Sunday night’s Golden Globes officially brought us into the 2019 awards season, and it was more unexpected than usual. With films winning in genre-bending categories and an especially controversial year, if the Golden Globes are any prediction as to what’s to come in the next two months, we’re in for quite the ride.
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
Photo courtesy of pitchfork.com
The Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” won the top honor, Best Picture Drama, and Twitter was quick to react. Many pointed out the film’s 62% Rotten Tomatoes score and the movie’s problematic director Bryan Singer (the center of his own Time’s Up scandal and the documentary “An Open Secret” which details his alleged sexual misconduct). With co-host Sandra Oh talking about the change in the entertainment industry, it seems almost hypocritical that this film would be lauded with the biggest award of the night. And I’m not even going to get into the fact that it’s not in the Comedy/Musical category, while movies like “Vice” and “Green Book” were under the Comedy/Musical category.
People were so upset about “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” win that they even took to Twitter to shame 15 year old Elsie Fisher for congratulating the film in a tweet. I get that Bryan Singer is a bad guy, but let’s not take it out on the 15-year-old who’s new to the industry and at one of her first major events. She’s a teenager; can we expect her to be fully versed on all the controversies surrounding all the films? Let’s give her a break.
Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh
Photo courtesy of eonline.com
With the still ongoing controversy surrounding the search for an Oscars host, many were waiting to see what this year’s Golden Globes host would do. An unlikely pair, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s” Andy Samberg and “Killing Eve’s” Sandra Oh took to the stage and began the evening with a relatively light-hearted opening. They had pretty good chemistry and timing, and some of their jokes really landed. Oh’s joke about “Crazy Rich Asians” being the first Asian-American led film since “Ghost in the Shell” and “Aloha” (in which Scarlett Johansson and Emma Stone played Asian characters) got a huge laugh and a yelled apology from Stone. Oh also said that the Neil Armstrong biopic “First Man” was coincidentally how producers looked for film directors. “First man, then two man, then group of man, then maybe woman.” Not known for her comedic chops (excluding her small but memorable role as Vice Principal Gupta in “The Princess Diaries”), Oh definitely held her ground next to “SNL” alum Samberg.
Their best bit of the night came when they said that since the Golden Globes already give the attendees a dinner, they were going to mix it up and give everyone flu shots. LMFAO’s “Shots” started blasting as lab coated “doctors” rushed the crowd, pretending to give them flu shots. It led to Samberg making a crack at the anti-vaccination movement and was a lighthearted but especially funny moment.
“Roma”
Photo courtesy of netflix.com
The Golden Globes are put on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, so it seems weird that this awards show, with its emphasis on the foreign press, has a rule that the Best Drama nominees must be English language films. This meant that Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” wasn’t able to compete in the big category. However, the HFPA seemed to notice the error in their ways, and gave the black and white, Spanish language Netflix film two awards – Best Foreign Film and Best Director. The slow, atmospheric film takes its time unveiling its story, but if you stick with it (and don’t mind reading subtitles) its an emotional journey worth taking. The film, consisting almost exclusively of deep focus cinematography and long takes, is one of the most beautiful looking films of the year. Some say it’s too slow, but I implore everyone to at least give “Roma” a chance. It’s available on Netflix, so why not put it on tonight?
Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler
The comedy duo took the stage as presenters, but they didn’t waste the opportunity to make fun of the proposal at this year’s Emmy awards. Rudolph, pretending to shake uncontrollably, took out a fake wedding ring and “proposed” to Amy Poehler on stage. Some didn’t get the reference to the Emmy proposal and some didn’t think it was funny, but as a longtime fan of these comedians, I found it to be especially funny.
Christian Bale Thanks Satan
Photo courtesy of variety.com
Christian Bale took home Best Lead Actor in a Comedy/Musical for his role as Dick Cheney in “Vice” (which is somehow considered a comedy) and took the stage to accept it. Solidifying the Golden Globe’s reputation as “the Drunk Oscars” the UK actor took a moment to thank Satan for the inspiration in playing Cheney. He also joked about playing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell next.
“A Star is Born” Not the Sure Bet It Seemed to Be
Before the Globes, the vast majority of people were putting their money on “A Star is Born” being a big contender. However, the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga film only won one award – Best Original Song for the mega-hit “Shallow.” With Cooper and Gaga in the front row, it seemed almost sad to see them repeatedly shut out. However, it could likely have something to do with Warner Brothers submitting the movie as a drama instead of a comedy/musical, despite the fact that it revolves around music (similarly to “Bohemian Rhapsody”). Many thought Gaga was a lock for Best Actress, only to lose to Glenn Close for the little-seen “The Wife.” Cooper last Best Actor to Rami Malek and Best Director to Charon. This could just be a momentary speed-bump on the movie’s road to Oscar gold, or it could signal the tides turning for the fourth iteration of “A Star is Born.”
Honorable Mention: Timothee Chalamet’s Glitter Harness
Photo courtesy of thisinsider.com
I would be remised if I didn’t take this opportunity to highlight Timothee Chalamet’s outfit. The “Beautiful Boy” nominee broke out of the typical suit and tie norm of male red carpet fashion by adorning a black, glittered harness. The upcoming generation of actors are less bound by traditional fashion norms and are promising more unique red carpet looks for this year’s upcoming awards season.
What did you think of this year’s Golden Globes? Do you think Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh did a good job hosting? Were there any winners that surprised you or any losses that had you flabbergasted? Let me know in the comments below!