66%  Winner:   Out of Africa  161 min,  PG,  [Biography, Drama, Romance]  [Sydney Pollack]  [20 Dec 1985]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 72%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 60%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 7 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 27 nominations.
Actors:  Klaus Maria Brandauer, Meryl Streep, Michael Kitchen, Robert Redford
Writer:  Karen Blixen (based upon: "Out of Africa" and other writings), Judith Thurman (book), Errol Trzebinski (book), Kurt Luedtke (screenplay)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English, Swahili    Country:  USA, UK
Plot:  Follows the life of Karen Blixen, who establishes a plantation in Africa. Her life is Complicated by a husband of convenience (Bror Blixen), a true love (Denys), troubles on the plantation, schooling of the natives, war, and catching VD from her husband.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Out of Africa is drawn from the life and writings of Danish author Isak Dinesen, who during the time that the film's events occured was known by her married name, Karen Blixen-Flecke. For convenience's sake, Karen (Meryl Streep) has married Baron Bor Blixen-Flecke (Klaus Maria Brandauer). In 1914, the Baron moves himself and his wife to a plantation in Nairobi, then leaves Karen to her own devices as he returns to his womanizing and drinking. Soon, Karen has fallen in love with charming white hunter Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford), who prefers a no-strings relationship. A woman who prides herself on her independence, Blixen finds herself unhappily in thrall to a aloof man -- and doubly unhappy for living out such a cliché situation. Although Redford received a lion's share of criticism for his too-American performance, Streep has rarely been better, and the film's perfectly measured pace is offset by David Watkin's stunning location photography. The movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 7, including Best Picture, Best Director for Sydney Pollack, Best Adapted Screenplay for Kurt Luedtke, and Best Cinematography for Watkin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

79%  Nominee:   Kiss of the Spider Woman  120 min,  R,  [Drama]  [Hector Babenco]  [26 Jul 1985]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 74%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 85%,   Metacritic: 80%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins & 10 nominations.
Actors:  José Lewgoy, Raul Julia, Sônia Braga, William Hurt
Writer:  Manuel Puig (based on the novel by), Leonard Schrader
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English, French, Portuguese, German    Country:  Brazil, USA
Plot:  Luis Molina and Valentin Arregui are cell mates in a South American prison. Luis, a trans individual, is found guilty of immoral behavior and Valentin is a political prisoner. To escape reality Luis invents romantic movies, while Valentin tries to keep his mind on the situation he's in. During the time they spend together, the two men come to understand and respect one another.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Two cellmates in a South American prison--one, a gay man serving time for molesting a young boy and the other a political activist--learn to live with each other despite their differences and over the course of time find a mutual respect.

78%  Nominee:   Prizzi's Honor  130 min,  R,  [Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance]  [John Huston]  [14 Jun 1985]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 68%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 88%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 1 Oscar. Another 25 wins & 24 nominations.
Actors:  Jack Nicholson, John Randolph, Kathleen Turner, Robert Loggia
Writer:  Richard Condon (novel), Richard Condon (screenplay), Janet Roach (screenplay)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English, Italian    Country:  USA
Plot:  Charley Partanna is a hit-man who works for the Prizzis, one of the richest crime syndicate families in the country. Unbeknownst to Charley,the Prizzis just hired Irene Walker, a free-lance killer, to eliminate someone who double-crossed them. When Irene and Charley fall in love their jobs become complicated. Their jobs become impossible when each is given a contract that neither can go through with.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Richard Condon's delicious black comedy was lovingly translated to the screen by legendary director John Huston in one of his last movies. The Prizzis are a powerful family of mobsters, as devoted to their code of honor as they are to bending laws and breaking skulls. Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson), a Prizzi hit man, is not quite so honorable, at least where affairs of the heart are concerned. While attending a mob wedding, he throws over his longtime sweetheart Maerose Prizzi (Anjelica Huston) in favor of gorgeous Irene Walker (Kathleen Turner). Supposedly a tax consultant, Irene is actually a paid killer like Charley--and this endears her to him all the more. But when it turns out that Irene has betrayed the Prizzis, Charley finds himself on the horns of a dilemma: does he kill Irene or marry her? Fortuitously, Irene helps Charley make up his mind by attempting to kill him. The film's strongest suit is its matter-of-fact approach to Charley and Irene's profession; in the movie's most memorable scene, the two lovers calmly discuss their dinner plans while disposing of the corpse of their latest victim. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, Prizzi's Honor won Best Supporting Actress for Huston's daughter Anjelica, playing the "art imitates life" role of Nicholson's cast-off girl friend. The win made Anjelica, John, and Walter Huston the only three generations of one family all to win Oscars.

80%  Nominee:   The Color Purple  154 min,  PG-13,  [Drama]  [Steven Spielberg]  [07 Feb 1986]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 78%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 85%,   Metacritic: 78%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Nominated for 11 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 12 nominations.
Actors:  Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg
Writer:  Menno Meyjes (screenplay), Alice Walker (novel)
External Links:  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900's. The first time we see Celie, she is 14 - and pregnant - by her father. We stay with her for the next 30 years of her tough life...
Rotten Tomatoes:   Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, The Color Purple spans the years 1909 to 1949, relating the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a Southern black woman virtually sold into a life of servitude to her brutal husband, sharecropper Albert (Danny Glover). Celie pours out her innermost thoughts in letter form to her sister Nettie (Akousa Busia), but Albert has been hiding the letters Nettie writes back, allowing Celie to assume that Nettie is dead. Finally, Celie finds a champion in the don't-take-no-guff Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), the wife of Glover's son from a previous marriage. Alas, Sofia is "humbled" when she is beaten into submission by angry whites. Later, Celie is able to forge a strong friendship with Albert's mistress Shug (Margaret Avery). Emboldened by this, Celie begins rifling through her husband's belongings and finds Nettie's letters. Able at last to stand up to her husband, Celie leaves him to search for a new life on her own. A major box-office hit, The Color Purple was nominated for eleven Oscars. The film was co-produced by Quincy Jones, who also wrote the score. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

80%  Nominee:   Witness  112 min,  R,  [Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller]  [Peter Weir]  [08 Feb 1985]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 74%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 92%,   Metacritic: 76%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 25 nominations.
Actors:  Harrison Ford, Josef Sommer, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas
Writer:  William Kelley (story by), Pamela Wallace (story by), Earl W. Wallace (story by), Earl W. Wallace (screenplay by), William Kelley (screenplay by)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English, German    Country:  USA
Plot:  An 8 year old Amish boy and his mother are traveling to Philadelphia, on their way to visit the mother's sister. While waiting at the train station, the young boy witnesses a brutal murder inside one of the bathroom stalls. Police detective John Book is assigned to investigate the murder of the man, who was a undercover cop. Soon after, Book finds out that he's in great danger when the culprits know about his investigation and hides out in the Amish community. There, he learns the way of living among the Amish locals, which consists of non-violence and agriculture. Book soon starts a romance with the mother of the little boy, but their romance is forbidden by the Amish standards. But, it's not long before the bad guys find out Book's whereabouts.
Rotten Tomatoes:   In Peter Weir's thriller Witness, Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy, witnesses a murder in the restroom of a Philadelphia bus station. Harrison Ford stars as John Book, the police detective investigating the murder. When Book discovers that the crime was part of a conspiracy involving several officials in his department, he flees Philadelphia to the Amish community where Samuel lives with his widowed mother, Rachel (Kelly McGillis). Slowly assimilating himself into the Amish community, Book eventually finds himself falling in love with Rachel in the midst of his investigation. Eventually, the corrupt police track Book down, and he is forced to confront them, while also trying to protect Rachel and Samuel. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi