Oscar Look Back - 1988

The third look back of this series, now back 30 years to 1988 – a fine year for the Oscars – but an even better one for movies in general (the overlooked A LOT of great movies).

 

Best Picture

1. Dangerous Liaisons
2. The Accidental Tourist
3. Rain Man - WINNER
4. Working Girl
5. Mississippi Burning

Why This Ranking: A pretty good lineup, if you want just mainstream Hollywood dramas, as you really do get a little bit of everything. The complaints against Mississippi Burning are very real, and very relevant and really do mar the film – but as a Southern fried thriller, it really does work wonderfully well. Working Girl is one of those quintessential 1980s film – full of big hair and that music, but it still works remarkably well, with great performances all around, and fine direction by Nichols. Rain Man is an odd choice for a winner in many ways – but it was the year’s biggest hit (can you imagine a straight up drama being the biggest blockbuster of the year in 2018? I can’t either) – but it would be a lie to say that it isn’t completely satisfying as drama – and you can watch it again and again and again. I probably like Lawrence Kasdan’s The Accidental Tourist more than most do – but I really do love it, with one of William Hurt’s great performance, as a writer who doesn’t want to live outside his comfort zone, who is forced to by a woman (an even better Geena Davis) – but I really do think more people should see it. But out of these nominees, I love Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons most – a brilliant, funny, sexy film that proves that not all costume dramas have to be stuffy, staid affairs – and gives us the Glenn Close performance that she will be most remembered for. It also holds up remarkably well.

What Was Overlooked: Remember how I said this was a strong lineup? It is – kind of – but looking at my own top 10 list for 1988, none of them are on them. The best film was also the most controversial – Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ – the best film ever made by Jesus Christ. There was also the great David Cronenberg film Dead Ringers with the year’s best performances(s) by Jeremy Irons. Or Philip Kaufman’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a long deep, challenging film. On the foreign front there was The Vanishing or Wings of Desire. If a Documentary was going to break through at some point, why not Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line – arguably the most influential doc of its time. And you want mainstream entertainment? What about Robert Zemecki’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This was actually a really good year for movies, so while I like the lineup, I think they could have been a much better lineup had they been more adventuresome.

 

Best Director

1. Martin Scorsese, The Last Temptation of Christ
2. Charles Crichton, A Fish Called Wanda
3. Mike Nichols, Working Girl
4. Barry Levinson, Rain Man  - WINNER
5. Alan Parker, Mississippi Burning

Why This Ranking: As was the case in 1968, far and away the best work nominated were the two lone director nominees – which is no knock on Mike Nichols, Barry Levinson or Alan Parker, all of whom did fine work, but cannot compete with the lone director nominees. I love that the Academy nominated Charles Crichton for A Fish Called Wanda – because he was an old school legend doing one of the best comedies of the decade. But my favorite filmmaker has always been Martin Scorsese and his work on The Last Temptation of Christ is huge and epic, and some of the best work of his career. I would have loved to see him win here – instead of having to wait another 18 years.

Who Was Overlooked: I really hate the fact that David Cronenberg has never been nominated for an Oscar, and his work on Dead Ringers really should have been a nominee here. It would also have been great to see Errol Morris get in for The Thin Blue Line, which was groundbreaking, or Robert Zemeckis for Who Framed Roger Rabbit is great as well.

 

Best Actor

1. Tom Hanks, Big
2. Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man  - WINNER
3. Gene Hackman, Mississippi Burning
4. Edward James Olmos, Stand and Deliver

Have Not Seen:

Max von Sydow, Pelle the Conqueror

Why This Ranking: I feel bad that I have never seen Pelle the Conqueror – especially since I love Max von Sydow – so I should probably rectify that. The rest of the nominees are quite solid, even if they wouldn’t have been my choices. As far as inspirational teachers go Edward James Olmos in Stand and Deliver is a fine choice, and it’s refreshing to see some who isn’t white in a role like this. Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning does the type of work that made him one of the great actors of all time, elevating genre film characters with his performance. Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man gives a perfect performance – but it is incredibly one note, which is what it should be, but also isn’t particularly challenging (personally, I would have nominated Cruise for this movie instead). So almost out of default, I’d say the winner should have been Tom Hanks in Big which is the type of big, bold, joyous performance that people love – and that never win an Oscar.

Who Was Overlooked: Seriously, there were many great choices they did not go with. Willem Dafoe in The Last Temptation of Christ brought real humanity to the role of Jesus. Forest Whitaker in Bird is one of the great biopic performances of the 1980s. But head and shoulders over everyone this year was Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers, who delivered two great performances as twin gynecologists, which is one of the great performances of all time.

 

Best Actress

1. Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons
2. Melanie Griffth, Working Girl
3. Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark
4. Jodie Foster, The Accused - WINNER
5. Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey

Why This Ranking: This is a pretty strong lineup – as evidenced by the fact that Sigourny Weaver is really quite good in Gorillas in the Mist – which is an odd movie given the tragedy of how it ends. I understand why Jodie Foster won for The Accused – and it is a great performance, but you have to wonder if the Academy knew The Silence of the Lambs was just a years away, if they would make a different choice. Meryl Streep is the reason to see A Cry in the Dark – it’s one of her best performances this decade, and so much more than the one liner that has been used as a joke ever since. Melanie Griffth in Working Girl has become an iconic performance in many ways – and while it’s not her best work (that would be Body Double and Something Wild) – it’s a great one. But one of the great injustices in Oscar history could have been avoided had Glenn Close (who still hasn’t won) – would have won for her amazing work in Dangerous Liasions – her best performance ever.

Who Was Overlooked: Considering how often they have nominated women for Woody Allen movies, it remains a mystery who they overlooked Gena Rowlands in Another Woman – arguably her best work in a non-Cassavetes movie, and perhaps the most underrated film of Allen’s career. She should have been here. And because it was a comedy, she didn’t get the attention she deserved, but Michelle Pfeiffer in Married to the Mob is excellent – it’s her best performance of this year.

 

Best Supporting Actor

1. Kevin Kline, A Fish Called Wanda - WINNER
2. River Phoenix, Running on Empty
3. Martin Landau, Tucker: The Man and His Dream
4. Dean Stockwell, Married to the Mob

Have Not Seen

Alec Guinness, Little Dorrit

Why This Ranking: I have an excuse with Little Dorrit – it is six hours long, and not easy to find – so Alec Guiness’ final nod with likely remain unseen by me. The other four nominees are quite good. Dean Stockwell in Married to the Mob is quite good – kind of funny and kind of scary, although I have to admit I’m not quite sure how they decided to single out Stockwell – unless it was just respect for a veteran character actor, and if so, I’m fine with it.  I think Francis Ford Coppola’s Tucker: A Man and His Dream is underrated, and Martin Landau is quite good in it. Running on Empty is one of Sidney Lumet’s best from the 1980s – and next to My Own Private Idaho, it may be River Phoenix’s best work. And yet I love the fact that Kevin Kline won for A Fish Called Wanda – it’s such an insane comedic performance, and then never, ever win the Oscar – so this is one of the most inspired choices they ever made:

Who Was Overlooked: Another really good comedic performance could have been nominated – Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice and he was terrific. And one of the best action movie villain performances of all time could have been nominated – Alan Rickman in Die Hard.

 

Best Supporting Actress

1. Sigourney Weaver, Working Girl
2. Geena Davis, The Accidental Tourist - WINNER
3. Michelle Pfeiffer, Dangerous Liaisons
4. Frances McDormand, Mississippi Burning
5. Joan Cusack, Working Girl

Why This Ranking: I truly love Joan Cusack, and her work in Working Girl is very good but this is a nomination you get when they love your movie. Frances McDormand in Mississippi Burning is very good as the hesitant wife of a local sheriff, drawn to a FBI investigating him – it’s the type of understated work that is easy to dismiss, but is still very good. Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Liasons is excellent as the more innocent person in the movie – but I really wish there was more depth there. Your winner was Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist, and I really like the movie and the performance – although it is a little bit of a manic pixie dream girl role. So the winner should have been Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl – the mean bitch boss, that Weaver does so brilliantly in that movie.

Who Was Overlooked: Most of the best performances in this category weren’t nominated this year. Best of all was Lena Olin in The Unbearable Lightness of Being – one of the best performances of the decade. There was also Diane Verona in Bird, who brought more to the role than you may think possible. And Genevieve Bujold in Dead Ringers more than holds her own against two brilliant Jeremy Irons’.