The Best and Worst of 1985

 

via Cheat Sheet

Another year of Thoughts On has come to an end. Read my ballot and post your own (or question my choices) in the comments.

Best Picture
Back to the Future, Brazil, The Color Purple, Out of Africa, Ran

Also-Rans

Blood Simple, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Prizzi's Honor, The Purple Rose of Cairo

Worst Picture

Brewster's Millions, A Chorus Line, Perfect, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Year of the Dragon

Also-Rans

Jagged Edge, Just One of the Guys, The Man with One Red Shoe, Santa Claus: The Movie, A View to a Kill

Best Director

Terry Gilliam, Brazil; John Huston, Prizzi's Honor; Akira Kurosawa, Ran; Sidney Pollack, Out of Africa; Steven Spielberg, The Color Purple

Also-Rans

Hector Babenco, Kiss of the Spider Woman; Tim Burton, Pee-wee's Big Adventure; Joel Coen, Blood Simple; Alan Rudolph, Trouble in Mind; Peter Weir, Witness

Worst Director

Richard Attenborough, A Chorus Line; James Bridges, Perfect; Michael Cimino, Year of the Dragon; George P. Cosmatos (and Sylvester Stallone), Rambo: First Blood Part II; Alan Metter, Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Also-Rans

Stan Dragoti, The Man with One Red Shoe; John Hughes, The Breakfast Club; Matthew Robbins, The Legend of Billie Jean; Joel Schumacher, St. Elmo's Fire; Jeannot Szwarc, Santa Claus: The Movie

Best Screenplay

Woody Allen, The Purple Rose of Cairo; Albert Brooks, Lost in America; Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard & Charles McKeown, Brazil; Phil Harman, Paul Reubens & Michael Varhol, Pee-wee's Big Adventure; Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale, Back to the Future

Also-Rans

Joel & Ethan Coen, Blood Simple; Richard Condon & Janet Roach, Prizzi's Honor; Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni & Masado Ide, Ran; Kurt Luedtke, Out of Africa; Jonathan Lynn, Clue

Worst Screenplay

James Cameron and Sylvester Stallone, Rambo: First Blood Part II; Joe Eszterhas, Jagged Edge; Dennis Feldman & Jeff Franklin, Just One of the Guys; Aaron Lathan & James Bridges, Perfect; Arnold Schulman, A Chorus Line

Also-Rans

Robert Getchell, Sweet Dreams; Lawrence Konner & Marc Rosenthal, The Legend of Billie Jean; David Newman, Santa Claus: The Movie, Sylvester Stallone, Rocky IV; Oliver Stone & Michael Cimino, Year of the Dragon

Best Actor

Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose of Cairo; William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman; Tatsuya Nakadai, Ran; Jack Nicholson, Prizzi's Honor; Paul Reubens, Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Also-Rans

Chevy Chase, Fletch; William Petersen, To Live and Die in L.A.; Jonathan Pryce, Brazil; Eric Stoltz, Mask; Jon Voight, Runaway Train

Worst Actor

Judd Nelson, The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire; Richard Pryor, Brewster's Millions; Mickey Rourke, Year of the Dragon; Sylvester Stallone, Rambo: First Blood Part II; John Travolta, Perfect

Also-Rans

Michael Douglas, The Jewel of the Nile and A Chorus Line; Roger Moore, A View to a Kill; Mark Patton, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge; Sting, The Bride; Taimak, The Last Dragon

Best Actress

Norma Aleandro, The Official Story; Cher, Mask; Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple; Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful; Meryl Streep, Out of Africa

Also-Rans

Coral Browne, Dreamchild; Laura Dern, Smooth Talk; Mia Farrow, The Purple Rose of Cairo; Miranda Richardson, Dance with a Stranger; Kathleen Turner, Prizzi's Honor

Worst Actress

Jennifer Beals, The Bride; Julia Nickson, Rambo: First Blood Part II; Tanya Roberts, A View to a Kill; Talia Shire, Rocky IV; Vanity, The Last Dragon

Also-Rans

Ariane, Year of the Dragon; Jamie Lee Curtis, Perfect; Sarah Jessica Parker, Girls Just Want to Have Fun; Alyson Reed, A Chorus Line; Helen Slater, The Legend of Billie Jean

Best Supporting Actor

Klaus Maria Brandauer, Out of Africa; Wilford Brimley, Cocoon; Danny Glover, Witness, Silverado and The Color Purple; William Hickey, Prizzi's Honor; M. Emmet Walsh, Blood Simple

Also-Rans

Willem Dafoe, To Live and Die in L.A.; Crispin Glover, Back to the Future; Ian Holm, Dance with a Stranger, Dreamchild and Brazil; Eric Roberts, Runaway Train; Daisuke Ryu, Ran

Worst Supporting Actor

Steven Berkoff, Rambo: First Blood Part II; Peter Coyote, Jagged Edge; Clu Gulager, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge; Dudley Moore, Santa Claus: The Movie; Jann Wenner, Perfect

Also-Rans

Richard Bradford, The Legend of Billie Jean; Julius J. Carry, The Last Dragon; Emilio Estevez, The Breakfast Club; Billy Jacoby, Just One of the Guys; Craig Sheffer, That Was Then ... This Is Now

Best Supporting Actress

Margaret Avery, The Color Purple; Mieko Harada, Ran; Anjelica Huston, Prizzi's Honor; Madonna, Desperately Seeking Susan; Oprah Winfrey, The Color Purple

Also-Rans

Sonia Braga, Kiss of the Spider Woman; Geneviève Bujold, Trouble in Mind; Kim Darby, Better Off Dead ...; Mary Kay Place, Smooth Talk; Amelia Shankley, Dreamchild

Worst Supporting Actress

Caroline Kava, Year of the Dragon; Demi Moore, St. Elmo's Fire; Brigitte Nielsen, Rocky IV; Yeardley Smith, The Legend of Billie Jean; Ann Wedgeworth, Sweet Dreams

Also-Rans

Carrie Fisher, The Man with One Red Shoe; Mariel Hemingway, The Mean Season; Molly Ringwald, The Breakfast Club; Meg Tilly, Agnes of God; Tina Turner, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Best Ensemble

After Hours, Back to the Future, Clue, Cocoon, The Goonies, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Ran, Silverado, To Live and Die in L.A.

Best Song

"Don't You (Forget About Me)," The Breakfast Club; "El Gavilan," Trouble in Mind; "If I Ruled the World," Krush Groove; "Into the Groove," Desperately Seeking Susan; "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)," The Color Purple; "One Way Love (Better Off Dead)," Better Off Dead ...; "The Power of Love," Back to the Future; "Say You, Say Me," White Nights; "To Live and Die in L.A.," To Live and Die in L.A.; "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)," Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Coming Soon: The return of Thoughts on Mad About You.