In the 80s, the Oscars went to ...
Hey gang -- The latest episode of the Stuck in the 80s podcast is officially online. Click here to listen. Or click here to download all our shows for free via iTunes.
This week's topic: The Oscars in the 80s. And what more appropriate time to cover this topic -- this year marks the 80th edition of the Academy Awards.
This week's guest co-host is Steve Persall, the Times film critic and smarter than Sean Daly and I put together. (Click here to read his "Reeling in the Years" blog).
We'll go over the winners for Best Picture for each year of the 80s -- and honor the flicks we think were unfairly passed over.
TOP 5 MOST UNDER-RATED OSCAR WINNERS OF THE 80s:
5. THE LAST EMPEROR (1987): I'll watch any movie with Peter O'Toole -- even if he's just the gaffer. Also holds the distinction of being the first big film shot in the Forbidden City in Communist China.
4. PLATOON (1986): Second to "Wall Street" as Oliver Stone's best movie, maybe? Anybody? I skipped a fraternity party to see this movie. Talk about a depressing evening.
3. GANDHI (1982): Horrifically long, but for those of us with no lives, that's not a problem. Ben Kingsley deserves 10 Oscars for his transformation of Gandhi throughout his life.
2. AMADEUS (1983): F. Murray Abraham wins an Oscar, though Tom Hulce and Jeffrey Jones had their best career roles as well.
1. CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981): Epic performances by Ben Cross, Ian Holm and Ian Charleson as British Olympians at the 1924 Summer Games in Paris. Ignore the dated, electronica theme song and just enjoy a great -- and true -- story of heroism and determination.
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
Air Fresheners? AIR FRESHENERS? What the heck? Oy Vey!
Posted by: Marissa | February 16, 2008 at 06:54 PM
Love the lawnmowers in She's Having a Baby, SS. Marissa: Sean calls them air fresheners.
Posted by: Steve Persall | February 16, 2008 at 06:36 PM
Hey Marissa, do you watch Cartoon Network? They've got a cartoon on there that call the f-word "busting a grumpy". I don't know why that makes me laugh, but it does.
Posted by: Melissa | February 16, 2008 at 06:35 PM
Ah, "Tess." My creative writing/drama teacher named his daughter Tess. His son was named Thomas (after Hardy).
My friends and I gave him grief all the time for managing to talk about Thomas Hardy's book. "You old perv!," we'd declare. He'd insist there was nothing perverse about it. We, of course, only knew of Polanski's involvement with the film and, therefore, assumed it was naughty.
He was a cool teacher.
Posted by: Marissa | February 16, 2008 at 06:20 PM
Uh, Sean doesn't like the 'F'word, remember?
What does he call them, then? Poofs? Stinkers? Flatus? Fanny fluffers?
by the way, I just got home from work.
Posted by: Marissa | February 16, 2008 at 06:03 PM
Fewer fart jokes??!!?? I'm SO not listening to this show! ;)
Posted by: Former Producer Dave | February 16, 2008 at 05:30 PM
Steve, Chariots of Fire was about British Olympians, not Amerks. A Scotsman and a Jewish guy, to be precise.
Posted by: Al | February 16, 2008 at 04:27 PM
Persall -- I spent the day watching another Kevin Bacon classic ... "She's Having a Baby." I'm thinking it could be the John Hughes' opus.
Posted by: Spears | February 16, 2008 at 02:38 PM
I loved Amadeus. Tom Hulce was fantastic, and F. Murray Abraham deserved his Oscar.
I saw Platoon with a guy who was a Vietnam vet, and he was crying for a good portion of the movie. I remember him saying, "That was too close to home."
Posted by: Bassnote | February 16, 2008 at 02:34 PM
Great list Steve, I'm setting up to listen to the podcast now.
I absolutely love Amadeus! I need to add that one to my film collection. We do own Chariots of Fire and always like it.
Posted by: specialk | February 16, 2008 at 02:27 PM
Spears, you are genius. I may even give Footloose another look. Thanks.
Posted by: Persall | February 16, 2008 at 02:12 PM
Dang, I love "Out of Africa" ... great hats!
Posted by: chase | February 16, 2008 at 01:35 PM
I still think "Dangerous Liaisons" and Malkovich were robbed in '88. But that's just me.
Posted by: jane | February 16, 2008 at 01:03 PM
One quick note: Obviously, this is a slightly different show than normal. More content, more talking, less fart jokes from Sean Daly.
Posted by: Spears | February 16, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Yay! Props for "Tootsie" -- totally agree.
Love Sydney Pollack directing and playing Dustin Hoffman's agent. Actually, I just love Sydney Pollack.
Posted by: jane | February 16, 2008 at 12:45 PM
I think we saved our most vicious words for "Out of Africa."
Posted by: Spears | February 16, 2008 at 12:43 PM
I'd switch 3 & 4, but otherwise a great list. After watching Platoon, you can never listen to Barber's "Adagio for Strings" the same way again. Don't knock the Vangelis score to "Chariots of Fire" - it was groundbreaking at the time, but I'll admit it hasn't aged well.
I have't listened to the podcast yet, but I hope you're going with either "Out of Africa" or "Driving Miss Daisy" for the most over-rated Oscar winner of the 80's.
Posted by: Big Tex | February 16, 2008 at 12:40 PM
I actually saw "Tess" in the theatre. And yes, there was nudity, if I remember correctly.
Posted by: jane | February 16, 2008 at 12:34 PM
I'm lunching and listening. How's that for alliteration...
Posted by: jane | February 16, 2008 at 12:26 PM
"Why Pinto?"
"Why NOT!?!"
BTW, the new show is online now.
Posted by: Spears | February 16, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Oh -- and I totally agree with "Amadeus" being underappreciated. Tom Hulce was genius -- who knew that Pinto was destined for such greatness.
Posted by: jane | February 16, 2008 at 12:14 PM
I shamefully have never seen "The Last Emperor" -- and thanks to Netflix, I will remedy that in short order.
However, my favorite Oscar quote of the '80s was uttered by the director of that film, Bernardo Bertolucci when he received the award for Best Director:
“If New York is the Big Apple, tonight Hollywood is the Big Nipple.”
Posted by: jane | February 16, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Daryl Hannah was truly awful in that one.
Great performances from Douglas, Hal Holbrook, John McGinley...
Posted by: Spears | February 16, 2008 at 11:52 AM
Indeed, and the oracle of truth, "Wikipedia," tells us that Daryl Hannah won a "Razzie" award for her awful work in that same film.
Posted by: chase | February 16, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Charlie Sheen isn't exactly a great actor in Wall Street. And I never believed the story line with his dad -- especially when Charlie accuses him of never being there for him. (Didn't he lend him a ton of money during the lean times?)
Michael Douglas took the Oscar home for Wall Street, I believe.
Posted by: Spears | February 16, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Dude, I saw Platoon with friends, I think I had too much beer before the show, I didn't really remember the ending ... I finally saw it again years later ... it was okay, I guess.
did Wall Street win anything in the Oscars? Much better movie.
Posted by: chase | February 16, 2008 at 11:39 AM