2019 Golden Globe Winners and Why You Should Watch Them

This Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony proved to be a bit of a surprise, with many unexpected wins and a truly diverse array of presenters, Golden Globe nominees, historic wins, and very little political discourse.

Just about the only predictable thing with this year’s ceremony were the requisite teary-eyed acceptance speeches: Chuck Lorre, Glenn Close, and the ceremony’s own co-host Sandra Oh come to mind.

So without further fanfare, here are all the winners of the 2019 Golden Globes and why you should watch them.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Rami Malek)
Ratings: 62% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.3/10 IMDb

Watch if… you’re a fan of biopics, rock ‘n roll, and unreal performances that will knock your socks off. Freddie Mercury is one of the most beloved figures in rock and roll history, and filling his shoes was not an easy ask of a relative newcomer on the scene, Rami Malek. We first saw Malek in 2006’s Night at the Museum, but the actor didn’t really get to shine until 2010 in HBO’s second WWII installment: The Pacific. Most recently, we’ve seen him as the anti-social and morose Elliot Alderson on USA’s well-reviewed Mr. Robot. Is it dangerous to say that Freddie Mercury is the role that Malek was born to play? Even if it is, we’re saying it anyway.

Green Book

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Mahershala Ali)
Ratings: 81% Rotten Tomatoes,  8.3/10 IMDb

Watch if… a moving and superbly-acted true story set amidst the civil rights era sounds like your idea of a good time. Green Book is the true story of a black musician who hires an Italian bouncer to chauffer him to and from shows during a concert tour in the deep south. Both Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali give some of their career-best performances here, and while both were up for an award last evening, it was Mahershala who walked away with an award for supporting actor.

Roma

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron)
Ratings: 97% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.7/10 IMDb

Watch if… you’re a true believer in film as an art form. Director Alfonso Cuaron has created something truly remarkable with Roma, the story of a family living in 1970s Mexico City. Not only is it moving, but it’s gorgeous in every way possible, which is only made even more beautiful by being shot in stunning black and white.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Motion Picture – Animated
Ratings: 97% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.7/10 IMDb

Watch if… you’re ready for something a little bit different, whether you’re a fan of animated films, superheros, or neither. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is remarkably engaging, funny, and innovative, and any moviegoer will find something to love about it. Leading the film is Shameik Moore (audiences will know him from Dope and The Get Down), and he’s backed up by a wonderfully capable cast of voice and screen actors, including Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, and Mahershala Ali.

The Wife

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (Glenn Close)
Ratings: 85% Rotten Tomatoes, 7.3/10 IMDb

Watch if… you love domestic dramas like Revolutionary Road.  The story here is of an aging wife who has stood by her husband (the very capable Jonathan Pryce) and forsaken her dreams in order to support him and his career as an author. While this is not Glenn Close’s first win at the Globes, this is her first win as a lead actress in a motion picture and it is well-deserved.

The Favourite

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Olivia Colman)
Ratings: 94% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.3/10 IMDb

Watch if… the idea of a masterful period piece with a bizarre and twisted sensibility that utilizes its three stars – Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, & Olivia Colman – to their maximum potential is one that intrigues you. Because this film set in 18th century England and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (the talent behind eccentric titles such as The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Dogtooth) does all of those things in spades. What’s more, the film and its script made star Olivia Colman, an accomplished English actress, shine more brightly than she ever has.

Vice

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Christian Bale)
Ratings: 63% Rotten Tomatoes, 7.2/10 IMDb

Watch if… you’re into scathing political exposés and if you live for seeing actors transform themselves beyond all comprehension. Most viewers agree that Christian Bale is unrecognizable here in his role as Dick Cheney. His acting here is superb, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was dead on in recognizing him for it.

If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting role in any Motion Picture (Regina King)
Ratings: 92% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.7/10 IMDb

Watch if… you were moved to tears by director Barry Jenkins 2016 film Moonlight. If Beale Street Could Talk is a bit softer, and is the impossibly even more beautiful cousin of its predecessor. If there’s any film on this list that will give you the good kind of goosebumps, this is that film.  

The Americans

Best Television Series – Drama
Ratings: 96% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.4/10 IMDb

Watch if… you love spies, anti-heroes, and really, really good TV. One of the best television shows of its time, The Americans came to its inevitable end in 2018. While stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys failed to pick up Globes for their performances this year, you can rest assured that this was one of the best-acted series on television, a fact which remained true for each of its six glorious seasons.

The Kominsky Method

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Michael Douglas)
Ratings: 76% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.4/10 IMDb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjuOTlf5Jb0

Watch if… you’re a fan of acting legends Michael Douglas, Alan Arkin, and famed television producer Chuck Lorre. The story of two best friends dealing with life’s challenges as they get older is at the center of Netflix’s The Kominsky Method. While The Kominsky Method is a comedy at its core, it is one that is masterfully executed, and perfectly cast.

Killing Eve

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama (Sandra Oh)
Ratings: 96% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.3/10 IMDb

Watch if… you’re a fan of Sandra Oh and slow-burn crime shows such as The Americans, The Killing, and Hannibal. This sexy and clever action series follows an assassin and the security consultant sent to hunt her down. With some of the more seductive and powerful performances on television this year, this one stands a good chance of becoming a Golden Globes darling in years to come.

Bodyguard

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama (Richard Madden)
Ratings: 98% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.3/10 IMDb

Watch if… you really really miss Robb Stark… and if a truly well-executed TV thriller is something you need in your life. This Netflix series has been well reviewed, but Richard Madden’s win last night was certainly one of the more unexpected (and delightful) of the evening. As the title indicates, the series follows a bodyguard who has been assigned to protect a prominent politician, and as generic as that could have become, Bodyguard is anything but.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Rachel Brosnahan)
Ratings: 93% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.7/10 IMDb

Watch if… if you love comedy, fast-talking women, and 1950s New York City. We’ve sung the praises of this show before, but let’s say it again for the people in the back. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is hilarious, witty, and completely engrossing. It’s everything that you could hope to expect from Amy Sherman-Palladino, and Rachel Brosnahan undoubtedly her perfect muse.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Best Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – (Darren Criss)
Ratings: 91% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.5/10 IMDb

Watch if… if you’re a fan of true crime stories and the work of Ryan Murphy, and if you just couldn’t get enough of the anthology series first season, The People versus O.J. Simpson. The stunning re-telling of the manhunt for Versace’s killer is sleek, bold, and turns out impeccable performances from both Darren Criss, and co-star Penelope Cruz.

Escape at Dannemora

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – (Patricia Arquette)
Ratings: 90% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.3/10 IMDb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVbOjP1Ziec

Watch if… you love quirky and dark crime stories with a Coen Brothers sensibility. Unlike the Coens, however, Escape from Dannemora is based on a true story, which makes it that more watchable and unbelievable.

A Very English Scandal

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – (Ben Whishaw)
Ratings: 95% Rotten Tomatoes, 7.8/10 IMDb

Watch if… you’re an anglophile who loves scandals, Hugh Grant, and films about eccentrics. Ben Whishaw is the show-stopper here, and his performance makes the film one that you will remember for years to come.

Sharp Objects

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – (Patricia Clarkson)
Ratings: 92% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.2/10 IMDb

Watch if… you’re always on the look-out for murder mysteries, noir, and dark family secrets. A reporter returns to her hometown to cover the grisly murders of two young girls and finds herself coming face to face with her own personal demons. If you’re not familiar with the book, this limited series is based on the mystery novel by capable author Gillian Flynn (who also wrote the well-received Gone Girl). Patricia Clarkson’s performance as Adora Crellin is truly unsettling here, and her natural grace and poise only make it that much more chilling.