Oscarwatch Podcast

This week, the boys of OscarWatch celebrate the movies with one of the most celebratory movies about movies: Francois Truffaut's 1973 Best Foreign Language Film winner, Day For Night. We discuss the very real and accurate drama and bulls*** that happens on every set, the charm and wit of these characters and that even though you're making a bad movie, at the end of the day, you're still making a movie! And isn't that wonderful? All this and more, this week on the podcast. Be sure to drop a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com, and find us on social media @oscarwatchpod. Subscribe and review on iTunes! We appreciate it! Next week, we Connect our little French theme a bit more!

We think of the Academy as some infallible ruling order that doles out awards based on merit, but that is hardly the case. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is comprised of men and women - mostly men - and they are as flawed as anyone else. Recently, the Academy invited over 750 new members into its fold and so we are taking a quick dive into just what the Academy is and who gets to be a part of it. Thanks for listening! Our regularly scheduled program will return next week. Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to follow us on social @oscarwatchpod.

For Your REconsideration: The boys of OscarWatch head out on a mission: to find what may have been the actual best picture of 1998 among the five nominees. After much searching, they may have found it in Steven Spielberg's World War 2 opus, Saving Private Ryan. This week, we discuss the philosophical value of a single life, what a movie can look like when everyone working on it is the top of their field, the enduring legacy of the film and how it still hits you, even almost twenty years later. And remember, if nothing else, we got Band of Brothers because of this. All that and more, this week. Write us in at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com, and be sure to find us on social media @oscarwatchpod. Subscribe and review on iTunes!

The 1998 Academy Awards race is one of the most legendary in history. While a case can be made for every film nominated that year, it came down to two: Saving Private Ryan and eventual winner, Shakespeare In Love. Join Matt and Steve as they re-examine the Elizabethan comedy (written by the great Tom Stoppard) and discuss why its the side characters who are best, why 'really good' shouldn't get you the win, the politicking of the Oscar season and just what in the hell is Ben Affleck doing here anyway? All that and more, and none of it in iambic pentameter! This is part one of our 1998 Retrospective; next week, we'll look at Spielberg's World War II opus. Email us at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com; find us on social media (@oscarwatchpod) and be sure to like, subscribe and review on iTunes.

For our 50th episode, OscarWatch decides to try everything and travels to the far away metropolis, Zootopia, 2016's Best Animated Feature! Just because the movie is meant for kids doesn't mean the conversation plays it safe: Matt and Steve open discussions by admitting to living in a racially polarized and privileged system. And it goes from there! We tackle the artistic merit of ambition versus execution, just what makes 'Flash, Flash, Hundred Yard Dash!' one of the best scenes of the year and ponder just why this may have been the movie we all desperately needed in 2016. And you will believe a stern man can laugh, this week on the podcast. Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to find us on all the social media @oscarwatchpod. Like, subscribe and review on iTunes! Next week: we come to it at last, the great war...of 1998.

This week, the guys at OscarWatch invite you to rock alongside them to 'history's' greatest rivalry in the one and only Amadeus. Sure, Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were good friends in real life, but never let the truth get in the way of a good story! Joined by special guest Greg from This Was Rad! Podcast, the gang discusses the pettiness and envy of Salieri - and how it's intimately relatable - the musical revolution that Mozart put forth, the exquisite costumes and make-up and just how great of a year 1984 was. Plus, we get to drop a Last Action Hero reference, and so you know we're in for a good time! Find This Was Rad at thiswasrad.podbean.com! Find us on the social media @oscarwatchpod and drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com, and like, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. Until next time, rock me!

This week, we invite you to look closer at the 1999 Best Picture winner, American Beauty. This was director Sam Mendes' debut film and it made quite a stir back in the late 90s, but how does it hold up some 18 years later? Steve and Matt debate the test of time and how something that appears great when you're 16 can change a lot as time moves forward. Can you see this film without thinking of the endless parodies of that bag scene? And Kevin Spacey. He's American's dad, for better or worse and a perfect encapsulation of post-Reagan, pre-9/11 masculinity in crisis, back when things seemed so much simpler. Finally, it's really easy to make a Best Picture winner when you have the great Conrad Hall working the camera. All this and more, so take a listen. It's beautiful, right? Thanks for listening. Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and follow us on social media @oscarwatchpod and rate and review on iTunes! Until next time, we'll see you on the red carpet (of roses).

This week, we ride to Valhalla, shiny and chrome, alongside guest host Matthew Krol of The Only Podcast About Movies in a new segment we're calling 'For Your Reconsideration'. Fury Road did not win Best Picture, but our hosts have some thoughts on that accounting error and make a strong case that of all the films released in 2015, George Miller's action opus is the best of the bunch. Exquisite action, high octane stunts, a shockingly deep and feminist story and some of the best music of the last decade: Fury Road has all of this and more. Witness us! Drop a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to find us on social media @oscarwatchpod. Like, subscribe and review on iTunes, it really does help us get the word out. Next week, we look closer.

Haul up the rigging! Let loose the jib! And climb aboard the latest episode of OscarWatch: 1935's great sailing saga, Mutiny on the Bounty. Wherein Clark Gable does not even try for an English accent, Charles Laughton eats every bit of scenery in sight and there are thrills and chills aplenty! Matt and Steve discuss the timeless adventure of the story, whether historical accuracy is required for 'historical' films and Steve presents a peculiar thesis on the religious overtones of the movie. All that and shenanigans on the high seas! * * shenanigans may actually be keelhauling, but you have been warned. Like what you hear? Send us an email at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com. Find us on social media and be sure to leave a review on iTunes. Next week, Oscarwatch rides to Valhalla, shiny and chrome...

A long time ago, someone decided that a punk kid should have the keys to the kingdom. And it's not just a metaphor for this podcast, it's Bernardo Bertolucci's sumptuous portrayal of the final imperial ruler of China, 1987's Best Picture winner, The Last Emperor. Listen to Matt and Steve as they follow the life of Pu Yi and his many different forms of imprisonment, where we wonder if a passive character can have much effect on anything. As well as a look at the sheer technical artistry on a scale we don't see anymore, and just why the hell this movie wasn't filmed in Mandarin! Oh, and everyone agrees: there's no way a British producer and an Italian director would ever film a movie about China in English in these days. Think of the outrage! Think of the THINKPIECES! Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com, find us on social media @oscarwatchpod and be sure to like, subscribe and review on iTunes. We love you guys and thanks for listening. Next week: IT'S MUTINY!

This week, OscarWatch would like to remind you that when traveling in the woods, it’s dangerous to go alone! Be sure to take us along to guide you as we examine the religious morality play, Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring. Steve confesses that becoming a dad has really made these kind of things extremely difficult to watch, and even the nearly 60 years since the film was released has not dulled its vicious impact on the audience. Questions of faith, of righteousness and dirty, violent revenge abound throughout the conversation. Join us in dissecting this highly influential piece of Swedish cinema. So, head on down the road and find us at the last house on the left. We'll be there. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, and leave a review. Find us on social media @oscarwatchpod, and leave us an email with your feedback oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com

Bust out the cheap stuff and keep em coming and join Matt and Steve for a discussion about Billy Wilder's sobering look at alcoholism, The Lost Weekend. Despite its age, the film is still a terrifying examination of alcoholism and the effects it has not only those it enthralls, but those around them. We toast to the effortless charm of Ray Milland - and Matt tells us about the second best Roger Corman movie, X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes. Writer's block, a horrifying look at the drunk tank and of course, Nicolas Cage. All that and more! So, pour yourself another and listen in. Subscribe on iTunes and be sure to leave a review! Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and find us on social (@oscarwatchpod). Next week, we look at the first of many Bergman films...

Fill up the balloons, strap in and be sure to bring along some chocolate, because OscarWatch is moving on 'Up' with the 2009 Best Animated - SQUIRREL! Feature. Matt and Steve waste no time in getting to the heartwrenching moments that have defined the film and reveal that at the end of the day, they're a couple of softies. But, not to bring the mood down, we talk MVP of the show Dug and long for a world where his optimism and joy were more prevalent. Finally, Matt throws down a bold and perhaps controversial statement about this year's actual Best Picture winner. Did it deserve it? Find out! All that and a brief primer on what makes a great villain., Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to like, subscribe and review iTunes. Find us on social media @oscarwatchpod and as always, thanks for listening.

This week, hosts Matt and Steve climb aboard the unsinkable ship and ask 'What's the worst that could happen?' as we take on James Cameron titanic film, uhh...Titanic, an Oscar juggernaut that took home nearly everything it was nominated for. The boys yell at their 14 year old selves, , wonder if we really need that whole framing device and how many of the film's moments have become woven into the pop culture fabric. Oh, and they spend entirely far too much time talking about Billy Zane, who may be the only actor who understands what Cameron is going for in this movie. Hop in. The water's nice! We have a floating door that can easily fit at least two of us! Near, far, wherever you are! I believe that you will write us an email (oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com) a review or subscribe on iTunes and Soundcloud! Find us back in steerage on social media @oscarwatchpod Next week, we're never gonna give you up. I promise.

Who watches the watchmen? OscarWatch watches the watchmen! Because we’re watching those who watch The Lives of Others, the Best Foreign Film of 2006 that has some eerie and unsettling parallels with the way things are now. Matt and Steve dive into a stunningly tight race in the category, the intricacies of right and wrong in an inherently ‘wrong’ society and the ability for people to really change. That, and a short love letter to the one and only Nicolas Cage. Because obviously. Tune in to hear if we’ve made a case for this film, or if another movie is more deserving of Academy Award immortality. Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com, and be sure to follow us on social media @oscarwatchpod. Next week, we travel…near…far…wherever you are…

OscarWatch welcomes its new co-host, Matt Marchetti (@movie_matt) for a bold discussion on all things Red Scare with On the Waterfront. Together, the two college alums talk the legendariness of Brando, the great Karl Malden - and just why on earth he didn't take home a statue this year, either - and the timelessness of a tale that's not just about dockworkers, HUAC or anything else pressing during the era, but of the ageless story of a simple man trying to fight against a corrupt system. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @oscarwatchpod. Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com, we truly appreciate all of your mail, and thank you again for listening. Next week, we're going foreign again for a look at The Lives of Others...

OscarWatch is joined by the one and only Steven Van Patten (@svpthinks) of the podcast Beef, Wine and Shenanigans for an in depth discussion of the newest Best Picture winner. We take a hard look at the infamous EnvelopeGate in our second act, and discuss if the bungling of the announcement ruined the moment in a way that only a country that's still battling racism can manage. Then, we talk identity, growing up in Brooklyn - as a geek - and finally, what will Moonlight's legacy be? Will it just be 'that movie that got announced second', or something else entirely? Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow us on social media @oscarwatchpod and as always, you can drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com Find SVP on his podcast http://www.blogtalkradio.com/beefwineandshenanigans or at his website, www.brookwaterscurse.com

OscarWatch returns after a long hiatus for a brief monologue on the still surprisingly relevant 1967 Best Pic, In the Heat of the Night. The great Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger are front and center in this tale of Biloxi murder, intrigue and oh yeah, racism, that remains an important conversation worth having. But does that a best picture make? Listen to Steve ramble on for a few minutes to find out. And seriously, why wasn't Rollerball nominated for any award, anyways? Glad to be back. Shoot us an email at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com, and be sure to find and follow on Social Media (@oscarwatchpod).

Come on down to Butch's and join host Steve and special guest Chris Olson of the Pop Culture Lens podcast for a look at William Wyler's coming home melodrama, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). As with any discussion with Mr. Olson, we waste no time in discussing masculinity as observed in both pop culture and in the military, a fitting topic considering the film is all about our returning veterans. We also discuss the changing world, Trump, the amateur greatness of Harold Russell, the role of women in a post-war society and various other topics one can definitely call 'great'. So, if you think 2017 may not be a particularly great year, then join us for this, the best years of our lives. Our lives, not yours. Thanks for listening. Be sure to like and subscribe on iTunes and Soundcloud. Find us on social media (@oscarwatchpod). Next week, the funtime conversations continue with a look at 2011's Best Foreign film, A Separation.

This week, Alex and Steve get spirited away with, uh...Spirited Away (2002), the Miyazaki masterpiece and only traditional 2D film to win the Best Animated Film Oscar thus far. The guys get into their personal history with the genre - and don't worry, Alex had actually seen this one before! As well as the monomyth-esque theme of sending children into strange and fantastic places to teach them a lesson. Plus, we learn what Alex's kid's favorite parts are! And finally, Steve bungles his way through a short but painful lesson in just how in the hell do you pronounce 'Ghibli' anyways? All that and more, this week on the podcast. Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to like, subscribe and review on iTunes. It really helps people find the podcast! Also, find us on social media platforms @oscarwatchpod Next week, we may be looking at four tough years but let's go back and remember The Best Years Of Our Lives, shall we?