The Golden Globes are tomorrow!

How exciting! The first big award show of the year - the Golden Globes - is tomorrow and I'm psyched to see how things shake out. So far, the critic societies' picks have been a little boring; seems like the same people have been winning again and again (Clooney/Daniels, Streep, Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique). Also, I've been sort of disappointed by some of the nominees that keep popping up. I mean, I love Carey Mulligan; she was remarkable on B'way in The Seagull last fall, but An Education was a disappointment to me. She's certainly beautiful - the comparisons to the likes of Audrey Hepburn could prove to be apt - but, her performance was pretty conventional to me and that movie was not as interesting as I hoped.

Meanwhile, Colin Firth and Sandra Bullock seem to be getting nominations just for choosing (and not sucking in) relatively challenging roles. Everyone was pleasantly surprised to find that both of them were willing to appear in anything beyond a rom-com; but, both of their roles and the respective movies in which they were featured were typical Oscar bait. It just seems so stale. Still, I get it; I think they were pretty good, just not excellent. And while I am a sucker for a good ol' fashioned tear-jerker ala The Blind Side, especially when the characters and the actors playing them are so relatable, I always hope that the people raking in awards have done something above and beyond.

Which brings me back to the Golden Globes; while the Globes often tend to fall for those end of the year stinkers that, on paper, appear to be award-worthy (what up, Nine?), they also have given credit to some great performances and interesting movies that often fall to the wayside by the time the Oscar nominees are announced (Nicole Kidman in Birth, Rebecca Hall in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Jeff Daniels in the Squid and the Whale). They also have a tendency to deliver surprise wins that make everyone a little scared/nervous/excited (Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky, Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road, Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler).

So.... tomorrow everyone has their money on Bullock/Mulligan, Bridges/Clooney for dramas, and Streep and Day-Lewis for comedy/musicals, but I'm hoping for some exciting surprises (even though some of the aforementioned may be deserving). Below are my predictions and alternate fantasy picks (for lack of a better term) for the major film categories:

Best Picture - Drama
Expected to Win: Up in the Air
Should Win: Avatar

Most think Up in the Air has the best shot, but I was disappointed by the film in the end; maybe it was over hyped? Like Reitman's previous films, it just felt so smug and self-congratulatory. It didn't help that Clooney and co. seem equally pleased with their mugging. Anyhow, as trite and silly as it may seem, Avatar was a pretty amazing film. As I watched it, I couldn't stop thinking that it was unlike anything I had ever seen before and for its achievement in sheer awesomeness (and I don't mean skater boy "awesome," I mean Grand Canyon AWESOME - full of awe and disbelief for its magnitude and ambition), I think it should win.

Best Picture - Comedy
Expected to Win: (500) Days of Summer
Should Win: Julie & Julia?

To be honest, I don't think any of these movies were THAT great. I don't expect any of them to make it to the Oscar's final 10 list. So, I'm just going to use this space to say that I think that they should be marketing The Last Station as a comedy and not a drama and that it should win this award! Honestly, it's hysterical! Despite the fact that it's essentially about Tolstoy's last year of life (a phrase seemingly full of pretension that could inspire an eye-roll among the most snobbish), it was a delight! Pure fun and frolic and at the same time, fascinating and full of conflict. I really, really loved the film.

Best Actress - Drama
Expected to Win: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) or Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Should Win: Helen Mirren (The Last Station)

Gabourey Sidibe is a bit of a dark horse here as well, favored to win, but somewhat unlikely since Bullock and Mulligan have swept so many awards thus far. While I'd be happy if Sidibe were a surprise winner (her performance did move me, even if the movie left much to be desired), I really wish Mirren would prevail. I've never been much of a Mirren fan... I've admired her personality and respected the wins she had for The Queen (although, that movie blew), but I didn't love her until I saw her in The Last Station. She. Was. Incredible. She navigates comedy, drama, farce, melodrama and romance with such ease, grace and tenacity that it is a sight to behold. I hope Helen is the shocker here and sweeps the rest of the awards season.

Best Actor - Drama
Expected to Win: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) or George Clooney (Up in the Air)
Should Win: Morgan Freeman (Invictus)

Let me start by saying I love Jeff Bridges and I think his performance is award-worthy. I liked Crazy Heart; I admired his performance; I really enjoyed his musicality; but, I wasn't blown away by him the same way I was when I saw him in The Contender or The Door in the Floor or even in The Big Lebowski. Clooney, meanwhile, is always a joy to see: so handsome and charming! Maybe those natural gifts are an obstacle to overcome, but perhaps they're the reason everyone is swooning as well. The true genius this year was Morgan Freeman in Invictus. As Nelson Mandela, Freeman gave a gorgeous performance that was so modest, humble and beautiful that he's almost forgettable. Still, it's hard for me to forget the chills that I had and the little tears that formed in my eyes (I'm man enough to admit when I cry!) as he walked onto the Rugby field as Mandela and shook the hands of both his country's team and their opposition, truly embodying Mandela's peace and confidence in the face of racism and violent threats.

Best Actress - Comedy
Will Win: Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
Should Win: Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)?

I don't know; again, I'm not really overwhelmed with joy for the group of nominees here... I'm not trying to belabor the point, but I do wish Helen Mirren were nominated here for The Last Station as her performance (and the film itself) was quite delightful and comical. Still, I have love for both of Streep's performances and would say that her work in Julie & Julia was quite lovely. If she wins, I'll be glad. I know it's said time and time again, but Streep is definitely gifted and too many of her truly great performances (A Cry in the Dark, The Hours, Adaptation, Post Cards from the Edge, Out of Africa... this could go on for some time) have been nominated or praised without ever garnering actual hardware.

Best Actor - Comedy
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis (Nine)
Should Win: uh... Matt Damon (The Informant!)???

I'm not as confident commenting on this group since this is pretty much the only category where I haven't seen the majority of the nominated performances. I heard Nine was awful and Day-Lewis didn't exactly earn the most lovely reviews, so I'm perplexed that so many commentators think he'll be the victor tomorrow. Still, it's hard for me to say that anyone else is more deserving here... I heard Stuhlbarg was good in A Serious Man. However, he was so terrible in another movie I saw this year, Afterschool (awful - don't see it), that I'm inclined to deny him the favor. Downey Jr. was pretty much his usual self in Sherlock, Gordon-Levitt lost all my support after hosting SNL (plus, (500) Days of Summer sucked!), so I'm going to say Matt Damon should win just because I admire him for a) being such a nice guy - (or so it seems), b) being fearless enough to look like a fool in the role and c) managing to look like a stud in Invictus despite how much weight he had to gain for The Informant! In a perfect world, Inglourious Basterds and The Last Station would be considered comedies and James McAvoy and Brad Pitt would be going head to head here... my vote would go to McAvoy.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Will Win: Mo'Nique (Precious)
Should Win: Mo'Nique (Precious)

Screw all those other bitches! Mo'Nique was incredible! Who knew the lady who hosted It's Showtime at the Apollo could do that!? I genuinely hope she wins. In a perfect world, however, Juliette Binoche (Summer Hours) and Samantha Morton (The Messenger) would be nominated here too.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Will Win: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Should Win: Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)

Waltz was great - total treat to watch in Basterds - but, I'd prefer to see Plummer take it home. Can you believe that the man who played Captain Von Trapp has never even been nominated for an Oscar?! Somehow, this is only his 2nd Globe nomination as well... and his first for a film! It's crazy. Plummer was amazing in The Last Station; a beautiful and subtle performance that demonstrates how talented he is. He is underrated and overdue for a Globe.