Depicting the story of a young writer who irreversibly changes the lives of her sister and her sweetheart by accusing him of a crime he didn’t commit, the story charmed not only its audiences, but also film critics. “Atonement” received seven nods for the Golden Globe, which will take place on January 13 in Beverly Hills.

It was shortlisted for the best drama, best dramatic actor for James McAvoy and best dramatic actress for Keira Knightley, its filmmaker Joe Wright was nominated for best director. Also the 13-year old Saoirse Ronan who played the prodigious writer received a nod for best supporting actress, furthermore “Atonement” drew nominations for best screenplay and musical score.

Usually the Golden Globe played the role of a hint for what the Oscar shortlists would look like, but the 2008 awards had seven movies to receive a nod for the drama category, instead of five, which makes it difficult to guess the nominees for the Oscars.

Among the best drama film contestants we can find the Coen brothers’ “No Country For No Men,” about a merciless manhunt in Texas, “American Gangster” starring Denzel Washington, “Eastern promises,” another drama that tackles a gangster story, “Michael Claydon” starring George Clooney to fix all the mess and “Great Debaters”, about a championship debate team from a poor, southern black college early last century.

Nominated in addition were "Eastern Promises", with Viggo Mortensen, about an Eastern European mafia family in London; and the epic drama "There Will Be Blood", with Daniel Day-Lewis, a story of the harsh drive for oil in California in the early 20th century, loosely based on muckraking socialist writer Upton Sinclair's book, Oil.

Other nominees for best actress went to Cate Blanchett, for her portrayal of one version of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There, and Angelina Jolie for A Mighty Heart, where she plays the widow of American journalist Daniel Pearl who was beheaded by terrorists in Pakistan.

Compared to last year, when British star Helen Mirren (The Queen) and US director Martin Scorsese (The Departed) had by this time trumped the critics, there were few clear favourites this year, and some of the films have yet to be released before year's end.

Top nominations for musical included the film Hair Spray; and Tim Burton's version of the Stephen Sondheim musical thriller, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, with a singing Johnny Depp playing a convict who returns home to wreak revenge as the town's hair stylist.

The Golden Globes ceremony will be broadcast by NBC, but there is a strong chance that the writers’ strike to curb the event from taking place. The six-week strike, which still remains without result, may come as a sabotage in the long-waited ceremony, however it is unclear what would be the response of Writers Guild of America West.  The Oscars follow on February 24, and could confront similar problems.