OscarWatch Podcast

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90th Annual Academy Awards: The Final Countdown Mar 01, 2018

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The 90th annual Academy Awards are upon us and there has been no better year to just throw darts at a board! Seriously, this race is as wide open as we all can remember it, with no intimidating frontrunner and with every film garnering its share of awards - and complaints. Perhaps, given the fractured nature of ourselves and the side that art comes from, this is not a surprise. Still, Amy and Steve are here to help you navigate the pitfalls of the MAJOR categories (sorry, shorts! find a different home!) and we absolutely guarantee* that our predictions will make winners of you all for your own office Oscar pool. The Superbowl of Film begins, and we're here to lay down the odds! Join us! * - guarantee not guaranteed

All About Eve (1950) Feb 27, 2018

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In a more innocent time when people thought someone seeing every performance of a show was not only cute but endearing, there is All About Eve, the 1950 Best Picture winner and one of the most nominated films of all time. Hosts Amy and Steve break down the surprisingly deep look at 50s society and how even the theater, that bastion of progressiveness, can be used to uphold the status quo in terms of gender, sexuality and especially, feminine agency. For a movie that's all about the women, they are servants to a surprisingly male force. And how could we not talk the 280 character (or less) takedowns from the great George Sanders and of course, the one and only Bette Davis. Also, it was a hell of a year for films, and particularly aging starlets. Write us an email at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com if you like what you hear! We're back soon with out Oscar picks.

Amour (2012) Feb 15, 2018

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Happy Valentine's Day! What better way to celebrate than to discuss the film that is literally called 'love', 2012's Best Foreign Language winner, Amour. A tour de force of the everyday, Michael Haneke's unsentimental look at an aged couple and their struggles is nonetheless an emotional rollercoaster of that dogged specter that stalks us all: getting old. Amy and Steve discuss the impact of the rote and boring, an accurate look at how love REALLY looks, removed from the Hollywood shine. We talk acting, pigeons and how this movie does not get the technical credit it really, really deserves. Is amour, no? Thanks for listening. Write us your thoughts at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to find us on social media @oscarwatchpod Next week, it's we're All About...someone.

Shrek (2001) Feb 08, 2018

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Hey now! You're an all star! Yes! You! For listening to this, our review of the very first Best Animated Feature winner, Shrek (2001). The greatest fairy tale never told. We're used to these subversive retellings these days - indeed, when was the last time anyone rescued a princess and not the other way around? - but for the time, Dreamworks' hit was quite groundbreaking. And, as it turns out, surprisingly dark. There is some serious stuff happening underneath that, sadly, is never developed fully. What remains is a delightful buddy adventure with a moral that everyone can get behind. Plus, a lot of fart jokes. Join Amy and Steve as they discuss the whys and why nots of its big win. And then, we're making waffles! Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to find us on social media @oscarwatchpod Next week, love is in the air. We hope.

You're The Best Around! The Top 10 of 2017 Feb 02, 2018

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Behold! We are creatures of surprise! Not only do we watch older, more acclaimed movies, but we occasionally also get out to the movies to see the best movies of tomorrow today...yesterday? As with many things, we lost the metaphor. Amy and Steve count down their Top 10 films of a surprisingly wonderful film year. Sure, 2017 wasn't the best for the world in general, but we always have the movies. The lists may not be the most 'critically acclaimed' but we have fun with all we've seen. So, from difficult moms (and another difficult mom...and still another difficult mom) to superheroes and everywhere in between, we count em down the best way we can. Sadly, we must also bid adieu to Matt, our longtime co-host, who is on to greener, far better paying pastures! He'll pop in from time to time to talk some B-movie gem. If you like our lists (or if you can't believe we forgot x, y and z) please drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to find us on social media.

Life Is Beautiful (1998) Jan 18, 2018

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Bonjourno, principesa! You know what the problem with Holocaust movies is? They're all so serious! Just lighten up already, like this week's film, Life Is Beautiful, a film that got raked over the coals for doing just that - but won Gold anyways. The movie introduced us to the lovable charm of Robert Benigni and showed us the power of imagination to overcome the odds, no matter how dour and dark. Join Amy and Steve as they discuss the practicalities of imagination, Benigni's famous walk to the podium and why this may have been worthy of an even greater prize at that year's Academy Awards. Thanks for listening. Tune in next week for our tops of 2017!

75th Golden Globes Recap and 2017 Best Of Jan 12, 2018

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Who says we just watch older films? That we aren't "with it"? The gang recaps the 75th annual Oprah's preside--err, Golden Globes which is guaranteed to not clear up this year's Oscar race AT ALL! Additionally, we tackle some of our Best of 2017 categories, from our favorite lines to the best trailers. It's fast and loose and a little different than our normal show! Tune in to get your somewhat well informed awards season prognostication. Also, we find out that Amy really, really, I mean really likes Sondheim musicals.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Jan 04, 2018

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Pop quiz! Is Slumdog Millionaire, the Best Picture of 2008, truly worthy of the title? A. Yes B. No C. Huh? D. It is known. Our first film of the year is likely the only quasi-Bollywood film anyone in the West has seen! Amy and Steve tackle Danny Boyle's restless, fast-paced love story, discussing the pros and cons of the film's framing device, exactly which version of the characters is best (spoiler: the youngest kids!), the musical choices and scores and of course, just how this film would be received in 2018 by social media. All that and more for our first episode of the year! Thanks for listening. Drop us a line at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and be sure to find us on social media @oscarwatchpod Next week, the awards season begins in earnest. We're looking at the Golden Globes and counting down our favorites of 2017!

For Your ReConsideration: It's A Wonderful Life (1946) Dec 21, 2017

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Hee haw, hee haw! It's our final Christmas movie of the year, Frank Capra's beloved 1946 film, It's A Wonderful Life. A classic now, but maybe not so successful in its time. Amy and Steve look back at what makes this movie an enduring American story, the aw-shucks greatness of Jimmy Stewart, why anyone would ever think Donna Reed was just a 'plain' girl that no one would want to dance with; we wonder why Steve's mother really dislikes this film, and why we remember things about this movie a bit differently than they actually happen. It's a fun discussion on the emotional power and timelessness that only film can provide a society, and our final episode of the year. Like us? Dislike us? Send us an email at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com and find us on social media. Happy holidays! Thanks for a wonderful year and take care.

Fanny And Alexander (1983) Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

We let our imaginations run wild with this week's entry into our Christmas canon, Ingmar Bergman's Fanny And Alexander! Our trio is divided at the start of this one; while everyone likes what's happening, at least one is unsure where it's all heading. We discuss the 'fun' in 'dysfunctional' family (or is it really that?), tackle the impressiveness of the acting - despite not speaking the language!, Shakespearean overtones and of course, it wouldn't be a Bergman film if we didn't talk about, or to, God himself. Matt proposes an interesting thesis topic regarding Bergman...for someone else to write! Yep! Nothing says holiday cheer like Swedish esoteric, quasi-supernatural coming of age drama! Send us your thoughts at oscarwatchpodcast@gmail.com, and find us on social media. Thanks for listening! Next week, our Christmas marathon wraps up with a little Capra-corn...

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