There were a number of moments that will stand out in the post-Golden Globes madness at the Beverly Hilton hotel this particular season. Best Supporting Actress in a TV program winner Patricia Arquette wearing a Viking helmet for most of the night. Tiffany Haddish taking over the mic at the Netflix shindig and demonstrating someone might want to sign her to a record contract. And, despite only two wins for the company overall, most of the partiers heading to the aforementioned Netflix soiree to be seen and pay respects (Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson all made a stop). The big winners of the night, however, were chilling somewhat quietly at the NBCUniversal party.
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Director Sam Mendes and his “1917” cohorts, including star George MacKay, were having dinner and a drink while watching the telecast repeat on a screen near their table. They were clearly happy, but it certainly wasn’t any sort of outrageous scene. There wasn’t music blaring. People were not overly intoxicated. The Golden Globe statues were sitting on the table. No one jumping through hoops to try and take a photo with one (granted, that could have happened earlier).It was almost strangely serene. An almost under-the-radar affair, akin to the industry support that seems to be bubbling up for the Universal Studios release.
From a box office perspective, the Globe win couldn’t have happened at a better time for Universal. “1917” has been stellar in limited release earning $2.2 million in just 11 theaters since Christmas, but will roll out wide on Friday. From an Oscar viewpoint, it appears the HFPA voters may have been ahead of the curve.
You could argue “1917” won because two films that Globes voters admittedly liked, “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story,” split the vote. Or, you could take into account Mendes surprising directing win over film icon Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino (who won Screenplay) and Bong Joon Ho (who took Foreign Language Film) as a fluke. That would be a grave mistake. As we noted in our coverage from the pre-Globes events over the weekend, one of the major films that has been percolating not only throughout the industry but in AMPAS members conversations is Mendes’ WWI “one-shot” epic. Of course, the HFPA are absolutely not AMPAS and, in fact, it’s always a mistake to consider the Globes as anything more than a public relations boost for the winners in the context of the rest of awards season (or Emmy season for the television category winners for that matter). But, it’s an intriguing coincidence, for sure.
Of course, AMPAS members now have less than 48 hours to submit their nomination ballots. “1917” was already a lock for a Best Picture nomination and Mendes was already pretty much in for Direction. The film is also expected to land Cinematography, Production Design, Original Score and, likely, both Sound Editing and Sound Mixing nods. Original Screenplay is a tough category to crack but it is certainly possible. Editing seems very unlikely although the lack of a nod there didn’t hurt another “one-shot” wonder, Best Picture winner “Birdman.” Where “1917” really needs to make a mark is with an acting nomination. If MacKay can sneak into Best Actor race that might truly flip the expected frontrunners.
Notably, this just the beginning of a very busy month as the Best Picture race will have a ton of twists and turns over the next four weeks. The PGA Awards nominations will be revealed on Tuesday and the winner announced on Jan 18. The DGA Awards film nominees will also be revealed on Tuesday and a winner crowned on Jan. 26. The SAG Awards are also on Jan. 19 and the BAFTA Awards will be a key indicator when they are announced the morning of Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 2. But, at the moment, “1917” is stealing some of every other contender’s thunder. If that love is truly a winning one them the PGA Awards may be the first real indicator of what’s to come.
Then again, MacKay may have a hard time stealing the fifth slot away from another Globe winner, Taron Egerton. The “Rocketman” star won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy which was actually an easy prediction considering how much the HFPA love rewarding actors in musicals (Egerton is the fourth such winner over the past 12 years). Egerton already made the SAG field and he may be as much of a nomination lock as another Globe winner, “Joker’s” Joaquin Phoenix, as well as “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’s” Leonardo DiCaprio and “Marriage Story’s” Adam Driver. Are Antonio Banderas, Eddie Murphy, Christian Bale or Adam Sandler the fifth nominee? Or will MacKay ride a “1917” wave? In a week, we’ll know.
Another contender fighting for her Oscar life is “The Farewell’s” Awkwafina. She made Globe history as the first Asian-American actress to win a major acting honor, but, like Egerton, it was a major public relation boost as she tries to sneak into the crowded Best Actress Oscar field. “Marriage Story’s” Scarlett Johansson, “Bombshell’s” Charlize Theron and “Judy’s” Globe winner Rene Zellwegger are safe. Awkwafina, “Harriet’s” Cynthia Erivo and “Us'” Lupita Nyong’o are trying to secure one of two remaining slots. This Globe win certainly made for some welcome headlines for members of AMPAS’ acting branch who haven’t submitted their votes yet.
But on Sunday night, the “1917” team, could breathe a little and savor the moment. Because this is one awards season that appears to still have a ton of surprises up its sleeve.