70th Academy Awards (1997): Golden Globes - Cinema Sight by Wesley Lovell

The 70th Academy Awards (1997): Golden Globes

Nominaion Predictions | Winner Predictions | Winner Analysis

Golden Globe Winners Analysis

Drama Picture:

Titanic

My Choice: Titanic
Reason: It’s big and it’s hear. This is the first step in a direct approach to Best Picture.

Comedy/Musical Picture:

As Good As It Gets

My Choice: As Good As It Gets
Reason: The best of a great set of nominees won the award and a awards for its leads.

Drama Actor:

Peter Fonda – Ulee’s Gold

My Choice: Peter Fonda – Ulee’s Gold
Reason: An honor for a Hollywood Veteran.

Drama Actress:

Judi Dench – Mrs. Brown

My Choice: Judi Dench – Mrs. Brown
Reason: She took the trophy and now leads the race to a Best Actress Oscar.

Comedy/Musical Actor:

Jack Nicholson – As Good As It Gets

My Choice: Jack Nicholson – As Good As It Gets
Reason: He won and made a funny acceptance. He is on his way to a record 11th nomination for the Oscars.

Comedy/Musical Actress:

Helen Hunt – As Good As It Gets

My Choice: Pam Grier – Jackie Brown
Reason: Possibly confused over its comedic status, Pam Grier lost to Helen Hunt, a HFPA darling, in a wave for the film As Good As It Gets marking a trio of awards for the film.

Supporting Actor:

Burt Reynolds – Boogie Nights

My Choice: Burt Reynolds – Boogie Nights
Reason: To honor a comeback is often, this is the road to an Oscar as well.

Supporting Actress:

Kim Basinger – L.A. Confidential

My Choice: Gloria Stuart – Titanic
Reason: All this trophy does is guarantee Basinger a Supporting Actress nod at the Oscars. It was the sole award to L.A. Confidential. What will happen? Look to 1990 when Bruce Davison took home the trophy for Longtime Companion and then Joe Pesci won the Oscar. Or even more recent with Lauren Bacall’s loss at the Oscars after her win at the Golden Globes.

Director:

James Cameron – Titanic

My Choice: James Cameron – Titanic
Reason: Along with Picture with this trophy as usual.

Screenplay:

Good Will Hunting

My Choice: Good Will Hunting
Reason: As I thought, the Ingenues took home the trophy. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon successfully achieved a place at the Oscars and likely with ones of their own.

Original Score:

Titanic

My Choice: Titanic
Reason: Titanic went on to be the most honored film of the evening with 4 trophies including this one.

Original Song:

My Heart Will Go On – Titanic

My Choice: My Heart Will Go On – Titanic
Reason: Celine Dion finally won a song its award. After losing last year to Madonna, Celine Dion’s vocalization of the love theme from Titanic helped earn the film its fourth trophy.

Foreign Film:

Ma Vie en Rose

My Choice: Ma Vie en Rose
Reason: Now to be the front runner for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, luckily it’s the one submitted from Belgium

TV Drama Series:

The X-Files

My Choice: The X-Files
Reason: The 3rd trophy from the Golden Globes for X-Files as Best TV Drama. Now if only the Emmys will catch on.

TV Comedy/Musical Series:

Ally McBeal

My Choice: Seinfeld
Reason: The HFPA doesn’t get swept up in that cancellation thing. They instead go for a new face on the TV front, a show that could very easily be considered a drama and the major surprise of the evening.

TV Drama Actor:

Anthony Edwards – ER

My Choice: Kevin Anderson – Nothing Sacred
Reason: Not enough people saw this controversial series. Nor did they get terribly controversial.

TV Drama Actress:

Christine Lahti – Chicago Hope

My Choice: Gillian Anderson – The X-Files
Reason: Anderson couldn’t carry away her 3rd trophy for the show. Lahti must have been surprised, she was in the bathroom when her name was announced creating one of the funniest parts of the evening and in Awards History.

TV Comedy/Musical Actor:

Michael J. Fox – Spin City

My Choice: John Lithgow – 3rd Rock from the Sun
Reason: Apparently the HFPA is tired of Lithgow and have decided to go with a favorite from its past, Michael J. Fox.

TV Comedy/Musical Actress:

Calista Flockhart – Ally McBeal

My Choice: Ellen DeGeneres – Ellen
Reason: Steering clear of the controversy, the HFPA went with newcomer Calista Flockhart in another of the more shocking results this evening.

Movie/Miniseries:

George Wallace

My Choice: Miss Evers’ Boys
Reason: In one of the bigger shocks of the evening, George Wallace managed to trump Emmy winner Miss Evers’ Boys.

Movie/Miniseries Actor:

Ving Rhames – Don King: Only in America

My Choice: Jack Lemmon – 12 Angry Men
Reason: The Best moment of the evening goes to Ving Rhames’ acceptance speech. He called Jack Lemmon up to the stage and gave him the trophy.

Movie/Miniseries Actress:

Alfre Woodard – Miss Evers’ Boys

My Choice: Alfre Woodard – Miss Evers’ Boys
Reason: Woodard wins the consolation prize for the film.

Supporting Actor:

George C. Scott – 12 Angry Men

My Choice: Noah Wyle – ER
Reason: Rarely do they honor Series in the TV Supporting Categories. This was no exception. They gave the trophy to a deserving performance, but to an actor who never attends awards and has refused ’em too.

Supporting Actress:

Angelina Jolie – George Wallace

My Choice: Della Reese – Touched by an Angel
Reason: This category has become a joke with not even the best performance nominated. It’s a wonder no one can predict who will win.

Golden Globe Winner Predictions

Drama Picture:

Amistad
The Boxer
Good Will Hunting
L.A. Confidential
Titanic

Reason: Quite simply: The GG want to build back some prestige that they’ve lost, but not too much. Titanic is considered the picture to beat at the Oscars and they’ll jump on the bandwagon.

Comedy/Musical Picture:

As Good As It Gets
The Full Monty
Men in Black
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Wag the Dog

Reason: The Critics darling they can’t resist, but this category is filled with some high profile films. If they choose The Full Monty, look for an Oscar nod for the film.

Drama Actor:

Matt Damon – Good Will Hunting
Daniel Day-Lewis – The Boxer
Leonardo DiCaprio – Titanic
Peter Fonda – Ulee’s Gold
Djimon Hounsou – Amistad

Reason: No powerhouse roles here. Including no nomination for Robert Duvall, so Peter Fonda wins easily over his nearest competitor the ingenue who’ll get the Screenplay award.

Drama Actress:

Helena Bonham Carter – The Wings of the Dove
Judi Dench – Mrs. Brown
Jodie Foster – Contact
Jessica Lange – A Thousand Acres
Kate Winslet – Titanic

Reason: This is a very tough category, if Kate Winslet doesn’t get on a Titanic juggernaut, I think the foreign press could eat up Dench. But watch out for critic darling Helena Bonham Carter.

Comedy/Musical Actor:

Jim Carrey – Liar Liar
Dustin Hoffman – Wag the Dog
Samuel L. Jackson – Jackie Brown
Kevin Kline – In & Out
Jack Nicholson – As Good As It Gets

Reason: If they choose anyone else, they’ll catch hell for the decision for many years to come. (Remember when Jamie Lee Curtis won Comedy/Musical Actress for True Lies???

Comedy/Musical Actress:

Joey Lauren Adams – Chasing Amy
Pam Grier – Jackie Brown
Helen Hunt – As Good As It Gets
Jennifer Lopez – Selena
Julia Roberts – My Best Friend’s Wedding

Reason: Helen Hunt is nominated elsewhere and they may feel that Pam Grier deserves the honor. Watch the two duke it out.

Supporting Actor:

Rupert Everett – My Best Friend’s Wedding
Anthony Hopkins – Amistad
Greg Kinnear – As Good As It Gets
Burt Reynolds – Boogie Nights
Jon Voight – The Rainmaker
Robin Williams – Good Will Hunting

Reason: The biggest box-office draw of the ’70s will pick up a career trophy. That is if newcomer Rupert Everett doesn’t ride Ellen’s train to an award.

Supporting Actress:

Kim Basinger – L.A. Confidential
Joan Cusack – In & Out
Julianne Moore – Boogie Nights
Gloria Stuart – Titanic
Sigourney Weaver – The Ice Storm

Reason: How can they resist this sweet little old lady that brought the film into sharp focus as its narrator?

Director:

James L. Brooks – As Good As It Gets
James Cameron – Titanic
Cutis Hanson – L.A. Confidential
Jim Sheridan – The Boxer
Steven Spielberg – Amistad

Reason: With Picture goes this trophy. Who could honor the picture without honoring the man who brought back the true Hollywood Epic?

Screenplay:

As Good As It Gets
Good Will Hunting
L.A. Confidential
Titanic
Wag the Dog

Reason: Unless Titanic goes for some records, look for the ingenues to win this category.

Original Score:

Gattaca
Kundun
L.A. Confidential
Seven Years in Tibet
Titanic

Reason: Titanic set a record for most nominations ever for the Golden Globes. Could this award help carry it to another record. Not to mention that silly box-office thing.

Original Song:

Go the Distance – Hercules
Journey to the Past – Anastasia
My Heart Will Go On – Titanic
Once Upon a December – Anastasia
Tomorrow Never Dies – Tomorrow Never Dies

Reason: It’s the only song on the list considered a lock for the Oscar Nominations. It’s also the only one nominated that’s being broadcast on the radio frequently enough. Don’t forget that Titanic-thing.

Foreign Film:

Artemisia – France
The Best Man – Italy
Lea – Germany
My Life in Pink (Ma Vie en Rose) – Belgium
The Thief (Vor) – Russia

Reason: The earmarks of a traditional best picture winner…It’s in French.

TV Drama Series:

Chicago Hope
ER
Law & Order
NYPD Blue
The X-Files

Reason: Why walk down a different path when the one you’re on gets you major press recognition for being brazen enough to honor one of the best shows on TV?

TV Comedy/Musical Series:

Ally McBeal
Frasier
Friends
Seinfeld
Spin City
3rd Rock from the Sun

Reason: They’ll be stupid and fall for the hype while the better shows, like Frasier get the shaft.

TV Drama Actor:

Kevin Anderson – Nothing Sacred
George Clooney – ER
David Duchovny – The X-Files
Anthony Edwards – ER
Lance Henrickson – Millennium

Reason: For some odd reason, the HFPA likes to track down controversy, step up to the plate Nothing Sacred. Watch out for Duchovny or Edwards.

TV Drama Actress:

Gillian Anderson – The X-Files
Kim Delaney – NYPD Blue
Roma Downey – Touched by an Angel
Christine Lahti – Chicago Hope
Julianna Margulies – ER

Reason: She’s now the perennial Golden Globe winner. Now that Angela Lansbury’s moved on from Murder, She Wrote, someone must take the reigns.

TV Comedy/Musical Actor:

Michael J. Fox – Spin City
Kelsey Grammer – Frasier
John Lithgow – 3rd Rock from the Sun
Paul Reiser – Mad About You
Jerry Seinfeld – Seinfeld

Reason: Lithgow is a HFPA favorite, two years in a row already, can he beat out Kelsey Grammer for a third?

TV Comedy/Musical Actress:

Kirstie Alley – Veronica’s Closet
Ellen DeGeneres – Ellen
Jenna Elfman – Dharma & Greg
Calista Flockhart – Ally McBeal
Helen Hunt – Mad About You
Brooke Shields – Suddenly Susan

Reason: If they like controversy(What am I saying??), they’ll go for Ellen. Why not? Piss of the Baptists. 🙂

Movie/Miniseries:

Don King: Only in America
George Wallace
Miss Evers Boys
The Odyssey
12 Angry Men

Reason: It’s already won the Emmy, why not a GG. Perhaps they’ll be too dazzled to see straight by The Odyssey. Or as impressed as I was with 12 Angry Men.

Movie/Miniseries Actor:

Armand Assanti – The Odyssey
Jack Lemmon – 12 Angry Men
Matthew Modine – What the Deaf Man Heard
Ving Rhames – Don King: Only in America
Gary Sinise – George Wallace

Reason: Honor a veteran and a brilliant movie at the same time. Watch out for Rhames and that Sinise guy for another Presidential-type guy.

Movie/Miniseries Actress:

Ellen Barkin – Before Women Had Wings
Jena Malone – Hope
Vanessa Redgrave – Bella Mafia
Meryl Streep – First Do No Harm
Alfre Woodard – Miss Evers Boys

Reason: Alfre can do no harm and if it loses to Odyssey or 12 Angry Men, this is the next best consolation prize. Besides, the rest of her competition is rather weak.

Supporting Actor:

Jason Alexander – Seinfeld
Michael Caine – Mandela and de Klerk
David Hyde-Pierce – Frasier
Eriq LaSalle – ER
George C. Scott – 12 Angry Men
Noah Wyle – ER

Reason: All you have to do is find a pretty face. Noah Wyle’s character is probably the most interesting to watch on ER and one of the few that isn’t getting annoying. Will they choose to honor Alexander in his final year at bat? Or will they really, really like 12 Angry Men?

Supporting Actress:

Joely Fisher – Ellen
Angelina Jolie – George Wallace
Della Reese – Touched by an Angel
Gloria Reuben – ER
Mare Winningham – George Wallace

Reason: Who knows what the hell they were thinking. I can see them going out on a limb for Della Reese, but picking Joely Fisher would be their biggest guffaw since honoring Scent of a Woman.

Golden Globe Nomination Predictions

Drama Picture:

Amistad
The Boxer
Good Will Hunting
L.A. Confidential
Titanic

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

The Ice Storm
Jackie Brown

Reaction: Jackie Brown a Comedy? That’s where my big mistake was. Also, The Boxer, a surprise, has taken 3 nominations and kicked The Ice Storm out of contention.

Comedy/Musical Picture:

As Good As It Gets
The Full Monty
Men in Black
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Wag the Dog

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Grosse Pointe Blank
In & Out

Reaction: Jackie Brown was a comedy, but was also not nominated, its potential is gone. Men in Black was insanely popular and not surprising with a nod.

Drama Actor:

Matt Damon – Good Will Hunting
Daniel Day-Lewis – The Boxer
Leonardo DiCaprio – Titanic
Peter Fonda – Ulee’s Gold
Djimon Hounsou – Amistad

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Robert Duvall – The Apostle
Ralph Fiennes – Oscar & Lucinda
Anthony Hopkins – Amistad
Kevin Kline – The Ice Storm

Reaction: Hounsou and Hopkins switched lead and supporting places, although I had them both selected for a nod. Duvall was left out surprisingly and Daniel Day-Lewis riding in on The Boxer, another surprise. Most surprising is that Titanic was so well received including nods for both its leads.

Drama Actress:

Helena Bonham Carter – The Wings of the Dove
Judi Dench – Mrs. Brown
Jodie Foster – Contact
Jessica Lange – A Thousand Acres
Kate Winslet – Titanic

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Joan Allen – The Ice Storm
Victoire Thivisol – Ponette

Reaction: Winslet and Lange both major surprises, the latter in a critical panned film and the other a budding young actress with one Oscar nod under her belt.

Comedy/Musical Actor:

Jim Carrey – Liar Liar
Dustin Hoffman – Wag the Dog
Samuel L. Jackson – Jackie Brown
Kevin Kline – In & Out
Jack Nicholson – As Good As It Gets

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

John Cusack – Grosse Pointe Blank
Bruce Willis – The Fifth Element

Reaction: Jim Carrey’s surprisingly good Liar Liar beat out favorite of mine John Cusack and Jackie Brown shocked me completely.

Comedy/Musical Actress:

Joey Lauren Adams – Chasing Amy
Pam Grier – Jackie Brown
Helen Hunt – As Good As It Gets
Jennifer Lopez – Selena
Julia Roberts – My Best Friend’s Wedding

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Kirstie Alley – Deconstructing Harry
Milla Jovovich – The Fifth Element
Vanessa L. Williams – Soul Food

Reaction: With Jackie Brown in the running and surprise from early in the year Jennifer Lopez, this is an interesting rounded category.

Supporting Actor:

Rupert Everett – My Best Friend’s Wedding
Anthony Hopkins – Amistad
Greg Kinnear – As Good As It Gets
Burt Reynolds – Boogie Nights
Jon Voight – The Rainmaker
Robin Williams – Good Will Hunting

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Russell Crowe – L.A. Confidential
Djimon Hounsou – Amistad

Reaction: Again, the Hopkins Hounsou thing just put me off, L.A. Confidential’s major male performers all canceled each other out to allow Robin Williams and a surpris Jon Voight in.

Supporting Actress:

Kim Basinger – L.A. Confidential
Joan Cusack – In & Out
Julianne Moore – Boogie Nights
Gloria Stuart – Titanic
Sigourney Weaver – The Ice Storm

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Anne Heche – Wag the Dog
Christina Ricci – The Ice Storm

Reaction: Kim Basinger isn’t a surprise, its her comeback of sorts. Gloria Stuart was not expected to be as popular, but rode the wave caused by Titanic to a nomination.

Director:

James L. Brooks – As Good As It Gets
James Cameron – Titanic
Cutis Hanson – L.A. Confidential
Jim Sheridan – The Boxer
Steven Spielberg – Amistad

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Paul Thomas Anderson – Boogie Nights

Reaction: Jim Sheridan, the only real surprise here, one of my best categories to have predicted, Anderson’s Boogie Nights will be left in the cold come Oscar time.

Screenplay:

As Good As It Gets
Good Will Hunting
L.A. Confidential
Titanic
Wag the Dog

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Boogie Nights

Reaction: Boogie Nights, again, my only shut out, but not surprisingly Wag the Dog gets the nod.

Original Score:

Gattaca
Kundun
L.A. Confidential
Seven Years in Tibet
Titanic

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Amistad
Boogie Nights
The Fifth Element
Hercules

Reaction: With John Williams’ other score for Tibet replacing Amistad, it will reverse come Oscar time. Only Kundun and Titanic weren’t surprising, Gattaca and Tibet shocked.

Original Song:

Go the Distance – Hercules
Journey to the Past – Anastasia
My Heart Will Go On – Titanic
Once Upon a December – Anastasia
Tomorrow Never Dies – Tomorrow Never Dies

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

How Do I Live
Little Light of Love

Reaction: As I had figured, At the Beginning, the much touted original song from Anastasia fell flat, as it should have. With two much better songs from the film gaining a toehold. Surprisingly How Do I Live was ignored.

Foreign Film:

Artemsia – France
The Best Man – Italy
Lea – Germany
My Life in Pink (Ma Vie en Rose) – Belgium
The Thief (Vor) – Russia

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

For Ever Mozart
Gabbeh
Princess Mononoke
Shall We Dance?

Reaction: Foreign Film is an Odd dog and with France and Germany’s nominations not their country’s submission, Itally, Russia and Belgium look like the sure victors here.

TV Drama Series:

Chicago Hope
ER
Law & Order
NYPD Blue
The X-Files

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Party of Five

Reaction: Law & Order rides high on its post-Emmy momentum dislodging perennial favorite Party of Five.

Comedy/Musical Series:

Ally McBeal
Frasier
Friends
Seinfeld
Spin City
3rd Rock from the Sun

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Ellen
Mad About You

Reaction: Ally McBeal is an hour long, so not technically a comedy, but somehow it got entrenched here. And newcomer Spin City also makes a surprise showing shutting out favorites Ellen and Mad About You.

TV Drama Actor:

Kevin Anderson – Nothing Sacred
George Clooney – ER
David Duchovny – The X-Files
Anthony Edwards – ER
Lance Henrickson – Millennium

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Dennis Franz – NYPD Blue
Jimmy Smits – NYPD Blue

Reaction: NYPD’s cast left in the cold, newcomer, and critically acclaimed, Kevin Anderson pulls a nod along with X-Files’ subset Millennium’s Lance Henrickson.

TV Drama Actress:

Gillian Anderson – The X-Files
Kim Delaney – NYPD Blue
Roma Downey – Touched by an Angel
Christine Lahti – Chicago Hope
Julianna Margulies – ER

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Neve Campbell – Party of Five
Jane Seymour – Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Reaction: After Lansbury left this category, Jane Seymour had no hope and found herself kicked out by Kim Delaney and Roma Downey, neither a surprise.

TV Comedy/Musical Actor:

Michael J. Fox – Spin City
Kelsey Grammer – Frasier
John Lithgow – 3rd Rock from the Sun
Paul Reiser – Mad About You
Jerry Seinfeld – Seinfeld

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

NONE!!

Reaction: Woo Hoo! I got a perfect, last year, my only perfect Oscar shot was film editing. This time, it comes in TV, but I’m not complaining. With no surprises one bit, and a traditional group, Lithgow and Grammer run into the head of the pack again.

TV Comedy/Musical Actress:

Kirstie Alley – Veronica’s Closet
Ellen DeGeneres – Ellen
Jenna Elfman – Dharma & Greg
Calista Flockhart – Ally McBeal
Helen Hunt – Mad About You
Brooke Shields – Suddenly Susan

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Fran Drescher – The Nanny
Lea Thompson – Caroline in the City
Cybill Shepherd – Cybill

Reaction: Ally McBeal’s Flockhart and Veronica’s Closet’s Alley knocked out veterans Drescher and Shepher. The new girls triumphed gaining 3 nominations for Alley (no stranger to comedy), Elfman and Flockhart.

Movie/Miniseries:

Don King: Only in America
George Wallace
Miss Evers Boys
The Odyssey
12 Angry Men

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

In the Gloaming
The Shining

Reaction: I wasn’t quite familiar with the newer miniseries and movies for television like George Wallace and Don King, but 12 Angry Men and Miss Evers Boys were far from a surprise.

Movie/Miniseries Actor:

Armand Assanti – The Odyssey
Jack Lemmon – 12 Angry Men
Matthew Modine – What the Deaf Man Heard
Ving Rhames – Don King: Only in America
Gary Sinise – George Wallace

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Armand Assanti – Gotti
Laurence Fishburne – Miss Evers Boys
Steven Weber – The Shining
Sidney Poitier – Mandela and De Klerk

Reaction: Jack Lemmon being my only correct guess, this is not my best category with plenty of actors from newer films and a different role for Assanti.

Movie/Miniseries Actress:

Ellen Barkin – Before Women Had Wings
Jena Malone – Hope
Vanessa Redgrave – Bella Mafia
Meryl Streep – First Do No Harm
Alfre Woodard – Miss Evers Boys

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Glenn Close – In the Gloaming
Stockard Channing – An Unexpected Family
Demi Moore – If These Walls Could Talk

Reaction: Again, my least favorite categories because there are too many people out there. No major surprises, however.

Supporting Actor:

Jason Alexander – Seinfeld
Michael Caine – Mandela and de Klerk
David Hyde-Pierce – Frasier
Eriq LaSalle – ER
George C. Scott – 12 Angry Men
Noah Wyle – ER

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Michael Richards – Seinfeld

Reaction: Only Michael Richards of my picks was not nominated, but in Golden Globe tradition, 6 nominations were handed out as was in Comedy Series and Supporting Actor in a movie. Eriq LaSalle brings in the black element and Michael Caine captures de Klerk.

Supporting Actress:

Joely Fisher – Ellen
Angelina Jolie – George Wallace
Della Reese – Touched by an Angel
Gloria Reuben – ER
Mare Winningham – George Wallace

My Selections that didn’t get the nomination:

Kirstie Alley – The Last Don
Christine Baranski – Cybill
Bridget Fonda – In the Gloaming
Laura Innes – ER
Kristen Johnston – 3rd Rock from the Sun

Reaction: I often think that combing supporting for Series, Movies and Miniseries is rather ridiculous and this proves it. Great performances in both movies and minis and series are left out here and a unoriginal set remain.