[pullquote1 quotes=”true” align=”center”]While some awards reaffirmed expectations, others proved surprising[/pullquote1]

BY SOPHIE AFDHAL ’15
Contributing Writer

The Golden Globes aired last Sunday with the usual assortment of Hollywood’s elite and an interesting variety of awards presented.

The night started with the always enjoyable red carpet and many glamorously dressed stars. Among the best dressed included Claire Danes in a beautiful Versace gown, looking slim and stylish just a few weeks after giving birth to her new baby. Kristin Wiig wore an elegant Michael Kors black dress with a bold cutout. Lastly, Kate Hudson wore a stunning black Alexander McQueen dress with a lovely gold belt and neck detail.

The awards show itself began with a fantastic monologue by the two hosts of the show, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. The two hilarious comedic actresses delivered many great lines in their opening dialogue. They began by describing the Golden Globes as special because it’s “the one night that the beautiful people of film mingle with the rat-faced people of television.”

The two hosts had the whole room laughing when they singled out Kathryn Bigelow, the director of the nominated film Zero Dark Thirty, and said, “When it comes to torture, we trust the woman who spent three years married to James Cameron.”

Amy and Tina did not only make light of people, but also of cities. They called out Ben Affleck and the City of Boston as they said, “Ben’s first two movies took place in Boston, but he moved this one to Iraq because he wanted to film somewhere that was friendlier to outsiders.”

As he is a proud Bostonian, it was a harsh criticism, but all in good fun. Their dialogue also focused on Anne Hathaway. They compared her tragically beautiful performance in Les Misérables to her hosting of the Oscars a few years ago. Tina Fey said, “I have not seen someone so alone and abandoned since you were on stage with James Franco at the Oscars,” which was a very true criticism of James Franco’s terrible performance as an Oscar co-host.

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were excellent choices for Golden Globes hosts and seamlessly reminded us of why they are two of the funniest women in show business. Then it was time to begin presenting the awards.

In terms of the television awards, as always, there were many expected winners and some exciting surprise awards. Homeland, America’s favorite new CIA thriller, took home the awards for Best Television Drama, Best Dramatic Actress for television, and Best Dramatic Actor for television. Damien Lewis and Claire Danes, the actor and actress in Homeland, both won Emmys in the same category, as did the show itself and none of these wins were especially unexpected.

Lena Dunham won two awards for her hit new show Girls, one for Best Television Series and another for Best Performance by a Comedic Actress. Though considered controversial, Girls possesses a unique and quirky voice under Lena Dunham’s guidance. I am surprised by her win as Best Comedic Actress because she was up against four very talented, and potentially better, women actresses.

Maggie Smith also received an award for her work as the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey, PBS’s most successful program, which is very much due to Maggie Smith’s sharp and witty character. Her award was well deserved and she beat out fan-favorite Sofia Vergara of Modern Family to get it.

Game Change won a surprising amount of awards, including one for Julianne Moore as Best Actress in a mini-series or television movie, and for Best Mini-series or television movie. The movie chronicles Sarah Palin’s rise from anonymity to infamy and left viewers feeling sorry for the woman who everyone loves to mock. Though surprising, the awards were highly deserved.

For the film awards, there was an enjoyable assortment of winners and nominees. The Golden Globes, though considered less prestigious than the Oscars, always features a more interesting assortment of nominees and winners than the Oscars does. Though there is much overlap, the recipients of the Golden Globe awards are usually less predictable than those of the Academy Awards. For example, the Golden Globe nominees for Best Motion Picture-Drama included Argo, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, and Zero Dark Thirty. The predicted Oscar favorite to win is Lincoln. However, at the Golden Globes, Argo came away with the award for Best Picture. I was very surprised by the win, as I would have expected Lincoln or Zero Dark Thirty to win, with Argo being my third prediction.

The Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama category was less surprising, as Jessica Chastain won for her portrayal of the CIA agent who found Osama Bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty. Her performance was hypnotizing and I came out of the film inspired by her character, Maia. Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor for his performance in Lincoln, as was completely expected.

The competition within the Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical category was fierce. All five films, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Les Miserables, Moonrise Kingdom, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and Silver Linings Playbook, were excellent and I would be unable to pick a favorite among them. However, Les Miserables won somewhat surprisingly due to the harsh critic’s response to the film. The other awards were all rather expected, except for Ben Affleck’s directorial victory with Argo.

Overall, these Golden Globes were excellent. The hosts kept the show entertaining and well paced, while the interesting and slightly varied winners kept us engaged. The Golden Globes may be over, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the Academy Awards will bring us next.

Questions? Email Sophie at safdhal@fandm.edu.

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By TCR