I travel across the years and pick an Oscar category and decide which or who should have won the Oscar instead of the one who did. 1988 was a big year because that was the year my dad died (on April 30th) but also the summer when I had a lot of fun with my 2 best friends. In between the sorrow and the frolic, I saw quite a few films although I have not seen all …unlike Joel who seems to have had the ability to see so many 😁. I will tell you which won, which I think should have won and one that was nominated. I am certain many will disagree and that’s aok in my book.
1. THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING
This is one sensual film but classy unlike Poor Things which was anything but. This film stars Daniel, “be still my heart”, Day Lewis as a surgeon in, what used to be known as, Czechoslovakia, who is quite a womanizer but finds a soul mate in the sensual Lena Olin until he meets a naive Juliette Binoche. He brings Juliet to meet Lena and is surprised at how well the 2 gals get along. Juliet takes many photos especially during the uprising of 1968 where many people are killed when Russian tanks drive in and squelch the uprising. It is beautifully shot by Sven Nykvist who was nominated for an Oscar. I think Lena deserved an Oscar nomination for best supporting but the film was not nominated at all and I would have chosen this as best picture because I love it. It is not for everyone because it is a character study, a remark on the political times all set against a backdrop of the artisticness that this film captures. I would have had the Melagro Beanfield War nominated as well as A Fish Called Wanda and The Last Temptation of Christ.
2. RAIN MAN
I will be honest, I still have to see this movie so, yes, I know, can I truly say this should not have won the Best Picture Oscar? The answer is …yes. I have seen parts of the movie but never from the beginning and, although it is well acted, especially by Dustin Hoffman, who also won Best Actor, I just found this film typical with the rah rah at the end. Tom Cruise plays a huckster who finds out his dad died and left his $3 million fortune to the mental health facility where his much older brother resides. He had no idea he had a brother never mind one who is an autistic savant. He takes his brother out of the facility hoping to get a hold of the money especially when he finds out that his brother can add up numbers…boy can he add them up! On their road trip, they learn about each other and grow from there…ok..sure. It’s good but hardly great.
3. DANGEROUS LIASONS
This is a remake of a French film but I have only seen this version and thought it was quite good and vicious. During the Royal courts, we see Glenn Close and John Malcovich as 2 scheming, bored a-holes who like to ruin peoples’ lives for sport. We see how they manipulate people and toy with their lives but when John develops true feelings for the upstanding and sweet Michelle Pfeiffer, their plans start imploding. This is well acted with a great story, great costumes and interior design.
Just so you know, the other films that were nominated were, Working Girl, The Accidental Tourist, and Mississippi Burning. My choice was not even nominated which still annoys me. Would you have chosen Rain Man or one of the other 4 or another film that wasn’t even nominated?
I've seen two of them and thought Rain Man was good although depressing.
ReplyDeleteI will see this flick one day just never had the want.
DeleteI have not seen your choice, but am Interested in seeing it now. I enjoyed Rain Man and think it is much better than other films that have won. I also enjoyed Dangerous Liaisons and the other nominated films. Don't get me started on attitudes toward autistic individuals back in 1988.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to see it because it’s such a great film although I know it’s not for everyone because it’s so different. I remember RainMan being a big thing especially the Autistic Savants on all the news stations like Larry King Live.
DeleteI've seen all the ones you mentioned. I liked Rain Man a lot. The others were okay. I had to run through the list of 1988 movies and didn't find any on the list that I'd put among my favorite all time films. Wings of Desire was excellent and should have gotten an Oscar nod I think. Jodie Foster rightfully won best actress for The Accused which is a powerful film that is tough to watch, but oh so good.
ReplyDeleteLee
I have not seen Wings of Desire but it’s on my list! I so agree with you about Jodie Foster in that film although they didn’t need to add the actual rape scene, in my opinion. I think they got the point across without that scene.
DeleteI enjoyed Rain Man at the time, but agree with Denise that its attitudes to autistic people do not bear scrutiny now and I would feel uncomfortable watching it again. I loved Dangerous Liaisons and thought Close and Malkovich were excellent. There was another version around the same time, just called Valmont, which had Colin Firth and Annette Bening. I thought him very ordinary - who knew a few years later an entire nation would fall in love with him in a wet shirt?
ReplyDeleteI should see RainMan at least once and remember Autistic Savants being all over the talk shows and news at that time. Despite it being out of date, it did start people thinking of autistic people in a better light. Valmont! I couldn’t remember the title.
DeleteHi Birgit,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you said that your pick wasn't for everyone because I loathed that film!!! However a good friend of mine feels the same way you do, so it seems it is one of those films that is either a love it or hate it type deal. Even though I found the picture torturous the acting was good, not surprising since all three of the leads are superior talents.
Rain Man is a decently made thoroughly ordinary film with two excellent performances carrying it. No to Best Picture though.
Of the nominated films Dangerous Liaisons should have taken the prize in a walk. It's amazing really that it didn't, it has all the things the Academy loves. Sumptuous sets and costumes, big name stars, action, intrigue and so forth and yet they went for the sentimental choice. Go know? Glenn Close was absolutely robbed, though I'll grant that Jodie Foster was very good in The Accused but Glenn was next level. Saying that though if Christine Lahti had been nominated as she should have been for Running on Empty she would have been my choice to win even over Glenn's exemplary work.
However in an open field only Dangerous Liaisons would have made my long list of ten and I think my winner will surprise you.
If it were up to me the five nominated films would have been: Crossing Delancy
Running on Empty
Torch Song Trilogy
The Thin Blue Line
And my winner: Die Hard.
Let me give you my reasoning. Even taking away how influential that movie has proven to be (which of course couldn't have been assessed in 1988) if we are talking Best Picture it is tightly made with little to no extemporaneous threads to pull you out of its main trajectory, a kinetic pace that never lets up, taut direction and committed performances (how Alan Rickman missed a nomination I'll never understand! But Bruce Willis should have made it in too) and a riveting, if not always logic, story. But it was seen as a genre picture and ignored. Looking back now though how many of those other films are even thought of while Die Hard has become iconic (if we forget out the even worsening sequels!!!)
Hahahaha! I knew you would say you hated that film. I don’t know why I knew but it doesn’t surprise me in the least. I will add that, if Dangerous Liasons won, I would not have been displeased. I do believe Jodie Foster deserved the Oscar( could have done with out the actual rape scene in that movie as it was not needed) but Glenn was a photographic finish. I forgot about the major Oscar snub when they didn’t nominate Lahti and a film I still have to see.
DeleteI am dumbfounded that you would choose, ahem, Die Hard. I do agree that Alan Rickman deserved an Oscar Nom in best supporting but that’s about it. Bruce doing that yell, in various states of undress, just makes me giggle. So glad you are here.
I liked Harrison Ford's Frantic.
ReplyDeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Oh, Sandra! That’s an excellent choice.
DeleteJoel brings up a good point. Those movies really hit different today than they did then. There should be awards for movies much later than the next year because then we can really see the impact they made.
ReplyDeleteI did see Rain Man in the theater. I liked it at the time. (Didn't love it.) But since then I've learned an awful lot more about autism (like, I'm probably on the spectrum), so it would hit me way differently today than it did then.
Of the others nominated, I've only not seen Mississippi Burning (which I should rectify). It's hard to pick a winner from that list. I can get behind Joel's pick of Die Hard. Maybe Running on Empty. Joel has the best list for the year, I think.
Although I still haven’t seen RainMan, it was one of the first films to bring Autism out in the open as it was everywhere in the news and talk shows. Before then, all were under the umbrella of that word, “retarded” which was wrong. I still have to see Mississippi Burning and Running on Empty.
DeleteHi Birgit - I should see all of these ... I know I've seen a couple, but really need to revisit them - thanks for the thoughts! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you saw a couple of films I mentioned.
DeleteI loved Rain Man, thought it was brilliant. 1988 and most of the 1980s I think was such a great year for movies.
ReplyDeleteI think the 80s were good but I love so many decades especially the 30s and 40s.
DeleteI enjoyed Rain Man. I thought it was quite well done. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteSandra
DeleteYup, I show up anonymous here, it’s Birgit…blog screws up with this when I’m on my IPad. I’ll see this film one day.
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