And yet, buoyed by more respectable picks in recent years and a three-year hosting stint by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the boozy Globes have been on the rise, even if their choices won’t directly affect who will get that coveted Oscar nomination. What distinguished Gervais’ previous appearances was the attempt to position him as a unsafe, rebellious, take-no-prisoners host – a tough sell when he was making jokes about things like Hugh Hefner being really old. Ever since Gervais refused to take the event seriously when he first hosted it in 2011, the night itself has seen its respectability drop several rungs.
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Action star Sylvester Stallone was named best supporting actor for his portrayal of boxer, Rocky Balboa, in Creed. I think all awards shows are different, and while some shows may end up with the same acting awards or technical achievement, the bigger categories such as best director and best picture are less clear.
“The Martian” is the victor of the best comedy film Golden Globe.
The latter is a mortal lock for DiCaprio, a Golden Globe victor Sunday night for The Revenant.
And Brie Larson – as predicted – took home the Lead Actress, Drama award. Nine of out the last 15 men to win the Globe in this category also won the Oscar. The two films – split in separate categories by Globes organizers, meaning they were not competing against each other – are now in prime position as Hollywood’s annual awards season heats up ahead of the Oscars on February 28. She bested Blanchett and “Carol” co-star Rooney Mara.
Adding to this confusion: Vikander has another performance in contention for best supporting actress this year.
Veteran Maura Tierney won a supporting actress for her work as the spurned wife in Showtime’s “The Affair”, a role that required a lot of quiet seething. A second Oscar for Winslet (she won for The Reader in 2009) feels premature, and Vikander is a hot star on the rise.
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The timing of Sunday’s awards is particularly good for the 20th Century Fox release “The Revenant”, which opened wide in theaters over the weekend and scored a surprising $38 million at the box office. Basically, Leonardo DiCaprio is the biggest actor in the world at the moment. Best animated film went to Pixar’s acclaimed “Inside Out”. That film’s strength is in the script and its ensemble, while the direction is fairly utilitarian. “They’re going to be calling us up, ‘” he said. The safe bet still feels like Ridley Scott (“The Martian”), but Iñárritu and “Spotlight” director Thomas McCarthy remain poised to swoop in. Critics darlings “Carol” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” were surprisingly shut out as well. What frustration – and what fun.
