The nominated directors were Tarantino, Todd Phillips (“Joker”), Sam Mendes (“1917”), Bong Joon Ho (“The Parasite”) and Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”).

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” also got the cold shoulder. The series has never won best drama at the Globes — it has won a record-tying four times at the Emmys — and it will stay that way. The fantasy’s final season drew a lone nod, for Kit Harington’s lead acting.

The group behind the Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has shed some of its reputation for eccentricity, but it still makes calculated choices — spreading nominations far and wide to ensure that every studio boss attends; honoring younger stars (like Ana de Armas, an acting nominee for “Knives Out”) along with older ones (Emma Thompson, recognized for her “Late Night” performance). Members continue to split their top film prize into two categories, drama and comedy-musical, often in bewildering ways. It was decided that “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” could compete as a comedy alongside the Nazi-themed “Jojo Rabbit.” Because what is funnier than the Manson murders and the Holocaust?

In another puzzler, especially for an awards contest adjudicated by journalists from overseas, foreign-language films are ineligible for the marquee best-picture categories. So don’t look for much guidance on the Oscar hopes for Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell,” one of the few bright spots in indie cinema this year ($17.6 million in ticket sales), or “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho’s acclaimed tale of economic inequality ($18.3 million). Both were nominated for best foreign-language film, however. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Les Misérables” and “Pain and Glory” drew the remaining slots.

In truth, the Globes do not predict much. The press association only has about 90 voting members; roughly 9,000 film industry professionals vote on the Academy Awards. The top winning films at the Globes have only gone on to win the Oscar for best picture 50 percent of the time over the last decade (although they did match last year, when “Green Book” was the big winner at both ceremonies).