Richard Linklater, Michael Keaton, Wes Anderson and Boyhood were flying high at this year’s Golden Globes, which is usually a perfect mirror image for what’s to come at the Oscar nominations, this year on Thursday, January 15th.

I did not fill out a ballot for this award show, as I feel the inconsistencies with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) categories are all over the place.

That being said, there were some major, and I mean MAJOR, surprises. Sure, we can predict that Kevin Spacey was going to steal for House Of Cards or Fargo, snugging two awards in the night. But the real surprise comes in the Best Screenplay, Animated Feature, and Comedy sections. When Birdman won in Best Actor for Michael Keaton and Best Original Screenplay (over fan-favorite Wes Anderson), all signs pointed to Birdman snagging the glory in the Best Comedy race. However, The Grand Budapest Hotel was given the much love it deserved and eventually walked away with the gold statue.

The BIGGEST surprise of the night (partially one I’m truly not over) was How To Train Your Dragon 2 getting the major upset from The Lego Movie in the Best Animated Feature category. Don’t get me wrong; I loved the dragon-tamed sequel (I cried…twice). But The Lego Movie was far more superior for its creative ingenuity, pop cultural references, and ability to cater to young and older audiences. I still have hope that The Oscars don’t pull another Brave over Wreck It Ralph. When push comes to shove, The Academy will reward the more deserving picture.

Speaking of “Glory” (currently listening to it) won Best Original Song for Selma, and rightfully so. Fargo from FX snagged two awards, one for Actor Billy Bob Thorton and one for Best Mini-Series Drama. Jeffrey Tambor won Best Actor TV Series for Amazon’s first TV show, Transparent, which also won Best Series.

With a year that was so tight in the Best Acting category (Drama), which essentially ANY actor could have won, it came down to one man. Eddie Redmayne (portraying Stephen Hawking in Theory Of Everything) won this time, while Julianne Moore took home Globe gold for her performance in Still Alice. J.K. Simmons won Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash (no surprise there), and Patricia Arquette won Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood (also no surprise). Look for those two to snag Oscar wins come next month.

Equally, my resounding prediction came true for Richard Linklater and his glorious film Boyhood (which won three awards on the night, including Directing, Supporting Actress, and Picture), which comes as no shock, as Boyhood has been essential to the award season and is a force to be reckoned with. The little indie film that could—and will not stop here. With the Critics Choice Awards next week—and Oscar’s on Feb. 22nd—, this is just the beginning.

But in the end, the best memory of this event will come from the acceptance speeches, from Michael Keaton’s emotional dedication to his son, Kevin Spacey, proclaiming to get better, and George Clooney giving a nice shout-out to Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society.

This was truly an all around spectacular year in filmmaking. 2014 saw the rise of some tremendous talent. We still have yet one more award show, the BIG one. For that one, I will have a ballot at the ready. Last year, I was 21 for 24, and this year looks to be closer than ever!

Early predictions right now for Oscars 2015:

Boyhood for Best Picture,

Richard Linklater (Boyhood) for Directing,

JK Simmons (Best Supporting Actor) for Whiplash,

Patricia Arquette (Best Supporting Actress) for Boyhood.

You can bet money on the ones above!

Follow me on twitter @TheOnlyCritic as I will be live tweeting during the Oscars on Feb. 22nd  and may be posting updated movie reviews in the coming weeks.

This has truly been fun, and until next time,

Thanks For Stopping By ®