The Golden Globes were held after the Oscar ballots were turned in so there would be no way to measure that enthusiasm translated to an Oscar nomination, which is how the Globes used to be placed way back when. In an effort to boost their own ratings (I think) the Academy changed their deadline to being before the Golden Globes hold their telecast – they did this last year, I think, and this year. It would have been nice to ride the wave of momentum from Sly’s win to a potential Oscar win.
After his long list of thank yous, Sly did thank director Ryan Coogler and co-star Michael B. Jordan but the cameras had already pulled away for commercial break by then. It was a great moment for the film Creed that will be sullied by internet hysteria for the next couple of days over this – the think pieces, the clickbait. Unless you write down names you are going to forget the most important people when you’re standing up there trying to remember everyone.
This was an odd year for the Golden Globes, and for this award season in general, as only The Revenant in the drama category picked up any other awards at all.
Only someone inexperienced with watching the Oscar race would see these wins tonight and conclude that 1) The Revenant has it in the bag, and 2) that Spotlight and The Big Short are “done.” I would not underestimate either of them, but especially not The Big Short. The key here is the preferential ballot. Since the ballot has been implemented at PGA and Oscar, Argo is the only film that has won both Picture and Director at the Globes and gone on to win the Oscar. In fact, usually when there is a paired win, another film wins the Oscar – Jim Cameron and Avatar, Richard Linklater and Boyhood. Only Argo has done it. Argo had the SAG ensemble, though, and was an actors movie and “accessible.”
But still, great fo The Revenant, especially now that box office is rising.
Either way, Leonardo DiCaprio and Inarritu owned half of the night, while Ridley Scott, Matt Damon and The Martian owned the other half. Two very good movies in a really competitive year. There will be many people who take this as a signal that it is now between The Revenant and The Martian.
DiCaprio made the all-important speech that connected his tough film shoot with something higher, preserving lands for indigenous people and the environment, a cause close to DiCaprio’s heart. This really does finally look like his big win for not just this performance but for his whole body of impressive work. The energy in the room and for people at home was likely jubilant.
Brie Larson gave a big audience the chance to see what she is like when not playing “Ma” in Room. She’s bubbly, charming, intelligent – all of the things a winner needs to be. The trick will be whether Room or Brooklyn get a corresponding Best Picture nomination. Maybe it won’t matter because Larson’s momentum will be strong; Meryl Streep won for the Iron Lady, while Viola Davis, whose film did have a Best Picture nomination, didn’t (but should have).
The supporting categories are still up in the air. We don’t know if Sylvester Stallone is getting a nomination, but we’re pretty sure Kate Winslet is. It doesn’t seem likely she’ll win another Oscar, although who really knows at this point. And what of Alicia Vikander and Rooney Mara? What of Carol?
Once the Oscar nominations are announced, the entire thing will automatically be rebooted. The Revenant is now a major player, that much is clear. What stood in its way before the 90 some odd voters chose it for the win (they didn’t choose Birdman last year and it won big, so some of this is clearly a “make good” – they also chose Babel in 2006) still stands in its way. But yes, whatever wins the PGA will likely win Best Picture, at least it always has since the Academy expanded Best Picture and implemented the preferential ballot.
This has been a race full of twists and turns. It’s best to just let the wave take you under and spit you back out on a different shore so that you can look back on it with a fresh perspective. The Directors Guild announce on Tuesday. Oscar nominations on Thursday. We’ll see where the race goes from there.
