I always get very frustrated with awards show. They always seem to get something really important wrong. It always feels like they take forever. The people you want to win never win. The presenters are always boring and rehearsed. Well the Golden Globes seems to have escaped every single one of those last night.
Last nights Golden Globes was the most entertaining awards show I have seen in years (Ricky Gervais holding a beer… priceless). It felt like everyone that won actually made me feel good that they did. Slumdog picking up best director for Boyle was well deserved because what he did took a tremendous amount of skill. It also won best adapted screenplay which was really a toss up between all of them and I wouldn’t have been pissed with any pick. As far as best picture goes after it won several awards I think it was obvious that Slumdog would win and I’m not really complaining. I don’t think it will go on to win an Oscar for best picture, but it felt good last night.
Where they really got things right was with every single acting category for film. I think everyone that deserved to win did. Kate Winslet smashed every role she had this year and has been doing that for several years. She deserved both awards and I don’t think anyone came close to bettering her performances. Colin Farrell was wonderful with In Bruges and I think he was right in saying half of that is Brendan Gleeson’s. Heath won and quite frankly it felt just as good as we all thought it would. Sally Hawkin was spectacular in Happy-Go-Lucky and if you don’t believe me watch it and tell me there was someone better. Finally what can I say about Mickey that isn’t obvious? He stood out in one of the toughest years to choose a best actor and that bit where he thanked his dogs just shows how real his performance was in The Wrestler.
Springsteen with best song and Wall-E for best animated were givens and well deserved. It was good that most of the night there were no real upsets or mistakes. I wish In Bruges would have won but it’s the Hollywood Foreign Press and they love Woody Allen. In Bruges deserved it and definitely is Top 10 of 2008 while Vicky, Christina, Barcelona isn’t. I think the Oscars will be pretty much the same with nominations though it will be interesting to see who wins because Slumdog was good but Revolutionary Road was great.
Bravo Golden Globes Bravo