It was a night full of bows and gowns on a rainy night in Southern California.
The 2023 Golden Globes kicked off as the first major awards ceremony of the new year after a series of allegations of the most significant event's organizer Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), in terms of lack of diversity and ethical lapses – some members are accused of sexual assault, the organization for being a "culture of corruption," and the voters did not include any black members. The list goes on.
Yet everyone was there to fulfill their part of acting, to receive their awards. And they played well.
Many guesses were roaming on social media about the winners; some did not come as a surprise, while some of them made us tell that they deserved it. Aside from all the intricacy, let's delve into the world of some winners.
The award presented to Hollywood's last blockbuster bender Steven Spielberg was not a surprise. With "The Fabelmans," which won the award for Best Picture – Drama, taking on personal aspects of the famous director, confronting some painful family secrets and experiences with anti-Semitic bullying in the U.S., Spielberg has just added another globe to his collection. The movie was already hailed by many prominent cinema institutions in the U.S., such as the American Film Institute (AFI).
Switching to another top film award, an anticipated moment came with "The Banshees of Inisherin" in the Best Picture – Musical/Comedy. British-Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh's caustic and mournful movie revolving around two lifelong friends who find themselves at the end of their relationship in the fictional Irish isle of Inisherin in 1923 went home with the most movie prizes. A win for Colin Farrell for best comedy actor, Martin McDonagh with the best screenplay.
"The Fabelmans," and "The Banshees of Inisherin": It seems that we will surely be talking about them at the Oscars.
Then comes some redemption moments for the organization. A career achievement award for iconic artist Eddie Murphy, a best supporting actress for Angela Bassett for her – usual – marvelous acting in Marvel's latest blockbuster "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Even though the two actors deserve awards to the fullest extent, it seemed slightly ironic after the accusations of non-inclusiveness regarding HFPA's structure.
Some winners chose not to attend the gala. Cate Blanchett was one of them. Winning the best drama actress for "Tar," revealing the toxic personal state of the great composer-conductors and the first female music director of a German orchestra, Blanchett was said to be filming in the U.K. We will never know. But the award was well-deserved without a doubt.
Kevin Costner ("Yellowstone"), Zendaya ("Euphoria") and Amanda Seyfried ("The Dropout") were among the winners who didn't attend the gala.
Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio" a heartbreaking story that is not an ordinary children's tale in his retake, won the best-animated feature. His unique way of unfurling the dark dangers of groupthink and fascism in Mussolini's Italy, blurring the lines between puppets and humans with a distinct visual style that takes on gorgeous form through stop-motion animation, has created a visual feast.
Let's put the spotlight on the great TV series "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story." Everything that comes out by the hand of the writer, director and producer Ryan Murphy is, without a doubt, a masterpiece. The "Dahmer" drama on the notorious American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who brutally murdered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991, is one of them and the excellent production paid off. Murphy and his Tarantino-style recurring actor team work like magic, each time. Being one of the Murphy gang and portraying Dahmer, Evan Peters, won the award for best-limited series or TV movie actor. Since 2004, Peters left the audience fascinated with his great acting talent.
Through a striking film-making style, Baz Luhrmann's biopic "Elvis" was one of the inspiring productions. For his outstanding performance to vivify the legacy of Elvis Presley, Austin Butler on Tuesday won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama.
Last but not least, the breakout star of the TV series "Ozark," Julia Garner won the best supporting actress award, I also think thanks to her nailing the Southern accent in the series, is a significant talent of her generation.
