Best Actress 1987

The major reason why I called the ending of Broadcast News "happy" is that the entire film sets up the idea that Hurt's character represents the cheapening of news and a lowering of standards making him emblematic of a profound threat to the integrity of the institution. Then, in the finale, we hear briefly that he has been named as the network news anchor and has ascended to the pinnacle of the profession, but hey! it's not so bad, really, because he will leave all editorial decisions to the ultra-committed Hunter character, so we are all in good hands and all those worries were totally overblown.

Fatal Attraction is an evil, silly piece of shit, full stop.

I saw Bill Forsyth do a Q&A after Housekeeping a few years ago and he said he made the film so more people would read the book.

the only Oscar Glenn Close deserved was for Dangerous Liasions.

a Q. for shit cinema buffs:

was Fatal Attraction the first non-monster, non-supernatural movie with the now obligatory "surprise" resurrection of the villain at the end? Back then it was indeed a surprise --- I busted out laughing when Close blasts out of the tub for one last assault after she should have been brain dead with water filled lungs.

This horrible bit started somewhere and I'm wondering if this was its debut in a like you know "realistic" movie.

Spoiler Alert, but...

Diabolique

It was the first time a killer had Close's hair.

everyone knows the final sequence was shot after a test screening with the original ending (Close quietly commits suicide), right? where the cards said KILL THE BITCH. (it was Morning In America)

I saw Anna. I don't think it was bad.

Oh, I forgot about one more test screening story, and forgot that I had seen Diabolique too --- that was a great movie. I think they did a bit more work to bring that off as plausible in Diabolique, right? They don't even bother in Fatal Attraction. It's a movie, schmuck.

Anyway, I'll take the "everyone" remark seriously. I stick a toe in the waters of the film threads here & there on ILX, the water is always chilly.

it was a question.

Oscar-related threads are about as P*PULIST as film threads get, cuz who with half a brain gives a flying fucking shit?

In the event that "It's a movie, schmuck" was misinterpreted, I meant that as a summation of what the people making Fatal Attraction would say if you pointed out how stupid the ending is. It's not my attitude.

This thread hasn't actually been a stupid discussion. 1987 Oscars seem pretty arcane to me, like discussing Mesopotamian pottery shards only less relevant to our world. Hold your head high.

morbs is otm regarding fatal attraction, which i think is one of the most vile movies ever made

diabolique is awesome, tho

I never minded Cher winning for Moonstruck but I forget how assured how she is in her reaction shots. I laughed every other moment.

Stéphane Audran in Babette's Feast

Who else apart from me thinks the film of HOUSEKEEPING was better than the book?

Maybe. I haven't read the book in years. She did write several books I prefer.

I haven't read the book, but I love the film, possibly the best thing he's done, not to mention Lahti's best performance. It's too bad Sony treated it so poorly - famously one of David Puttnam's productions when he ran Columbia, and therefore one of the films the succeeding regime dumped in theaters with minimal promotion when he was pushed out.

("he" being Bill Forsyth)

messed that up - I mean "possibly the best thing Bill Forsyth's done"

I loved the book Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. It was so strange and magical and it was told from a 'transparent eyeball' point of view (Ralph Waldo Emerson's term as a reference to nature taking over the senses). I haven't seen the film yet but I can't imagine it is better than the novel

1987 also included Yimou Zhang's Red Sorghum, which featured a great debut performance by Gong Li

The film got marketed as a quirky sitcom: I can still see the late '80s VHS box with Lahti drinking tea while she's knee deep in water.

Dan, you should watch it. It's not as limpid as the book, but Lahti's fantastic.

I will

but I can't imagine it will be anything like the book, which was so eerie and feral

Forget the book!

The film is its own kind of eerie.