Quick note: I’m sorry for missing the usual “What’s on the Menu” column this weekend. Between the Golden Globes and some of my own stuff, it completely slipped my mind. On the bright side, only two movies came out—I’ll have a review of The Book of Eli later in the week, and as for The Spy Next Door…well, let’s pretend that never happened, especially since I love Jackie Chan. And now back to the glitz and glamor of Hollywood…The Golden Globes is my favorite award show—the stars are relaxed, alcohol flows freely, speeches run long and sometimes charmingly rambly, and the whole night often ends up being loose, funny, unpredictable, and sometimes pretty heartfelt as well. This year’s Ricky Gervais-hosted affair was no different—there were some big laughs, shockers, and plenty of highlights and pleasant surprises (yay for Robert Downey Jr.!). Entertainment Weekly has an excellent list of the Top 10 Best/Worst Moments (and check out my friend's great recap here), but I thought I’d toss in some of my own highlights and lowlights into the mix... [my list of favorite moments after the jump]
You can find the complete list of winners and losers of the 2010 Golden Globe Awards over at Moviefone.
Highlights:
The Reign of Avatar
This is going to be the year of Avatar, huh? I think we can expect lots and lots of blue-cat, ponytail-linking people at conventions from now on…
James Cameron’s sci-fi behemoth smothered the competition, winning Best Director and Picture, and, minus my own reservations about the film, I think some of that honor is deserved. It’s a strong film, visually beautiful and packing some real emotional power beneath that “wow” factor. Plus, it’s nice to see a quality film win the big prize, as opposed to a beloved weak film like Slumdog Millionaire. I haven’t seen most of the other nominees yet, particularly The Hurt Locker (which Luke swears by, and I suspect might overpower Avatar in terms of story), but Avatar looks to be the clear frontrunner as we head toward the Oscars.
Also, while I know James Cameron has a reputation for an inflated ego (this was the guy who called himself “King of the World” after all), I found him very personable and funny at Comic-Con, both shades that he displayed in his speeches at the Globes. Moreover, big kudos to him for humbly admitting that the Best Director trophy belonged to Kathryn Bigelow, his ex-wife and the director of his competition, The Hurt Locker. A classy move, and one that made me respect the visual master even more.
Best Speech, Part 1: Robert Downey Jr.:Come on, how could I not include him? Downey’s always great to listen to—as he showed at Comic-Con and all of his interviews, he’s intelligent, quick on his feet, and in that mile-a-minute way of his, ridiculously charming and entertaining. Globes night was no different with his win for Best Actor, Comedy or Musical for Sherlock Holmes. I loved his performance, but, frankly, I was sure he was going to lose. In fact, I thought the nomination itself was the prize—recognition of one of our best performers, and another reminder that the awards committees now love him to death, post-Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. But, what do you know, The Hollywood Foreign Press dug Downey’s take on Conan Doyle’s master sleuth, and I can’t blame them at all. Actually, this reminded me of Colin Farrell’s win last year for In Bruges—both great somewhat-comic performances that would probably not be recognized among the uber-serious Oscar roles.
Already a nice surprise, Downey sealed the moment with a quick, wonderful speech where he wanted to “thank nobody”— “definitely not” his wife got him back on his feet and “told [him] Matt Damon would win”, as well as producer Joel Silver “who only restarted [his] career 12 times”. He capped it off with a sincere tribute to the genius of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (major points in my book) and a charmingly cocky announcement that the Sherlock Holmes crew “needed” him…or otherwise Avatar would take everything on Globes night. I hope Downey continues the award-nominated roles—he’s exactly what these shows need to liven things up. As for now, where's that official Sherlock Holmes-sequel announcement, Warner Bros.?!
Best Speech, Part 2: Sandra BullockI’m not the biggest fan of Sandra Bullock. Sure, I loved her in Speed (and her re-teaming with Keanu for The Lake House), and I can always watch Two Weeks Notice or Miss Congeniality with a smile. But, mostly, the roles she chooses tend to be lackluster (Miss Congeniality 2? Premonition??), and, other than Crash and a few scattered movies here and there, she rarely tackles more challenging material. That’s what makes her win for Best Actress, Drama at the Globes so special. I hear nothing but good things about her turn in The Blind Side, and her speech on the night was intelligent, humble, and, best of all, surprisingly candid—it’s rare that you hear a big star admit that she doesn’t have as much talent as some of the people in this room. She didn’t go on forever thanking agents and lawyers, and, in a bit of a rarity, she seemed genuinely moved to receive the award. At the end of the day, she’s a very likable performer, and it’s nice to see her gain so much credibility. I think she’s a lock for an Oscar nomination at this point, and good for her. All of this tops of an excellent year for Bullock, who had another giant hit this summer with the rom-com, The Proposal (a flawed—but, okay, quite sweet—film). I’ll catch The Blind Side eventually (which is already a monster hit), and I hope we can expect more critically-acclaimed performances from her down the line. After however many years since her big breakthrough in Speed, I’d love to see more of the great roles that I’m sure she could pull off.
The Martin Scorcese Tribute:
I’m still working through Scorcese’s filmography (I just rented Taxi Driver the other day), but you don’t have to see it all to recognize the man’s great talent and eye for powerful drama. The night’s big award, the Cecil B. Demille Lifetime Achievement prize, started with a warm tribute by Scorsese’s two biggest collaborators, Robert De Niro (very lighthearted and funny, joking that he and Scorsese are like an old married couple now “who don’t sleep together,” and, of course, that Scorsese loves film reels a little too much) and Leonardo Dicaprio (star of his last 4 films, including the upcoming Shutter Island). After that, Scorsese, ever the entertaining character, spoke with real passion about his love for the craft and his many preservation efforts of classic films. I love listening to Scorsese talk—his enthusiasm is infectious, and his ultra-fast-talking personality gets me every time (the one good thing about the animated dud, Shark Tale, was the way it used Scorsese’s voice and persona for a scene-stealing blowfish). It was a lovely part of the show, and a fitting tribute to one of the greatest directors working in Hollywood.
P.S. Scorsese’s next film is Shutter Island, based on the terrific, twisty novel by Dennis Lehane (its only flaw is that it’s a bit gimmicky, something the film has to watch out for). From the trailers and footage shown at the Globes, it looks like it will be a must-see movie come February.
A Mixed Bag:
Ricky Gervais as host:
With all due respect to the great British comic, I don’t think this is his scene. He’s a brilliant comedian—watch the below clip from his genius show, Extras, to see both the caliber of people he recruits and how expertly he mines awkward laughs.
This is a guy who gleefully tears through Hollywood, and, on the Globes, he attacked the vanity and reputations of our biggest stars with ballsiness and a mischievous vibe of “can you believe they actually paid me to do this gig?”. I love his energy, and his now-traditional digs at his Office-boss inheritor, Steve Carrel (the deadpan star had a great moment when he mouthed “I.Will.Kill.You” to Gervais). But, as I kind of suspected, the Globes don’t need a host. The ceremony is one of the quickest-moving awards shows out there, and thus Gervais was relegated to an opening monologue (a hilarious mix of attacking Carrell and shilling out his own DVDs…not to mention a masturbation joke that must have made the NBC censors squirm) and the occasional commentary every 15 minutes or so. Unlike great awards-show hosts—ie, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, even non-comedians like last year’s Hugh Jackman—Gervais never established any sort of tone for the show. I’m not sure if this was due to his own MO, the kind of off-the-cuff riffing that made him an awards favorite, or simply due to a lack of time. Either way, his hosting didn’t seem to add much to the show other than the occasional zingers.
But, man, what zingers they were. Personally, Gervais’ cracks at Mel Gibson (“I like a drink as much as the next man. Unless the next man is Mel Gibson”) and Colin Farrell (“One stereotype I hate is that all Irishmen are drunk, sweaty hell-raisers. Ladies and gentlemen: Colin Farrell”) made the night for me. Gervais needs to be unleashed—put him in an arena where he can be unrestrained and as free-flowing as he likes, and I think the results will be hilarious. I stand by the fact the he’s one of the funniest men alive—he got to show that in little doses yesterday, but I think, overall, the Globes proved that formal award ceremonies (or at least this one) might not be the best use of his talent.
Gripes:
Not too much, save for the pretty blatant “play the winners off” music. I get why they do that, but it’s getting pretty ridiculous that some people (like the big, “important” actors) get to talk as much as possible, while others are whisked off (ever so melodically) after a minute.
As for the actual winners and losers, I'm bummed that Glee's Lea Michele (as the super-ambitious, perky, Jewish "star" of the McKinley High Glee Club, Rachel Berry) and the amazing, scene-stealing Jane Lynch (the one, the only Sue Sylvester) got no awards love. I'm glad Glee won for Best Series, Comedy or Musical--despite its occasional story hiccups (ah, the multiple pregnancies--please don't come back again), it's a very fun show and its musical numbers are usually must-see. Still, Michele and Lynch are two of the best players in the Glee cast (particularly Lynch, who could twist a simple line into something deliciously evil), and a huge reason for why the thing works as well as it does. I'm sure they'll get rewarded another day, but it's too bad The Globes didn't single them out in Glee's award-winning, buzzy first year.
Plus, anyone else notice the weird, shaky camera moves that kept popping up? It’s like the producers had to focus on other things to distract the TV audience form the overlong speakers, but got lost on the way, resulting in glorious, swirly shots of people eating. As I mentioned, these are only tiny problems. The Globes is usually a well-oiled machine, and tiny kinks like this don’t get in the way of the fun.
Other Highlights:
*Meryl Streep—her speech was a bit on the rambling side, but the smart, endlessly talented actress once again showcased her sly sense of humor (by admitting she has no idea what she’s supposed to say, and going with the audience’s suggestions) and squeezing in a heartfelt plea to help the people in Haiti. At this point, it seems that whenever she makes a movie, it’ll most likely be nominated. Then again, since she's probably the best actress alive, it’s all the more fitting. Good to see her turn attention to an important cause as well.
P.S. If you text “HAITI” to 90999, you can contribute $10 to the Red Cross fund for the People of Haiti. It’s quick, easy, and for a great cause—the $10 will simply be subtracted from your month’s phone bill.
*Mel Gibson—Ricky Gervais’ intro for him was savage and, well, pretty awesome, but Gibson (a really sharp, funny guy, as his interviews constantly prove) played along beautifully, pretending to sway and boozily announce his category. Oh, and his category: “inglorious bastards” or, “as they’re otherwise known—directors.” It’s particularly nice to see the likable, engaging side of him resurface.
*Sir Paul McCartney on cartoons— “Animation is not just for children. It's also for adults who take drugs.” Classic.
*Michael C. Hall’s win for Dexter—Yeah, I was technically rooting for Hugh Laurie (who’s already a double Globes-winner, so we shouldn’t feel TOO badly for him), but, from my friends that watch Dexter, Hall’s victory was well-deserved. And his short, eloquent speech all the more moving since we just heard that he’s in treatment for cancer (now in remission). He’s a great actor, and his win marked a touching note for the night. Here’s hoping for a swift recovery for Mr. Hall. And I really need to watch Dexter one of these days…
*Zachary Levi and Amy Poehler—on average, the on-stage banter at awards shows is pretty dreadful (the MTV Movie Awards are especially awful at this)—you typically get two randomly-matched stars and watch them recite lamely-written jokes. The best presenters are often the ones that go off-book, perfectly showcased by the always-funny Amy Poehler and Chuck’s Zachary Levi. The NBC duo casually and very entertainingly riffed off one another: Levi said whenever he thinks of sexy, fictional city-government employees, he thinks of her, while whenever Poehler thinks of sexy spies, she thinks of…Jason Bourne. Love Levi’s reaction, and his ad-lib that, by now, he’s used to women “faking it” with him. It’s good to see Levi gain some more exposure (as Chuck continues its run of excellent episodes. Anyone catch last night? I thought it was the best so far!), and a much-needed overall reminder that, for all its late-night-talk-show drama, NBC still saved Chuck and Parks and Recreation, and those decisions are paying off with some of the best comedy on TV.
And that’s my wrap-up. Did you guys watch the show? What were your most/least favorite moments of the Globes? And did you like Ricky Gervais as host, or are you more in tune with most of the critics who say he “bombed” or just never clicked with the crowd?
Oh, and anyone else excited by Oscars coming up next month?
P.S. For a nice bonus, here's another awesome moment/guest-star from Ricky Gervais' Extras. Never knew Orlando Bloom hated Johnny Depp this much...
Images courtesy of NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
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