Jeff's Oscars - The 80's

1989
Oscar's Pick - Driving Miss Daisy
Jeff's Pick - Glory
How was this film not even nominated for Best Picture, while the feel-good flick Field of Dreams was? Glory is one of the best Civil War dramas ever made, based on the first African American regiment of soldiers to go into battle. It is a poetic story of African Americans as moral and military heroes, an inspiring true account of men who learn to fight and die together. Compelling cinematography, visual effects, costumes, and music. And most compelling of all is Denzel Washington, who deservingly won the Supporting Actor prize for his flawless portrayal as a bitter ex-slave who transforms his hatred into grace.

1988
Oscar's Pick - Rain Man
Jeff's Pick - Rain Man
Very simply, this is a character-driven drama that would have either risen or fallen depending the portrayal of the two brothers, especially the autistic Raymond. Dustin Hoffman did not disappoint...he played the part to the hilt and rightly was awarded the Best Actor Oscar. Tom Cruise elevated his image above that of a Hollywood pretty boy, and the chemistry of the two actors is what made the film worthy of the Oscar. Well, that and the fact that the other nominated films left a lot to be desired.

1987
Oscar's Pick - The Last Emperor
Jeff's Pick - The Last Emperor
From what I know, there were at least a few historical inaccuracies in this epic film by Bernardo Bertolucci. But artistically, no other film made that year could hold a candle to The Last Emperor. The performances (especially by John Lone and Peter O'Toole), the cinematography within the Forbidden City, the exotic musical score, and the artistic direction all are employed perfectly to entertain and inspire.

1986
Oscar's Pick - Platoon
Jeff's Pick - The Mission
My rejection of Platoon possibly stems from my general dislike of Oliver Stone, his leftist politics and his revisionist approach to history. But acknowledging this bias, I still think The Mission is a superior film...and the folks at the Cannes Film Festival obviously agreed with me when they awarded it the coveted Palme d'Or. Things that stand out to me are Chris Menges' cinematography, Ennio Morricone's music, the theme of worldly violence vs. Christian pacifism, and Jeremy Iron's heartfelt portrayal of a compassionate Jesuit missionary.

1985
Oscar's Pick - Out of Africa
Jeff's Pick - Witness
Harrison Ford is definitely more of a "star" than an "actor," but I truly believe he deserved the Oscar for his portrayal of Philadelphia cop John Book. Witness, which contrasts the violent corruption of the city with the pastoral simplicity of the Amish, is a true achievement of director Peter Weir. At its heart is the innocence of an Amish boy (superlatively portrayed by Lukas Haas) who witnesses a brutal homicide, but who is also a witness to the world-weary John Book that there is another way to look at life.

1984
Oscar's Pick - Amadeus
Jeff's Pick - Amadeus
Milos Forman's film, which tells the story of the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, is a brilliant account of an artist (Mozart) yearning to break free from the restrictive maxims of his day that stifled his true creativity, and a portrait of another artist (Salieri) whose burning envy of that creativity literally drove him mad. F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce both give impeccable interpretations, and it is a historical drama of the highest order. Maurice Jarre, who won the Best Original Score Oscar for A Passage to India, should have been thankful that Amadeus' composer (Mozart himself) was ineligible to be nominated!

1983
Oscar's Pick - Terms of Endearment
Jeff's Pick - Tender Mercies
Like 1988, this was a year dominated by "small" films...but I think Terms of Endearment is a little too small. Tender Mercies features a performance by Robert Duvall, who is, in my opinion, one of the greatest film actors of all time. It's a serious story about one man's repentance and redemption, and it relies on genuine emotional drama to keep our attention (in contrast with Terms of Endearment, which relies on the overdone humor of Jack Nicholson).

1982
Oscar's Pick - Gandhi
Jeff's Pick - E. T.
I thought Gandhi was an honest, not-too-sentimental attempt to honor a true hero, and it certainly deserved highest honors. But in this case, I'm going with sentiment and picking one of the first films I remember seeing in the theater at age 9, with my brother Greg and my friend Jeff Poerstel. I'll always look at E. T. through the eyes of a 9-year-old, and I'm sorry...it was just a great film!

1981
Oscar's Pick - Chariots of Fire
Jeff's Pick - Chariots of Fire
Everybody thought that the Academy would stay true to its leftist politics and its penchant for awarding "big" films by giving the highest honor to Warren Beatty's Reds. What a refreshing surprise that they broke form and honored a truly great and inspiring film that uplifts Christian commitment, heroic optimism, and individual integrity...rather than a film that glorified collectivism and "revolution." My favorite line of the film: "My arrogance extends only as far as my conscience demands." Amen!

1980
Oscar's Pick - Ordinary People
Jeff's Pick - Ordinary People
This film does the same thing that American Beauty did 19 years later: it exposes the superficial facade that hides a deep alienation and spiritual emptiness among American suburbanites. But Ordinary People does it much better. The plot is less contrived, the characters more realistic, and the ultimate message less morbid. And as for the performances: Timothy Hutton as a confused and angry teen, Mary Tyler Moore as a repressed and superficial mother, and Judd Hirsch as the compassionate counselor... just great acting! Kudos to director Robert Redford for a great film!