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1986 is a notable year for me, in terms of being alive, but is it a notable year for films? Who will win the retroactive movie awards? What actors and films will get the love? Is this is a quality year for cinema? It’s time to hand out some hardware, at least conceptually. I don’t have any actual awards to give out.
Best Supporting Actress: Ellen Greene, Little Shop of Horrors
You could make the argument that Greene is a lead in Little Shop of Horrors, and she is the primary female role. However, I would say she is still in a supporting role, and that Rick Moranis is the only lead role in the movie. Greene is doing something broad as Audrey, what with the voice and all. Then she sings “Suddenly Seymour,” and the full scope of her performance becomes abundantly clear.
Best Supporting Actor: Ray Liotta, Something Wild
Few actors have ever shown up in a film and flipped the script like the late Liotta in Something Wild. He shows up and turns a comedy into a thriller. That turn is entirely on Liotta’s shoulders. It’s an unnerving, energizing performance. Liotta’s energy always tended to feel disconcerting, and that was perfect for Something Wild.
Best Actress: Sigourney Weaver, Aliens
Weaver was quite good in Alien in the “Final Girl” role of a horror movie. In Aliens, she’s the hero of an action film. Weaver could do both with aplomb. As Ripley, she truly nailed being an actor star, but while remaining a capable dramatic actress. She won an actual Oscar for a reason, after all.
Best Actor: Kurt Russell, Big Trouble in Little China
The tone of Big Trouble in Little China is so specific. Why does it work? There are a few reasons, to be sure, but I would say number one is Russell. As Jack Burton, he has to thread a difficult needle. It’s a comedic role that’s also an action role but not really. He’s sort of a parody of an action movie hero, but not a broad one. The nuance is key in a movie that is not always nuanced, and Russell deserves a ton of credit for that.
Best Picture: Aliens
Aliens is kind of an action-horror movie, I guess, which is rare. James Cameron nails it, though. The movie was a fraught production, as is typically the case with Cameron, but it all came together. Aliens builds upon Alien but also sets its own path. It’s got a great cast and is gripping and exciting from start to finish. Your traditional award bait movies of 1986 are fairly flawed. Aliens, though, crushes it by delivering exactly what it set out to.
