Monday, January 12, 2015

The 72nd Golden Globe Awards

tina-fey-amy-poehler-golden-globes-0Last night’s Golden Globes were the last ones hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and they did a great job as they’ve done in the past.  They were concise, funny, just enough outrageous, and altogether very warm.

The best joke was at George Clooney’s expense I thought, and he took it in stride, as expected.

The show itself was quite briskly paced, but I felt like they rushed too much some of the most important wins of the night, including the biggest prizes, likely because earlier hosts or winners went overtime.

I love these shows, so personally I don’t care if they go overtime by 10-15 minutes instead of the rushed usual 5, so I think they should really build in 20 or 30 extra minutes as a tail end buffer without changing the pace of the show or what’s offered.  That way you can still let the biggest winners of the night enjoy their moment in the spotlight and the network isn’t too upset.

On the other end, some acceptance speeches are just a total bore consisting in a long laundry list of Hollywood players that no one knows outside the industry and sometimes God, so cutting those short would be a blessing for everyone…

Anyway, here are the winners in each category with a few comments peppered here and there:

Best Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER

Boyhood (2014/I)

Other Nominees:

·         Selma (2014)

·         The Imitation Game (2014)

·         Foxcatcher (2014)

·         The Theory of Everything (2014)

I haven’t seen any of these movies but from what I know of Boyhood the victory is well deserved.  A movie that took over a decade to create with the cast actually aging in front of our eyes, personally I can’t wait to see it.

Other than Foxcatcher though, for which I care very little, they all seem pretty good.

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Birdman (2014)

·         St. Vincent (2014)

·         Into the Woods (2014)

·         Pride (2014/I)

All unseen again, but all on my list.  While Pride would have been a sweet victory, I guess The Grand Budapest Hotel and Into the Woods were the heavy favorites given the talent involved.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER

Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Steve Carell for Foxcatcher (2014)

·         Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game (2014)

·         Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler (2014)

·         David Oyelowo for Selma (2014)

Very happy for Redmayne because I’m sure he’s fantastic and his performance won raves galore.  He’s also easy on the eyes…

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER

Julianne Moore for Still Alice (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Jennifer Aniston for Cake (2014/II)

·         Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl (2014)

·         Reese Witherspoon for Wild (2014)

·         Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything (2014)

Super, super happy for my adored Julianne!!  The announcer mentioned how it’s her first win, so it’s more than deserved.  I’ve also read that she’s in the lead for the Best Actress Oscar, which would also be her first (a travesty…), and this win can only help her chances.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Michael Keaton for Birdman (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

·         Christoph Waltz for Big Eyes (2014/I)

·         Bill Murray for St. Vincent (2014)

·         Joaquin Phoenix for Inherent Vice (2014)

All big names in this category, and all worthy performers.  I read that Keaton’s role feels like a reboot for his career, which had turned stale of late, so I guess it’s well deserved.  His speech was also very emotional.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Amy Adams for Big Eyes (2014/I)

Other Nominees:

·         Emily Blunt for Into the Woods (2014)

·         Julianne Moore for Maps to the Stars (2014)

·         Helen Mirren for The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

·         Quvenzhané Wallis for Annie (2014)

Double nominee Julianne was beat out by Amy here, but I don’t think this will help her in the Oscar race anyway.  Not this year.  Glad she won here though.  I just heard of Big Eyes and it looks very intriguing, and Amy is a favorite of mine.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

WINNER

J.K. Simmons for Whiplash (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Robert Duvall for The Judge (2014)

·         Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher (2014)

·         Ethan Hawke for Boyhood (2014/I)

·         Edward Norton for Birdman (2014)

I know Simmons mostly for some TV roles, so I know he’s very talented.  Would have been nice to see Hawke win since he’s the only one who didn’t for Boyhood and because he’s hot.  There, I said it.  Ok, Ruffalo is hot too.

Fine, I like Norton as well, twist my arm!!!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

WINNER

Patricia Arquette for Boyhood (2014/I)

Other Nominees:

·         Keira Knightley for The Imitation Game (2014)

·         Emma Stone for Birdman (2014)

·         Meryl Streep for Into the Woods (2014)

·         Jessica Chastain for A Most Violent Year (2014)

Patricia Arquette is such a fine actress, raw and passionate, that I’m totally happy for her win.  Sure, a win from my adored and all-time favorite Meryl would have been fantastic, and I love Jessica, but I’m happy for Patricia.  Her speech was touching also.

Best Director - Motion Picture

WINNER

Richard Linklater for Boyhood (2014/I)

Other Nominees:

·         Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman (2014)

·         Ava DuVernay for Selma (2014)

·         David Fincher for Gone Girl (2014)

·         Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

What can I say, it’s hard to have a favorite not having watched any of the movies.  However, like I said earlier, Boyhood sounds like such a passion project and so original that its director’s win seems like the biggest vindication, so I’m pleased.  Iñárritu is such a great artist, Anderson is a genius, and Fincher is just brilliant.  And Du Vernay has probably created a rare gem, but Linklater would likely have gotten my vote.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

WINNER

Birdman (2014): Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone

Other Nominees:

·         Boyhood (2014/I): Richard Linklater

·         Gone Girl (2014): Gillian Flynn

·         The Imitation Game (2014): Graham Moore, Andrew Hodges

·         The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness

This seems like another very competitive category.  I’m interested in watching all the nominees, even though the winner would certainly fill the last spot on my list.

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

WINNER

Common, John Legend for Selma (2014)(Glory)

Other Nominees:

·         Lana Del Rey for Big Eyes (2014/I)(Big Eyes)

·         Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye for Noah (2014)(Mercy Is)

·         Sia for Annie (2014)(Opportunity)

·         Lorde for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)(Yellow Flicker Beat)

What a treat to see two such handsome men like Common and Legend on the screen!!  Also cool to see that they got their trophy from the hands of the legendary Prince.

While we’re on the topic, given that Prince is African American like Common and Legend and that the movie for which they won deals with the Civil Rights movement, was he selected as presenter because the HFPA knew who was going to win (which is totally against the rules)?

Then again, maybe it was just wishful thinking and betting on the possibility of having a veritable African American musical institution award two African American artists that serendipitously worked out for the best.  Like when Barbra Streisand was asked to present the Best Director award when the rare woman,  Kathryn Bigelow, was nominated and actually won.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

WINNER

Jóhann Jóhannsson for The Theory of Everything (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Alexandre Desplat for The Imitation Game (2014)

·         Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross for Gone Girl (2014)

·         Antonio Sanchez for Birdman (2014)

·         Hans Zimmer for Interstellar (2014)

Desplat and Zimmer are two of my favorites, and Reznor is good too.  I don’t know the other two, but I’m sure all five scores are awesome.

Best Animated Film

WINNER

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         The Book of Life (2014)

·         The Boxtrolls (2014)

·         Big Hero 6 (2014)

·         The Lego Movie (2014)

Oh I so want to see the sequel to the very entertaining How to Train Your Dragon.

Best Foreign Language Film

WINNER

Leviathan (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Ida (2013)

·         Force Majeure (2014)

·         Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014)

·         Tangerines (2013)

No comments here, aside from a very weird feeling all night that someone was going to come out as gay live on the air, and when the Russians won I thought, Oh my Gods, it’s gonna happen, one is gonna come out as gay and ask for asylum because of the draconian anti-gay laws enacted recently in Russia, and it’s gonna be a huge diplomatic incident!!!

But nothing.

Best Television Series - Drama

WINNER

"The Affair" (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         "Downton Abbey" (2010)

·         "The Good Wife" (2009)

·         "House of Cards" (2013)

·         "Game of Thrones" (2011)

Wow, I guess the HFPA really liked this show!!  I’ve heard good things about it but haven’t watched it.  I do admit that I was shocked though, because the other four nominees seemed all way more adored than The Affair.  I mean, read the four “losers” again and you’ll see what I mean!

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

"Transparent" (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         "Girls" (2012)

·         "Orange Is the New Black" (2013)

·         "Silicon Valley" (2014)

·         "Jane the Virgin" (2014)

Here I couldn’t have been happier.  Ray and I watched this show binge-style and I couldn’t get enough.  It’s only 10 episodes and I can’t wait for season 2 (thankfully it’s been renewed).  It is hands down one of the best shows I’ve ever watched on TV and given it’s simplicity and fairly bare-bones production that’s saying something.

Two words: watch it.

By the way, what the frack is Jane the Virgin??!!?

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

"Fargo" (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         "Olive Kitteridge" (2014)

·         "True Detective" (2014)

·         "The Missing" (2014)

·         The Normal Heart (2014) (TV)

Hmm, I know that Fargo got great reviews and HBO likely got shot out because with three horses in the race you often end up splitting your votes, but I was a little surprised to see Fargo in this category.

I always thought of it as a regular series, but I’ve read that category shopping to increase a show’s chances is actually a thing, and there’s already a movement afoot to put an end to it, which I wholeheartedly support.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

WINNER

Kevin Spacey for "House of Cards" (2013)

Other Nominees:

·         Liev Schreiber for "Ray Donovan" (2013)

·         James Spader for "The Blacklist" (2013)

·         Dominic West for "The Affair" (2014)

·         Clive Owen for "The Knick" (2014)

Here again I had the feeling that a big outing was gonna happen live on stage, but Spacey didn’t do it.  Oh well.  Glad for him, he’s very talented and the show is adored by fans and critics, and his speech was very touching too.

I do have to admit that I’d have loved to see more of Schreiber, West, or Owen…

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama

WINNER

Ruth Wilson for "The Affair" (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Robin Wright for "House of Cards" (2013)

·         Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" (2009)

·         Viola Davis for "How to Get Away with Murder" (2014)

·         Claire Danes for "Homeland" (2011)

More love for this new show even though Claire Danes was fantastic as usual in Homeland, which has come back to its greatness after a so-so third season.  Wright and Margulies are perennial favorites, but it’s Davis’ name that I really thought I would hear called out.  Poor Viola, she’s so talented that she should win all the time.

But I’m glad she lost the Oscar to Meryl…

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Jeffrey Tambor for "Transparent" (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Don Cheadle for "House of Lies" (2012)

·         Ricky Gervais for "Derek" (2012)

·         William H. Macy for "Shameless" (2011)

·         Louis C.K. for "Louie" (2010)

Again I was super happy Tambor won!!  He’s absolutely fantastic as Maura in Transparent (what a clever title!) and deserved to win even just for the courage to take on such a role and give it his all.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Gina Rodriguez for "Jane the Virgin" (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Lena Dunham for "Girls" (2012)

·         Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie" (2009)

·         Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "Veep" (2012)

·         Taylor Schilling for "Orange Is the New Black" (2013)

Ok, this was the biggest WTF moment of the night.  I mean Dunham is admittedly great even though I had to stop watching Girls because it just didn’t feel real at all.  Falco is one of the best actresses working today and Louis-Dreyfus, are you kidding me?  She’s an untouchable comedy goddess.  She’s my favorite comedy actress together with Lisa Kudrow.  Schilling I don’t know but the show is so revered by critics, I’m sure she’s astounding.

And Rodriguez wins?  I mean, I’m sure she’s pretty good, but I had never even heard of Jane the Virgin before last night.  I mean, I don’t watch Orange Is the New Black, but I’ve heard of it from its inception.

She seemed shocked herself, understandably, but at least gave a nice speech.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Billy Bob Thornton for "Fargo" (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Martin Freeman for "Fargo" (2014)

·         Matthew McConaughey for "True Detective" (2014)

·         Woody Harrelson for "True Detective" (2014)

·         Mark Ruffalo for The Normal Heart (2014) (TV)

Five names here among which would be hard to pick the “least” good, so any winner is deserving.  I’ve only seen True Detective so far and both McConaughey and Harrelson were fantastic.

By the way, love McConaughey’s beard!!!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Maggie Gyllenhaal for "The Honourable Woman" (2014)

Other Nominees:

·         Jessica Lange for "American Horror Story" (2011)

·         Frances McDormand for "Olive Kitteridge" (2014)

·         Frances O'Connor for "The Missing" (2014)

·         Allison Tolman for "Fargo" (2014)

Another group of fine performers here.  I’ve only seen Lange in action, but this season is actually American Horror Story’s weakest as far as I’m concerned, so her win would have been a stretch, even though she’s always great.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Matt Bomer for The Normal Heart (2014) (TV)

Other Nominees:

·         Jon Voight for "Ray Donovan" (2013)

·         Alan Cumming for "The Good Wife" (2009)

·         Bill Murray for "Olive Kitteridge" (2014)

·         Colin Hanks for "Fargo" (2014)

OMGs when Bomer’s name was called out and he trotted all the way to the stage.  What a handsome man!!  I can’t wait to see The Normal Heart, and I loved it when he thanked his husband just like any other straight counterpart would have done (and did during the night).

Ain’t progress grand?!!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Joanne Froggatt for "Downton Abbey" (2010)

Other Nominees:

·         Allison Janney for "Mom" (2013)

·         Uzo Aduba for "Orange Is the New Black" (2013)

·         Kathy Bates for "American Horror Story" (2011)

·         Michelle Monaghan for "True Detective" (2014)

Another incredible list of performers.  I will always regret not having watched Downtown Abbey, but it’s just too much TV!!

So that’s it, the only thing of note was actually the big absence of the usual players from the networks, like where was Modern Family, a perennial favorite and winner at the Emmy’s?

The networks got overwhelmed by cable it seems and if they don’t find a way to up their game (a tall order not having the option of pushing sex and violence - and foul language - like cable can) they’ll never get back on top.

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