For many the new year brings hope, excitement or expectations; for others, it marks the peak of award season. To kick off 2025, on Sunday, Jan. 5 the 82nd annual Golden Globes took place, with stars showing off their best outfits and clutching their speeches—just in case of a win. Heading into the night, I was most eager to see the Best Actress and Best Picture award winners in comedy and drama motion pictures.
Last year’s opening ceremony hosted by Jo Koy left me disappointed. His jokes and delivery fell flat, creating an awkward atmosphere. You might think world-class actors could do their best fake laughs, however, that was not the case. To my surprise, I was thrilled to hear that Nikki Glaser would be this year’s host. Recently, I watched her at Tom Brady’s roast where she was arguably the best presenter of the night. Continuing her streak, Glaser was phenomenal and all her jokes hit. She wasn’t overly offensive or dark, rather she took a lighter approach to making fun of the millionaires in front of her, poking at their outfits or latest film with effortless charisma.
As the presenters announced nominees, I expected “The Brutalist” and “Anora” to dominate the movie categories. While I haven’t watched “The Brutalist” yet, it has been racking up awards throughout the season. Meanwhile, the buzz around “Anora” has remained strong since its Palme d’Or win at the Cannes Film Festival in May. My predictions had been correct for “The Brutalist,” which won Best Actor, Best Director and Best Drama Motion Picture. On the other hand, “Anora”, which had five nominations, went home empty-handed. Initially, I had expected Mikey Madison to win Best Actress in a Comedy role, but the honor went to Demi Moore instead, which I was still happy about since “The Substance” has been one of my favorite movies of 2024.
Although the movie categories caused some anger, the television section of the show brought much-needed satisfaction. After watching the Emmys back in September, I had a solid idea of who was going to win what, and my predictions were spot on. “Shogun” swept its categories with Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano leaving with gold in their pockets, and the series itself winning Best Drama Television Series. I personally think that Shogun deserved every accolade, and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.
The Golden Globes is only one of many award shows to happen in the first quarter of 2025. It is a stepping stone for movie-nominated actors to continue campaigning and build momentum with voters ahead of the Oscars. For television actors, the Globes provide an opportunity to showcase their work and solidify their status in the industry. While the night had its highs and lows I was ultimately satisfied with the winners, both expected and unexpected, with “Challengers” winning Best Original Score standing out as one of my favorites. Although it’s the second week of January there is still plenty of time for a change in voters decisions until the highly anticipated Oscars take place in March.
