The 77th Golden Globe Awards, honouring the best in television and film, were presented last Sunday. As well as Ricky Gervais jokes at everyone in the gala, there was a bit of controversy with some of the awards given that night.
Succession, Joaquin Phoenix, Parasite, Chernobyl, Awkwafina… Some well-deserved Golden Globe wins indeed, however, how is it possible that the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture was given to Brad Pitt rather than Al Pacino in The Irishman. Which, by the way, didn’t get any awards? Or give the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy to Taron Egerton for Rocketman? How much money did Elton John give to get Egerton the award?
The Golden Globes are over now. Yet, I want to bring some justice and that’s why here I bring you who I think deserved to win or get nominated – but weren’t in the end. Should we begin?
Best Actress
Winner: Renee Zellweger
My pick: Scarlett Johansson
Renee Zellweger’s performance as Hollywood legend Judy Garland is the good old case of legend biopic. It seems a given now that any actor portraying a music or cinema legend will, whether the performance is good or not, get an award. Just as Rami Malek did last year with a far superior Christian Bale performance.
This year, every actress in this category, from Scarlett Johnson’s vulnerable and raw portrayal of Nicole in Marriage Story, to Saoirse Ronan’s fresh take as Jo March in Little Women, were more deserving of the Golden Globe.
Best Picture – Comedy
Winner: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
My pick: Jojo Rabbit
Now, this was truly a shocker. Don’t get me wrong, Tarantino is an incredible filmmaker, a legendary one, but OUATIH (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) is far from his best film. Very far actually. Out of his nine films it is probably one of the three worst.
My pick for this category is Jojo Rabbit, a close call, considering the success of Knives Out in reviving the whodunnit genre. But Jojo Rabbit truly is the best comedy of the year, and cements Taika Waititi as the best comedy director of the year. Jojo Rabbit’s premise is risqué and definitely not an easy one to execute. It’s a comedy about Nazi Germany whose protagonist is a Hitler youth 10-year-old, and whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler. That’s risky, but Waititi finds the perfect balance, making Jojo Rabbit the best comedy of the year.
Best Actor – Comedy or Musical
Winner: Taron Egerton
My pick: Daniel Craig
Just like in the best actress category, we have a not so great performance of a business legend taking home the gold. Both Taron Egerton and Rocketman were quite frankly mediocre, and their spots should be filled by someone else. Well, at least that should be the case, if not for Hollywood’s love for biopics and English people. I’m sure Elton is jubilant. How Daniel Craig didn’t win this is still a mystery to me. His performance in Knives Out was histrionic, yes, but it was brilliant in its hyperbole and very much deserved the Golden Globe nod.
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Brad Pitt
My pick: Al Pacino
Ok, this one is a bit more debatable. Brad Pitt’s performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was good, it was very good. Granted, it was Brad Pitt good. You know, when he doesn’t smile and he sort of doesn’t move much and does that weird thing with his jaw, and you always know it’s Brad Pitt and not the character he’s playing. But he did that really well regardless. However, it’s hard for me to overlook the performances of both Pesci and Pacino in The Irishman. These two legends put it all in and were probably the best part of the movie. Especially Pacino who plays Hoffa flawlessly and really makes you enjoy every scene he’s a part of, bringing all his talent to the forefront of Scorsese’s latest film.
Best Director
Winner: Sam Mendes
My pick: Greta Gerwig
This one is just straight-up hilarious. Yes 1917 is an awesome epic, it is shot wonderfully, in that Birdman fashion of making it all look like one massive long tracking shot, and that is commendable, but even Sam Mendes was surprised he won. That’s not me assuming, go look at the video of him winning. He genuinely looks shocked to have won the Golden Globe, which is how a lot of us reacted when his name was read out on Golden Globe night. On the other hand, Greta Gerwig’s direction of Little Woman was the best of the year setting aside Parasite director Bong Joon Ho. I, however, prefer Gerwig, who wasn’t even nominated. Yes, that’s right, when you read the academy tell you there are no women to nominate. That’s a pretty big lie, since the best director of the year is a woman.
Best Screenplay
Winner: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
My pick: Marriage Story
There’s one undeniable truth in Hollywood and that is that Quentin Tarantino is a great screenwriter. He’s one of the best ever, but his latest movies have neither the best story nor the best dialogue construction. That honour lies with both Parasite and Marriage Story respectively. While Parasite has the most exciting story by far, Noah Baumbach’s writing talent is among the very best in the business and Marriage Story is his greatest work and the best script of the year. You only need to watch the movie to see why. Honestly watch it, you won’t regret it. Baumbach is a master at writing realistic human dialogue, and his latest film is the epitome of this mastery.
Nevertheless the winners of this year’s Golden Globe Awards have already been announced. And, unless we call Doc and McFly to go back to the past, no one can change the awards given that night. At least Ricky Gervais roasting everyone in the industry was a treat to watch.