Five Globes for ‘Oppenheimer’; ‘Succession’ gets four; Gladstone makes history

Los Angeles, Jan 8: ‘Oppenheimer’ ruled the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday (U.S. Pacific Time) just as it once loomed large at the summer box office, writes ‘Variety’.

The sprawling examination of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb racked up five wins, the most for any movie, including the Globes for best motion picture drama.

‘Poor Things’, a feminist reimagining of the Frankenstein tale, was named best motion picture, musical or comedy, one of two victories for the post-modern film.

On the television front, reports ‘Variety’, ‘Succession’, a scabrous look at a Murdoch-esque media mogul and his dysfunctional family, won a leading four prizes, including best drama series. The show ended its four-season run in May 2023.

‘The Bear’, the story of a Chicago restaurant struggling to keep its doors open, earned three prizes, including best comedy series and best leading actor and actress in a musical or comedy for Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri.

‘Beef’, a dramedy about the aftermath of a road rage incident, also won three Globes — it was named best limited series, while picking up acting prizes for Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Lee Sung Jin, the show’s creator, thanked the real-life driver who prompted him to make the series. “Sir, I hope you honk and yell and inspire others for years to come,” he said, according to ‘Variety’.

‘Oppenheimer’ director Christopher Nolan, who leveraged his success making blockbusters such as ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Inception’ to get Universal to produce an $100-million drama about a physicist, won best director.

Cillian Murphy, who played the brooding scientist at the centre of the film, was named best actor in a drama. The film also was honored for its atmospheric score, adds ‘Variety’.

Lily Gladstone received best female actor in a drama for playing an Osage woman who is targeted for her oil wealth in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.

She noted that the recognition was a historic moment for the indigenous community, which has often been overlooked or marginalised by the entertainment industry. “This is for every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little native kid out there who has a dream and is seeing themselves represented,” Gladstone said, according to ‘Variety’.

Emma Stone was honoured as best female actor in a comedy for playing a childlike woman who embarks on a journey of sexual and emotional discovery in ‘Poor Things’. It was a role that Stone said, according to ‘Variety’, made her ‘look at life differently’ because of the way her character “accepts the good and the bad in equal measure”.

Paul Giamatti, named best actor in a comedy for his portrayal of a caustic prep school instructor in ‘The Holdovers’, dedicated his award to teachers. “We’ve got to respect them,” he said. “They do a good thing. It’s a tough job.”