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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Acadamy Award nominations
Message-ID: <3815@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 8-Feb-85 03:58:57 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.3815
Posted: Fri Feb  8 03:58:57 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Feb-85 05:50:43 EST
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 93

Well, the Oscar nominations are out.  I will only list the main category
nominies here.  See a newspaper for a full list.

Best Picture: "Amadeus", "The Killing Fields", "A Passage to India", "Places
in the Heart", and "A Soldier's Story"

Best Actor: F. Murray Abraham "Amadeus", Jeff Bridges "Starman", Albert Finney
"Under the Volcano", Tom Hulce "Amadeus", Sam Waterston "The Killing Fields"

Best Actress: Judy Davis "A Passage to India", Sally Field "Places in the 
Heart", Jessica Lange "Country", Vanessa Redgrave "The Bostonians", Sissy Spacek
"The River"

Best Supporting Actor: Adolph Caesar "A Soldier's Story", John Malkovich
"Places in the Heart", Noriyuki (Pat) Morita "The Karate Kid", Haing S. Ngor
"The Killing Fields", Ralph Richardson "Greystoke"

Best Supporting Actress: Peggy Ashcroft "A Passage to India", Glenn Close
"The Natural", Lindsay Crouse "Places in the Heart", Christine Lahti "Swing
Shift", Geraldine Page "The Pope of Greenwich Village"

Best Director: Woody Allen "Broadway Danny Rose", Robert Benton "Places in
the Heart", Milos Forman "Amadeus", Roland Joffe "The Killing Fields", David
Lean "A Passage to India"

A few comments.

The most noticeable omission, in my view, is Richard Burton for Best Supporting
Actor for "1984".  I fully expected him to be nominated, particularly in view 
of his recent death.  Since I feel that his was the finest performance, male
or female, leading or supporting, of the year, I am disappointed.  In his
absence, the category is a race between Richardson, getting the sympathy vote,
and Ngor.  Ngor may never give another performance in his life, but he was quite
perfect for this role.  Pat Morita might have won in a slower year for the
category, but not this year.  Caesar and Malkovich did good, solid work, but
aren't in the same league.

As usual, the Best Picture nominations went to solemn, "quality" pictures.
Personally, I wouldn't place "Amadeus", "Places in the Heart", or "A Soldier's
Story" among the twenty best American films of the year.  However, they take
themselves so seriously that apparently they fooled the Acadamy.  I'd guess
that "The Killing Fields" will win over "A Passage to India", but both Lean's
film and "Amadeus" have a good chance.  "Places in the Heart" and "A Soldier's
Story" can consider themselves lucky to get this far.  They won't go farther.

A very slow year for leading performances, male and female, and the best ones
weren't nominated.  Steve Martin (who won several critics' groups awards) for
"All of Me" and John Hurt, who was so good in "1984", both failed to make it,
as did Matthew Modine and Nicholas Cage, for "Birdy".  Kathleen Turner wasn't 
nominated for either "Crimes of Passion" (her best performance this year) or 
"Romancing the Stone" (lesser, but better than some of what did get nominated.
Diane Keaton probably deserved a nomination for either "Mrs. Soffel" 
(preferably) or "The Little Drummer Girl" (more likely).

From what we have, I'd guess that Albert Finney will win for "Under the 
Volcano".  No way in hell the Acadamy will give an Oscar to a kid who starred 
in "Animal House" (Hulce wasn't that good anyway), but he should drain some 
votes off from Abraham, who was pretty good.  Sam Waterston's performance 
isn't forceful enough to win.  Bridges was very inventive in "Starman", but 
not inventive enough, I think, to win.  

Judy Davis just might win an Oscar by default.  None of the nominated 
performances are dominating work, and the other four ladies have already won 
Oscars.  Field and Spacek probably stand the best chances, after Davis.

Best Supporting Actress is a two woman race, between two different, excellent
performances.  Peggy Ashcroft is integral to the story of "A Passage to India"
and gives a supporting performance in the fullest sense of the word.  Geraldine
Page is peripheral to the main action of "The Pope of Greenwich Village", but
her performance is so entertaining and strong that she steals the picture.
The other actresses are along for the ride.  (Apparently the Acadamy has a
bylaw which states that Glenn Close must be nominated for Best Supporting
Actress.  I can think of no other reason her competent but undistinguished
performance was nominated.)  I'd bet on Ashcroft.

In terms of who actually did the best job directing, I'd place it between
Allen, Lean, and Joffe.  Only the latter two really stand a chance.  Lean has
already gotten his Oscars, but this may be the last chance to give him another.
Joffe's direction was also good, but he did not dominate his film the way Lean
did.  Giving the Oscar to Benton or Forman would be a crime.  I'd guess Lean.

Other notes of interest: Robert Towne's dog, P.H. Vazak was nominated for
best adapted screenplay.  The cinematography nominations are very well chosen,
not a loser in the bunch.  If there is any justice (there isn't), the editors
of "The Cotton Club" will win for that film.  "Dune" was nominated for sound,
but not for visual effects.  "Amadeus" and "2010" are destined to lose the 
makeup award to "Greystoke".  The Acadamy always loves seeing actors turned
into monkeys.
-- 

        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher