Veteran action directors receive Golden Globe nods for otherworldly fantasies

Two veteran filmmakers known for action-driven, otherworldly fictions caught the uncertain, anxious mood of the times and received Golden Globe nominations for best director for movies about wars over water in the desert and the tenacity and ingenuity of an astronaut trapped on Mars.

George Miller was nominated for “Mad Max: Fury Road”, a hyperkinetic franchise he has honed since 1979, and Ridley Scott, creator of science-fiction thrillers “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” was nominated for “The Martian.” The other directors receiving nods were Alejandro G. Iñárritu for “The Revenant,” Tom McCarthy for “Spotlight” and Todd Haynes for “Carol,” which led the field with five nominations.

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The films by Miller, Scott and Iñárritu dealt with man against the elements and various enemies in survival tales that spoke to our unsettled planet, where terrorism and battles over resources have stirred political tensions and threatened the environment. The other two directors captured perils of a different sort: With “Carol,” Haynes told of forbidden love between two women in an elegantly resurrected 1950s, while McCarthy followed the Boston Globe journalists who exposed the child sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church.

“We wanted the audience to feel the excitement the reporters felt as they cracked the case and then the horror they felt at the depravity they found. That was a fine line to walk,” said McCarthy, who was also nominated with Josh Singer for best screenplay. “It shows there’s an audience for real, compelling drama. If you build it and you build it well, audiences will come. It’s why I got into acting and filmmaking.”

In a statement, Haynes said: “I’m thrilled to be in the company of this incredible group of directors, and so honored that the Hollywood Foreign Press has recognized the creative collaboration that is ‘Carol’ -- from [Carter Burwell’s] score, to our relentless producers, to the stunning talents of Cate [Blanchett] & Rooney [Mara].”

Unlike “Carol” and “Spotlight,” a crisp procedural with no special effects, Miller and Scott mastered searing, yet beautiful images of what could go wrong in other times, places and planets. Both resonated with audiences. Starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, has so far grossed more than $153 million in domestic box office receipts, and the often-humorous “The Martian” -- it was nominated in the comedy or musical category for best picture -- starring Matt Damon, has done more than $220 million.

Scott said in a statement: “Making ‘The Martian’ was one of the highlights of my career and the fact that it is being recognized in such a generous way is fantastic and very much appreciated.”

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times this year, Miller spoke of the style he wanted to conjure in “Mad Max”:

“In games, movies and rock videos, the post-apocalyptic world tends to look very junkyardy. I realized by observing the world, that in many ways that’s not how we behave. You can go to the poorest township in Africa and see them take wire or a Coke can and fashion it into beautiful toys. As I often say, Paleolithic man with almost nothing made those extraordinary cave paintings.”

Twitter: @JeffreyLAT