Born on the Fourth of July
1989 / Drama, Biographical film, War film
Among Oliver Stone’s other films, this one seems to fit the stereotype of Oscar-winning cinema to the greatest degree. There is the anti-war theme, the suffering disabled hero, the political component, the epic plot, the large-scale shooting, for which the “academicians” have long noticed a weakness, and Tom Cruise, whose talent by that time no one was mistaken about. But the film failed to rise above the statuette for directing, it, like everyone else in 1990, unexpectedly lost to the picture “Miss Daisy’s Driver” about the racial and national problems.
Sex, Lies, and Video
1989 / Drama.
It would be silly for young Steven Soderbergh to hold a grudge against the Academy, he had already won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for his debut film, and Cannes, as, indeed, anything outside the United States, is not an Oscar. In any case, both in the works of Soderbergh and in American cinema at the end of the century, the film occupies a significant place, so the absence of the “Oscar” in no way affected its fate. It is noteworthy that the film had only one nomination, for the screenplay.
Wild at Heart
1990 / Drama, Crime, Comedy
One more confirmation of the latent polemic which has long existed between Europe and the USA in the cultural field. David Lynch’s film, winner of Cannes gold, filled with powerful audiovisual imagery, receives only one nomination, for a supporting actress, and in that one it does not win. Nicolas Cage, who has played one of the best roles in his career, is not noticed. Yes, and the collection of his country is quite modest – $ 15 million compared to almost two hundred in the winner of the “Oscar” movie “Dances with Wolves. Which I don’t think anyone will remember today.
Edward Scissorhands
1990 / Melodrama, Drama, Fantasy
Many professionals call it Tim Burton’s best picture and Johnny Depp’s best role, even though it was their first collaboration that turned into a multi-year creative partnership. Indeed, the film, stylized by the low-budget trinkets of the ’50s, seems almost perfect in form and content. And it’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t at least heard of it.
Barton Fink
1991 / Thriller, Comedy, Drama
A unique case in the history of the Cannes Film Festival – prizes for one film at a time for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor. An unqualified triumph for the Coen Brothers, an extraordinary work about creativity and its bizarre and tragic relationship to reality. John Turturro’s best work. Now pay attention. “The Oscars voted the film in the categories of Best Supporting Actor, Best Set, Best Costumes. The film did not win in any of them. No one has since triumphed at Cannes.
