My Top Ten....of 1993

With 2013 behind us, it's time to look back at the year that's been. You know what that means: HOLLMANN AWARDS! Tomorrow, my Top 25; Friday, my longlists in all 18 categories.

But before we get to 2013....I have yet to share my Top Ten for 1993! So, that first; then, right below, the complete list of films I saw in 2013.

1. Six Degrees of Separation

dir: Fred Schepisi

scr: John Guare, from his play

cin: Ian Baker

Winner: Picture, Actor (Donald Sutherland), Actress (Stockard Channing)

Nominee: Production Design, Ensemble

The 1993 Retro Hollmann Awards: Part 3 (of 3!)

Finally, the third and final section of my 1993 Retro Hollmann Awards!

I took a lot more time than I usually do with these -- blame it on the rare quality of films we got this year. Some of my choices changed up to the moment I hit "PUBLISH", and I reserve the right to feel differently in the morning. It says something about this year, though, that my winner kept changing, that my nominees were so difficult to choose, that I still feel like I slighted worthy choices -- Christina Ricci in Supporting Actress, say, or Richard Linklater in Director. Still, as they say: it is what it is.

The final awards for 1993 honor Cinematography, Sound, Song, both Lead Acting categories, and of course...Picture:

The 1993 Retro Hollmann Awards: Part 2 (of 3)!

Finally, Part Two of my 1993 Retro Hollmann Awards! Last time, each of the six categories went to a different film. Will that incredible feat be repeated here? Who knows? (I do)

Keep it mind, today we're covering Best Visual Effects (three nominees!), Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Supporting Actress (prepare for some surprises!), Best Original Score and Best Original Screenplay. Winners are encased in gold. There's a lot of YouTubery ahead, so get ready for that loading time!

The 1993 Retro Hollmann Awards: Part 1 (of 3)

Oh, finally! One week later, and I finally have the first of my Retro Hollmann Awards for 1993 up! It was difficult to whittle everything down to these nominees, and then to actually choose a winner for each? Mercy! 

Yet I did just that, because that is what one does. Today, we're looking at six categories: Best Supporting Actor, Best Makeup, Best Ensemble, Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. Out of the 29 nominees here, only five were also nominated in these categories at the Oscars.

And, naturally, the winners are encased in gold.

1993 Retro Hollmann Awards: The Longlists

Trying to at least get this in before midnight on the East Coast.

As is tradition, the precursor to my Hollmann Awards are the longlists. There are, at most, 15 finalists in each of the 18 categories. Some categories didn't make it to 15; those that fall under this umbrella have the number of finalists in parentheses.

BEST PICTURE

Carlito's Way
Dazed and Confused
Farewell My Concubine
Groundhog Day
Jurassic Park 
Manhattan Murder Mystery
Orlando
The Remains of the Day
Ruby in Paradise
Schindler's List
Searching for Bobby Fischer 
Six Degrees of Separation
Three Colors: Blue 
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway 

1993 Retro Hollmann Awards: The Eligibility

That's a wrap!

Surprises in Store: Picture, 1993

As Barbra herself once said, "The moment has come."

For three white guys to finally get their due!

Varying Volumes: Actress, 1993

The Oscars chose two flawless performances; one powerhouse bio; a rich curiosity; and Debra Winger, which is a shame, because there was a lot to choose from this year.

Holly Hunter SWEPT the season for The Piano

For the Boys: Actor, 1993

Hello, fellas.

Surely this needs no explanation

Old Friends Revisited: Supporting Actress, 1993

Two actresses find themselves double-nominated; two finally get their due; and a ten-year-old defeats them all!

Anna. Paquin. Fierceness.

Ignore the Big Picture: Art Direction, 1993

One of my favorite categories is Art Direction-Set Decoration (or, as of last Oscars, Production Design).

The team of Starski/Braun takes it for....Schindler's List!

Diminishing Returns: Original Screenplay, 1993

Well, the party had to stop at some point.

Just not for Jane Campion (far R), who won this category

More Than Mere Noise: Score, 1993

And we're back! I hope you had a loverly weekend, that you caught up with our 1993 Retrospective, that you took a look at Andrew's contributions to our time travelling activities, and that you watched at least some of the flicks written about here.

You've seen Schindler's List, right? John Williams won for it.

There's a Girl in Here!: Director, 1993

 Welcoming back old friends, giving a master his due, relaxing the Boys Club mentality -- 1993 was pretty significant for Best Director.

Especially for this guy!

A Banner Year: Supporting Actor, 1993

Usually, Best Supporting Actor is a playground for overdue veterans, previously-nominated favorites, and perpetrators of category fraud. Like 1975, though, 1993 is a great example of actoring at the edges, with two transcendent perfs, two sublime ones, and one that's pretty damn great.

And that one, won! Tommy Lee Jones for The Fugitive!

Frame It!: Cinematography, 1993

Welcome to the Boys Club, where no woman dare enter.

Janusz Kaminski's first Oscar

No Laughter Allowed: Adapted Screenplay, 1993

And here begins the fight between me and Andrew Kendall.

Steve Zaillian won for his Schindler's List screenplay

No Nightmare? No Problem!: Original Song, 1993

It seems like it's been a while, yet it was only May when we last stepped into the Wayback Machine. This time, our journey takes us into the more recent past, a past that I was actually alive for: 1993.

A past where this happened

Forthcoming 90s; Past 70s

If you follow me on Twitter, perhaps you saw the conversation between Andrew and I about our next trip down Oscar Memory Lane: the year 1993. That is, the year Steven Spielberg finally got his Oscar, for a film AFI twice considered to be among the Ten Greatest Films of All Time, and a Best Picture winner that even Nick Davis had to call "For the Ages". And I've never even seen Schindler's List! I'm saving it to be among the last I see, both to savor it, and because, who's in a hurry to watch a Holocaust film?