Smackdown '85: Meet the Panelists!
Monday, September 25, 2017 at 1:00PM The Next Supporting Actress Smackdown is on Sunday - get your votes in by Friday night please. Please only vote on the performances you've seen. Your host has been backstage doing the difficult (but exciting) work of wrangling up critics, industry professionals, and writers to discuss these Oscar years with you. (Coming soon: 1944, 2017, 1970, 1994)
MEET THE PANELISTS
Here's a little bit about our exciting panel to prep you for our conversation as we finish up our screenings. We're heavy on new Smackdowners and Los Angelenos this time which is a fun development.
First Time Smackdowners
NORA ZEHETNER
Nora Zehetner is an actress who most recently appeared in the Amazon Studio/Magnolia film Creative Control which was on the National Board of Review's list of top ten indies. Her previous work includes Maron, Greys Anatomy, Brick and Mad Men. [Instagram]
What does 1985 mean to you?
1985 was a good year for me. I was footloose and fancy free embarking on my 4th year in this sordid world. I have no recollection of my favorite movies at the time, but I was keen to dance to Michael Jackson (often copying his one glove look) and crush on George Michael. All my heroes are dead. The Goonies and The Breakfast Club have gone on to become my most favorite (and most viewed) films from 1985. .
LOUIS VIRTEL
Louis Virtel is a comedian, writer for Billy On The Street and Throwing Shade, and panelist on Maximum Fun's Pop Rocket podcast. The Advocate called him "the gay president of pop culture comedy." [Twitter | Instagram]
I was born in 1986 but I associate '85 with three pop culture moments that were crucial to my conception: Madonna's rapturous "Material Girl" video, Suzanne Vega's dark, wise self-titled debut album, and the wickedly bonkers whodunit Clue. All three contain throwbacks to saucy icons of the past (Marilyn Monroe in "Material Girl," a portrait of Marlene Dietrich on Suzanne Vega, and that minx J. Edgar Hoover in the '50s set Clue), and I consider such homages in line with my personal mantra: Pick your icons carefully and toast them with grand, showy conviction whenever possible.
MICHELLE MORGAN
Michelle Morgan has written numerous projects for film and television. Her feature directorial debut, L.A. Times, premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and she loves cats very much.
What does 1985 mean to you?
1985 was a seminal year for Michelle. Even though she was a young child at the time, her parents were pretty chill about the movies she watched and as a result she got to enjoy enjoy a lot of titles from that year at a very early age. Many of those films, such as Real Genius, Desperately Seeking Susan, The Legend of Billie Jean and Murphy's Romance are still amongst her favorites today.
PHUONG LE
Phuong Le is an MA in Film Studies candidate at King's College London. Her writings can be found at Film Comment, Movie Mezzanine, Vague Visages and PopOptiq. [Twitter]
What does 1985 mean to you?
When I think of 1985, because I am from Vietnam, my first thought unfortunately goes to Rambo First Blood Part II. After a decade of films that are critical of the Vietnam War and its aftermath such as Taxi Driver orApocalypse Now, it is jarring that a movie like Rambo II whose plot can be considered a kind of reinvasion of Vietnam actually became the second highest grossing film of the year. Besides reflecting the politics of the time, this change also signals a shift from 1970s auteur-filmmaking to approaches that are more high-concept. Nevertheless, my connection to 1985 is thankfully not all about men killing one another in tropical jungles. 1985 was when Sade's Promise, one of my all-time favorite albums came out. Sade's gorgeous songs have been with me through tough times, such as when I had to sit through, you guess it, Rambo II.
Returning Panelist
A photo of little Abdi FROM 1985. Well done, Abdi
ABDI NAZEMIAN
Abdi Nazemian is an author, screenwriter and producer. His debut young adult novel, THE AUTHENTICS, was released by Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins on August 8, 2017, and was chosen as one of Amazon's best books of the month and as People Magazine's Teen Pick. Abdi’s first novel, THE WALK-IN CLOSET, was released in 2015 by Curtis Brown Unlimited, and was awarded Best Debut at the Lambda Literary Awards. Abdi has written four produced films: MENENDEZ: BLOOD BROTHERS (Lifetime, 2017), THE QUIET (Sony Pictures Classics, 2006), CELESTE IN THE CITY (ABC Family, 2004), and BEAUTIFUL GIRL (ABC FAMILY, 2003). He also wrote, directed and produced the short film REVOLUTION (2012). As Head of Development for Water’s End Productions, Abdi has been an executive producer or associate producer on numerous films, including CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. [Twitter | Instagram]
What does 1985 mean to you?
Here's a Clue: Miss Ciccone. In the Canadian Library. With the Breakfast Club."
And your host...
NATHANIEL R
Nathaniel is the founder of The Film Experience, a longtime Oscar pundit, and the web's actressexual ringleader. He fell in love with the movies for always at The Purple Rose of Cairo even though he didn't quite understand it at the time (which happens to be, you guessed it, 1985) but mostly blames Oscar night (in general) and the 80s filmographies of Kathleen Turner & Michelle Pfeiffer (specifically). [Twitter | Instagram]
What does 1985 mean to you?
It was all about the Material Girl. Her "Virgin Tour" brought me that seminal youth experience (pre-internet that is) of waiting in line for many hours for concert tickets with hordes of other very excitable fans... for the very first time 🎶 (shut up. I'm old). My mom was horrified at my 'all Madonna all the time' headspace.
It was also the first year I ever saw an R rated movie. I marvelled at my mom's obsession with Witness and I myself was obsessed with The Breakfast Club and I went with a group of friends almost every week for two months! They were lax about checking IDs in Detroit, okay? It's weird now to think that The Breakfast Club was rated R... but MPAA was stricter in those days. It was also the first year where I 'followed' the Oscar race BEFORE nominations, a big rite of passage for an awards freak -- at least pre-internet when you had to really pay attention to do that.
What does 1985 mean to you dear readers?
Do tell in the comments. Here's a helpful overview of the year if you need one and here's how to vote on the Smackdown.
Reader Comments (25)
Great group! Excited!
OPRAH OPRAH OPRAH!!!!
1985 is my earliest movie memories of seeing movies at the movies. Both drive-ins and movie palaces and mini multiplexes.
A View to a Kill
Rambo II
Rocky IV
My father loves Bond my mother loves Stallone.
You got some super fancies to participate in this one. Exciting!
1985 means a lot to me because it was the year I was born, the year that my favorite team won the World Series (their only win for 30 years), and the year that two pitchers reached the seminal 300-win milestone.
So I hope that my vote on the Smackdown made it safely to the Film Experience's inbox.
For me, 1985 was all about working at our local Landmark Theater, and dealing with the unexpectedly huge crowds for movies like A Room with a View & Shoah. Plus, for the year or two that I worked there, I didn't have to pay for any movies at all in the Twin Cities (movie theaters have this agreement, or they did back then, anyway). I was young and poor back then, so it was a fun job to have. I sure hated changing the marquee tho.
BTW, I adore Louis Virtel and very happy he will be participating in the Smackdown. Really looking forward to it, as ever!
This panel makes me feel old.
I'm so excited for Louis Virtel, he's so fun. Great panelists.
Oh, Nora Zehetner. A very underrated actress.
Louis Virtel is my soul mate because I know he idolizes Sandy Dennis just like me.
Yippee!! Smackdown!
I always feel like I need a cigarette when I see those words.
1985 not a great year of film for me.
I was 8 that year and the films that lasted for me (but i didn't see until they were on video) were THE GOONIES; YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES; OUT OF AFRICA; A VIEW TO A KILL; PRIZZI'S HONOUR; THE MAN WITH ONE RED SHOE (only for Carrie Fisher!)
Thanks again for the podcast Nathaniel!
Oh - of course I forget CLUE! One of my happiest memories was watching it when it aired on television in Australia. Even my father, who hates more American comedy, loved it. The singing telegram girl scene is still the biggest laugh ever in a film.
Bliss!
Well, 1985 is when I was born, so that's pretty significant to me.
Regarding cinema, so many great films that wound up having a huge influence on me came out my birth year: Clue, Return of the Living Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Cocoon, The Black Cauldron, Return to Oz, the Carol Channing version of Alice in Wonderland, and, of course, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.
Damn. The best looking group of panelists yet. Lmao
I love Louis Virtel. He's so funny, and umm, sexy. Can't wait for this Smackdown.
I tend to less associate 1985 with film than with music. Not that there was a shortage of fabulous cinema gracing the screen that year - AFTER HOURS, CLUE, THE COLOR PURPLE, LIFEFORCE and THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, among others, rock my world - but holy shit was the music especially phenomenal.
Madonna was ruling the airwaves ("Crazy for You" is my personal fave), Whitney was coming on strong (I say her best song ever remains "Saving All My Love for You") and those fabulous Mary Jane Girls were inviting us all in their house ("wo-oo-oo-oo"). Okay I think I need to go listen to "In My House" right now...
Yay--I love Louis Virtel! Verbal Voguing for life!
@Tom M Me, too!!!!
good grief, get some adults on that panel!
[i kid...but seriously, when did everyone get so young??]
This Smackdown needs to be a live stream instead of an audio podcast! :0
Yay, Nora! Been a fan since her Everwood days.
Louis always asks great insightful Oscars questions on his Facebook. The man has literally seen everything. I'm also born in '86 and don't feel too strongly about it as a year, but I can't wait to read from all the panelists!
Abdi FTW! (That pic...ma gawd. LOL)
1985 is a glorious year. Can't wait!
yay women panelists! boo louis virtel... as his schtick has worn out, it's really just become clear he's just a mean-spirited person. not really interested in what he has to say...
For 1985, I remember I went to clubs to dance to "I Feel for You", "Freeway of Love", "Easy Lover", "Some Like It Hot" and "Smooth Operator". That's the year British Music still occupied American Charts while Madonna and Cyndi Lauper started ruling the world and I thought at the time Lauper had to be a bigger star in the long run, right? I loved her single "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" and screaming with glee everytime I heard her solo in We Are the World.
As for the movies, I think the most in demand actress got to be Rosanna Arquette who had three or four movies that year but her future did not seem so bright when she was upstaged big time by Madonna in Desperate Seeking Susan and never seem to recover.
I remember Michelle Pfeiffer got to be the most beautiful actress in the world from Ladyhawke (remember her enormous eyes from the poster?) and Into the Night which both had me dozed off half way through.
The other things I remember are Glenn Close bombed big time with Maxie and made me think she couldn't do comedy, Meryl Streep just might be the best in dramatic actress with Out of Africa and Plenty and Kathleen Turner just killed it as the most popular comedic actress with Pizzi's Honor and The Jewel of the Nile.
That's the year Roger Ebert said he just loved The Sure Thing with John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga and predicted bright future for Cusack who hasn't even been nominted for an Oscar once until now!.
And last even though Woody Allen was more popular I was looking forward to Alan Rudolph's Trouble in Mind which employed same kind of starry cast as Mr. Allen's movie. In this case, they were Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine, Lori Singer, Genevieve Bujold and Divine..not in drag. Rudolph's last movie was released in 2003 while Allen will have Wonder Wheel this year. Please come back Mr. Rudolph.