LOS ANGELES: Hollywood's awards season kicks into high gear on Sunday at the Golden Globes gala, with the politically charged "One Battle After Another" expected to solidify its status as the film to beat, two months ahead of the Oscars.
Paul Thomas Anderson's screwball thriller, which centres on an aging revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his teenage daughter (Chase Infiniti), is a rollicking ride featuring violent leftist radicals, immigration raids and white supremacists.
At a time when the United States is deeply polarised, many critics and pundits have hailed the film as capturing the moment.
With nine nominations, "One Battle" appears a lock to take home the prize for best comedy/musical film.
"We're seeing a real sweep and a juggernaut in that movie", Deadline's awards columnist and chief critic Pete Hammond said, recalling that it has won every best picture prize so far this season.
DiCaprio will vie for best actor with Timothee Chalamet, who boosted his Oscars campaign with a win at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday for his star turn in "Marty Supreme" as an ambitious 1950s table tennis player.
"Leonardo DiCaprio would be tremendously helped by actually winning at the Globes. That's the ideal moment to stop Timothee Chalamet's momentum before the Oscars", Hammond said.
Teyana Taylor, who plays an unapologetically bold leftist revolutionary, could fuel a sweep for "One Battle" if she can pick up the prize for best supporting actress.
But in her way are Amy Madigan for her wacky villainous turn in "Weapons" and Ariana Grande for her portrayal of Glinda in the blockbuster "Wicked: For Good".
'Sinners' versus 'Hamnet'
The Golden Globes offer separate awards for dramas and comedies/musicals — widening the field of stars who could walk the red carpet and fuelling the suspense.
"Sinners", Ryan Coogler's searing period horror film about the segregated South of the 1930s, is expected to be the toughest competition for "One Battle" at the Oscars.
But at the Globes, they are in separate categories.
"Sinners" surprised moviegoers with its eclectic mix of vampires, politics, race relations and blues music.
It is the frontrunner for the best drama film Globe, against rival "Hamnet", which stars Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his grief-stricken wife, as the two cope with the death of their young son.
"Sentimental Value", the Norwegian family dramedy starring Stellan Skarsgard, earned a strong eight nominations, is also in the running.
A "Sinners" victory "would be an indication of a real change", Hammond says, noting that in the past, voters "were never actually that drawn to Black stories".
Prize for Iran's Panahi?
One of those movies is Brazilian thriller "The Secret Agent" and lead actor Wagner Moura — already a winner at the Cannes Film Festival — is favoured to win best drama actor honors over "Sinners" star Michael B Jordan, according to awards prediction site Gold Derby.
Skarsgard, a Hollywood stalwart, is poised to take home the award for best supporting actor.
"The Secret Agent" and "Sentimental Value" will vie for the Globe for best non-English language film with "It Was Just An Accident" from Iranian director Jafar Panahi. — AFP
List of key Golden Globe nominees
1. Best film, drama
"Frankenstein"
"Hamnet"
"It Was Just An Accident"
"The Secret Agent"
"Sentimental Value"
"Sinners"
Best film, musical or comedy
"Blue Moon"
"Bugonia"
"Marty Supreme"
"No Other Choice"
"Nouvelle Vague"
"One Battle After Another"
2. Best male actor, drama
Joel Edgerton, "Train Dreams"
Oscar Isaac, "Frankenstein"
Dwayne Johnson, "The Smashing Machine"
Michael B Jordan, "Sinners"
Wagner Moura, "The Secret Agent"
Jeremy Allen White, "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere"
3. Best female actor, drama
Jessie Buckley, "Hamnet"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Die, My Love"
Renate Reinsve, "Sentimental Value"
Julia Roberts, "After the Hunt"
Tessa Thompson, "Hedda"
Eva Victor, "Sorry, Baby"
4. Best director
Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"
Ryan Coogler, "Sinners"
Guillermo Del Toro, "Frankenstein"
Jafar Panahi, "It Was Just An Accident"
Joachim Trier, "Sentimental Value"
Chloe Zhao, "Hamnet"
5. Best non-English language film
"It Was Just An Accident" (France)
"No Other Choice" (South Korea)
"The Secret Agent" (Brazil)
"Sentimental Value" (Norway)
"Sirat" (Spain)
"The Voice of Hind Rajab" (Tunisia)
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