1983

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES

*Tootsie
*The Verdict
*E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial
*Gandhi
*Missing

AND 'MY' WINNER IS...Gandhi
AND 'THE' WINNER IS...Gandhi

Gandhi (1982) directed by: Richard Attenborough
Main Cast: Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen and Martin Sheen

I must say that I went into this one really dreading it. First off it is over three hours and secondly I am not much of a biopic fan. Well, for starters, I was unsure of what Gandhi had actually even done. I mean, of course, I had heard his name, but never really knew what he accomplished. Now after watching this movie I must say that I was totally shocked I absolutely loved it!! Gandhi was a truly amazing man, who deserves all the respect and admiration that he has gotten. This movie is a definite must see and will certainly be one of my favorites from now on. I do not own this movie, but that will definitely have to be rectified.

RATING: 10/10

BEST OF THE REST

RUNNER-UP:
Tootsie (1982) directed by: Sydney Pollack
Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr and Bill Murray

I had heard a lot of mixed reactions from a lot of different people regarding Tootsie. They say you either love it or you hate it. So I was very excited to give Tootsie a try. Just the thought of Dustin Hoffman (who I think is an amazing actor) cross-dressing as a woman to gain a role in a soap opera sounded priceless to me. Well I was NOT disapointed. Tootsie was a great movie that I would watch again anytime and I must say that if I didn't already own it, I'd be making a trip to my local DVD shop to buy it. If you have never seen it, it comes with the highest of recomendations.

RATING: 10/10

HONORABLE MENTION
Missing (1982) directed by: Costa-Gavras
Main Cast: Sissy Spacek and Jack Lemmon

I had never actually heard of this movie until I started this mission of mine. Missing is based on a true story about the disapearance of Charlie Horman while living in Chile with his wife. The movie shows her struggle, alongside his father (Jack Lemmon) to find out the truth surrounding his ominous vanishing and the quest to find out what actually happened to him, while constantly getting more of a runaround than help. I will definitely be adding this one to my DVD shelf.

RATING: 10/10

THE REST
E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial (1982) directed by: Steven Spielberg
Main Cast: Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore

Well I remember I must've enjoyed this movie as a child, because I will never forget my E.T. stuffed dolls. However, about a year ago, my husband and I revisited this movie again and for some reason or another I really don't remember liking it that time around. But after having rewatched it for my new found mission, I must say I truly do think it is an excellent movie. The only reason it's included in "The Rest" catergory is because of the moment in the film when the mother first meets E.T. and she is running out of the house with the family and the men in space suits are swarming in, even through the windows. Sorry kinda creepy! Great movie though all in all, truly a must see!

The Verdict (1982) directed by: Sidney Lumet
Main Cast: Paul Newman, Jack Warden, James Mason and Charlotte Rampling

Paul Newman, of who I am a huge fan of, playing a down and out, drunk lawyer who pulls all the punches, even resorting to crashing funerals in search of clients, sounded great to me. The Verdict started off really slow and it took a while to get interesting, but once it got to the courtroom part of the movie, it became a little more exciting and pulled me in a bit deeper. All in all I would say kind of average, but not highly recomended.

So there you have it, 1983 at the Oscars. To sum it up 1983 was a great year for film, with many great directors on showcase. I got lucky with picking this particular year to kick off my mission.

RATING FOR 1983 as a whole: 9/10

NEXT UP: 1967 - which includes Alfie, A Man for All Seasons, The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming, The Sand Pebbles and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

September 20, 2009 9:41pm