GOLDEN GLOBES PREVIEW. Joseph Gordon-Levitt charmed us in (500) Days of Summer when it screened at the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival. Now the Golden Globe committee is catching on. He’s up for a best actor award in a comedy or musical for his role as Tom, the indefatigable romantic who falls for Summer, a girl who doesn’t believe in true love played by the adorably eccentric Zooey Deschanel.

Gordon-Levitt will compete against Matt Damon (The Informant), Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes), Daniel Day-Lewis (Nine), and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man). Tough competition to be sure (even if Holmes isn’t a serious contender, it seems RDJr can do no wrong these days). My money’s on Daniel Day-Lewis, but I’m happy to see SIFF’s choices getting proper recognition.

(500) Days of Summer is also up for best picture (comedy or musical) against The Hangover, It’s Complicated, Julie & Julia, and Nine. As much as people make The Hangover out to be the dark horse, I can’t help wonder if Meryl Streep will carry Julie & Julia to the podium.

SIFF Golden Globe nominee no. 1:

Up for best picture (drama) is SIFF film The Hurt Locker. We have the best shot to win with this one—the war flick with the chilling line "War is a drug" won top honors at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. It’s up against Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, and Up in the Air. Biggest competition: Precious.

The Hurt Locker also picked up nominations for best director (Kathryn Bigelow) and best screenplay.

SIFF Golden Globe nominee no. 2:

And SIFF Golden Globe nominee no. 3 is The Maid (La Nana), a Chilean film up for best foreign language movie against Baaria (Italy), Broken Embraces (Spain), A Prophet (France), and The White Ribbon (Germany).

For more Golden Globe nominees, click here.
The award show airs Sunday, January 17. For more SIFF news, click here.