Will voters embrace gay Globes?
Call these the gay Globes — yikes! "Capote," "Transamerica," "Breakfast on Pluto" and "Brokeback Mountain." Clearly, the Golden Globe nominations have a theme with a social message, which isn't unusual.
In liberal Hollywood, showbiz awards have often played a key role in the struggle for human rights. Perhaps the most dramatic example took place at the Globes in 1967 when award gurus assumed that "Bonnie and Clyde" or "The Graduate" would sweep the gold derby. Instead, a curious plot twist occurred. While America's cities burned during civil-rights riots, Globe voters sent protesters a clear signal of support by picking "In the Heat of the Night" as best drama picture.
The Oscars chose "In the Heat of the Night" too, of course, but the Globes did so first, just like they did when they cleared the Oscar way for socially progressive films "Boys Don't Cry" and "Philadelphia." Globe voters have heaped kudos on "Angels in America," "The Hours," "Ma Vie en Rose" and so many other lavender film and TV productions that voters might be suspected of pushing a gay agenda. But no. Here's proof: the TV program that has suffered the biggest shutout at the Globes? "Will & Grace" (27 losses, no wins).
Photo: Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal get bravely intimate on screen.
(Focus Features)
"Boys Don't Cry" and "Philadelphia" won performance awards for roles depicting persecution. "Brokeback Mountain" is different. It's something never seen before in the best picture race — a gay love story. Now straight viewers are called upon to be sympathetic to its lead characters not because they're victims of disease or social violence, but because they struggle so hard just to love each other.
Now that "Brokeback" has won best picture from the New York and L.A. film critics and leads with the most Globe and Critics' Choice noms, viewing it is suddenly mandatory for everyone who tracks the gold derby — including conservative filmgoers who may disagree vehemently with the movie's message. If "Brokeback" truly does its job right artistically, if it's really the best movie of the year, then its potential for changing minds and winning over straight hearts is huge.
"Brokeback Mountain" has many elements that make it a logical Globe and Oscar champ. Voters of both awards frequently confuse best picture with big picture — and this one's vast, not just in terms of capturing the wide landscapes of Wyoming wilderness. It's full of big ideas. It feels important. And it has other key kudos pluses, too. It features sexy A-list stars and is helmed by an esteemed director who's overdue to win an Oscar. Ang Lee did win a Globe for helming "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in 2000, but his Oscar quest is what's important.
But "Brokeback" has some drawbacks.
"I'm starting to hear grumblings about people thinking it's too soap opera-ish and that it has too many endings," says Lou Lumenick, film critic of the New York Post. "It's also vulnerable because it's out front so early. Every time you have a front-runner, a backlash of some sort starts to form."
"Brokeback's" fate at the Globes will certainly impact the Oscars because the Globes moved up their ceremony to mid-January in order to have impact on academy nominations again. "This is the first time in three years that the Globes could influence Oscar nominations because winners are revealed before polls close," Lumenick adds. That impact may be minimal, however, because Oscar ballots are due just five days after the Globe ceremony. Still, Globe victories could influence Oscar wins.
"Brokeback's" toughest competition for best drama picture will be "Good Night, and Good Luck." That face-off sets up a classic clash between two types of movies that Hollywood voters are suckers for: The Art House Flick with an Important Social Message vs. Movie Helmed by a Studly Actor-Turned-Director.
It was the Globes, remember, that launched Mel Gibson Oscar-bound in 1995. "Braveheart" lost the Globe for best drama picture to "Sense and Sensibility," but Gibson won the director's award and looked so good at the podium accepting it that academy voters cast him to give a repeat performance on Oscar night, this time with his battle epic capturing best picture booty, too. Now consider how well Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner and Robert Redford did at various Hollywood kudos, too.
Globe voters have a reputation for slobbering over sexy superstars, so they may find George Clooney impossible to resist. But they're also renowned for caring a lot about art house films, so much so that this year they snubbed the big studio productions in the top races, including "Munich," "Cinderella Man," "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "King Kong."
"Geisha" now seems to be out of the running thanks to the battering it has taken from bully guy critics who refuse to empathize with female film protagonists unless they're alluring in a foxy Keira Knightley way, not a reserved Ziyi Zhang way. "Cinderella Man" is probably down and out, too.
Don't write off "Munich," though. Given Steven Spielberg's godly status in Hollywood, there's a good chance it can rally and end up in the top five when Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 31. Globes-slighted "Crash" could be there, too.
And certainly "King Kong."
Most fascinating about today's Globe nominations was how the foreign press not only failed to acknowledge the artistry of that film — just as I had boldly predicted they would — but how they underscored their outlander status by failing to sense the holy place the Kong legend holds in Yankee lore. Strangely, however, they hailed Peter Jackson's craftsmanship by giving him a best director nom.
Now here's my next prediction: "Kong" will return — large, loud and with fur flying — at the Oscars where there will be a very different dynamic in the top matchup. At that point the mighty beast will have become Hollywood's ultimate hero by rescuing the box office in the last fleeting days of a year that had looked like another declining one for cineplex attendance.
Now let me gobble up a huge helping of humble pie for two dumb predictions of mine this year. I had said "The Producers" wouldn't be nominated for best comedy/musical picture. So much for my two sources who said that the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. members "hated" it. Another bad call: that "Casanova" would make the cut. OK, OK, but other predictions were pretty good, eh? Didn't I warn you that "Syriana," "The New World" and "Cinderella Man" were out and that there was a chance "A History of Violence" and "Squid and the Whale" could get in?
I don't think it's fascinating the Globes 'failed to acknolwedge the artistry' of King Kong. Globes are show-pony awards. They don't nominate techinical categories, which I do not doubt Kong will feature in come the Academy Awards. But, really, Kong doesn't perform outstandingly in the acting and overall creative achievement categories.
As a non-American 'outlander' myself, I can assure you that King Kong holds no holy place in lore outside of America. Giant monster movies seem to be an over-done genre with nowhere much to go and no sense of freshness.
As a devotee of Jackson's team with Lord of the Rings, I went to see Kong out of loyalty. I do not see it as 'Strange' that HFP has seen it fit to nominate Jackson for a director award without nominating the actors or overall film. The effort required to hold such a huge film together and to synchronise story with special effects makes Jackson a worthy receipient in the director's category. However, the actual film is overblown, had horrendous dialogue and nonsensical plot progression as well as a few areas of dodgy special-effects where a green-screen is palpable.
Jackson's follow-up proves that good source material (Lord of the Rings) can make a big difference to the quality of work put in by the filmmakers.
Posted by: Pippin | December 17, 2005 at 05:36 PM
Good catch, rjnick. I meant that "Bonnie and Clyde" was expected to win at the Globes and "The Graduate" at the Oscars, so I've made the fix above. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was considered a serious contender at both award contests, but nobbody expected "Heat" to be so hot.
Posted by: Tom O'Neil | December 16, 2005 at 11:42 PM
Heath walks up on the stage to get his statue,
drawls: "well goll dang............Wait till Geoge Bush hears about THIS!"
The house goes wild.
Posted by: Juanito da Weirdo | December 16, 2005 at 10:20 PM
If the Oscars really want to go all the way they need to recognize the Canadian film "C.R.A.Z.Y." as Best Foreign Language Film. It is the best coming out movie I've ever seen - it really deserves an audience! If you get a chance to see it, jump at the chance. If you're an Academy voter, check it out. It is unforgettable.
Posted by: TorontoTom | December 15, 2005 at 05:09 PM
Did Tom O'Neil even use the word "issue"? He talked about how conservatives may object to the movie's "social message". I haven't seen the movie yet, but I presume the social message is that gay love is okay and it is grotesque and inhuman for society to create conditions in which it must be repressed and hidden.
In any case, even if the word "issue" had been used, what's wrong with saying Brokeback deals with an issue -- that issue being society's homophobia and failure to accept homosexuality as natural and normal. As a gay man, I have no problem with saying that the movie deals with an "issue".
.
Posted by: Scott | December 15, 2005 at 06:59 AM
The Graduate did sweep the Golden Globes in 1967 because it was nominated in the Comedy/Musical category. It not only won Best Comedy/Musical Picture, it won for Actor (Hoffman), Actress (Bancroft), and Director (Nichols) . In the Heat of the Night won for Best Drama, Best Screenplay and for Best Actor (Steiger). So 4 for Benjamin Braddock, only 3 for Mr. Tibbs.
Also, for all of the Academy's desire to support the Civil Rights movement, they curiously did not nominate Sidney Poitier -- not just for that movie, but for any one of the 3 films that he made that year -- including another film about racial tolerance, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Perhaps Sidney and Jake Gyllenhaal can chat about it when Oscar nominates Munich because Middle Eastern terrorism is a safer controversy to support. In Hollywood and in American culture it's much more acceptable for men to kill each other than for them to kiss each other.
I do think Brokeback Mountain will be showered with nominations (and I do hope Jake is one of them). But I think like many a controversial film before it, it will be relegated to winning for it's screenplay -- almost always the consolation prize for a film that they know they should honor, but not one that they're comfortable giving a more high profile prize too (like Pulp Fiction or The Crying Game).
Also, I don't think the Globes moved up this year to have an impact on Oscar. As a tennis fan, I know all too well that the Globes, are always held the same night as the first night of the Australian Open -- and this year will be no different. The Academy Awards moved back a week so that the ceremony wouldn't have to be televised opposite the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics. In 2007, they will be back where they year the last couple of years.
Posted by: rjnick | December 14, 2005 at 08:03 PM
What "issue" would conservatives moviegoers disagree with? This very wording is off-putting to me. The fact that gay people exist in the world is just that, a fact. It's not an "issue", like tax reform, with which one might disagree. Gay people exist. Gay people fall in love. That is a fact. If you disapprove of gay people's ability to live life fully, the "issue" in question is that you're a bigot.
Anyway.
Are you saying that Brokeback Mountain is not about persecution? Cause I don't think that's true at all. Just cause no one died of AIDS or gets killed violently in the final minutes doesn't mean the film is not about persecution.
Anyway, yeah, Brokeback will win. But I think Clooney is a definite possibility for the director globe. Argh.
Posted by: Adam Keller | December 14, 2005 at 12:20 PM
Kudos for the Golden Globes for getting this one right! "Brokeback Mountain" deserves to sweep the entire awards ceremony because it is a MOVIE WHOSE TIME HAS COME (in mainstream America)!
Special thanks for Ang Lee for his vision and bravery...
Posted by: Robert | December 14, 2005 at 08:33 AM
I don't get what the big deal is about "Good Night and Good Luck". It was fine little movie, but I went with three other people and we all left the theatre strangely unmoved. The whole thing was intelligent, nicely judged, well acted, and just a little bit flat. I can't really imagine Oscar voters feeling passionate about it. And while Straitharn, an excellent actor, was just fine as Murrow, Murrow himself was such a stiff, colourless character (albeit a very honourable man) that the performance itself comes across as a bit bland. Oscar voters don't generally go for that.
I am surprised "Capote" didn't get a nod for best picture. Haven't seen "Brokeback" yet, but Capote is to my mind the finest and most moving mainstream American movie of the year.
Posted by: Scott | December 14, 2005 at 06:43 AM