If you’re a movie fan, January is usually an exciting month. Yes, it means the joy of Christmas has come to a close, but it also means the thrill of the film awards season is officially upon us. This time of year is like an election combined with an arts festival: going out of your way to make sure you see all of the amazing work out there, while also following the race, the polls and the voters to see who will come out on top.

Usually, the Oscar season is a time of pure jubilation and excitement. This year, there is a very different tinge to it because of the flood of harassment stories that have come out of Hollywood. For once, awards season isn’t going to be about celebrating the past, but instead about moving forward.

To start the year off, we had two award shows: the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards. If you’re a regular person who goes on the internet and follows culture in the slightest, I imagine you heard about the Globes.

However, even if you are a pretty avid film fan, there is a chance the Critics’ Choice Awards slipped past your radar. In simplest terms, the Globes are a projection of what people think Hollywood is, while the Critics’ Choice Awards is a true representation of what Hollywood is.

The Globes are culturally a more important event, but artistically less meaningful. For all of the hullabaloo regarding this ceremony, the actual award is rather insignificant.

These awards are distributed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is essentially just 100 or so foreign journalists, not all of whom have the most impressive credentials. Winning one is certainly an accomplishment, and it helps your Oscar chances more than it hurts, but it really is more of a display of pageantry. With that said, what a display of pageantry the Globes were this year.

The obvious theme of the night was the #TimesUp movement, as it was front and center during Seth Meyers’ monologue, Oprah’s acceptance speech of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, many of the winners’ speeches and, most notably, the fashion — almost all attendees sported black for the occasion. These efforts had, in my opinion, somewhat mixed but mostly positive results.

The fashion statement of wearing all black is, for better or worse, just a statement. While symbolism is important and sends a message, it really means nothing if there is no action behind it. Thus, I commend everyone who is supporting the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, and the many nominees who brought along women’s rights activists as their dates to the ceremony.

However, while many of the people in the ballroom at the Beverly Hilton were making a positive change in the industry, there is also a certain feeling of hypocrisy to the whole thing.

It’s naive to think that the industry has suddenly changed overnight and this behavior has been eradicated. It certainly has not, and it will not for a very long time. Thus, the Globes walked a rather fine line of awareness and self-congratulation, and quite frankly, self-congratulation is not warranted yet.

Take a look at two supporters of the cause — James Franco and Aziz Ansari. They were both wearing their #TimesUp pins and looking stylish, but in the recent days we have learned that they are part of the problem. Talk is easy, but action is hard, especially when you have to call out your peers. The Globes are billed as Hollywood’s biggest party, which strikes an ironic chord when you realize the behavior that this label encourages.

In terms of the show itself, the evening moved along fairly smoothly, with no real lows and some certainly high highs. Meyers unfortunately did not make much of a presence as host. He opened the show with a clever, sharp and on-the-nose monologue that was well-received, but then quickly faded into the background.

The obvious highlight of the night was Oprah’s speech, which had no shortage of eloquence and wisdom. Was it presidential? None of my business to say. I think it’s important though that we appreciate that speech for what it was, in this moment in time, rather that already start to contextualize it in a political vacuum. Oprah was speaking to the American public in 2018, not 2020, and we would be smart to listen to her.

While the Globes are mostly glamour and light on substance, the Critics’ Choice Awards are rather no-frills but give us a better look into the industry as it truly exists. Less production value, less jokes, but just getting down to business and handing out awards.

This ceremony gives us a better look at the Oscar race, and the picture might start to clarify. It appears the acting awards might be locked in, with Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell holding down the fort for Best Actress and Supporting Actor, respectively, for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” while Gary Oldman and Allison Janney have taken the awards for Best Actor and Supporting Actress for “The Darkest Hour” and “I, Tonya,” respectively.

Finally, Guillermo del Toro won best director for “The Shape of Water” at the Globes, which went on to win Best Picture at the Critics’ Choice Awards. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “Lady Bird” took home the Globes.

In terms of best picture, it truly is anyone’s game. We have a wide open race, with dark horses like “Get Out” and “The Post” still in the conversation, especially as “The Post” starts to pick up commercially.

However, this year might be much less about the movies we recognize and more about how we go about recognizing the industry they exist in. Buckle up, because it will be a bumpy ride.

Erik Benjamin is a senior television, radio and film major, who has not accepted a job yet. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at ebenjami@syr.edu or on Twitter @cokezeriksugar.

Published on January 16, 2018 at 11:29 pm