I don’t put much stock in the Golden Globes–the 90 foreign “journalists” who do the voting are notoriously corrupt–but the ceremony is good for at least one thing: By separating comedies from dramas in the key categories, it doubles the number of movies that get a shout out.

At last Sunday’s ceremony, it wasn’t too surprising that Mickey Rourke, Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet and “Slumdog Millionaire” were honored, as those are strong Oscar contenders.  But it was nice to see some love poured on Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” the kind of movie that tends to get overlooked by the Academy. The Latin love triangle won the Golden Globe for best comedy, and it also garnered nominations for Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and up-and-comer Rebecca Hall (who also shines in “Frost/Nixon”).

“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (which is reopening Friday at the discount Keller Cinema in South County) is one of several films that could have crept into my Top Ten list if I’d had a better memory.

Every year, I tend to forget some great movies that I reviewed before the rush of holiday-season award contenders. This year, that list includes Tarsem Singh’s fantasy adventure “The Fall,” Charlie Kaufman’s meta-movie “Synecdoche, New York,” Joachim Trier’s coming-of-age chronicle “Reprise,” Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s lovely “Flight of the Red Balloon” and Mike Leigh’s irresistible “Happy-Go-Lucky.”

The latter film earned a Golden Globe for Sally Hawkins as best actress in a comedy. If the attention helps earns her an Oscar nomination, then the Globes will have justified their existence for another year.