What Have We Learned from the Golden Globes?

By Chris Kavan - 01/16/12 at 08:41 PM CT

Well - besides the fact Rickey Gervais isn't nearly as funny when he retrains himself. Actually, it turns out the Golden Globes were much more interesting this year. Are there clear-cut winners? Yes - but I don't think it's as cut-and-dried as some years, which should make for a more interesting Oscar night.

First, off, I don't think anyone can argue that The Artist and The Descendents ended up the two front-runners after the Globes were over. If any movies are going to stand out at the 2012 Oscars, it will be one of those two. Both took home to two biggest awards: Actor and Picture, in their respective categories (Comedy or Musical and Drama). The Artist also took home Best Score, but it did not get the Best Supporting Actress nod and neither film managed to snag director.

That brings us to Martin Scorsese, who did win Best Director for Hugo. I, for one, was a bit surprised. Nothing against Hugo, but it felt more like a sentimental choice than one based on which film was actually the best of the year. Likewise, you could argue that Woody Allen's win for Best Screenplay could be put in the same category. Midnight in Paris is a great return to form for Allen, I'll admit that, but I think people are giving him just a bit too much credit at this point.

I'm not afraid to make a few predictions at this point. Meryl Streep won Best Actress (drama) for The Iron Lady - I have no problem with saying she'll repeat by winning the Oscar. Also, Adventures of Tintin will pick up Best Animated Film (it was a pretty weak year, IMO, for animation) and A Separation will win Best Foreign Film (I don't have a lot of knowledge about the film, but the buzz is off the charts). I'm not willing to make predictions for anything else until at least the nominations are announced.

The real deal behind the Globes is that even though it's often labeled as a great predictor of the Oscars, until the Academy members vote, it's anyone's game. In my hear, I hope my native Nebraskan Alexander Payne and The Descendents win the top prizes, but my gut tells me that The Artist has the inside shot. It's more daring and just as more going for it - but a lot can go on between the Globes and the Oscars - some things are made public, a lot more goes on behind the scenes. Some years I have no problem with the winners, other years I want to pull my hair out (I'm still stewing over Shakespeare in Love).

In the end, it doesn't matter how much praise your film received in 2011, heck, it doesn't matter how much praise your film received last week - people, even voting Academy members, are fickle. I'm interested to see what the nominations reveal, but until then, I'm going to keep a low profile.

Comments

Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/18/12 at 05:24 PM CT

Rango would be the only other film in consideration - I have a feeling that just because Spielberg is involved, Tintin is going to have the edge. But I also haven't seen a single animated film this year - I do want to watch them, but they didn't appeal enough to me to watch on the big screen.

Jase - wrote on 01/17/12 at 06:29 PM CT

I think the Golden Globes too often honor the careers of recipients instead of the work done on individual movies. In my opinion, that's precisely what happened with the Scorcese and Allen wins. I believe the Oscars do this too (I still don't understand Denzel Washington winning for Training Day), but I think it's probably kept in check a bit more.

Naveen - wrote on 01/17/12 at 10:51 AM CT

Good analysis. However, Rango was leagues better than Tintin and was robbed at the GG's. Hopefully the Academy has better taste and gives it the credit it deserves.

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