Netflix dominates Golden Globes nominations as ‘Marriage Story’ scoops six

LOS ANGELES, Dec 9 — Netflix dominated the Golden Globe nominations today as its heart-wrenching divorce saga Marriage Story grabbed six nods including best drama, kicking off the race for the Oscars.

The streaming giant secured a whopping 17 film nominations unveiled at a Beverly Hills ceremony, trouncing the competition from Hollywood studios among whom Sony finished second with just eight.

“I’m not surprised by the dominance — I’m surprised by how massive the dominance is,” Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, told AFP.

“The announcements this morning are sort of like a coming of age of the streaming services.”

The Irishman, Martin Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour gangster epic also from Netflix, secured five nominations, ending tied for second with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s nostalgic love letter to 1960s Tinseltown.

The nominations traditionally see the stars and movies destined for awards success start to break away from the competition — the Globes are seen as a key bellwether for February’s Academy Awards.

Marriage Story earned nominations for its stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, and for its screenplay, but director Noah Baumbach missed out.

The film portrays how a seemingly stable love can be ripped apart after Johansson’s actress moves from New York to Los Angeles, calling in the lawyers as she separates from a narcissistic theatre director played by Driver.

Scorsese was nominated for best director for Irishman but there was no best actor nod for his leading man Robert De Niro. Instead, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci were both selected for supporting roles.

For Once Upon a Time... there were acting nods for A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.

Netflix’s Vatican drama The Two Popes also performed well for the streamer, while dark comic book tale Joker received recognition in best drama, best actor (Joaquin Phoenix) and best director.

Star power

Underlining its supremacy, Netflix also secured the most television nominations. The latest series of royal family drama The Crown, which features an all-new cast led by Olivia Colman, secured a joint-top four nominations, as did the streaming giant’s limited series Unbelievable.

Netflix managed 17 television nominations, to its rival HBO’s 15.

Apple’s new batch of television shows for its streaming platform Apple TV+, launched last month, secured their first three nominations, all for flagship launch programme The Morning Show.

Lead actresses Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who also executive-produced the series about a morning news programme hit by a #MeToo scandal, were both nominated.

Today’s nominations were announced at an early-morning Beverly Hills ceremony by actor Tim Allen (Toy Story) and actresses Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam) and Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us).

The 77th Golden Globes will take place in Los Angeles on January 5, two days before voting for Oscars nominees ends.

Nods for Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lopez across best original song (The Lion King, Cats) and best supporting actress (Hustlers) will lend further star power to the gala hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The show will be hosted by British comedian Ricky Gervais, returning for a record fifth time. — AFP