1985 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 1985, 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.

1985

*BLOOD SIMPLE
BRAZIL

PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
RAN

DAY OF THE DEAD
THE COMPANY OF WOLVES

NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND

AFTER HOURS

TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.

BACK TO THE FUTURE
WITNESS
RE-ANIMATOR

MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS

WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS

POLICE STORY

WHEN THE TENTH MONTH COMES

RETURN TO OZ

PHENOMENA

THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO

GWEN: BOOK OF SAND

actual best picture oscar nominees:
THE COLOR PURPLE
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
OUT OF AFRICA (won)
PRIZZI'S HONOR
WITNESS

actual foreign language oscar nominees:
ANGRY HARVEST
COLONEL REDL
THE OFFICIAL STORY (won)
THREE MEN AND A CRADLE
WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS

1985

*Coen bros. for BLOOD SIMPLE
Terry Gilliam for BRAZIL

Tim Burton for  PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
Akira Kurosawa for RAN
Neil Jordan for THE COMPANY OF WOLVES

actual oscar nominees:
Hector Babenco for KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
Sydney Pollack for OUT OF AFRICA (won)
Akira Kurosawa for RAN
Peter Weir for WITNESS
John Huston for PRIZZI'S HONOR

1985

*Whoopi Goldberg 

        in THE COLOR PURPLE
Anne Bancroft in AGNES OF GOD
Juliette Binoche in RENDEZ-VOUS
Cher in MASK
Laura Dern in SMOOTH TALK

actual oscar nominees:
Anne Bancroft in AGNES OF GOD
Whoopi Goldberg in THE COLOR PURPLE
Jessica Lange in SWEET DREAMS
Geraldine Page in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (won)
Meryl Streep in OUT OF AFRICA

1985

*Philip Baker Hall 

              in SECRET HONOR
Terence Stamp in THE HIT
Paul Reubens in PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
Tim Curry in CLUE

Dustin Hoffman in DEATH OF A SALESMAN

William Hurt in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN

actual oscar nominees:
Harrison Ford in WITNESS
James Garner in MURPHY'S ROMANCE
William Hurt in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (won)
Jack Nicholson in PRIZZI'S HONOR
Jon Voight in RUNAWAY TRAIN

1985

*Teri Garr in AFTER HOURS
Jean Marsh in RETURN TO OZ
Anjelica Huston in PRIZZI'S HONOR
Oprah Winfrey in THE COLOR PURPLE
Lea Thompson in BACK TO THE FUTURE

actual oscar nominees:
Margaret Avery in THE COLOR PURPLE
Anjelica Huston in PRIZZI'S HONOR (won)
Amy Madigan in TWICE IN A LIFETIME
Meg Tilly in AGNES OF GOD
Oprah Winfrey in THE COLOR PURPLE

1985

*Jeff Daniels in 
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO
Tim Roth in THE HIT
Christopher Lloyd in BACK TO THE FUTURE
John Malkovich in DEATH OF A SALESMAN
Sherman Howard in  DAY OF THE DEAD

actual oscar nominees:
Don Ameche in COCOON (won)
Klaus Maria Brandauer in OUT OF AFRICA
William Hickey in PRIZZI'S HONOR
Robert Loggia in JAGGED EDGE
Eric Roberts in RUNAWAY TRAIN

1985

*BACK TO THE FUTURE 

        - Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
BRAZIL - Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO - Woody Allen
WITNESS - William Kelley, Earl W. Wallace
LOST IN AMERICA - Albert Brooks

actual oscar nominees:
BACK TO THE FUTURE
BRAZIL
THE OFFICIAL STORY
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO
WITNESS (won)

1985

*THE COLOR PURPLE 

                     - Menno Meyjes
PRIZZI'S HONOR - Richard Condon, Janet Roach
RETURN TO OZ - Gill Dennis, Walter Murch
MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS - Paul Schrader

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN - Leonard Schrader

actual oscar nominees:
THE COLOR PURPLE
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
OUT OF AFRICA (won)
PRIZZI'S HONOR
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL

1985

*SHOAH
TWENTY YEARS LATER

TRANCES
TOKYO-GA
28 UP
THE FANTASY FILM WORLDS OF GEORGE PAL

actual oscar nominees:
BROKEN RAINBOW (won)
LAS MADRES: THE MOTHERS OF PLAZA DE MAYO
SOLDIERS IN HIDING
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
UNFINISHED BUSINESS

1985

*NAUSICAÄ:  
OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND
GWEN, OR THE BOOK OF SAND
ANGEL'S EGG
BROKEN DOWN FILM
THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN [COMET QUEST]

PREHISTORIC BEAST 
A-HA: TAKE ON ME
THE BIG SNIT

FROG AND TOAD ARE FRIENDS

THE BLACK CAULDRON

actual oscar nominees animated short:
ANNA & BELLA (won)
THE BIG SNIT
SECOND CLASS MAIL

1985

*PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE 

                     - Danny Elfman >

BACK TO THE FUTURE - Alan Silvestri > 
CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST - Riz Ortolani >

PHENOMENA - Goblin >

OUT OF AFRICA - John Barry >
THE COLOR PURPLE - Quincy Jones >
EXPLORERS - Jerry Goldsmith >

actual oscar nominees:
AGNES OF GOD
THE COLOR PURPLE
OUT OF AFRICA (won)
SILVERADO
WITNESS

1985

*CHRONOS
L'ART D'AIMER

"GENERAL" [CAT'S EYE segment]
THE ORSON WELLES MAGIC SHOW

actual oscar nominees live action short:
GRAFFITI
MOLLY'S PILGRIM
RAINBOW WAR (won)

actual oscar nominees documentary short: 
THE COURAGE TO CARE
KEATS AND HIS NIGHTINGALE
MAKING OVERTURES
WITNESS TO WAR: DR. CHARLIE CLEMENTS (won)
THE WIZARD OF THE STRINGS

categories below this point are

↓for you technical craft lovers↓

1985

*THE COLOR PURPLE 

                  - Allen Daviau, ASC 
THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN - Dick Bush, ASC

RAN - Takao Saito, Masaharu Ueda, 

                        Asakazu Nakai, 日本映画撮影監督協会
OUT OF AFRICA - David Watkin, BSC
MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS - John Bailey, ASC 
BRAZIL - Roger Pratt, BSC

actual oscar nominees:
THE COLOR PURPLE
MURPHY'S ROMANCE
OUT OF AFRICA (won)
RAN
WITNESS

1985

*SHOAH - Ziva Postec
BACK TO THE FUTURE - Arthur Schmidt, Harry Keramidas
RUNAWAY TRAIN - Henry Richardson
WITNESS - Thom Noble
BRAZIL - Julian Doyle

actual oscar nominees:
A CHORUS LINE
OUT OF AFRICA
PRIZZI'S HONOR
RUNAWAY TRAIN
WITNESS (won)

1985 - production design + set decor

*BRAZIL 

   - Norman Garwood, Maggie Gray
RAN - Yoshiro Muraki, Shinobu Muraki
THE COLOR PURPLE - Michael Riva, Bo Welch; L.DeScenna
RETURN TO OZ - Norman Reynolds, Michael Ford
ENEMY MINE - Rolf Zehetbauer  

actual oscar nominees:
BRAZIL
THE COLOR PURPLE
OUT OF AFRICA (won)
RAN
WITNESS

1985

*BRAZIL - James Acheson
RAN - Emi Wada
MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS - Eiko Ishioka
OUT OF AFRICA - Milena Canonero
THE COLOR PURPLE - Aggie Guerard Rodgers

MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME - Norma Moriceau

JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN - Albert Wolsky

actual oscar nominees:
RAN (won)
THE COLOR PURPLE
OUT OF AFRICA
PRIZZI'S HONOR
THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN

1985

*DAY OF THE DEAD - Tom Savini 
EXPLORERS - Rob Bottin
MASK - Michael Westmore, Zoltan Elek
THE COLOR PURPLE - Ken Chase
ENEMY MINE - Brian Wade, Chris Walas

actual oscar nominees: 
THE COLOR PURPLE
MASK (won)
REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

1985

*COCOON
YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES 
RETURN TO OZ
ENEMY MINE

BRAZIL
LIFEFORCE

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE

DAY OF THE DEAD

actual oscar nominees:
COCOON (won)
RETURN TO OZ
YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES

1985

*RETURN TO OZ
BACK TO THE FUTURE
DAY OF THE DEAD
RAMBO
EXPLORERS

actual oscar nominees sound mix:
BACK TO THE FUTURE (won)
LADYHAWKE
RAMBO

actual oscar nominees sound editing:
BACK TO THE FUTURE
A CHORUS LINE
LADYHAWKE
OUT OF AFRICA (won)
SILVERADO
 

 

↓the following are Muriel Awards categories:

1985

*1) Visser tries to finish Abby "assignment." 

**loft finale** - BLOOD SIMPLE

2) Dorothy sneaks past Mombi's hall of severed heads 

------------------------------------------------ RETURN TO OZ

3) Large Marge - PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
4) Nausicaa stops rampaging Ohm beetle 

-------------------------------------------------- NAUSICAÄ
5) "Beware the Wheelers" Apocalyptic Emerald City 

------------------------------------------------ RETURN TO OZ
6) Watching his Hollywood story at drive-in **finale** 

--------------------------------------------- PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
7) Baxter first emerges from cinema screen 

------------------------------------------------ PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO
8) Race against the clock tower sequence 

---------------------------------------------------- BACK TO THE FUTURE 
9) Max VS. Blaster - MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME

-tie- Industrial Samurai vs. Sam's super-ego The Angel 

------------------------------------------------------ BRAZIL

10) Zombies awake. Ruins of a city begin to moan 

------------------------------------------------------- DAY OF THE DEAD
11) the entire mall fight - POLICE STORY
12) showstopping car chase centrepiece. **floodway** 

-------------------------------------------------- TO LIVE & DIE IN L.A.
13) Rosaleen climbs to the top of a tall tree. watches a bleeding flower & curious eggs hatch 

--------------------------------------------- THE COMPANY OF WOLVES
14) Winding up a dusty Tik-Tok - RETURN TO OZ 
15) "Inga” the chimpanzee with a straight razor! 

----------------------------------------------------------- PHENOMENA



also this:

1985

*THE HIT
PRIZZI'S HONOR
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
AFTER HOURS

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