It’ll be a Golden Globes unlike any before, with affable hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey conducting the show from their respective cities a country apart thanks to, you know, that pandemic we’ve been reading and hearing so much about? Yeah, that.
Despite the inherent awkwardness of a socially-distanced award ceremony, there is still some great television and film up for some hardware, much of it available on Canadian streaming platforms.
In 2021, streaming networks picked up a substantial number of nominations in both film and television. Netflix alone garnered 22 in film and 20 in television.
I’ve already written at length about some of the nominees, including Netflix’s Mank and The Crown, Amazon’s One Night in Miami and The Great, Ted Lasso on Apple TV + and many more of the nominees, so I’ll be focusing on shows and movies I haven’t written about yet.
Not Throwing Away My Shot
Luckily for the millions of people who didn’t get to watch the original cast of Hamilton, the emotional and uplifting biography of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, tear up Broadway, a recorded version is now available on Disney+.
Having finally watched it (I know, I’m really behind the Zeitgeist on this one) I now understand why it was such a monumental achievement.
More than just a biography, Hamilton explores themes of legacy and history, while also telling the story of that time through a stunning mix of rap and powerful vocal performances.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the play and stars as the lead character, is a triumph – his emotion pouring through scene after scene. But the entire cast is electric.
Hamilton is up for two Golden Globes this year, best motion picture – musical or comedy and best performance by an actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy, for Lin-Manuel Miranda.
If you’re a fan of musicals or history, this is definitely worth watching – even if you’re a bit behind, like me.
Speaking of musicals – I also checked out Netflix’s The Prom, which is based on a Broadway show of the same name.
The Prom was also nominated for best motion picture – musical or comedy and James Corden was nominated for best performance by an actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy.
The story centres around Broadway stars hoping to gain a little bit of good press by helping out a small-town girl who’s been told she can’t take a girl to prom by a conservative PTA.
It’s mostly fine, with some ham-fisted musical numbers about biblical hypocrisy and personal freedom. Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman are underutilized.
It makes sense that Corden was nominated here, as his character, surprisingly, captures a lot of the emotional resonance. This might be unfair, but I tend to find Corden irritating, but I have to give him credit for giving a great performance in this.
Murder She Wrote
The Undoing, available on Crave (With the Movies + HBO add-on) is up for four Golden Globes – Best television limited series, anthology or motion picture made for television along with three acting nominations for Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland.
I’m honestly a little surprised. The Undoing is a perfectly fine, competent crime thriller, but I would not call it extraordinary or innovative.
The plot is full of cat-and-mouse storytelling, dangling who the killer could be, while playing with the expectations of the characters in the story and the audience.
At the end of the series, I wasn’t particularly moved or shocked or anything, really. It was just a competently told story that perhaps lingers too long.
Speaking of murder, I was pleasantly surprised by another thriller on Crave (Movies + HBO) — The Flight Attendant, which is oddly up for best television series – musical or comedy as is the show’s main star, Kaley Cuoco.
Cuoco, best known for her role as Penny on The Big Bang Theory, delivers a fantastic performance as Cassie, the titular flight attendant scrambling to figure out what exactly happened after waking up next to a dead man.
It’s odd to me that this is in the musical or comedy category, but I suppose it could be considered a very dark comedy, but it’s really more of a mystery-thriller and a damn good one at that.
It’s also nice seeing Cuoco shed the veneer of years of Big Bang Theory and come into her own as a likeable, flawed character.
The 78th Golden Globes will begin at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28 on CTV and CTV.ca.
Nominees
78th Golden Globe Awards nominees and where to stream them
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
The Father – Releases on Feb. 26, not slated for streaming yet
Mank – Now streaming on Netflix
Nomadland – Coming to Disney+ on April 9
Promising Young Woman – Available on demand and in theatres, not slated for streaming yet
The Trial Of The Chicago 7 – Now streaming on Netflix
BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – now streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Hamilton – Now streaming on Disney+
Music – Available on demand, not slated for streaming yet
Palm Springs – Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video
The Prom - Now streaming on Netflix
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
The Crown – Now streaming on Netflix
Lovecraft County – Now streaming on Crave (Movies + HBO)
The Mandalorian – Now streaming on Disney+
Ozark – Now streaming on Netflix
Ratched – Now streaming on Netflix
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Emily In Paris – Now streaming on Netflix
The Flight Attendant – Now streaming on Crave (Movies + HBO)
The Great – Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Schitt’s Creek – Now streaming on Netflix and CBC Gem
Ted Lasso – Now streaming on Apple TV+
BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Normal People – Now streaming on CBC Gem
The Queen’s Gambit – Now streaming on Netflix
Small Axe – Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video
The Undoing – Now streaming on Crave (Movies + HBO)
Unorthodox – Now streaming on Netflix
