1984 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 1984, 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.

1984

*GREMLINS
STRANGER THAN PARADISE
PARIS, TEXAS
STARMAN

THE NEVERENDING STORY
THE TERMINATOR

MANOEL'S DESTINIES
REPO MAN
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA [Director's cut]
THIS IS SPINAL TAP

À NOS AMOURS

LOVE STREAMS

STREETS OF FIRE

MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN

BOY MEETS GIRL

YEAR OF THE QUIET SUN

WANDERERS OF THE DESERT

NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR

CRIMES OF PASSION

GHOSTBUSTERS

actual best picture oscar nominees:
AMADEUS  (won)
THE KILLING FIELDS
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
PLACES IN THE HEART
A SOLDIER'S STORY

actual foreign language oscar nominees:
BEYOND THE WALLS
CAMILA
DANGEROUS MOVES (won)
DOUBLE FEATURE
WARTIME ROMANCE

1984

*Joe Dante for GREMLINS
Wim Wenders for PARIS, TEXAS
Jim Jarmusch for STRANGER THAN PARADISE

Raúl Ruiz for MANOEL'S DESTINIES

John Carpenter for STARMAN

actual oscar nominees:
Milos Foreman for AMADEUS (won)
Woody Allen for BROADWAY DANNY ROSE
Roland Joffe for THE KILLING FIELDS 
David Lean for A PASSAGE TO INDIA
Robert Benton for PLACES IN THE HEART

1984

*Judy Davis 

          in A PASSAGE TO INDIA
Karen Allen in STARMAN
Sally Field in PLACES IN THE HEART
Maja Komorowska in YEAR OF THE QUIET SUN
Vanessa Redgrave in THE BOSTONIANS

actual oscar nominees:
Judy Davis in A PASSAGE TO INDIA
Sally Field in PLACES IN THE HEART (won)
Jessica Lange in COUNTRY
Vanessa Redgrave in THE BOSTONIANS
Sissy Spacek in THE RIVER

1984

*Albert Finney 

       in UNDER THE VOLCANO
Joe Morton in BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET
Harry Dean Stanton in PARIS, TEXAS
F. Murray Abraham in AMADEUS
Eddie Murphy in BEVERLY HILLS COP

Jeff Bridges in STARMAN

actual oscar nominees:
F. Murray Abraham in AMADEUS (won)
Jeff Bridges in STARMAN
Albert Finney in UNDER THE VOLCANO
Tom Hulce in AMADEUS
Sam Waterson in THE KILLING FIELDS 

1984

*Geraldine Page in THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE
Lindsay Crouse in PLACES IN THE HEART
Nastassja Kinski in PARIS, TEXAS
Kate Capshaw in TEMPLE OF DOOM

Daryl Hannah in SPLASH

actual oscar nominees:
Peggy Ashcroft in  A PASSAGE TO INDIA  (won)
Glenn Close in THE NATURAL
Lindsay Crouse in PLACES IN THE HEART
Christine Lahti in SWING SHIFT
Geraldine Page in THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE

1984

*John Malkovich 

      in PLACES IN THE HEART
M. Emmet Walsh in BLOOD SIMPLE
Tom Hulce in AMADEUS
Haing S Ngor in THE KILLING FIELDS
John Lithgow in BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS 8TH DIMENSION

actual oscar nominees:
Adolph Caesar in A SOLIDER'S STORY
John Malkovich in PLACES IN THE HEART 
Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita in THE KARATE KID
Haing S. Ngor in THE KILLING FIELDS (won)
Ralph Richardson in GRESTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES

1984

*EL NORTE - Gregory Nava
GREMLINS - Chris Columbus

PLACES IN THE HEART - Robert Benton

BLOOD SIMPLE - Coen Bros.

THIS IS SPINAL TAP - Reiner; Guest; Shearer

actual oscar nominees:
BEVERLY HILLS COP
BROADWAY DANNY ROSE
EL NORTE
PLACES IN THE HEART (won)
SPLASH

1984

*AMADEUS - Peter Shaffer
THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA - Shôhei Imamura
MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN - Oz; Patchett; Tarses
NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR - Michael Radford
THE KILLING FIELDS - Bruce Robinson

actual oscar nominees:
AMADEUS (won)
GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES
THE KILLING FIELDS
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
A SOLDIER'S STORY










 

1984

*THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK
STOP MAKING SENSE
ANOTHER STATE OF MIND
STREETWISE
MARLENE

actual oscar nominees:
HIGH SCHOOLS
IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE
MARLENE
STREETWISE
THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK (won)

1984

*URUSEI YATSURA 2: 

       BEAUTIFUL DREAMER

HEROIC TIMES

Ishu Patel's "PARADISE"
JUMPING
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON   Обратная сторона луны
MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE?

DELTA SPACE MISSION

THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS 

THE ADVENTURES OF ANDRE & WALLY B. 
THE CABINET OF JAN SVANKMAJER

LENSMAN [SF SHINSEIKI LENSMAN]

actual oscar nominees:
CHARADE (won)
DOCTOR DE SOTO
Ishu Patel's PARADISE

1984

*PARIS, TEXAS - Ry Cooder >
DUNE - Brian Eno & Toto >
THE TERMINATOR - Brad Fiedel >
INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM - John Williams >

THE NEVERENDING STORY - Giorgio Moroder >

SHEENA QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE - Richard Hartley

A PASSAGE TO INDIA - Maurice Jarre >

actual oscar nominees:
INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
THE NATURAL
A PASSAGE TO INDIA (won)
THE RIVER
UNDER THE VOLCANO

1984

*FRANKENWEENIE
THURSDAY AFTERNOON
MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES
Saul Bass & Elaine Bass' QUEST

CYNDI LAUPER: TIME AFTER TIME

FOLIES MEURTRIÈRES 

actual oscar nominees live-action short:
THE PAINTED DOOR
TALES OF MEETING AND PARTING
UP (won)

actual oscar nominees documentary short: 
THE CHILDREN OF SOONG CHING-LING
CODE GRAY: ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN NURSING
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
RECOLLECTIONS OF PAVLOVSK
THE STONE CARVERS (won)

categories below this point are

↓for you technical craft lovers↓

1984

*RAZORBACK - Dean Semler, ACS

THE NATURAL - Caleb Deschanel, ASC
PARIS, TEXAS - Robby Müller, BVK
THE RIVER - Vilmos Zsigmond, HSC, ASC

AMADEUS - Miroslav Ondricek, ACK
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA - Tonino Delli Colli, AIC

actual oscar nominees:
AMADEUS
THE KILLING FIELDS (won)
THE NATURAL
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
THE RIVER

1984

*AMADEUS 

  - Nena Danevic, Michael Chandler
A PASSAGE TO INDIA - David Lean
THE NEVERENDING STORY  - Jane Seitz

GREMLINS - Tina Hirsch
THE KILLING FIELDS - Jim Clark

actual oscar nominees:
AMADEUS
THE COTTON CLUB
THE KILLING FIELDS (won)
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
ROMANCING THE STONE

1984 - production design + set decor

*AMADEUS 

         - Patrizia Von Brandenstein; Karel Cerny
THE NEVERENDING STORY - Rolf Zehetbauer
DUNE - Anthony Masters, Giorgio Desideri

A PASSAGE TO INDIA - John Box, Leslie Tomkins; Scaife
2010 - Albert Brenner; Rick Simpson
THE COTTON CLUB - Sylbert; George Gaines, Les Bloom

actual oscar nominees:
AMADEUS (won)
THE COTTON CLUB
THE NATURAL
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
2010

1984

*AMADEUS - Theodor Pistek
BUCKAROO BANZAI..  - Aggie Guerard Rodgers
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA - Gabriella Pescucci
DUNE - Bob Ringwood
A PASSAGE TO INDIA - Judy Moorcroft

actual oscar nominees:
AMADEUS (won)
THE BOSTONIANS
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
PLACES IN THE HEART
2010





 

1984

*AMADEUS - Dick Smith 
DUNE - Etsuko Egawa
GREYSTOKE: LEGEND OF TARZAN - Rick Baker
INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM - Tom Smith
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET - David Miller
THE COTTON CLUB - Lyman; D'Angerio

GHOSTBUSTERS - Etsuko Egawa

actual oscar nominees:
AMADEUS (won)
GREYSTOKE: LEGEND OF TARZAN, KING OF THE APES
2010

1984

*GHOSTBUSTERS
THE NEVERENDING STORY
2010
INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
STARMAN
DREAMSCAPE
THE TERMINATOR

DUNE

actual oscar nominees:
GHOSTBUSTERS
INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (won)
2010

1984

*DUNE
THE RIVER
AMADEUS 
2010

ELECTRIC DREAMS
INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM

actual oscar nominees sound mix:
AMADEUS (won)
DUNE
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
THE RIVER
2010

actual oscar nominees sound editing: 
THE RIVER (won)

↓additional categories courtesy of Muriel

1984

*1) Mother discovers monsters have hatched & are in house - GREMLINS
2) "Psycho Killer" intro 

------------------------------------- STOP MAKING SENSE
3) Artax is overcome by the Swamp of Sadness 

-------------------------------------------------- NEVERENDING STORY
4) Two way mirror peep show confession 

------------------------------------------------ PARIS, TEXAS
5) Metal exoskeleton emerges from burning wreckage 

------------------------------------------------ TERMINATOR
6) "Stonehenge" performance disaster 

------------------------------------------- THIS IS SPINAL TAP
7) Levitating ceiling stabbing 

--------------------------------------- A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
8) "When I Live My Dream" Bowie sequence 

------------------------------------------ BOY MEETS GIRL 
9) Rope bridge showdown with Mola Ram clan 

------------------------------- INDIANA JONES & TEMPLE OF DOOM

-tie- mansion fight. Jackie Chan VS Benny 'the Jet' 

----------------------------------------- WHEELS ON MEALS
10) Venkman encounters "Slimer" in hotel 

------------------------------------------- GHOSTBUSTERS
11) Muppet baby nursery sequence 

------------------------------------------- MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN 
12) Paul drinks the "water of life." (Prophecy theme, etc.) 

---------------------------------------------------- DUNE
13) Entire library sequence filmed in reverse - TOP SECRET
14) Orb re-animates Jenny's late husband's organic form 

---------------------------------------------------- STARMAN
15) Big finale home run. (Stadium lights exploding, etc.) 

------------------------------------------------- THE NATURAL

also this: 





 

1984

*THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION
THIS IS SPINAL TAP
PARIS, TEXAS
PLACES IN THE HEART
GHOSTBUSTERS
SPLASH

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