The Oscars Project

[theoscarsproject]

Shadowlands (1993). C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned Christian theologian, writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham from the U.S.

It’s kind of nuts to me that this came out the same year as Remains of the Day, and yet that’s the one Hopkins is better known for as I really think this is the better performance. He’s deeply moving here as CS Lewis grappling with faith, purpose, love and death, bolstered by a tremendous performance by Debra Winger. It’s a film that wears its heart on its sleeve, but doesn’t let that steer it from deep philosophical questions. I really enjoyed this one. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Hedd Wyn (1992). A young poet living in the North Wales countryside competes for the most coveted prize of all in Welsh Poetry - that of the chair of the National Eisteddfod, a tradition dating back a hundred years. Before the winner is announced Hedd Wyn gets sent to fight with the English in the trenches of the First World War

While I'd heard the name Hedd Wyn before watching this film, I knew little about the Welsh poet and his legacy as an anti-war artist, and this film served as a beautiful introduction! Well acted with a poetic lilt to its dialogue and some sumptuous cinematography, it's both a solid bio pic and a portrait of an artist. Unfortunately, it did drag in parts and the supporting players never quite came into their own, but still a solid film. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Remains of the Day (1993). A butler sacrifices love for duty in 1930s England.

Between the cast, the source material and Ivory directing, I was really expecting to love this one, but I don’t know. There was something missing in it to me, it’s disparate threads never quite weaving together in the way that I hoped. Still, there are plenty of moments of beauty in it, and the sumptuous direction and depth of performances make it worth the watch. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Scent of Green Papaya (1993). A Vietnamese servant girl, Mui, observes lives within two different Saigon families: the first, a woman textile seller with three boys and a frequently absent husband; the second, a handsome young pianist with his fiancée.

One of those films that just washes over you like a beautiful poem. Meditative, sweet, visually stunning, and anchored in moving and subtle performances. I do wish we got to understand Mui a little more deeply, but that parts of her we did still made her a lovely guide to follow through the movie. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Farewell My Concubine (1992). Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.

Truly staggering cinema, I can barely talk about it. 10/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Orlando (1992). After Queen Elizabeth I commands him not to grow old, a young nobleman struggles with love and his place in the world.

A pretty perfect adaptation of a pretty perfect story. It grabs you from the first scene and doesn’t let you go, transcending genre and gender alike. Just so, so good, and Tilda’s really firing on all cylinders, delivering as both otherworldly and all too human in the way she always does so well. Really loved this one. 9/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Belle Epoque (1992). A 1931 Spanish military deserter finds himself on a lonely farm until the farmer's four daughters pay a visit and he falls for all of them.

There are so many things to love about this film, from the romantic and familial chemistry, to the gender fuckery to the charm of the script and performances, and I’d be rating it higher if it wasn’t for the egregious blackface sequence with Penelope Cruz smack bang in the middle. A real stain on what is genuinely otherwise a genuinely good film! 5/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Six Degrees of Separation (1993). An affluent New York City couple finds their lives touched, intruded upon, and compelled by a mysterious young black man who is never quite who he says he is.

There's a fun rhythm to the first half of this film, but it's really that last act crescendoing into a pretty perfect two-hander between Will Smith and Stockard Channing where this movie really sings. I'm not sure what I was really expecting, but this deeply feeling exploration of class, race, sexuality and mental illness really got me. It's messy and flawed, but it's elevated I think by its authenticity and it's willingness to see people as who they are, not what they project or what they should be. Maybe Will Smith's best performance too? Really, really enjoyed this one. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Firm (1993). A law school graduate uncovers a sinister secret about the Memphis firm that made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

This film feels in conversation with The Stepford Wives in a way I was not expecting, haha. I enjoyed this one! It's pretty nonsensical in many ways, but it's also grounded in a talented and charming cast and an energy that just pulls you in. It swings for the fences, and while it doesn't exactly work, it is a pretty awesome reminder that the mid-budget thriller was the space where a lot of ideas really got to be tested. A very fun Friday night movie! 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Fugitive (1993). Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.

It was funny to watch this again for the first time in a minute - there was so much I'd forgotten! Particularly how thrilling the game of cat and mouse between Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones is. They really deliver on the performance front too, and Ford in particular puts a lot of grief and anger into the character that feels against type for his better known performances. He's really great. Wish it didn't lean so heavily into the dead wife trope, but still, a pretty pitch perfect thriller. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Cliffhanger (1993). Two mountain rescuers are forced to guide a group of thieves to their missing loot.

I totally get why people love this movie so much - it's Die Hard on a mountain! - and I mean, a part of me did too, haha, but the wooden performances and the side quests that veered into absurdity put it solidly in its place for me. A fun B-movie! Not really much more than that? Kind of wild it was nominated for an Oscar. 6/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.

Stop motion, the artform you are! I feel like I've seen this movie a hundred times, and it never fails to enchant me. It's wicked as a sort of anti-Disney Disney film, but it's at its best when it centres on the desire for connection and agency that so many of the characters have. Plus What's This is honestly a straight up banger. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993). A prepubescent chess prodigy is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

Child prodigy films can feel a dime a dozen sometimes, so to find one that's not only good, but doesn't shy away from the uglier side of it - pressure, stolen childhoods, confusion around self-worth and parental love - feels genuinely pretty special. This one doesn't always achieve what it wants, and it does veer occasionally into schmalz, but on the whole, it really cares about this family and these characters, and that shines through in a way that makes you care about them too. A really lovely little film. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Beethoven's 2nd (1993). Beethoven, the St. Bernard dog, becomes a father, but his girlfriend Missy is dognapped, and his puppies are in danger of the same fate.

It's interesting to rewatch these movies as an adult, because I think I really remember them as being a whole lot more charming than they are. This one veers into even more silliness than the first, but there are puppies at least, so that's cute. I just. Don't have much more to say about it than that. 4/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.

This is one of those movies that I kind of wish I'd watched when I was younger, because the levels of deception baked into the premise and the casual misogyny is a lot to experience the first time as an adult. Trying to turn that part of my brain off though, there is a lot of fun to be had here, and Robin Williams is as good as he ever is. Funny and vulnerable and mostly totally charming, he always sells the comedy, but he also always sells the heart, which he does here really well too. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Toys (1992). When Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Sir Michael Gambon) inherits a toymaking company and begins making war toys, his employees band together to stop him before he ruins the name of Zevo Toys forever.

In some ways, this film feels ahead of its time. The gamification of war is upon us, and Levinson's '92 exploration of that through a toy factory succession plot is as surreal as it was preemptive. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't really have a ton beyond that to offer despite boasting a pretty incredible cast and some genuinely fun sets and art department. Alas! 4/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Death Becomes Her (1992). Two women vie for a man and the secret of eternal beauty.

Can't believe I'd never seen this one! It really is magic and wildly funny. Body horror so rarely leaves the, well, horror genre and to see it so wonderfully utilised in this dark comedy makes this instantly memorable and just a whole lot of fun. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn are at their campy, scene chewing best too which makes it easy to forgive the film's flaws. Deeelightful. 8/10.