Revisiting the Academy Awards, 1980

 


As some of you know, I have been a frequent guest host on the Music City Drive In Movie podcast this summer. We've been looking at movies since 2000, re-nominating the Academy Awards. That got me thinking about the actual fields of the awards themselves. In a new weekly series, I'll be looking back at the last 40 years of Oscars and reviewing the choices at Best Picture, Best Director and the four acting categories.

1980:
Best Picture:
* Ordinary People
* Raging Bull
* Coal Miner's Daughter
* The Elephant Man
* Tess

About: The winner here was "Ordinary People," the drama from Robert Redford. It's a fine film about a family dealing with tragedy and loss. I think these are the kind of films that stand out strong in the immediate aftermath. This continued a string of great Martin Scorsese films that didn't get a lot of Awards love. If I was picking this group again, I'd go with "Raging Bull."

Best Director:
* Robert Redford
* Martin Scorsese
* David Lynch
* Richard Rush
* Roman Polanski

About: A pretty loaded category. Redford does a nice job with "Ordinary People" and gets the win. I liked what Lynch did with "Elephant Man," too, but I would have gone with Scorsese here. I think "Raging Bull" is the film of this year's group that has best stood the test of time.

Best Actor:
* Robert De Niro
* John Hurt
* Robert Duvall
* Jack Lemon
* Peter O'Toole

About: This is another pretty stout group. Hurt is amazing in "Elephant Man," and Duvall's performance in "The Great Santini" is still remembered fondly. But this was one of the few places where the Academy honored "Raging Bull," and I'd keep the award with De Niro.

Best Actress:
* Sissie Spacek
* Goldie Hawn
* Ellen Burstyn
* Gena Rowlands
* Mary Tyler Moore

About: What a group of actresses, all of whom had varied and strong careers, several of whom are still going strong. There are some good performances here, but I think the two more oft remembered are Hawn for "Private Benjamin" and Spacek, who won for portraying Loretta Lynn in "The Coal Miner's Daughter." You could make a case for either, but I'd say that the Academy got it right from this group.

Best Supporting Actor:
* Timothy Hutton
* Judd Hirsch
* Michael O'Keefe
* Joe Pesci
* Jason Robards

About: Hutton got the win here, and was one of two actors nominated for "Ordinary People" in this category. He does a nice job. But I think you can guess where I'm going here, give it to Pesci for "Raging Bull."

Best Supporting Actress:
*Mary Steenburgen
* Eileen Brennan
* Cathy Mortiary
* Diana Scarwid
* Eve La Gallienne

About: Steenburgen got the win here, and I'll be honest that I've never seen the movie she was in, "Melvin and Howard." She's a great actress, though, and scanning the field I don't have strong feelings. I'm gonna say this seems like a decent choice to me.

Check back next week for a look at 1981.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Image
Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a brash trial lawyer who is good at rallying a jury to his cause. Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is a quiet grandfather who is trying to ensure the business his family built remains viable after he’s gone. These two don’t appear to have much in common on the surface. But when they’re brought together by young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) brings them together, a connection is formed over their shared background of working hard to become self-made men. And it turned out that Willie was just who Jerry needed in his corner to win the fight of his life. The new Prime Video film The Burial, which opened in theaters October 6 and started streaming October 13, captures that trial against the Loewen Group that changed the course of their lives. The film is based on the true story and covers the trial, but more importantly captures the relationship between the men. The film plays out like a traditional courtroom drama. Foxx is solid as Willie Gary, while Ju
Read more

Broncos Draft Targets

Image
  The NFL Draft is just a few days away. On April 25, the Denver Broncos will head into the draft in the midst of something of a rebuild. In the draft, the Broncos have the No. 12 pick in Round 1, then have a Third Round Pick, Fourth Round Pick, three Fifth Round Picks, a Sixth Round Pick, and a Seventh Round Pick. So, what might they be targeting? Let's dive in and look at possible positions. Quarterback : The team clearly needs a long-term quarterback. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are there but the team could certainly use someone else. Could they move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy? Yes, they could. Will the take Bo Nix at 12? It's possible. Or will the Broncos wait until next off-season to make a move? Anything is in play for the Broncos in 2024, but quarterback is surely a need. Tight End: The team brought back Adam Trautman and still has Greg Dulcich, but it's still a need. Dulcich hasn't been able to get on the field and Trautman hasn't been great. Co
Read more

Favorite Westerns, No. 43

Image
  Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1. Rooster Cogburn : [ watching Mattie ford the river hanging on the back of her horse] By God. She reminds me of me. True Grit (1969) Starring : John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper Director : Henry Hathaway About: This is the third straight week with a film from Wayne. As you might guess, we're not done. As I've mentioned, he sets a standard for the genre. Here, we seen him bring to life an iconic character. This one is based on a novel, and it has endured. He's great as Rooster Cogburn, so good that he got a sequel in the same character. But this is a later film in his career. This is a different, more grizzled Wayne. He's still quite good and this is a film that really has stood the test of time. It's not the only ve
Read more