Best Picture This

Director James Cameron blew the budget on 2009's "Avatar," betting that film's ambitious visual spectacle would equate to big box office rewards. He was right, as the film went on to not only become the most profitable blockbuster of all time, but also earn nine Oscar nods, including a win for Best Visual Effects and a nomination for Best Picture.

In this episode, Mike and Brian discuss the technical and narrative devices that contributed to the film's success and whether or not those tools hold up 13 years later. They explore the need for depth in movies designed to be experienced like theme park rides, the setpieces that stuck with them most and whether the movie is worthy of making their top-five lists of the year.

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Through its obsession with pop culture, director Marc Webb's "(500) Days of Summer" is as much about romcoms as it is a romcom itself, full of stylistic flourishes, "Annie Hall"-like experimentation and non-linear structuring gimmicks.

In this episode, Mike and Brian discuss how that approach informs the movie's central coming-of-age themes, they talk cultural mile markers, how Webb and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are able to make light of young love/first heartbreak without discrediting the experience and, finally, they decide whether or not this film will make their top fives of 2009.

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There's no such thing as an uninteresting Coen brothers' movie, and 2009's Best Picture-nominated "A Serious Man" continues that tradition, offering plenty of philosophical meat to chew on through its exploration of faith and meaning.

In this episode, Mike and Brian return to their conversation about nihilism's place in the Coen brothers' worldview, they talk fables, causality vs. randomness, bleakness as black comedy, and the role of absurdity in the Coens' work, before deciding whether or not this film will make their top fives of the year.

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Colin Firth was nominated in the Best Actor category in 2009 for "A Single Man," tallying the film's one and only Academy Award nod. In addition to Firth's performance, however, the film is a visual feast, full of impeccable costuming, set design and a color palette that, sometimes literally, radiates. 

The attention to visuals makes sense, given director Tom Ford's history as a fashion designer, but it also begs the question: Is there more to "A Single Man" than its glossy finishes?

In this episode, Mike and Brian talk style and whether or not Ford's eye for it here adds to the substance of "A Single Man;" they gush over Julianne Moore (and bestow a great honor upon her); dig deep into the movie's ending; and finally, decide whether or not this film will make their top fives of the year.

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Oprah and Tyler Perry were among the executive producers behind "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' By Sapphire," which helped the Lee Daniels-directed film draw in big-name talent from the Black music scene -- such as Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz. The movie went on to earn several Oscar nominations in 2009, including one for Best Picture, as well as a couple of Academy Award wins (for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress).

In this episode, Mike and Brian dig deeper into the world of "Precious," exploring what the film's choice to feature so many Black musicians does for its story; they talk highs and lows; discuss how a rewatch heightens or diminishes the film's emotional power; and finally, whether or not this film will make their top fives of the year.

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The first Best Picture winner to be directed by a woman, Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" electrified critics in 2009, even while drawing lukewarm box office numbers. 

In this episode, Mike and Brian explore the film's thesis that "war is a drug" and discuss the ways in which addiction can change characters and character arcs. They talk about the movie's poor audience turnout, Jeremy Renner as a leading man, how politics and timeliness affect Oscar voting and, finally, whether or not this film will make their top fives of the year.

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Quentin Tarantino earned his first Best Picture Oscar nomination for 2009's "Inglorious Basterds," a bloody, revisionist take on World War II, starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Mélanie Laurent. It's not the typical type of film recognized by the Academy Awards, which begs the question: Did it deserve serious consideration as the top film of the year, or was it a beneficiary of the recent expansion of the Best Picture category from five to 10 nominees?

In this episode, Mike and Brian explore the importance of historical accuracy and what's gained by revising the facts; they talk violence and catharsis; movies as mythmakers; the power of nicknames and, finally, whether or not this title will make their top fives of the year.

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Sandra Bullock earned a Best Actress Oscar for her turn as a no-nonsense southern mother with a flair for football and a heart of gold, in 2009 Best Picture nominee "The Blind Side," directed by John Lee Hancock. 

But 13 years later, does the movie still touch ... down on our hearts?

In this episode, Mike and Brian talk feel-good movies, explore the connection between inspiration and manipulation, discuss how faith is portrayed in popular film then decide whether or not this title will make their top fives of the year.

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Only three animated movies have ever been nominated for Best Picture, and one of them was Pixar's "Up," released in 2009, which placed it in rarefied air as one of the Greatest Animated Movies Ever. But was "Up" even the best animated movie of the year it released?

In this episode, Mike and Brian talk stop-motion and how the technique affects story, creepy "kids' movies," how director Henry Selick's "Coraline" stacks up to other horror films released that year, and whether or not it will earn a spot in their personal top fives of 2009.

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Pixar's "Up," released in 2009 to a box office gross of over $735,000, was one of only three animated movies of all time nominated in the Academy Awards' Best Picture category. That must mean it's an automatic top-five film of the year ... right?

In this episode, Mike and Brian talk talking dogs, grumpy old men and sad moments framed by colorful balloons. They break down their expectations for animated films, then decide whether to keep or kick this one, directed by Pete Docter, from its Oscar pedestal.

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And for 16 years of Golden Takes, head over to Letterboxd.