Though it's not the strongest year of the 90s, this year has a stacked Best Actress category, and I haven't even seen all the contenders. I snubbed several performances there, but it couldn't be helped. Also, I made images for all the categories again this week. Thankfully, I only have nine ballots left to post, which means I can start making images for my older ballots in a couple of months. Note: You can click on the images to enlarge them.
I still need to see films like La Belle Noiseuse, A Brighter Summer Day, The Ox, Rambling Rose, The Man in the Moon, Love in the Time of Hysteria, City of Hope, Soapdish, Backdraft, Defending Your Life, Point Break, The Rapture, Black Robe, The Indian Runner, For the Boys, Prospero's Books, Slacker, My Girl, Dead Again, and Fried Green Tomatoes.
Alright! The Lovers on the Bridge gets the Best Film, Director, & Actress prize!!!! More love for Carax.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you're a Carax fan too. This film frequently rotates in and out of my top 10 of all time.
DeleteRiver Phoenix <3. I love that you had Beauty and the Beast in original score too.
ReplyDeletePhoenix is terrific in that film. Beauty and the Beast is more than just songs, for sure. Love that score!
DeleteYay for River Phoenix but NOOOO...Thelma and Louise snubs in Best Actress are so painful!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I knew those snubs would sting. (At least Sarandon wins in '81 and gets another nom in '95, while Davis gets a nomination for The Accidental Tourist.) I couldn't fit them, Pfeiffer, Taylor, or Sciorra. :( Too many great performances this year!
DeleteYour lineup is pretty amazing though, sans Foster...who's like gross (but we'll get into that in a few weeks!). In retrospect, I'd probably replace Sciorra with Binoche or Hamilton. Those two hurt the most to snub on my end. This was such a rich year in the acting categories...SO RICH!
DeleteHaha, I know you don't care for Foster's performance, but she barely makes it at #5, if that helps. ;) Oh, Binoche and Hamilton are wonderful. As much I hated snubbing some performances, I HAD to make room for Hamilton.
DeleteThe Lovers on the Bridge sounds very intriguing! Wow, is that Lavant from Holy Motors? Curious to see him in a less weird film, ahah. Oh you've seen Proof? I agree Crowe is terrific in that one and so is Hugo Weaving, boy Crowe looked so young in that film! I saw it shortly after Gladiator as I had such a huge crush on that man.
ReplyDeleteHope you get a chance to check it out, Ruth! Yeah, that's Lavant. He's very good here too, but I couldn't fit him in my Best Actor lineup. Ooh, I forgot you'd seen Proof. That's a great little film, and Weaving is really good in it.
DeleteOookay, obviously I need to see The Lovers on the Bridge ASAP. High praise from you is the only recommendation I need.
ReplyDeleteLove love LOVE that Fishburne takes Supporting Actor. Boyz is one of my all-time favorite films.
YES! Lovers is one of my favorite films. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
DeleteFishburne is AMAZING. I'm surprised he was left out of the Oscars that year. I'm a big fan of the film as well, but I couldn't fit it anywhere else. It just missed in Best Original Screenplay, for instance.
Bummer Terminator 2 missed out on your top 5, but love your top 3 for best picture. At least you give T2 lots of other awards and noms :)
ReplyDeletePoint Break I consider among the best action films of the 90s, it's in my top 50 of all-time, so I give that my highest recommendation.
Fried Green Tomatoes is worth seeing, could be Kathy Bates' best performance(besides 1990's Misery)
Glad you love my top 3! Terminator 2 does make my top 10 though. ;)
DeleteI really wanted to watch Point Break beforehand, but I wasn't sure I'd nominate it anywhere. I need to give it a look, as well as Fried Green Tomatoes.
Picture:
ReplyDeleteCape Fear
JFK-Winner
The Man in the Moon
Proof
Silence of the Lambs
All good films, though I'm cooler on Lambs than most seem to be, and Cape Fear is a taut thriller that is my runner up but JFK keeps the extremely complex and crowded narrative constantly involving.
Director:
Kenneth Branagh-Dead Again
Jonathan Demme-Silence of the Lambs
Robert Mulligan-The Man in the Moon
Martin Scorsese-Cape Fear-Winner
Oliver Stone-JFK
I really enjoyed the twisty modern noir atmosphere Branagh created in Dead Again and Demme handles the creeping menace of Lambs well. Mulligan takes what would seem a simple story and find the profundity in it while Stone's steering of the vast canvas of JFK is very strong. Still Scorsese taut control of Cape Fear is my choice.
Actor:
Robert DeNiro-Cape Fear
Richard Dreyfuss-Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Kevin Kline-Soapdish
Tim Roth-Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Hugo Weaving-Proof-Winner
Dreyfuss & Roth who would not at first glance seem two actors
who would pair well but they actually make a great team in R&G. DeNiro goes for broke as the utterly worthless Max Cady and Kline finds the fine balance between clown and compassion for his character in the manic Soapdish. My choice though is Weaving's quiet work as the blind photographer searching for Proof in that unique film.
Actress:
Geena Davis-Thelma & Louise
Sally Field-Soapdish
Jodie Foster-Silence of the Lambs
Susan Saradon-Thelma & Louise
Reese Witherspoon-The Man in the Moon-Winner
Sally plunges into the wacky worldview of Soapdish and totally embraces the crazy antics of Celeste Talbert with her impeccable comic timing while still managing to show the audience the insecure real woman beneath the totally over the top diva. Geena & Susan make a great team and are equally strong its impossible to say one's better than the other. Foster's quiet intensity grounds Lambs from being overtaken by Hopkins fascinating florid work and she is terrific but I prefer Reese's vibrant work as a teen dealing with coming of age and many other issues. When I watched the film I had no idea who she was and by the end I knew I had seen someone who not only would be a star in short order but was an astonishing talent.
Supporting Actor:
Russell Crowe-Proof
Timothy Dalton-The Rocketeer
Anthony Hopkins-The Silence of the Lambs-Winner
Tommy Lee Jones-JFK
Jason London-The Man in the Moon
All the others did excellent work but no one stands a chance against Hopkins. I know he won for lead and his presence looms over the film but any performance that takes up little more than fifteen minutes of a two hour movie belongs in supporting.
Supporting Actress:
Tess Harper-The Man in the Moon
Cathy Moriarty-Soapdish-Winner
Maureen O'Hara-Only the Lonely
Mercedes Ruhl-The Fisher King
Jessica Tandy-Fried Green Tomatoes
Tess, Maureen, Mercedes and Jessica all do terrific things with their roles but Cathy Moriarty's titanic performance as Montana Moorehead knocks out all comers and that unhinged marvel would have it no other way.
Oh, I love that JFK wins Best Picture. I was very close to nominating it for Picture and Director. Thrilled to see love for Proof and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern as well. I'd place Dreyfuss in supporting though. Hopkins' presence in Silence elevates his performance to lead for me, but I completely understand placing him in supporting. (He would've been my winner there.) I really need to see Dead Again, The Man in the Moon and Soapdish.
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