Globes a dark bat signal for Oscars? Not so fast

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Batman was all alone in the cold at the end of "The Dark Knight," and surprisingly, that's where the blockbuster itself ended up once Golden Globe nominations were announced.

But never fear, fans -- despite receiving just one nomination, for Heath Ledger's powerful supporting performance as the Joker, "The Dark Knight" should be back in full force come Oscar time.

The year's highest-grossing picture with over $530 million, which also has an astounding 94 percent positive reviews on the online aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, has been generating serious Academy Awards buzz, and not just in the technical categories. It is a viable contender for best picture.

Three of the five movies up for best drama at the Globes -- "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," ''Frost/Nixon" and "Slumdog Millionaire" -- also look like locks for the Oscars. Either of the other two films in that category -- "The Reader" and "Revolutionary Road" -- might find themselves there, as well, but any number of movies could sneak into those spots. It's that wide-open this year.

They include "Milk," which also surprisingly received just one nomination, for Sean Penn's moving portrayal of slain civil rights leader Harvey Milk; the Pixar masterpiece "WALL-E," which was nominated for best animated film but truly transcends the genre; and "The Wrestler," which received three nominations, including best actor for vivid work from Mickey Rourke as a banged-up brawler making a comeback.

"Benjamin Button," about a man who ages in reverse, the political boxing match "Frost/Nixon," and "Doubt," about suspicions at a Catholic church, lead all Globe nominees with five apiece. But four of the ones "Doubt" received are for its performances from Meryl Streep (best actress), Philip Seymour Hoffman (best suporting actor), and Amy Adams and Viola Davis (best supporting actress). That doesn't help its chances for a best-picture Oscar.

Then again, the Golden Globes aren't necessarily a predictor of success on Oscar night. Among last year's films, "Atonement" won best drama and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" won best comedy or musical, while "No Country for Old Men" took the top prize at the Academy Awards.

The directors of all five best-drama contenders also received Globe nominations: David Fincher ("Benjamin Button"), Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon"), Stephen Daldry ("The Reader"), Sam Mendes ("Revolutionary Road") and Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire").

Streep became the most-nominated actor in Globes history with her two nominations, which bring her total to 23. She's up for best actress in a drama for playing an authoritarian nun in "Doubt," and for best actress in a comedy or musical for her giddy turn in "Mamma Mia!"

Kate Winslet also received two, for best actress as a frustrated housewife in "Revolutionary Road" and for supporting actress as a former Nazi concentration camp guard in "The Reader." Clint Eastwood, long a favorite of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the Globes, got two of his own: for his score and for co-writing an original song for "Gran Torino."

Typically, many of the folks who heard their names called Thursday morning said they weren't thinking that far ahead Golden Globe night, much less to the Oscars. After all, it's an honor just to be nominated, as they say.

Boyle, director of the gritty but feel-good "Slumdog Millionaire," was thrilled that his movie is being mentioned alongside bigger studio fare. It received four nominations total.

"It's amazing. A film like this needs a platform. It's such an odd film, in a way. It needs a champion," he said from London. "You do feel a bit like the underdog. But that's a bit healthy."

On the lighter side, one of the biggest surprises was the success of "In Bruges," a small comedy that came out in February starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as hit men on an inadvertent vacation. It received nominations for best comedy or musical and for both actors.

"It had been brought to my attention by people that it was a possibility, a dark-horse possibility, for getting some recognition, but I really, really didn't expect it," Farrell said. "It had been released in the early part of the year, it didn't do huge money, it wasn't seen by that many people. But it's a testament to (director Martin McDonagh's) writing in his film debut that it obviously struck a chord with them."

James Franco also didn't see his nomination coming for his supporting role as an affable pot dealer in "Pineapple Express." When his manager called him to give him the news, he was expecting it to be for "Milk," in which he plays Penn's lover.

"Up until now, I've been nominated for a few things and they were all for 'Milk,'" said Franco, laughing. "Yeah, I was surprised -- just that 'Milk' didn't get more nominations."

But Rebecca Hall, nominated for best actress in a musical or comedy for Woody Allen's European romp "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," was really, truly surprised: She did not even know Globe nominations were coming out Thursday.

"It came out of the blue," Hall said. "I was brushing my teeth, I picked up the phone, and my agent said, 'You just got a Golden Globe nomination.' I wasn't expecting it at all."