2016 Oscars: Mad Max makes early running in Hollywood awards season

High-octane action show Mad Max: Fury Road has emerged as an unlikely favourite in the annual Hollywood awards season, including the Oscars.

The first of the nomination lists have been released from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globes.

Both are strong indicators of the films that will be nominated for the Oscars.

The Mad Max reboot has two major Golden Globe category nominations: best picture and best director for George Miller.

The film has already won over the American critics, being awarded film of the year by the US National Board of Review, which publishes Films in Review, and the Boston online critics. It was runner-up in the Los Angeles critics' awards, while Mr Miller also picked up best director from the Los Angeles and Washington DC critics.

In Australia, where Mad Max originates, it received both best film and best director gongs at this week’s industry awards.

But Mad Max is the odd one out among the serious-minded dramas that usually for Oscar honours. It is also unusual in being released early this year while most of the award contenders don’t come out until October or November at the earliest.

This also means many don’t get their release dates in New Zeraland until the new year.

The other Oscar favourites, based on awards and the nominees' lists,  can be narrowed down to less than half a dozen: Carol, Trumbo, The Revenant, Brooklyn and The Martian.

Favourites for the acting honours are led by Cate Blanchett (Carol), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Michael Keaton (Spotlight) and Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn).

The SAG awards (to be held on January 31, NZ time) also have Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Fassbender, Brie Larson, Helen Mirren, Eddie Redmayne and Sarah Silverman in the nominees for the main acting categories. 

The 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards will be held on January 11 (NZ time).

The Golden Globes full list of nominations
FILM
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 Screenplay – Motion Picture

Emma Donoghue, Room; 
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
; Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
; Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs; 
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

Best Animated Feature Film

Anomalisa, 
The Good Dinosaur, 
Inside Out
, The Peanuts Movie, 
Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best Original Song

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

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

Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language 

The Brand New Testament, The Club, 
The Fencer, 
Mustang, 
Son of Saul

TELEVISION
Best TV Series, Drama


Empire, 
Game of Thrones, 
Mr Robot, 
Narcos
, Outlander

Best TV Series, Comedy

Casual
, Mozart in the Jungle
, Orange Is the New Black, 
Silicon Valley, 
Transparent
, Veep

Best TV Movie or Limited-Series

American Crime
, American Horror Story: Hotel
, Fargo, 
Flesh & Bone, 
Wolf Hall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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