This one goes hands down to Diane Ladd, who in “Wild at Heart” covered her face in red lipstick, then vomited. Ladd, an Oscar nominee for supporting actress, sent Academy voters a long personal letter telling them to vote for you-know-who. The Donald would be proud. Special kudos also to “The Russia House,” which waged a huge Oscar campaign for itself but received no nominations.
Failure is easy, but spectacular failure is quite an accomplishment, which is why “Havana,” “The Two Jakes” and “The Bonfire of the Vanities” deserve entree into the flop pantheon. Hats off to you all. Note to Brian: stick to power drills.
Did anyone see Danny Glover’s brilliant performance in “To Sleep With Anger”? Obviously not. He’s long been stellar as a celluloid tough guy, but he’s superior in great character parts such as this one.
Congratulations, Tom Hanks, superstar, for somehow landing in both “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and “Joe Versus the Volcano.” (You’re a great comedian, so we won’t even mention that your string of turkeys has now reached four.)
Apparently the Academy’s documentary-film committee was elsewhere when the rest of the nation was held rapt by “The Civil War,” which was eligible for an Oscar. Awesome in scope, riveting in detail, this was a once-in-a-decade feat. Never mind.
