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I Choose The Winners For |
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It's that time of year again. While the Oscar nominations won't be announced for another month or so, the Golden Globe nominations have been announced, and as usual I'm going to give a small commentary on them, as well as my personal votes for what I would give the award to. As usual this is pure speculation on my part, and no one should use this as a betting tool for what will actually win at the Golden Globes.
Best Original Song
"Despedida" - Love in the Time of Cholera
"Grace is Gone" - Grace is Gone
"Guaranteed" - Into the Wild
"That's How You Know" - Enchanted
"Walk Hard" - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Wow, that's actually a pretty good selection of songs. Makes me think that maybe songs written for movies weren't a bankrupt area this year after all (though I must stress that the omission from the songs for "Once" is a glaring oversight). Though all these songs have their strengths, I would have to give my vote to Alan Menkin's show stopping "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted." Oozing with charm and that hint of Disney magic Menkin is so good at conveying, this is one of the few songs that actually plays a role in the story for the movie, and it's a musical number that brings down the house, proving once again that people love musicals, provided they are given great songs to dance along to.
The Winner: "That's How You Know" – Enchanted
Best Original Score
Into the Wild
Grace is Gone
The Kite Runner
Atonement
Eastern Promises
I'm going to start off this section by disqualifying "Into The Wild's" score right off the bat. No offense to Eddie Vedder, but "Into The Wild" barely has much of a score, and what score there is isn't very memorable. This is a classic case of the strength of a score getting recognized for the strength of the songs, and I don't buy it. That said, the two scores that stand out are Alberto Iglesias's "The Kite Runner" and Dario Marianelli's "Atonement." Both movies feature sweeping, epic scores that properly (and emotionally) help make the movies what they are. Both movies also contain background vocal chorus's in tune with the time periods they are set it, making the choice even more difficult. Though it's hard to chose, I'm going to ultimately go with the score for "Atonement," which has the extra bonus of being a better listen outside of the movie, as well as not being too overpowering in the film.
The Winner: "Atonement" - Dario Marianelli
Best Animated Feature Film
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
Well, I can tell you right now that "Bee Movie" is simply along for the ride. The real competition is between "The Simpsons Movie" and "Ratatouille" (as it's been all year round). Though I would normally vote for "Ratatouille," in this case I'm going to chose "The Simpsons Movie." Seeing as how the Golden Globes celebrates the best in both movies and television, this choice should seem obvious. Not only does the TV show have these huge achievements of logativity and length, the movie was just as good as some of the earlier episodes, and managed to still be a major success. That, I believe, makes "The Simpsons Movie" a no brainer (though I must stress these feelings may be different for the Oscars).
The Winner: The Simpsons Movie
Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France, United States)
The Kite Runner (United States)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)
Now this is a difficult one. Truly a difficult one. There are all great films, and I wish I could pick three. Do I go with Ang Lee's erotic spy thriller "Lust, Caution," the moving drama "The Kite Runner," or the animated women's right cartoon "Persepolis?" In the end, I'm going to go with "The Kite Runner," which is one of those movies that just touches your heart despite yourself. I question it's inclusion since the film is, at least from my perspective, mainly made by America, but it IS the best film on that list, so I have no choice but to give it my vote.
The Winner: The Kite Runner
Best Screenplay
Diablo Cody - Juno
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell & the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War
This is another reason why the Golden Globes need to have two screenplay sections: One for original and one for adapted. Otherwise it just confuses the situation on whether or not a brilliantly adapted screenplay is any less important compared to an original screenplay. That said, the obvious choice is also the only screenplay that is original: Diablo Cody's "Juno." While the movie may be too self conscious for it's own good at times, there's no denying the skillful writing that includes razor shard humor, excellent characterizations, and a story that hits close to home for many people and makes them feel good. It's funny, smart, and touching. Sometimes all at once.
The Winner: "Juno" – Diablo Cody
Best Director
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright – Atonement
I warn you now that this vote may change down the road, if only because I haven't seen "Sweeny Todd" yet, and being a Tim Burton fan I want to see him win something. That said, from the movies I have seen I'm going to go with the Coen brothers in the directing category for "No Country For Old Men." While Country might not have been the instant classic I hoped it would be, it is a masterpiece in directing. This movies breaks many rules of the conventional Hollywood thriller. The good guys don't always come out on top. Certain characters don't meet each other. There isn't a single note of music in the whole film. The cinematography makes the dessert itself a major character along the actors. Movies like this are difficult to direct, but when directed properly they have great results.
The Winner – "No Country For Old Men" – Joel and Ethan Coen
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Julia Roberts - Charlie Wilson's War
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
While I do admit that I found Cate Blanchett's performance as Bob Dylan really interesting, I believe the stand out performance in this group is that of Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement." While her character may be a supporting character it's also the most important character, as the girl who witnessed something she didn't understand and told a lie that ruined many lives forever. Her character is not a gimmick or McGuffin, but a flesh and blood character who seems very real, likely to make the mistakes she does make, and not be fully aware of what she did until later on in her life. A great and important performance, "Atonement" might have been a different movie with anyone else playing this part.
The Winner: Saoirse Ronan – "Atonement"
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
Now we're getting to the more difficult choices, as almost all these performances are worthy of awards themselves. Javier Bardem made a villain were not use to seeing in "No Country For Old Men." Tom Wilkinson was also very good as the crazy lawyer who might not be as crazy as we think in "Michael Clayton." However I'm going to cast my vote for John Travolta's gender bending performance as Edna in "Hairspray," the overweight mother who is insecure about her appearances. So much more then a simple gimmick or in-joke, Travolta's performance is brilliant because after ten minutes you stop paying attention to the gimmick, and suddenly Travolta is very convincing both as a woman and a real life character, giving his performance depth that would be lost on many people trying to do this. This performance was, as many would say, a big surprise.
The Winner: John Travolta – "Hairspray"
Best Actor - Musical Or Comedy
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
I'm going to be brief here because the only performance I've seen on this list is Ryan Gosling as the anti-social Lars in "Lars and the Real Girl." I'm going to go with that performance as my default. It's a great performance, so I don't hesitate to choose it, but I can't properly judge it in comparison to the other performances.
Update 12-22-2007: I have now seen "Charlie Wilson's War," and though it still doesn't present with me the whole body of knowledge, I'm going to stick with my choise for Ryan Gosling right now.
The Winner (by default): Ryan Gosling – "Lars and the Real Girl"
Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page – Juno
Though this is another strong category, the choice for me is much easier this time. While many of these movies wouldn't be the same without these actors, I truly feel "Enchanted" would be lost without Amy Adams there to charm us from beginning to end. Whether she is singing, talking, or doing something goofy, Adams creates one of Disney's most memorable characters in years, and helped make a movie that had very little promise a very charming film.
The Winner: Amy Adams – "Enchanted"
Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd
Rather then start of my commentary here about how the musicals and comedies really should be separated (because, really, they have nothing to do with each other), I'm going to start off by saying I'm shocked to see "Across The Universe" on this list. With the exception of some interesting musical numbers I didn't care for that movie at all, and it's inclusion seems like a real stretch. That said, my choice in this category is going to "Hairspray," for being the feel good film of the year if nothing else. While it didn't make my top ten list, it was really, REALLY hard to not include it! This is the kind of movie you can recommend to anyone and not feel stupid for doing so. Plus, I have to admit, I've listened to the "Hairspray" soundtrack more then any other CD this year, which helps the movie since that same music is in almost every scene in the movie.
The Winner: "Hairspray"
Best Actor - Drama
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster
Though I haven't seen "There Will Be Blood," easily the best performance in this category is George Clooney as Michael Clayton. While most of these roles are indeed starring roles in their own right, the success of "Michael Clayton" rests heavily on George Clooney, who has to play the lawyer with personal problems. If Clooney didn't hit a home run with this performance, the movie could have been weakened significantly. Thankfully, Clooney is mesmerizing to watch, and it's to the movies blessing that he is.
The Winner: George Clooney - "Michael Clayton"
Best Actress - Drama
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement
Now this was weird. I know it's been a poor year for actresses, but there HAD to be some better choices to nominate then these! Cate Blanchett's performance in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" seems automatic at best, and Jodie Fosters performance for "The Brave One" seems like it shouldn't be here at all. With that said, I'm giving my vote to Keira Knightley for "Atonement." I've been a big fan of Knightley for several years, and what I love most about her is that she plays very complex characters. Her character in "Atonement" is a smart woman whose life is shattered by a lie told by her younger sister. When World War II hits she does what she can to keep moving forward, providing the heart of the film. Even if the role is (in my opinion) more of a supporting role then a leading role.
The Winner: Keira Knightley – "Atonement"
Best Motion Picture - Drama
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Now I haven't seen all of these films, but come on, do we really need SEVEN nominations in this category?! It just makes everything seem so much more open with such a wide range of choices. And "The Great Debaters?" No offense to Denzel Washington because, well, I HAVEN'T seen the movie yet, but how on Earth did that movie manage to get nominated here?! If the movie had some other nominations this wouldn't be surprising, but Best Picture is the sole nomination for this movie. I hope we don't get another "Babel" on our hands (for those uniformed, last year "Babel" won Best Picture despite the fact that it won no other awards in any category that night). Now then, of this list, my choice for Best Picture would be "Atonement." Though the WWII setting is a bit gimmicky at times, the movie excels with great characters, an epic canvas of directing, and a story that is tragic and heartbreaking the way few films are. Once in awhile you get the perfect cast, the perfect director, and the perfect source material all together to create something great. This is one of those times.
The Winner: "Atonement"
And those are my choices for who I would choose to win at the Golden Globes. Here's hoping the show itself will be interesting despite the fact that the writers are on strike.
- -Kevin T. Rodriguez- -