Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

I thought Barbara Hershey definitely should've been nominated alongside Wiest for her creation of Lee in Hannah and Her Sisters. I would also cite Cathy Tyson in Mona Lisa as deserving, but she's kind of a co-lead to Bob Hoskins' equally excellent performance.(Isabella Rossellini would be a lead,right? If so, then I'd crown her the year's Best Actress for her tormented and haunted performance in Blue Velvet.)

Tess Harper was hilariously over-the-top in Crimes of the Heart, along with everyone else in that dreary movie. I would never consider voting for her over this competition.

Piper Laurie was always a dependable actress, especially in The Hustler and Carrie. She was very solid in Children of a Lesser God, but she didn't have that much to do.

The only one of these movies I haven't seen is The Color of Money. I should probably get to it since I loved the Hustler, even if this movie isn't on that level.

Maggie Smith always seems to be playing the same part nowadays, in Downton Abbey and movies like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. But, back in 1986, I'm sure every performance she gave was fresh to viewers. Her performance in A Room with a View is delightful, as she throws off consistently funny lines and worriedly tries to chaperone Helena Bonham Carter in Italy.She's also intelligent and caring, and shows range in this lovely performance. A very deserved nomination for this remarkable British actress.

But, I easily cast my vote for Dianne Wiest in Hannah and Her Sisters. Wiest's Holly is a wonderful creation and she shows off so much talent in this film. From her inner monologue in the car about Carrie Fisher to her talks about her book with Woody Allen, Wiest just wows with her neurotic nervousness and funny line readings. This was a no-brainer pick for me, as Wiest's performance is the heart of the movie and the best of the fantastic ensemble, in my opinion. One of two highly deserving Oscar wins for this great actress.

Going through the screenplay categories this year really knocks off a lot of acting candidates too, including all of these. Of alternates, I'd want Barbara Hershey most strongly -- I think she's almost as wonderful as her costar. (Cathy Tyson is solid too, but isn't she at least borderline lead? It's been a few years since I saw Mona Lisa.)

Tess Harper is broader than a barn in Crimes of the Heart -- the scene in which Diane Keaton chases after her with a broomstick is pretty much the moment when the movie dips into irredeemable ridiculousness for me. It's also a fairly small role -- in today's environment, it's easier to imagine one of the big-name sisters being slotted in support for no discernable reason other than that the nomination would have been an easier get.

Piper Laurie at least brings a more solid level of professionalism to her role, but it's a pretty small part too. I think the actress makes a strong impression in her other two nominations, but this mention seemed strictly based on the movie's coattails.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio isn't the actress that Smith and Wiest are -- either career-wise or simply in these films. But I find her a very solid presence in The Color of Money -- soulful, funny, brash but in a romantically appealing way. She's not in contention for my vote, but I wouldn't want her removed from this lineup.

Few actors have ever found as much variety within essentially the same persona as Maggie Smith has. And Charlotte Bartlett is one of her loveliest creations -- she manages to be both funny in an acerbic way as well as deeply wise, creating a wonderfully humane authority figure throughout A Room With a View. She's a terrific embodiment of the movie's delightful spirit, and she's definitely worth considering for the win.

But I went with the majority and cast my vote for Dianne Wiest, an actress who frequently feels like a different person altogether from film to film. Even within Woody Allen's universe, her work in Hannah and Her Sisters is so wildly different from her Bullets Over Broadway performance. She's neurotic in Hannah, but realistically so -- you always seem to get the impression that Holly is trying to set things right in her life, to appear as normal and grounded as possible, but circumstances keep getting in the way, and she never reacts as maturely as she probably should. She's a consistently funny life force throughout the movie, but with an air of sadness that she carries along with her throughout -- the scene in which she reacts to Waterston dropping her off first is heartbreakingly underplayed. I think her victory here was thoroughly deserving.

reggiema24 wrote:

Big Magilla wrote:The first year in which only two of the nominees scored votes with Dianne beating Maggie 17 to 9.

Huh? I'm confused with this?

It used to be Wiest 17 and Smith 9 until more votes came in.

Big Magilla wrote:The first year in which only two of the nominees scored votes with Dianne beating Maggie 17 to 9.

Huh? I'm confused with this?

Dianne Wiest is brilliant as the prototype of middle age neurotic woman.



Edited By Hustler on 1286337448

Big Magilla wrote:My driver and I used the time to explore various towns and sample various local restaurants we might otherwise have not gotten to see.

Sounds romantic.

It's kind of ironic that Magilla's trip to Italy comes up in a thread where we are discussing A Room With A View.



Edited By Greg on 1285603371

Big Magilla wrote:What's wrong with a Chinese cook?

My Italian aunt, who is very fussy about Italian food, had a favorite Italian restaurant in La Jolla when she and my late uncle lived in San Diego. One day she was especially pleased with her meal and asked to see the chef so she could compliment him personally. To her surprise, he turned out to be Chinese. :;):

Yes, it can happen, though probably more in the US than in Italy, where immigration is a fairly recent phenomenon and our Chinese were really living in, say, Shanghai till the day before yesterday. But for example last year my parents went to an Italian restaurant in New York, quite surprisingly loved the food and asked to meet the cook. It turned out he was Egyptian.

Big Magilla wrote: All lunches and five of the dinners are on our own so we will get to explore.

You should try those restaurants that DON'T have an English menu and DON'T have too many tourists at the tables - I can imagine that communicating with the waiters may not be easy there, but the food could be very good and "real". Also, I don't think it's the same in America, but in Italy higher prices don't necessarily mean better food - actually it's often the opposite.

Unless one is in Naples or the surrounding areas, where it was invented, pizza is always a risk; in every city even in the North there are a few very good pizzerias, usually run by people from Naples or nearby places, but if you don't know know where these are, you could easily end up in a place where the cook in the kitchen is Chinese.

Reza wrote:

Big Magilla wrote:Cathy Tyson (Cicely's niece)

Is she really Cicely's niece? She is a Brit, daughter of a black Trinidadian barrister and a white English social worker mother. She grew up in Liverpool.

According to Cicely's bio on the IMDb., she is.

Cicely's parents emigrated from the West Indies as did Cathy's father (Cicely's bother?).

Of course the bi could have it wrong, but I sort of remember publicity of the time mentioning it.

Big Magilla wrote:Cathy Tyson (Cicely's niece)

Is she really Cicely's niece? She is a Brit, daughter of a black Trinidadian barrister and a white English social worker mother. She grew up in Liverpool.