Where the Golden Globes Went Right or Wrong

As the results come in, I’ll be listing the decisions that make some sense, and the decisions that make no sense at all… (And some I’ll be ignoring because I don’t care.)

YES

Best Television Series – Drama – Lost
You’d better believe it! It stumbles from time to time, but it’s full of surprises, great characters, and the sensational cast makes even the forgettable episodes worth watching.

Best Actor, Drama – Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Fan. Tastic. This really is one of the great performances of the year, and the best from this group of nominees.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series Or
Motion Picture Made For Television – Paul Newman – Empire Falls
Justice! Newman’s performance made Empire Falls worth watching. He is a joy to watch in this movie.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Drama Hugh Laurie – House
Brilliant. Laurie’s performance makes this show one of the most engaging on television. Has a British actor ever done a better American accent? Has a hospital show ever been so consistently surprising?

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television – Empire Falls
Okay. It’s a decent film, but Newman’s so much fun in it that I’m happy to see it win.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy – Steve Carell – The Office
YEEEESSSSS!!! Okay, so it’s a ripoff of a British series, but Carrell and the rest of the cast have made it something unique.

Best Actress, Musical/Comedy – Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
In a year that’s painfully low on great performances by lead actresses, Witherspoon gave one of the few worth noticing.

NO

Best Picture Drama – Brokeback Mountain
Far, far, far from the best film. Sure, the performances are strong. Yeah, the scenery’s pretty. But if you’re one of the folks who voted for it, I’d love to hear you explain why this is a better movie than… oh… Millions, A History of Violence, Tony Takitani, 2046, Broken Flowers, Capote, Munich, Downfall, Nobody Knows, Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana, The Squid and the Whale, Pride and Prejudice, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, Winter Solstice, or… heck, even Batman Begins! For starters.

Best Actor, Musical/Comedy – Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
It’s not a musical. It’s not a comedy. What’s it doing in this category?

Best Director – Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
It’s his least creative, least interesting film, popular primarily for its political momentum.

Best Supporting Actress – Rachel Weisz, Contant Gardener
Strange choice, especially when the only thing almost every critic agrees about is that Michelle Williams is heartbreakingly good in Brokeback Mountain. I love Weisz, and since I met her in L.A., my admiration has quadrupled. But she’ll do bigger, better work in the future.

Best Supporting Actor – George Clooney, Syriana
He was very, very good, yes; and of these nominees, he’s the best. But what happened to Ed Harris and William Hurt from A History of Violence? Two unforgettable performances.

Best Television Series – Musical Or Comedy – Desperate Housewives
Bleccch.

Best Screenplay – Brokeback Mountain
NO! In a year of many good screenplays, the writing for this film was nothing particularly special. I’ll be saying this a lot in the coming days, but if you sit down and watch a double feature of Brokeback Mountain and Millions, or Brokeback Mountain and Walk the Line, or Brokeback Mountain and Cache, or Brokeback Mountain and A History of Violence, you’ll start to see through all of this hype.

Best Original Song – “A Love That Will Never Grow Old” — Brokeback Mountain Music By: Gustavo Santaolalla Lyrics By: Bernie Taupin

Best Original Score – John Williams – Memoirs Of A Geisha
His score for Munich was better.

Interesting

Best Performance By An Actor In A Mini-Series Or A Motion Picture Made For Television – Jonathan Rhys Meyers – Elvis
Huh. So, they’re celebrating Meyers as Elvis. Will they celebrate Phoenix as Johnny Cash?

Best Foreign Language Film – Paradise Now
Really? Haven’t seen it yet, but is it better than Cache? 2046? Kings and Queen?