramas, leading to the seven nominees.Three of the remaining five were crime dramas – ‘American Gangster’, ‘Eastern Promises’ and the latest from Joel and Ethan Coen, ‘No Country for Old Men’.Rounding out the category were two period pieces – ‘There Will Be Blood’, about the rise of an oil baron in the early 1900s, and ‘The Great Debaters’, a Depression-era story of race relations and hope.’Charlie Wilson’s War’, a wry tale of political intrigue starring Tom Hanks, was the second-most nominated film with five nods overall, including a bid in the category for best comedy or musical.Hanks was nominated as best comic actor for his role as a US congressman raising funds to fight the 1980s-era Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, while co-stars Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman earned bids for their supporting parts.Aaron Sorkin was nominated for his screenplay.Hoffman also picked up a nomination as best actor in a comedy for his role opposite Laura Linney in ‘The Savages’.Three movies clinched four nominations each: ‘Michael Clayton’, ‘No Country for Old Men’, and the musical ‘Sweeney Todd’.The Golden Globe Awards are a key stop on the road to Hollywood’s top film honours, the Oscars.But unlike the awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the HFPA film honours are divided into dramas and musicals/comedies.Separate awards are also given to television shows.In acting categories, ‘Atonement’s’ McAvoy is joined among drama nominees by George Clooney in ‘Michael Clayton’, Daniel Day-Lewis in ‘There Will Be Blood’, Denzel Washington in ‘American Gangster’ and Viggo Mortensen in ‘Eastern Promises’.Competing with Knightley as nominees for best dramatic actress were Cate Blanchett in ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’, Julie Christie for ‘Away From Her’, Angelina Jolie in ‘A Mighty Heart’ and Jodie Foster for ‘The Brave One’.Relative newcomer Amy Adams of ‘Enchanted’ will compete for best actress in a musical or comedy against Nikki Blonsky of ‘Hairspray’, Helena Bonham Carter from ‘Sweeney Todd’, Marion Cotillard in ‘La Vie En Rose’ and Ellen Page for ‘Juno’.Joining Hanks and Hoffman in the race for best actor in a movie musical or comedy are Johnny Depp in ‘Sweeney Todd’, Ryan Gosling for ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ and John C Reilly in ‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’.For TV, the best drama nominees were four cable network shows – ‘Big Love’, ‘Mad Men’, ‘The Tudors’, and ‘Damages’ – and two from the major broadcast networks, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘House’.’Entourage’, ‘Californication’, ’30 Rock’, ‘Extras’ and ‘Pushing Daisies’ will vie for best TV comedy.The 2008 Golden Globe Awards will be given out on January 13.Nampa-ReutersThe filmmaker behind ‘Atonement’, Joe Wright, was nominated for best director, and the 13-year-old actress, Saoirse Ronan, earned a nod for her supporting role as the younger sister who betrays Knightley’s character.Other nominations came for best screenplay and musical score.In a first for the Golden Globe awards, which are given out by some 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the top category of best film drama was shared by seven nominees instead of the usual five.”That tells us it was a very good year for dramas, and it was very difficult for us to pick the nominees,” HFPA president Jorge Camara said.He said that three movies tied for the fifth position among dramas, leading to the seven nominees.Three of the remaining five were crime dramas – ‘American Gangster’, ‘Eastern Promises’ and the latest from Joel and Ethan Coen, ‘No Country for Old Men’.Rounding out the category were two period pieces – ‘There Will Be Blood’, about the rise of an oil baron in the early 1900s, and ‘The Great Debaters’, a Depression-era story of race relations and hope.’Charlie Wilson’s War’, a wry tale of political intrigue starring Tom Hanks, was the second-most nominated film with five nods overall, including a bid in the category for best comedy or musical.Hanks was nominated as best comic actor for his role as a US congressman raising funds to fight the 1980s-era Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, while co-stars Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman earned bids for their supporting parts.Aaron Sorkin was nominated for his screenplay.Hoffman also picked up a nomination as best actor in a comedy for his role opposite Laura Linney in ‘The Savages’.Three movies clinched four nominations each: ‘Michael Clayton’, ‘No Country for Old Men’, and the musical ‘Sweeney Todd’.The Golden Globe Awards are a key stop on the road to Hollywood’s top film honours, the Oscars.But unlike the awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the HFPA film honours are divided into dramas and musicals/comedies.Separate awards are also given to television shows.In acting categories, ‘Atonement’s’ McAvoy is joined among drama nominees by George Clooney in ‘Michael Clayton’, Daniel Day-Lewis in ‘There Will Be Blood’, Denzel Washington in ‘American Gangster’ and Viggo Mortensen in ‘Eastern Promises’.Competing with Knightley as nominees for best dramatic actress were Cate Blanchett in ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’, Julie Christie for ‘Away From Her’, Angelina Jolie in ‘A Mighty Heart’ and Jodie Foster for ‘The Brave One’.Relative newcomer Amy Adams of ‘Enchanted’ will compete for best actress in a musical or comedy against Nikki Blonsky of ‘Hairspray’, Helena Bonham Carter from ‘Sweeney Todd’, Marion Cotillard in ‘La Vie En Rose’ and Ellen Page for ‘Juno’.Joining Hanks and Hoffman in the race for best actor in a movie musical or comedy are Johnny Depp in ‘Sweeney Todd’, Ryan Gosling for ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ and John C Reilly in ‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’.For TV, the best drama nominees were four cable network shows – ‘Big Love’, ‘Mad Men’, ‘The Tudors’, and ‘Damages’ – and two from the major broadcast networks, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘House’.’Entourage’, ‘Californication’, ’30 Rock’, ‘Extras’ and ‘Pushing Daisies’ will vie for best TV comedy.The 2008 Golden Globe Awards will be given out on January 13.Nampa-Reuters