Golden Globes Best Picture(s) vs. Oscars Best Picture

With the Oscars just under two weeks away and the Golden Globes having passed just about a month ago, I felt the need to revisit the winners and nominees of the latter in preparation and anticipation of the former. Usually, the winners of the Golden Globes go on to win in the same and similar categories just a month or so later at the Oscars, despite the pool of nominees being different. This may very well be the case with a handful of the categories (the Best Performance categories, Best Original Song, Best Foreign Language film, Best Animated Feature Film); however, I do not believe we will see a repeat in the Best Picture category. The biggest difference between the two award shows comes in the form of the Oscars only having one “Best Picture” category, which closes out the night, while the Golden Globes splits this category into two: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.” The same goes for each of the “Best Performance” awards. Seven of the eight Oscar-nominated Best Picture films were nominated in one of the two Golden Globes categories, with Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book coming out on top of the Drama and Comedy categories, respectively. While those two films did take home the Golden Globes in January, the Best Picture Oscar may not necessarily go to one of the two films later this month. As previously mentioned, only seven of the eight Oscar-nominated Best Picture films were in the running for one of the two Best Picture categories at the Golden Globes. “So what’s the big deal about this eighth movie?” you might be asking. Well, while it and all others involved were only nominated for a total of three Golden Globes (having won in Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language and Best Director), it has ten total nominations at the Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Foreign Language Film. Nothing about this movie gives off the impression of “blockbuster” that any of us are used to, which is why the sheer amount of recognition it is receiving excites me so much. While a black-and-white, two-hours-plus movie starring no one you know that’s completely in Spanish may not sound very appealing, its unique story, exceptional performances, and unmatched cinematography make it worth the watch; if it weren’t, I wouldn’t have spent the 400 words of this week’s column (so far) hyping it up. Alfonso Cuarón (director of Y Tu Mamá También (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Children of Men (2006), and Gravity (2013)), not only directs this film, but wrote, edited, produced, and was the cinematographer for it as well. While the film is not only my personal pick for Best Picture, it’s also my bold prediction for taking home the most Oscars this year as well, most likely in the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Foreign Language Film categories. So set some time aside to watch Roma on Netflix, and pick up a copy of The Stute next week to read even more of my thoughts on it.