The Hollywood Foreign Press Association — so often derided for its faintly rackety reputation, but praised for an enjoyable and unpretentious televised awards ceremony — has released a strong and plausible nomination list for the 2014 Golden Globes. Steve McQueen's excoriating 12 Years a Slave and David O Russell's hellzapoppin' true-crime caper American Hustle are in the lead with seven nominations each, but the list is a portfolio of very good films in which there still appears to be no really clear frontrunner: it augurs well for a very satisfying awards season and Oscar night.
From the UK perspective — apart from the obvious distinction for British director McQueen — Stephen Frears's Philomena, about an Irish woman's heartrending struggle to find the child she gave up for adoption, produced and co-written by Steve Coogan, has done notably well with its nomination in the best drama category and incidentally Brits dominate the best actress, drama too: Emma Thompson for her universally admired performance in Saving Mr Banks, Judi Dench for Philomena and there is the possibility that Kate Winslet may yet be giving one of her tumultuous winning speeches as a nominee for Labor Day. But there is a real disappointment. Everyone involved with Saving Mr Banks, the true-life story of Walt Disney's relationship with Mary Poppins creator PL Travers, must be very dejected not to have got a nomination in the best musical or comedy section: it is, after all, intensely concerned with music and some of the most iconic musical numbers in Hollywood history. And how come Nebraska is in this list? It is hardly a comedy, at least not conventionally, and certainly not a musical. Sometimes, the Golden Globes' split into drama and musical/comedy looks like simply a way of widening the categories, and yet oddly the split does not extend to director or screenplay. The other notable omission would appear to be any posthumous nod for James Gandolfini for his performance in Nicole Holofcener's Enough Said.
In so far as there is a pole position title, it is probably 12 Years a Slave. McQueen's film has stunned audiences and critics on the festival circuit in the latter half of this year: its candour and its performances have enforced widespread respect and even a certain amount of soul-searching about why slavery has been almost a taboo subject for Hollywood. I personally wondered if the HFPA would shrink from the film, and opt instead for the much softer-centred approach to race history in Lee Daniels's The Butler — an awards-bait movie if ever there was one. That hasn't happened here, but the more conservative Academy voters may yet decide that The Butler is more to their taste. We shall see.
As for American Hustle, it is a 120-degree proof black comedy with a quartet of great performances, and the presence of Hollywood's current golden girl Jennifer Lawrence does its prospects no harm at all, particularly as her performance is so good: not obviously less important than Amy Adams, although Lawrence's is the "supporting" nominations and Adams has the main one. It is great to see a comedy, a genuinely funny one, get into such a strong position in the awards race.
• This article was amended on 13 December 2013. The earlier version used the word "coruscating" where "excoriating" was meant.
