Ricky Gervais wasn’t the only reason to watchthe Golden Globes on Sunday night. Each year, Oscar buffs tune in hoping for asign of things to come. The trophies handed out by the Hollywood Foreign PressAssociation aren’t foolproof indicators of where the Motion Picture Academy isheaded, but they do register the industry’s vital signs during thosenail-biting weeks before the Academy announces its nominees.
This year, Alejandro Gonzales Inarittu’sRevenant won for Best Picture, Drama; Inarittu also won as Best Director andthe film’s star, Leonardo DiCaprio, took the Globe for Best Actor, Drama. Lastyear, Inarrittu earned an Oscar for the groundbreaking Birdman; Revenant is alikely nominee but an unlikely winner at this years’ Academy Awards given theSpotlight buzz. However, the Golden Globes are adding to the momentum forDiCaprio, the man most likely to win Oscar’s affection for Best Actor.
Brie Larson won the Globe for Best Actress,Drama for Room, a superb indie-style film that has some gained traction inHollywood. On Oscar night, Larson will probably be up against JenniferLawrence, who took the Best Actress, Comedy Globe for Joy. Will SylvesterStallone be an Oscar contender after winning the Globe for Best SupportingActor in the surprisingly well-liked Creed? Probably so. And Kate Winslet aftergetting the Globe for Supporting Actress (Steve Jobs)? Ditto.
Several Globes went to inevitable winners onOscar night, including the Holocaust drama Son of Saul for Best Foreign-Language Film and Pixar's InsideOut for Best Animated.
