‘Banshees,’ ‘Fabelmans’ Lead 80th Golden Globe Winners

Following a year out of the Hollywood spotlight, the Golden Globes returned Jan. 10 with a slew of trophies for familiar faces and industry veterans.

The annual entertainment awards, touted by some pundits as an Oscars precursor, were mostly muted last year by complaints over the lack of diversity within the voting membership of the organization that presents the Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. While winners were announced, most of Hollywood boycotted the ceremony, including broadcaster NBC.

That wasn’t the case for the 80th Golden Globe Awards, which were back on NBC, though on a Tuesday for the first time since 1962 to avoid scheduling conflicts with football.

The biggest winner in the film categories was Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures’ The Banshees of Inisherin, a dark comedy about the dissolution of a lifelong friendship. It won trophies for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, Best Actor for Colin Farrell, and Best Screenplay for Martin McDonagh. The film can be streamed on HBO Max and has been available via VOD, digital purchase, and on Blu-ray and DVD since December.

Not far behind, with two awards, was Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film The Fabelmans, which won Best Motion Picture — Drama and Best Director for Spielberg. The film is available through digital retailers from Universal Pictures.

Also taking two trophies was the multiverse adventure Everything Everywhere All at Once, which won Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy for Michelle Yeoh, and Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan. The film has been available through retail channels from Lionsgate since July.

Other film winners in the acting categories included Warner’s Elvis, with Austin Butler taking Best Performance in a Motion Picture — Drama; Cate Blanchett winning Best Actress in a Drama for Focus Features’ Tár, which has been available on disc and digitally since December from Universal; and Angela Bassett winning Best Supporting Actress for playing Queen Ramonda in Disney-owned Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which becomes available Feb. 1 through digital retailers and for streaming on Disney+, and Feb. 7 on disc.

Best Animated Feature went to Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which streams on Netflix, while Best Non-English-Language Film went to Argentina, 1985.

In the music categories, Justin Hurwitz won Best Original Score for Paramount’s Babylon, while Best Original Song when to “Naatu Naatu” from the Indian film RRR.

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In the TV categories, ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” which also streams on Hulu and HBO Max, won three trophies, for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy Best Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy for series creator Quinta Brunson, and Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series — Musical/Comedy or Drama for Tyler James Williams.

HBO’s second installment of “The White Lotus” won Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film, skirting the eligibility requirements for that category as a third season is already in production. Jennifer Coolidge, who has appeared in both seasons so far, won Best Supporting Performance in a Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film.

Best Television Series — Drama went to HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon,” the fantasy epic’s only win of the night.

In the acting categories, Kevin Costner won Best Actor in a Drama Series for Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone,” Zendaya won Best Actress in a Drama Series for HBO’s “Euphoria,” Jeremy Allen White won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series for FX on Hulu’s “The Bear,” Evan Peters won Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film for Netflix’s Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Amanda Seyfried won Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film for Hulu’s The Dropout, Julia Garner won Best Supporting Actress in a Series for Netflix’s “Ozark,” and Paul Walter Hauser won Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film for the Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird.

Golden Globe Lauded ‘The Inspection’ Due on Disc Feb. 21

The drama The Inspection, which earned Jeremy Pope a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD Feb. 21 from A24 and Lionsgate. 
 
In Elegance Bratton’s film inspired by his own story, a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside. But even as he battles deep-seated prejudice and the grueling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength and support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and forever change his life. 

Special features include audio commentary with writer-director Bratton; “Protect and Serve: Making The Inspection“; and deleted scenes.

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Pressure Mounts on HFPA as NBC Refuses to Air 2022 Golden Globes; Actor Tom Cruise Returns His Three Statuettes

NBC May 10 announced it would not broadcast the 2022 Golden Globe Awards due to ongoing issues within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, whose membership selects movie and TV show award nominees and winners.

“We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform,” NBCUniversal said in a statement. “However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”

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WarnerMedia May 10 also announced it was cutting ties with the HFPA, a decision preceded the previous week by Netflix and Amazon Studios. Then actor Tom Cruise May 10 reportedly returned his three Globes won for movies Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia.” Actress Scarlett Johansson May 8 cited the HFPA’s “sexist” culture and urged Hollywood to boycott.

The 78th Golden Globes, held on Feb. 28, saw TV ratings plummet 63% to 6.9 million viewers, from 18.4 million in 2020.

The move by NBC and others follows a growling avalanche of criticism toward the HFPA after the Los Angeles Times published a story citing allegations of a lack of diversity, including that the group has no blacks or other minorities among its 86 media members, among other issues. The organization has promised change, including upping and diversifying its membership 50% over the next 18 months.

That reportedly didn’t sit well with Netflix co-CEO and CCO Ted Sarnados, who, on May 7, fired off a letter to the HFPA criticizing what he considered pushback within the group toward change.

“Like many in our industry, we’ve been waiting for today’s announcement in the hope that you would acknowledge the breadth of issues facing the HFPA and provide a clear roadmap for change,” Sarandos wrote. “So we’re stopping any activities with your organization until more meaningful changes are made.”

Time’s Up president and chief executive Tina Tchen piled on, contending the HFPA has responded to the issues with little transformational change.

“Instead, these measures ensure that the current membership of the HFPA will remain in the majority and that the next Golden Globes will be decided with the same fundamental problems that have existed for years,” Tchen said in a statement.

Michelle Pfeiffer’s Golden Globe-Nominated Pic ‘French Exit’ Due on Digital May 11, Disc June 15

The comedic drama French Exit, which earned Michelle Pfeiffer a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, will be available for digital purchase May 11 and on Blu-ray and DVD June 15 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

“My plan was to die before the money ran out,” says 60-year-old, penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price (Pfeiffer) in the film, but things don’t go as planned. Her husband, Franklin, has been dead for 12 years. With his vast inheritance gone, she cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris, accompanied by her directionless son, Malcolm (Lucas Hedges), and a cat named Small Frank — who may or may not embody the spirit of Frances’ dead husband.

Extras include deleted and extended scenes.

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Fandango Offering First 10 Minutes of ‘Soul’ for Free

For a limited time, fans can watch the first 10 minutes of Soul for free, exclusively at the FandangoNow Extras channel on YouTube and on Fandango’s social channels. The Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning animated film debuts March 23 on Vudu and FandangoNow.

Both are transactional VOD services owned by Fandango. The film is on sale at $19.99 on both services and is available in SD and 4K Ultra HD.

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A recent Fandango survey of more than 1,500 people who have already seen Soul found:

  • 88% are fans of the film’s stars, including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey and Angela Bassett;
  • 85% wish there were more life-affirming movies like Soul;
  • 80% are fans of the film’s soundtrack; and
  • 78% are rooting for Soul to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Netflix Content Dominates 2021 Golden Globes in Banner Year for Streamers

Netflix TV shows and movies won 10 trophies at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony held Feb. 28 and broadcast on NBC. In a sign of the times, content that debuted on streaming services won 20 of the 25 categories presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The big gun for Netflix came on the TV side, with the fourth season of “The Crown” winning in all four categories it was nominated (it had two nominees in two of the acting categories), including Best Drama Series. Emma Corrin won Best Actress in a Drama series for her role as Princess Diana, beating out co-star Olivia Colman, who played Queen Elizabeth. Josh O’Connor won for Best Actor in a Drama series for playing Prince Charles, while Gillian Anderson won Best Supporting Actress for playing Margaret Thatcher.

Netflix won two more statuettes for The Queens’ Gambit, which won Best Miniseries or Television Film, and Best Actress for Anya Taylor-Joy.

Among other TV categories, The Apple TV+ original series “Ted Lasso” won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series for Jason Sudeikis, while Amazon Prime’s “Small Axe” won Best Supporting Actor for John Boyega, and HBO’s I Know This Much Is True won Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for Mark Ruffalo.

“Schitt$ Creek,” the complete series of which is streaming on several services including Netflix, and available on DVD from Lionsgate, won Best Musical or Comedy Series and Best Actress for Catherine O’Hara.

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On the movie side, because of theatrical shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, the HFPA opened eligibility to movies otherwise intended for theaters that had to be rescheduled and ultimately ended up at a streaming platform. Also, the eligibility period covering 2020 films was extended to include early 2021 releases.

Subsequently, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which debuted on Amazon Prime Video in October and never played in theaters, won for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, while star Sacha Baron Cohen won Best Actor for reprising his role as the title character in the politically charged sequel.

Best Motion Picture — Drama went to Nomadland, which was released concurrently in theaters and on Hulu Feb. 19 (though it did screen at some film festivals and limited engagements last year). Chloé Zhao won Best Director for the film.

Another Hulu movie, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, won Best Actress in a drama for Andra Day in the title role.

Judas and the Black Messiah, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on Feb. 1, and was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures Feb. 12 simultaneously in theaters and for streaming on HBO Max, won Best Supporting Actor for Daniel Kaluuya.

Netflix’s movie haul included the late Chadwick Boseman winning Best Actor in a drama for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Aaron Sorkin winning Best Screenplay for The Trial of the Chicago 7; Rosamund Pike winning Best Actress in a musical or comedy for I Care a Lot; and “Lo Si (Seen)” winning Best Song for Italian film The Life Ahead.

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Pixar’s Soul, which saw its theatrical release scrapped in lieu of a Christmas Day debut on Disney+ domestically (it played in theaters internationally), won two trophies, for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

STX Films’ The Mauritanian, which will debut on Amazon Prime April 1, won Best Supporting Actress for Jodi Foster.

Finally, A24’s Minari, an American production in Korean, won Best Foreign-Language Film.

 

Jodie Foster Film ‘The Mauritanian’ to Debut on PVOD March 2

STX Films’ The Mauritanian will debut on premium VOD March 2 at $19.99 for a 48-hour rental period.

The film earned Golden Globe nominations for leads Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster.

Directed by Kevin Macdonald, The Mauritanian is based on the book Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi. It’s the true story of Slahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years. Alone and afraid, Slahi (Rahim) finds allies in defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) who battle the U.S. Government in a fight for justice that tests their commitment to the law and their client. Their controversial advocacy, along with evidence uncovered by a military prosecutor, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), uncovers shocking truths.

The film also stars Zachary Levi and Saamer Usmani.

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Parks: Industry Awards Boost SVOD Platforms

Everyone loves a winner. New research from Parks Associates suggests over-the-top video services — and their large slate of original programming — will benefit as their recognition during awards season in video entertainment continues to expand.

For this year’s Golden Globes, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon earned a total of 47 nominations, nearly double the 25 they received last year, with the three services winning two awards each.

“Apple TV+ streaming service found success with its flagship series ‘The Morning Show,’ starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, which won awards from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Critics’ Choice Award,” analyst Steve Nason said in a statement. “These accomplishments mark Apple TV+’s first industry awards since its launch in November 2019.”

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Nason said awards recognition brings legitimacy to a platform’s original content and can be a significant boost, especially in the early days after its launch.

“Such recognition certainly helped Netflix when the company first ventured into original content, and now the service scored 24 Oscar nominations this year, led by The Irishman and Marriage Story.”

Netflix’s long-term investment in premium original content has helped the service become very difficult for consumers to relinquish, according to Parks.

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Among Netflix subs, 64% feel it would difficult to give up the service, including 47% who feel it would be “very difficult,” the highest among top OTT video services measured by the Dallas-based research company.

Parks finds that as of Q3 2019, pay-TV and OTT services reach roughly the same number of consumers — around 72% of U.S. broadband households. Pay-TV’s long-reigning dominance has dwindled as the OTT video service market booms.

‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Leads Golden Globes as Traditional Studios Dominate Film Categories, Streamers Take a Handful of TV Trophies

Traditional studios led the way in the film categories, while streamers and Pay-TV networks divvied up the TV categories at the 77th Annual Golden Globes ceremony Jan. 5 in a ceremony held in Los Angeles and broadcast on NBC.

The Golden Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and are seen as one of the bigger precursors to the Academy Awards.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood won three Globes, including Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, Best Screenplay for Quentin Tarantino, and Best Supporting Actor for Brad Pitt. The film is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and digitally from Sony Pictures.

Best Motion Picture — Drama went to Universal Pictures’ World War I film 1917, which was recently released in theaters. The film also won Best Director for Sam Mendes.

South Korea’s Parasite won Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language. Universal Pictures will release the film digitally Jan. 14, and on Blu-ray and DVD Jan. 28.

Best Motion Picture — Animated went to Fox’s Missing Link, now available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital.

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Warner’s Joker won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Joaquin Phoenix, and Best Original Score for Hildur Guðnadóttir. The film, a dark imagining of the origin of the DC Comics Batman villain, is available now digitally, and on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Jan. 7.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama went to Renee Zellweger for playing Judy Garland in Judy, which is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and digitally from Lionsgate.

A24’s The Farewell, on Blu-ray, DVD and digital from Lionsgate, won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy for Awkwafina.

Taron Egerton won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy for playing Elton John in Rocketman. The film also won Best Original Song for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Rocketman is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and digitally.

Netflix did find some love in one movie category, as Marriage Story won Best Supporting Actress for Laura Dern.

Netflix also won in the TV categories with the third season of “The Crown,” as Olivia Colman won Best Actress in a TV Series — Drama after taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Claire Foy, who had previously won for the role in the category during the show’s first season.

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HBO programming won four awards, with “Succession” taking two, winning Best Television Series — Drama for its just concluded its second season, and Brian Cox for Best Actor in a TV Series. The miniseries Chernobyl won Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, with Stellan Skarsgard taking the trophy for best performance by a supporting actor on television.

Amazon Prime Video’s “Fleabag” repeated its Emmy success, taking Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy for creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Hulu series took a couple of trophies as well, with Ramy Youssef of “Ramy” winning Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy, and Patricia Arquette of “The Act” taking the award for best supporting actress on television.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television went to Russell Crowe for Showtime’s The Loudest Voice, on DVD from Paramount and CBS.

FX’s Fosse/Verdon won Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Michelle Williams, following her Emmy win for the role.

Several presenters and winners took a moment to call attention to the devastating bush fires in Australia. But aside from a smattering of more pointed comments throughout the night, honorees largely avoided the kind of blatant politicizing these kinds of awards ceremonies are often criticized for. Host Ricky Gervais began the event by calling out Hollywood hypocrisy in his opening monologue.

“Apple rolled into the TV game with ‘The Morning Show,’ a superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China,” Gervais said to a smattering of shocked laughter. “You say you’re woke but the companies you work for, I mean unbelievable, Apple, Amazon, Disney, if ISIS started a streaming service, you’d call your agent. Wouldn’t you?”

“So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use this as a platform to make a political speech right, you’re in no position to lecture the public about anything,” Gervais continued. “You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, all right, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your god, and f**k off, OK.”

 

Golden-Globe Winning ‘Parasite’ Due Digitally Jan. 14, on Disc Jan. 28

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment will release the South Korean black comedy Parasite through digital retailers Jan. 14, and on Blu-ray Disc and DVD Jan. 28.

Parasite tells the story of a poor Korean family who manipulate a wealthier family into hiring them into indispensable jobs, and then must protect their newfound position from an interloper.

The film earned $23.9 million at the domestic box office and won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film. It was directed by Bong Joon-ho, who previously directed The Host and Snowpiercer.

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The Blu-ray and DVD will include a Q&A with director Bong Joon-ho.

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