Remember that my passion for film is (sadly) part time and I can’t see every film that comes out. In addition, when it comes to the TV awards — as much as I love TV — I’ve seen even less because I can only make so much time for new TV shows and I’m very picky and choosy. I may not pick and chose the shows you want me to watch, but I do pick and chose.
With all that said…
Last night was the 2015 Golden Globe Awards for films and TV shows from the year 2014. Here’s what we’ve got:
Best Performance By an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Winner: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Nominees:
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Thoughts: I have unfortunately not seen Whiplash. I did think Robert Duvall and Edward Norton both turned in great performances in their films listed here. But I have heard that J.K. Simmons knocked this out of the park. Not surprising.
Best Performance By an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Nominees:
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Allison Janney, Mom
Michelle Monaghan, True Detective
Thoughts: Sorry, haven’s seen a single one of these. I told you I don’t have time for as much TV as I would like.
Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Fargo, FX
Nominees:
The Missing, Starz
The Normal Heart, HBO
Olive Kitteridge, HBO
True Detective, HBO
Thoughts: ...
Best Performance By an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
Nominees:
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
Thoughts: ...
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – Comedy or Musical
Winner: Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Nominees:
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black
Thoughts: ...
Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
Winner: Transparent, Amazon Instant Video
Nominees:
Girls, HBO
Jane the Virgin, The CW
Orange Is the New Black, Netflix
Silicon Valley, HBO
Thoughts: Man, I just don’t keep up with new TV much.
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Winner: Jóhann Jóhannsson, The Theory of Everything
Nominees:
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez, Birdman
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar
Thoughts: The Theory of Everything‘s score must be good — it better be — because The Imitation Game is personally the best score I heard this year. Gone Girl had a good score too, but because of the nature of the film it’s hard to call it best. Birdman did some interesting things with the score, but ultimately, I don’t know if I would personally have nominated it. As far as Interstellar, it’s hard to separate the score from my general feelings of resentment and disappointment with the film.
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Winner: “Glory” from Selma
Nominees:
“Big Eyes” from Big Eyes
“Mercy Is” from Noah
“Opportunity” from Annie
“Yellow Flicker Beat” from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Thoughts: ...
Best Performance By an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Nominees:
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Colin Hanks, Fargo
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan
Thoughts: Hey, look, it’s more television I haven’t watched. Sigh. What I would do with the time if I had it.
Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Winner: Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Nominees:
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred-Foot Journey
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars
Quvenzhané Wallis, Annie
Thoughts: Haven’t seen it, though I want to, but Amy Adams has to be quite good to be better than Helen Mirren in The Hundred-Foot Journey. Of course, while Amy Adams has been in films I have not liked, I’ve never been disappointed by her or her performance so I’m not surprised.
Best Animated Feature Film
Winner: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominees:
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie
Thoughts: How did Big Hero 6 not take this? As far as How to Train Your Dragon vs. The Lego Movie, they are essentially tied in my mind so that would be a hard choice. But Big Hero 6 is unequivocally a cut above the rest here. What’s wrong with these people?!?
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Winner: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Nominees:
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Thoughts: She had to be good to get better than Emma Stone in Birdman. Keira Knightley was also so good in The Imitation Game.
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, Birdman
Nominees:
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Thoughts: Not a terrible choice, but I don’t see how it was a better screen play than Gone Girl, or The Imitation Game.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical
Winner: Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Nominees:
Louis C.K., Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Ricky Gervais, Derek
William H. Macy, Shameless
Thoughts: ...
Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: Leviathan, Russia
Nominees:
Force Majeure Turist, Sweden
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem Gett, Israel
Ida, Poland and Denmark
Thoughts: Call me uncultured, but I don’t make the time for foreign language films that I should.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Nominees:
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Frances O’Connor, The Missing
Allison Tolman, Fargo
Thoughts: ...
Best Television Series – Drama
Winner: The Affair, Showtime
Nominees:
Downton Abbey, PBS
Game of Thrones, HBO
The Good Wife, CBS
House of Cards, Netflix
Thoughts: Hey, there’s one in there I’ve seen. House of Cards is the best show going right now. That must make The Affair really good? Though I doubt it’s my kind of show.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Winner: Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Nominees:
Clive Owen, The Knick
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
James Spader, The Blacklist
Dominic West, The Affair
Thoughts: YES!
Best Director – Motion Picture
Winner: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Nominees:
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Thoughts: This clearly should have gone to David Fincher and Gone Girl.
Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Winner: Ruth Wilson, The Affair
Nominees:
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Thoughts: No love for Robin Wright…
Best Performance By an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Winner: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Nominees:
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Bill Murray, St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes
Thoughts: Sure, that works.
Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nominees:
Birdman
Into the Woods
Pride
St. Vincent
Thoughts: ...
Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Winner: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Nominees:
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Thoughts: ...
Best Performance By an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Winner: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Nominees:
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo, Selma
Thoughts: How does this not go to Cumberbatch?
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Winner: Boyhood
Nominees:
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Thoughts: Yes, yes, I know I need to see Boyhood, and I plan to. But I don’t see how it can be better than The Imitation Game.
One thing is quite apparent: we had some great films, TV shows, and performances in 2014. I can only hope that 2015 will at least live up to 2014 in that respect.