Four good things came out of Sunday night’s Golden Globes Awards. 12 Years A Slave winning for Best Motion Picture, Drama inserted a helpful nudge factor in the deliberations of Academy voters who might otherwise be looking to blow it off because, as several award-season pulsetakers have noted, they feel it’s a morally urgent, award-worthy effort but too much of a grueling sit. Leonardo DiCaprio‘s win for Best Actor, Comedy/Musical was a significant score for The Wolf of Wall Street and an indication that he may land a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar nomination. (This plus an expected Best Picture nom plus one for Best Adapted Screenplay and, if there’s a God of Fairness, a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Jonah Hill.) Ditto the Best Actress, Comedy/Musical win by American Hustle‘s Amy Adams…probably. And the Movie Godz completely agreed with Her‘s Spike Jonze winning for Best Screenplay.
The surprised but elated Slave gang after Sunday night’s win.
But a lot of contenders (faux and otherwise) are going to feel a certain amount of pain on Thursday morning when the Oscar nominations are announced. I’ll get into the whole category-by-category thing in an hour or so. I’m presuming that the Golden Globe snubbing of Lone Survivor, Saving Mr. Banks, Fruitvale Station, Rush and The Butler is probably some kind of indicator of ill winds. The GG snubbing of Inside Llewyn Davis is immaterial and irrelevant as far as history and the Godz are concerned. It took some people a couple of viewing to realize that Joel and Ethan Coen‘s film was and is a classic of sardonic downbeatism and wintry, less-is-more fatalistic whateverism. I’ve seen it five times and I can’t wait for the Bluray, so there. I wish I could listen to the vinyl soundtrack album on a nice, well-amplified system in somebody’s home or apartment.
I’ll be tapping out reactions to the nominations from HE’s Park City condo at the Park Regency. My Salt Lake City flight leaves tomorrow afternoon, but I won’t be in Park City until 7:30 or 8 pm.
From HE’s New Orleans correspondent Dave Dubos: “Using Oscar history as a barometer, if 12 Years is to win Best Picture, it has to win something else. But what?
“It won’t win any acting awards.” [ Wells: No Lupita?] Cuaron is going to win Best Director. Its only shot at another major award is John Ridley for Best Adapted Screenplay. So that makes Two Oscars. Argo won just three, Picture/Screenplay/Editing. I don’t see 12 Years getting editing. Gravity is going to sweep the Tech awards including editing and cinematography.
“So what else does 12 Years win? Lupita over Jen Lawrence…but do you see that happening? She hasn’t won any major awards to date.
“Maybe Hans Zimmer for his score? That’s possible and will point the way to 12 Years winning Best Pic if John Ridley wins.”
