1990 FILM BALLOT

the point of this exercise isn't merely to stand in contrast to industry awards shows but to shine light on other works/achievements/performances that might've not gotten enough consideration during their initial releases 

Another one of my old "Best in Film" ballots. 

Other year-end ballots posted at The Wandering Image:   1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991,1992,
 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Also, if you wish to view my favorite 30 films of 1990, go here

Note: "Animated Short" and "Animated Feature" categories have been merged into one Animation category, regardless of runtime length. Also "Sound Editing" and "Sound Mixing" have been combined into one "Sound Design" category. Focusing on both overall mix and sound creation.

1990

*GOODFELLAS
GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH

JACOB'S LADDER

MILLER'S CROSSING
TO SLEEP WITH ANGER

TREMORS

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

TIME OF THE GYPSIES

LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST

THE KILLER

SWEETIE
METROPOLITAN
THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH

SHADOWS IN PARADISE

SANTA SANGRE

DREAMS

LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA

TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN! 

NOUVELLE VAGUE

BOILING POINT

actual best picture oscar nominees:
AWAKENINGS
DANCES WITH WOLVES  (won)
GHOST
THE GODFATHER, PART III
GOODFELLAS

actual foreign language oscar nominees:
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
JOURNEY OF HOPE   (won)
JU DOU
THE NASTY GIRL
OPEN DOORS

1990

*Martin Scorsese 

                       for GOODFELLAS
Abbas Kiarostami for CLOSE-UP
Theo Angelopoulos for TIME OF THE GYPSIES
Joe Dante for GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH
Charles Burnett for TO SLEEP WITH ANGER

actual oscar nominees:
Francis Ford Coppola for THE GODFATHER, PT.III
Stephen Frears for THE GRIFTERS
Barbet Schroeder for REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
Kevin Costner for DANCES WITH WOLVES  (won)
Martin Scorsese for GOODFELLAS

1990

*Anjelica Huston in THE GRIFTERS
Mary Alice in TO SLEEP WITH ANGER
Kathy Bates in MISERY
Meryl Streep in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE
Eszter Balint in BAIL JUMPER

actual oscar nominees:
Kathy Bates in MISERY  (won)
Anjelica Huston in THE GRIFTERS
Julia Roberts in PRETTY WOMAN
Meryl Streep in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE 
Joanne Woodward in MR & MRS. BRIDGE

1990

*Danny Glover 

        in TO SLEEP WITH ANGER
Jeremy Irons in REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
Robert De Niro in AWAKENINGS
Alan Rickman in TULY MADLY DEEPLY
Clint Eastwood in WHITE HUNTER BLACK HEART

actual oscar nominees:
Kevin Costner in DANCES WITH WOLVES
Robert De Niro in AWAKENINGS
Gerard Depardieu in CYRANO DE BERGERAC
Richard Harris in THE FIELD
Jeremy Irons in REVERSAL OF FORTUNE  (won)

1990

*Lorraine Bracco in GOODFELLAS
Anjelica Huston in THE WITCHES
Annette Bening in THE GRIFTERS
Sheryl Lee Ralph in TO SLEEP WITH ANGER
Marica Gay Harden in MILLER'S CROSSING

actual oscar nominees:
Annette Bening in THE GRIFTERS
Lorraine Bracco in GOODFELLAS
Whoopi Goldberg in GHOST  (won)
Diane Ladd in WILD AT HEART
Mary McDonnell in DANCES WITH WOLVES

1990

*Willem Dafoe in WILD AT HEART
Al Pacino in DICK TRACY
Joe Pesci in GOODFELLAS
Jon Polito in MILLER'S CROSSING
Bruce Davison in LONGTIME COMPANION

actual oscar nominees:
Bruce Davison in LONGTIME COMPANION
Andy Garcia in THE GODFATHER, PT. III
Graham Greene in DANCES WITH WOLVES
Al Pacino in DICK TRACY
Joe Pesci in GOODFELLAS  (won)

1990

*TO SLEEP WITH ANGER 

                          - Charles Burnett
MILLER'S CROSSING - Joel & Ethan Coen
METROPOLITAN - Whit Stillman
PUMP UP THE VOLUME - Allan Moyle
HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A KILLER - R.Fire; McNaughton

actual oscar nominees:
ALICE
AVALON
GHOST  (won)
GREEN CARD
METROPOLITAN

1990

*GOODFELLAS 

          - Nicholas Pileggi, Scorsese
GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH - Charles S. Haas
THE GRIFTERS - Donald E. Westlake
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE - Nicholas Kazan
TOTAL RECALL - Shusett/O'Bannon; Goldman; Cronenberg

actual oscar nominees:
AWAKENINGS
DANCES WITH WOLVES  (won)
GOODFELLAS
THE GRIFTERS
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

1990

*CLOSE-UP
PARIS IS BURNING
AMERICAN DREAM
BERKELEY IN THE SIXTIES
SINK OR SWIM

actual oscar nominees:
AMERICAN DREAM  (won)
BERKELEY IN THE SIXTIES
BUILDING BOMBS
FOREVER ACTIVISTS: STORIES FROM THE VETERANS OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN BRIGADE
WALDO SALT: A SCREENWRITER'S JOURNEY

1990

*WALLACE & GROMIT: 

                  A GRAND DAY OUT
THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER

NEXT by Barry Purves
ODE TO G.I. JOE
CREATURE COMFORTS
BILLY'S BALLOON

GOING EQUIPPED by Peter Lord

BEASTIE BOYS: SHADRACH

actual oscar nominees animated short:
CREATURE COMFORTS  (won)
A GRAND DAY OUT
GRASSHOPPERS

1990

*MILLER'S CROSSING 

                        - Carter Burwell >
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS - Danny Elfman >
HOME ALONE - John Williams >
DANCES WITH WOLVES - John Barry >
THE WITCHES - Stanley Meyer >

actual oscar nominees:
AVALON
DANCES WITH WOLVES  (won)
GHOST
HAVANA
HOME ALONE

1990

*CHIMPS: SO LIKE US
MADONNA: VOGUE

AEROSMITH: JANIE'S GOTTA GUN

MADONNA: OH FATHER
THE LUNCH DATE
ROSE KENNEDY: A LIFE TO REMEMBER
BLUE PLANET [IMAX]

actual oscar nominees documentary short:
BURNING DOWN TOMORROW
CHIMPS SO LIKE US
DAYS OF WAITING  (won)
JOURNEY INTO LIFE: THE WORLD OF THE UNBORN  
ROSE KENNEDY: A LIFE TO REMEMBER

actual oscar nominees live action short:
BRONX CHEERS
DEAR ROSIE
THE LUNCH DATE  (won)
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?
12:01 PM

categories below this point are

↓for you technical craft lovers↓

1990

*DICK TRACY 

          - Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC
MILLER'S CROSSING - Barry Sonnenfeld, ASC
WILD AT HEART - Frederick Elmes, ASC
THE SHELTERING SKY - Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC
FLATLINERS - Jan De Bont, ASC

actual oscar nominees:
AVALON
DANCES WITH WOLVES  (won)
DICK TRACY
THE GODFATHER, PT.III
HENRY & JUNE

1990

*GOODFELLAS 

             - Thelma Schoonmaker

MILLER'S CROSSING - Michael R. Miller

THE GODFATHER, PT.III - Malkin; Fruchtman; Murch

JACOB'S LADDER - Tom Rolf
WILD AT HEART - Duwayne Dunham
DAYS OF THUNDER - Billy Weber, Robert C. Jones; Tronick

actual oscar nominees:
DANCES WITH WOLVES  (won)
GHOST
THE GODFATHER, PT.III
GOODFELLAS
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

1990 - PRODUCTION DESIGN + SET DECOR

*DICK TRACY 

          - Richard Sylbert, Rick Simpson
HAMLET - Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
MILLER'S CROSSING - Dennis Gassner, Nancy Haigh
DANCES WITH WOLVES - Jeffrey Beecroft, Lisa Dean
TOTAL RECALL - William Sandell, Robert Gould

actual oscar nominees:
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
DANCES WITH WOLVES
DICK TRACY  (won)
THE GODFATHER, PT.III
HAMLET

1990

*DICK TRACY - Milena Canonero
MILLER'S CROSSING - Richard Hornung
CYRANO DE BERGERAC - Franca Squarciapino
DANCES WITH WOLVES - Elsa Zamparelli
HAMLET - Maurizio Millenotti

actual oscar nominees:
AVALON
CYRANO DE BERGERAC  (won)
DANCES WITH WOLVES
DICK TRACY
HAMLET

1990

*DICK TRACY 

   - John Caglione, Jr., Doug Drexler
THE WITCHES - Stephen Norrington, Chrissie Beveridge
DARKMAN - Tony Gardner, Cynthia Gardner
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - Tom Savini
NIGHTBREED - Mark Jones

TOTAL RECALL - Rob Bottin

actual oscar nominees:
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
DICK TRACY  (won)
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

1990

*THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
FLATLINERS
DAYS OF THUNDER
TOTAL RECALL
TREMORS

actual oscar nominees mixing:
DANCES WITH WOLVES  (won)
DAYS OF THUNDER
DICK TRACY
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
TOTAL RECALL

actual oscar nominees editing:
FLATLINERS
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER  (won)
TOTAL RECALL

1990

*TOTAL RECALL
BACK TO THE FUTURE III
TREMORS
GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH
DARKMAN

PREDATOR 2

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

METAMORPHOSIS: THE ALIEN FACTOR

NEVERENDING STORY II: THE NEXT CHAPTER

actual oscar nominees:
TOTAL RECALL  (won)

↓The following categories are inspired by The Muriel Awards

1990

*1) "The old man's still an artist with a Thompson."

           - MILLER'S CROSSING
2) Gremlins in the projection booth 

----------------------------------------- GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH
3) Jimmy's paranoia leaves bodies all over ("Layla" piano exit) 

---------------------------------------------------------- GOODFELLAS
4) Little girl on pogo stick w/headphones not aware of 

graboids ----------------------------------------- TREMORS
5) Kim's Ice Dance | Edward carves block of ice 

--------------------------------------------- EDWARD SCISSORHANDS 
6) Aboard a speeding locomotive to 88mph 

---------------------------------------------- BACK TO THE FUTURE III
7) Falling Cody is rescued by golden eagle 

-------------------------------------------- RESCUER'S DOWN UNDER
8) Grandma tells story of the cursed girl in the painting 

----------------------------------------------- THE WITCHES
9) Entire "Sunday, May 11th 1980" sequence - GOODFELLAS
10) Full body burn attack on prisoners & guards 

----------------------------------------------- MANIAC COP 2
11) Robocop VS. the Cain Monster Bot - ROBOCOP 2
12) Gideon’s dreams - TO SLEEP WITH ANGER
13) Dick Miller dunks bat gremlin in concrete 

------------------------------------------------ GREMLINS 2
14) Cohaagen’s death on the Martian surface 

----------------------------------------------- TOTAL RECALL
15) Sailor meets the Good Witch - WILD AT HEART
16) Ending shootout in the church - THE KILLER

17) Doll factory finale - CHILD'S PLAY 2

18) Last 45 mins (freezer, rooftops, Yautja spacecraft, etc.) 

------------------------------------------------ PREDATOR 2

19) The hospital gets creepier and creepier 

-------------------------------------------- JACOB'S LADDER

20) Mohawk transforms into spider & Gizmo transforms 

into Rambo ---------------------- GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH


also this:

the Moon Robots dreams of skiing

1990

*DICK TRACY
GOODFELLAS
TREMORS
MILLER'S CROSSING
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER

Other year-end ballots posted at The Wandering Image:   1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991,1992,
 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014