Vintage Oscar Thoughts

[dug11]

I've actually seen all of the 2005 nominees, so I can participate in this round.

Best Picture
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Capote
3. Good Night, and Good Luck.
4. Munich
5. Crash

Brokeback Mountain was robbed, plain and simple. However, every other nominee here is far, far more worthy of being Best Picture than Crash. I think that's what makes this win even worse, is that they literally picked the absolute worst picture to honor.

Best Director
1. Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
2. Steven Spielberg, Munich
3. George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck.
4. Bennett Miller, Capote
5. Paul Haggis, Crash

Another easy pick, really. Lee's work is beautiful. Going through his filmography, I am always impressed by how he is so capable of directing such a variety of films. Spielberg's work is also really good, other than a late in the film decision of mixing sex and violence, which sticks out quite a bit. But I think Munich is definitely an underrated work of his, and I wonder if it'll be re-evaluated in the future.

Best Actor
1. Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
3. Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
4. David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck.
5. Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow

All five of these performances are really good, and I would have been fine with any of them, really. But I do think Ledger is in a class of his own. Watching the film again recently, I found the performance even more interesting and devastating than I did the very first time around. However, Hoffman is also doing what may be career-best work, so I can't fault the Academy for handing him the award. But the other three are all very strong.

Best Actress
1. Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
2. Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
3. Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
4. Charlize Theron, North Country
5. Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents

Much like Best Actor, I am completely fine with the actual winner her, even though I would've gone with another nominee. I absolutely adore Huffman's work in Transamerica - charming, funny, awkward, sweet, sad. She really nails the character, and I am so, so happy that she was able to get an Oscar nomination for her work. I also really like the film, which seems to be a minority opinion. However, I found Witherspoon to be completely wonderful in Walk the Line, so I think she was deserving. Knightley was also very good. Theron and Dench are complete filler.

Best Supporting Actor
1. Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
2. William Hurt, A History of Violence
3. Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
4. George Clooney, Syriana
5. Matt Dillon, Crash

Wow. This was kind of a bad lineup. The only one worthy of even being here is Gyllenhaal, who should be in lead, anyway. But I'd go for him, as he does terrific work that is still overshadowed by Ledger's performance. The rest..... no thanks. Those rankings (except Dillon) are kind of random, because I don't have much preference. Clooney's win is disappointing because it was so clearly an award honoring him for his overall year, and it was honoring him for his weakest nomination that year. He's done much better work before and after. Giamatti's nomination is just a "Sorry about that random Best Actor snub last year!" nomination.

Best Supporting Actress
1. Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain
2. Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
3. Catherine Keener, Capote
4. Amy Adams, Junebug
5. Frances McDormand, North Country

I completely forgot McDormand managed to get in for that movie. This is yet another weak category, really. Williams is the only one I think who should be here, and she's wonderful. Such a sad, powerful performance - and a real turning point for her career, as well. Weisz is....okay, I guess. Keener should've been here for The 40-Year-Old Virgin instead. Adams' performance just didn't do anything for me.

[dug11]

Watched Catch Me If You Can. Still not completely on board with Walken's nomination, but I do enjoy the film. Probably more than the first time I watched. DiCaprio and Hanks are both very good. Love, love, love John Williams' score. Glad that got a nomination in 2002.

[dws1982]

I think he fact that he wasn't playing a weirdo for the first time in years had something to do with Walken's nomination. But I think it's a great performance. It has a lightness of touch matched by a real depth of feeling, suggested a lot of backstory to his own character and gave insight into the DiCaprio character without having a single scene handed over to him. A true supporting performance--easily my pick for the win.

[dug11]

I guess I just preferred his work in Scotland, PA that year. It's not a bad performance at all, and he has some wonderful moments (loved his dinner scene with DiCaprio).

[tonygoldenemmy]

Love Williams' score but I've never understood the praise for Walken's performance. Then again, I'm still distraught over Dennis Quaid not getting in...

[dug11]

(02-19-2015 01:05 PM)tonygoldenemmy Wrote:  Love Williams' score but I've never understood the praise for Walken's performance. Then again, I'm still distraught over Dennis Quaid not getting in...

That is definitely one of the more puzzling snubs over the past decade or so.

[dws1982]

I think they just didn't like the movie that much. Personally I thought Dennis Quaid was only the second-best actor named Dennis in the movie.

[pvdk]

I just noticed Mike Leigh is the only one of his directing group that hasn't won an Oscar (Payne for Screenplay and if I'm correct, Hackford has one for short film?).

I wonder what it will take for Mike to win.

[Raybee]

That was out of nowhere. I had to think for a moment his "directing group"? But I get it now.

[Raybee]

One more year before this year’s Oscars takes place. It was 30 years ago that we saw not only the worst Oscar lineup of the 80s, but one of the worst ever. There are several interesting bits of trivia for this year before I begin, though: All ten of the Best Actor/Actress nominees were American-born - the first time in Oscar history that it had happened. Also all 10 supporting actor/actress nominees were first time nominees as well (with Huston the only one to be nominated again).



The 1985 Academy Award Nominees Ranked


Best Picture
1. Kiss of the Spider Woman
2. The Color Purple
3. Witness
4. Out of Africa
5. Prizzi’s Honor




Although it was a weak year, I did find one movie that I would consider great from this lineup, and that would be Kiss of the Spider Woman (unlike 1955 or 1965 where I didn’t think any were great). I’ve always enjoyed The Color Purple, but can’t seem to get passed its flaws. Witness is a competent thriller, but that’s about it. It’s at least entertaining, unlike Out of Africa, which is boring, beautifully shot in soft light and pleasing colors, but boring and with major issues. It’s just one of those prestige pictures that the Academy can’t help but go gaga over. Prizzi’s Honor is kind of a mess. Not sure how that was the big critics darling that year.


Best Director
1. Akira Kurasawa - Ran
2. Hector Babenco - Kiss of the Spider Woman
3. Sydney Pollack - Out of Africa
4. Peter Weir - Witness
5. John Huston - Prizzi’s Honor




No Contest. Ran is one of the best movies of the decade. It’s the work of a mature artist in complete control of his medium, a true cinematic masterwork of sight, sound, intelligence, and most importantly, passion.


Best Actor in a Leading Role
1. William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman
2. James Garner - Murphy’s Romance
3. Jack Nicholson - Prizzi’s Honor
4. Harrison Ford - Witness
5. Jon Voight - Runaway Train




Even though I‘m jumping around in time, I also chose Hurt in 2005 based on the nominees for A History of Violence. This, to me, does seem a little weird because I’ve never been a big William Hurt fan. In fact, a lot of the time it feels like he sleepwalks through his films (so to vote for him twice?). I guess supporting actor 2005, and leading actor 1985 were really weak years for nominees. Hurt is still really good in Kiss of the Spiderwoman, don’t get me wrong. It’s his best nominated performance, and he does a fine job with a difficult role. Honestly, though, I preferred Raul Julia, who never strikes a false note, and gave the performance to watch in the film. He should have been a Best Actor nominee as well. The film’s success rests on both of their shoulders. James Garner is a comfortable second for me. Murphy’s Romance is a guilty pleasure of mine and I thought Garner was a pleasure to watch in it. Can I just say that Jon Voight in Runaway Train is one of the worst nominated performances I’ve seen? He’s dreadful. The way he was trying to act all tough with that atrocious accent? Yikes! It was no better than Michael Jackson trying to act all, well, bad in the “Bad” music video. So 80s. So terrible.


Best Actress in a Leading Role
1. Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful
2. Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple
3. Anne Bancroft - Agnes of God
4. Meryl Streep - Out of Africa
5. Jessica Lange - Sweet Dreams




I’m not a big Geraldine Page fan. Most of the time I think she’s too affected, being primarily a stage actress, for her work to translate as well to film. She does give a touching performance here and it’s one of her better film performances. I still prefer her haunting work in Interiors, though (but her competition was stiff that year). Okay, so this is the perfect moment to discuss my biggest problems with Meryl Streep (in this film and overall). In Out of Africa she adopted one of her most inarticulate and cumbersome accents. For example, the famous “I had a farm in Africa” line read is terrible. She strived a little too mightily to bring reason and substance to a role that had neither. Streep’s performances started becoming strangled by her highly deliberate technique as early as The French Lieutenant’s Woman, and in this one she's so technical as to leave the audience completely cold. Therein lies one of my biggest issues with Streep. She’s so technical and so calculating that I tend to see right through her. It’s very frustrating, especially when you have to see her get nominated year after year, and see people go gaga over her all the time. She seems like a cool person, don’t get me wrong, but her technique is infuriating. That’s not to say all of her performances are that way. She has done great work too, mostly when she takes risks.


Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1. Klaus Maria Brandauer - Out of Africa
2. Robert Loggia - Jagged Edge
3. William Hickey - Prizzi’s Honor
4. Eric Roberts - Runaway Train
5. Don Ameche - Cocoon




I guess? You know, when it comes to Cocoon, I’d have preferred either Wilford Brimley or Hume Cronyn to receive the nomination over Ameche. Worst category this year, none of them inspire much enthusiasm. I guess Klaus, who is perfectly fine, but nothing of note. At least I found Eric Roberts less offensive than Voight in the glorified action flick, Runaway Train. Honestly, their nominations just go to show how weak a year it was. It would be no different than say Vin Diesel getting nominated for one of the Fast and the Furious films. Like for real.


Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1. Meg Tilly - Agnes of God
2. Margaret Avery - The Color Purple
3. Amy Madigan - Twice in a Lifetime
4. Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple
5. Anjelica Huston - Prizzi’s Honor




Definitely Meg. The scene where she’s telling Jane Fonda of her vision is chilling (and I’m atheist). I’ve always preferred Avery to Winfrey, who I felt was a little over the top. I know Sophia is a larger-than-life character, but something doesn’t quite work here. I don’t know what Huston is doing in Prizzi’s Honor. That accent was horrifying. How was this supporting actress performance the one to sweep all 4 major critics (NY, LA, NSFC, NBR)?

On a side note, this was the one time the Globes actually did do a better job by voting for Brandauer and Tilly in the supporting categories.