abe55

What movie would you consider the worst best picture winner of the 1980's?

The results thus far as voted by the members:

Best of 2000's: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Worst of 2000's: Crash

Best of 1990's: The Silence of the Lambs
Worst of 1990's: Shakespeare in Love

Best of 1980's: Platoon

NoirFan

An easy choice.

abe55

And to think that Do the Right Thing wasn't even nominated, and yet Driving Miss Daisy wins...what a crock

Zen Peckinpah

Yeah, I still haven't even seen DMD.

Gandhi has never been my thing, but Out of Africa IS a cure for insomnia. Not great for Best Picture winners in the 80's; Rain Man, Amadeus, and Platoon are the only ones I enjoy...haven't seen Ordinary People, Chariots of Fire, Terms of Endearment, or Last Emperor either.

How did No Country NOT win Best Picture of this decade?

abe55

I'm surprised by that as well. I'm just happy that The Departed didn't win. I am definitely no LOTR fan though. Those movies are boring, IMO.

NoirFan

Ordinary People is a somewhat self-conscious, heavy handed film - the Marvin Hamlisch score is unforgivably syrupy - but the performances, in particular Mary Tyler Moore's, ring true. The film has gotten it's fair share of lumps over the years for beating out Raging Bull for best picture, but that shouldn't be held against it. It's worth watching, though certainly no cinematic milestone.

Daytripper

SOMEWHAT self-conscious!? That's putting it lightly No doubt, "Ordinary People" is a great film. But come on, it's no "Raging Bull". Or "Elephant Man" for that matter. And yes, MTM is the corner stone of "People".

Daytripper

Also, "Out of Africa" was a terrific film and deserved it's win against it's competitors that year. "Prizzi's Honor" maybe being a close second. But "Africa" is a sweeping epic of a movie. Great performances, direction and cinematography.

Sean O'Hara

There should be an "All of the Above" option on this one.

The '80s was the worst decade for high minded films.

Rockmjd23

Easily Out of Africa. Total snoozefst. The Color Purple was the best that was nominated that year.

project86

I picked Platoon. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up in your era and I was spoiled with movies like Saving Private Ryan. I finally watched it this year and I have to say it was pretty awful. Plot wise, it was alright. Acting wise? Horrid. Whoever had the idea to have Sheen play the lead role must have been on something. Willem Dafoe did a great job, but the rest just made me cringe.

Someone yells "Fuck you!" at Charlie Sheen, and his awesomely bad trying to be dramatic "No... Fuck you!" response... I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard at such a respected film.

Daytripper

Please! Spielberg should have never directed "The Color Purple". He did an o.k. job. But because of it's subject matter, it should have been done by someone else. At least a black director. And I'm white, so don't call me racist.

Rockmjd23

The Color Purple is a pretty polarizing movie for sure. If not that, then Witness should have won.

hasslein

Mississippi Burning should have beaten Rainman, so I have a grudge against it. But I didn't like most of these films...This is a touch choice.......

NoirFan

Mississippi Burning had superb performances by Hackman and McDormand, though it certainly exaggerates the role the FBI played in the actual investigation, and reduces the entire white population of Jessup County to one dimensional cracker stereotypes, with the exception of McDormand. We are meant to cheer for the two FBI agents as they respond to violence with violence, torturing and bullying possible suspects and witnesses to get results.

Daytripper

Yes, it was a polarizing movie. But I recall quite a few black people at the time quite upset that a caucasian would be directing this story. Specifically Spike Lee. And even though Spielberg did a serviceable job, I do feel it would have been done better with a black director.

hasslein

RE Mississippi Burning, Defoe gave the best performance in the cast IMHO, Siskel called him the Actor of the year, for that film and Last Temptation.... If you look at the film as entertainment, and not fact, it is a great "Hollywood" movie. Outstanding villians, the cinematography.... I know it polarizes people as well, but I still think it was an outstanding accomplishment...

Solid Snake

See I don't know about that. See the film Ray, directed by a white man. It's pretty good, I dunno if it's as awesome as it was heralded as but I liked it well enough. The whole a black director should direct a film with black people as the basis is, sadly, something I TRULY see Spike Lee saying. And he did in the case of Malcolm X. I do really like the film, though some shots haven't aged well, this is a film that MAYBE that truly applies on. Again..one could argue on that because it's already happened.

Palaver

Had to go with Rain Man. It was just meh to me.