At the Long Take Review, we have one eye always on the Oscar race. Usually, that means we are looking forward to the upcoming Academy Awards, talking through the race as it happens. But given our collective history of caring about these silly awards, we thought it would be fun to occasionally step back and train our eye on an earlier year in Oscar history. Regular listeners know we frequently talk about what we would change in the current race if we had the power of an Oscar Fairy; we decided to use that magic wand on the past with this Oscar Fairy Flashback, in which we’ll discuss what we would, in hindsight, like to change about the nominees and winners from a chosen year.

To spice up the discussion, P.T. designed a point spending system. Antonio, P.T., Greg, and I each receive 10 points for this round, and carry over any leftover points from the previous Oscar Fairy Flashback if we participated (sorry, Greg). To swap out a nominee in a below-the-line category (the technical and production crew categories as well as speciality film categories like International, Animated, Documentary), we have to spend 1 point; swapping out a nominee in an above-the-line category (screenplay, acting, or directing) requires 2 points; and swapping out a best picture nominee is 3 points. To change the winner within a given category costs double points: so 2 points to change the winner below-the-line, 4 points for above, and 6 points for best picture.

In this episode’s Oscar Fairy Flashback, we go back to the 87th Academy Awards, held on February 22, 2015 and honoring the films of 2014. Some of the big contenders that year were Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Whiplash, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Boyhood, and Selma. Which nominations and wins hold up? Which make us cringe with embarrassment now? What is Antonio’s big play for which he’s been saving up points? And what is Jen’s hottest movie take, maybe ever? Listen to find out!

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