Globes Follow Up

Well, that was a bit of a cockslap... but only in some respects. The 67th Annual Golden Globes just finished airing, so, as always, I'm going to give you my lowdown on how the night turned out. Avatar came out as the big winner of the night, winning both Best Picture-Drama, and Director. James Cameron was very gracious and indeed a little surprised that Kathryn Bigelow didn't win for The Hurt Locker, as was everyone else. I'm not that surprised myself. It was always going to come between Bigelow's war drama and Cameron's sci-fi epic. Inglourious Basterds, Precious, and Up In The Air didn't have the critical praise and relatable topic of The Hurt Locker or the commercial and critical success of Avatar. Besides, if I had to choose, I would pick Avatar anyway. Don't get me wrong, The Hurt Locker is a great movie, and if any film is going to challenge Avatar for its practically assured Oscar win, it will be that one. But Avatar has was just a better movie-going experience. It was revolutionary; you can't deny that now. But, I'm not gonna dwell on that anymore. It's between Avatar and The Hurt Locker for the big win, and I will be fine with either one winning. On to more interesting categories. There are three film awards that have me in a righteous fury right now. First off: Best Picture-Musical or Comedy, which The Hangover won. What? How the fuck did The Hangover win over (500) Days of Summer? How can anyone say that Todd Phillips' R-rated flick is better then Marc Webb's amazing rom-com, and keep a straight face? It's like comparing a fresh baked chocolate souffle, and one from a box. Both are good, but one is significantly better then the other. Since we're on the subject of lock of (500) Days of Summer love, let's move on to Best Actor-Musical or Comedy. Robert Downey Jr. won for his kickboxing badass turn in Sherlock Holmes. Again, what? Sure, Downey was entertaining, and one of the few good things about Holmes, but how could you say it was better then Joseph Gordon-Levitt's heartbreaking performance in (500) Days? The other nominees never stood a chance. Michael Stuhlbarg, for A Serious Man, hasn't garnered any buzz at all this awards season. Neither has Matt Damon, for The Informant. Daniel Day-Lewis would have stood a chance had Nine not failed with the critics and at the box office. So, it was between Gordon-Levitt, whose film has the critical praise, and Downey Jr., whose film boasts the big box office numbers. Guess the HFPA went for quantity over quality this year. On that note, let's move on the Best Actress-Drama. Sandra Bullock won for The Blind Side. Uggg. I don't get why people are so in love with The Blind Side. Sure, it's an uplifting story with a good message, sort of, but, as with most Hollywood movies, it makes it heavy handed and pretentious. Bullock does a good job, but, of all the people in this category, she was probably the worst, with the exception of Helen Mirren, who was only nominated because she's, well, Helen Mirren. This award should have gone to Carey Mulligan, for her marvelous performance in An Education. She has no chance of winning on Oscar night now, since she has been continuously snubbed by Bullock and Meryl Streep. On Oscar night, it's gonna be between those two. So, yeah. Those are my thoughts. On other notes, Ricky Gervais did a great job as host, and I'm thrilled that Glee won for best TV Show-Musical or Comedy. I don't know how Jane Lynch didn't win, but, at least the show was recognized somehow. Expect more coverage on the awards season as we get closer to March 7.