Last Thursday, the nominations for the Golden Globes 2019 were announced in full. Unsurprisingly, major films and television shows like “A Star Is Born” and “Pose” were out in front with several nods in all the major categories. Just as expected, however, were the major snubs evident in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s final tally of awards contenders.
These things are as subjective as they are political, and the likelihood of a deserving movie or series’ being nominated depends on everything from marketing to taste. Even so, the Golden Globes 2019 aren’t even going to include a significant number of titles, performers and creators whose 2018 was a banner year.
The biggest snubs at the Golden Globes 2019
All of “Atlanta: Robbin’ Season”
The first season of Donald Glover’s brilliantly surreal FX comedy “Atlanta” rightfully scored two Golden Globe awards in 2017, one for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and another for Glover himself. The show also bagged several Primetime Emmy Award wins and nominations, but this was all before its second season, subtitled “Robbin’ Season,” debuted to even greater acclaim. This second outing scored even more Emmy wins, but the Globes? Not so much.
Jodie Comer for “Killing Eve”
BBC America’s original series “Killing Eve” is one of the most talked about shows of 2018. Not only did the unique spy thriller starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer earn huge ratings for the cable channel, but it also garnered lots of critical acclaim and awards chatter. While Oh was rightfully nominated for the Golden Globes 2019 (and an Emmy before that), however, her co-star was thanklessly left out of all consideration. It’s a travesty among many, for Comer’s performance as the villainous and psychopathic assassin Villanelle is a tour de force.
Cary Fukunaga, Emma Stone and Jonah Hill for “Maniac”
On the surface, “True Detective” and “It: Chapter One” director Cary Fukunaga’s incredibly weird Netflix mini-series “Maniac” feels like an awards grab. Not only because of the director’s involvement but for the impressive cast the “Maniac” team put together with Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sally Field, Sonoya Mizuno and Justin Theroux. Yet here we are on the other side of Thursday’s nominations and, despite a massive marketing campaign and word of mouth, “Maniac” doesn’t have a single nomination.
“Paddington 2” in its entirety
Yes, that movie about a CGI animated talking bear. The sequel to 2014’s “Paddington” was not only a huge success at the global box office, but the film as a whole was praised by critics from all corners of film criticism and entertainment writing. From the special effects and the production values, to Ben Whishaw’s voice acting and the wider cast of human characters, including Hugh Grant’s Phoenix Buchanan – everything about “Paddington 2” deserves at least a nomination.
The “First Man” himself, Ryan Gosling
Director Damien Chazelle and actor Ryan Gosling’s follow-up to “La La Land,” the Neil Armstrong biopic “First Man,” has all the characteristics of a typical awards contender. It’s a dramatized historical biopic of a well-known figure, it’s a period piece, it boasts an impressive supporting cast… the list goes on. Even so, what Chazelle and company managed to do with Armstrong’s otherwise intensely private story is create something of an everyman story that would seemingly appeal to a voting body like the HFPA. This is especially true of Gosling and co-star Claire Foy’s performances. Foy rightfully earned a nod, but Gosling? Nothing.
Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed”
One of the things that were especially missing from the Golden Globes 2019 nominations were titles, filmmaker and performers whose names had just decorated the annals of the Independent Spirit Awards and other indie-driven awards bodies. Like Paul Schrader’s deeply symbolic film “First Reformer,” in which Ethan Hawke plays a conflicted minister. Come Oscars season, the movie will most likely earn nods in most (or all) of the major categories. The Globes, however, decided to opt out of including it altogether.
The Golden Globes 2019 airs Sunday, Jan. 6, at 8 p.m. on NBC.
