Golden Globes 2014 recap
The Golden Globes are my favorite of all the award shows because they have the one component that all the others lack: booze. It’s so fun to see the celebrities socialize with each other and all the unguarded moments are worth the three hour investment. Last night’s show wasn’t as shocking or as wild as I have seen them get, but there were a few moments that made me very, very happy.
For instance, Emma Thompson should win the award for world’s best human for her introduction for best screenplay. It was the funniest thing to happen to the 71st Golden Globes, as she stood there holding a martini and her Loubitins, claiming the red on the bottom was her blood (I can relate to that). Who else could present an award barefoot? Also, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were the stars of the show as the prettiest, funniest set of cohosts EVER. From the opening monologue where they skewered (but in a good natured way) stars in attendance (Matt Damon as Garbage Man? hee hee), to the Mr.-Golden-Globes bit with Amy dressed as Tina’s ungrateful, a-hole son, they found the exact right tone for this type of event and were ABSOLUTELY not around enough. Past presenters have tried too hard to get the mean laugh, but they found a good balance with jokes that didn’t make us feel bad for laughing – they even worked in a tactful joke about best picture winner, 12 Years A Slave, which probably would’ve went terribly wrong coming from Ricky Gervais.
Also, Jacqueline Bisset delivered the night’s most awkward moment, as she was caught off guard and rambled on and on incoherently – YouTube it; it’s worth it. And I must mention the wardrobe malfunction that was Robin Wright’s pasty—shout out to double-sided tape. But enough about the filler… let’s talk about the winners (and maybe a little about the losers).
The night was made for me when Andy Samberg won for best actor in a comedy and Brooklyn Nine Nine for best comedy series. Both were a long shot in the respective categories, and nobody seemed more shocked to win than Samberg. In a speech that was some parts honesty, some parts ironic snark, he secured his place in my heart – but more importantly, in the popular culture. Maybe people will start watching this show. It’s so funny. Amy Poehler MOST DESERVEDLY won for best actress in a comedy.
She’s been nominated three times and has never one, so it seemed the natural thing for her to win the year she co-hosted. Breaking Bad did pretty well, winning best series, and with Bryan Cranston winning best actor, but I think it was a travesty for Jon Voight to win for his role in Ray Donovan over Aaron Paul. Ray Donovan is a good show, but come on… who can (or should) compete with the Breaking Bad juggernaut? Robin Wright won the best actress in a TV drama over heavy hitters like Julianna Marguiles and Kerry Washington, but the ultimate sting (in my humble opinion) was to new-comer Tatiana Maslany of the new show Orphan Black on BBC America. If you think I’m alone in this, just look up the hashtag #TatianaWasRobbed. She deserved that win. In other, unsurprising news, Behind the Candelabra took home best miniseries and best actor for Michael Douglas – deja vous from the Emmys last year.
The awards for the movies didn’t provide too many upsets either. In fact, I pretty much predicted most of the winners, as did every other critic with an opinion. The Hollywood Foreign Press is a predictable body, and the winners pretty much fell in line with my expectations. Leonoardo
DiCaprio, did surprise me however, with the win for best actor for Wolf of Wall Street; he was the dark horse in my opinion, as was Jared Leto, yet he won best supporting actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. This was (by his own admission) a transformative role and he won the award fair-and-square. Matthew McConnaughey also represented DBC with his win for best actor in a drama, and he earned it. This movie was so emotional for me, I am still thinking about it. See it now! My favorite pick, American Hustle, had a pretty good night with the win for best comedy/musical picture and Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence both taking home statues. This movie deserves the hype and is worth seeing, and Jennifer is so endearing, having perfected the art of the rehearsed-unrehearsed speech (and who stole the show photobombing friend, Taylor Swift). Let’s see if the Oscars think so. I was holding my breath for Cate Blanchett to win, and lo-and-behold she did. Her role in Blue Jasmine was one of the most stunning and real performances of the year, and presents an opportunity to witness what it means for an actor to be an artist.
Lastly, 12 Years a Slave won for best drama film, but were we expecting anything else? This film was made for best picture and it deserves it, hands down. This movie, however, is so hard to watch, I wonder how many people will actually sit through it (even though they probably need to). All the other nominees were over looked, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassenbender, Lupita Nyongo and deserved some acknowledgement for a well-acted, well-executed movie.
Overall, I think the Golden Globes underperformed this year in terms of whacky entertainment and wild times. I am disappointed in the lack of booze-related mishaps, although drunk Affleck is my new favorite Affleck. The winners had to walk so far to the stage to accept their awards, that it became the biggest time suck of the night, dragging out excruciatingly for the TV folks, quarantined to the back row. Eventually, everyone was getting played off after only a few moments, and it seemed rushed, which doesn’t allow for much shenanigans. At least McConnaughey had enough time to do his Dazed and Confused bit.
What did you think? Tweet me @sroseholt with your thoughts.