Retro-Oscars - The Eighties

[RobertR]

No he didn't have any malicious intent, but that's the difference between murder and manslaughter. He still was completely negligent and openly and knowingly violated child labor laws and a host of safety concerns. It's hard for me to imagine a worse outcome than four people killed while making a movie.

 

Robert

[Katuluu]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think he was punished harshly enough. But I have a hard time saying that Landis was the greater injustice for what was essentially an accident, albeit an entirely preventable one. Did he deserve jail time? Certainly. But Landis at least had his day in court, while Polanski took off the second he realized he couldn't buy off his sentence, and then proceeded on a crusade of labeling the 13 year old victim at fault for him luring her up to the Hills to drug and rape her.

 

Landis is an idiot and an ass, but Polanski is pure evil.

[RobertR]

Let's just leave it as both should have served jail time. I wanted to mention it as a significant event, but don't want to derail the rest of the post.

 

Robert

[Katuluu]

I will most heartily agree with that Robert, and sorry for taking your fantastic thread a bit off-topic. I'll make sure to just complain about your movie choices. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[TheRealMattKain]

A couple more thoughts on 1983...

I think it's imperative to give a hats-off to Robert Bresson's final film, L'ARGENT. In my opinion, this is easily the best film of the year and arguably one of the great movies in all of film history. Bresson's movies can be challenging and a bit rough for the uninitiated, but few directors approached Bresson's ability to synthesize film form and storytelling to reach such elegiac, profound heights. L'ARGENT is no exception. Powerful commentary on capitalism, Christianity, and the struggle to define morality in a world where random, terrible events happen to ordinary people.

Also, just as Bresson's career was coming to an end, another French director was getting started. 1983 saw the start of Luc Besson's career with the US release of the excellent LE DERNIER COMBAT. It's a truly unique movie - imagine Mad Max meets Jacques Tati.

I would also have put RUMBLE FISH in with the best pics. One of my favorites from Coppola - wonderfully shot and great performances from Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke.

Hong Kong side note. Lots of great stuff came out in HK in '83, but I'll just mention a few highlights:

ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN: Looks a little cheesy today, but Tsui Hark took special effects to a level never before seen in Hong Kong cinema and paved the way for the wildly popular BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR and CHINESE GHOST STORY franchises.

HEALTH WARNING (aka FLASH FUTURE KUNG-FU): Kirk Wong's post-apocalyptic vision of grim kung-fu heroes taking on video game obsessed nazis. As strange and intriguing as they come. I'm still waiting for a widescreen DVD release.

CHAMPIONS: Twenty years before Stephen Chow's SHAOLIN SOCCER came the first true movie mixture of soccer and martial arts. Yuen Biao and the always well-dressed Dick Wei show of some jaw-dropping and non-CGI-enhanced moves.

PROJECT A: Blame Jackie Chan for my boredom with most US action films. It doesn't get much better than watching Jackie fall 2 stories from a clock tower and, in the same shot, get up and deliver dialogue (no cuts, no CGI). Amongst Jackie's best work as a director and one of the great HK films of the decade.

Matt Kain

[TheRealMattKain]

Not the worst or best year of the 1980s. The acting awards don't look unreasonable in retrospect. OTOH, shutting out Fanny and Alexander and Ingmar Bergman at the Oscars certainly looks completely indefensible in retrospect. Screenplay or Director would have been completely defensible awards and would have been looked at well in retrospect.

 

I wouldn't say FANNY AND ALEXANDER was exactly shut out. It did win 4 awards (including coveted ones like best foreign film and cinematography) and was nominated for 2 others. Still, Bergman's never won an Oscar, and this strikes me as either incredibly strange or incredibly revealing of how irrelevant the Oscars are. Nonetheless, FANNY AND ALEXANDER is a great film, but I wouldn't say it's Bergman's best work. I'll take PERSONA, WILD STRAWBERRIES, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, SARABAND, VIRGIN SPRING, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, or SEVENTH SEAL over it any day. Which is really a testament to how incredible Bergman's work is. FANNY AND ALEXANDER would be a crowning achievement for most directors.

 

By the way, I always liked Linda Hunt's performance, but the more I think about it, you're right. It's really gimmicky. Reminds me of a certain someone from this year that was nominated for a mediocre performance where they put on trousers, lowered their voice, and played a fella (cough, Cate Blanchet, cough).

Matt Kain

[RobertR]

 

I wouldn't say FANNY AND ALEXANDER was exactly shut out. It did win 4 awards (including coveted ones like best foreign film and cinematography) and was nominated for 2 others. Still, Bergman's never won an Oscar, and this strikes me as either incredibly strange or incredibly revealing of how irrelevant the Oscars are. Nonetheless, FANNY AND ALEXANDER is a great film, but I wouldn't say it's Bergman's best work. I'll take PERSONA, WILD STRAWBERRIES, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, SARABAND, VIRGIN SPRING, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, or SEVENTH SEAL over it any day. Which is really a testament to how incredible Bergman's work is. FANNY AND ALEXANDER would be a crowning achievement for most directors.

 

 

Yeah, shut out is probably the wrong word choice. They really missed an opportunity to honor a great director there though and it would have looked good in retrospect. And then there's Kurosawa and Ran, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

I'll get to 1984 this week.

 

Robert

[RobertR]

O.k., I'm behind schedule. On to 1984.

Best Picture
Amadeus
The Killing Fields
A Passage to India
Places in the Heart
A Soldier's Story

Other Notables: The Natural, Broadway Danny Rose, Ghost Busters, Romancing the Stone, Once Upon a Time in America, This is Spinal Tap, Blood Simple, The Terminator, Splash, The Cotton Club, The River, Stop Making Sense

My Pick of Nominees: Amadeus
My Pick Overall: I'd flip a coin between Ghost Busters and Once Upon a Time in America

Thoughts: It's hard to remember but Amadeus beating The Killing Fields was considered an upset. As it is, Amadeus stands as one of the strongest winners of the decade. I like the movie a heck of a lot and don't begrudge it its win. I have to admit that I haven't seen the other four movies, but history indicates that while they may be good films, they're not particularly culturally important films.

Once Upon a Time in America was released in butchered form, much like the fight with Brazil, and the cut version sank like a stone while video saved one of the best gangster movies ever.

It must be said that 1984 was a great year for comedies. Ghost Busters and This is Spinal Tap being two of the most significant comedies of the whole decade all time. Toss in a B science fiction film by James Cameron featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the debut of the Coens, and the greatest concert film ever, imo, and the Best Picture nominees weren't at all representative of the diversity of the year. Ghost Busters, in particular, really marked Bill Murray's ascent to stardom, featured a particularly witty script that dealt with bureacracy and entrepeneurism, among other things, and had a great change of pace role for Sigourney Weaver. Not to mention throwing a ton of special effects into a comedy was unheard of in those days.

Best Actor
F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus
Tom Hulce - Amadeus
Sam Waterston - The Killing Fields
Jeff Bridges - Starman
Albert Finney - Under the Volcano

Other Notables: Eddie Murphy - Beverly Hills Cop, Robert Redford - The Natural, Michael Douglas - Romancing the Stone, Bill Murray - Ghost Busters, Steve Martin - All of Me, Robert DeNiro - Once Upon a Time in America

My Pick: F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus

Thoughts: I have no problem with F. Murray Abraham as Salieri winning the Oscar. A fine choice. The lack of a comedy nomination in a year of great comedies is more troubling. Eddie Murphy saves a lackluster script, Bill Murray's deadpan make Ghost Busters sing, and Steve Martin has some great bits of physical comedy in All of Me. I suppose Jeff Bridges's nomination is somewhat in that vein, but it's again a nomination crop that misses out on what was really special about that year.

Best Actress
Sally Field - Places in the Heart
Vanessa Redgrave - The Bostonians
Jessica Lange - Country
Judy Davis - A Passage to India
Sissy Spacek - The River

Other notables: Diane Keaton - Mrs. Soffel, Kathleen Turner - Romancing the Stone, Lily Tomlin - All of Me, Mia Farrow - Broadway Danny Rose, Molly Ringwald - Sixteen Candles

My Pick: I haven't seen enough of these performances to judge.

Thoughts: While I've only seen two of these performances, Kathleen Turner and Lily Tomlin, I do have some thoughts. At least Sally Field went out and gave one of the more memorable Oscar speeches ever. Good chance she'd win again if the voting was held today.

I haven't seen The Bostonians, but it's notable that it was the first Merchant/Ivory film. And that would turn out to be a near perennial, peaking with Howard's End and Remains of the Day.

It's also worth noting that John Hughes starts to make waves as a filmmaker.

Best Supporting Actor
Haing S. Ngor - The Killing Fields
Ralph Richardson - Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Pat Morita - The Karate Kid
John Malkovich - Places in the Heart
Adolph Caesar - A Soldier's Story

Other Notables: James Woods - Once Upon a Time in America, M. Emmet Walsh - Blood Simple, Rick Moranis - Ghost Busters, Wilfred Brimley - The Natural, Richard Crenna - The Flamingo Kid, John Candy - Splash

My Pick: James Woods - Once Upon a Time in America

Thoughts: I think I've only seen The Karate Kid of the nominated performances. I've no doubt the performances are good, but they all strike me as sort of unimaginative.

I've no doubt that James Woods was hurt by the dreadful initial cut of Once Upon a Time in America, but there's a really strong performance there that's stood up to time. M. Emmet Walsh also just embodies the Coens' vision of a villain. Either one would have been fine choices.

Best Supporting Actress
Peggy Ashcroft - A Passage to India
Glenn Close - The Natural
Lindsay Crouse - Places in the Heart
Geraldine Page - The Pope of Greenwich Village
Christine Lahti - Swing Shift

Other notables: Sigourney Weaver - Ghost Busters, Melanie Griffith - Body Double, Kim Basinger - The Natural

My Pick: Pass, haven't seen enough.

Thoughts: I never knew 1984 was such a blindspot for me. I really would push for a Sigourney Weaver nomination today as she totally went against type and displayed comedic timing that I didn't know she had.

FWIW, I mentioned Once Upon a Time in America before, but Swing Shift also was released in butchered state and there's rumored to be a much superior longer cut bootleg version floating around out there. Anyone here see that?

Overall, I don't have many problems with the winners, but the nominations themselves are a mess where the Academy's tendency to be classy and meaningful ended up missing some of the truly greatest movies of the decade, just in less reputable genres. Too bad. Also, Frankenweenie by Tim Burton should have gotten a live action short nomination.

Next time: Akira Kurosawa's Ran is eligible and I ask the Academy ?

Robert

[Katuluu]

I'm a big fan of A Soldier's Story. It's not Best Picture worthy, but a solid mystery with a boffo performance by Adolph Ceasar. It also marks the debut of Denzel Washington. I hear he's kinda famous.

 

I'm with you on the Stop Making Sense snub Robert. That is a transcendent Documentary/Concert film to which all others should be measured.

[TheRealMattKain]

It must be said that 1984 was a great year for comedies. Ghost Busters and This is Spinal Tap being two of the most significant comedies of the whole decade all time. Toss in a B science fiction film by James Cameron featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the debut of the Coens, and the greatest concert film ever, imo, and the Best Picture nominees weren't at all representative of the diversity of the year.

Couldn't agree more. 1984 was a high-point for '80s comedy and an unbelievable year for genre pics. Along with the movies you listed there's also DUNE, BEVERLY HILLS COP, GREMLINS, NEVERENDING STORY, BUCKAROO BANZAI, REPO MAN, FIRESTARTER, MISSING IN ACTION, CLOAK AND DAGGER, LAST STARFIGHTER (not one, but two videogame movies!). It's a midnight movie marathon's dream come true.

 

Don't forget that not only did the Coens get their start in 1984, but so did Jim Jarmusch with STRANGER THAN PARADISE. Two heavyweights of American indie cinema that still rule the scene today.

 

A couple memorable foreign films: Miyazaki had a huge success with NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WINDS, Lars Von Trier released the dreary, fragmented ELEMENT OF CRIME.

 

In Hong Kong Sammo Hung's WHEELS ON MEALS dazzled audiences (another "3 Brothers" movie starring Sammo, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao and featuring an epic and controversial fight between Jackie and Benny The Jet Urquidez), the gritty LONG ARM OF THE LAW paved the way for John Woo's "heroic bloodshed" Triad thrillers, Chow Yun-fat achieved super-stardom with HONG KONG 1941, Tsui Hark released his wonderfully witty SHANGHAI BLUES, and the end of Shaw Studio's stranglehold on HK cinema was marked by the tragic death of mega-star Alexander Fu Sheng during the filming of 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (Fu Sheng died during the filming in '83 actually, but I believe the film was released in '84).

 

Matt Kain

[RobertR]

My well overdue revisiting of the 1985 films.

 

Best Picture

Out of Africa

The Color Purple

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Prizzi's Honor

Witness

 

HM: Ran, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Brazil, Runaway Train, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, After Hours, Tampopo, Shoah, Cocoon, and the trinity of Commando, Rambo First Blood Part II, and Rocky IV (which singlehandedly won the Cold War)

 

My Pick of Nominees: Witness

My Pick Overall: Ran

 

Thoughts: The Oscars are far from infallible, which is one of the points of this topic, but often you can at least understand the thought process of the time. This year was a flat out trainwreck. I suspect that what were touted as the two leading contenders of the time, Out of Africa and The Color Purple, wouldn't even be nominated today.

 

Out of Africa isn't the worst movie to win Best Picture, but it's decidedly below average and despite significant source material it turns out to be about nothing more than a tepid romance between pretty people against pretty scenery. I don't remember anyone raving about it at the time and it would be o.k. in a weak year, but there's at least three films in the honorable mentions list that I consider masterpieces, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Brazil, and Ran.

 

I'm completely flummoxed how Ran didn't get a nomination, even assuming that the Academy is xenophobic considering the roles George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola played in Kagemusha that ultimately got Ran made. Nor all the money Hollywood had made by remaking Kurosawa's film. Not to mention it's based on Shakespeare. It's a gorgous masterpiece by the elderly and near blind director that could stand alongside The Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ikiru, High and Low, and Yojimbo. Ran was proclaimed a masterpiece at the time and history has done nothing to diminish it. Not to mention, we were in the midst of a Kurosawa renaissance as he had also written the screenplay for Runaway Train.

 

Worse yet, Kurosawa was actually nominated for Director and didn't win. Did the Academy even watch those films?

 

Best Actor

William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman

James Garner - Murphy's Romance

Jack Nicholson - Prizzi's Honor

Jon Voight - Runaway Train

Harrison Ford - Witness

 

HM: Jeff Daniels - The Purple Rose of Cairo, Raul Julia - Kiss of the Spider Woman, Tatsuya Nakadai - Ran, Jonathan Pryce - Brazil, Paul Reubens - Pee Wee's Big Adventure

 

My Pick: Jon Voight - Runaway Train

 

Thoughts: At least the acting categories weren't an embarrassment. I'd have favored Jeff Daniels at least getting a nomination, probably over James Garner, but nothing really egrigious about the nominees or winner. That said, I'm a big fan of Runaway Train and Jon Voight's performance which straddles the line between human and animal is a very big reason why.

 

Best Actress

Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful

Anne Bancroft - Agnes of God

Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple

Meryl Streep - Out of Africa

Jessica Lange - Sweet Dreams

 

HM: Mia Farrow - The Purple Rose of Cairo, Kathleen Turner - Prizzi's Honor, Sally Field - Murphy's Romance, Kelly McGillis - Witness, Cher - Mask

 

Thoughts: I haven't seen The Trip to Bountiful but I remember it being well regarded at the time and I've no real reason to second guess that decision. It wasn't a bad crop of nominees in respect to all of them being true featured lead roles which is often a rarity.

 

Best Supporting Actor

Don Ameche - Cocoon

Robert Loggia - Jagged Edge

Klaus Maria Brandauer - Out of Africa

William Hickey - Prizzi's Honor

Eric Roberts - Runaway Train

 

HM: Robert DeNiro - Brazil, Christopher Lloyd - Back to the Future, Danny Glover - The Color Purple, Eric Stoltz - Mask

 

My Pick: Klaus Maria Brandauer - Out of Africa

 

Thoughts: I don't feel strongly about any of the nominees. I don't mind that Ameche capped his comeback, really started by Trading Places, with an Oscar win. I am fond of Klaus Maria Brandauer's performance though which injected life and unpredictability into a rather bland film.

 

Best Supporting Actress

Anjelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor

Meg Tilly - Agnes of God

Margaret Avery - The Color Purple

Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple

Amy Madigan - Twice in a Lifetime

 

HM: Rebecca De Mornay - Runaway Train, Mieko Harada - Ran

 

My pick: Anjelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor

 

Thoughts: I'll go with the Academy here. At the very least it's a memorable role and I'd suspect that Huston would win again if the awards were held today. Mieko Harada is a terrific villain in Ran and a nomination would not have been out of line.

 

I suppose Out of Africa fits in with The English Patient and Titanic, romances filmed against gorgeous backgrounds that were popular at the time. Time hasn't been kind to any of them. What's really amazing is that all the stars were aligned for stepping out of the Hollywood box and honoring a truly great film and the Academy completely blew it. At least 1986 turned out to be a significantly better year.

 

Robert

[Katuluu]

I'm pretty sure Ran was up for Best Foreign Film, which makes it ineligible to be nominated for Best Film. It is a horrible and archaic rule that really needs to be removed.

[dikapalooza]

I haven't seen much of the 1985 films compared to other years, but I absolutely love Witness. Harrison Ford did a great job, but I thought Kelly McGillis really nailed it. The only thing I didn't like was the soundtrack (or score, whichever it is). The synth music seemed to be out of place for a movie largely set in an Amish settlement. It detracts from the movie a little bit, but is still outstanding.

 

Alexander Godunov(sp?) could have had a really terrific career, in my opinion. Incredible range as an actor.

[RobertR]

I'm pretty sure Ran was up for Best Foreign Film, which makes it ineligible to be nominated for Best Film. It is a horrible and archaic rule that really needs to be removed.

Nope, not up for Best Foreign Film. I don't recall their being a rule, but Life is Beautiful and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were up for both in the not too distant past.

 

Robert

[Katuluu]

I know that was the excuse why the Best Foreign Films were such a mess this year. Persepolis was only eligible in Best Animated Film, while The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was only eligible for Best Picture. I really wish they would publish all the rules so people would know what is going on.

 

That all being said, their really is no excuse for Ran not being nominted. Arguably no his best film, at the time it certainly was one of his most accessible films to Western audiences. But at least Kurosawa is in some nice company when it comes to being snubbed at the Oscars.

[brewizard]

Great discussion going on here.

 

I really wish they would publish all the rules so people would know what is going on.

 

I hear you, but it is not in their best interests. The Oscars are and always have been a marketing tool. The Academy has no interest in promoting independent, "artsy," or foreign movies over well-crafted industry product.* Do you know how many people vote for the Oscars? The Academy? About 3000 people - the vast majority of whom are Hollywood film people. That's it. That's about as narrow a demographic as you get. If the billion people who watch the Oscars knew the rules...

 

And the only thing I really disagree with is all the talk about Tootsie. Yes, it has sagged somewhat over time, but then so has every other movie Sidney Pollack made - something about his choices of music, wardrobe, etc. Out of Africa is much worse, over time than Tootsie. The thing about Tootsie that makes it good is the script. In it's day, it was a perfect Hollywood script that took a few more risks than its spiritual predecessor, Some Like it Hot. Tootsie's script threw every possible complication at this guy in drag: sexual harassment in the workplace, marriage proposals, stalkers, children, him coming face to face with his own professional and masculine failings, the object of his affection thinking he was a lesbian, and the prospect of being forced to carry out the charade indefinitely, and all with perfect structural logic, and all for the sake of Acting with a capital A. Any self-loving actor (like Dustin Hoffman) would love to play this guy.

 

I'd bet that if the script for Tootsie was new today, it would get made again, and with only a few re-writes! And, if the movie didn't have that dorky soundtrack, it just might be funny all over again.*

 

___________________

 

*All posts on any subject are just personal opinions. They do not represent the views of the 20th Century Fox Corporation. Nothing is meant to be insulting, defensive, holier-than-thou, too high-and-mighty, too low-brow, or meaningful in any way. Enjoy.

[RobertR]

No I haven't forgotten about this topic. I've just been very busy. Expect a revival soon. I do have plenty to say about 1986.

 

Robert

[RobertR]

OK, with the latest Oscar noms out, of which I don't have really much to say as they're very safe choices, it reminded me that I'm long overdue to finish this topic off. Expect more tomorrow.

 

Robert

[RobertR]

Well, overdue, and I'm not done, but I'll get started.

 

1986

Best Picture

Platoon (winner)

Children of a Lesser God

Hannah and Her Sisters

The Mission

A Room With a View

 

HM: Blue Velvet, Aliens, Mona Lisa, Hoosiers, The Color of Money, Salvador, Stand By Me, The Fly, Down By Law, Sid and Nancy, The River's Edge, My Beautiful Laundrette, Manhunter, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Mosquito Coast, Jean de Florette

 

My Pick of all films: Blue Velvet

 

1986 is a surprisingly deep year. Too bad it's not reflected in the nominees. Merchant/Ivory arrives, which is notable. Platoon has endured, although Oliver Stone's later work has taken the luster off it a little. It's hard to remember but Hannah and Her Sisters was the favorite on Oscar night, and it's still regarded as one of Woody Allen's better films. I don't know if Platoon would win again, but I'd bet it would be in the running.

 

But look at the list of honorable mentions. There are some genuine classics there. And some flawed but notable films.

 

I credit the one two punch of Ran and Blue Velvet for really igniting my love of movies beyond the standard Hollywood blockbuster. For my money, Blue Velvet is the best American film of the 1980s, although it was never going to win anything due to it's audience divisiveness. I've never witnessed anything like that in a theater before. Or since. Even the Siskel/Ebert review is a classic.

 

To be continued....

 

Robert

[RobertR]

Wow, how time flies.

 

1986 Continued

 

Best Actor

Paul Newman - The Color of Money

Dexter Gordon - 'Round Midnight

William Hurt - Children of a Lesser God

Bob Hoskins - Mona Lisa

James Woods - Salvador

 

HM: Gene Hackman - Hoosiers, Harrison Ford - The Mosquito Coast, Jeremy Irons - The Mission, Jeff Daniels - Something Wild, Danny Devito - Ruthless People, Matthew Broderick - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

 

My Pick: Paul Newman

 

My Thoughts: Looking back on it, that's a more than reasonable list of nominees. Was it a "make up" award for Newman? I don't think so. I don't think it was Newman's best performance, but the performance is still awfully good and there's not a single role that I would say was clearly better. This was probably Harrison Ford's best case for an Oscar. Maybe Hackman and Ford would unseat Dexter Gordon and William Hurt if the award was redone, but it's by no means certain. Good set of nominees and good award.

 

Robert

[RobertR]

1986 Best Actress

Marlee Matlin - Children of a Lesser God

Sigourney Weaver - Aliens

Sissy Spacek - Crimes of the Heart

Kathleen Turner - Peggy Sue Got Married

Jane Fonda - The Morning After

 

HM: Melanie Griffith - Something Wild, Helena Bonham-Carter - A Room With a View, Anne Bancroft - 'Night Mother

 

My Pick: Sigourney Weaver - Aliens

 

Thoughts: Jane Fonda was nominated for that movie? Really? Marlee Matlin - Academy Award worthy performance or gimmick? I'll kind of split the difference. Very good performance, but the Academy probably knew that there simply wouldn't be many opportunities for her over the years. Still, even with only limited opportunities I'm going to say that Matlin got lucky.

 

I never get tired of watching Aliens and a lot of that is due to Sigourney Weaver. There really aren't that many action lead performances that also are award worthy. This is one of the few. I think in hindsight that Kathleen Turner was the only other true contender this year. We'll get to it later, but Hannah and Her Sisters has three strong female performances, but they're all of the supporting variety in that ensemble. I thought about including Isabella Rosellini for Blue Velvet, but couldn't quite pull the trigger. Mistake on my part or unsentimental appraisal?

 

Robert

[dadofandrew]

Has the Academy ever nominated a role like Broderick had in Bueller? Looking back, he's so good, you simply cannot imagine anyone else playing the part, much like Hanks in Forrest Gump.

[homer]

I think Dustin Hoffman was nominated for Tootsie. Not sure if that's the same thing or not.

[ILuvDaBush]

Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny? Imagine Fran Drescher in that role. Or Barbara Streissand. Meryl Streep would have butchered it. Who am I kidding? Tomei deserved an Oscar for the Wrestler, not Pesci's sloppy seconds.

[RobertR]

Kevin Kline won Best Supporting Actor for A Fish Called Wanda certainly would fit the criteria.

 

Looking through past nominees, I don't see many precise fits but I'd call the following significant comedy nominations:

 

Jack Lemmon - Some Like it Hot

Dudley Moore and John Gielgud - Arthur

Peter Sellers - Being There

Woody Allen - Annie Hall

Lee Marvin - Cat Ballou

Sally Kellerman - MASH

Judy Holliday - Born Yesterday

William Powell - The Thin Man (an outstanding choice BTW), My Man Godfrey

Gary Cooper - Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Jimmy Stewart - Harvey

Tom Hanks - Big

Charlie Chaplin - The Great Dictator

Jean Hagen - Singin' in the Rain

Clark Gable - It Happened One Night

Claudette Colbert - It Happened One Night

Carole Lombard - My Man Godfrey

 

Definitely short on some of the most notable comedy performances though.

 

Robert