Revisiting the Academy Awards, 1984

 


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.

1984:
Best Picture
* The Killing Fields
* Amadeus
* Places in the Heart
* A Soldier's Story
* A Passage to India

About: This was a big year of some famous commercial hits. "Ghostbusters," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Gremlins," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," and "Romancing the Stone" are some of the films that were released in 1984. And yet the awards narrowed in on some smaller, more independent films. "Amadeus," the film about Mozart, was the winner of Best Picture here. I'm going with "The Killing Fields," a powerful film I liked a little better.

Best Director:
* Milos Forman
* Woody Allen
* Roland Joffe
* David Lean
* Robert Benton

About: This one went to Forman for his work on "Amadeus." That's a decent choice. I'm tempted here to go with Joffe for his work on "The Killing Fields," but I'll probably stick with the original winner here.

Best Actor:
* F. Murray Abraham
* Jeff Bridges
* Albert Finney
* Tom Hulce
* Sam Waterston

About: This was the year for Abraham, the lead in "Amadeus." He was quite good, and it's hard to move off him even in a good field.

Best Actress:
* Sally Field
* Judy Davis
* Jessica Lange
* Vanessa Redgrave
* Sissy Spacek

About: Field won here, and this is where we got her famous speech about how much her colleagues really liked her. There are some other worthy nominees here, but I'd stick with Field.

Best Supporting Actor:
* Haing S. Ngor
* Adolph Cesar
* John Malkovich
* Pat Morita
* Ralph Richardson

About: Ngor won here, the big win of the night for "The Killing Fields," a movie I thought was powerful. I am tempted by Morita here, who is great in "The Karate Kid," a part that's proved fairly enduring. However, I'm sticking with Ngor here.

Best Supporting Actress:
* Peggy Ashcroft
* Glenn Close
* Lindsay Crouse
* Christine Lahti
* Geraldine Page

About: This one went to Ashcroft, the big nod to Best Picture nominee "A Passage to India." I'll be honest in that I'm not as familiar with that film. However, I would lean Close here for her work in "The Natural."

That's it for 1984, check back next week for 1985.

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