OscarWatch Podcast

This week, we invite you to look closer at the 1999 Best Picture winner, American Beauty. This was director Sam Mendes' debut film and it made quite a stir back in the late 90s, but how does it hold up some 18 years later? Steve and Matt debate the test of time and how something that appears great when you're 16 can change a lot as time moves forward. Can you see this film without thinking of the endless parodies of that bag scene? And Kevin Spacey. He's American's dad, for better or worse and a perfect encapsulation of post-Reagan, pre-9/11 masculinity in crisis, back when things seemed so much simpler. Finally, it's really easy to make a Best Picture winner when you have the great Conrad Hall working the camera. All this and more, so take a listen. It's beautiful, right?

Thanks for listening. Drop us a line at [email protected] and follow us on social media @oscarwatchpod and rate and review on iTunes!

Until next time, we'll see you on the red carpet (of roses).

This week, we ride to Valhalla, shiny and chrome, alongside guest host Matthew Krol of The Only Podcast About Movies in a new segment we're calling 'For Your Reconsideration'. Fury Road did not win Best Picture, but our hosts have some thoughts on that accounting error and make a strong case that of all the films released in 2015, George Miller's action opus is the best of the bunch. Exquisite action, high octane stunts, a shockingly deep and feminist story and some of the best music of the last decade: Fury Road has all of this and more.

Witness us!

Drop a line at [email protected] and be sure to find us on social media @oscarwatchpod. Like, subscribe and review on iTunes, it really does help us get the word out.

Next week, we look closer.

Haul up the rigging! Let loose the jib! And climb aboard the latest episode of OscarWatch: 1935's great sailing saga, Mutiny on the Bounty. Wherein Clark Gable does not even try for an English accent, Charles Laughton eats every bit of scenery in sight and there are thrills and chills aplenty! Matt and Steve discuss the timeless adventure of the story, whether historical accuracy is required for 'historical' films and Steve presents a peculiar thesis on the religious overtones of the movie. All that and shenanigans on the high seas! *

* shenanigans may actually be keelhauling, but you have been warned.

Like what you hear? Send us an email at [email protected]. Find us on social media and be sure to leave a review on iTunes.

Next week, Oscarwatch rides to Valhalla, shiny and chrome...

A long time ago, someone decided that a punk kid should have the keys to the kingdom. And it's not just a metaphor for this podcast, it's Bernardo Bertolucci's sumptuous portrayal of the final imperial ruler of China, 1987's Best Picture winner, The Last Emperor. Listen to Matt and Steve as they follow the life of Pu Yi and his many different forms of imprisonment, where we wonder if a passive character can have much effect on anything. As well as a look at the sheer technical artistry on a scale we don't see anymore, and just why the hell this movie wasn't filmed in Mandarin!

Oh, and everyone agrees: there's no way a British producer and an Italian director would ever film a movie about China in English in these days. Think of the outrage! Think of the THINKPIECES!

Drop us a line at [email protected], find us on social media @oscarwatchpod and be sure to like, subscribe and review on iTunes. We love you guys and thanks for listening.

Next week: IT'S MUTINY!

This week, OscarWatch would like to remind you that when traveling in the woods, it’s dangerous to go alone! Be sure to take us along to guide you as we examine the religious morality play, Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring. Steve confesses that becoming a dad has really made these kind of things extremely difficult to watch, and even the nearly 60 years since the film was released has not dulled its vicious impact on the audience. Questions of faith, of righteousness and dirty, violent revenge abound throughout the conversation. Join us in dissecting this highly influential piece of Swedish cinema.

So, head on down the road and find us at the last house on the left. We'll be there.

Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, and leave a review. Find us on social media @oscarwatchpod, and leave us an email with your feedback [email protected]

Bust out the cheap stuff and keep em coming and join Matt and Steve for a discussion about Billy Wilder's sobering look at alcoholism, The Lost Weekend. Despite its age, the film is still a terrifying examination of alcoholism and the effects it has not only those it enthralls, but those around them. We toast to the effortless charm of Ray Milland - and Matt tells us about the second best Roger Corman movie, X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes. Writer's block, a horrifying look at the drunk tank and of course, Nicolas Cage.

All that and more! So, pour yourself another and listen in.

Subscribe on iTunes and be sure to leave a review! Drop us a line at [email protected] and find us on social (@oscarwatchpod).

Next week, we look at the first of many Bergman films...

Fill up the balloons, strap in and be sure to bring along some chocolate, because OscarWatch is moving on 'Up' with the 2009 Best Animated - SQUIRREL! Feature. Matt and Steve waste no time in getting to the heartwrenching moments that have defined the film and reveal that at the end of the day, they're a couple of softies. But, not to bring the mood down, we talk MVP of the show Dug and long for a world where his optimism and joy were more prevalent. Finally, Matt throws down a bold and perhaps controversial statement about this year's actual Best Picture winner. Did it deserve it? Find out!

All that and a brief primer on what makes a great villain.,

Drop us a line at [email protected] and be sure to like, subscribe and review iTunes. Find us on social media @oscarwatchpod and as always, thanks for listening.

This week, hosts Matt and Steve climb aboard the unsinkable ship and ask 'What's the worst that could happen?' as we take on James Cameron titanic film, uhh...Titanic, an Oscar juggernaut that took home nearly everything it was nominated for. The boys yell at their 14 year old selves, , wonder if we really need that whole framing device and how many of the film's moments have become woven into the pop culture fabric. Oh, and they spend entirely far too much time talking about Billy Zane, who may be the only actor who understands what Cameron is going for in this movie.

Hop in. The water's nice! We have a floating door that can easily fit at least two of us!

Near, far, wherever you are! I believe that you will write us an email ([email protected]) a review or subscribe on iTunes and Soundcloud! Find us back in steerage on social media @oscarwatchpod

Next week, we're never gonna give you up. I promise.

Who watches the watchmen? OscarWatch watches the watchmen! Because we’re watching those who watch The Lives of Others, the Best Foreign Film of 2006 that has some eerie and unsettling parallels with the way things are now. Matt and Steve dive into a stunningly tight race in the category, the intricacies of right and wrong in an inherently ‘wrong’ society and the ability for people to really change. That, and a short love letter to the one and only Nicolas Cage. Because obviously.

Tune in to hear if we’ve made a case for this film, or if another movie is more deserving of Academy Award immortality. Drop us a line at [email protected], and be sure to follow us on social media @oscarwatchpod.

Next week, we travel…near…far…wherever you are…

OscarWatch welcomes its new co-host, Matt Marchetti (@movie_matt) for a bold discussion on all things Red Scare with On the Waterfront. Together, the two college alums talk the legendariness of Brando, the great Karl Malden - and just why on earth he didn't take home a statue this year, either - and the timelessness of a tale that's not just about dockworkers, HUAC or anything else pressing during the era, but of the ageless story of a simple man trying to fight against a corrupt system.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @oscarwatchpod. Drop us a line at [email protected], we truly appreciate all of your mail, and thank you again for listening.

Next week, we're going foreign again for a look at The Lives of Others...