While the roaring snow cooped many like myself inside on Jan. 5, I was relieved to have had The 82nd Annual Hollywood Golden Globe Awards to look forward to. With a bucket of popcorn in hand, the awards started rolling out – leaving shock as an understatement for the looks plastered across my face. My jaw hit the floor as, while some of the actors got the recognition they deserved, various awards fell into very debatable hands.
Who should have won, lost, or left the crowd shocked with results? There were many differing takes over the outcomes to discuss.
To kick off, it would be absurd to not highlight how really painful it was to see Kieran Culkin win Best Supporting Male Actor for “A Real Pain.” With the film itself receiving an 80% approval rating from Google users, it is clear that Culkin did not salvage the arguably mediocre movie.
This award is based on the actor himself rather than the film: but even still, Culkin put on the same unoriginal persona that has been repeated for other characters in the past, such as in the satirical series “Succession” about the Roy family conglomerate. A deserving alternative would have been Jeremy Strong for “The Apprentice,” which is about Donald Trump and his rise to power as a politician. He was made for his role Roy Cohn, who is Trump’s mentor that teaches him principles that molded him into the politician he is today. The series’ success can be largely credited to Strong’s persuasion as Cohn that enlightens the audience’s perspective on leaders climbing to power. It was a shame to see him robbed of this recognition regardless of any political affiliations.
Another honorable mention to add onto the list of robbed actors includes Mikey Madison for Best Performance by a Female Actor in “Anora.” Madison builds layers to her character in this rom-com with her performance as Ani, who disconnects women from superficial depictions through Madison’s vulnerability. It’s admirable that she also moved to the neighborhood where it was filmed and mastered a Brooklyn accent to bring her character to life. To put this case into simple words: justice for Madison, out with Culkin.
On another note, it was beyond impressive to witness the creator of “Emilia Pérez,” Jacques Audiard receive the praise this project deserved. As an all-in-one director, producer and writer, Audiard solely spoke French in putting together this project – his work paying off as the film triumphed with Best Motion Picture for a Non-English Language. I would be doing this man a dishonor by not mentioning his commitments. Supporting actress for this film Zoe Saldana won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for her role in this movie as well, showcasing the raw ingenuity and vision rooted from Audiard to lead this film to success.
On the surface it seemed that “Inside Out 2” was snubbed for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award as, according to a data chart by The Numbers, it was the highest-grossing animated film of all time at the domestic, international and worldwide box office. However, the imprint “Wicked” left on a variety of communities makes it a satisfying pick to receive this award. This musical adaptation unites minority groups through the Land of Oz as different communities such as the Munchkins, Gillikins, Quadlings, Winkies, Witches and wizards symbolize the importance of acceptance. Theatre enthusiasts like myself were also content with the attention to details and symbols that were carried on from the broadway to film version. Although an outlier opinion, Wicked’s triumph was well deserved over the animated sequel “Inside Out 2.”
There are a variety of other takes and counters over the Golden Globes’ picks of the year as a wide range of films premiered talented actors that were considered for awards. Let us hope that the deserving contenders mentioned will be brought to justice in 2026.
