Film Honors: 1991

My own personal choices for the year. They reflect not just necessarily what I think is the best or essential cinema, but perhaps resonate with me or inspire, both at the time, and still today. Subject to alter choices based on viewings.

Actor Lead

Warren Beatty (Bugsy)
Michel Bouquet (Toto the Hero)
John Turturro (Barton Fink)
Robin Williams (The Fisher King)
Robert De Niro (Cape Fear)

Actor Support

Jean-Claude Dreyfus (Delicatessen)
John Goodman (Barton Fink)
Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs)
Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs)
Alan Rickman (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)

Special Effects

The Addams Family
Backdraft
Predator 2
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Sound Design

Backdraft
Beauty and the Beast
The Commitments
Delicatessen
Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Costume Design

The Addams Family
Barton Fink
Bugsy
Prospero’s Books
Raise the Red Lantern

Set Design

The Addams Family
Barton Fink
Bugsy
Delicatessen
Raise the Red Lantern

Screenwriting Adapted

Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle (The Commitments)
David Cronenberg, Bill Strait (Naked Lunch)
Oliver Stone, Zachary Sklar (JFK)
Ted Tally (The Silence of the Lambs)
Ni Zhen (Raise the Red Lantern)

Screenwriting Original

Gilles Adrien, Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen)
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (Barton Fink)
Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise)
Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz (La double vie de Veronique)
Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King)

Picture Editing

Delicatessen
The Double Life of Véronique
JFK
The Silence of the Lambs
Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Score Composing

Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast)
Zbigniew Preisner (La double vie de Veronique)
Howard Shore (The Silence of the Lambs)
Ennio Morricone (Bugsy)
John Williams (JFK)

Actress Support

Annette Bening (Bugsy)
Marie-Laure Dougnac (Delicatessen)
Kate Nelligan (Frankie and Johnny)
Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King)
He Saifei (Raise the Red Lantern)

Actress Lead

Geena Davis (Thelma and Louise)
Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs)
Irène Jacob (La double vie de Veronique)
Gong Li (Raise the Red Lantern)
Susan Sarandon (Thelma and Louise)

Cast Ensemble

Bugsy
The Commitments
Delicatessen
JFK
Slacker

Cinematography

Adrian Biddle (Thelma and Louise)
Roger Deakins (Barton Fink)
Zhao Fei (Raise the Red Lantern)
Darius Khondji (Delicatessen)
Slawomir Idziak (La double vie de Veronique)

Directing

James Cameron (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen)
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (Barton Fink)
Krzysztof Kieślowski (The Double Life of Veronique)
Yimou Zhang (Raise the Red Lantern)

Motion Picture

Barton Fink (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen) USA
Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise) USA
The Commitments (Alan Parker) Ireland / UK / USA
Delicatessen (Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet) France
The Double Life of Veronique (Krzysztof Kieślowski) France / Poland / Norway
Raise the Red Lantern (Yimou Zhang) China / Hong Kong / Taiwan
The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme) USA
Slacker (Richard Linklater) USA
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron) USA
Thelma and Louise (Ridley Scott) USA