tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post573801331673287110..comments2024-03-17T10:11:46.952-04:00Comments on Film Experience Blog: 25th Anniversary: Prizzi's Honor(s) and the 1985 Best Picture RaceNATHANIEL Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-61051023612809776042010-09-13T01:27:12.819-04:002010-09-13T01:27:12.819-04:00The Color Purple was the best... hands down.. and ...The Color Purple was the best... hands down.. and still the directors best as well. Geraldine Page, the same year, also got a much deserved Oscar... but the film.. Trip To Bountiful... adapted from a play... should have been nominated for Best Picture.Kai Hamiltonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-67226593206153063212010-07-06T13:56:42.224-04:002010-07-06T13:56:42.224-04:00Veering off topic slightly, but am I the only one ...Veering off topic slightly, but am I the only one to prefer Margaret Avery to Oprah Winfrey in "Purple"? I thought they both gave lovely turns, but that Avery captured the bombastic sexuality and almost childlike innocence so perfectly. Winfrey, while pitch-perfect for the role tends to "push" (no pun intended) a bit too much to achieve her anger and resentment at times.V. Igrahttp://www.getpwnt.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-61484122360267371902010-06-16T21:54:21.088-04:002010-06-16T21:54:21.088-04:00Wow, I'm happy see other fellow '85 babies...Wow, I'm happy see other fellow '85 babies on the blog!<br /><br />As for the 5 nominees, I either watched "The Color Purple" as a kid and I don't remember it, or I just read the book. As for the others, I had started "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "Witness," only to not finish them because they were due to be returned at the library.<br /><br />I guess someday I'll check out the whole lineup, with "Prizzi's Honor" being the first.George P.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-38647503797908358872010-06-15T06:07:08.995-04:002010-06-15T06:07:08.995-04:00I saw Prizzi's Honor a few years ago and was s...I saw Prizzi's Honor a few years ago and was stunned by its utter dullness and lack of wit. One of the least funny 'comedies' ever, surely. Also, late in the film there's a shot (spoiler, the fate of Kathleen Turner's character) that is so dreadfully and ineptly made that you have to wonder if Huston didn't leave it to his intern or something.<br /><br />Avery is way better than Winfrey (who's still good) in TCP, IMO. Her and Mieko Harada are two of the best supporting actress performances of the decade.raxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-4947083445970181312010-06-15T04:38:09.533-04:002010-06-15T04:38:09.533-04:00I am also a Glory of the 80s (too much Gaga on thi...I am also a Glory of the 80s (too much Gaga on this site - not enough Tori!) - I was a baby in 1985 - I have scheduled my quarter-life crisis for late next month (apparently they're trendy now).<br /><br />And I've seen all of those nominees - Prizzi's Honor gets my vote. But as usual that is a pretty paltry roster meant to represent the year that gave us Ran and The Purple Rose of Cairo. (And as usual, the prize went to the most anaemic contender.)Y Kant Goran Ritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03058411467996289416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-41554919055022752592010-06-15T02:28:49.950-04:002010-06-15T02:28:49.950-04:00Prizi’s Honor is one of my all time favorites – a ...Prizi’s Honor is one of my all time favorites – a very intriguing morality tale – it forces you to re-evaluate your own moral codes by showing you an alternative (and very well functioning) one. And above all – by doing so it also managed to be one of the funniest films ever made. Everything about it works – from the unclear sense of period it have about it (it's set in the then present but in a way it could anytime from the '40s onward) to the fascinating use of color, the peerless cast which delivers perfectly every single performance (among them Angelica is a standout – few were ever as luminous as she is here) and so on. I saw it four times during the summer of '85 – I was totally captivated by its sly wit – and saw it countless times over the years. There is always bits in it one can use as a fitting comment on human stupidity, cruelty and lack of self awareness – just think of Kathleen Turner, after cold-bloodedly shooting an innocent bystander, being shocked, SHOCKED, since the bodyguard she was throwing a doll at was not reacting the way she thought he should have. Or remembering her saying that four or five hits a year are not that much, considering the size of the population, will always put things in the right perspective. And Huston Jr., transforming herself in front of a mirror into a seemingly suffering, obedient daughter only to manipulate her father's weak heart to miss a bit by describing Nicholson's endowment, is a masterpiece of a vignette.<br /><br />As for the rest of that year nominees – Witness and Kiss of the Spider Woman are both very good. Out of Africa is the kind of film that tend to arise an automatic response – it’s long, boring, old-fashioned and so on while I find it a very fascinating meditation on the way people experiencing a certain time and place, sometime with no relevance to how it might be perceived by other. To me it was a worthy film (and Oscar winner) – a true follower to David Lean heritage.<br /><br />As for The Color Purple - it’s laughable, childish, totally lacking on the intellectual front. (Do you think that Spielberg got any idea that this one was about militant feminism with lesbian undertones and not so much about racial injustice?). A dreadful film.uabtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-68478177739984386852010-06-15T01:09:40.486-04:002010-06-15T01:09:40.486-04:00"my parents hated the ending because "it..."my parents hated the ending because "it was sad""<br /><br />Don't ever let Woody Allen hear them say that. To him, it's a happy ending. <br /><br />I love it though. The movie would not be what it is without that ending.Richter Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09820925728032551527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-60599468035606782752010-06-15T00:26:43.555-04:002010-06-15T00:26:43.555-04:00I didn't see "Kiss," but "The C...I didn't see "Kiss," but "The Color Purple" gets my vote.Cinesnatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00244752542602944093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-57430029648043221112010-06-15T00:23:53.182-04:002010-06-15T00:23:53.182-04:00Can you do "The Witches"? Cuz that'd...<i>Can you do "The Witches"? Cuz that'd be worth doing!</i><br /><br /><b>All Anjelica impersonating techniques are interconnected.</b>/3rtfu11noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-33901783073856080732010-06-15T00:21:09.021-04:002010-06-15T00:21:09.021-04:00AnthonySF -- how about the best moment of the 80s,...AnthonySF -- how about the best moment of the 80s, period. <br /><br />:)<br /><br />god i just love that movie. my parents hated the ending because "it was sad"NATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-15940616832402344122010-06-14T23:26:07.288-04:002010-06-14T23:26:07.288-04:00what a snoozy line-up
my nominees -
blood simple...what a snoozy line-up<br /><br />my nominees -<br /><br />blood simple<br />brazil<br />pee-wee's big adventure<br />plenty<br />the purple rose of cairopar3182https://www.blogger.com/profile/03647653154201086767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-42452658542545103472010-06-14T22:39:04.637-04:002010-06-14T22:39:04.637-04:00The final scene of "The Purple Rose of Cairo&...The final scene of "The Purple Rose of Cairo" was perhaps the best moment of film in 1985.AnthonySFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-20522130179870391772010-06-14T22:08:11.729-04:002010-06-14T22:08:11.729-04:00I love Anjelica Huston in "Prizzi", and ...I love Anjelica Huston in "Prizzi", and I really like the other players as well, Hickey, Nicholson and Turner. The era it's set in is undefined (which I think is kind of cool)- the news photographers use 1930s cameras and the "great California car" could be vintage or contemporary. Like most of John Huston's work, there's a core in it that stays fresh.<br /><br />I would have chosen Harrison Ford in "Witness" over William Hurt, though. I don't understand how a year (1985) that could give us Daniel Day-Lewis in "My Beautiful Laundrette", a truly romantic gay love story that's also about class and ethnicity as well as love -- and they'd nominate Hurt over Day-Lewis? Just this year it came out how chagrined the "Spider Woman" director was when he got to the set and found William Hurt there - he thought he was working with JOHN Hurt.<br /><br />Of the 4 Best Pictures that year, I haven't seen "The Color Purple". I like "Prizzi's Honor" best, then "Witness". "Out of Africa" is ridiculous sludge. "Ran" is a great movie and should have been in the line-up. And Miranda Richardson was flaming fabulous in "Dance With a Stranger"!adrinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-29675106521815852982010-06-14T21:17:00.495-04:002010-06-14T21:17:00.495-04:00As a 1985 baby, I was SO happy to see this post!! ...As a 1985 baby, I was SO happy to see this post!! Inside Oscar is unbeatable in terms of Oscar coverage. I wonder if we'll ever get an Inside Oscar 3?<br /><br />From 1985, I've seen only Out of Africa (majestic movie) and Prizzi's Honor (strange is the best word to describe it).<br /><br />No one has mentioned The Breakfast Club, which probably never entered the Oscar conversation 25 years ago but seems like a no-brainer years later.cinema adventureshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01883722567234964198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-79348999385925410052010-06-14T21:07:33.871-04:002010-06-14T21:07:33.871-04:00I'd love to see a Wes Anderson movie starred b...I'd love to see a Wes Anderson movie starred by Nicholson & Huston as old flames (with unbearable kids, since it's an Anderson movie).cal rothnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-58593041914718890862010-06-14T20:51:40.124-04:002010-06-14T20:51:40.124-04:00"Marry her, Charley. Just because she's a..."Marry her, Charley. Just because she's a thief and a hitter doesn't mean she's not a good woman in all the other departments."<br /><br />Looooove Ms. Huston in this (and most anything). Such a worthy winner. On a side note, whenever I think of past ridiculously famous/beautiful/talented couples, I always forget about Nicholson and Huston. They seem like such an odd pairing that still made a lot of sense.Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-42542472563450189212010-06-14T19:51:18.719-04:002010-06-14T19:51:18.719-04:00Blood Simple is probably my third favorite Coen fi...<i>Blood Simple</i> is probably my third favorite Coen film, after <i>No Country...</i> and <i>O Brother...</i>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-37634788142869940972010-06-14T19:38:50.722-04:002010-06-14T19:38:50.722-04:00Forgot about Blood Simple. Prizzi's has an uph...Forgot about Blood Simple. Prizzi's has an uphill battle to enter my ten of the year.Volvagianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-4599769765623104102010-06-14T19:27:15.409-04:002010-06-14T19:27:15.409-04:00I know I've been playing foreign film bitch he...I know I've been playing foreign film bitch here lately, but I just can't resist: <br /><br />Volvagia, I consider Come and See the best war movie ever made, side by side with Ivan's Childhood. You know, Russians know all about war and movies.cal rothnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-90352380801261121702010-06-14T19:22:19.467-04:002010-06-14T19:22:19.467-04:00I was born three years after 1985, but I have seen...I was born three years after 1985, but I have seen all five nominees, and I can't for the life of me understand how Out of Africa won Best Picture. It's so boring. Not much really happens, and as much as I love Meryl Streep, her accent in this one almost put me to sleep. I'm also not the biggest fan of Prizzi's Honor, though I did enjoy William Hickey and Anjelica Huston and a lot of the lines (it was just, as Nat said, very weirdly paced).<br /><br />My favorite of the nominees is The Color Purple, but of that entire year, I'd definitely go with The Purple Rose of Cairo. Such a witty film, such magical characters, I love every minute of it. I also love Back to the Future (it's silly, and a bit dated, but still so much fun) and I also have a soft side for The Trip to Bountiful. That film is just beautiful, and it's not just Geraldine Page who shines, but also Renecca De Mornay. I also love the Foreign Language Film winner from that year, Argentina's La Historia Oficial (The Official Story) which is a brilliant thriller with a sharp look at the political turmoil of Argentina. You should check that one out Nat.<br /><br />I also really liked Kiss of th Spider Woman, and yes, William Hurt deserved that Oscar. It was also the year of the Coen Brothers' first film, Blood Simple. They've come a long way since then, but as a springboard for everything they've done up to now, it's a really good one.Richter Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09820925728032551527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-48954308799497184792010-06-14T19:21:53.946-04:002010-06-14T19:21:53.946-04:00Nat, you wouldn't give Turner a nom for this?!...Nat, you wouldn't give Turner a nom for this?!<br /><br />Also an 85 baby, I'd rank them...<br /><br />1. The Color Purple<br />2. Out Of Africa<br />3. Witness<br />4. Prizzis Honor<br />5. Kiss of the Spider Woman<br /><br />I liked but didn't love Prizzi. It just seems very unfocused at times and despite some good lines, the screenplay is very dull at times. The ensemble is terrific however!Shmonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-48188968925791655092010-06-14T19:03:50.873-04:002010-06-14T19:03:50.873-04:00In case anyone's wondering, Kravchenko is the ...In case anyone's wondering, Kravchenko is the Come and See teen. (Just barely missed my Top Five Child Performances list due to his display of only one emotion: Fear. Great, variably delivered fear, but still just fear.)Volvagianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-25192540634414358092010-06-14T18:58:20.683-04:002010-06-14T18:58:20.683-04:00Related to Mr. Ripley, what would be your lead and...Related to Mr. Ripley, what would be your lead and supporting Actor nominees. I know two winners: DeNiro (Brazil) and Aleksei Kravchenko. Other nominees?<br /><br />Supporting Actor:<br /><br />Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future<br />Michael Palin in Brazil<br /><br />Lead Actor:<br />Jonathan Pryce in Brazil<br /><br />Supporting Actress:<br />Kim Greist in Brazil<br /><br />(I know the characters in Brazil are all cyphers in a science fiction film that veers, sometimes painfully, in satirical and philosophical directions. But at least the characters aren't theme delivery capsules, as some films characters often are, to the unfortunate detriment of actually delivering a great performance.)Volvagianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-42727661322870138332010-06-14T18:40:21.718-04:002010-06-14T18:40:21.718-04:00I'm an '88 baby and, sadly, I've only ...I'm an '88 baby and, sadly, I've only seen The Color Purple (which is a personal favorite of mine). And in response to Kevin, I also prefer Avery to Winfrey, though I like Winfrey a lot too. <i>Prizzi's</i> has been on my "must see" list for a while now, hopefully I can get to it soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-46981410012383352882010-06-14T18:25:11.400-04:002010-06-14T18:25:11.400-04:00/3rtfull -- this is the first time i'm hearing.../3rtfull -- this is the first time i'm hearing someone claim Anjelica Huston impersonation skills. Can you do "The Witches"? Cuz that'd be worth doing!NATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.com