Last year was not a good year as many of us spent most of it on lockdown due to Covid-19. But at least there were some good movies and TV shows to keep us company and Tina Fey and last night Tina Fey and Amy Poehler kicked off Awards Season by hosting the Golden Globes, where the Hollywood Foreign Press pays homage to their favorite films and TV shows.
If you have been following me, you will recognize that I have steered you to many of these Golden Globe nominated films and TV shows (some here and some on my FB page at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer - stay tuned for longer reviews right here).So this is where I do some dishing about the proceedings as well as some gloating about picking the winners and bitching about who got robbed!
First, the pre-show, which I usually enjoy, was lame. To me, it's not an awards show without a Red Carpet and, naturally, we can't do a Red Carpet right now, but I so missed seeing everyone show up in their finery so I could weigh in on the gowns and watch them answer vapid questions. I have such happy memories of watching the Red Carpet with my daughter and kvetching about the dresses. This pre-show was all vapid, no dresses.
But in the spirit of the occasion, I will weigh in now on the best dressed and who didn't measure up.
- Susan Kalechi Watson from "This is Us" wore a fringed dress that was to die for!
- But Rosamund Pike's dress? Her baby doll dress made her look like Lily Tomlin's character Edith Ann sitting in a high chair
- And the second dress that Tina Fey wore looked like my grandmother's bathroom wallpaper.
I know, I'm bad.
Okay, now on to the event itself.
Were Tina Fey and Amy Poeller funny as they did their thing via Zoom on two different coasts?
Yes, they did okay but I missed Ricky Gervais. When Ricky hosted, you would sit on the edge of your seat waiting for him to say something shocking - "Did he really say that?" And it was always funny.
What I liked:
- The little bit where actors talked to online doctors via Zoom was kind of fun.
- Jane Fonda's speech when she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award was wonderful. She talked about the importance of performance art - how it's that kind of storytelling that we all need - and she stressed the importance of diversity. And at 84, boy does she look good! I need to get the name of her plastic surgeon!
Norman Lear's speech for the Carol Burnett Award was also a stand-out - I mean he is almost 99 and looks good, sounds good and what a legacy he has left us.
Seeing the clips of the shows he produced reminded me of some highlights of my younger years. His shows were all controversial but never offensive.
What I didn't like:
Even on Zoom, production tried to cut the speeches short with the "Get off the stage" music, or should I say, "Get off of Zoom" music. C'mon, let these people bask in their glory.
The winners I called:
Best Actress - TV Drama
Emma Corrin - "The Crown" (she embodied Princess Diana)
Best Supporting Actor - Movies, Drama
Daniel Kaluuya - "Judas and the Black Messiah"
The only problem with this one was his being nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category. I thought of his role as more of a Best Actor role. He gave a really long speech, but it was a good one and were you surprised he was a Brit?
Best Foreign Language Film
"Minari"
Haven't seen this one yet but it has so much buzz I knew it would win and it did.
Best TV Limited Series, Drama
"The Crown"
Duh.
Best Supporting Actress in TV limited series, Drama
Gillian Anderson - "The Crown"
She played a strange take on Margaret Thatcher but a compelling one.
Best Actress in a Limited Series/Drama, etc.
Anya Taylor-Joy for "Queen's Gambit"
Again, duh.
Best Limited Drama Series, etc.
"Queen's Gambit" - double duh. If you haven't seen "Queen's Gambit," you must have spent lockdown under a rock. Better get on it because everyone else has already seen it!
Best Actor Movie Drama
Chadwick Boseman - "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
To think he did this role when he literally had months to live and no one knew he was sick is just astonishing. His widow gave a heartfelt acceptance speech for him and it's a good thing production did not play that stupid "get off" music or I would have...
Best Director - Movie Drama
Chloe Zhao - "Nomadland"
A woman! Yay! First time ever that there were three women nominees in this category.
Best Movie Drama
"Nomadland"
Yep. My favorite movie of the year (you can find my review on my FB page but my longer review will appear here soon)
And here are the people and shows that were robbed:
Best Actress in a TV limited series. comedy, musical, etc:
Kaley Cuoco for "The Flight Attendant" should have won. This was one of the most talked about series of last year and much of its success was her performance. The Golden Globes usually rewards popular programming - that's how it differs from the Academy Awards - but instead they went with Catherine O'Hara for "Schitt's Creek." Sorry, but I not only do not understand why "Schitt's Creek" is so lauded (I think she and it won last year, too), but Catherine O'Hara's performance is one note compared to Kaley Cuoco's.
And then "Schitt's Creek" won Best TV Comedy or Musical again beating out "The Flight Attendant," which was the hit of the season. What is it with "Schitt's Creek" that I am missing? I gave it several episodes and just didn't get it.
Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
"Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" won and I loved that movie but beating out "Hamilton?" C'mon. But putting comedies and musicals in the same category is dumb anyway.
Best Actress Movie Drama
For her role in "The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)," Andra Day beat Frances McDormand in "Nomadland" and Viola Davis who starred in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." Really?
Which leads to a short rant.
I am totally against giving big awards to people in their first acting roles. I don't care how good they are but a person who is not primarily an actress should not win an award over seasoned actresses like Frances McDormand or Viola Davis. Andra Day is a singer starring in a feature film for the first time. And she beats Frances McDormand and Viola Davis? Please. Should Jennifer Hudson have beaten Cate Blanchett her first time out? Should Marlee Matlin have beaten Jane Fonda, Sigournie Weaver, Sissy Spacek and Kathleen Turner her first time out? I think not. And don't get me started on child actors who win Oscars. I didn't like it when Anna Paquin and Tatum O'Neal won either.
AND "Nomadland" won Best Picture and Frances McDormand didn't win Best Actress? How is that possible? She was the heart and soul of that movie.
So that's my dish on the 2021 Golden Globes from this theatre seat - well, from my couch.
Oh, btw, there was a mention that because of the virus, the statues would be mailed to the recipients. Good luck with that. I sent a birthday card to my daughter from California to Virginia and it took over two weeks. Worse, I mailed a Christmas card to British Columbia, Canada and somehow it took two months by way of the British Virgin Islands before getting to the people I mailed it to! So good luck getting your awards, everyone!
But, anyway, I may not agree with everything that happened but it was another good year of movies and TV. I love my awards shows and it was a good night.