Column: Why the biggest Golden Globes winner is you

The 2018 Golden Globe Award nominations were announced Monday morning. Cue the outrage!

What about “The Big Sick”? How could they ignore “Wonder Woman”? Is “Get Out” really a comedy? Did they really dis “The Good Place”?

With their bizarro mix of movie and television awards, their long-standing reputation for oddball decision-making and the fact that everything is determined by the votes of fewer than 100 foreign journalists, the Golden Globe Awards should not be seen as the last word in entertainment quality.

But that doesn’t mean they’re good for nothing.

The Globes are good for spotting trends and launching trend do-overs.

For instance, Monday’s nominations tapped into the current woman-power zeitgeist by rightly recognizing such female-centric projects as “Lady Bird,” HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and the Tonya Harding biopic, “I, Tonya.”

At the same time, they passed over “Lady Bird” director Greta Gerwig and egregiously ignored the box-office busting “Wonder Woman” and its female director, Patty Jenkins.

And in a particularly galling move, the Globe brain-trust nominated “Get Out,” whose take on race was darkly funny, smart and scathing, but shut out Jordan Peele, the film’s African-American writer and director.

You can bet the Oscars will remedy some of these blunders when the nominations are announced next month. In the meantime, let’s move on to what the 2018 Golden Globe nominations can do for you now.

The holidays are right around the corner, which means you’ve got time to fill and binge-watching to do. And thanks to the goodies the Globes remembered and the treasures they forgot, you can be up to your elf-ish eyeballs in entertainment fun through the new year.

And if you’re extra nice, maybe Santa will help you find the remote.

Best Snubbed Motion Picture — Comedy: “The Big Sick”

What’s funny about a romantic comedy where one half of the happy couple spends most of the movie in a coma? In the case of “The Big Sick,” the answer is “only everything.”

Based on the real-life romance of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, “The Big Sick” tackles everything from racism to infidelity with a light touch and a very full heart.

With a fresh and hilarious script by Nanjiani and Gordon and a wickedly good cast featuring Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, this was one of the best films of 2017. Look for it on your nearest streaming service right now. Just because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is blind doesn’t mean you have to be.

Best Snubbed TV Show — Comedy: “The Good Place” (NBC) and ‘GLOW” (Netflix)

It’s a tie! Because when faced with a snarky network sitcom about surviving an afterlife engineered by a bow-tied demon played by Ted Danson (“The Good Place”) and a shaggy Netflix comedy about the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (“GLOW”), you shouldn’t have to choose.

Both of these shows are weird, wonderful and unlike anything else on TV right now. At the end of this long, unfunny year, give yourself the gift of wacky.

Best of the Rest

Best Snubbed Super Hero Movie: “Wonder Woman,” which had brains, brawn and the dazzling presence of Gal Gadot.

Best Snubbed HBO Show: “Insecure,” Issa Rae’s comedy about being young, conflicted and black in fabulous Los Angeles. It is tender and profane, and it will make you laugh until the wine comes out of your nose.

Best Snubbed Auteur: “Get Out” writer/director Jordan Peele, whose comedy-horror film about an interracial relationship that goes very wrong in a very strange way was both a big hit and a blazing conversation starter. Peele created it, and you need to see it. You’ll laugh! You’ll gasp! You will rethink racial stereotypes!

You’re welcome.

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com