The 2017 Golden Globe Awards kicks off a new year of award show mania this coming Sunday night on NBC. Hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon, the ceremony honors the best in both movies and television while bringing out the brightest stars in both fields in hopes of winning one (or more) of their golden statuettes. Question is, who will win at a Golden Globe this year? Manhattan Digest dives further into the film categories to give our expert analysis on who deserves what.
We have been jam packed in seeing a lot of these films at our local AMC Movie Theaters here in Manhattan, and have a pretty good idea on who will win what. Take a look at who we think will take home a Golden Globe on Sunday night. Some are new to the field, some have won before, but all are deserved in this win and hopefully many others.
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in any Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali- Moonlight
Jeff Bridges- Hell or High Water
Simon Helberg- Florence Foster Jenkins
Dev Patel- Lions
Aaron-Taylor Johnson- Nocturnal Animals
Our choice: Mahershala Ali. This one is a bit of a no brainer for us, as Mahershala expertly performs his role as Juan, the father type figure to the character of Little, who the latter we see go through the process of being a boy and becoming a man by the end of the film. Juan is one of the two primary characters in the movie early on who show Little a ton of caring and love (the other being his girlfriend Teresa, played by Janelle Monae) , even when Little is immensely quiet throughout. Mahershala carries a lot of the film in the beginning of it, that it leaves a lasting impression throughout and easily helps Mahershala be a front runner for the Golden Globe next week.
Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in any Motion Picture
Naomie Harris- Spotlight
Octavia Spencer- Hidden Figures
Viola Davis- Fences
Michelle Williams- Manchester By The Sea
Nicole Kidman- Lion
Our choice: Viola Davis. This one for me comes down to three of the nominees- Viola, Octavia and Naomie. Octavia’s portrayal of NASA mathematician Dorothy Vaughan was superb in only a way that she can truly do, however I do believe that she was outshined in this movie by Janelle Monae and Taraji P. Henson, both who are tragically not nominated in this category. Naomie is raw and brilliant as Paula, the mother of the main character whose addiction to drugs hurts her relationship with Chiron/Black as the years progress. I saw “Fences” yesterday, and although Viola would be more fitting for lead actress here, she seems to be the shoe in for her role that she won a Tony for a couple of years back. Playing the long suffering wife Rose to Denzel Washington’s Troy, she expresses the hurt and frustration she has dealt with so profoundly in each choice his character makes. Once you see it, you will understand our choice for her to win the Golden Globe.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy/Musical
Ryan Reynolds- Deadpool
Ryan Gosling- La La Land
Hugh Grant- Florence Foster Jenkins
Jonah Hill- War Dogs
Colin Farrell- The Lobster
Our choice: Ryan Gosling. Believe the hype about La La Land, it is just that good and Ryan’s performance in it is spellbinding from beginning to end. You get so wrapped up in him and his character Sebastian, who simply wants to make jazz music his own way but unfortunately falls prey to the industry be rejoining in another persons band that complicates his life, both personally and professionally. He seamlessly moves from number to number, while retaining some great acting chops with his decisions as the movie goes along. Easy choice for us.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy/Musical
Hailee Steinfeld- The Edge of Seventeen
Emma Stone- La La Land
Meryl Streep- Florence Foster Jenkins
Lily Collins- Rules Don’t Apply
Annette Bening- 20th Century Women
Our choice: Emma Stone. The road to the Oscars has two names on it for Best Actress and one of them is Emma (more on the other later). As much as I loved the other performances, in particular Hailee’s teenage angst story in “Edge of Seventeen”, Emma has to be the winner as she (Mia) is the perfect counterpoint to Ryan Gosling’s Sebastian in their quest to make it in Hollywood. From failed auditions to her complicated relationship with Sebastian, she navigates her career in such a fantastic way that all leads to an unexpected yet beautiful ending. It’s her time to win for sure.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
Denzel Washington- Fences
Casey Affleck- Manchester By The Sea
Viggo Mortensen- Captain Fantastic
Andrew Garfield- Hacksaw Ridge
Joel Edgerton- Loving
Our choice: Casey Affleck. This one really comes down to Casey and Denzel, the latter who portrays such a powerful antagonist in “Fences” that it might as well just beat Casey’s performance in “Manchester By The Sea”. Similar to La La Land, however, you have to believe the hype in Casey’s performance as really dual for someone who deals with something before and after trauma. He is superb and it is great that he is finally getting the recognition he deserves after 20 years of his brother, Ben, getting it. Should make for an interesting Golden Globes.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
Amy Adams- Arrival
Natalie Portman- Jackie
Jessica Chastain- Miss Sloane
Isabelle Huppert- Elle
Ruth Negga- Loving
Our choice: Natalie Portman. It is going to be a battle at the Oscars between Emma Stone and Natalie for Best Actress, as they both gave expert performances in each of their characters. Natalie’s bone chilling portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy right after the assassination of JFK takes you back 50 years to when it happened and gives you a birdseye view of what she was really thinking throughout it all. The movie was short but got across what a complicated life she had and her ever changing motives after going through an insanely painful loss. I would love, however, if Isabelle Huppert took this home for “Elle”, as the movie continued to shock the hell out of me in her portrayal of a woman who is raped at the beginning of the movie yet keeps finding herself in similar trysts with her rapist throughout, only to be totally stunned when we know who is doing this to her.
Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy
La La Land
20th Century Women
Deadpool
Florence Foster Jenkins
Sing Street
Our choice: La La Land. It would be sort of hilarious if Deadpool won, given how award shows don’t really award action movies like that but it was hysterical throughout in only a way that Ryan Reynolds is able to do. La La Land easily wins this one for us, as everything from the music, acting, choreography and gorgeous cinematography kept us spellbound throughout.
Best Motion Picture- Drama
Hell or High Water
Moonlight
Manchester By The Sea
Hacksaw Ridge
Lion
Our choice: Moonlight. This award is going to come down to either “Moonlight” or “Manchester By The Sea”, but we think the former will pull this out as we simply enjoyed it a bit more than the other. The storytelling of young boy growing up in a harsh area of Miami while slowly and painfully coming to terms with his sexuality is one that we have never seen done before in this sort of light, and director Barry Jenkins wonderfully executed the storyline from beginning to end.
For more information about The Golden Globe Awards, check out their official site.