Because we'll be seeing what various cinephiles around the web think of Peter Weir's Witness for "Best Shot" tonight here's an entirely rando top ten list of 1985, direct from my brain. Or, rather, from web archives or my brain. Which means it's an unholy amalgam of things I loved when I was young and things I love now after many watches over the years and things I possibly would only love ironically now because I loved them when I was young.
1985 silliness after the jump...
- The Breakfast Club (John Hughes)
- Insignificance (Nicholas Roeg)
- Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Hector Babenco)
- Ladyhawke (Richard Donner)
- Out of Africa (Sydney Pollack)
- Pee Wee's Big Adventure (Tim Burton)
- Prizzi's Honor (John Huston)
- The Purple Rose of Cairo (Woody Allen)
- Ran (Akira Kurosawa)
- Witness (Peter Weir)
What would old lists look like if we had to rewatch everything? Who knows because who has time to watch 100 pictures you've already seen for such projects, year by year? I mean besides Nick Davis of course who is always working through lists all over again, bless.
So here's how my film bitch awards might have gone back then had they existed but been announced now (wait, what?)
BEST PICTURE
- (Gold) The Purple Rose of Cairo
- (Silver) Witness
- (Bronze) Pee Wee's Big Adventure if I'm feeling crazy, Akira Kurosawa's Ran if I'm feeling serious, The Breakfast Club if I'm feeling nostalgic
BEST ACTRESS
- ?????? I don't remember this year well in lead actressing I must admit. At the time I wasn't into the Oscar nominees all that much (apart from Streep in Out of Africa though that performance doesn't hold up as one of her best of the 80s. I prefer her in Plenty that same year) but things could change on a revisit.
BEST ACTOR
- (Gold) Jeff Daniels, Purple Rose of Cairo
- (Silver) Harrison Ford, Witness
- (Bronze) William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman... maybe I'd think the latter too hammy now? Who knows.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- (Gold) Sonia Braga, Kiss of the Spider Woman
- (Silver) Mieko Harada, Ran
- (Bronze) Anjelica Huston, Prizzi's Honor
This was a RIDICULOUSLY strong year for supporting actresses. I thought of 15 more (!!!) while typing those three names. You could make a handful of extra Best Supporting Actress lineups with 1985 and nobody would look at you like "weak year, huh?" if they were to chance upon them and mistake them for a real one.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- ...omg I can't remember worthy candidates here. They must have existed. Anyone?
MOVIES CRITICS WERE ECSTATIC ABOUT THAT I WAS TOO YOUNG FOR WHEN I EVENTUALLY GOT AROUND TO THEM SO I SHOULD PROBABLY REWATCH TO SEE WHAT THE FUSS WAS ABOUT
- Terry Gilliam's Brazil
- Albert Brook's Lost in America
SUPER ANNOYING IMDB YEAR MADNESS SCREWING WITH MY LISTINGS
- Attention: Daniel Day Lewis's Double Feature Amazement (A Room With a View / My Beautiful Laundrette) was an entirely 1986 experience in America. But they both say 1985. Those two films are such vivid memories... FROM 1986.
7 RANDOM MOVIE IMAGES THAT POP INTO MY HEAD IF SOMEONE SAYS "1985" (no particular order)
- Michael J Fox's sleeping contortions in Back to the Future
- Meg Tilly's stigmata in Agnes of God
- Helen Mirren crying watching Mikhail Baryshnikov dance in White Nights
- Brian Kerwin's butt in Murphy's Romance
- Molly Ringwald using her cleavage to apply lipstick in The Breakfast Club
- The cast of Clue bunching up around doorways
- Tim Curry laughing (with horns) in Legend
TWO MOVIE IMAGES FROM 1985 THAT STILL PLAY ON A LOOP IN MY HEAD...
Basically any image of Michelle Pfeiffer in Ladyhawke but especially this one pictured (previously discussed in a Q&A column) and also any image of Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan though this one is way up there...
Also: Remember when Madonna invented the selfie? pic.twitter.com/RLdFvCJEFb
— Andi Zeisler (@andizeisler) January 2, 2015