Archive for October 18, 2011

The Oscar Quest: Best Director – 1985

I really hate 1985. Out of Africa was a terrible Best Picture choice. The Color Purple should have beaten it. Geraldine Page was a terrible Best Actress choice for The Trip to Bountiful (as I said here). Whoopi Goldberg really should have beaten her for The Color Purple.

Anjelica Huston was a weak choice as Best Supporting Actress for Prizzi’s Honor (talked about here). Oprah Winfrey or (my personal choice) Meg Tilly should have beaten her, for The Color Purple or Agnes of God, respectively. Don Ameche is an okay choice as Best Supporting Actor for Cocoon, but it doesn’t really help the year any.

And then there’s this category. Steven Spielberg wasn’t even nominated for The Color Purple. And the category just feels so weak and generic without him. The choice here comes down to two people — the Best Picture-winning director (who is a great director in his own right), or the legend who only got this single Oscar nomination. It should be obvious which of the two I’m taking.

BEST DIRECTOR – 1985

And the nominees were…

Héctor Babenco, Kiss of the Spider Woman

John Huston, Prizzi’s Honor

Akira Kurosawa, Ran

Syndey Pollack, Out of Africa

Peter Weir, Witness (more…)

October 18, 2011 | Categories: Movies, Oscars, The Oscar Quest | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pic of the Day: “There’s no earthly way of knowing/Which direction they are going/There’s no knowing where they’re rowing/Or which way the river’s flowing/Is it raining, is it snowing?/Is a hurricane a-blowing?/Not a speck of light is showing/So the danger must be growing/Are the fires of Hell a-glowing?/Is the grisly Reaper mowing?/Yes! The danger must be growing/’Cause the rowers keep on rowing/And they’re certainly not showing/Any sign that they are slowing!”

October 18, 2011 | Categories: Movies, Pic of the Day | Tags: | Leave a comment