Thursday 11 December 2008

Those Golden Globes nominations

I don't want to be unkind about the Golden Globes because, for those nominated, it's a big deal, as a friend of mine was a couple of years ago. And yet it's a show driven by stars and ratings and the nominations tend to reflect that, with the gongs themselves dolled out by a group of foreign journalists nobody has heard of whose opinions and votes have, in the past — how shall I put this delicately? — been easily susceptible to outside influence. Having said that, it's great to see In Bruges being nominated in several categories, although the absence of both Richard Jenkins for The Visitor and Benicio Del Toro for Che from the Best Actor list shows what a strong year it is.

8 comments:

Gerard said...

I was hoping Richard Jenkins would get a nod, also. Furthermore - Tom Cruise. Loved him in the part, but c'mon... Brad Pitt was way better in Burn After Reading.

Mark Salisbury said...

Agreed. The Cruise cameo was fun but Pitt was the best thing in Burn. Watched it again the other night and still don't think it works -- except for Mr Pitt. His little dance when he arrives at FM's apartment prior to the "I have your sensitive shit" phone call is priceless.

Gerard said...

Really? What doesn't work for you? I completely agree it's not vintage Coens, but I still enjoyed it enormously (paid to see it twice, in fact, and have the US blu-ray on order) and have since gotten a lot of mileage out of it - like most of their comedies, the more I reflect upon it, the funnier it gets. It's more disposable than their greatest stuff, but for me, it was a solid four-star effort, and one to which I'm sure I'll frequently return.

But I do agree - Pitt was the best part of the mix. I also love his squinty-eyed encounter with Malkovich in the car - hilarious.

Mark Salisbury said...

Not that funny. Ultimately.

Unknown said...

I have a feeling the CHE is going to be the ZODIAC of this year. Highly regarded by many but virtually ignored by all the major awards shows.

Mark Salisbury said...

I think you might be right J.D. Unfortunately...

Stram said...

I really don't understand how in the world they can nominate Mama Mia!. Box Office rules? Why not to put Sex and the City then!

Anyway, I'm quite amazed by Kate Winslet's two nominations. Though I haven't seen the movies yet (Revolutionary Road and The Reader), I do believe she deserves it!

Mark Salisbury said...

I hope to watch Revolutionary Road tonight. I have been looking forward to it for a while, although I must say I'm struggling to be interested in The Reader.

And if you knew who voted for the Globes, you wouldn't be at all surprised...

Then again, it's a pretty good list on the film side, albeit with some striking omissions.