Nominees: The Green Ray, Hannah and Her Sisters, Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring, Blue Velvet, Platoon, Castle in the Sky, The Fly
Oscars pick: Platoon
Nominees Children of a Lesser God, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Mission, A Room with a View
What to choose, what to choose? I had a difficult time finding that “certain something” I needed for my best picture. Looking around I saw that other alt Oscar writers were split in half between Hannah and Her Sisters and Platoon. I even checked out Siskel and Ebert: Gene took Hannah, while Roger took Platoon. Funny, no one selected Blue Velvet.
I talk about Platoon and Velvet on another page (links up top). As for Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters, it's near flawless -- and yet for some reason, it doesn't completely beguile me the way "Annie Hall" or "Midnight in Paris" does, and I couldn't wrap my mind around it as my best picture.
The same went for others I considered:
Rural tragedy and heartbreaking plot twists are had in Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring. There was deadpan romance in Shadows in Paradise from Finland's Aki Kaurismäki. I could have gone with Cronenberg, the Fly is creepy, with a strong human story. And A Room with a View was top drawer Merchant/Ivory. The Terrorizers, The Horse Thief, Round Midnight, Ferris Bueller, When the Wind Blows, Sacrificed Youth, Aliens, Lucas...
In the end, my mind and heart found itself inexorably pulled in another direction. While Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa treads on familiar ground and the ending is a bit too pat (what happened between what occurred in that room, to George’s happy state at the end?) Overall, "the great" overshadows any nitpicks. And I'm not alone in my affection for it, author Dennis Lehane called it his favorite movie of the eighties, and comedian Bill Hader included it in his Criterion Top 10, as did filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar. So, good company there.
Particularly great is Bob Hoskins, who gives a touching performance, arguably his best ever (one that is rather Marty-like, but with an edge.)
Hoskins plays a low-level criminal named George, fresh out of prison, who is given a job chauffeuring for a call girl. At first, they are like oil and water, but soon George starts to care about this woman, and aids her when she asks for his help in locating an underage hooker that she fears is in danger.
While there is crime, and Jordan gives a sense of a city's tragic seedy underbelly (as well defined as the one Scorsese drew in Taxi Driver). The strength of the picture is its character study, and that it takes its time and allows us to get to know these people. George is a guy who is discovering that the game has changed. He's out of his element, slow on the upswing, not sophisticated in the least. But he's got the heart of a white knight. He feels concern and stands up for the women he encounters – whether for the daughter he's trying to get reacquainted with, or the streetwalker he rescues, or the hooker he falls for.
It's sad seeing this poor lug convince himself that the tramp is a lady (and Bob's acting near the end when he finally ‘gets it’, was heartbreaking). Not that she's a terrible human being – there seems to be some genuine affection there, but she wants something from George, and she'll do whatever it takes to get it.
Hoskins isn't the only acting ace. Michael Caine plays George's snake in the grass boss, the great Robby Coltrane is his crime novel loving best friend -- and Cathy Tyson is so good in her début, playing the elegant prostitute Simone, that I'm stunned that she hasn't done more feature film work.
While there are great moments throughout - the character interaction and acting, direction and script come together in one scene that for me was the deciding factor in tipping the "Felix" scales. It's in the final act, when Simone -looking for understanding- asks an upset George, "You ever need someone?" and he responds with a tiny crack in his voice, "All the time." Man, that stole the breath from my lungs. And the movie is sprinkled with small, beautiful touches like that one.
Best Actor: Bob Hoskins, Mona Lisa (pictured top)
Honorable Mentions:
Jeff Goldblum, The Fly * James Woods, Salvador * Gary Oldman, Sid and Nancy * Gérard Depardieu, Jean de Florette * Jeremy Irons, The Mission * Christopher Walken, At Close Range * Eiji Okuda, The Sea and Poison * Gordon Pinsent, John and the Missus
Supporting Actor: Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet (pictured left)
Hoskins plays a low-level criminal named George, fresh out of prison, who is given a job chauffeuring for a call girl. At first, they are like oil and water, but soon George starts to care about this woman, and aids her when she asks for his help in locating an underage hooker that she fears is in danger.
While there is crime, and Jordan gives a sense of a city's tragic seedy underbelly (as well defined as the one Scorsese drew in Taxi Driver). The strength of the picture is its character study, and that it takes its time and allows us to get to know these people. George is a guy who is discovering that the game has changed. He's out of his element, slow on the upswing, not sophisticated in the least. But he's got the heart of a white knight. He feels concern and stands up for the women he encounters – whether for the daughter he's trying to get reacquainted with, or the streetwalker he rescues, or the hooker he falls for.
It's sad seeing this poor lug convince himself that the tramp is a lady (and Bob's acting near the end when he finally ‘gets it’, was heartbreaking). Not that she's a terrible human being – there seems to be some genuine affection there, but she wants something from George, and she'll do whatever it takes to get it.
Hoskins isn't the only acting ace. Michael Caine plays George's snake in the grass boss, the great Robby Coltrane is his crime novel loving best friend -- and Cathy Tyson is so good in her début, playing the elegant prostitute Simone, that I'm stunned that she hasn't done more feature film work.
While there are great moments throughout - the character interaction and acting, direction and script come together in one scene that for me was the deciding factor in tipping the "Felix" scales. It's in the final act, when Simone -looking for understanding- asks an upset George, "You ever need someone?" and he responds with a tiny crack in his voice, "All the time." Man, that stole the breath from my lungs. And the movie is sprinkled with small, beautiful touches like that one.
Best Actress: Marie Rivière, Le Rayon vert (The Green Ray)
Honorable Mentions:
Martha Henry, Dancing in the Dark * Kathleen Turner, Peggy Sue Got Married * Melanie Griffith, Something Wild * Sissy Spacek, Crimes of the Heart * Sigourney Weaver, Aliens * Marie Tifo, Blind Trust * Jane Fonda, The Morning After * Juliette Binoche, Mauvais Sang
Honorable Mentions:
Martha Henry, Dancing in the Dark * Kathleen Turner, Peggy Sue Got Married * Melanie Griffith, Something Wild * Sissy Spacek, Crimes of the Heart * Sigourney Weaver, Aliens * Marie Tifo, Blind Trust * Jane Fonda, The Morning After * Juliette Binoche, Mauvais Sang
Supporting Actress: Cathy Tyson, Mona Lisa (pictured top)
Honorable Mentions:
Jeff Goldblum, The Fly * James Woods, Salvador * Gary Oldman, Sid and Nancy * Gérard Depardieu, Jean de Florette * Jeremy Irons, The Mission * Christopher Walken, At Close Range * Eiji Okuda, The Sea and Poison * Gordon Pinsent, John and the Missus
Supporting Actor: Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet (pictured left)
* While some say it's an '87 release, Wiki shows John and the Missus with a Canadian release date of Dec 10, 1986, it was also included in the Genie Awards for '86 releases.
