LOS ANGELES - Hollywood's awards season kicks into high gear on Sunday at the Golden Globes gala, with the politically charged "One Battle After Another" expected to solidify its status as the film to beat, two months ahead of the Oscars.
With nine nominations, "One Battle" appears a lock to take home the prize for best comedy/musical film.
"We're seeing a real sweep and a juggernaut in that movie," Deadline's awards columnist and chief critic Pete Hammond told AFP, recalling that so far, it has won every best picture prize so far this season.
Leonardi DiCaprio will vie for best actor with Timothee Chalamet, who boosted his Oscars campaign with a win at the Critics' Choice Awards on Sunday for his star turn in "Marty Supreme" as an ambitious 1950s table tennis player.
"Leonardo DiCaprio would be tremendously helped by actually winning at the Globes. That's the ideal moment to stop Timothee Chalamet's momentum before the Oscars," Hammond said.
Teyana Taylor, who plays an unapologetically bold leftist revolutionary, could fuel a sweep for "One Battle" if she can pick up the prize for best supporting actress.
But in her way are Amy Madigan for her wacky villainous turn in "Weapons" and Ariana Grande for her portrayal of Glinda in the blockbuster "Wicked: For Good."
The Golden Globes offer separate awards for dramas and comedies/musicals -- widening the field of stars who could walk the red carpet, and fueling the suspense.
"Sinners," Ryan Coogler's searing period horror film about the segregated South of the 1930s, is expected to be the toughest competition for "One Battle" at the Oscars.
But at the Globes, they are in separate categories.
"Sinners" surprised moviegoers with its eclectic mix of vampires, politics, race relations and blues music.
It is the frontrunner for the best drama film Globe, against rival "Hamnet," which stars Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his grief-stricken wife, as the two cope with the death of their young son.
"Sentimental Value," the Norwegian family dramedy starring Stellan Skarsgard, earned a strong eight nominations, is also in the running.
A "Sinners" victory "would be an indication of a real change," Hammond says, noting that in the past, voters "were never actually that drawn to Black stories."
Buckley is the favourite for best drama actress honours.