by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
Happy holidays, one and all! I hope you’ve enjoyed some time to yourself, some time with family and friends, and some time to watch some movies and get into the holiday spirit. Thanks for joining me once again, during the most hectic time of the year, for Oscars: What If, as we look at the Academy Awards and what could’ve been. In case you’re new to this series, here we look at categories the Academy should be honoring, but for one reason or another, they aren’t. Hopefully someday the Academy will do right by these creative talents, but until then, we must do their job for them. Let’s look back at the year of the first untethered space walk, the 23rd Olympic Games taking place in Los Angeles, the AIDS virus was identified, and the original Apple Macintosh computer went on sale alongside a striking TV ad played during the Super Bowl that evoked George Orwell’s 1984. It is time to examine the films of 1984, celebrated at the Oscars in 1985. Let’s see what could have been!
Best Stunts and Choreography
Given to the best achievement in dance, stunts, related performances, and overall choreography for film.
And the nominees are… Beverly Hills Cop, Footloose, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Karate Kid, The Terminator
And the winner is… Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!
I’m sorry, Kevin Bacon! I truly am. Please forgive me for this betrayal. But as much as we all love your sultry moves, this has to go to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The second Indiana Jones film, although the first chronologically, which most people forget about, features a litany of outrageous stunts that really strain your suspension of disbelief, if not snapping it entirely. But while there might be some shenanigans that are hard to believe in terms of the plot, the stunts are undeniably impressive. From falling out of an airplane in a raft and landing in a river and traveling down the rapids, to fighting on a dangling, broken bridge above a gorge, to the epic mine train chase and subsequent stunts, there’s a lot that this film has going for it. While the other movies nominated for this category are certainly impressive, they really only have one or two scenes that truly stand out. Whereas this is continually engaging and impressive throughout the entirety of the film with a vast array of stunt work. It has to take home the gold.
Best Performance by Voiceover or Motion Capture
Given to the best off screen voice performance, or on screen motion captured performance, for film.
And the nominees are… Peter Cullen as Antonim in Gallavants, Rain Douglas as Hal-9000 in 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Jim Henson as Various in The Muppets Take Manhattan, Alan Oppenheimer as Falkor in The NeverEnding Story, Sumi Shimamoto as Nausicaa in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
And the winner is… Rain Douglas as Hal-9000 in 2010: The Year We Make Contact!
Is this the first case of giving out a retroactive Oscar in my What If… series? Quite possibly. We didn’t cover the year 1968 for the Oscars of 1969, when the original 2001: A Space Odyssey came out, so we couldn’t give Rain Douglas his due back then. So his time is now. While he doesn’t get nearly the same amount of dialogue as he did in the original film, the work he’s putting in is still certainly impressive. The final conversation about sacrifice for the greater good, the purpose of death, and what it means to live for something greater for yourself, especially in regards to the evolving understanding of humanity, is enough to submit his performance as the statue winner. While other performers are certainly doing solid jobs, no one takes the reins of their opportunity quite like Douglas does with his role. He leaves an important mark on 2010: The Year We Make Contact, and deserves some recognition. This Oscar is rightfully deserved, especially since he couldn’t get one for the first go around.
Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast
Given to the best overall ensemble cast performance for film.
And the nominees are… Amadeus, Blood Simple, The Killing Fields, Once Upon a Time in America, Paris, Texas
And the winner is… The Killing Fields!
This was terribly close. Probably the most contentious award from this article of this year. Flip a coin, or ask me the same question any other day, and I could justifiably give you a different answer. But for right now I’m gonna have to give it to The Killing Fields. Sam Waterston is fantastic in a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination, John Malkovich is tremendous in only his second film role ever, and Haing S. Ngor is perfect. Literally perfect. He delivers a moving performance that so succinctly ties in with the themes and the importance of this film, while delivering a level of genuine emotionality to the role that makes it unforgettable. He was rightfully awarded an Oscar for his efforts. This trio of talents alone is worthy of the nomination, but these three, plus everyone else around them, are who really make this ensemble sing. How they bounce off each other when trying to survive in the French Embassy, or the literal killing fields themselves, is fantastic. The Killing Fields is certainly worthy of this Oscar gold.
Best Directorial Debut
Given to the best achievement in direction by a debut directing talent for film.
And the nominees are… Ethan Coen and Joel Coen for Blood Simple, John Hughes for Sixteen Candles, Roland Joffe for The Killing Fields, Leonard Nimoy for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Rob Reiner for This is Spinal Tap
And the winner is… Ethan Coen and Joel Coen for Blood Simple!
Yeah, this one wasn’t even close. While there might be some big names here such as Rob Reiner and John Hughes, the simple truth is Ethan and Joel Coen’s Blood Simple is leaps and bounds above everything else here. These legendary brothers harness a personal story about jealousy and vengeance that yields a great character study about a handful of fascinating characters. The fact that it’s all compacted into a short 99 minute runtime, and done with so little dialogue, makes it all the more impressive. Maintaining the star power of Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, and Frances McDormand in her film debut, and you’re locked in for one of the best directorial debuts you’ll ever see. The Brothers Cohen and Blood Simple win this hands-down.
Best Popular Film
Given to the best audience supported motion picture that earned a spot as one of the top 25 box office films of the year.
And the nominees are… Beverly Hills Cop, Footloose, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Karate Kid
And the winner is… Ghostbusters!
This was close as well, but only between two movies. While Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Footloose, and The Karate Kid were certainly great films, and very popular, only two of these movies truly captivated audiences at the box office, while maintaining a certain level of comedic quality. Beverly Hills Cop and Ghostbusters are two of the greats, both of which went on to spawn franchises with multiple entries. While those sequels had varying degrees of success, these originals still hold up incredibly well, standing the test of time. But the edge has to go to Ghostbusters ever so slightly. While the box office totals are nearly identical, and so is their critical reception, I have to give it to Ghostbusters purely for its creativity. Inherently, Beverly Hills Cop is just another buddy cop film, whereas Ghostbusters brings the supernatural to life in a fun and engaging way. It is still heavily quoted to this day with references about the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, all the way down to the analysis of a Twinkie. For its tremendous box office reception at the time, seemingly endless levels of creativity throughout the script, eccentric and fun performances, and a ton of great jokes and laughs along the way, we’re gonna give the gold to Ghostbusters.
Another month, another year for looking at what could’ve been. We had a look at lost souls in the heart of Texas, the secret rivalry behind the scenes of one of the greatest classical composers of all time, and a bevy of comedies regarding ghosts, karate, cops, and robots from the future. It was an exciting year to look back on, and surprisingly festive for the holiday season with Gremlins to keep me company. Be sure to return in the new year as we look at classics like The Goonies, Out of Africa, and Back to the Future. Join us next month as we return to the Oscars of 1986, celebrating the films of 1985!
You can follow Heath Lynch on Letterboxd