CINCINNATI -- How big of a snub was it that “Carol” received no Golden Globe awards Sunday night? And what does that mean for its Oscar chances?
The simple answer: It depends on who you ask.
Alex Shepard with New Republic sees the domination of “The Revenant” at the Golden Globes (it won best drama and Leonardo DiCaprio nabbed best actor) as a bellwether for the Academy Awards. He believes the night indicates a behind-the-scene narrative of Leonardo DiCaprio’s dominating performance that the Academy’s 6,000 members could not ignore as they wrapped up voting for the Oscars last Friday. Nominations for that award show -- which airs on WCPO Feb. 28 -- will be announced on Thursday.
Bolstering that read is the fact “The Revenant” also almost toppled “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at the box office during its opening weekend. This could further show diminishing chances for “Carol” -- a smallish independent movie filmed in the Tri-State in 2014 -- of winning best picture. Money, after all, does play into these awards that are voted on by actors, film crews and directors seeking future work.
Of course, the success of “The Revenant” does not preclude either Rooney Mara or Cate Blanchett from receiving a best actress nod. That task could go to Brie Larson, who beat them both at the Golden Globes for her role in “Room.” Buzz around Larson’s performance in the small, touching film about a mother and son has continued to grow into the new year. (It should also be noted that Mara was named best actress by the jury at the Cannes Film Festival back in May.)
And then again, the Golden Globes snub of “Carol” (and “Spotlight" and “The Big Short”) might not mean anything at all. After all, compare the Globe winners to the Oscars last year. Both Richard Linkletter’s “Boyhood” and Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” were darlings at the Globes, but ended up falling flat with the Academy. Instead, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Birdman” took top Oscar honors. So perhaps, the Globe’s honoring of Iñárritu’s directing of “The Revenant” is an apology for that. Or not.
In the end, “Carol’s” greatest legacy, at least in the Tri-State, may be the national exposure and other film projects it brought here. As David Hinojosa -- an executive for Killer Films, the production company behind “Carol" -- recently said: “We used to focus on Louisiana and Georgia for shoot locations. Ohio and Cincinnati has joined that list. It’s one of the first places we talk about.”
