January 25th, 2004 “LORD OF THE RINGS,” “LOST IN TRANSLATION,” AND “MYSTIC RIVER” WIN BIG AT THE 2004 GOLDEN GLOBES.
		I like “The Lord of the Rings.”  The trilogy includes some of the most stunning sights and wonders of recent years and Peter Jackson should be lauded for controlling an enterprise so freakishly large.  But, really, are the movies anything more than escapism?  Do we learn as much about the human condition in the ten hours of “The Lord of the Rings” as we do in five minutes of “Mystic River” or “Lost in Translation?”  Do the movies contain a shred of moral complexity, or are the villains simply Evil Members of an Evil Race?  With what challenging idea do we walk away after 600 minutes of violence, overwrought music, and humorless pomposity? “The Lord of Rings” is good as escapism—both visually and morally—but it can’t even begin to hold its own with the great pulp adventures of the last 25 years, such as “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones.”  I couldn’t bring myself to care half as much about Frodo and Aragorn as I do for Luke and Leia and Chewie.  Where is Harrison Ford, the genius of whose performances as Han Solo and Indy will only improve with age, as a character sketched thinner than angel hair, who is at the same time so immensely and impossibly likeable? But now “The Return of the King” has gone and won Best Drama and Best Director at the Golden Globes and will probably go on to do the same at the Oscars.  It is based on archetypes that will never grow old, made with piles of money thrown at it so it will look good, coupled with overwrought music and dialogue to make us think that there’s more to it than just the twin ideas of “boy, that looks pretty,” and “wouldn’t it be nice if in real life all our problems were caused by creatures who were pure evil, and not human beings with thoughts and feelings?” Grrrr…
				WINNERS INCLUDE: The Lord of the Rings:  The Return of the King Best Picture (Drama), Best Director - Peter Jackson, Best Score – Howard Shore, Best Original Song – Into the West Lost in Translation Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Screenplay – Sofia Coppola, Best Actor (Comedy) – Bill Murray Mystic River Best Actor (Drama) – Sean Penn, Best Supporting Actor – Tim Robbins Cold Mountain Best Supporting Actress – Renee Zellweger Osama Best Foreign Language Film Something's Gotta Give Best Actress (Comedy) – Diane Keaton Monster Best Actress (Drama) – Charlize Theron For a complete list of nominees as well as the predictions of the F&SN Critic and His Beautiful and Talented Wife, click here.