Even with Ricky Gervais straining to attack the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Golden Globes performed their second annual act of movie rescue last night.
Choosing Sam Mendes’s “1917” as Best Picture, and Mendes as Best Director, completely toppled the apple cart that had been the conventional wisdom so far this season. If you followed the critics groups in the major cities, either “The Irishman” or “Parasite” looked like the ultimate winner. “1917” had no buzz or momentum.
But you may recall, I wrote that Mendes’ amazing “one-take” film about World War I was a masterpiece from the first screening. I was surprised that it wasn’t getting more critics’ attention.
But the same thing happened last year with Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book.” None of the critics groups liked it. Everything was “Roma, Roma, Roma.” Then came the Globes, which resurrected Farrelly’s movie, and the path to the Academy Awards was made clear.
Will it happen again? In past years, the Academy zagged after the Globes zigged. The Globes were not a precursor of anything. Indeed, a better bellwether was the Critics Choice Awards, which will air this Sunday on the CW Network. Those awards will influence final Oscar voting. The Academy Awards nominations come on Monday morning. So hold on to your hats!
