Sunday, January 11, 2015

Golden Globe Wishes

I'm so far behind on my last batch of 2014 films that I'm not going to be able to make any good predictions on what is going to win today. But I can quickly go through what I'm hoping will win:

Best Motion Picture, Drama 
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

I still need to see both Boyhood and Foxcatcher, but I'm going Boyhood on this one. Imitation Game wasn't good enough, and I've been hearing rumbles that Foxcatcher makes some weird decisions with the narrative.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

It will probably be Julianne, but I haven't seen it, and I have yet to see Wild. But Rosamund Pike was wonderful in Gone Girl. 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
David Oyelowo, Selma
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler

Hands down.

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Again, yet to see Boyhood and A Most Violent Year, but of the remaining three, definitely Emma Stone.

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Edward Norton is awesome in Birdman, but J.K. Simmons for sure.

Best Director
Ava DuVernay, Selma
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, Birdman
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

I'd really be okay with any of these. But I so enjoyed Inarritu's vision and audacity. 

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Gillian Flynn, "Gone Girl"
Alejandro González Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Caveat on Boyhood (4/5!), but I'm going Birdman. I'd be happy with Grand Budapest, too. 

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical        
Birdman
       
The Grand Budapest Hotel
       
Into the Woods
       
Pride 
       
St. Vincent


Hey! I've seen 4 of these, too! Birdman. Obviously. Grand Budapest was wonderful, too. Pride was cute, but not great, and Into the Woods just didn't quite hit the mark.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Bill Murray, St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes


Yet to see Inherent Vice (stupid late roll-out), and I'm glad to see Ralph Fiennes, on here, but Michael Keaton for sure. I can't imagine how I'm going to choose who to root for for the Oscars between him and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred Foot Journey
Quvenzhané Wallis, Annie
 
Ummm.... a) has Maps to the Stars even been released? And I get that Quvenzhane is cute, but no. That leaves us with Emily Blunt.

Best TV Series, Drama 
The Affair
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards

GOOD WIFE. GOOOOOOOD WIIIIIIIIIFE!

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama 
Claire Danes, "Homeland" 
Viola Davis, "How to Get Away With Murder" 
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife" 
Ruth Wilson, "The Affair" 
Robin Wright, "House of Cards"

Best Actor in a TV series, Drama
Clive Owen, The Knick
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan 
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist
Dominic West, The Affair


James Spader? Seriously? This is a weird, weird group.

Best Comedy
Girls
Jane the Virgin
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent


I've heard great things about Transparent and Jane the Virgin. And I've only seen one episode of Silicon Valley, so I really have no dog in this fight. 

Best Actress in TV Series, Comedy
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Gina Rodriguez, "Jane the Virgin"
Taylor Schilling, "Orange is the New Black"


?

Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
Ricky Gervais, "Derek"
William H. Macy, "Shameless"
Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"

Seriously? Ricky Gervais? I don't know here. Again, I hear great things about Jeffrey Tambor. I'm happy to see Shameless finally recognized for something, but the show finally went so dark this season, I couldn't finish it. Although I hear Jimmy comes back, and I do want to know what happens to Lip, so... maybe I'll catch up at some point.

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
Olive Kitteridge
Fargo
The Missing
True Detective
The Normal Heart


I haven't seen The Normal Heart (well, this adaptation), partly because Patrick Breen and Matt McGrath were SO good in the 2012 version at ACT. I want to put some more distance between that version and seeing Mark Ruffalo take it on. Also I really, really enjoyed True Detective, but I thought it could have ended stronger, whereas Fargo was pretty taught the whole way through. I'd be totally okay with True Detective though, just because they don't do TV direction at the globes, and I love Cary Fukunaga and I love, love, loved the cinematography.

Best Supporting Actor in TV Miniseries or TV Movie
Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Colin Hanks, Fargo
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan


I'd be totally fine with Colin Hanks, too. 

Best Supporting Actress in TV Miniseries or Movie
Uzo Aduba, "Orange is the New Black"
Kathy Bates, "American Horror Story"
Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"
Allison Janney, "Mom"
Michelle Monaghan, "True Detective"


Is this for Coven? Because I will always, always love Kathy Bates for this:
I'd also be fine with any of the others that aren't Joanne Froggatt, because I hate her. And seriously, Downton is supposed to be terrible now. Stop nominating it.

Best Actor in a TV Miniseries or Movie
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew Mcconaughey, True Detective
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo


See, this is a group of nominations that makes sense. They all did great work. 

Best Actress in a TV Miniseries or Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Frances O'Connor, The Missing
Allison Tolman, Fargo 


Animated Animated Movie 
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie


I haven't actually seen it, but Laika forever. 

Best Foreign film
Force Majeure (Sweden)
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (France)
Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)


Le sigh. I haven't been able to see ANY of these. But I really want to see Force Majeure, Ida, and Leviathan. So, one of those three, please. 

Best Original Song 
"Big Eyes," Big Eyes, Lana Del Rey
"Glory," Selma, John Legend and Common
"Mercy Is," Noah, Patty Smith and Lenny K [Ed: Patti. Honestly, journalists.]
"Opportunity," Annie [Ed: Sia, I think.]
"Yellow Flicker Beat," The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I, Lorde


I love Lana, but Big Eyes is not one of my favorites of hers. Same for Patti. But I really, really enjoy Yellow Flicker Beat.  I'd also be happy with Glory.

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Johann Johannson, The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez, Birdman
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar


Hmmm - I really liked Gone Girl, after I thought Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross made a bit of a misstep on Dragon Tattoo. I personally loved the sound mix in Interstellar, and quite enjoyed the score there. I'm a little surprised Alexandre Desplat wasn't up for Grand Budapest, but I thought the score in the Imitation Game was very good. The drumming in Birdman was so singular that it really stood out, although I thought occasionally too much. I'd be okay with any of them (haven't heard Theory of Everything. I think Hans Zimmer edges it out just because I thought the sound was one of the best parts of Interstellar.