Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Biggest Snub:
Anne Bancroft – To Be or Not to Be
My Overall Thoughts:
This is a rare year with 5 great nominees in 5 great performances and any of them would have been a worthy winner.
My Rankings:
Actress
5. Meryl Streep
4. Jane Alexander
3. Debra Winger
2. Julie Walters
1. Shirley MacLaine
Movies
4. Silkwood – Streep is impressive in this role which isn’t a very glamorous one. Russell and Cher both help keep the mood of this very deep storyline lighter by their humor and camaraderie. The story is presented really well and it gives us the impression that she isn’t actually imagined all that is happening to her. Sill amazes me to know that Ephron wrote this film because it’s much darker and dramatic than most of the rom-com films she wrote years later.
3. Testament – Very nice look at the possible after effects of a nuclear war. This film came out at the right time and truly shows the various kinds of difficulties and hardships that might arise if such a scenario might occur. Alexander is superb in the lead and was quite deserving of an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance here. The story moves at a relatively slow pace yet they manage to keep us informed as to what is transpiring both within and without of this small community. The story works quite well in showing what life could be like in this kind of situation and is quite harrowing to watch because it is made so realistically.
2. Educating Rita – Excellent and witty dialogue helps this movie remain fresh and fun. Caine and Walters have amazing platonic chemistry together and their intellectual debates are so thrilling to watch. Doesn’t get as much love as it probably deserves. Great message about making the right choices in life in order to keep yourself happy and content.
1. Terms of Endearment – Very moving movie, deservingly won Best Picture.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Yep! As a stated earlier, all 5 of these nominees are superb and any would have been worthy to win, but the fact that SM was able to win while also being nominated with a co-star says so much about what people thought of her performance in this film.
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
