Surprise: The Joker
People expected The Joker to do well. They just didn't know how well. However, it's tied for third place for most film nominations of the night along with The Two Popes with four nods each. The movie is up for Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Original Score. Todd Phillips is also in the running for Best Director of a Motion Picture and Joaquin Phoenix is up for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama). However, some were surprised to see it did not receive a shout-out in the Best Screenplay category.
Surprise: Annette Bening
Not many fans expected to see the 61-year-old actress receive a nomination in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture category. However, she earned a nod for her role in The Report. Some expected to see Zhao Shuzhen from The Farewell or Florence Pugh from Little Women on the list.
Snub: Robert De Niro
Many critics assumed Robert De Niro would be a shoo-in for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) category for his role in The Irishman. However, Christian Bale surprised many when he secured a spot instead for his role in Ford v. Ferrari.
Surprise: Cate Blanchett
Many critics were surprised to see the 50-year-old actress receive a nod for her role as Bernadette Fox in Where'd You Go, Bernadette?. Some were expecting to see Constance Wu from Hustlers or Kaitlyn Dever from Booksmart on the list.
Snub: Female Directors
All of the nominees in the Best Director category were men. Many fans believed that Greta Gerwig should have made the list for Little Women. The film was also left off the Best Motion Picture (Drama) list. In fact, the movie earned only two nominations. It's up for Best Original Song and Saoirse Ronan, who plays Jo March, is in the running for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama).
Surprise: The Lion King
Disney's animated films often make the Golden Globes' list. So fans weren't surprised to see Toy Story 4 and Frozen 2 as contenders in the Best Animated Feature category. However, many movie lovers were pleasantly surprised to see that the live-action remake of The Lion King made the cut, too.
Surprise: Motherless Brooklyn
The movie—which features Edward Norton, Alec Baldwin, Bruce Willis, Willem Dafoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw—shocked many music lovers when it made the Best Original Score list. Daniel Pemberton received the nod. Some suspected that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker or Jojo Rabbit could take the spot instead.