by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
Whoa, so who else loved their Barbenheimer experience?! Between those two awesome films, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, it feels like we can rejoice as the summer blockbuster season has been saved. But while I could talk about Barbenheimer for hours, and speculate on what Oscars it could get this year, we should still take a moment to appreciate some Oscars from years past with this month’s edition of Oscars: What If! As a reminder, with this series 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 the Academy’s job for them. Let’s look back at the year in which Operation: Desert Storm began, Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested, the police brutality exhibited against Rodney King was captured on camera, and Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their first of six NBA Championships. It is time to examine the films of 1991, celebrated at the Oscars in 1992. Let’s see what could have been!
Best Stunts and Choreography
Given to the best achievement in dance, stunts, related performances, and overall choreography.
And the nominees are… Backdraft, Hook, Once Upon a Time in China, Point Break, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
And the winner is… Terminator 2: Judgment Day!
This was actually a really tough category, as there are valid points for each of these movies. All of the dangerous stunts done within a flaming inferno in Backdraft. The massive spectacle and set pieces throughout Hook,in which we see people flying, sword fighting, and getting into all sorts of trouble. Once Upon A Time In China features a ton of great martial arts and wire-fu combat. Point Break has some decent gun fights and car chases, backed by incredible surfing. But we are going to give it to Terminator 2: Judgment Day for just knocking our socks off in a way very few action movies ever have. From the chase sequences with the 18-wheeler being torn to shreds, fighting through a mental institution, destroying a building at Cyberdyne headquarters with a massive explosion, all the way to a massive battle at an industrial factory with all kinds of random weaponry at our disposal, this movie doesn’t fail to deliver. There’s just so much going on here that still solidifies it as one of the greatest action movies ever made over three decades after its release; it’s hard to not give this the respect it deserves.
Best Performance by Voiceover or Motion Capture
Given to the best off screen voice performance, or on screen motion captured performance.
And the nominees are… Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, Paige O’Hara as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Jerry Orbach as Lumière in Beauty and the Beast, James Stewart as Wylie Burp in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Richard White as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast
And the winner is… Jerry Orbach as Lumière in Beauty and the Beast!
I cannot tell you how much it pains me to not give this to Angela Lansbury. The woman is a saint, and the vocal performance she gives singing “Beauty and the Beast” is beyond memorable. But it’s Jerry Orbach who runs away with this, with the more transformative performance. He’s so transformative that you would likely never guess that Orbach is the voice behind Lumière unless you looked it up. His characterization remains consistent throughout the film, full of gusto and energy, and he delivers heartfelt emotion. Plus, he also has an iconic singing performance with what is arguably the most famous song in the film, “Be Our Guest.” While there’s a lot of talent up for this award this year, it really does feel like Orbach stands above the rest, and I’m happy to give him this Oscar for his voiceover performance.
Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast
Given to the best overall ensemble cast performance.
And the nominees are… Barton Fink, Boyz N the Hood, The Fisher King, JFK, Thelma & Louise
And the winner is… The Fisher King!
This one could be highly controversial, seeing as I didn’t even nominate The Silence of the Lambs, but I stand behind this decision. In terms of Silence, well, there’s actually very little ensemble interaction in that film, as it is largely one-on-one conversations. Additionally, there are really only three characters who get any amount of screen time. All of these films actually have significant ensemble interaction, and have more (sometimes much more) than three significant characters. Out of this bunch, I’m giving it to The Fisher King. One of Terry Gilliam’s masterpieces, this study of trauma, social acceptance, and forgiveness, with an honest look at the homeless, gives us a brilliant ensemble cast to appreciate. In fact, Robin Williams and Mercedes Ruehl were already nominated for individual acting Oscars for their performances here, with Ruehl taking home the gold. Add in strong performances from Jeff Bridges and Amanda Plummer, as well an eccentric small performance from Michael Jeter and a straight man turn from David Hyde Pierce, and this movie is really cooking. The way these characters bounce off on another at the Chinese double date, or how Williams and Bridges struggle through their grief/guilt, is fascinating. When you put all of these stirring performances together, I find it hard to give this Oscar to any film other than The Fisher King.
Best Directorial Debut
Given to the best achievement in direction by a debut directing talent.
And the nominees are… Marc Caro and Jean Pierre-Jeunet for Delicatessen, Richard Linklater for Slacker, John Singleton for Boyz N the Hood, Barry Sonnenfeld for The Addams Family, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise for Beauty and the Beast
And the winner is… John Singleton for Boyz N the Hood!
Yeah, this one was no contest. As much as there are some impressive films here, with some solid directorial work, none of them hold a candle to John Singleton’s performance with Boys N the Hood. It is one of the most brutally honest films you could ever see about impoverished, inner-city living, particularly as it pertains to the gang scene of South Central Los Angeles in the late ’80s and early ‘90s. It is gripping and powerful. Moving and emotional. From the genuine conversations about how crack cocaine gets into the country and into Black communities, to having children at a young age, and Black-on-Black violence, this film has a very deep conversation that is still poignant to this day. This is all due to Singleton’s complete and fully realized vision. He gets the most out of his tremendous ensemble cast, brings south central Los Angeles to life as though it’s a living character all on its own, and provides a variety of thoughtful and compelling character arcs that well the audience with empathy. The bluntness of the picture drives home its themes, and that’s all due to Singleton. He absolutely deserves heaps of praise, and I’m more than happy to give him this award.
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… The Addams Family, Beauty and the Beast, Father of the Bride, The Silence of the Lambs, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
And the winner is… Terminator 2: Judgment Day!
There’s a large part of me that wanted to honor Beauty and the Beast or The Silence of the Lambs with this little golden statue, but in good conscience I have to give it to Terminator 2: Judgment Day. While all three of these films are incredible, standing far above the competition not just in their audience support, but also in the quality of the films, T2 stands the highest. When you look at the box office, T2 made $204.8 million domestically, and $520.9 million worldwide. That not only made it the highest grossing film of the year, but the 13th highest domestic opening ever at the time, and the third highest grossing, again at the time, worldwide picture of all time, only behind Star Wars and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. We’re talking audience support on a scale that was traditionally unheard of, especially for ‘91. Everyone saw this movie… and then they went back to the theater and saw it again. In fact, people went back and saw so much that it solidified Terminator as an action movie franchise. Unfortunately, all the films since this one have been released to diminishing returns, but we still have the original ‘84 Terminator and this classic action gem to fall back on and appreciate.
Even if you look at this film from an awards perspective, T2 crushed it. It was tied for the fifth most nominations at the Oscars that year, with six nominations in total, but it actually took home four of the six Oscars it was nominated for, making it the second most winning film of the night, only behind The Silence of the Lambs. This wasn’t just a box office success; it was a critical smash. People lauded the performances, the action, the makeup, the visual effects, and found the messaging and humanity in the story itself to be quite moving. I’m happy to continue contributing to its accolades by giving it the gold for Best Popular Film.
Thanks for joining me on another trip down memory lane to see what could’ve been! We got to see one of the greatest action movies of all time that still has us shaking in our boots about artificial intelligence, the first ever animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and the only horror film to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars. Be sure to come back next month when we look at films like A League of Their Own, My Cousin Vinny, and A Few Good Men. Next time we’ll return for the Oscars of 1993, celebrating the films of 1992!
You can read more from Heath Lynch, and follow him on Letterboxd