The 2018 Golden Globes nominations offered a few pleasant contenders, but for the most part, infuriated me. Many great actors, movies, shows, and directors did not receive their deserved recognition this year.
Best Director
Snub: Jordan Peele for ‘Get Out’: Despite creating one of the most important blockbusters of the year, Peele did not get even a nomination for his racial themed thriller film, Get Out.
Peele was a pioneer with the film Get Out using the real-life horrors of racism as the monster in his film, rather than traditional supernatural creatures or chainsaw killers.
Get Out was named one of the top 10 films of the year by the American Film Institue (AFI), and Peele won Best Breakout Director at the Gotham Awards, yet the Globes failed to recognize that. Peele’s complete snub only adds insult to injury, as Get Out was already put in the musical and comedy category when it is neither, trivializing the movie’s importance.
Snub: Greta Gerwig for ‘Ladybird’:
Credit: Rolling Stone
In a category that was completely male-dominated (once again!) this year, the Globes had the opportunity to nominate Greta Gerwig for her solo directorial debut Ladybird. Hailed as one of best movies of the year by the AFI, the movie centers around a daughter’s relationship with her mother, as she stumbles through her senior year of high school and leaves for college. As someone who has seen the movie twice in theaters, I can attest that this movie is a masterpiece. Not only will it make you laugh and cry but the cinematography is both beautiful and gives us an intimate look at Sacramento. Ladybird is the best-reviewed movie on Rotten Tomatoes, yet longtime director Steven Spielberg was given a nomination instead of Gerwig for his film The Post, which isn’t even out yet! Needless to say, the Golden Globes utterly failed female directors once again.
Snub: Luca Guadagnino for ‘Call Me By Your Name’: Although I haven’t had the pleasure to see Call Me By Your Name, yet, because it hasn’t been released in my city, the movie has already received countless accolades and honors. It tells the captivating story of a summer romance between 17-year-old Elio and graduate student Oliver in a small Italian town, where unlike other LGBT movies, the characters are never punished for being gay, but instead, their love is treasured and encouraged by Elio’s father. Guadagnino has been hailed for his cinematography and his ability to capture the intimacy between the two men and the movie’s Italian setting, yet we have another snub. Guadagnino could have been one of the few openly gay directors to be nominated for his much-deserved work on Call Me By Your Name.
Snub: Patty Jenkins for ‘Wonder Woman’:
Credit: http://feministing.com/2017/06/27/wonder-womans-vision-of-empire/
Wonder Woman was the superhero movie of the year and one of the first times a female superhero was the lead in a movie, yet it did not receive any recognition from the Golden Globes. Jenkins is one of the few female directors to direct a superhero movie and manages to fill it with so much heart and introspection, unlike many other DC movies. Wonder Woman was named one of the years’ best films by AFI, yet Jenkins was still excluded from the boys club.
Best Musical or Comedy
Snub: ‘The Big Sick’: This movie was hands down the best romantic comedy of the year and was one of AFI’s best films of the year, yet received no recognition from the Golden Globes. Written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, the film is a semi-autobiographical story of the couple’s relationship. In the film, Kumail struggles to please his Pakistani parents and their opinion on his love life, especially when he falls in love with a white woman (Emily). When Emily falls into a coma, he spends time with her parents (this is when hilarious antics ensue) and realizes how much Emily means to him. Neither Nanjiani nor The Big Sick received ANY nominations.
Best Drama
Snub: ‘Mudbound’:
Credit: CNN.com
The critically acclaimed film Mudbound is about two World War II veterans — one black, one white — who return to rural Mississippi and must face issues of racism and PTSD did not receive a nomination from the Globes. The movie gives a true depiction of black life under Jim Crow and feels as if you are reading a book by Faulkner or Toni Morrison. Yet the movie and its female director Dee Rees did not receive a nomination.
Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
Snub: ‘Dear White People’: I feel more people should be outraged that Dear White People was not nominated for best comedy television series! The show was not only hilarious but important; it made people face issues of race in their entertainment and had amazing reviews. I love Will and Grace as much as the next person, but it already received numerous honors when it originally aired, why not give another, fresher show a chance?
Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Surprise: Katherine Langford for ’13 Reasons Why’:
Credit: GoldDerby
I was shocked when I saw Langford’s name on the list for two reasons: 13 Reasons Why was a toxic show that I had hoped we had all forgotten about, and Langford’s performance as Hannah was, in my opinion, completely lackluster and did not accurately capture the feelings of someone suffering from mental illness. Just, why Globes, why? Was there really no other actress more deserving of a nomination in this category?
To see the full list of nominations click here.
