The Golden Globes were announced yesterday and is considered by some to be a pretty good indication of what to expect at the Oscars. If that is true, it very well may turn out to be yet another disappointing award show with the usual poor choice winners.
I've found it difficult trying to think of a single film which emerged as a front-runner going into the show last night for best picture. All the nominees, except for "Slumdog Millionaire" were good movies which I enjoyed.
For me at least, the show was full of surprising, most of them disappointing surprises, here's my take on what happened.
BEST PICTURE (DRAMA): the nominees were "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Frost/Nixon", "The Reader", "Revolutionary Road" & "Slumdog Millionaire". WINNER: Slumdog Millionaire
As I said you had four good choices and one strong audience favorite. "The Curious of Benjamin Button" was my "favorite" movie of the year on my meaningless "top ten list" but not exactly what I would have given the award to. I still think Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon" stands a good chance at the Oscars and is what I would have preferred won. "Slumdog Millionaire" has apparently picked up a lot of steam sadly and probably now is in a good position to, at the very least, get an Oscar nomination for best picture.
BEST PICTURE (COMEDY): the nominees were "Burn After Reading", "Happy-Go-Lucky", "In Bruges", "Mamma Mia!" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". WINNER: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Of these nominees I haven't seen "Mamma Mia!" yet. But I think the Associated Press made a good choice here. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" was the best film of the nominees. It has received a majority of good press and is surpassing the box-office of Allen's "Match Point" grossing an estimated $24 million, becoming Allen's highest grossing film since "Hannah & Her Sisters". It is a much, much better film than "Slumdog Millionaire"
BEST DIRECTOR: the nominees, Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Daldry (The Reader), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) and Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road). WINNER: Danny Boyle
The best director nominees represented the same five films which were nominated for best picture and having mistakenly given the award to "Slumdog Millionaire" the AP gave Boyle the award. Again, I would say any other choice would have been respectable. I might have sided with Fincher for "Benjamin Button".
BEST ACTOR (DRAMA): MICKEY ROURKE - This was perhaps the strongest category. Of the nominees I have not seen "Milk" though I have heard good things about Sean Penn's performance. But Rourke has been praised repeatedly for his performance here as many are calling it his comeback. Though Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon" and Pitt in "Benjamin Button" were both at the top of their game.
BEST ACTOR (COMEDY): COLIN FARRELL - Not as strong as the drama category and I haven't seen all the nominees. "Last Chance Harvey" with Dustin Hoffman has not opened in Chicago yet and I haven't seen "Pineapple Express" for which James Franco was nominated. But I did like "In Bruges" and Farrell was funny it in.
BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA): KATE WINSLET - "Revolutionary Road" is a good movie but I wouldn't have given Winslet the award for this movie. She had some good competition in Meryl Streep for "Doubt" and Angelina Jolie for "Changeling". And Anne Hathaway has turned into quite a good actress with her most powerful performance in "Rachel Getting Married". I have not seen "I've Loved You So Long" for which Kristen Scott Thomas was nominated. I would have preferred Streep or Jolie win the award, maybe Jolie a bit more. "Changeling" was one of my favorite movies of the year.
BEST ACTRESS (COMEDY): SALLY HAWKINS - Shouldn't have come as a surprised but strangely did. Mike Leigh's disappointing "Happy-Go-Lucky" is seen as Hawkins breakthrough role into the mainstream. She is good in the movie, I just wish the movie would have been better. Rebecca Hall in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" may have been a better choice. She was very good in that movie and really surprised me with her nomination. I haven't seen "Last Chance Harvey", as I said, it hasn't opened here yet, Emma Thompson was nominated for it and Meryl Streep for "Mamma Mia!".
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: HEATH LEDGER - No need to even have the category really. Since his death Ledger has been a lock for anything he is nominated. Not to belittle him, his performance or "The Dark Knight" but I think a lot of sentimentality went into this win. I feel the public is really over doing it with this movie to the point where I sometimes become a slightly bit nauseous having people tell me how good he was. Whatever! He's sure to win an Oscar.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: KATE WINSLET - Boy the AP must really like Winslet giving her another award this time for her performance in "The Reader". This was a tough race for the actresses, probably a stronger category than lead performance. You have three really good nominees here, Marisa Tomei for "The Wrestler" and Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". These three ladies may get in a rematch come Oscar time. But Winslet was good here. I think better than in "Revolutionary Road". Though I wasn't sure I would consider her a "supporting" character in this movie. She has lots of screen time and is a pretty big part of the plot. But good choice.
BEST SCREENPLAY: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - Now, if you want to give this thing best picture, maybe someday I'll be able to understand that but an award for its "screenplay"? The movie is so predictable! Why honor the screenplay and single it out? I know what someone is going to say, but all the other nominees were based on previous written material ("Benjamin Button", "Doubt", "The Reader" and "Frost/Nixon"). We knew what was going to happen there too. Maybe, though I never saw "Doubt" on the stage and never read the books "Button" or "The Reader" was based on. So it was all a surprise to me. But none of those films were as manipulative as "Slumdog". Though before I get too angry I must remember, it is only an award show and in the end is meaningless.
So there you have the Globe winners, as far as movies were concern. Television shows were also honored but my blog deals with movies. In the end I think we can say the Golden Globes went to the "dogs" this year. Actually, that is a pretty good description.
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