Golden Globes Wrapup

I gotta say, I didn't even bother to be home while the GG's aired. I was watching There Will Be Blood one city over. But, I couldn't let the results slide by without comment, could I? So, below is the list of winners, with my pick and the actual winner indicated. Of course, you'll see that I don't have an exhaustive list of nominees (I only commented on things I had a clue about) and I totally skipped TV (because, well, I don't watch much of it).

Best Motion Picture - Drama
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
...The greatest disappointment of the night. Unlike all these other categories, I actually watched all 7 of these movies and I cannot believe Atonement won out. I had thought NC4OM had it locked up, with DDL's tour-de-force performance giving it a run for its money in Blood. Atonement had some amazing moments: Ronan, Redgrave and McAvoy; that Dunkirk tracking shot; the "twist" ending. But really? it didn't hold a candle to the stark brutality of the Coens' masterpiece.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Jodie Foster – The Brave One
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement
...I didn't catch Jolie's performance, but having watched the other four, Christie deservedly won this award. I watched Away From Her at the 2006 TIFF and her performance still stays with me. It is poignant and prickly. I recommend watching it over all others.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy – Atonement
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington – American Gangster
...This is a strong category, but DDL's performance was simply unmatched. He brought so much malevolence and determination to the role, I would be afraid for the voters if they didn't give it to him. As Plainview says: "there's a competition in [him]" - and the others must have heard.

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
... I wouldn't have commented on this as I only watched two of these movies, but one I did watch won and I thought it was subpar to the other one I watched. Sweeney Todd was a passable film, but Juno was more clever, more relevant and just more entertaining. This was unfortunate.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams – Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky – Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page – Juno
...Having watched 3/5 of these movies, i had thought Page would beat out Adams and Bonham Carter; I haven't watched Cotillard's performance, so I shall reserve judgement.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling – Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks – Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Savages
John C. Reilly – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
... I knew he would win, because Depp was very good in th film (he can't sing himself out of a paper bag, but he can act).

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett – I'm Not There
Julia Roberts – Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
...Again, watched 3/5k, but not the winner. I think Swinton gave a fabulous performance and i had thought she was a lock for it; however, I know Blanchett can be phenomenal. Reserving judgement again.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Casey Affleck – The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem – No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta – Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
...no no no. No way. Casey Affleck not only made Brad Pitt look like a rank amateur in Jesse James, I think he acted circles around these guys. Don't get me wrong, Bardem was pretty damn stellar (and menacing in way that makes me scared to stand in front of doorknobs); but Affleck's performance was simply better. He was a bad guy and good guy, a coward and an opportunist, someone you found yourself hating to love but doing so anyway. A pity.

Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France, United States)
The Kite Runner (United States)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)
... I watched none of these. Rentals ahoy!

Best Director - Motion Picture
Tim Burton – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – No Country For Old Men
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Ridley Scott – American Gangster
Joe Wright – Atonement
...No. Way. The Coens just rocked the joint with NC4OM. I watched 4/5 (and again not the winner) and they were my runaway favourite. I feel cheated on their behalf. Schnabel will have to blow me away when I finally watch his film.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Atonement
Charlie Wilson's War
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Juno
No Country For Old Men
... Okay, so after all my praise for NC4OM, why pick Juno? It's simple really - NC4OM's strengths lie in its actors, cinematography and directing; its script is sparse and brittle, reflecting wonderfully the tone of the film. Juno's script, however, was genius: full of pithy one-liners, unique voices and goddamned good dialogue. It was heartwrenching and very very real (Bleaker's speech Juno being the meanest wife ever is classic - la la la). It could've been worse (going to Atonement, maybe), but still disappointing.

All in all I've re-learned one very important thing: awards shows hardly ever get it right. But i seem compelled to know what they think anyway. Now, for the Oscars.