5 ultimate, all-time Golden Globe award snubs

Through its 73-year history controversy erupts annually before and after the Golden Globe Awards are nominated and then announced. Ninety-three members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association choose the winners of the Golden Globe Awards for excellence in film and television and they often leave out films and programs with popular appeal and critical acclaim.

This year was no exception, as notable films and performances were excluded from receiving nominations, let alone the awards podium. Johnny Depp, for example, created many memorable characters in his career — think Captain Jack Sparrow and Edward Scissorhands, to name a few. In 2015 he was crime boss Whitey Bulger in “Black Mass,” but neither he nor the film were nominated.

Here are five of the award show’s biggest all-time snubs.

“The Godfather: Part 2,” 1974

“Drawing on strong performances by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola’s continuation of Mario Puzo’s mafia saga set new standards for sequels that have yet to be matched or broken,” notes rottentomatoes.com. Apparently those performances were not sufficient for the voters, because in spite of the movie’s critical acclaim and popularity, neither actor got a nomination. Many also believed Robert Duvall turned in the best performance of the year as a supporting actor, but he, too, was left out.

“The Shawshank Redemption,” 1994

In fairness, it should be noted this film received seven Academy Award nominations (including best picture) and didn’t win in any category. It garnered a Golden Globe nomination for best screenplay and Morgan Freeman got a best actor nomination, but it received no recognition for best film. In the years since, it has earned appreciation as one of the best movies ever. It has almost 1.6 million ratings on imdb.com and its 9.3 score is the highest of any movie on the site.

“Chariots of Fire,” 1981

This film was chosen as best picture by both the Academy Awards and the British Academy Film Awards. It also won three other Academy Awards for best screenplay, best original score and best costumes. It captured the Golden Globe for best foreign film, but was not nominated for best motion picture. One of the interesting tidbits of this film is that director Hugh Hudson chose young, unknown actors for all of the film’s major roles.

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert wrote, “’Chariots of Fire’ creates deep feelings among many members of its audiences, and it does that not so much with its story or even its characters as with particular moments that are very sharply seen and heard.”

Lisa Kudrow, “Friends,” 1994-2004

Portraying ditzy blonde Phoebe Buffay, Kudrow earned more than two dozen award nominations. She won an Emmy, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Satellite Award for best actress in a comedy. In all those years, she garnered a single Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress in a television series and she didn’t win.

“Unbroken,” 2014

This film about the true story of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini and his ordeal in a Japanese POW camp “seemed to be tailor-made for awards success,” according to Fox News. It was directed by Angelina Jolie, who previously won several Golden Globes and was considered a favorite actress of the Foreign Press Association. So it was somewhat shocking when Jolie and Unbroken did not appear among the association’s nominees. The movie racked up a slew of other accolades, including three Oscar nominations. The Critic’s Choice Movie Award nominated it for best picture and Jolie for best director.

If you missed this year’s Golden Globe winners or if you haven’t seen some of these snubs, take heart. These shows and other great programming are available on demand through the magic of CenturyLink’s Prism TV.  You can catch up on whatever you missed at your convenience and decide whether you agree with this year’s winners or if there are shows you think should have been included.