Noteworthy films

The gay cowboy romance “Brokeback Mountain” positioned itself as a key Oscar competitor Tuesday, roping in seven Golden Globe nominations, including best dramatic picture and honors for actor Heath Ledger and director Ang Lee.

Other best drama picture contenders were the murder thriller “The Constant Gardener,” the Edward R. Murrow tale “Good Night, and Good Luck,” the mobster story “A History of Violence” and “Match Point,” a drama about infidelity.

That makes this year’s Globe nominations a triumph for smaller-budget films over big-studio productions.

“This is the first time in the history of the Golden Globes that all of the best (dramatic) film nominees are independent movies made for under $30 million,” said Philip Berk, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the awards.

The Globes have a separate category for musical or comedy films. Nominated were the theater tale “Mrs. Henderson Presents,” the Jane Austen costume pageant “Pride & Prejudice,” the Broadway musical “The Producers,” the divorce story “The Squid and the Whale,” and the Johnny Cash film biography “Walk the Line.”

Winners will be announced Jan. 16, five days before polls close for Oscar voters. Oscar nominations come out Jan. 31, and those awards will be presented March 5.

Two years ago, the Golden Globes correctly predicted Oscar winners in all key categories, including best-picture champ “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

But a year ago, the Globes missed the mark, picking “The Aviator” as best picture, an honor that went to “Million Dollar Baby” at the Oscars.

Tuesday’s nominations were the latest recognition for “Brokeback Mountain,” a critical darling that has received top honors from critics groups in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.

Still, the film has an uphill trail to the Oscars, whose voters may hesitate to anoint a gay-themed movie as its champion.

“It’s going to be a front-runner, but it really has a mountain to climb, because never have we seen a gay romance in the best-picture race before,” said Tom O’Neil, who runs theenvelope.com, an awards Web site.

Yet “Brokeback Mountain” has proved a favorite at film festivals and debuted with huge box-office grosses last weekend, taking in almost $550,000 in just five theaters. The movie goes into wider release over the next few weeks, its backers hoping it will find a broad audience despite the subject matter.

Best dramatic actor nominee Ledger plays a husband and father carrying on a secret homosexual affair with an old sheepherding buddy (Jake Gyllenhaal).

While conservative critics have derided it for glorifying a gay lifestyle, novelist Larry McMurtry, who shared a screenplay nomination for the film, said it has broader themes.

“It’s a tragedy, not a success story,” McMurtry said. “It doesn’t wave the banner of triumph over the homosexual lifestyle or any lifestyle. It’s a story about life itself. This is a realistic story and a sad story.”

Other nominees for best dramatic actor included three actors playing real-life figures: Russell Crowe as Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock in “Cinderella Man,” Philip Seymour Hoffman as author Truman Capote in “Capote,” and David Strathairn as newsman Murrow in “Good Night, and Good Luck.” The fifth nominee was Terrence Howard as a small-time pimp turned rap singer in “Hustle & Flow.”

“Good Night, and Good Luck” was tied for second-most film nominations with four, along with Woody Allen’s “Match Point” and “The Producers.” The Murrow tale earned a best-director nomination for George Clooney, who also had a supporting actor movie nomination for the oil industry thriller “Syriana.”

Felicity Huffman received two nominations – best dramatic actress in a film for her role as a man preparing for sex-change surgery in “Transamerica,” and best actress in a TV musical or comedy for “Desperate Housewives.”

Her “Desperate Housewives” co-stars Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria also were nominated, and the ABC show earned a best TV comedy bid.

ABC also scored three nominations for best dramatic TV series: “Commander in Chief,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Lost.” Bids also went to Fox’s “Prison Break” and HBO’s “Rome.”

Other nominees for best comedy or musical TV series were HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Entourage,” UPN’s “Everybody Hates Chris,” NBC’s “My Name is Earl” and Showtime’s “Weeds.”