The Golden Globe Award Show first made its debut in January, 1944 and has been an annual success ever since. There are always new films and television shows that sweep the audience’s attention globally, and this year’s 74th Golden Globe Award Show was no exception.
One film that certainly stole the show was film director Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. The film successfully won a total of seven Golden Globe awards, which were: Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Best Motion Picture of a Musical or Comedy, Best Director of a Motion Picture, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, and Best Screenplay of a Motion Picture. This was a big deal for the film, as it now holds the new record of winning seven nominations. The last picture to hold the title was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and Midnight Express (1978), both of which had the record of winning six nominations.
La La Land is about a struggling actress, Mia (Emma Stone) and struggling Jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), who come together and try to pursue their big Hollywood dreams. If you’re a fan of musicals, you will most likely enjoy this film. Or, if you’re a fan of seeing Gosling dressed up in an old-Hollywood fashion (like me), you’ll enjoy this film too.
Thanks to the film’s songwriters, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the soundtrack has a beautiful Jazz theme to it. There are certain songs that are repeated various times, though it is done purposefully as a way to show nostalgic memories of certain characters. This holds particularly true with the song on the soundtrack, “City of Stars,” which is also my personal favorite.
Another film that was nominated several times was film director Kenneth Lonergan’s, Manchester by the Sea. The film was nominated five times, but only ended up winning one of those categories: Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture, of which the award went to the film’s main character, Casey Affleck. The film was first premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was a huge success with audiences.
Personally, I did not enjoy the film due to its lack of plot, but some find that this is a positive aspect of the movie. According to Jessica Porter, a senior and education student, the film’s lack of a typical movie plotline was a nice touch. “I’m so used to seeing movies with the same exact plot, the same rising tension, climax, and happy ending. I liked how this movie had drama in it, but was more realistic. Life can be dramatic, but it does not always have a happy ending, nor does everything always teach us a lesson or come full circle. Manchester by the Sea was a mere glimpse into the life of a struggling man and how he lived his day-to-day life based on his experiences and struggles. I liked that.”
There was another aspect of the night that was highly controversial and sparked a lot of conversation, but it wasn’t film related, but a speech that an award recipient gave: Meryl Streep. Streep won the Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is an award granted to a person who has made outstanding contributions to the entertainment world. As she accepted this award, she mentioned recent actions of President Donald Trump.
For example, in her speech Streep said, “…It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter, someone he outranked in privilege and power and the capacity to fight back…When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose…We need the principled press to hold power to account, to call them on the carpet for every outrage.”
There were many people in the audience that enjoyed this speech. It blew up all over social media. Everyone was talking about it – positively or negatively – which is exactly what she wanted. However, President Trump tweeted hours later and said, “Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn’t know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes.” He continued to denounce her as an actress, but his tweets now seem to be positive being that he has officially entered the office (and will hopefully stay that way).
IMAGE TAKEN from www.nytimes.com
