Kathryn Bigelow at the Broadcast Film Critics Awards
My weekend started out with a second viewing of The Hurt Locker. I had seen it so long ago and I needed a refresher on it as the awards season gets into high gear. It was actually better the second time than the first. I know that it’s a war film, that lots of things blow up, but it’s really a character study and it is done so beautifully.Then I watched the Broadcast Film Critics Awards. It was actually a very fun ceremnoy (especially with tivo) and I was pleased to see Mo’Nique win and surprised to see Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock tie. Very fun to see them both on the stage together. That probably won’t happen again. It’s kind of funny how a couple of months ago Sandra Bullock was nowhere in the awards conversation and now she is basically a shoo in for an Oscar nomination and she is probably Meryl’s biggest competitor. It’s very surprising how Carey Mulligan has faded of late.
But the ceremony was memorable to me because Kathryn Bigelow won the best director award. I had a goofy look on my face just seeing her as one of the nominees and then when she won it was very exciting. I know that she has won many major critics wards this season but this is the first televised award that I have seen (in at least my memory) where a woman has won the best director honors.
I thought for sure that this weekend was going to be sweep for Bigelow but the “king of the world” intervened and took the best director honors at the Golden Globes. And to top it off did you notice that when they said her name as a nominee they didn’t show her face but they showed the faces of all the guys. I’m sure it was just a camera issue of not being in the right place at the right time but COME ON. How often do we see a woman nominated for best director? Why wasn’t the camera ready?
Lots of people have tried to remind me that the Golden Globes don’t count towards the Oscars. Maybe they don’t, but how f**king cool would it have been to see a woman win the best director award? The Golden Globes are unique because TV and film people are in the same place.
Here are some other thoughts and news on the Globes:
Meryl Streep was won more Golden Globes than anyone else. She now has 7 wins and 25 nominations. She also things are getting better for women in Hollywood. Here’s what she said backstage:
Backstage at the Globes, after winning best actress for Julie & Julia, Meryl Streep said that Hollywood is improving for women. “Sandra Bullock is 45,” she said. “The perception is better for her than it was for me at her age.” She thanked the Globes for continuing to like her work after 30 years. “It’s hard to remain new,” she said. A hit like Julie & Julia “is a good signal to the financial end of the business,” she said, that a movie that reads uncommercial, about a middle-aged cook, is a big hit. “That’s good news.”
No matter what happened with Duplicity, Julia Roberts is still a big international star since she was picked to give out the best picture award.
That the best actress award is now a two way race between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep both women over 40.
That Julianna Marguilies got her first Golden Globe for the very feminist The Good Wife after being nominated many times when she was in ER.
That James Cameron’s wife Suzy Amis hasn’t been in a movie since they got together. I still remember her performance in the Ballad of Little Jo which earned her an Independent Spirit nomination.
That I hope the creators of Cougar Town regret the unfortunate title because even though the show has evolved and is not about a woman dating younger men it is always going to be assumed it is and will be introduced with lines like “man eating woman on the prowl” when nominated for awards.
That Mo’Nique is probably going to get the only win for Precious in the Oscar race.
That Drew Barrymore is a lovely and humble young woman who I hope keeps directing because I loved Whip It as did so many people I know.
That it’s still a man’s world in animation. Did you hear the acceptance speech where the director thanked everybody’s wives? Was there not a single woman on the team who might have a husband to thank? Ugh.
Full list of winners
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I did not watch the Golden Globes so I don’t know what happened with the camera ignoring Bigelow, but I was disappointed to hear the news that she did not won. Cameron didn’t deserve the win (as much as I loved Avatar, the story was hardly ground-breaking).
I am still glad that two older women snagged the Golden Globes last night, though. Meryl Streep is amazing and it’s nice to see Sandra Bullock finally get a win.
the Golden Globes do not always guarantee an Oscar win, and I really hope to God that Bigelow wins. I’m gonna be pissed if Cameron wins.
I’m more concerned about the DGA when it comes to predicting who wins the Oscar but I’m still pissed that both Kathryn and the The Hurt Locker were snubbed last night.
Sadly, I’m one of those who I think James Cameron has the upper hand in the Oscar race now. Hoping I’m wrong.
What was up with the comedy club tight seating at the show? People got more camera time going to the podium than accepting.
Also – in animation and software, men dominate perhaps even More than film directing. There are female film students, but in animation and software, there are few, even down into secondary schools and college. It is not a “girl’s thing” and argued it is not even genetically. In even animation contests, it’s all male teams often. There are two forces at work, first, for some reason, girls do not pursue it so much – although, who didn’t know smart girls who can map out fake worlds and can handle drawing and plotting and intense concentration? Then, those that do get systematically discriminated against at the gaming and software houses, and although the guys can look like shlubs, even applying for these jobs, women have to have an interesting, thin look like “artist girl.” And then they pat themselves on the back for having a woman on the team. Sorta like I imagine, late night comedy writer teams.
And if you are a woman in technology creation, you are not allowed in the boyz club of actual creation – perhaps you can be in marketing or HR.
My comments are going to be long and winded so forgive me.
First of all, both awards events(Critics Choice and the Globes) as a woman over 40, it’s fucking awesome that 4 out of the 7 acting wins for women at the Globes first of all are women over 40(Marguiles, Streep, Bullock, Mo’Nique). I was thoroughly dissapointed in the fact that Cameron won over Bigelow but it’s not like the Globes have NEVER rewarded a female director. Streisand got it for the beautiful Yentl. But for some reason I didn’t think Bigelow would win the Globes. The Hurt Locker, a dark and powerful small film, is not really the kind of film they seem to like. ANd Kudos to Grey Gardens for winning best TV Film. It was a wonderful film filled with 2 great female performances(Jessica and Drew).
The critics awards were all women over 40(except for the younger actress). Meryl, Sandra, Mo’Nique, and Kathryn all got their well deserved awards. And kudos to Sandy Bullock who has taken so much crap for her choices to rally the past few weeks to gain some momentum. And while I adore Gabby and Carey Mulligan, I can’t help but cheer to see these older women getting their just rewards and recognition and kudos to the awards committees and the public for embracing these women as they have.
A couple of other items. I don’t think Kathryn Bigelow was overlooked intentionally. Just so you know, when Jeff Bridges was announced, they showed Leo DiCaprio and when Jessica Lange was announced, they showed Chloe Sevigny I believe. And probably some I missed were skipped also. Clearly the camera folks must have been hitting the bottle last night as well as the stars.
As far as Julia presenting Best Picture, wonderful. While I am not nor never have been a fan of hers, I can appreciate her star power and it’s nice to see her back. She’s also an over 40 gal now.
Now animation? ANything that seems to involve technology, women seem to be in the minority in. Having worked in the technology field I can tell you in this country, 85% of the work force is male. And technology is still not viewed as a “women’s field”. I suspect that has amuch to do with the animation side of the business in Hollywood also.
I’m sadly getting a feeling though that Avatar with it’s box office success and it’s clearly going to now surpass Titantic, this is going to give Cameron some momentum into the academy awards. I just have a sinking feeling that the academy is not going to like The Hurt Locker and while characterwise and storywise, it’s clearly superior to Avatar, I feel they may overlook it for that reason. I hope I’m wrong.
By the way I just have to post this. The ages of these folks:
Meryl Streep – 60
Kathryn Bigelow – 58
Mo’Nique – 42
Sandra Bullock – 45
Juliana Margulies – 43
And can I saw they along with the unbelievable Helen Mirren (64) and Halle Berry (now 43) all looked unbelievably gorgeous last night also.
I couldn’t believe The Hurt Locker was shut out like that. And James Cameron’s rant about how glorious entertainers are just seemed so smug and oblivious.
I do need to point out though that the director thanked all of the *spouses,* not wives. I remember because I thought, “Oh, that’s really nice to hear!”
As a major The Good Wife fan, I was ridiculously happy for Julianna Margulies. Such a fantastic series + premise, with a stellar cast… including the lovely Margulies. Well-deserved.
OT: Please never have Johnny Depp as your feminist of the day.
Recent interview of Depp talking about Polanski
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyx4E51ZCns
I think Avatar was a great movie, but not a very “interior” movie, not incredibly deep like The Hurt Locker.
That said, I don’t think there has to be a bias against animation for best picture. When it is a big butch movie by one of the favorite man crushes, animation can win. If only a woman had the budget to create the perfect man and imagine the Avatar movie where a disabled woman in this world is transformed and wins the guy and becomes a leader. I would love for women to cut themselves a break and champion themselves if only in the world of imagination.
As far as Avatar passing Titanic, remember, ticket prices are almost double in markets since Titanic opened, helped by the surcharge on Avatar tickets for glasses and the upscale IMAX experiences.
I’m not surprised with its family appeal and the fact that many people have said “ya have to see it in 3D in the theatre.” So there’s that commercial aspect of adding something to the standard movie experience that people cannot quite get at home.
I’d like it if the popcorn was actually tasty and they kept the talking down and the night-light cell phones from opening during the movies. But that is my Andy Rooney moment.
When they announce the horse races of top grossing movies, don’t forget that prices have gone up a lot. I wish they would equalize it out in number of ticket sales AND have a list of the most profitable movies for the movie houses – the longer running movies or the slow burns are sometimes great winners. I wonder if they sold more concessions during Julia and Julia just because of the food scenes.
Sally – I think if you look at actual ticket sales versus dollars, GWTW is still way way way ahead of any other movies including Avatar and Titanic. If you factor in inflation, last I saw was the estimate for GWTW was somewhere close to 3 billion dollars.
And I am actually pleasently surprised that The Blind Side is still out there and bringing in close to 5.7 million a week in US box office sales and It’s Complicated around 7.5 Million a week. And it looks like It’s Complicated is going to top the 100 million dollar mark in US Box Office sales. Hurray!!!.
I have to say that I did an internal double take at some photos with Bigelow. There are some group photos where you have to think: how often do we get to see this?
She’s not the wife, the girlfriend, the cloyingly sweet adorable “just glad to be here” woman on a project. Or the strong tribal king’s daughter…. Historically, the ladies just seem to be there in relation to their dresses and power in relation to men and male gaze. It’s internally revolutionary to see a woman in a group picture, where she is wholly into her power, without cloying signs and signals. I mean, for so many of the women there, the anxiety of being attractive means the success of them getting work or staying in relationship with the powerful is so thick.
We never get to see that in Hollywood. Too many girls (even like Precious) have imaginations that only have them being in music videos or maybe they aim for a reality show or being ultra physically attractive and the great party “girl.” Never a woman. Never desiring to see themselves in their fifties. A woman.
Guys can have crushes on all the chubby greying men in Hollywood, even rapists. In a peculiar way, something for them look forward to – older, more powerful, more able to create as they want and life becoming more relaxing and rewarding as you get older.
I wonder if you showed some of the group photos to a high school class or even at work and asked them to pick the director in the photo whether they would be correct. I think that Bigelow takes up her space powerfully and is in contrast to the “does my butt look big?” and “are my boobs adjusted? group. I actually felt sorry for the women having to walk the maze to the front. I would have gone barefoot.
And isn’t it something that Drew Barrymore and Robert Downey Jr. win – both having lives of resurrection. Although, Drew has made some sarcastic remarks about how Hollywood discards and mocks women with problems that they bring to the set, yet will give fucked up guys a chance again and again.
^Wonderful comment, Sally.
the only 3Danimator I know personally, is a female. she is 23 and she spent summers teaching, not just male students.
Female animators exist and are thriving and growing in numbers. Be patient. My mom was not given 1/100000 the opportunities that I have.
oh and who the hell directed the cameras at the Globes that doesn’t know the difference between Jeff Bridges and Leonardo Dicaprio? And missed the opportunity to show the face of the ONE female director nominated (who should have won?
The camera work was sub par as well. I had to change the channel.
“That James Cameron’s wife Suzy Amis hasn’t been in a movie since they got together. I still remember her performance in the Ballad of Little Jo which earned her an Independent Spirit nomination”
Thank you for this nod to Suzy Amis. Ballad of Little Jo is, sadly, a long forgotten film that I loved. What happened to this woman’s career?
It could have been my perception, but I think there were by count more camera shots of Suzy Amis than Bigelow.
And I didn’t know who Suzi was in context until reading it here. It is going to the fantasy of the audience of winning and the wife applauding and crying.
I am constantly amazed at how in high technology, including animation, men have more backward views of women being their peers than in other professions that are supposed to be far more butch. These are men in their twenties, thirties, even forties who have a view of women in their profession that is more regressive than men in their fifties and sixties.
They may draw a kick-ass woman, but in high technology – designing, architecting, and creating productions, products in silicon valley or other places, they do not consider women their peers. Many have genetic rationalizations that are odd to hear from guys that look like they should be hip, young, progressive.
As far as it getting better…The percentage of women in college computer science and animation programs has actually dropped over the 1990′s, with a peak of women studying computer science in the 1980′s. Women who design and create new technology like software or your new gadget and work on technology productions like gaming and animation, well, they are not welcomed in the groups to create new things like Facebook except perhaps just one as a coltish mascot in a nonthreatening, nonleadership job to the guys. This is not so different from the lack of women on comedy writing staffs. But as others have discovered, the power you feel creating is like nothing else. And to lead a vision and see it happen is like nothing else. Women who resign themselves just to be lucky to have “the girl” the mascot role on the guys team is incredibly sad and a waste. And if their daydreams are limited to showing no back fat and being haut in dress on the arm of someone else getting an award, that is “somewhat limited.” As Margaret Cho would sarcastically say.
I could have sworn the animation award winner thanked the “spouses,” not the “wives,” but point taken.
I didn’t realize Suzy Amis was married to James Cameron until I read a recent Entertainment Weekly interview with the director. I, too, thought of the Ballad of Little Jo (great movie) and wondered whatever happened to her.
That EW article mentioned Cameron as the Oscar front runner, and that makes me depressed. Avatar is an entertaining popcorn movie, but The Hurt Locker is a character study with depth and power. Hurt Locker and Katheryn Bigelow actually deserve those Oscars.
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