1985--The Year in Review

A big, big drop down in overall oomph now that we are firmly in the 1980s. But the top 15 are all superb films (my top two really battled it out for the #1 spot yet, in the end, the winner was inevitable--and here we are, in the midst of its worldwide re-release in a 4K restoration). Still, 1985 is a lackluster year. The big Oscar winner, Sydney Pollack's Out of Africa, certainly ranks as among the most boring Best Picture winners, even if its score and photography are exquisite. But no way does it outrank Kurosawa's brilliant retelling of King Lear--it's the Japanese autuer's last great masterpiece. I should note that, otherwise, it's a remarkable year for comedy--just look at my top ten for proof! NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold.

PICTURE: RAN (Japan, Akira Kurosawa)
(2nd: Brazil (UK, Terry Gilliam)
followed by: The Purple Rose of Cairo (US, Woody Allen)
After Hours (US, Martin Scorsese)
Lost in America (US, Albert Brooks)
Prizzi’s Honor (US, John Huston)
My Life as a Dog (Sweden, Lasse Hallström)
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (US, Tim Burton)
The Official Story (Argentina, Luis Puenza)
Shoah (France/UK, Claude Lanzmann)
Come and See (USSR, Elem Klimov)
Witness (US, Peter Weir)
A Room With a View (UK, James Ivory)
Vagabonde (France, Agnès Varda)
To Live and Die in L.A. (US, William Friedkin)
Heaven Help Us (US, Michael Dinner)
The Quiet Earth (New Zealand, Geoff Murphy)
Smooth Talk (US, Joyce Chopra)
The Falcon and the Snowman (US, John Schlesinger)
Tampopo (Japan, Juzo Itami)
Insignificance (UK, Nicolas Roeg)
Dance With a Stranger (UK, Mike Newell)
Death of a Salesman (US, Volker Schlondorff)
Back to the Future (US, Robert Zemeckis)
The Stuff (US, Larry Cohen)
The Emerald Forest (UK, John Boorman)
The Color Purple (US, Steven Spielberg)
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (Japan/US, Paul Schrader)
The Breakfast Club (US, John Hughes)
A Zed and Two Noughts (UK, Peter Greenaway)
My Beautiful Laundrette (UK, Stephen Frears)
Chronos (US, Ron Fricke)
Pumping Iron II: The Women (US, George Butler)
The Trip to Bountiful (US, Peter Masterson)
The Boys Next Door (US, Penelope Spheeris)
Out of Africa (US, Sydney Pollack)
Year of the Dragon (US, Michael Cimino)
The Statue of Liberty (US, Ken Burns)
My Sweet Little Village (Czechlosovakia, Jiri Menzel)
Wetherby (UK, David Hare)
Police Story (Hong Kong, Jackie Chan and Chi-Hwa Chen)
Return to Oz (US, Walter Murch)
Dreamchild (US, Gavin Millar)
Creator (US, Ivan Passer)
Marie (US, Roger Donaldson)
The Good Father (UK, Mike Newell)
Las Madres: The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo (Argentina, Susana Blaustein Muñoz, Lourdes Portillo)
Legend (US/UK, Ridley Scott)
Fletch (US, Michael Richie)
Desert Hearts (US, Donna Deitch)
Mask (US, Peter Bogdanovich)
Clue (US, Jonathan Lynn)
Twice in a Lifetime (US, Bud Yorkin)
The Sure Thing (US, Rob Reiner)
Young Sherlock Holmes (US, Barry Levinson)
Real Genius (US, Martha Coolidge)
The Return of the Living Dead (US, Dan O'Bannon)
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (US, Guy Hamilton)
Cocoon (US, Ron Howard)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (US, Hector Babenco)
Day of the Dead (US, George A. Romero)
The Mean Season (US, Philip Borsos)
Re-Animator (US, Stuart Gordon)
Sweet Dreams (US, Karel Reisz)
Commando (US, Mark L. Lester)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Australia, George Miller and George Ogilvie)
Plenty (US, Fred Schepisi)
Hail Mary (France, Jean-Luc Godard)
The Goonies (US, Richard Donner)
Weird Science (US, John Hughes)
A Chorus Line (US, Richard Attenbourough)
Ladyhawke (US, Richard Donner)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (US, George Pan Cosmatos)
Gymkata (US, Robert Klause))

ACTOR: Jack Nicholson, PRIZZI’S HONOR (2nd: Albert Brooks, Lost in America, followed by Tasuya Nakadai, Ran; Harrison Ford, Witness; Griffin Dunne, After Hours; Dustin Hoffman, Death of a Salesman; Sean Penn, The Falcon and the Snowman; William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman)

ACTRESS: Norma Aleandro, THE OFFICIAL STORY (2nd: Mia Farrow, The Purple Rose of Cairo, followed by: Sandrine Bonnaire, Vagabonde; Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful; Miranda Richardson, Dance with a Stranger; Theresa Russell, Insignificance; Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple; Kathleen Turner, Prizzi‘s Honor)

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis, A ROOM WITH A VIEW (2nd: William Hickey, Prizzi’s Honor, followed by: Ian Holm, Brazil; Christopher Lloyd, Back to the Future; Jay Patterson, Heaven Help Us; Peter, Ran; Denholm Elliott, A Room With a View; Treat Williams, Smooth Talk)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mieko Harada, RAN (2nd: Angelica Huston, Prizzi’s Honor, followed by: Rosanna Arquette, After Hours; Katherine Helmond, Brazil; Maggie Smith, A Room With a View; Margaret Avery, The Color Purple; Meg Tilly, Agnes of God; Kate Reid, Death of a Salesman)



DIRECTOR: Akira Kurosawa, RAN (2nd: Terry Gilliam, Brazil, followed by: Martin Scorsese, After Hours; Woody Allen, The Purple Rose of Cairo; John Huston, Prizzi’s Honor; Albert Brooks, Lost in America; Lasse Hallstrom, My Life as a Dog; Tim Burton, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure) 

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: RAN (Japan, Akira Kurosawa) (2nd: The Official Story (Argentina, Luis Puenzo), followed by: My Life as a Dog (Sweden, Lasse Hallstrom); Shoah (France/UK, Claude Lanzmann); Come and See (USSR, Elem Klimov); Vagabonde (France, Agnes Varda); Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (Japan/US, Paul Schrader); Tampopo (Japan, Juzo Itami); My Sweet Little Village (Czechlosovakia, Jiri Menzel); Police Story (Hong Kong, Jackie Chan and Chi-Hwa Chen))

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: SHOAH (France/UK, Claude Lanzmann) (2nd: Chronos (US, Ron Fricke), followed by: Pumping Iron II: The Women (US, George Butler); The Statue of Liberty (US, Ken Burns); Las Madres: The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo (Argentina, Susana Blaustein Muñoz and Lourdes Portillo))



ANIMATED SHORT: THE BIG SNIT (Canada, Richard Condie) (2nd: Prehistoric Beast (US, Phil Tippett), followed by: Money for Nothing (US, Steve Barron); Second Class Mail (Canada, Allison Snowden))



LIVE ACTION SHORT: RAINBOW WAR (Canada, Bob Rogers) (2nd: Cry (US, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme), followed by: Don’t Come Around Here No More (US, Jeff Stein))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown, BRAZIL (2nd: Albert Brooks and Monica Johnson, Lost in America, followed by: Woody Allen, The Purple Rose of Cairo; Luis Puenzo and Aida Bortnik, The Official Story; Joseph Minion, After Hours)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Richard Condon and Janet Roach, PRIZZI‘S HONOR (2nd: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni and Masato Ide, Ran, followed by: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, A Room With a View (won in 1986); Lasse Hallstrom, Reidar Jonsson, Brasse Branstrom and Per Berglund, My Life as a Dog; William Friedkin and Gerald Petievich, To Live and Die in L.A.)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Takao Saito, Masaharu Ueda and Asakazu Nakai, RAN (2nd: Phillippe Rousselot, The Emerald Forest, followed by: John Seale, Witness; David Watkin, Out of Africa; Gordon Willis, The Purple Rose of Cairo)

ART DIRECTION: BRAZIL, Ran, Legend, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, The Purple Rose of Cairo 

COSTUME DESIGN: RAN, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Brazil, A Room With a View (won in 1986), The Color Purple 



FILM EDITING: RAN, After Hours, Witness, Brazil, Prizzi’s Honor 



SOUND: BACK TO THE FUTURE, Ran, After Hours, Witness, Silverado 

SOUND EFFECTS: BACK TO THE FUTURE, Brazil, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure 



ORIGINAL SCORE: Danny Elfman, PEE-WEE‘S BIG ADVENTURE (2nd: John Barry, Out of Africa, followed by: Maurice Jarre, Witness; Toru Takemitsu, Ran; Alex North, Prizzi’s Honor)



ADAPTATION SCORE/SCORING OF A MUSICAL: Michael Kamen, BRAZIL (2nd: Quincy Jones, Jeremy Lubbock, Rod Temperton, Caiphus Semenya, Andrae Crouch, Chris Boardman, Jorge Calandrelli, Joel Rosenbaum, Fred Steiner, Jack Hayes, Jerry Hey, and Randy Kerber, The Color Purple, followed by: Ralph Burns, A Chorus Line)



ORIGINAL SONG: “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from THE BREAKFAST CLUB (Music and lyrics by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff) (2nd: “Crazy For You” from Vision Quest (Music by Jon Lind, lyrics by John Bettis), followed by: “To Live and Die in L.A.” from To Live and Die in L.A. (Music and lyrics by Jack Hues and Nick Feldman); “Invincible“ from The Legend of Billie Jean (Music and lyrics by Holly Knight and Simon Climie); “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)” from The Color Purple (Music by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, lyrics by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton and Lionel Richie); “Goonies R Good Enough” from The Goonies (Music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Steve Lunt and Arthur Stead); "The Power of Love" from Back to the Future (Music by Chris Hayes and Johnny Colla, lyrics by Huey Lewis); "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights (Music and lyrics by Lionel Richie); "Separate Lives" from White Nights (Music and lyrics by Phil Collins); "We Don't Need Another Hero" from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Music and lyrics by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: BRAZIL, Back to the Future, Return to Oz, Young Sherlock Holmes, Cocoon

MAKEUP: MASK, Legend, Ran, Brazil, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

1984--The Year in Review

1984 is a rock-flavored year for me. In this, my first year as a published film writer, my number one choice--Jonathan Demme's collaboration with the band Talking Heads--is the first documentary I have ever chosen for the top spot; it's the only movie in which, when I saw it in a theater, the experience was LITERALLY like a dance party. I have still never experienced anything like Stop Making Sense. I went into my first glimpse of it not knowing much about its subjects, and I emerged a new person–one with an instant sense of rhythm, and a desire to play music just like those joyful people up on the screen (I ended up playing percussion with a band in the mid-90s because of it). This film, plus my second choice–cinema's greatest-ever blend of improv comedy and mockumentary, intriguingly deemed This is Spinal Tap–changed my life and, as a result, for my following two decades, I was as big a fan of music as I had previously been of movies. On top of all this, we have among the most explosive and competitive Best Song selections of all time, with tunes from This is Spinal Tap, Purple Rain, Footloose, Streets of Fire, The Woman in Red, Beverly Hills Cop, Swing Shift, 1984, Give My Regards to Broad Street, and Ghostbusters. It's also a massively documentary-themed year, with Robert Epstein's remarkable The Times of Harvey Milk, the continuation of Michael Apted's landmark series 28 Up (perhaps the most important of its installments), and Streetwise, Martin Bell's astounding account of Seattle homelessness. As for narratives, I was breathlessly impressed with newcomer Roland Joffe who, along with screenwriter Bruce Robinson, transformed my view of the Asian-based conflict that had so recently choked the world; The Killing Fields was THE movie that made me understand the breadth of that bizarre war. We were served a regal final effort from the film master David Lean, an adaptation of E.M. Forster's mysterious A Passage to India. And, on another front, there was Broadway Danny Rose, a very different kind of Woody Allen film, with the director/writer/actor’s most idiosyncratic performance (featured alongside a stunning show from his newest leading lady Mia Farrow). Allen's film joined This Is Spinal Tap as a leader in an another amazing year for comedy that included Ghostbusters, Stranger Than Paradise, Comfort and Joy, Splash, Beverly Hills Cop, Repo Man, Sixteen Candles, Moscow on the Hudson, Top Secret!, Romancing the Stone, The Lonely Guy, and Police Academy. There was the arrival of a new brand of indie film with Jim Jarmusch, Neil Jordan, Alex Cox, Lars Von Trier, and Joel and Ethan Coen (whose Blood Simple star M. Emmet Walsh came close to  besting Supporting Actor Oscar-winner Haing S. Ngor, who was so wonderful in The Killing Fields--I was this close to deeming it a tie), and the further outputs from John Sayles, Wim Wenders, Bill Forsyth, and Alan Rudolph. For the Academy's part, the year was controlled by Milos Forman's lush and very entertaining adaptation of Peter Schaffer's stage play Amadeus, which really popped onscreen (I wish I could love it as much as the Academy did, but it's slightly too dull for me). At any rate, 1984 is a bear, and newly 80s-flavored. We’re in a much different era now, folks, and it's a good one. NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold. 

PICTURE: STOP MAKING SENSE (US, Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads)
(2nd: This is Spinal Tap (US, Rob Reiner)
followed by: The Killing Fields (UK, Roland Joffé)
Broadway Danny Rose (US, Woody Allen)
The Times of Harvey Milk (US, Robert Epstein)
A Passage to India (UK, David Lean)
Streetwise (US, Martin Bell)
Blood Simple (US, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)
Stranger Than Paradise (US, Jim Jarmusch)
Amadeus (US, Milos Forman)
28 Up (UK, Michael Apted)
Threads (UK, Mick Jackson)
Paris, Texas (West Germany/France/US, Wim Wenders)
Love Streams (US, John Cassavetes)
Once Upon a Time in America (US, Sergio Leone)
The Terminator (US, James Cameron)
Places in the Heart (US, Robert Benton)
A Sunday in the Country (France, Bertrand Tavernier)
Comfort and Joy (UK, Bill Forsyth)
Antonio Gaudi (Japan, Hiroshi Teshigahara)
Under the Volcano (US/UK, John Huston)
Choose Me (US, Alan Rudolph)
The Natural (US, Barry Levinson)
The Brother from Another Planet (US, John Sayles)
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey (US, George Stevens Jr.)
Mike's Murder (US, James Bridges)
The Bostonians (UK, James Ivory)
The Company of Wolves (UK, Neil Jordan)
Ghostbusters (US, Ivan Reitman)
Splash (US, Ron Howard)
Iceman (US, Fred Schepisi)
Beverly Hills Cop (US, Martin Brest)
Repo Man (US, Alex Cox)
Birdy (US, Alan Parker)
The Hit (UK, Stephen Frears)
A Soldier’s Story (US, Norman Jewison)
1984 (UK, Michael Radford)
After the Rehearsal (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
Starman (US, John Carpenter)
The Element of Crime (Denmark, Lars von Trier)
Secret Honor (US, Robert Altman)
The Pope of Greenwich Village (US, Stuart Rosenberg)
The Burning Bed (US, Robert Greenwald)
The Cotton Club (US, Francis Ford Coppola)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (US, Leonard Nimoy)
The Bounty (US/UK, Roger Donaldson)
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (US, Steven Spielberg)
Country (US, Richard Pearce)
Carmen (Italy/Spain, Francesco Rosi)
Swann in Love (France, Volker Schlöndorff)
Swing Shift (US, Jonathan Demme)
Sixteen Candles (US, John Hughes)
Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind (Japan, Hayao Miyazaki)
Moscow on the Hudson (US, Paul Mazursky)
Body Double (US, Brian de Palma)
Dune (US, David Lynch)
Streets of Fire (US, Walter Hill)
Old Enough (US, Marisa Silver)
Top Secret! (US, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker)
Tightrope (US, Richard Tuggle)
Romancing the Stone (US, Robert Zemeckis)
The Karate Kid (US, John G. Avildsen)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tazan, Lord of the Apes (UK, Hugh Hudson)
Night of the Comet (US, Thom Eberhardt)
The Lonely Guy (US, Arthur Hiller)
Suburbia (US, Penelope Spheeris)
Razorback (Australia, Russell Mulcahy)
The Adventures of Buckeroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (US, W.D. Richter)
2010 (US, Peter Hyams)
The Last Starfighter (US, Nick Castle)
Dreamscape (US, Joseph Reuben)
The River (US, Mark Rydell)
The Razor's Edge (US, John Byrum)
Purple Rain (US, Albert Magnoli)
Footloose (US, Herbert Ross)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (US, Wes Craven)
Crimes of Passion (UK, Ken Russell)
The Toxic Avenger (US, Michael Herz)
Red Dawn (US, John Milius)
Police Academy (US, Hugh Wilson)
The NeverEnding Story (US/West Germany, Wolfgang Petersen))



ACTOR: Woody Allen, BROADWAY DANNY ROSE (2nd: F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus, followed by: Steve Martin, All of Me; Albert Finney, Under the Volcano; Eddie Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop; Tom Hulce, Amadeus; Victor Banerjee, A Passage to India; Philip Baker Hall, Secret Honor; Bill Paterson, Comfort and Joy)

ACTRESS: Mia Farrow, BROADWAY DANNY ROSE (2nd: Judy Davis, A Passage to India, followed by: Sally Field, Places in the Heart; Debra Winger, Mike‘s Murder; Vanessa Redgrave, The Bostonians; Genevieve Bujold, Choose Me; Kathleen Turner, Romancing the Stone; Karen Allen, Starman; Frances McDormand, Blood Simple)

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Haing S. Ngor, THE KILLING FIELDS (2nd: M. Emmet Walsh, Blood Simple, followed by: Nick Apollo Forte, Broadway Danny Rose; John Lone, Iceman; Christopher Guest, This is Spinal Tap; Adolph Caesar, A Soldier’s Story; Jeffery Jones, Amadeus; John Candy, Splash; John Malkovich, Places in the Heart)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Peggy Ashcroft, A PASSAGE TO INDIA (2nd: Melanie Griffith, Body Double, followed by: Theresa Russell, The Razor’s Edge; Glenn Close, The Natural; Christine Lahti, Swing Shift; Eszter Balint, Stranger Than Paradise; Geraldine Page, The Pope of Greenwich Village; Lindsey Crouse, Places in the Heart; Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus)



DIRECTOR: Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads, STOP MAKING SENSE (2nd: Woody Allen, Broadway Danny Rose, followed by: Roland Joffe, The Killing Fields; Rob Reiner, This is Spinal Tap; Milos Forman, Amadeus; David Lean, A Passage to India; Mick Jackson, Threads; Jim Jarmusch, Stranger Than Paradise; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Blood Simple)

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY (France, Bertrand Tavernier) (2nd: After the Rehearsal (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman), followed by: The Element of Crime (Denmark, Lars von Trier); Carmen (Italy/Spain, Francesco Rosi); Swann in Love (France, Volker Schlöndorff); Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind (Japan, Hayao Miyazaki))



DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: STOP MAKING SENSE (US, Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads) (2nd: The Times of Harvey Milk (US, Robert Epstein), followed by: Streetwise (US, Martin Bell); 28 Up (UK, Michael Apted); Antonio Gaudi (Japan, Hiroshi Teshigahara); George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey (US, George Stevens Jr.))

ANIMATED FEATURE: NAUSICAA IN THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (Japan, Hayao Miyazaki)



ANIMATED SHORT: ANNA AND BELLA (Netherlands, Borge Ring) (won in 1985) (2nd: Jumping (Japan, Osamu Tezuka); Charade (Canada, John Minnis); You Might Think (US, Charlie Levi, Jeff Stein and Alex Weil); The Pit, the Pendulum, and Hope (Czechoslovakia, Jan Svankmajer))



LIVE ACTION SHORT: A GIRL'S OWN STORY (New Zealand, Jane Campion) (2nd: Frankenweenie (US, Tim Burton), followed by: Barres (France, Luc Moullet); Making a Splash (UK, Peter Greenaway); Quest (US, Elaine Bass and Saul Bass))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner, THIS IS SPINAL TAP (2nd: Woody Allen, Broadway Danny Rose, followed by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Blood Simple; Robert Benton, Places in the Heart; Barry Hines, Threads; Jim Jarmusch, Stranger Than Paradise)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Bruce Robinson, THE KILLING FIELDS (2nd: David Lean, A Passage to India, followed by: Peter Schaffer, Amadeus; Henry Olek and Phil Alden Robinson, All of Me; Bertrand Tavernier and Colo Tavernier, A Sunday in the Country; Guy Gallo, Under the Volcano)


 
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Caleb Deschanel, THE NATURAL (2nd: Chris Menges, The Killing Fields, followed by: Miroslav Ondricek, Amadeus; Jordan Cronenweth, Stop Making Sense; Gordon Willis, Broadway Danny Rose) 

ART DIRECTION: AMADEUS, Dune, The Natural, A Passage to India, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom


COSTUME DESIGN: AMADEUS, Dune, The Cotton Club, A Passage to India, The Natural



FILM EDITING: STOP MAKING SENSE, The Killing Fields, This is Spinal Tap, The Terminator, A Passage to India



SOUND: STOP MAKING SENSE, Amadeus, Dune, The Terminator, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

SOUND EFFECTS: DUNE, The Terminator, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom



ORIGINAL SCORE: Maurice Jarre, A PASSAGE TO INDIA (2nd: Randy Newman, The Natural, followed by: Mark Knopfler, Comfort and Joy; Dave Grusin, Falling in Love; Bruce Smeaton, Iceman)



ADAPTATION SCORE/SCORING OF A MUSICAL: Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Rob Reiner, THIS IS SPINAL TAP (2nd: Prince, Purple Rain, followed by: Neville Mariner, Amadeus; Dick Hyman, Broadway Danny Rose)



ORIGINAL SONG: “Purple Rain“ from PURPLE RAIN (Music and lyrics by Prince) (2nd: "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" from This is Spinal Tap (Music and lyrics by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner), followed by: "When Doves Cry" from Purple Rain (Music and lyrics by Prince); “Against All Odds (Take a Look At Me Now)” from Against All Odds (Music and lyrics by Phil Collins); "I Can Dream About You" from Streets of Fire (Music and lyrics by Dan Hartman); ”Big Bottom” from This is Spinal Tap (Music and lyrics by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner); "Nowhere Fast" from Streets of Fire (Music and lyrics by Jim Steinman); "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red (Music and lyrics by Stevie Wonder); "Let's Go Crazy" from Purple Rain (Music and lyrics by Prince); "The Heat is On" from Beverly Hills Cop (Music and lyrics by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey); “Sex Farm” from This is Spinal Tap (Music and lyrics by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner); “Someone Waits for You” from Swing Shift (Music by Peter Allen, lyrics by Will Jennings); “Julia” from 1984 (Music and lyrics by Annie Lennox and David Stewart); "I Would Die 4 U" from Purple Rain (Music and lyrics by Prince); "No More Lonely Nights" from Give My Regards to Broad Street (Music and lyrics by Paul McCartney); "Almost Paradise" from Footloose (Music by Eric Carmen, lyrics by Dean Pitchford); "Ghostbusters" from Ghostbusters (Music and lyrics by Ray Parker, Jr.); "Take Me With U" from Purple Rain (Music and lyrics by Prince); "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" from Streets of Fire (Music and lyrics by Jim Steinman); "Gimme Some Money" from This is Spinal Tap (Music and lyrics by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner); "Let's Hear It for the Boy" from Footloose (Music by Tom Snow, lyrics by Dean Pitchford))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: GHOSTBUSTERS, 2010, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom 

MAKEUP: AMADEUS, Iceman, The Terminator 

1983--The Year in Review

The top five pictures of 1983 are easily a few of the 1980s most stellar titles, and the subsequent fifteen titles are also essential viewing. But there is a general drop-off in quality this year, and it’ll be a while before we see anything like 1967-82 again. Still, I treasure my top pick, Local Hero, like a precious jewel; I deeply feel that it is my movie, made with love and care just for my adoration. I had been a fan of Scottish director Bill Forsyth for a few years before seeing this masterpiece that, with its gorgeous lensing, gently funny screenplay, and stunning Mark Knopfler score, urges its viewers to stop the hubbub in their lives and admire the beauty of the world that surrounds us. Of course, its nearest competitor. Philip Kaufman's The Right Stuff is clearly the American movie of the year--a movingly patriotic epic about the nascent days of the U.S. space program that's irreverent, accurate, and remarkable in its perfect production and inventive casting. Two movies with venal lead characters dancing around the edges of the entertainment industry vied most closely for Best Actor this year: Robert De Niro's Rupert Pupkin is an unforgettable invention (as is Sandra Bernhard's nutty superfan), but it is Eric Roberts' murderous, painfully tortured Paul Snider in Bob Fosse's sleazy take on Hollywood that had to take the prize (the Academy went with another, more likable industry outlier played by Robert Duvall). At the Oscars, TV veteran James L. Brooks dominated with his adaptation of Larry McMurtry's Terms of Endearment (which finally netted an award for Shirley MacLaine, rightfully so, as well as a second Oscar for Jack Nicholson, hilarious as a hard-partying retired astronaut). Comedy as a whole made terrific strides this year with movies like Zelig, Trading Places, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, The Big Chill, Educating Rita, Risky Business, The Man with Two Brains, Valley Girl, Strange Brew, National Lampoon's Vacation, and that holiday perennial A Christmas Story. But in all it was a pretty serious film output this year, as screens were studded with such downbeat tales as The Dresser, Entre Nous, Silkwood, The Ballad of Narayama, Betrayal, Under Fire, Daniel, Scarface, Bad Boys, and two devastating looks at the effects of nuclear war on average citizens, Testament and The Day After (to that time, the highest rated TV movie ever). On the short film front, I had to give the live action award to what is in the running for the best music video of all time, while the animation spot goes to one of the indisputable masters of Czech cinema. NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold.

PICTURE: LOCAL HERO (Scotland, Bill Forsyth)
(2nd: The Right Stuff (US, Philip Kaufman), followed by:
The King of Comedy (US, Martin Scorsese)
Star 80 (US, Bob Fosse)
Entre Nous (France, Diane Kurys)
Zelig (US, Woody Allen)
The Dresser (UK, Peter Yates)
Silkwood (US, Mike Nichols)
Terms of Endearment (US, James L. Brooks)
Marvin and Tige (US, Eric Weston)
The 4th Man (Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven)
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (UK, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam)
Lianna (US, John Sayles)
Tender Mercies (US, Bruce Beresford)
Sans Soleil (France, Chris Marker)
Careful, He Might Hear You (Australia, Carl Schultz)
The Dead Zone (Canada, David Cronenberg)
Betrayal (UK, David Hugh Jones)
El Norte (US, Gregory Nava)
Testament (US, Lynne Littman)
Rumble Fish (US, Francis Ford Coppola)
Educating Rita (UK, Lewis Gilbert)
Never Cry Wolf (US, Carroll Ballard)
Trading Places (US, John Landis)
Man of Flowers (Australia, Paul Cox)
Risky Business (US, Paul Brickman)
Videodrome (Canada, David Cronenberg)
Marlene (West Germany, Maximilian Schell)
Pauline at the Beach (France, Eric Rohmer)
Under Fire (US, Roger Spottiswoode)
L’Argent (France, Robert Bresson)
Nostalghia (Italy/USSR, Andrei Tarkovsky)
Made in Britain (UK, Alan Clarke)
Valley Girl (US, Martha Coolidge)
The Big Chill (US, Lawrence Kasdan)
The Day After (US, Nicholas Meyer)
The Outsiders (US, Francis Ford Coppola)
The Ballad of Narayama (Japan, Shohei Imamura)
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (UK/Japan/New Zealand, Nagisa Oshima)
Sugar Cane Alley (France/Martinique, Euzhan Palcy)
Of Unknown Origin (Canada, George Pan Cosmatos)
Daniel (US, Sidney Lumet)
Le Bal (France/Italy, Ettore Scola)
WarGames (US, John Badham)
Return of the Jedi (US, Richard Marquand)
Yentl (US, Barbra Streisand)
À Nos Amours (France, Maurice Pialat)
He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (US, Emile Ardalino)
Twice Upon a Time (US, John Korty and Charles Swenson)
Scarface (US, Brian de Palma)
And the Ship Sails On (Italy, Federico Fellini)
All the Right Moves (US, Michael Chapman)
A Christmas Story (Canada, Bob Clark)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (US, Jack Clayton)
Cross Creek (US, Martin Ritt)
Heart Like a Wheel (US, Jonathan Kaplan)
Utu (New Zealand, Geoff Murphy)
The Man with Two Brains (US, Carl Reiner)
Wild Style (US, Charlie Ahearn)
Bad Boys (US, Rick Rosenthal)
Reuben, Reuben (US, Robert Ellis Miller)
Strange Invaders (US, Michael Laughlin)
To Be or Not To Be (US, Alan Johnson)
Max Dugan Returns (US, Herbert Ross)
The Star Chamber (US, Peter Hyams)
Strange Brew (Canada, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas)
Hanna K. (Israel/France, Costa-Gavras)
Octopussy (UK, John Glen)
Brainstorm (US, Douglas Trumbull)
Christine (US, John Carpenter)
Cujo (US, Lewis Teague)
National Lampoon's Vacation (US, Harold Ramis)
Eddie and the Cruisers (US, Martin Davidson)



ACTOR: Eric Roberts, STAR 80 (2nd: Robert De Niro, The King of Comedy, followed by: Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies; John Cassavetes, Marvin and Tige; Tom Courteney, The Dresser; Albert Finney, The Dresser; Christopher Walken, The Dead Zone; Al Pacino, Scarface; Peter Riegert, Local Hero)



ACTRESS: Shirley MacLaine, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (2nd: Julie Walters, Educating Rita, followed by: Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment; Meryl Streep, Silkwood; Isabelle Huppert, Entre Nous; Jane Alexander, Testament; Bonnie Bedelia, Heart Like A Wheel; Wendy Hughes, Careful, He Might Hear You) 


 
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jack Nicholson, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (2nd: John Lithgow, Twilight Zone: The Movie, followed by: Guy Marchand, Entre Nous; Jerry Lewis, The King of Comedy; Fred Ward, The Right Stuff; Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff; Denis Lawson, Local Hero; Ed Harris, The Right Stuff) 


 
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Sandra Bernhard, THE KING OF COMEDY (2nd: Amanda Plummer, Daniel, followed by: Cher, Silkwood; Veronica Cartwright, The Right Stuff; Tess Harper, Tender Mercies; Alfre Woodard, Cross Creek; Jamie Lee Curtis, Trading Places; Michelle Pfeiffer, Scarface)



DIRECTOR: Bill Forsyth, LOCAL HERO (2nd: Philip Kaufman, The Right Stuff, followed by: Martin Scorsese, The King of Comedy; Diane Kurys, Entre Nous; Woody Allen, Zelig; Bob Fosse, Star 80; Mike Nichols, Silkwood; Peter Yates, The Dresser)

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: ENTRE NOUS (France, Diane Kurys) (2nd: The 4th Man (The Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven), followed by: Pauline at the Beach (France, Eric Rohmer); Marlene (West Germany, Maximilian Schell); L’Argent (France, Robert Bresson); Nostalghia (Italy/USSR, Andrei Tarkovsky); The Ballad of Narayama (Japan, Shohei Imamura); Sugar Cane Alley (France/Martinique, Euzhan Palcy); Le Bal (France/Italy, Ettore Scola); À Nos Amours (France, Maurice Pialat); And the Ship Sails On (Italy, Federico Fellini))

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: SANS SOLEIL (France, Chris Marker) (2nd: He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (US, Emile Ardalino), followed by: Wild Style (US, Charlie Ahearn))

ANIMATED FEATURE: TWICE UPON A TIME (US, John Korty and Charles Swenson)



LIVE ACTION SHORT: THRILLER (US, John Landis) (2nd: Down to the Cellar (Czechoslovakia, Jan Svankmajer), followed by: Rockit (US/UK, Kevin Godley and Lol Creame); Every Breath You Take (UK, Kevin Godley and Lol Creame); Passionless Moments (Australia, Jane Campion and Gerard Lee)


ANIMATED SHORT: THE VANISHED WORLD OF GLOVES (Czechoslovakia, Jiri Barta) (2nd: A Ballad About Green Wood (Czechoslovakia, Jiri Barta), followed by: Sundae in New York (US, Jimmy Picker); Mickey's Christmas Carol (US, Burney Mattinson))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Paul D. Zimmerman, THE KING OF COMEDY (2nd: Bill Forsyth, Local Hero, followed by: Horton Foote, Tender Mercies; Woody Allen, Zelig; Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Eric Idle, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life; John Sayles, Lianna)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Philip Kaufman, THE RIGHT STUFF (2nd: Diane Kurys and Alain Le Henry, Entre Nous, followed by: Ronald Harwood, The Dresser; Harold Pinter, Betrayal; James L. Brooks, Terms of Endearment; Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen, Silkwood)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Chris Menges, LOCAL HERO (2nd: Caleb Deschanel, The Right Stuff, followed by: Gordon Willis, Zelig; Stephen Burum, Rumble Fish; Hiro Narita, Never Cry Wolf)

ART DIRECTION: THE RIGHT STUFF, Return of the Jedi, The Dresser, Local Hero, Something Wicked This Way Comes

COSTUME DESIGN: ZELIG, The Right Stuff, The King of Comedy, The Dresser, Something Wicked This Way Comes

FILM EDITING: THE RIGHT STUFF, Silkwood, Star 80, The King of Comedy, Flashdance

SOUND: THE RIGHT STUFF, Return of the Jedi, Never Cry Wolf, WarGames, The King of Comedy

SOUND EFFECTS: THE RIGHT STUFF, WarGames, Return of the Jedi





ORIGINAL SCORE: (TIE) Mark Knopfler, LOCAL HERO and Stewart Copeland, RUMBLE FISH (2nd: Bill Conti, The Right Stuff, followed by: Patrick Williams, Marvin and Tige; John Barry, High Road to China; Jerry Goldsmith, Under Fire)



ADAPTATION SCORE/SCORING OF A MUSICAL: Michel Legrand, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, YENTL (2nd: William Elliott, The Pirates of Penzance, followed by: Elmer Bernstein, Trading Places)



ORIGINAL SONG: “Galaxy Song” from MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE (Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, lyrics by Eric Idle) (2nd: “Don’t Box Me In” from Rumble Fish (Music and lyrics by Stewart Copeland and Stan Ridgway), followed by: "I’ve Decided to Leave Here Forever" from Tender Mercies (Music and lyrics by Robert Duvall); "Holiday Road" from National Lampoon's Vacation (Music and lyrics by Lindsay Buckingham); "The Meaning of Life" from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, lyrics by Eric Idle); "If You'll Hold the Ladder (I'll Climb to the Top)" from Tender Mercies (Music and lyrics by Buzz Rabin and Sara Busby); "Easy Money" from Easy Money (Music and lyrics by Billy Joel); “Stay Gold” from The Outsiders (Music by Carmine Coppola, lyrics by Stevie Wonder); “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” from Yentl (Music by Michel Legrand, lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman); "Flashdance...What A Feeling" from Flashdance (Music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Irene Cara and Keith Forsey); “It Hurts to Face Reality” from Tender Mercies (Music and lyrics by Lefty Frizzell); "Maniac" from Flashdance (Music by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky); "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from Yentl (Music by Michel Legrand, lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman); "All The Right Moves" from All the Right Moves (Music by Tom Snow, lyrics by Barry Alfonso); "On The Dark Side" from Eddie and the Cruisers (Music and lyrics by John Cafferty); "All Time High" from Octopussy (Music by John Barry, lyrics by Tim Rice))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: RETURN OF THE JEDI, The Right Stuff, Zelig

MAKEUP: THE DRESSER, Videodrome, Twilight Zone: The Movie