Kate Winslet is a woman with a secret in the Golden Globe nominated drama "The Reader"The HFPA is hardly among my favorite “film associations” in the world and I don’t even feel like having my yearly rant about how inept their choices for the Golden Globe Awards seem to be. I don’t get the prestige of this precursor and I’m sure most people out there question their relevance these days but hey, let's not forget the one thing we’ve learned through all these years of awards-watching: it’s definitely not about what we consider a serious precursor or not…
Some quick reactions (on how today’s surprises may affect the Oscars):
MILK
Possibly the best English-language film of the year (and the second best film of 2008 after Italy’s haunting Gomorrah) was left out from the Best Picture (Drama) race but to be fair, I can’t point a film from the actual lineup of nominees that would deserve to be replaced by Gus Van Sant’s redeeming biopic (Actually this seems to be one of those years when six nominees where more than required).
THE READER
A “late entry” to this year’s game seems eventually poised to collect the love (and votes) from the famously loyal demographic that pushed the divisive Atonement to a Best Picture nod last year but at this point, the Kate Winslet’s awards-vehicle still has an impending battle with Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino that in the end may cross out both dramas from the main competition.
BEST PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
Nice to see quality indie-filmmaking getting recognized (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, In Bruges and Happy-Go-Lucky) and it’s nice to see the well-produced and highly profitable adaptation of Broadway’s Mamma Mia! representing the musical genre over, ehem, High School Musical 3 and… Australia? (Sorry, can’t still determine what genre that one was supposed to be). Burn After Reading was a semi-functional follow-up to the Coens’ NCfOM and the award-winning brothers should be more than happy with this mainstream honor. Vicky Cristina Barcelona should win this one easily on europeanness alone.
JAMES FRANCO
He played devoted “supporting wife” with genuine charm and sensitivity in Milk but the HFPA considered him more worthy of recognition for his hilarious performance in The Pineapple Express. While I think Franco is still in the running for that coveted Oscar nod, competition from co-star (and fellow snubbee) Josh Brolin may jeopardize his long-term awards hope. Still, expect Franco to win his second Golden Globe (that’s right) unless Dustin Hoffman upsets with Last Chance Harvey.
CELEBRITIES OVER ACTORS
Critics and audiences have embraced lesser-known faces like Melissa Leo, Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon but in typical HFPA-fashion, we only get the “big names” invited to the open-bar party. In a year where only half of the Brangelina duo is deserving of acting recognition (you tell me which half) and Tom Cruise gets sympathy votes for an effective, but hardly awards-worthy, cameo; I’m surprised to see veteran and well-regarded talent Kristin Scott Thomas making the Best Actress (Drama) lineup over glamazons Keira Knightley or Kate Beckinsale.
REBECCA HALL
Penelope Cruz will likely take another Oscar to Europe in a few more weeks thanks to her stunning performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona but if you ask me, Britain’s Rebecca Hall was the real show stealer in the Woody Allen comedy and at least we can say the HFPA got it right here.
KATE WINSLET
She has been nominated for five Oscars and she has lost the five times but guess what, she has also been nominated for five less-important Golden Globe Awards and the outcome has also been the same (with two extra nods this year to possibly make the statistic even more depressing). I have this strange feeling right now that either Winslet begins taking awards soon or she will turn into the Deborah Kerr of our time. That, whether we like it or not.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
Our editor Clayton Davis was probably the first to champion Robert Downey Jr.’s controversial performance in the big, studio comedy Tropic Thunder and what seemed like a longshot last summer, it’s now a solid possibility for the man who also played Iron Man this year.
OTHER PEOPLE I LOVE TO SEE NOMINATED
Mickey Rourke (the “comeback kid”) and Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler, Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell for IN BRUGES and the cast of Doubt (Especially Viola Davis).
PEOPLE I THINK WE ARE MISSING…
Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight; Gus Van Sant, James Franco and Josh Brolin for Milk; Debra Winger and Rosemarie DeWitt for Rachel Getting Married and Melissa Leo for Frozen River.
PEOPLE THAT MAKE ME THINK “THESE ARE THE GLOBES”
Tom Cruise for Tropic Thunder and Angelina Jolie for The Changeling (don’t hate me).
Some quick reactions (on how today’s surprises may affect the Oscars):
MILK
Possibly the best English-language film of the year (and the second best film of 2008 after Italy’s haunting Gomorrah) was left out from the Best Picture (Drama) race but to be fair, I can’t point a film from the actual lineup of nominees that would deserve to be replaced by Gus Van Sant’s redeeming biopic (Actually this seems to be one of those years when six nominees where more than required).
THE READER
A “late entry” to this year’s game seems eventually poised to collect the love (and votes) from the famously loyal demographic that pushed the divisive Atonement to a Best Picture nod last year but at this point, the Kate Winslet’s awards-vehicle still has an impending battle with Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino that in the end may cross out both dramas from the main competition.
BEST PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
Nice to see quality indie-filmmaking getting recognized (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, In Bruges and Happy-Go-Lucky) and it’s nice to see the well-produced and highly profitable adaptation of Broadway’s Mamma Mia! representing the musical genre over, ehem, High School Musical 3 and… Australia? (Sorry, can’t still determine what genre that one was supposed to be). Burn After Reading was a semi-functional follow-up to the Coens’ NCfOM and the award-winning brothers should be more than happy with this mainstream honor. Vicky Cristina Barcelona should win this one easily on europeanness alone.
JAMES FRANCO
He played devoted “supporting wife” with genuine charm and sensitivity in Milk but the HFPA considered him more worthy of recognition for his hilarious performance in The Pineapple Express. While I think Franco is still in the running for that coveted Oscar nod, competition from co-star (and fellow snubbee) Josh Brolin may jeopardize his long-term awards hope. Still, expect Franco to win his second Golden Globe (that’s right) unless Dustin Hoffman upsets with Last Chance Harvey.
CELEBRITIES OVER ACTORS
Critics and audiences have embraced lesser-known faces like Melissa Leo, Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon but in typical HFPA-fashion, we only get the “big names” invited to the open-bar party. In a year where only half of the Brangelina duo is deserving of acting recognition (you tell me which half) and Tom Cruise gets sympathy votes for an effective, but hardly awards-worthy, cameo; I’m surprised to see veteran and well-regarded talent Kristin Scott Thomas making the Best Actress (Drama) lineup over glamazons Keira Knightley or Kate Beckinsale.
REBECCA HALL
Penelope Cruz will likely take another Oscar to Europe in a few more weeks thanks to her stunning performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona but if you ask me, Britain’s Rebecca Hall was the real show stealer in the Woody Allen comedy and at least we can say the HFPA got it right here.
KATE WINSLET
She has been nominated for five Oscars and she has lost the five times but guess what, she has also been nominated for five less-important Golden Globe Awards and the outcome has also been the same (with two extra nods this year to possibly make the statistic even more depressing). I have this strange feeling right now that either Winslet begins taking awards soon or she will turn into the Deborah Kerr of our time. That, whether we like it or not.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
Our editor Clayton Davis was probably the first to champion Robert Downey Jr.’s controversial performance in the big, studio comedy Tropic Thunder and what seemed like a longshot last summer, it’s now a solid possibility for the man who also played Iron Man this year.
OTHER PEOPLE I LOVE TO SEE NOMINATED
Mickey Rourke (the “comeback kid”) and Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler, Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell for IN BRUGES and the cast of Doubt (Especially Viola Davis).
PEOPLE I THINK WE ARE MISSING…
Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight; Gus Van Sant, James Franco and Josh Brolin for Milk; Debra Winger and Rosemarie DeWitt for Rachel Getting Married and Melissa Leo for Frozen River.
PEOPLE THAT MAKE ME THINK “THESE ARE THE GLOBES”
Tom Cruise for Tropic Thunder and Angelina Jolie for The Changeling (don’t hate me).
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Posts
First thing to get off my chest is I just don't get all this praise for Happy Go Lucky. I went to see it expecting big things and it's just an average small indie. And the performance that Sally Hawkins played I felt was borderline annoying after awhile.
ReplyDeleteThe Globes are getting very close to be not taken seriously if they are not already.
I don't fault the Cruise nod, as it's a big reason why you remember the movie.
Richard Jenkins, Melissa Leo, Milk, The Dark Knight and Chris Nolan are strong omissions. And what are Rebbeca Hall and Frances McDormand doing getting voted as leads ? Those are clearly supporting roles.
I guarnatee you that you will see different names at the Sag and Oscar awards.
Angelina jolie was great!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou don't know which one to remove for "Milk"??? Easy - Frost/Nixon! I'm not saying it is a bad movie, but its main strength is the acting, nothing else. If anything Michael Sheen should have been nominated but the Suporting Actor cat this year is crowded already (even though this is hardly because of Tom Cruise or Ralph Fiennes).
ReplyDeleteF/N doesn't get anywhere near the level of all around quality of Milk or The Dark Knight. And Ron Howard instead of Gus Van Sant or Christopher Nolan??? Please!!! As you say, these are the Globes, no point in taking them seriously.