Bohemian Rhapsody – John Deacon (Joe Mazzello), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), and Brian May (Gwilym Lee) – Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
The 2019 Golden Globes were handed out last night and, as usual, it was a stunning combination of getting some things right and some just terribly wrong.
Here is the complete list of nominees and winners – along with a pithy comment or two where appropriate.
Bohemian Rhapsody – Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Freddy Mercury (Rami Malek) – Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (WINNER)
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“A Star Is Born”
Let’s just jump in with the first and most appalling choice – Best Motion Picture.
\While Rami Malek deserved his win for best actor, only he and the music of Queen were really noteworthy in Bohemian Rhapsody. Bohemian is, essentially, just another music/bio film without Malek and the Live Aid performance of Queen. Literally every other choice in this category would have been a (much) better one.
Bohemian Rhapsody – Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) – Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”)
Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased”)
Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) (WINNER)
John David Washington (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Rami Malek’s performance as Freddy Mercury is the standout performance by an actor from 2018. It’s a balls to the walls, take no prisoners, portrait of at the singer – warts and all. Even Dafoe’s marvelous Vincent Van Gogh is not its equal.
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Glenn Close (“The Wife”) (WINNER)
Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”)
Nicole Kidman (“Destroyer”)
Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Rosamund Pike (“A Private War”)
Green Book – Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) and Dr. Donald Shirley ( Mahershala Ali) – Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book” (WINNER)
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Vice”
The Favorite – Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) – Photo by Yorgos Lanthimos/Courtesy of Fox Searchlight.
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) (WINNER)
Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”)
Charlize Theron (“Tully”)
Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians”)
Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“The Alienist” (TNT)
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX) (WINNER)
“Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
“Sharp Objects” (HBO)
“A Very English Scandal” (Amazon)
The Kominsky Method – Sandy Kominsky (Michael Douglas) and Norman (Alan Arkin) – Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“Barry” (HBO)
“The Good Place” (NBC)
“Kidding” (Showtime)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix) (WINNER)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Another ‘any other nominee in this category would have been a better choice’ category. All four of the other nominees are doing things that are fresh and original. The Kominsky Method is basically Grumpy Old Man: The TV Series.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) – Photo courtesy of Amazon Prime Video.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Kristen Bell (“The Good Place”)
Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown”)
Alison Brie (“Glow”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) (WINNER)
Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”)
Brosnahan is as deserving this year as last. Phenomenal performance.
Best Director – Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”) (WINNER)
Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”)
Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)
Literally no contest here. Cuaron’s Roma is cinema of the highest order because it is life itself.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story -Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) – Photo by Ray Mickshaw/Courtesy of FX.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Antonio Banderas (“Genius: Picasso”)
Daniel Bruhl (“The Alienist”)
Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”) (WINNER)
Benedict Cumberbatch (“Patrick Melrose”)
Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”)
Roma directed by Alfonso Cuaron – Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
“Capernaum”
“Girl”
“Never Look Away”
“Roma” (WINNER)
“Shoplifters”
A film about humdrum life with all its joys and disappointments. A friend told me that Roma was the definition of cinema. He was not wrong.
Vice – Lynne Cheney (Amy Adams) and Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) – Photo by Matt Kennedy/Courtesy of Annapurna Pictures.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale (“Vice”) (WINNER)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”)
Robert Redford (“The Old Man & the Gun”)
John C. Reilly (“Stan & Ollie”)
To me, Vice was one of the most disappointing films of the year. It was neither as funny, scathing, or dramatic as McKay’s last film, The Big Short – but it wasn’t for lack of trying. While personally, I would have preferred to see Mortensen or Reilly win, Bale’s performance was the best thing about Vice – as with Rami Malek’s performance in Bohemian Rhapsody, Bale was exceptional in a less than exceptional film.
Sharp Objects – Adora Crellin (Patricia Clarkson) and Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) – Photo courtesy of HBO.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Patricia Clarkson (“Sharp Objects”) (WINNER)
Penelope Cruz (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Thandie Newton (“Westworld”)
Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Clarkson’s faded Southern belle was a character who could amuse, bemuse and horrify – sometimes at the same time – and Clarkson walked all kinds of lines to keep her horrendous without becoming a caricature.
Green Book – Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) and Dr. Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) – Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”)
Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (“Green Book”) (WINNER)
Green Book – Dr. Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) performs with cellist Oleg (Dimiter D. Marinov) and bassist George (Mike Hatton) – Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”) (WINNER)
Timothee Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”)
Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Sam Rockwell (“Vice”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Caitriona Balfe (“Outlander”)
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”) (WINNER)
Julia Roberts (“Homecoming”)
Keri Russell (“The Americans”)
Sandra Oh deserved to win (as did literally every other nominee in this category – this was an exceptionally strong group), but the real snub was not including her co-star Jodie Comer in the nominees.
If Beale Street Could Talk – Sharon (Regina King) – Photo courtesy of Annapurna Pictures.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Amy Adams (“Vice”)
Claire Foy (“First Man”)
Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) (WINNER)
Emma Stone (“The Favourite”)
Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”)
King was magnificent in Beale Street. Her loving, supportive and ferocious mother was incandescent.
A Star is Born – Jack (Bradley Cooper) and Ally (Lady Gaga) – Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“All the Stars” (“Black Panther”)
“Girl in the Movies” (“Dumplin’”)
“Requiem For a Private War” (“A Private War”)
“Revelation’ (“Boy Erased”)
“Shallow” (“A Star Is Born”) (WINNER)
First Man – Mike Collins (Lukas Haas), Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) – Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Marco Beltrami (“A Quiet Place”)
Alexandre Desplat (“Isle of Dogs”)
Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”)
Justin Hurwitz (“First Man”) (WINNER)
Marc Shaiman (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Hurwtiz’s score was precisely the kind of score that adds to its film without ever calling attention to itself.
Escape at Dannemora – Tilly Mitchell (Patricia Arquette) – Photo by Chris Saunders/Courtesy of Showtime.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Amy Adams (“Sharp Objects”)
Patricia Arquette (“Escape at Dannemora”) (WINNER)
Connie Britton (“Dirty John”)
Laura Dern (“The Tale”)
Regina King (“Seven Seconds”)
A Very British Scandal – Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw) – Photo courtesy of Netflix/BBC One.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Edgar Ramirez (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”) (WINNER)
Henry Winkler (“Barry”)
The Americans – Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) – Photo by James Minchin/Courtesy of FX
Best Television Series – Drama
“The Americans” (WINNER)
“Bodyguard”
“Homecoming”
“Killing Eve”
“Pose”
If The Americans was the best drama series of the year, how is it that it neither of its stars won in their categories? Or the show’s writers were acknowledged with nominations?
Bodyguard – David Budd (Richard Madden), Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes) – Photo by Sophie Mutevelian/Courtesy of World Productions and Netflix.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
Stephan James (“Homecoming”)
Richard Madden (“Bodyguard”) (WINNER)
Billy Porter (“Pose”)
Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Peni (Kimiko Glen), Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage) – Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation.
Best Motion Picture – Animated
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (WINNER)
This would have been my choice if I’d had a vote. Its fresh animation style that feels very much like turning the pages of a comic; the sheer fun of the Spidey variants (and seeing Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-Ham in action!!!); a very clever script and brilliant casting (Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir!) added up to a truly delightful film/.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen (“Who Is America?”)
Jim Carrey (“Kidding”)
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”) (WINNER)
Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)
Bill Hader (“Barry”)
Any of Jim Carrey, Donald Glover or Bill Hader would have been a better choice.
Scorecard by movie studio and network:
Motion Picture Distributor
Universal Pictures: 4
Annapurna Pictures: 2
Twentieth Century Fox: 2
Fox Searchlight Pictures: 1
Sony Pictures Classics: 1
Sony Pictures Releasing: 1
Warner Bros. Pictures: 1
Television Network
FX Networks: 3
Netflix: 3
Amazon Prime Video: 2
BBC America: 1
HBO: 1
Showtime: 1
Motion Picture
Green Book: 3
Bohemian Rhapsody: 2
Roma: 2
The Favourite: 1
First Man: 1
If Beale Street Could Talk: 1
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: 1
A Star Is Born: 1
Vice: 1
The Wife: 1
Television Series or Program
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story: 2
The Kominsky Method: 2
The Americans: 1
Bodyguard: 1
Escape at Dannemora: 1
Killing Eve: 1
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: 1
Sharp Objects: 1
A Very English Scandal: 1