Revisiting the Academy Awards, 1994

 


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.

1994:

Best Picture:
* Forrest Gump
* The Shawshank Redemption
* Pulp Fiction
* Quiz Show
* Four Weddings and a Funeral

About: This was the year "Forrest Gump" won the top prize. I'll be honest, I enjoy "Forrest Gump." It's a good movie, but this was a loaded field. I think "Pulp Fiction" is a bit under-rated, but the winner here, for me, has to be "The Shawshank Redemption," one of the best and most enduring films from that year.

Best Director:
* Robert Zemeckis
* Woody Allen
* Quentin Tarantino
* Robert Redford
* Krzysztof Kieślowski

About: This went to Zemeckis for "Forrest Gump," and he does nice work. HOWEVER, I think Frank Darabont should have been nominated. He wasn't. And so, I'm going with Tarantino for this category.

Best Actor:
* Tom Hanks
* Morgan Freeman
* John Travolta
* Paul Newman
* Nigel Hawthorne

About: This is a tough one. I would like Travolta more in the supporting category, and I'm really torn about Freeman, who is incredible. But Hanks was the original winner here, and I'm sticking with him.

Best Actress:
* Jessica Lange
* Jodie Foster
* Miranda Richardson
* Susan Sarandon
* Winona Ryder

About: Lange was the winner here for "Blue Sky." However, this is an interesting field. I like a lot of the options, and I'm going with Sarandon here for "The Client."

Best Supporting Actor:
* Martin Landau
* Samuel L. Jackson
* Gary Sinise
* Chazz Palminteri
* Paul Scofield

About: This was the year Landau won for "Ed Wood." It's a good performance in an interesting movie. Sinise is pretty great in "Forrest Gump," too. But I'm going with Samuel L. Jackson for "Pulp Fiction."

Best Supporting Actress:
* Diane Wiest
* Rosemary Harris
* Helen Mirren
* Uma Thurman
* Jennifer Tilly

About: This was the year Wiest won for the Woody Allen film "Bullets Over Broadway." I, however, am going with Thurman for "Pulp Fiction."

That's a wrap on 1994. Check back next week for 1995!

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