Golden Globes 2014

So it’s January. That means Awards Season is well under way. As always with the start of the New Year, the Golden Globes are the first high-profile televised awards broadcast, and it’s a night for the stars to kick up their heels, have a drink (or 5), and get a little rowdy in a way that only Hollywood does best. This year was quite the year for film and television, and although the nominations by the Hollywood Foreign Press (HFP) are usually not the most agreed upon or necessarily the most prestigious, they surely have something for everyone to talk about. Whereas the Oscars are a more serious and classier event, the Golden Globes are a night where stars say everything or anything they couldn’t–or shouldn’t–say, come Oscar night. Interestingly enough, unlike past Awards seasons, this year the Globes have chosen to nominate, vote, and broadcast their winners all before the Academy Awards have even released their nominations. Perhaps the Globes are trying to secure their own viewership and set themselves apart from the fast approaching Oscars, or maybe their just as eager as we at Night Film Reviews are for Awards Season to start. Either way, without further ado, here is the list of nominees and winners but with my own personal take on the verdicts. Which awards were well deserved and which were clear snubs? There were some interesting developments to come from this evening so I’m giving you a sneak-peak into my predictions and how the winners of tonight could possibly have a great impact on the Oscar nominations announced this coming Thursday.

Now let’s get this party started!

71st Annual Golden Globes Award Nominees and Winners are…

Best Motion Picture-Drama

*12 Years a Slave (2013) – WINNER!

Captain Phillips (2013)

Gravity (2013) – SHOULD HAVE WON

Rush (2013)

Philomena (2013)

My Thoughts: Gravity is quite possibly one of the greatest science-fiction/reality films to ever be made. It is a monumental achievement in the special effects department and was also revolutionary in opening the door for new achievements for cinema in the future. It’s too bad it didn’t take home the the big one tonight so it could have used that momentum to earn itself a real shot at the Academy Awards this March.

Steve McQueen has put together the drama of all dramas this year with the slavery-driven bio-pic of Solomon Northup. The memoir is a brutal descent into the the world of slavery, and McQueen and company bring this harsh and unrelenting truth into high artful fashion. As a character development and fine piece of acting, the film deserves the win without question. Surprisingly, the film was the front-runner to pick up the most wins tonight, and, in a very strange turn of events, the film went on only to win 1 Globe for Best Dramatic Motion Picture of the year. And after losing in every category all night, the audience along with McQueen himself, were shocked to have come away with the biggest award of the night.

Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy 

*American Hustle (2013) – WINNER!

her (2013) – SHOULD HAVE WON

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Nebraska (2013)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2103)

My Thoughts: her is my favourite film of 2013 and quite possibly the most inventive love story in recent memory. It’s a raw piece of story telling, advancing the believability of places the human heart can go and a look into a future we might have to get used to if we all don’t stop looking at are phones and start looking into the eyes of one another. Since American Hustle came away with the top acting categories for a Musical or Comedy for the girls (Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams for Supporting Actress and Lead Actress, respectively), by the time the winner  for this category was announced, we all pretty much saw it coming. Not to mention the star power of Jennifer Lawrence lately is one you best not mess with.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama 

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave – SHOULD HAVE WON

Idris Elba – Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom

Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips

*Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club – WINNER!

Robert Redford – All is Lost

My Thoughts: In the biggest surprise of the evening, it seems like the Matthew McConaughey freight train cannot be stopped. If you didn’t think his performance as Ron Woodruff didn’t have a shot at Oscar glory before the Globes, better think again. I loved McConaughey in DBC, but if all truth be told, there was a clear favourite and more deserving actor who should have taken home the Globe, as well as one more actor who should have won before him on this list. Let’s see what the Academy whips up on Thursday with their nominations.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama 

*Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine – WINNER!

Sandra Bullock – Gravity – SHOULD HAVE WON

Judi Dench – Philomena

Emma Thompson – Saving Mr. Banks

Kate Winslet – Labor Day

My Thoughts: The Blind Side was a joke of a film. But, if there ever was a movie Sandra Bullock deserved some awards love, it’s definitely for Gravity. I’m not sure what the film world has in store for Bullock’s, but I do think that Gravity will be one of, if not THE, acting highlight of her career as an actress. As for Blanchett winning for Blue Jasmine, if you saw the movie then there was no way you didn’t see this coming. Blanchett plays an absolute commanding lead role as a fiery cannonball of a woman in Woody Allen‘s 2013 film. Blanchett is a timeless actress that has the ability to deliver on so many levels. This win in particular just seemed a bit uneventful in retrospect, especially since it happened right after McConaughey‘s surprise win, which surely overshadowed it.

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

Christian Bale – American Hustle

Bruce Dern – Nebraska

*Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street – WINNER!

Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis – SHOULD HAVE WON

Joaquin Phoenix – her

My Thoughts: If many you thought Leo couldn’t shake is string of bad fortune come Awards night, then you obviously forgot that he won almost a decade ago for his lead in Scorsese‘s The Aviator. His role in Scorsese‘s The Wolf of Wall Street is unlike anything he has ever done, and like he said during the telecast, who ever thought he would win anything in the comedy/musical category. But behold, his versatility has shed light to a talent no one expected him to have, although his win this year will surely be drowned out by the controversy of the film. Either way, do not expect him to come away with the big win March 2nd at the Oscars, not because the Academy hates him, but because there simply were better performances throughout the year.

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

*Amy Adams – American Hustle – WINNER!

Julie Delpy – Before Midnight –  SHOULD HAVE WON

Greta Gerwig – Frances Ha

Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Enough Said

Meryl Streep – August: Osage County

My Thoughts: The Before film trilogy is one of the first ever independent film trilogies to have started from the film festival circuit and one of the only trilogies that continues to get better with each entry. Delpy not only adopts the trilogy as screenwriter but truly makes the film her own with a powerfully real and sometimes recognizable performance about men and women in relationships. Adams is a solid actress in Hollywood today and one that can deliver a great performance in anything she’s in. Although her performance in American Hustle was outstanding and one that you can’t really hate or disagree with, Adams was deserving of a win, somewhere, anywhere! Either way, you can’t knock the hustle.

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

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips

Daniel Brühl – Rush

Bradley Cooper – American Hustle

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

*Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club  – WINNER!

My Thoughts: Looks like the Hollywood Foreign Press made their first right choice of the night by rewarding Leto with a performance that is transformative and unflinching. His speech my not have been the best, but, its hard being a rock-star, fantastic actor, and articulate speaker. Thankfully, the HFP got it right! Sorry Fassbender.

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

*Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle  – WINNER!

Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave – SHOULD HAVE WON

Julia Roberts – August: Osage County

June Squibb – Nebraska

My Thoughts: I’m not sure what the obsession with Jennifer Lawrence is in Hollywood right now, but there is no doubting the acting force behind Lupita‘s performance in McQueen‘s 12 Years a Slave. Her performance is the powerhouse performance of the year and one of the most emotionally exhausting and excruciatingly complex performances in quite some time. Lupita was robbed hands down, but Lawrence is a force no one can reckon with. Hopefully come Oscar time, Lupita can regain her rightful thrown to Oscar glory.

Best Director – Motion Picture 

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave 

*Alfonso Cuarón – Gravity – WINNER!

Paul Greengrass – Captain Phillips

David O. Russell – American Hustle

Alexander Payne – Nebraska

My Thoughts: The truth of the matter is, Cuarón crafted a meticulous film with extensive detail and gained the most spectacular performance out of Sandra Bullock. It was well worth the long wait of almost a decade for the film for both audiences and all in the field of VFX. The two expected winners were McQueen and Cuarón, and whomever would be chosen, I was happy either way. The only way I could have been happier is if there was a tie and two awards were given instead of one.

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture 

John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave

David O. Russell – American Hustle

*Spike Jonze – her – WINNER!

Alexander Payne – Nebraska

Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope – Philomena

My Thoughts: Spike Jonze wrote one of the most brilliant screenplays of the year and most articulate and inventive romances for the ages, with an open mind. This was a no brainer for one of the best gems of 2013.

Best Original Song 

Frozen – Let it Go

Inside Llewyn Davis – Please Mr. Kennedy

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Atlas

*Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom – Ordinary Love – WINNER!

One Chance – Sweeter Than Fiction

My Thoughts: When Bono is in the running, all bets are off. If you have any time to bet on anything, always bet the house on Bono.

Best Original Score 

*All is Lost – Alex Ebert – WINNER!

The Book Thief – John Williams

Gravity – Steven Price – SHOULD HAVE WON

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – Alex Heffes

12 Years a Slave – Hanz Zimmer

My Thoughts: I don’t think there was a more inventive score this year than Steven Price‘s for Gravity. Zimmer may have delivered the most engaging and emotionally manipulating of the year which is always good for a composer, but Ebert‘s win allowed for one of the best and most natural moments of the night complete with a fantastic speech and stellar cameo from P. Diddy. Who would have thought?!– Just “Let it flow!”

Best Animated Film 

*Frozen – WINNER!

The Croods

Despicable Me 2

My Thoughts: To all you Awards buffs, I’m sure it comes as great surprise that Pixar’s film of the year did not even make the category as a nominee. Instead the HFP opted for the Disney favourite to lead the category. To be completely honest, the animation category has a tendency to be rather predictable and as such it’s definitely not one of my favourites, but even something so routine as the Animated Film category managed to surprise.

Best Foreign Language Film 

Blue is the Warmest Colour – SHOULD HAVE WON

*The Great Beauty – WINNER!

The Hunt

The Past

The Wind Rises

My Thoughts: I thought for sure that since the Academy wasn’t able to honour the most controversial festival film and foreign language film of the year with Blue is the Warmest Colour, the HFP would have capitalized on the opportunity to differentiate themselves from the Academy. Instead, they opted for The Great Beauty, an Italian film that I will surely be chucking out quite soon.

So there you have it! The 71st Annual Golden Globes have come and gone! The spinnakers broke, the red carpet was ruined, the bottles were emptied, Amy Poehler made out with Bono and Matthew McConaughey stole the show with his win for The Dallas Buyers Club. Leave your thoughts, comments and fav moments from the Golden Globes below from anything about surprises and snubs to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s indubitable ability to host absolutely anything. Above all don’t forget to let us know what you thought about the Hollywood Foreign’s Press’ choices for the best of the year!

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