2015 Golden Globe Picks
While most people are still enjoying the festive holiday season and summer holidays, my excitement is reserved counting down the sleeps for the award season about to commence.
Hosted a second year running by the unpredictable Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the Golden Globes on Monday January 12th AEST (Sun Jan 11th Los Angeles time) are always a loose affair anyway due to the flowing champagne at large spherical dinner tables spread around the auditorium and mixture of nominees from both motion pictures and television.
It used to be dismissed as a popularity contest but over time, the Globes have become more respected. Last year an ongoing theme whenever the name of legendary director ‘Scorsese’ was said at anytime, everyone had to take a drink. As voted by Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the winners are often a prelude to Oscar glory, however there have also been many controversial winners over the years many arriving semi-drunk to the podium. One instance in 1998 when Michael J. Fox announced Christine Lahti won for TV drama Chicago Hope, she did not appear then only to be fetched from the toilet. Only a year earlier Madonna won best actress for Evita resulting in me jumping so high off the lounge with joy the television set toppled over where it remained until the princess of pop finished her speech. This year I’m finding it hard to define a standout but two things are certain: Boyhood will deservedly reign and someone will stumble up the stairs.
Best Actress motion picture Drama
JENNIFER ANNISTON – CAKE
FELICITY JONES – THEORY OF EVERYTHING
JULIANNE MOORE – STILL ALICE
ROSAMUND PIKE – GONE GIRL
REESE WITHERSPOON – WILD
My pick – Julianne Moore. I thought Rosamund Pike had it won with her extraordinary freaky Gone Girl persona, then I saw Still Alice with its Alzheimer’s themes, Moore breaks your heart.
Best Actor motion picture Drama
STEVE CARELL – FOXCATCHER
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH – IMITATION GAME
JAKE GYLLENHAAL – NIGHTCRAWLER
DAVID OYELOWO – SELMA
EDDIE REDMAYNE – THEORY OF EVERYTHING
My pick – Eddie Redmayne. Toughest category, all five brilliant, Carell unrecognisable, Gyllenhaal repellent, Redman wins portraying physicist, cosmologist Stephen Hawking.
Best Actress motion picture Comedy/Musical
AMY ADAMS – BIG EYES
EMILY BLUNT – INTO THE WOODS
HELEN MIRREN – HUNDRED FOOT JOURNEY
JULIANNE MOORE – MAPS TO THE STARS
QUVENZHANE WALLIS – ANNIE
My pick – Emily Blunt. Just pipping Helen Mirren will be the singing bakers wife Emily Blunt, however a definite upset may be pre-teen Wallis as all singing all dancing little orphan Annie.
Best Actor motion picture Comedy/Musical
RALPH FEINNES – GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
MICHAEL KEATON – BIRDMAN
BILL MURRAY – ST.VINCENT
JOAQUIN PHOENIX – INHERENT VICE
CHRISTOPH WALTZ – BIG EYES
My pick – Michael Keaton. Whoever wins the speech is going to be unforgettable, all deserve the globe. Murray shines as St.Vincent, Keaton wins as a fireball juggling his sanity and dignity.
Best supporting Actress motion picture
PATRICIA ARQUETTE – BOYHOOD
JESSICA CHASTAIN – MOST VIOLENT YEAR
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – IMITATION GAME
EMMA STONE – BIRDMAN
MERYL STREEP – INTO THE WOODS
My pick – Patricia Arquette. 12 years of irregular filming of a shifting script would not have been easy, Arquette is riveting. Streep can never be discounted, Stone is worthy of an upset.
Best supporting Actor motion picture
ROBERT DUVALL – THE JUDGE
ETHAN HAWKE – BOYHOOD
EDWARD NORTON – BIRDMAN
MARK RUFFALO – FOXCATCHER
JK SIMMONS – WHIPLASH
My pick JK Simmons. No explanation needed for all who saw Whiplash, JK has this category won. Duvall a chance as a sympathy vote for an awesome body of work, he is great in The Judge.
Best film Comedy/Musical
BIRDMAN
GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
INTO THE WOODS
PRIDE
ST.VINCENT
My pick – Grand Budapest Hotel. Way back in March, I said Budapest would receive award accolades for quirky cinematic perfection. Led by the unique Birdman and the foreign press favourite Into The Woods, all are capable of a win while it’s great to see Pride recognised.
Best film Drama
BOYHOOD
FOXCATCHER
IMITATION GAME
SELMA
THEORY OF EVERYTHING
My pick – Boyhood. If a movie could win for impact of the final quarter, Imitation Game nails it, Boyhood took 12 years, amazing dedication for all concerned, a remarkable on screen achievement we may not experience again. Talk has been supporting Selma, a possible upset.
Best Director motion picture
WES ANDERSON – GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
AVA DUVERNAY – SELMA
DAVID FINCHER – GONE GIRL
ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU – BIRDMAN
RICHARD LINKLATER – BOYHOOD
My pick – Richard Linklater. Hard to go past the Boyhood auteur risking reputation and other people’s money on an extraordinary project, keeping the same cast literally showing evolving life. Personally Budapest has my heart, Selma is potent, lone female Duvernay could surprise.
Honourable mentions
Animation – Lego Movie
Foreign – Leviathan (Russia)
Screenplay – Wes Anderson; Grand Budapest Hotel
Score – Hans Zimmer – Interstellar
Television Drama – Downton Abby
Televison Comedy/Musical – Orange is the New Black
Television mini-series – True Detective / Fargo (dead-heat)
Shane A. Bassett
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