2008 Golden Globes Ceremony II
2008 Golden Globes Ceremony: Part I
Among the predictable winners were Julie Christie as best actress in a drama for her performance as a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in Sarah Polley’s Away from Her (right, with Gordon Pinsent); Daniel Day-Lewis as best actor in a drama for his star turn as a greedy oil baron in Paul Thomas Anderson’s widely praised There Will Be Blood; and Johnny Depp as best actor in a comedy or musical for his singing serial-killing barber in Sweeney Todd. (Depp was the only American actor to win in the feature-film categories.)
Also, Brad Bird’s Ratatouille, the story of a French rat with gourmet inclinations, as best animated film; and best supporting actor Javier Bardem for his mad killer in No Country for Old Men — as per newscast co-presenter Billy Bush (of Access Hollywood), one of the greatest screen villains ever, "in a category with Darth Vader." (That remark came out quite spontaneously and Bush meant it seriously, which made it funnier than just about any well-rehearsed awards ceremony joke.)
In the television section of the Globes, film personalities could be found just about everywhere: five-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close was chosen best actress in a television series – drama for Damages; two-time Academy Award nominee Samantha Morton was the best supporting actress for Longford; and Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent and Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah were the best actor and best actress in a mini-series or TV movie for, respectively, Longford and Life Support.
Julie Christie’s win was her first. She had been nominated twice before, in 1965 for Darling (she won the Oscar but lost the Globe to Samantha Eggar for The Collector) and in 1975 for Shampoo (she lost to Ann-Margret for Tommy).
Dillion Freasier, Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood
Daniel Day-Lewis’ win was also his first. He had four previous nominations: in 1989 for My Left Foot (he won the Oscar but lost the Globe to Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July), in 1993 for In the Name of the Father (he lost to Tom Hanks in Philadelphia), in 1997 for The Boxer (he lost to Peter Fonda in Ulee’s Gold), and in 2002 for Gangs of New York (he lost to Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt).
Johnny Depp (above, with Helena Bonham Carter) was another veteran Golden Globe nominee who won his first award this year, after losing out the statuette seven times — including in each of the last four years.
And before I wrap this up… (No, I’m not going to come up with any tired "I’m Not There-Actors Were Not There" jokes.)
Who cares about the Golden Globes?
Now, that’s a stupid question. Ask people who’ve ever won or been nominated for one. Ask film studios and distributors, who plaster their "For Your Consideration" Oscar ads with "nominated for XYZ Golden Globes" notices. Ask film exhibitors, who see a box-office bump — sometimes big, sometimes not so big but a bump nevertheless — following the awards announcements. And ask Academy members who watched their, say, Atonement or Juno or Sweeney Todd screeners because of those films’ multiple Golden Globe nominations.
But are the Golden Globes a barometer of quality?
Now, that’s another stupid question. What film award-giving entity is a "barometer of quality"? Critics’ groups? The Academy and its Spanish, French, Mexican, etc. cousins? Any of the myriad juries of the world’s myriad film festivals?
Your chances of watching a quality — whatever you think embodies "quality" — Golden Globe winner are most likely no worse than your chances of watching a quality Oscar or Palme d’Or or New York Film Critics Circle award winner. Scary, perhaps, but true.
Golden Globe photo: © NBC
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Tags: Away from Her, Daniel Day-Lewis, Film Awards, Golden Globes, Golden Globes 2008, Johnny Depp, Julie Christie, Ratatouille, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood
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