Let’s Talk Cinema: The ’90s are back!

It has been a few weeks since we last discussed the cinema of the ’90s, and a lot has gotten in the way. We got through the Thanksgiving holiday, then were blasted with a major week of awards, and now the Golden Globes have dropped—it feels like we’ve been thrust straight into Christmas and awards season. On one hand, I don’t want time to fly, but the awards this year aren’t really appealing to me all that much… so if I had the power to hold the Oscars tomorrow just to get it over with, I would! In other news, I think I’ve found my favorite horse in the race, but I still have a couple of films left to see, so until then, I’ll keep you all wondering.

One of my favorite assignments we did for the 2000s decade is one we’re bringing back—and honestly, it might be my all‑time favorite: REWRITE THE OSCARS! This is your chance to right the wrongs of the decade and declare which films and performances YOU would have chosen to win from 1990, the year of Dances with Wolves, to 1999, the year of American Beauty. The only rule: you have to pick from the actual nominees of that year. No replacements! So, let’s get going!

Jerm’s Official Rewrite the Oscars: The ’90s

1990

Picture: Goodfellas

Director: Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas

Actor: Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves

Actress: Kathy Bates, Misery 

Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci, Goodfellas

Supporting Actress: Whoopi Goldberg, Ghost

Original Screenplay: Ghost

Adapted Screenplay: Goodfellas

1991

Picture: The Silence of the Lambs

Director: Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs

Actor: Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs

Actress: Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs

Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, JFK

Supporting Actress: Jessica Tandy, Fried Green Tomatoes 

Original Screenplay: Thelma & Louise

Adapted Screenplay: The Silence of the Lambs 

*This is one of those years where they almost got everything right. I only changed the Supporting winners!*

1992

Picture: Unforgiven

Director: Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven

Actor: Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven

Actress: Emma Thompson, Howards End

Supporting Actor: Al Pacino, Glengarry Glen Ross

Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei, My Cousin Vinny

Original Screenplay: Unforgiven

Adapted Screenplay: Howards End

1993

Picture: Schindler’s List

Director: Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List

Actor: Liam Neeson, Schindler’s List

Actress: Holly Hunter, The Piano

Supporting Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Supporting Actress: Winona Ryder, The Age of Innocence

Original Screenplay: Sleepless in Seattle

Adapted Screenplay: The Age of Innocence

1994

Picture: Forrest Gump

Director: Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump

Actor: Morgan Freeman, The Shawshank Redemption

Actress: Susan Sarandon, The Client

Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson, Pulp Fiction

Supporting Actress: Dianne Wiest, Bullets Over Broadway

Original Screenplay: Pulp Fiction

Adapted Screenplay: The Shawshank Redemption

1995

Picture: Sense and Sensibility

Director: Chris Noonan, Babe

Actor: Richard Dreyfuss, Mr. Holland’s Opus

Actress: Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County

Supporting Actor: Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects

Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Sense and Sensibility

Original Screenplay: Toy Story

Adapted Screenplay: Sense and Sensibility

1996

Picture: Fargo

Director: Joel Coen, Fargo

Actor: Geoffrey Rush, Shine

Actress: Frances McDormand, Fargo

Supporting Actor: William H. Macy, Fargo

Supporting Actress: Lauren Bacall, The Mirror Has Two Faces

Original Screenplay: Fargo

Adapted Screenplay: The Crucible

1997

Picture: Titanic

Director: James Cameron, Titanic

Actor: Jack Nicholson, As Good as It Gets

Actress: Judi Dench, Mrs. Brown

Supporting Actor: Robin Williams, Good Will Hunting

Supporting Actress: Joan Cusack, In & Out

Original Screenplay: Good Will Hunting

Adapted Screenplay: L.A. Confidential

1998

Picture: Shakespeare in Love

Director: John Madden, Shakespeare in Love

Actor: Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful

Actress: Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

Supporting Actor: Ed Harris, The Truman Show

Supporting Actress: Judi Dench, Shakespeare in Love

Original Screenplay: The Truman Show

Adapted Screenplay: The Thin Red Line

1999

Picture: American Beauty

Director: Sam Mendes, American Beauty

Actor: Kevin Spacey, American Beauty

Actress: Annette Bening, American Beauty

Supporting Actor: Michael Clarke Duncan, The Green Mile

Supporting Actress: Angelina Jolie, Girl, Interrupted

Original Screenplay: American Beauty

Adapted Screenplay: The Green Mile

It’s now your turn, my friends! Rewrite the Oscars the way you feel they should have gone. As always, be kind, be respectful, and of course… Let’s Talk Cinema!