Lesbians, road warriors and real estate hucksters: Golden Globe nominees are a mixed bag

Lesbian romance drama Carol and Wall Street misdeeds comedy The Big Short led a diverse range of films honoured with Golden Globe nominations, with genres spanning indie thrillers to big budget sci-fi action adventures.

Carol, the story of a married older woman who falls in love with a young shopgirl in the 1950s, garnered five nominations including best drama film, director, score and acting nods for Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Carol is up for best drama against Pioneer-era movie The Revenant, psychological thriller Room, Catholic Church abuse probe Spotlight and thriller Mad Max: Fury Road, a surprise contender in the category, which rarely sees a blockbuster action nominee.

The Big Short, which takes a quirky look at the housing bubble collapse that led to the 2008 US recession, led the comedy nominees with four nods; best comedy, screenplay and actor for Christian Bale and Steve Carell.

“We really tried to craft a movie that was energetic and entertaining, that could bring people to this issue with some excitement as opposed to being very dry,” director and co-writer Adam McKay said.

It will compete with blockbuster space adventure The Martian, Melissa McCarthy caper Spy, coming-of-age comedy Trainwreck and Joy, inspired by the story of the woman who designed the household Miracle Mop.