Golden Globes 2018 wrapped: Upsets, #MeToo and a dagger from Natalie Portman

A round-up of a film and television awards ceremony would typically centre on that, film and television awards, but it was Hollywood's great reckoning that dominated the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards tonight.

The three and a half hour event saw Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Greta Gerwig and many, many more women speak at length about the film industry's responsibility to put sexual assault and misconduct firmly in the past and keep it there, along with the continuing gender pay gap and unequal opportunities.

This culminated in a lengthy, rousing speech from Oprah Winfrey as she accepted the Cecile B. DeMille award - you couldn't hear so much as an atom drop in the room, let alone a pin.

The speech so moved people that Ron Howard had trouble trying to return the triviality of showbiz awards after, setting up for a killer blow from co-presenter Natalie Portman.

The rehearsed speeches were strong but just that - rehearsed - whereas Portman shocked the audience as she cut in: "Here are the all-male nominees for Best Director."

Cut to in close-up, the nominees all looked a little flustered, though Guillermo del Toro recovered and collected the award, winning over the audience with a heartfelt speech that moved The Shape of Water actors Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer to tears.

When it came to actual awards, the night started off with few surprises, but a slew of them came late on as Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri became the dominant film with four wins, with Sam Rockwell and Frances McDormand winning acting awards, director Martin McDonagh picking up best screenplay, and then returning to the stage for Best Picture - Drama.

Greta Gerwig's directorial debut, Lady Bird, landed both Best Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Actress - Musical or Comedy (Saoirse Ronan) meanwhile, the former coming at the expense of the beloved indie Get Out. It was a good night for films with a budget of ~$10million or less, something that might not be repeated at the Oscars next month where Dunkirk and The Post could sneak in.

Gary Oldman consolidated his position as the frontrunner for the Oscar with his win for Best Actor - Drama for his transformative performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, though James Franco also picked up Best Actor - Musical or Comedy for The Disaster Artist, offering another chapter in the film's bizarre tale of The Room director Tommy Wiseau, who ended up in an awkward shuffle for the microphone with Franco on stage.

There were few surprises elsewhere: Alison Janney picked up Best Supporting Actress for I, Tonya, In The Fade won Best Picture - Foreign Language, and Pixar's unstoppable Coco won Best Picture - Animated over underdog The Breadwinner.

When it came to television, the night belonged truly to women: Big Little Lies walked away with a dominant four awards in the Limited Series categories - Best Series, Best Actress for Nicole Kidman, Best Supporting Actress for Laura Dern, and Best Supporting Actor for Alexander Alexander Skarsgård, with The Handmaid's Tale winning Best Series - Drama and Best Actress - Drama for Elisabeth Moss.

Breakout charmer The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won Best Series - Musical or Comedy and Best Actress - Musical or Comedy for Rachel Brosnahan's lead performance. Ewan McGregor also won Best Actor in a Limited Series for Fargo, while Sterling K. Brown won Best Actor - Drama for This Is Us and Aziz Ansari won Best Actor - Musical or Comedy for Master of None.

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook for all the latest on Film, TV, Music, and more.