And the Winner Isn't...

Dan and Marie explore the films which were nominated in the Oscar Best Picture category and which could possibly have won … but didn’t.

We take it in turns to pick a film, then discuss whether we think things have changed for that movie now, or if the original decision still stands; was it a deserving winner, or something only of its time?

In episode 7, Marie’s chosen one of her favourites again – Good Will Hunting. Will Dan agree with her choice, or will he be telling her “It’s not your fault”?

Although it didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck did collect the statue for their original screenplay, one which also includes a lot of improvisational performance. It did land Robin Williams an Oscar too.

We talk about the Boston accent (love it or hate it?), our favourite scenes from the film (yes, there are fruit involved), and our enduring love and admiration for Stellan Skarsgård. 

The big hitter of 1997 though was Titanic – would Dan agree that Good Will Hunting was a more worthy winner? And what about L.A. Confidential?

Join us to see whether we can reach any kind of agreement with The Academy or each other. 

Dan and Marie explore the films which were nominated in the Oscar Best Picture category and which could possibly have won … but didn’t.

We take it in turns to pick a film, then discuss whether we think things have changed for that movie now, or if the original decision still stands; was it a deserving winner, or something only of its time?

In episode 6, Dan has tried to entice me in with my enjoyment of the game of baseball, which I picked up on one of my trips to visit him in Louisville, and has gone for 1989’s Field of Dreams. I don’t think Kevin Costner has ever looked more Kevin Costner. With supporting turns from Burt Lancaster, James Earl Jones, and Ray Liotta it is certainly an icon of its time.

But was it better than Driving Miss Daisy? And if yes, was it better than the rest of the field? There may be some unexpected competition this time.

Join us to see whether we can reach any kind of agreement with The Academy or each other. 

Subscribe and join us!

Dan and Marie explore the films which were nominated in the Oscar Best Picture category and which could possibly have won … but didn’t.

We take it in turns to pick a film, then discuss whether we think things have changed for that movie now, or if the original decision still stands; was it a deserving winner, or something only of its time?

For our fifth episode, Marie chose to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission, Ron Howard’s take on Jim Lovell’s own account of three men (and NASA)’s battle to return safely to Earth following unforeseen events on their way to the moon.

Marie was inspired by the recent BBC World Service podcast series 13 Minutes to the Moon; Season 1 looked at the final minutes of the first moon landing, and Season 2 examined in detail the events of the Apollo 13 mission.

Apollo 13 was nominated in 9 categories and won in two, but Dan doesn’t think the best film of that year was even nominated! This leads us to step outside the original 5 nominations briefly to see what else was on offer – and brings us to a side discussion about Michael Mann’s Heat. If you’re interested in following Marie’s Pacino rewatch, you can read all about it at The Complete Pacino.

Join us to see whether we can reach any kind of agreement with the 68th Academy Awards (and each other), which handed over the Best Picture award to Braveheart. 

Subscribe and join us!

Dan and Marie explore the films which were nominated in the Oscar Best Picture category and which could possibly have won … but didn’t.

We take it in turns to pick a film, then discuss whether we think things have changed for that movie now, or if the original decision still stands; was it a deserving winner, or something only of its time?

For episode 4, Dan’s gone for one of his childhood favourites, 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s iconic in so many ways – the costume, the music, the snakes … why did it have to be snakes? Harrison Ford cracks the whip and Karen Allen wears the dresses, with Steven Spielberg directing and George Lucas producing.

Join us to see whether we can reach any kind of agreement with The Academy, which decided that Chariots of Fire was that year’s Best Picture. 

Marie makes reference to this conversation when discussing the evolution of the story and character of Marion.

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Dan and Marie explore the films which were nominated in the Oscar Best Picture category and which could possibly have won … but didn’t.

We take it in turns to pick a film, then discuss whether we think things have changed for that movie now, or if the original decision still stands; was it a deserving winner, or something only of its time?

For our third episode, Marie turned the clock back 70 years (yep!) to 1950, and nominated Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard. It’s one of Marie’s favourite films ever, but it turns out it was a blind spot for Dan. How will his 21st century eyes feel about seeing Hollywood and all its weirdness?

Sunset Boulevard was nominated for a pile of categories including all four for acting, but lost out in all of the major awards.

Join us to see whether we can reach any kind of agreement with the 23rd Academy Awards (and each other), which handed over the Best Picture award to All About Eve. Dan doesn’t get to name drop a celebrity encounter this time, but we do learn things about his past career ambitions.

Subscribe and join us!

Dan and Marie explore the films which were nominated in the Oscar Best Picture category and which could possibly have won … but didn’t.

We take it in turns to pick a film, then discuss whether we think things have changed for that movie now, or if the original decision still stands; was it a deserving winner, or something only of its time?

It’s Dan’s turn to choose, and he went for 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Morgan Freeman provides the voiceover and Tim Robbins provides the hope. 

Join us to see whether we can reach any kind of agreement with the 67th Academy Awards, which handed over the Best Picture award to Forrest Gump, along with a whole bunch of other awards too. Yet again, Dan name drops a celebrity encounter he’s had in the past, and Marie questions the ending for the second episode in a row! 

Subscribe and join us!

Dan and Marie explore the films which were nominated in the Oscar Best Picture category and which could possibly have won … but didn’t.

We take it in turns to pick a film, then discuss whether we think things have changed for that movie now, or if the original decision still stands; was it a deserving winner, or something only of its time?

Marie got the ball rolling this time around and selected 1976’s Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese’s delve into the mind of a psychopathic Travis Bickle, who is hell-bent on cleaning up the mess and scum of New York City all on his own, and in doing so saving a young Jodie Foster from a life on the streets. What a hero.

Join us to see whether we can reach any kind of agreement with the 49th Academy Awards, which handed over the Best Picture award to one of Dan’s favourite films – Rocky! Dan also name drops a couple of celebrity meet ups he’s had in the past, which may or may not have influenced his thoughts.