1975 is one of those almost perfect years. You have One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest win Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress and it's hard to complain. Dog Day Afternoon and Jaws are also in the mix. George Burns and Lee Grant win the supporting categories, less maybe for the performance themselves and more for the fact that they've been in the business forever. But then you have Nashville which is one of my least favorite Best Picture nominees. For these blogs I try to watch every nominated film if I can but I really try to watch every Best Picture nomination. This year I cheated and skipped both Nashville and Barry Lyndon, I've seen both of them within the past couple years and I'll be damned if I was gonna sit down and watch them again only to find that, I was right the first time, these movies are long and boring.
You can see my GABBY winners and nominees HERE
Best Picture
You can see my GABBY winners and nominees HERE
Best Picture
5. Nashville - A whole bunch of characters hang around Nashville and do some boring stuff. You think that maybe all of these stories will come together, like they do in Magnolia, but they don't and nothing much comes out of anything. One of the characters gets assassinated and they all move on. I guess that's the point, people live, people die and life goes on. I just don't want to watch 2 1/2 hours of people talking about pointless crap.
4. Barry Lyndon - This Stanley Kubrick costume drama is better than you might think it is, but it's still not that great. Or maybe it is. This is one of those films where I didn't think I was going to like it, I found it watchable but not very engaging but then I read some reviews saying it is one of the greatest films ever made. Either I don't get it or I have drastically different tastes than a lot of people.
3. Jaws - You know how people complain that movies aren't good anymore? Some people say that all movies are big and noisy and either sequels or attempts to start franchises. If you hold those same complaints then you have Jaws to thank. Movies were always a money making industry but they were never about making all the money in the world until Jaws. This movie was the first summer blockbuster and it paved the way for money hungry studios trying to repeat the formula. The thing they forget sometimes is that people went to see Jaws again and again because they liked the movie. It's easy to con a bunch of people into going to see something opening weekend but they'll only come back if they really like the movie. A great white shark starts terrorizing beach goers and 3 guys go out on a boat to stop it. It's an incredible action thriller the only thing wrong with it is that the curtain has been pulled back on it. You don't see the shark for about an hour into the film and that's because the shark puppet didn't work like it was supposed to. Knowing that destroys some of the magic and instead of seeing a shark I start seeing a big rubber toy in the ocean. None of that is the film's fault, this movie is still awesome.
2. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Jack Nicholson stars as R.P. McMurphy, a prisoner who tries to get a lighter sentence by pretending to be mentally ill. He gets transferred to an institution where he is immediately treated as a savior and leader to the patients and an obstacle to the staff. It is one of the best films ever made. It's life affirming and has one of the most depressing but also hopeful endings of all time. It's a damn near perfect film, if you haven't seen it, watch it now.
1. Dog Day Afternoon - Just like with Cuckoo's Nest, if you haven't seen Dog Day Afternoon, get on that soon. Al Pacino and John Cazale rob a bank, it goes wrong, the cops show up, there's a hostage situation, it becomes a media sensation and the whole movie takes place during the robbery. This is one of the tightest movies ever. It starts with the bank robbery and ends with the arrest. Sidney Lumet doesn't waste a second in telling this story and the whole movie is all killer, no filler. There isn't a single wasted scene in the whole film.
What the hell are Nashville and Barry Lyndon doing here? I went with The Sunshine Boys and Love And Death which probably had no chance of getting a nomination and it's not like Barry Lyndon and Nashville weren't critically acclaimed. They were, I just don't know why. So the only 3 choices are Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Jaws. I would be cool with any of these movies winning. Jaws a little less so, it's a great movie, it might be your favorite but the other two are more typical Best Picture fare. So what to pick between Cuckoo's Nest and Dog Day. I just watched both of them back to back and I love them both equally for different reasons. It's like asking me to choose between my dog and my cat. Speaking of dogs, I'm voting Dog Day Afternoon, it's just a cooler movie. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's has the heart but Dog Day is a tighter film. Both would hold up incredibly as winners.
Oscar Winner: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
My Vote: Dog Day Afternoon
GABBY Winner: The Sunshine Boys
Best Actor
2. Al Pacino - Dog Day Afternoon - Al Pacino plays Sonny, an inept bank robber in way over his head in Dog Day Afternoon. He is downright terrific in this film. He starts the movie seeming to know everything but then it unravels quickly as his getaway driver leaves early, the police are called, he starts a fire and the hostages need to pee. Pacino is completely believable as a good guy turned bad out of necessity. He's relatable and likable at the same time he's unlikable and unrelatable.
1. Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - This is the quintessential Jack Nicholson performance which is why it's great that he won for this. Like how you identify Marlon Brando with Stanley Kowalski, Jack is R.P. McMurphy. He's so cool in the movie but also sympathetic while being an anti-hero. The character is not someone you should root for, he's a prisoner, he raped a girl but Jack gets you on his side almost instantly, to the point where the villain is the lady who is just doing her job. There's no beating Jack this year.
Just for fun I went through every year in the decade to see if there was ever a year that Matthau would be my vote because he's honestly my favorite performance of the 5 but I gotta give Jack or Al a vote since Matthau's already won. I would vote for him in 71, 73, 74, 77, 78 and 79. I would only pick George C. Scott, Marlon Brando and Peter Finch over him. Damn, the 70s were really great for the Best Actor category. Anyway, there's no way Jack Nicholson could lose this. Walter Matthau himself said it was about damn time Jack won. He starts his Oscar career with Easy Rider in 1969 then he has Five Easy Pieces, The Last Detail and Chinatown. This was one of those, it's about damn time wins. Plus, he's incredible as R.P. McMurphy to the point where you can't imagine anyone else playing that part. The only other person I would really consider voting for is Al Pacino just because this is a much better performance than the one he ended up winning for.
Oscar Winner: Jack Nicholson
Best Actor
5. James Whitmore - Give 'Em Hell, Harry! - What the hell? This isn't a movie. This is a filmed stage performance. This should not have ever been nominated for an Oscar. I've complained about a lot of films that were based on plays and the film adaptation looked "stage-y" but at least they didn't include an audience. This is a one man show with James Whitmore as Harry Truman taking imaginary phone calls and having Bob Newhart style conversations with invisible people. It's all done in front of a live audience in a theater. Broadcast this on PBS and give him a special Emmy, give him a Tony but this "movie" should not have been considered for the Oscar race.
4. Maximillian Schell - The Man In The Glass Booth - This is a very over the top performance that works for the film. At times I felt that Schell was a bit too "theatrical" but he's certainly not as theatrical as James Whitmore so maybe that's why I'm giving him a pass. Schell plays Arthur Goldman, a Jew and Holocaust survivor. He often tells anti-Semitic jokes and is one day arrested for being a Nazi war criminal. During the trial it goes back and forth on whether he's a Nazi pretending to be a Jew or a Jew pretending to be a Nazi and Schell does a good job of playing the part just crazy enough that you're never sure where the character stands. It's a solid nomination but he won before for a role he probably shouldn't have so it's hard to vote for him, plus he's in a strong category.
3. Walter Matthau - The Sunshine Boys - Matthau plays Willie Clark, an old Vaudeville performer. Matthau was only 55 at the time and he's paired with George Burns who was 79. Matthau looks, sounds and acts exactly the age he's supposed to. I saw this movie as a kid for the first time and I just thought Matthau was always an old man. Willie used to have a stage act with Al Lewis but they haven't spoken to each other in quite some time since they broke up the act. Al wanted to quit show business but Willie wanted to keep going. Now Willie is living in New York and going on auditions even though he can no longer remember lines. His nephew agent gets him a job on TV but there's a catch, they want the team so Willie and Al need to reconcile so they can do their act again. Matthau is sheer comic brilliance. He just is this character and he nails every line he delivers. I love this movie and I love Matthau. I really want to vote for him but there are 2 guys this year who are more deserving just because Matthau won before.
2. Al Pacino - Dog Day Afternoon - Al Pacino plays Sonny, an inept bank robber in way over his head in Dog Day Afternoon. He is downright terrific in this film. He starts the movie seeming to know everything but then it unravels quickly as his getaway driver leaves early, the police are called, he starts a fire and the hostages need to pee. Pacino is completely believable as a good guy turned bad out of necessity. He's relatable and likable at the same time he's unlikable and unrelatable.
1. Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - This is the quintessential Jack Nicholson performance which is why it's great that he won for this. Like how you identify Marlon Brando with Stanley Kowalski, Jack is R.P. McMurphy. He's so cool in the movie but also sympathetic while being an anti-hero. The character is not someone you should root for, he's a prisoner, he raped a girl but Jack gets you on his side almost instantly, to the point where the villain is the lady who is just doing her job. There's no beating Jack this year.
Just for fun I went through every year in the decade to see if there was ever a year that Matthau would be my vote because he's honestly my favorite performance of the 5 but I gotta give Jack or Al a vote since Matthau's already won. I would vote for him in 71, 73, 74, 77, 78 and 79. I would only pick George C. Scott, Marlon Brando and Peter Finch over him. Damn, the 70s were really great for the Best Actor category. Anyway, there's no way Jack Nicholson could lose this. Walter Matthau himself said it was about damn time Jack won. He starts his Oscar career with Easy Rider in 1969 then he has Five Easy Pieces, The Last Detail and Chinatown. This was one of those, it's about damn time wins. Plus, he's incredible as R.P. McMurphy to the point where you can't imagine anyone else playing that part. The only other person I would really consider voting for is Al Pacino just because this is a much better performance than the one he ended up winning for.
Oscar Winner: Jack Nicholson
My Vote: Jack Nicholson
GABBY Winner: Walter Matthau
Best Actress
4. Isabelle Adjani - The Story Of Adele H. - Foreign performances always land in last place unless the category also has a two time Oscar winner who shouldn't have won once. Those are my rules.
3. Carol Kane - Hester Street - I grew up knowing Carol Kane as the old lady in The Princess Bride and the grandma in Addams Family Values. Then you find out that she was once a young woman who got an Oscar nomination. It's like finding your grandma's prom photo. This movie is about Jewish immigrants at the turn of the century and the struggles they had to face. Kane plays a woman who comes to America to be with her husband. He has already assimilated, changing his name from Yankle to Jake, and she still wants to live like they did in the old country. She tries to hold on to their traditions while he wants them all to be "Yankees". I enjoyed the film far more than I thought I would. It's a slow paced black and white drama but it's effective and Kane is very good in the role.
2. Ann-Margret - Tommy - Ann-Margret plays Tommy's mother, he's a deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard and there's a scene where Ann-Margret rolls around on the floor covered in beans. The movie is based on the rock opera by The Who and is basically a 2 hour music video. It's hard to follow the plot, I don't get it, I don't know what it means but I do love Ann-Margret. There is absolutely no way she should have won for this but she is good in the film. I mean, as good as you can be in a nonsensical music video where you're writhing on the floor covered in beans.
1. Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Thank God Louise Fletcher is here otherwise there would be nobody to vote for. She wins this category by default but also because she is iconic as the icy cold Nurse Ratched. Now there is a little bit of category confusion here. Her performance is important enough to the film and so memorable that she seems like a lead but looking at her screen time she's kind of a supporting character. The other downside of Fletcher winning is that she never had a career worthy of an Oscar but you can't really argue that she is perfectly cast in this part and makes the character incredibly effective.
Louise Fletcher is one of the worst actors to ever win an Oscar. Here's a sample of her filmography, Exorcist II: The Heretic, Mama Dracula, Brainstorm, Invaders From Mars, Grizzly II: The Predator and let's not forget her turn in High School High. So she didn't have the greatest career post Oscar (I did love her as Frank's mom on Shameless, though) but she also didn't quite deserve it. She's not that great an actress. I'll overlook it though as she is perfectly cast and incredible in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Also, she has absolutely no competition. Let's play process of elimination. Isabelle Adjani, foreign performance, Glenda Jackson, already won twice, Ann-Margret, lip-syncs her entire role (she does her own singing but it's a big long music video) and Carol Kane was good but Fletcher was better. Sometimes the Oscars just works out this way. At least the performance was good. It's not like she won for Mama Dracula.
Oscar Winner: Louise Fletcher
Best Actress
5. Glenda Jackson - Hedda - I first saw this movie in high school. I got it out of the library on VHS. All I knew about it was that it was nominated for an Oscar so I just assumed that it was quality. I remember being bored out of my mind and thinking the video quality was really bad. 20 some year later I think I either found the same VHS copy or this movie is filmed terribly. I was also once again bored out of my mind. Glenda Jackson won 2 Oscars for 2 movies I didn't think she deserved to win Oscars for so there is no way in hell she should have won for this and like I said, this movie doesn't even look good. It's just a touch more cinematic than Give 'Em Hell, Harry!. They didn't have the audience but it seems like they found the sets from a stage production and just filmed a movie in between performances.
4. Isabelle Adjani - The Story Of Adele H. - Foreign performances always land in last place unless the category also has a two time Oscar winner who shouldn't have won once. Those are my rules.
3. Carol Kane - Hester Street - I grew up knowing Carol Kane as the old lady in The Princess Bride and the grandma in Addams Family Values. Then you find out that she was once a young woman who got an Oscar nomination. It's like finding your grandma's prom photo. This movie is about Jewish immigrants at the turn of the century and the struggles they had to face. Kane plays a woman who comes to America to be with her husband. He has already assimilated, changing his name from Yankle to Jake, and she still wants to live like they did in the old country. She tries to hold on to their traditions while he wants them all to be "Yankees". I enjoyed the film far more than I thought I would. It's a slow paced black and white drama but it's effective and Kane is very good in the role.
2. Ann-Margret - Tommy - Ann-Margret plays Tommy's mother, he's a deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard and there's a scene where Ann-Margret rolls around on the floor covered in beans. The movie is based on the rock opera by The Who and is basically a 2 hour music video. It's hard to follow the plot, I don't get it, I don't know what it means but I do love Ann-Margret. There is absolutely no way she should have won for this but she is good in the film. I mean, as good as you can be in a nonsensical music video where you're writhing on the floor covered in beans.
1. Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Thank God Louise Fletcher is here otherwise there would be nobody to vote for. She wins this category by default but also because she is iconic as the icy cold Nurse Ratched. Now there is a little bit of category confusion here. Her performance is important enough to the film and so memorable that she seems like a lead but looking at her screen time she's kind of a supporting character. The other downside of Fletcher winning is that she never had a career worthy of an Oscar but you can't really argue that she is perfectly cast in this part and makes the character incredibly effective.
Louise Fletcher is one of the worst actors to ever win an Oscar. Here's a sample of her filmography, Exorcist II: The Heretic, Mama Dracula, Brainstorm, Invaders From Mars, Grizzly II: The Predator and let's not forget her turn in High School High. So she didn't have the greatest career post Oscar (I did love her as Frank's mom on Shameless, though) but she also didn't quite deserve it. She's not that great an actress. I'll overlook it though as she is perfectly cast and incredible in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Also, she has absolutely no competition. Let's play process of elimination. Isabelle Adjani, foreign performance, Glenda Jackson, already won twice, Ann-Margret, lip-syncs her entire role (she does her own singing but it's a big long music video) and Carol Kane was good but Fletcher was better. Sometimes the Oscars just works out this way. At least the performance was good. It's not like she won for Mama Dracula.
Oscar Winner: Louise Fletcher
My Vote: Louise Fletcher
GABBY Winner: Louise Fletcher
Best Supporting Actor
4. Chris Sarandon - Dog Day Afternoon - So Al Pacino and John Cazale are in the middle of a bank robbery when things get out of hand. The hostage negotiator asks for demands and Pacino asks for his wife. They go to his wife but then find out that they got the wrong lady. Pacino is also married to Chris Sarandon and the bank robbery is to get the money for his sex change. Sarandon is good in the role but he's only in two scenes. Two scenes in a movie wouldn't be too bad but in the same movie you have John Cazale and Charles Durning who would be much more deserving in this category. So he's good but he's not the best supporting performance in the film.
3. Brad Dourif - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Dourif plays Billy Bibbit, a stuttering and nervous mental patient with mother issues. For a lot of the movie he is just a part of the ensemble but then he has an incredible moment near the end of the film where he stands up to Nurse Ratched, only to be cut down immediately. He's really great in the movie but I have a couple of reservations about voting for him, he is just one part of a terrific ensemble, there are a lot of people in the cast who could have taken this slot and he was a relative newcomer to film. He never really had a great career after this film (aside from voicing Chucky in the Child's Play films, Deadwood, Mississippi Burning and one of my favorite episodes of Criminal Minds) so I would rather vote for anyone else in this category if I was voting strictly for the actor.
2. Burgess Meredith - The Day Of The Locust - This is not a terrific film but it is watchable due to incredible cinematography by Conrad Hall and a very fun performance from Burgess Meredith. He plays an alcoholic former vaudevillian who is now a door to door salesman. He dies pretty early in to the film but he definitely leaves an impact. This was more of a veteran nomination and a reward for a comeback for Meredith. This was the most high profile thing he's done since the 60s Batman TV series and this was his first Oscar nomination. He will play Mickey in Rocky next year so I'd rather he win for that, although seeing as how he didn't win next year, I kinda want to vote for him here.
1. George Burns - The Sunshine Boys - Speaking of a comeback story. This is George Burns's first movie in 36 years and what a comeback it was. Not only does Burns have impeccable comedic timing as an old vaudeville star reuniting with his partner after years of silence but this revived his career for the next 20 years and he remained popular until his death at 100 years old. He became the oldest Oscar winner ever and he deserved it. Burns is great in this film, he's funny, sweet and heartfelt.
This is a pretty good category. I like all of these actors even if I wouldn't vote for 2 of them. First off is Warden and Sarandon. I didn't like Warden's film and Sarandon wasn't the best in his film. Then I gotta take off Dourif just because he's a young guy against two vets. So the question is now, which vet do I go with? Burgess Meredith was the better actor so it would be cool if he won but George Burns is just so damn delightful in The Sunshine Boys that I gotta side with the Academy on this one.
Oscar Winner: George Burns
Best Supporting Actor
5. Jack Warden - Shampoo - This is a movie I didn't like very much and Jack Warden wasn't even that good in it. I don't understand this nomination at all. Shampoo is about Warren Beatty as a hairdresser who likes to have sex with a lot of ladies. He's dating Goldie Hawn, sleeping with Lee Grant and pining for Julie Christie. Jack Warden plays Lee Grant's husband, who is also sleeping with Julie Christie, there's a lot of fucking going on in this movie. He doesn't know that his wife is having an affair, Warden is kind of funny as an aloof husband but not funny enough to earn a nomination.
4. Chris Sarandon - Dog Day Afternoon - So Al Pacino and John Cazale are in the middle of a bank robbery when things get out of hand. The hostage negotiator asks for demands and Pacino asks for his wife. They go to his wife but then find out that they got the wrong lady. Pacino is also married to Chris Sarandon and the bank robbery is to get the money for his sex change. Sarandon is good in the role but he's only in two scenes. Two scenes in a movie wouldn't be too bad but in the same movie you have John Cazale and Charles Durning who would be much more deserving in this category. So he's good but he's not the best supporting performance in the film.
3. Brad Dourif - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Dourif plays Billy Bibbit, a stuttering and nervous mental patient with mother issues. For a lot of the movie he is just a part of the ensemble but then he has an incredible moment near the end of the film where he stands up to Nurse Ratched, only to be cut down immediately. He's really great in the movie but I have a couple of reservations about voting for him, he is just one part of a terrific ensemble, there are a lot of people in the cast who could have taken this slot and he was a relative newcomer to film. He never really had a great career after this film (aside from voicing Chucky in the Child's Play films, Deadwood, Mississippi Burning and one of my favorite episodes of Criminal Minds) so I would rather vote for anyone else in this category if I was voting strictly for the actor.
2. Burgess Meredith - The Day Of The Locust - This is not a terrific film but it is watchable due to incredible cinematography by Conrad Hall and a very fun performance from Burgess Meredith. He plays an alcoholic former vaudevillian who is now a door to door salesman. He dies pretty early in to the film but he definitely leaves an impact. This was more of a veteran nomination and a reward for a comeback for Meredith. This was the most high profile thing he's done since the 60s Batman TV series and this was his first Oscar nomination. He will play Mickey in Rocky next year so I'd rather he win for that, although seeing as how he didn't win next year, I kinda want to vote for him here.
1. George Burns - The Sunshine Boys - Speaking of a comeback story. This is George Burns's first movie in 36 years and what a comeback it was. Not only does Burns have impeccable comedic timing as an old vaudeville star reuniting with his partner after years of silence but this revived his career for the next 20 years and he remained popular until his death at 100 years old. He became the oldest Oscar winner ever and he deserved it. Burns is great in this film, he's funny, sweet and heartfelt.
This is a pretty good category. I like all of these actors even if I wouldn't vote for 2 of them. First off is Warden and Sarandon. I didn't like Warden's film and Sarandon wasn't the best in his film. Then I gotta take off Dourif just because he's a young guy against two vets. So the question is now, which vet do I go with? Burgess Meredith was the better actor so it would be cool if he won but George Burns is just so damn delightful in The Sunshine Boys that I gotta side with the Academy on this one.
Oscar Winner: George Burns
My Vote: George Burns
GABBY Winner: George Burns
Best Supporting Actress
4. Lily Tomlin - Nashville - Tomlin plays one of the 50 million people in the film Nashville. Her character is a white member of a gospel choir who has two deaf children. She's also having an affair with Keith Carradine. She's married to Ned Beatty but they are having issues. She has a nice scene in bed with Keith where as she leaves he makes a date with another girl and she overhears. That's all the movie is, nice scenes that don't add up to anything. I love Lily Tomlin but I'm not voting for this film.
3. Brenda Vaccaro - Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough - This was not a good film at all but I may have liked it more than Nashville. Actually, this movie is pretty bad. It plays like a 2 hour episode of Dynasty, it's very soap opera-y. Vaccaro plays the sassy best friend of the main character, she talks openly about sex and likes to have sex. She's lively in the film but, much like Nashville, I don't want this to be an Oscar winning film.
2. Lee Grant - Shampoo - Shampoo was a little more watchable than Nashville or Once Is Not Enough, but not by much. Warren Beatty is having sex with a lot of ladies, one of them is played by Lee Grant. She's married to Jack Warden and there are some scenes where they almost get caught. It's not much of a performance but Grant was a respected actress, this is a weak category so they might as well give her the win here.
1. Sylvia Miles - Farewell, My Lovely - Finally, a movie I actually enjoyed. Robert Mitchum, one of the coolest actors to ever live, plays Philip Marlowe in this adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel. Mitchum is a guy I could listen to read the phone book, which is good because he narrates this film too so you get to hear his cool voice throughout the whole film. Sylvia Miles plays an old lady that Marlowe goes to for information, she likes to drink and she ends up murdered. It's not much of a part, she's only in like two scenes, but it's cool that the movie got a nomination.
This was a weak year in this category. I had to fill my nominees with the cast of Nashville and Sylvia Miles. Since I don't think any of these performances are Oscar worthy I gotta vote for the performer. Lee Grant had the best career at the time, so it's not bad that she won. Lily Tomlin is my favorite actress of the bunch, but I don't want to vote for Nashville. Ok, so I can't really decide on which actress I want to win. In a case like this I will just vote for the movie I liked the most and that's Farewell, My Lovely. It's definitely not a performance that deserved an Oscar, but none of these are.
Oscar Winner: Lee Grant
Best Supporting Actress
5. Ronee Blakley - Nashville - So I really don't like Nashville but it does include a big cast of women to fill out this category. I would have picked Barbara Harris, Geraldine Chaplin or Gwen Welles but the Academy went with Ronee Blakley. It's not a horrible pick she's good in the role of a country singer laid up in the hospital with heat stroke who ends up getting murdered by an obsessed fan. She was a singer/songwriter in real life which probably added to the realism.
4. Lily Tomlin - Nashville - Tomlin plays one of the 50 million people in the film Nashville. Her character is a white member of a gospel choir who has two deaf children. She's also having an affair with Keith Carradine. She's married to Ned Beatty but they are having issues. She has a nice scene in bed with Keith where as she leaves he makes a date with another girl and she overhears. That's all the movie is, nice scenes that don't add up to anything. I love Lily Tomlin but I'm not voting for this film.
3. Brenda Vaccaro - Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough - This was not a good film at all but I may have liked it more than Nashville. Actually, this movie is pretty bad. It plays like a 2 hour episode of Dynasty, it's very soap opera-y. Vaccaro plays the sassy best friend of the main character, she talks openly about sex and likes to have sex. She's lively in the film but, much like Nashville, I don't want this to be an Oscar winning film.
2. Lee Grant - Shampoo - Shampoo was a little more watchable than Nashville or Once Is Not Enough, but not by much. Warren Beatty is having sex with a lot of ladies, one of them is played by Lee Grant. She's married to Jack Warden and there are some scenes where they almost get caught. It's not much of a performance but Grant was a respected actress, this is a weak category so they might as well give her the win here.
1. Sylvia Miles - Farewell, My Lovely - Finally, a movie I actually enjoyed. Robert Mitchum, one of the coolest actors to ever live, plays Philip Marlowe in this adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel. Mitchum is a guy I could listen to read the phone book, which is good because he narrates this film too so you get to hear his cool voice throughout the whole film. Sylvia Miles plays an old lady that Marlowe goes to for information, she likes to drink and she ends up murdered. It's not much of a part, she's only in like two scenes, but it's cool that the movie got a nomination.
This was a weak year in this category. I had to fill my nominees with the cast of Nashville and Sylvia Miles. Since I don't think any of these performances are Oscar worthy I gotta vote for the performer. Lee Grant had the best career at the time, so it's not bad that she won. Lily Tomlin is my favorite actress of the bunch, but I don't want to vote for Nashville. Ok, so I can't really decide on which actress I want to win. In a case like this I will just vote for the movie I liked the most and that's Farewell, My Lovely. It's definitely not a performance that deserved an Oscar, but none of these are.
Oscar Winner: Lee Grant
My Vote: Sylvia Miles
GABBY Winner: Sylvia Miles
Best Director
It's a shame that Sidney Lumet never won an Oscar. They eventually gave him an honorary one but despite directing some of the greatest movies ever he never won a competitive Oscar. This year he made Dog Day Afternoon and next year he will make Network. Seeing as how Milos Forman ended up winning another one for Amadeus, it would be better historically if they gave it to Lumet this year. Instead Forman wins for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest which is a perfectly reasonable decision. Why they overlooked Lumet next year in favor of John G. Avildsen is the big mistake. Also, Steven Spielberg really should have been nominated for Jaws.
Best Original Screenplay/Adapted Screenplay
With No Cuckoo's Nest to compete with Dog Day Afternoon manages a win in the Original category. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest does win in the Adapted category. Both are excellent decisions.
Best Original Score/Song or Adaptation Score/Song
John Williams's iconic theme to Jaws wins in the Original Score category while Barry Lyndon wins for Song Score or Adaptation Score. It was up against Funny Lady and Tommy so I think they picked the classiest choice. In lieu of original music, Barry Lyndon featured a score of rearranged classical music where as the other two were musicals that used to automatically get nominations in this now defunct category. Nashville gets its only Oscar win for the song I'm Easy which is a fine winner in a weak category. I don't know why they didn't give it to Diana Ross for Theme From Mahogany.
Best Sound
Jaws ruins my theory that musical always win in this category as it rightfully beats Funny Lady.
Best Costume Design/Art Direction/Cinematography
Barry Lyndon sweeps these technical categories, all of which deserving. I would have given Conrad Hall the Cinematography award for The Day Of The Locust.
Best Film Editing
Jaws wins which is a good decision but this is another category where I would have voted for Dog Day Afternoon. It's due to the editing, and Sidney Lumet's direction, that this movie that takes place all in one day in mostly one location flows so nicely. This is one of the tightest movies ever made.
Up Next
1954
Best Director
It's a shame that Sidney Lumet never won an Oscar. They eventually gave him an honorary one but despite directing some of the greatest movies ever he never won a competitive Oscar. This year he made Dog Day Afternoon and next year he will make Network. Seeing as how Milos Forman ended up winning another one for Amadeus, it would be better historically if they gave it to Lumet this year. Instead Forman wins for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest which is a perfectly reasonable decision. Why they overlooked Lumet next year in favor of John G. Avildsen is the big mistake. Also, Steven Spielberg really should have been nominated for Jaws.
Best Original Screenplay/Adapted Screenplay
With No Cuckoo's Nest to compete with Dog Day Afternoon manages a win in the Original category. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest does win in the Adapted category. Both are excellent decisions.
Best Original Score/Song or Adaptation Score/Song
John Williams's iconic theme to Jaws wins in the Original Score category while Barry Lyndon wins for Song Score or Adaptation Score. It was up against Funny Lady and Tommy so I think they picked the classiest choice. In lieu of original music, Barry Lyndon featured a score of rearranged classical music where as the other two were musicals that used to automatically get nominations in this now defunct category. Nashville gets its only Oscar win for the song I'm Easy which is a fine winner in a weak category. I don't know why they didn't give it to Diana Ross for Theme From Mahogany.
Best Sound
Jaws ruins my theory that musical always win in this category as it rightfully beats Funny Lady.
Best Costume Design/Art Direction/Cinematography
Barry Lyndon sweeps these technical categories, all of which deserving. I would have given Conrad Hall the Cinematography award for The Day Of The Locust.
Best Film Editing
Jaws wins which is a good decision but this is another category where I would have voted for Dog Day Afternoon. It's due to the editing, and Sidney Lumet's direction, that this movie that takes place all in one day in mostly one location flows so nicely. This is one of the tightest movies ever made.
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1954
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