Tonight’s Golden Globes marks the official start of Awards Season and I’d like to talk a little about that. I am not going to discuss every single nomination so far, but just some that I feel require discussion…
The nominations for the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and Independent
Spirits are ALL over the place and this is VERY unusual. It’s crazy and disconcerting but it’s also
exciting. There is no one big favorite
movie this year and so… anything can happen.
As I said in my last blogpost, I am championing Spotlight for many reasons. I
have to have a favorite and there it is.
Room and The Big Short are my silver and bronze winners, and actually I would be happy if any of them won Best Picture because they are all so damn good.
Even though the Academy Award nominations have not been announced yet, I am going to
make some very early Oscar predictions.
 |
| Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl |
BEST ACTOR:
Because it is such a wide open field this year and he already has noms for every award… I am predicting that Eddie
Redmayne may very well win back to back Oscars.
The movie The Danish Girl is
flawed but his performance (and how AMAZING he looks in drag) is NOT!
I had to literally watch it through my fingers because it is
riddled with graphic violence but I think Johnny Depp deserves a nom for Black Mass and Will Smith is back to his
serious acting roots in Concussion
and merits major consideration. Bryan
Cranston is also spot-on in Trumbo
and has been on a roll of late winning Emmys and a Tony and everyone in the
industry loves him, so he could steal the Oscar this year. I am not going to see The Revenant and as much as I think he is way overdue, I would hate to
see Leo win his Oscar for it because he almost died in the treacherous terrain
and sub zero temps where they were shooting.
I also hate when the Academy gives people owed awards. Matt Damon does not exactly re-invent the art
of acting in The Martian but he
expertly displays his mastery at being a charismatic movie star, reminiscent of
Cary Grant and Clark Gable.
The real truth is that the finest performance of the year
came from young Jacob Tremblay in Room
and if he doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, there is no justice
in the world. I don’t understand both
why The Globes overlooked him completely and why The SAGs think he is a
supporting actor. He is in every shot of
Room and utterly captivating in every
moment.
One side note about Best Supporting Actor – since the world
is enamored with Amy Schumer and Trainwreck
has garnered many noms so far, let’s also recognize Colin Quinn. It’s a GREAT performance.
 |
| Lily Tomlin |
BEST ACTRESS:
I think Grandma is
a perfect film and that Lily Tomlin was pitch perfect helming it. It’s great that she got a Globe nom but I am totally shocked that she is not nominated for an Indie Spirit. I thought that was a lock – and not even a
nomination! This makes no sense to me at
all. At 75 and having one of the
greatest years of her career, I think it’s time Lily became an EGOT.
I’ve already said that I was underwhelmed by Carol and that I think Cate Blanchett
should be nominated for Truth
instead.
There was a ton of Oscar buzz for Blythe Danner early in the
year for her first starring role of her career for I’ll See you in My Dreams and so far – nothing.
Saoirse Ronan, Charlotte Rampling and Alicia Vikander all
deserve recognition but I don’t agree with all the praise for Brie Larson. She is a very natural actress and Room is a sensational film, but her
performance was a bit one-note to be THE best of the year.
Since The Globes honor both film and television, let’s talk
about TV. An unfortunate side-effect of what critics have dubbed “too
much television” is that many actors get snubbed. Here are a few actors who are
doing amazing work but never get acknowledged:
 |
| Danielle Brooks |
Hayden Panettiere on Nashville
Wendy McLendon-Covey on The Goldbergs
Danielle Brooks and Kate
Mulgrew from Orange is the New Black
Anna Faris on Mom
Anna Faris on Mom
Tim Robbins on The Brink
Will
Chase on Nashville
There is also a big problem tonight with categorizing many
shows that are quite un-categorizable.
Is Orange is the New Black a
comedy or drama? What about Transparent? And - The
Martian – about an astronaut left on Mars is not exactly a laugh riot but
it’s in the Musical/Comedy category. I
think that we need a Dramedy category.
We can name it The Wonder Years Award.
Maybe since there is “too much TV” we need more
nominations. Or, split the nominations
between network and cable & streaming.
I’m not sure what the answer is, but in the words of the legendary Nancy
Meyers - something’s gotta give.
