In today’s world, homosexuality is still a topic that is on the front lines of many political and religious debates. Last Monday, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association set aside politics and religion and handed the gay cowboy romance movie, “Brokeback Mountain,” four Golden Globes including Best Drama and Best Director in a Drama.
The Johnny Cash biopic, “Walk the Line,” followed the path blazed by Jamie Foxx and “Ray” from last year with three awards for Best Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical or Comedy. “Gladiator” star Joaquin Phoenix played the legendary country singer in his early years as he battled drug addictions. Reese Witherspoon played Cash’s wife June Carter and earned herself a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, regarded as one of the favorites against Russel Crowe’s “Cindrella Man” won Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama for his role as Truman Capote, the troubled author who wrote the famous book, “In Cold Blood.”
George Clooney cashed in on his opportunity as a grizzled CIA agent left for dead in the Middle East in the very confusing, but entertaining “Syriana.” Clooney won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama.
“The Mummy” star Rachel Weisz won Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama for her short lived performance in the political thriller “The Constant Gardener.”
Screen legend Anthony Hopkins was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award. It is given to legends for their outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. The first ever award was handed to performer Cecil B. DeMille in 1953 and has been a yearly tradition ever since. Famous recepients include Alfred Hitchcock, Sean Connery and Judy Garland.
At the end of the day, it was the homosexual cowboys that stole the show. Ang Lee’s reputation took a serious hit after he made “Hulk.” Less than a week before “Brokeback Mountain” was set to debut in theaters, many managers pulled the controversial movie from their schedules, igniting an already unstable political atmosphere.
“Brokeback Mountain” tells the tale of two cowboys (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) who fall in love with each other. Their story continues through the years as they marry to beautiful women and try to hide their feelings for each other. It is still too early to tell whether Ledger and Gyllenhaal will take hits in Hollywood for their roles.
Noticeably absent from the nominations was Steven Spielberg’s intense “Munich.” The film picks up directly after the tragedy at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany where Palestenian terrorists slaughtered 11 Israeli athletes. After the murders, a secret Israeli squad was formed to hunt down the men responsible and kill them. Eric Bana (“Troy”) plays Avner, the leader of the squad. He soon begins to question what they are doing as the events take a heavy toll on his conscious.
“Munich” was arguably more powerful than Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” and has been predicted to lead the Oscar nominations by many different film critic groups.
With the Golden Globes now out of the way, Hollywood’s attention turns to the granddaddy of them all, the Academy Awards. Every person involved in the film industry dreams of standing in front of the podeum and accepting that gold plated lead statue. Unlike 2005 where “The Aviator,” “Ray” and “Million Dollar Baby” were reguarded as front runners, the nominations are still up in the air. The Golden Globes have always been used as a road map for the Oscars, but that could easily change this year.