The Usual Choices
Amadeus (Milos Forman)
Blood Simple (Joel Coen)
The Killing Fields (Roland Joffe)
Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone)
The Terminator (James Cameron)
But how about...
Moscow on the Hudson (Paul Mazursky)
A Pauline Kael review put me onto this movie and if anyone else had tried to convince me that Robin Williams-playing-a-Russian could be good, I would've just snorted and thought of Mork. The guy is FANTASTIC in this, totally believable and in control of his craft / gift. To watch this is to wonder why he wasted his talent on sentimental shite like Bicentennial Man, Patch Adams and What Dreams May Come. The storyline is uplifting without ever tasting of candy, and the theme is pure Bobby Bland (A Stranger in a Strange Land). Only in America...yeah, maybe, but in these times of asylum seekers and racial paranoia, a good role model for us all.
...and what about...
Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg)
Raiders of the Lost Ark is, of course, the recognised classic while this, a prequel, was dismissed as being too dark, too graphic, too violent. Absolute rubbish. This is the serial of my childhood memories (Jungle Jim; Jet Jackson; The Samurai etc.) A bit of fear; a bit of romance; a bit of racial stereotyping (hey, I know better now, okay?); a sidekick kid; funny animals; bad guys who are really bad; cliffhangers with impossible resolutions; and lots and lots of ACTION. This movie just never lets up - even when the eye-widening stunts are put on pause for a while, they are replaced by something gross or scary. The very best of all the I.J. movies, and one of Spielberg's greatest.
...not to mention...
The Buddy System (Glenn A. Jordan)
I just don't want to hear it, okay? Yes, this is a nice film with nice people who do nice things and it's about as sincere as plastic fruit. I grant you all that, and more, but even in the coldest cynic's heart, there must be room for a little schmaltz and sweetness (or else, how did diabetes ever manage to get a foothold?) I really enjoy this movie: Susan Sarandon & Richard Dreyfuss & Will Wheaton (and Archie Bunker's ex) all perform winningly, and the appearance of Nancy Allen is a comic mini-gem. Heart-warming and non-challenging. I'd like my strawberry dipped in chocolate tonight, just for a change. Thank you.
...and one personal unmentionable...
Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone)
I acknowledge the sheer craft and brilliance of the storytelling; I kinda like the homage to the classic American Gangster movies of the 30's; and Sergio's highly dramatised stylings are very Italian and unique without ever coming across as excessive. What makes this a turn-off for me are the two rape scenes, one with a gun visible in the frame. Just blackens and derails the movie experience, particularly when one of the victims was a childhood sweetheart of the protagonist (certainly can't use the term "hero"). James Cagney; Humphrey Bogart; Edward G. Robinson; hell, even George Raft would never have gone for this. Wrong for the character; wrong for the movie; wrong for the genre. And just wrong.
My Top 10 Films of 1984
 |
| "I used to say, I and Me, Now it's Us, now it's We." |
#02 A Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom (Spielberg)
#03 A The Terminator (Cameron)
#04 A- Broadway Danny Rose (Allen)
#05 A- Blood Simple (Coen)
#06 A- The Hit (Frears)
#07 A- This is Spinal Tap (Reiner)
#08 A- Places in the Heart (Benton)
#09 A- A Passage to India (Lean)
#10 B+ The Buddy System (Jordan)
Overflow: More A-/B+ Films
#11 B+ A Private Function (Mowbray)
#12 B+ Romancing the Stone (Zemeckis)
#13 B+ Comfort and Joy (Forsyth)
#14 B+ Starman (Carpenter)
#15 B+ Micki & Maude (Edwards)
#16 B+ Sixteen Candles (Hughes)
#17 B+ Gremlins (Dante)
#18 B+ The NeverEnding Story (Petersen)
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> B All of Me [just a little too silly, and the underuse of Lily is wounding]
> B Amadeus [nice music]
> B Ghostbusters [got too silly, too often]
> B Splash [sweet; cute; nice; watery & thin]
> B Mrs Soffel [interesting premise, but it's a bit draggy in the telling]
> B The Karate Kid [Rocky for children]
> B The Killing Fields [harrowing with some affecting sequences, but I feel as if I am obligated to admire it]
> B Star Trek III: The Search for Spock [after the surprising excellence of II, it was always going to be a letdown]
> B- Once Upon a Time in America [A Personal Unmentionable]
> B- Under the Volcano [a self-destructive alcoholic who mistreats his loved ones is too big a downer]
> B- Choose Me [who are these people?]
> B- Birdy [it tries too hard to be a classic]
> B- The Company of Wolves [the most horrifying thing in it is when Angela Lansbury says "piss in a pot"]
> C Dune [what a mess]
> C Purple Rain [the album was overrated too]
> D Body Double [De Palma's Frenzy: objectionable, sordid and beneath him]
> E Supergirl [how much did they have to pay Peter O'Toole to appear in this lump of celluloid offal?]
"Ah!..Sweet Mystery of Life...": 1984 Films I Apparently Still Need to See
The Ambassador (Thompson); Beverly Hills Cop (Brest); Bless Their Little Hearts (Woodberry); The Bounty (Donaldson); The Brother From Another Planet (Sayles); Cloak & Dagger (Franklin); Country (Pearce); The Hotel New Hampshire (Richardson); The Last Starfighter (Castle); The Little Drummer Girl (Hill); Night of the Comet (Eberhardt); Nineteen Eighty-Four (Radford); Nothing Lasts Forever (Schiller); Paris, Texas (Wenders); Racing With the Moon (Benjamin); Razorback (Mulcahy); Repo Man (Cox); The River (Rydell); Secret Honor (Altman); A Soldier's Story (Jewison); The Stone Boy (Cain); Stranger Than Paradise (Jarmusch); Tightrope (Tuggle & Eastwood); Vigil (Ward); Wildrose (Hanson)
Best Performances of 1984
F. Murray Abraham (Amedeus)
Peggy Ashcroft (A Passage to India)
Jeff Bridges (Starman)
Robert De Niro (Once Upon a Time in America)
Sally Field (Places in the Heart)
Albert Finney (Under the Volcano)
Steve Martin (All of Me)
Kathleen Turner (Romancing the Stone)
But how about...
John Lone in Iceman
As good as Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein, this similarly language-muted, gestures & eyes & grunts performance by Lone remains criminally overlooked. While I found the film a little boring (slow-paced; predictable), the subject matter (a man out of time) is fascinating. At no point is Lone anything but believably prehistoric and so totally human. His behaviour shows us that our base needs for companionship, security and reassurance have evolved from debilitating suspicion, fear and frustration. How difficult to portray a being that is known only through fossils, drawings and drawn conclusions; how well John Lone succeeds.
...and what about...
Maggie Smith in A Private Function
In some ways a preview of Old-Age-Maggie-Smith roles (airs of refinement but common as muck morally), she cracks me up right through this movie. While Michael Palin is bizarrely subdued and just barely there (should've taken lessons from Alec Guinness: how to play a passive character and still make an impact), Maggie just screws her nose up, nags and bleats and pesters, fidgets with etiquette and is determined to lift all and sundry up by their bootstraps - as long as she is atop the pyramid. This is where Maggie performs this character for the first time; there are plenty more to come.
...not to mention...
Jennifer Connelly in Once Upon a Time in America
So sweet, that the character's vile fate turns her into a tragic figure on second-viewing, Jennifer perfectly plays a coming-of-age lass who already realises the influence she has over males. A child of the mean streets circa 1920, she is determined to escape through Art - in this case, dance. Soft spoken but supremely strong-willed, you know that nothing will prevent her from getting out. Unfortunately, the David-Hamilton-style nude scene is a mistake, as it pushes the emphasis of her character too heavily towards being the manipulator rather than the achiever. Still, a prime example of what a strong actress can do with a small role. Even at the age of 11.
...and one personal unmentionable...
Sting in (Dune)
Who was the prankster who whispered into Gordon Sumner's ear one day and suggested that he should go into acting? Effective in Quadrophenia (because he just had to look good - never said the man didn't have presence), but in Dune he plays an oiled-up toyboy who undoubtedly commits a wide range of sex acts with a boil-bursting fat guy. To ram home his proclivities to the viewing audience, Sting looks bug-eyed, pants and quivers like he is permanently on heat. Embarrassing; opinion-changing; dumb. "Don't stand, don't stand so, don't stand so close to me..."
My 10 Favourite Performances of 1984
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| Aquaman practises Highland Dancing during his downtime. |
#02 Jeff Bridges (Starman)
#03 Woody Allen & Mia Farrow (Broadway Danny Rose)
#04 Steve Martin (All of Me)
#05 John Lone (Iceman)
#06 Maggie Smith (A Private Function)
#07 Michael McKean & Christopher Guest & Harry Shearer (This is Spinal Tap)
#08 Jennifer Connelly (Once Upon a Time in America)
#09 Kathleen Turner (Romancing the Stone)
#10 Tim Roth (The Hit)
Overflow: More List-Worthy Performances
#11 Genevieve Bujold (Choose Me)
#12 Albert Finney (Under the Volcano)
#13 Sarah Patterson (The Company of Wolves)
#14 Danny Glover (Places in the Heart)
#15 Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles)
#16 John Malkovich (Places in the Heart)
#17 Judy Davis (A Passage to India)
#18 Sally Field (Places in the Heart)
#19 Dudley Moore (Micki & Maude)
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> Haing S. Ngor in The Killing Fields [a member of the Harold Russell Club]
> F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus [plays second fiddle for the whole movie]
And so...onto the annual awards (with a nod of appreciation to Danny Peary)...
The Alternate Oscars for 1984 are:
FILM of the YEAR
GOLD: Moscow on the Hudson (Paul Mazursky)
SILVER: Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg)
BRONZE: The Terminator (James Cameron)
LEAD ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Robin Williams (Moscow on the Hudson)
SILVER: Jeff Bridges (Starman)
BRONZE: Steve Martin (All of Me)
LEAD ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Maggie Smith (A Private Function)
SILVER: Kathleen Turner (Romancing the Stone)
BRONZE: Genevieve Bujold (Choose Me)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: John Lone (Iceman)
SILVER: Tim Roth (The Hit)
BRONZE: Danny Glover (Places in the Heart)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Peggy Ashcroft (A Passage to India)
SILVER: Frances McDormand (Blood Simple)
BRONZE: Liz Smith (A Private Function)
ENSEMBLE or PARTNERSHIP: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Michael McKean & Christopher Guest & Harry Shearer (This is Spinal Tap)
SILVER: Woody Allen & Mia Farrow (Broadway Danny Rose)
BRONZE: Richard Dreyfuss & Susan Sarandon & Wil Wheaton (The Buddy System)
JUVENILE: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Jennifer Connelly (Once Upon a Time in America)
SILVER: Sarah Patterson (A Company of Wolves)
BRONZE: Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles)
The Alternate Razzies for 1984 are:
CRAP FILM of the YEAR
Supergirl (Jeannot Szwarc)
CRAP MALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Sting (Dune)
CRAP FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Helen Slater (Supergirl)
