A Mythical Monkey writes about the movies: 1985

Showing posts with label 1985. Show all posts

Monday, January 22, 2024

1985 Alternate Oscars

The Academy picked Out of Africa as the year's best movie but I think Back to the Future is the one that has become a permanent part of the culture ...

Sunday, May 19, 2019

My choices are noted with a ★. A tie is indicated with a ✪. Historical Oscar winners are noted with a ✔. Best foreign-language picture winners are noted with an ƒ. A historical winner who won in a different category is noted with a ✱.

For a long time, I had Akira Kurosawa's Ran down as the best picture of 1985, and it's a beautiful, beautifully-made movie. But Filmsite.org defines classic movies as "renowned films of first rank, reference points in film mythology, or films that have become a part of American cultural folklore."

That sure sounds like Back to the Future to me so that's what I'm going with. But you decide.

Note: William Hurt won the Oscar for best actor in 1985, but to me, it was such a joint effort with Raul Julia that to split them apart would be like trying to assess Laurel without Hardy or Curly without Moe. They win together or don't win at all.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Katie-Bar-The-Door Awards (1985)

In 1985, the Academy had a chance to give Akira Kurosawa a long-overdue Oscar for directing one of the best films of his career, Ran, so of course they gave it to Sydney Pollack. Not that Out of Africa is a bad picture, any more than a Quarter Pounder is a bad hamburger—just a wholly forgettable one. But that's the Oscars for you.

By the way, despite what the poster above says, Out of Africa did not star Gilbert Roland and Norma Talmadge—but it might as well have. (That's one I made for the Great Recasting Blogathon back in July.)

PICTURE (Drama)
winner: Brazil (prod. Arnon Milchan)