Golden Globes 2003 – are you gonna watch?
Ah, the award season is upon us. What else is there to do during those long, dark Sunday evenings, when the cold wind is keeping us all locked up inside. Let’s tune in to the Golden Globes, shall we?
The ‘Globes’ are by far my favourite award show. I know that many of you will wince and label all the awards pointless, fixed, and political. So what? I can say the same thing about the major sports events, but we still watch them, don’t we? And, to continue the sports metaphor, I think the ‘Globes’ are like the Olympics of television & movies. Often unusual and misunderstood, with new faces and accents, but always informational and engaging.
Why such praise? Simple – just take a look at the nominees (complete list is on their website). Anywhere you look it’s quality over quantity; it’s critical praise over box-office results; it’s the actors who try over those who flaunt. And that’s admirable, considering how petty these award competitions have become lately. Plus, don’t forget, the quality of movies and TV shows has been degrading recently, so when you see all the producers and stars going out of their way and stooping to promote their product, it’s doubly disappointing.
But not in this case. As usual, the ‘Globes’ have selected a worthy group of television and big-screen gems that will get noticed this Sunday, and maybe even pick some awards. Here’s just a sample of wonderful performances that got nods:
* Alicia Silverstone in ‘Miss Match’ (anyone seen her in stage production of ‘The Graduate’?);
* Bonnie Hunt (consistently funny, and always underrated;
* Allison Janney (check her credentials besides ‘West Wing’, you’ll be impressed)
* Kiefer Sutherland (no matter how convoluted the plot twists get on ’24′, he delivers a breathless performance)
* Al Pacino (or anyone else who had anything to do with ‘Angels in America’, an unbelievably powerful mini-series
And these are just the TV shows. Wanna skip in to the movies? ‘Lost in Translation’, ‘Finding Nemo’, ‘Big Fish’, ‘Cold Mountain’, ‘Bad Santa’, ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’. There’s too much to cover, but you get the point. These were all wonderful movie experiences, and I’m glad to see them get noticed. The ‘Globes’ remind us once again that television (and movies) is an art form, and should be nourished, appreciated, understood. Tune in to NBC, this Sunday, January 25th, at 8pm and see for yourself.
Meanwhile, any bets on what movie will be picked for the year’s best? The poll is below.
