1/12/09

Well, that was certainly better than last year!  After a strike-mandated NBC announcement special that was probably the low point in movie award history, last night brought the return of the Golden Globes we know and love, a big ol' celeb-filled party which, accordingly, finds lots of excuses to give awards to stars and doesn't bother itself too much with anything else (one writer and one composer, and you might count the director as well, although he's usually some kind of celebrity too).  Fittingly, you're more likely to win a Globe as a Really Big Star, and we saw some of that last night, particularly in Kate Winslet's sweep of the movie actress awards.  While she's got to be considered the favorite to repeat her Supporting Actress victory at the Academy Awards, bear in mind that the last actress to pull off this one-two punch (Sigourney Weaver in 1989 for Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl) didn't win either Oscar.  Winslet's speeches were a delight, although I have a bad feeling that her moving words for Titanic and Revolutionary Road co-star Leonardo DiCaprio were more entertaining to Titanic geeks like myself than the grim-looking Road will be.

Continuing a recent trend to tap Hollywood visions of Internationalism as Best Picture, the Globes opted for the curry-spiced rags-to-riches story Slumdog Millionaire as Best Picture-Drama and a European Woody Allen movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, as Best Picture-Musical or Comedy.  Slumdog has been the most honored movie of the season, although those carving its' name on an Oscar should bear in mind that your have to go back 5 years to find the last Globe winner that went on to capture the Oscar (Lord of the Rings:  The Return of the King, for the record).  I have to admit I continue to be perplexed by Millionaire's popularity among the same sorts of groups who're forever telling us movies like it are corny, cliched and unworthy of the kind of serious awards consideration reserved for dry toast like Crash and No Country for Old Men.  But to each their own, I just don't feel that Slumdog Millionaire becomes award-worthy until the last 20 minutes.

Since most of the movies in play haven't opened nationally yet, one must go with a gut feeling about who they're rooting for, and if the sensational trailer didn't already have me in The Wrestler's corner, Mickey Rourke's gloriously heartwarming acceptance speech certainly did.  It's not easy to thank your director for sticking with you even though "he couldn't get no money on my name" AND thank your dogs (both living and dead) for sticking with you when no one else would and sound sincere, but damn, he pulled it off.  And was man enough in the process that the aforementioned director (Darren Aronofsky) even flipped him the bird on live TV.  Now THAT'S putting on a show.  Another resurrection I can attest to is that of Colin Farrell in In Bruges, which netted him an upset win as Best Actor (Musical or Comedy).  Farrell was a hoot throughout the evening, presenting Best Foreign Language Film with an amusing aside about the peculiar lines the teleprompter was feeding him and then assuring us that his sniffles were a cold and "not what it used to be,"  Speaking of which, with Farrell and Robert Downey Jr. among others as prominent nominees, maybe the Globe writers could have slipped a few fewer jokes about how cool drugs are into the banter.  Just a thought.

There's a certain "Now, are they acting?" feeling one gets when Really Big Stars are overwhelmed by the moment, but there was no question that Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) Sally Hawkins really was blown away.  And why not?  Would even her closest friends and relatives have dared to imagine her on that stage while watching the dreadful Golden Globes Winners Special last year?  It was one of the feel-good moments of the night, right up there with a really grand presentation of the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award to Spielberg by legendary friend Martin Scorsese.  Can anybody match that roster of movies in his clip reel?  And his speech about mentoring and legacies passed from generation to generation was really cool.  Speaking of generations, how about the horror of learning that Miss Golden Globe Rumor Willis is now a full-grown woman.  It's not just Alec Baldwin who feels old about that.  And her Mom (is it just me or does Demi Moore only become more beautiful as she ages?) was right, she was slouching.

Of course, the moment most likely to be remembered was the Best Supporting Actor trophy captured posthumously by Heath Ledger for his instant legend performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight.  Christopher Nolan's lovely speech covered the balance of sadness and pride better than I could, so I'll just point out that the first Globe ever handed out to someone for playing a comic book villain was richly deserved, and a rare case when people won't have to go back in 20 years and say "He lost to who???"

A good show overall, I always admire the Globes ability to keep things moving even if I wish the Television Award Establishment would realize how 20 years ago TV movie and Miniseries categories are, particularly when the awards always go to movie actors.  We were reminded once again that Tom Cruise is the ultimate Guy Sitting Up Front at an awards show, since he seems to love absolutely everything that happens.  And it might just be me, but I don't think Salma Hayek cared for Sacha Baron Cohen's Guy Richie joke.