Not Exactly Citizen Kane

Finally we're here! (It's bloody taken them long enough) Part 3 of our discussion of the films of 2019, and we're saved the best till LAST!

Follow us on through the mud and carnage of the the First World War, and down into the dark flooded basments of Bong Joon Ho's mind! It been a long road to get here, but there can only be one film we crown as the Best Picture this year!

Any guess what we might pick?

Will Alex, Jonah and Avril reach the end of their jounrey? Will this discussion go on forever? Can you belive it was even longer in the edit? Find out in this episode on the 92nd year of the Academy Awards.

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Like so many filmmakers before us we always intended this year to be a trilogy (we didn't). Jonah, Alex and Avril spent so long talking about the films of 2019 that this second part is not, in fact, the final part of this discussion. Think of it very much as the Empire Strikes Back to Part 1's original Star Wars. Darker, more intense and featuring a romantic subplot that's actually compelling (will celebrated film composer Michael Giacchino ever return Alex's affections? Probably not).

Featuring David Bowie, Sam Rockwell as a Nazi and even more Sondheim chat (seriously, he's becoming more mentioned than Star Trek), this episode is just the ticket before we turn our attention onto Ewoks and a big slug in the desert (just kidding, Pt. 3 is all about World War 1 and endemic wealth disparity).

How fucking good is Greta Gerwig's Little Women? Was Jared Leto a better Joker than Cesar Romero (we had to cut that bit out because it got too intense)? Is this podcast episode real or has it all been happening in the heads of our three intrepid film watchers? So many questions, so little time!

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Jonah and Alex are joined by Singer-Songwriter, Actor, Producer and Endurance Racing Driver Avril Amber who brings on the 92nd Academy Awards, a year that slightly undermined this podcast by giving Best Picture to a film that absolutely deserved it.

In the first part of a longer conversation these three intrepid film-watchers come face to face with a bunch of films that all seem to be almost specifically tailored towards Dads. Will they survive the hordes of murderous hippies, waxy faced mobsters and cut-throat divorce lawyers that meet them at every turn? Probably not, unless they can get Brad Pitt to take some acid in time next to a well-trained dog.

Is Once Upon a Time In Hollywood really Tarantino's ninth film?, Should The Irishman really be three and a half hours long?, Is Le Mans 66 really a better title than Ford v Ferrari? - Answers to these questions and more!

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Our noble questers are almost at the end of their journey but they still have quite a lot to contend with as the mysterious power of the ring threatens to finally corrupt one of their number...

Yes, such is the power of the Dark Lord Sauron that Alex has been filled with nothing but rage and ill-placed contempt for a film that can only be described as Really Rather Good (if a bit on the long side). Oscar and Jonah, ever on the side of Good, try and talk him down and explain to him that it's actually really rather impressive. Can he be persuaded? Or will Oscar and Jonah lose their friend forever to ramblings about that bloody film about Paul Bettany and a boat?

There's only one way to find out, as the three do their best to straighten this out once and for all.

Spoiler Warning!

Spoilers for the Return of the King. Throughout. Obviously.

Find Oscar:

On his Website.

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Jonah & Alex are joined by singer-songwriter, Lord of the Rings enthusiast and amateur jockey Oscar Merry who surprises everyone by bringing in the year Return of the King won everything.

There's a lot to get through before our noble band of warriors (a sword wielding man of the south, a flighty forest elf and a bloke with hairy feet) reach Middle Earth and so instead of cave trolls and Cate Blanchett they find themselves face to face with Boston hoodlums, Japanese culture, Russell Crowe shouting and a very, very angry horse.

Is Gladiator a sports movie? Is Seabiscuit not actually about a horse? How on earth does Star Trek come up this time? Will Oscar ever get a chance to tell us why he likes that bit in the third one with the beacons so much?

Part 1 of a 2 part discussion.

Spoiler Warnings!

Lost in Translation: 26:00 - 26:30, 30:13 - 32:00

Mystic River: 1:16:25,

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: 1:42:35 - 1:44:10

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: 26:00 - 26:30

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: 1:47:30 - 1:48:05

Find Oscar:

On his Website

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Jonah & Alex are joined by Singer-Songwriter, Session Player, Gun for Hire and former Child Actor Jack Scanlon, whose choice of the year 1969 means this episode contains more moon-landing conspiracy theories than anyone could have expected.

Once back on earth the trio find themselves face to face with conniving match-makers, quick talking bank robbers and some really, really, really, bad impressions.

How did Jack come to see the back of Dustin Hoffman's head that one time? Why does Jonah keep telling everyone to watch The Tudors, Did Elizabeth Talyor really sound like that? Some of these questions might just be answered.....

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Alex & Jonah are once again joined by filmmaker Cameron Reed to continue their look at the films of the 87th Academy Awards.

It's the turn of films that break story-telling convention today as the boys come face to face with ruthless drum teachers, self-involved method actors and the actual passing of time in an episode that's unusually highbrow and finds Cameron telling us about Auteur Theory, Jonah referencing Faust and Alex swearing about Birdman. A lot.

Spoiler Warnings!

The Grand Budapest Hotel (& Star Trek: Insurrection): 24:22 - 24:51 & 26:32 - 27:30

Whiplash: 32:47 - 33:00, 39:45 - 44:15, 46:18 - 49:37, 1:06:00 - 1:06:15

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): 1:05:54 - 1:09:00

Find Cameron:

On Instagram

On his Website

On Twitter

On his Podcast: Something To Talk About

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Jonah & Alex are joined by filmmaker, photographer and host of the Something to Talk About podcast Cameron Reed, who brings on a year so recent, everyone involved can more or less remember what won.

In the first part of their stint in 2014 the boys find themselves surrounded by famous people as they explore exactly what it is that makes the Academy love Biopics so much.

Can Alex remember any of the dates or historical information featured in any of the films? Will anyone mention that Jonah pronounces Jingoism as Jinguism? Will Cam ever talk to either of them again?

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Part two of Jonah & Alex's journey through the very first Academy Awards finds them surprised by the First World War and educated about the onscreen history of the Bum.

Which film will be pronounced a worthy winner in the eyes of our hosts? Will they agree with the decision the Academy made about 90 years ago? All shall be revealed...

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Jonah & Alex come face to face with a Lion and the Mob in the first step on their mission to compile a definitive (to them) list of worthy winners of Best Picture Academy Awards regardless of what the Academy actually decided.

How long was the first Academy Awards Ceremony? Did Alex actually understand the plot of The Racket? Why are Jonah's pockets full of tea? All these questions and more are answered in the first part of a two part discussion.

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