BEVERLY HILLS (AFP, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - Revenge drama The Revenant and space adventure The Martian won the top movie prizes at the Golden Globes on Sunday on a night of surprises, laughter and barbed comments from fourth-time host Ricky Gervais.
In a closely-contested men's field, Leonardo DiCaprio won for his lead role as a fur trapper seeking retribution in The Revenant while Matt Damon's astronaut stranded on Mars in The Martian won the comedy acting award.
The Revenant also brought a directing prize for Alejandro Inarritu, who recalled the long arduous shoot in sub-zero temperatures. "Pain is temporary, but a film is forever," he said.
Jennifer Lawrence won best comedy actress for her portrayal of the Miracle Mop inventor in Joy, while Brie Larson, 26, beat veteran Cate Blanchett to take home her first major award for playing a young woman who is abducted and locked up for years in the drama Room.
Lesbian drama Carol and Wall Street comedy The Big Short, which had led nominations going into Sunday's ceremony, went home empty handed, as did admired Catholic Church sex abuse probe drama Spotlight.
Other popular winners include Sylvester Stallone, 69, who received a standing ovation as best supporting film actor for reprising his iconic role as boxer Rocky Balboa in Creed, beating presumed frontrunner Mark Rylance for Bridge Of Spies.
"I want to thank my imaginary friend Rocky Balboa for being the best friend I ever had," Stallone said.
Steve Jobs, a controversial look at the late Apple co-founder that floundered at the box office despite warm reviews, took home Golden Globes for supporting actress Kate Winslet, and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.
The Golden Globe organisers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, chose Disney-Pixar's feel-good movie Inside Out for best animated film, and Hungary's Holocaust drama Son Of Saul as best foreign language film.
Gervais, returning to host the Globes for the fourth time, riled up the audience with an opening monologue in which he called the A-list audience "disgusting, pill-popping, sexual deviant scum". He praised Caitlyn Jenner for being a transgender role model before quickly quipping: "She didn't do a lot for women drivers. But you can't have everything, can you?" referring to Jenner's Malibu car crash last year.
And Gervais, swigging from a glass of beer, took a swipe at Lawrence's essay on why women are not being equally paid as men in Hollywood, saying: "How the hell can a 25-year-old live on $52 million?"
In the television categories, Jon Hamm won one last award for his role as the troubled, womanising Don Draper on 1960s advertising drama. "Thank you to Mr Weiner who wrote this horrible person all the way to the end and picked me to play him," Hamm said, referring to creator Matt Weiner.
But other TV awards went largely to newcomers, including Mozart In The Jungle for best TV comedy series and Mr Robot for best TV drama.
