For Your Consideration: Our 2016 Golden Globes Predictions

We cast our ballot for this year’s ceremony.
Film + TVStaff Picks
For Your Consideration: Our 2016 Golden Globes Predictions

We cast our ballot for this year’s ceremony.

Words: Bailey Pennick

January 08, 2016

2014. Golden Globes logo courtesy of the Golden Globes.

The seventy-third Golden Globe Awards are this Sunday. It’s the first award show of the new year and the most casual because they actually feed the nominees and give them enough booze to laugh at any joke said throughout the night (this year will see the return of Ricky Gervais as host, so booze will not be necessary to boost laughs, though it may ease the shame if he picks on you). Either way, this year’s Golden Globes are a grab bag of sure things (Ennio Morricone winning Best Score) and head scratchers (the entire Best Motion Picture, Comedy field).

We’ve taken it upon ourselves to prep you, the undecided viewer (and imaginary voter), on who should take home the gold in the worlds of film and television.

FILM

Best Motion Picture, Drama
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

What Should Win: The Revenant
What Will Win: The Revenant

This year’s Best Drama category is jammed with great contenders—including three of our favorite films of 2015—but there’s no getting around the raw emotion, captivating action, and sheer beauty of Alejandro Iñárritu’s latest film.

Best Motion Picture, Comedy
The Big Short
Joy
The Martian
Spy
Trainwreck

What Should Win: The Big Short
What Will Win: The Martian

There were definitely laughs in Adam McKay’s Wall Street dramedy The Big Short (shoutout to Ryan Gosling’s narration and Brad Pitt’s hair), but there’s no getting around feeling horrible about the fate of the global economy at the end of the excellent ensemble piece. The HFPA will probably avoid that unfortunately true story for the uplifting and disco-fueled fun of Ridley Scott’s space epic, The Martian.

Best Director – Motion Picture
Todd Haynes, Carol
Alejandro Iñárritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott, The Martian

Who Should Win: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Who Will Win: Alejandro Iñárritu, The Revenant

It’s going to be hard to argue with the solid logic of awarding Alejandro Iñárritu the Best Director statue—especially considering they denied him the directing honor last year—but for a big budget summer blockbuster to be included several times in the same categories as serious award season favorites, it has to be damn good. And Mad Max: Fury Road is, in fact, that good. George Miller traded the CGI ice of Happy Feet for the hot sands of his beloved post-apocalyptic trilogy, and his stylized vision for the new generation of Mad Max films is just as vivid and progressive. It’s time to give him gold.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Rooney Mara, Carol
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Who Should Win: Brie Larson, Room
Who Will Win: Cate Blanchett, Carol

Unless Meryl Streep is nominated, there’s no one more suited to pick up an acting globe than Cate Blanchett. She’s poignant, worldly, and continues to pick fascinating roles like the titular part in Todd Haynes’ Carol. Blanchett’s performance is stunning, but Brie Larson’s role as a kidnapped woman and strong mother makes Room the dramatic contender that it is.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Melissa McCarthy, Spy
Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
Maggie Smith, Lady in the Van
Lily Tomlin, Grandma

Who Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Who Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

David O. Russell’s latest feature Joy isn’t his best, but Jennifer Lawrence’s performance as a dedicated and confident woman following her dream and rediscovering her self worth is near perfection.

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Jane Fonda, Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Helen Mirren, Trumbo
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Who Should Win: Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Who Will Win: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Daisy Domergue in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight is disgusting, but she’s a compelling spitfire that actually shines in a crowd that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, and Kurt Russell. That’s no easy task. The only person who could upset Leigh’s night would be HFPA darling Kate Winslet, whose subdued performance in Steve Jobs is something not to miss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Will Smith, Concussion

Who Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Who Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Leonardo DiCaprio’s been waiting to be honored for a role like this for a long, long time. Everyone wants a happy ending on this one.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Steve Carell, The Big Short
Matt Damon, The Martian
Al Pacino, Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo, Infinitely Polar Bear

Who Should Win: Matt Damon, The Martian
Who Will Win: Matt Damon, The Martian

Both Steve Carell and Christian Bale are masterful in The Big Short, but their inclusion in the Best Actor category is a bit misleading because neither of them is onscreen for more than half an hour. Matt Damon, on the other hand, is the only driving force behind The Martian, and he’s delightful every moment he’s on screen…which is the entire movie.

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Who Should Win: Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Who Will Win: Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation

Paul Dano brilliantly captured Brian Wilson at the height of his creative output with The Beach Boys, but Love & Mercy flags greatly when he’s off screen. In Netflix’s Beasts of No Nation, Idris Alba drives the action and the drama, which is especially impressive considering that most of his costars were children.

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Emma Donoghue, Room
Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer, Spotlight
Charles Randolph, Adam McKay, The Big Short
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

What Should Win: The Hateful Eight
What Will Win: The Hateful Eight

Best Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep Movie

What Should Win: Anomalisa
What Will Win: Inside Out

Best Original Song
“Love Me Like You Do,” 50 Shades of Grey
“One Kind of Love,” Love and Mercy
“See You Again,” Furious 7
“Simple Song No. 3,” Youth
“Writing’s on the Wall,” Spectre

What Should Win: “Spectre” by Radiohead
What Will Win: “Writing’s on the Wall,” Spectre

We cannot believe that the people behind James Bond decided to go with Sam Smith’s theme over Radiohead’s.

Best Original Score
Carter Burwell, Carol
Alexandre Desplat, The Danish Girl
Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Daniel Pemberton, Steve Jobs
Ryuichi Sakamoto Alva Noto, The Revenant

What Should Win: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
What Will Win: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight

There’s no fighting giving the master of western scores a Golden Globe for a new western score.

TELEVISION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug4fRXGyIak

Best TV Series, Drama
Empire
Game of Thrones
Mr. Robot
Narcos
Outlander

What Should Win: Mr. Robot
What Will Win: Game of Thrones

The television section of this year’s Golden Globes is a strange jumble of cable and streaming programs from the last year. In this drama category, the HFPA is missing Mad Men‘s final season and Better Call Saul‘s solid debut season. Regardless, these are the nominees we have, and USA’s Mr. Robot exploded (rightfully so) into one of today’s most popular shows. But old habits die hard, and after seeing Game of Thrones sweep the Emmys late last year, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Golden Globe go to Westeros as well.

Best TV Series, Comedy
Casual
Mozart in the Jungle
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

What Should Win: Veep
What Will Win: Transparent

If the HFPA voters really are in line with the Emmys, then the globe for Best Comedy Series will go to Veep—one of our favorite shows of 2015—but if they’re going to be steadfast in their ways, then Transparent will take the statue home for a second year in the row.

Best TV Movie or Limited-Series
American Crime
American Horror Story: Hotel
Fargo
Flesh and Bone
Wolf Hall

What Should Win: Fargo
What Will Win: Fargo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JUqwwjgLAY

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Wagner Moura, Narcos
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Who Should Win: Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Who Will Win: Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Jon Hamm is taking one massive victory lap after Mad Men‘s perfect series finale this past spring. He’s an impeccable actor, he embodied the role more than anyone else possibly could, he makes great and funny speeches, and he’s not bad on the eyes. Everyone loves to watch someone this charming go out on top, and Hamm is at the top of the heap.

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Who Should Win: Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Who Will Win: Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder

The Shondaland force is strong in this category—and Viola Davis has been picking up awards left and right for her portrayal of Annalise Keating—but there’s no way Empire would have become the cultural phenomenon that it is without Taraji P. Henson’s Cookie Lyon. Beyond being an excellent example of a fierce and stylish woman trying to rebuild her life after a seventeen-year prison stint, Henson brings so much heart to the outrageously over-the-top show that you can’t help but want her to succeed even when she’s at her nastiest.

Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Gael Garcia Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle
Rob Lowe, The Grinder
Patrick Stewart, Blunt Talk
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Who Should Win: Rob Lowe, The Grinder
Who Will Win: Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex Girlfriend
Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens
Julia Louis Dreyfus, Veep
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Lilly Tomlin, Grace & Frankie

Who Should Win: Lilly Tomlin, Grace & Frankie
Who Will Win: Lilly Tomlin, Grace & Frankie

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited-Series, or TV Movie
Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Regina King, American Crime
Judith Light, Transparent
Maura Tierney, The Affair

Who Should Win: Regina King, American Crime
Who Will Win: Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited-Series or TV Movie
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Tobias Menzies, Outlander
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot

Who Should Win: Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Who Will Win: Alan Cumming, The Good Wife

Best Actor in a Limited-Series or TV Movie
Idris Elba, Luther
Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero
David Oyelowo, Nightingale
Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall
Patrick Wilson, Fargo

Who Should Win: Patrick Wilson, Fargo
Who Will Win: Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero

Patrick Wilson’s run as Lou Solverson in Fargo‘s second season was hard to top, but HBO’s track record at award shows with David Simon is solid and Oscar Isaac might slide in as the crowd favorite for this category with the unintended help of a little droid back in a galaxy far, far away.

Best Actress in a Limited-Series or TV Movie
Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Lady Gaga, American Horror Story: Hotel
Sarah Hay, Flesh & Bone
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Queen Latifah, Bessie

Who Should Win: Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Who Will Win: Kirsten Dunst, Fargo