If there's a rule of awards season truer than "A film is only as good as its Oscar campaign", it's "The Golden Globes don't really matter." Despite their prestigious slot on the cinema calendar, they're little more than an ego-stroking exercise, with nominations based more on who the organisers want to attend the glitzy ceremony than what the movies in question are actually like. Winning one is still a big deal, sure, but getting nominated is just a game of networking. However, for all its superfluousness (remember when The Tourist was nominated for Best Picture?), the heavyweights of the Globes invariably wind up getting Oscar traction (through a mixture of inevitability and lazy shortlisting from Academy members), so it's worth paying attention. Especially this year, which has thrown up a very interesting "frontrunner". In amongst all the predictable nominations - Carol, The Revenant, Spotlight and The Martian all get a strong look-in and amiable-but-celebrity-full films like Spy and Trainwreck have inexplicable Best Picture nominations - Mad Max: Fury Road, the unexpected masterwork of Summer 2015, has scooped up nods for both the usually heavily-fought Best Motion Picture, Drama category and Best Director for George Miller. This is on the back of appearing in a raft of Critics Top 10 lists (I don't think it's giving anything away to say that's something we'll be concurring with). That's the sort of thing you expect of a serious Oscar contender, with a miss in one suggesting a serious lack of legs (commiserations here to Room, which saw Lenny Abrahamson pushed out of Best Director by Ridley Scott for The Martian). So, and take all this with a wasteland full of salt, could this mean Mad Max is actually in with a shot of the big prize? Fury Road certainly ticks all the technical boxes for Academy consideration, and holds together with enough narrative subtlety to please even the most explosion-phobic cinemagoer. It doesn't have any performances that fit the overly-emotive leanings of the competition, but only a fool would say Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron weren't impressive with what they did. Moreso than any big budget movie since The Dark Knight, this has the chops to break out of mainstream purgatory and nab the prize. At the very least, it's looking like its ever-more certain Best Picture Oscar nom won't just be an olive branch to blockbuster cinema, rather serious artistic praise. But suitability is all academic - can the film actually win? I somehow doubt it - my money's on The Revenant (although it is admittedly the only one of the big hitters I'm yet to see, so I'm basing that purely on odds and hype) or Carol - but even if Miller goes away empty handed, he's still won; he's taken his passion project reboot that stalled in post-production for years and not only turned in a sublime action movie, but got the stuffy suits to take notice. Check out the full list of Golden Globe nominees below. Best Motion Picture, Drama Carol Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant Room Spotlight Best Motion Picture, Comedy The Big Short Joy The Martian Spy Trainwreck Best Director Motion Picture Todd Haynes, Carol Alejandro Iñárritu, The Revenant Tom McCarthy, Spotlight George Miller, Mad Max Ridley Scott, The Martian Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama Cate Blanchett, Carol Brie Larson, Room Rooney Mara, Carol Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl 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 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 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 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 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 Best Original Song Motion Picture 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 Writings on the Wall Spectre
