Revisiting the Academy Awards, 1985

 


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.

1985

Best Picture:
* Out of Africa
* Prizzi's Honor
* The Color Purple
* Kiss of the Spider Woman
* Witness

About: This is an interesting group of films, where "Out of Africa" came out on top. I like several of these films, and it's tempting to go a number of ways. But I'm going to say "The Color Purple" is Steven Spielberg's most under-rated film, and an under-rated film in general. I think it should have won.

Best Director:
* Sydney Pollack
* John Huston
* Peter Weir
* Akira Kurosawa
* Hector Babenco

About: I talked about above my appreciation for Spielberg and his work on "The Color Purple." He wasn't even nominated in this category.... Pollack was the winner for "Out of Africa," and I'd stick with that here.

Best Actor:
* Harrison Ford
* William Hurt
* Jack Nicholson
* James Garner
* Jon Voight

About: Take a look at this field for a moment. It's pretty impressive. You can make a case for several here. I liked Ford in "Witness" and Nicholson in "Prizzi's Honor." However, Hurt was the winner here, and it's a good performance in an interesting film. I'd stick with him here.

Best Actress:
* Geraldine Page
* Anne Bancroft
* Meryl Streep
* Whoopi Goldberg
* Jessica Lange

About: Another pretty loaded group. Page was the winner here, for "A Trip to the Bountiful." I'll be honest in that I'm not familiar with that one. There are a number of other good performances here, but I'm going with Goldberg.

Best Supporting Actor:
* Eric Roberts
* Don Ameche
* Robert Loggia
* William Hickey
* Klaus Maria Brandauer

About: Ameche got the win here for "Cocoon," an interesting film that's still a part of the cultural landscape 35 years later. I'm sticking with the Academy here.

Best Supporting Actress:
* Angelica Huston
* Oprah Winfrey
* Amy Madigan
* Meg Tilly
* Margaret Avery

About: Huston won here, in a film with Nicholson and directed by her father, famous director John Huston. There are a few other interesting ones here, including Winfrey in "The Color Purple." I'd stick with Huston here, but this was a tough choice.

That's it for 1985, check back next week for 1986!

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