I'm not going to give you a run down of the entire Golden Globe ceremony. Fact is, I didn't watch it. I've come to find award shows so boring no matter who or what may be up for an award. However, I will say that I'm delighted by the results that I've found on the GG website this morning. Here are some highlights as they matter to me:
Best Picture/Comedy: Sideways (Duh!)
Best Screenplay/Comedy: Sideways (Double Duh!)
Best Supporting Actress/Drama: Natalie Portman for Closer (didn't I say she was the best thing going in that movie)
Best TV Drama: Nip Tuck (nice surprise, not nearly so predictable)
Best TV Comedy: Desperate Housewives (yes, I am a victim to this show too)
I was also delighted to see that Jason Bateman got one for Arrested Development and Angelica Huston for Iron Jawed Angels. Even though, I know, these awards aren't really given out purely based on merit, it seems this year's crop of winners come closer to the mark than of late. It'll be interesting to see how closely the Oscars line up or diverge.
I also caught Kinsey this weekend with my friend Charlotte. The film was highly praised by a very good friend (who shall remain unnamed). We both found it disappointing. I thought the pace of the film was all wrong. I thought if all the R rated material had been removed (mostly some images and some language) it could have been as successful as a made for TV movie or made for cable (with everything left in). I understand the challenge of doing a biopic in two hours but it's the choices of what to cover and what to skip that will keep my interest or loose it. It was clear to me from this director's point of view how important Kinsey's childhood was to the man he becomes and yet, it was entirely skimmed over in the course of ten minutes. Also, his marriage that forms much of the emotional conflict in the film doesn't receive nearly as much screen time as the syncopated interviews (so boring). I thought Liam Neeson's portrayal of Kinsey was flat. It didn't matter how interesting Laura Linney was because she was acting in a vacuum. In the end, I'm so glad I saw it as a matinee at the Davis ($5). As I look back over the past film season, I can only think of three films that I really enjoyed and those were: A Love Song for Bobby Long, Sideways, and Spanglish in that order. This weekend, I'm looking forward to the opening of the Henry Darger docu-drama In the Realms of the Unreal at the Music Box. Don't know who Henry Darger is? Shame on you!
