OscarWatch Podcast

This week, the boys of OscarWatch return to World War II with a look at the classic David Lean epic, The Bridge on the River Kwai. A gorgeous, tense and wonderful look at obsession in wartime, Obi-Wan Kenobi -- err, Alec Guinness, called it some of his finest acting (and he even won an Oscar, too). Our fearless hosts dissect the iconic theme, the nature of drama, motivation and conflict and get down to the business of watching a film in which all the pieces fall together beautifully. We also learn just why Steve was so eerily quiet these past few weeks. Turns out, he was on a little adventure of his own. All of this and more on this week's episode of OscarWatch.

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Today you have the FREEEEEEDOOOOMMMMM to listen to Steve and Alex talk about Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning Braveheart. Here we find out how important it was to certain young minds, and how well it has held up in the twenty one years since its release.

They also discuss how amazingly historically accurate the film is (snicker) and whether the battle sequences still pack a punch. Has Mel's escapades tainted his previous performances? Will revisiting this ruin childhood memories? Find out here, and make sure to listen to the end for a special behind the scenes glimpse at OscarWatch!

This week, OscarWatch addresses the troops with a very special look at the 1970 Best Picture winner, Patton. Joining the discussion is internet critic legend, fantasy novelist, and all-around cinephile, James Berardinelli of Reelviews.net (@reelviews). James explains his longtime admiration of the WWII biopic, a film he has named his favorite of all time (and he's seen his share of movies in his nearly 25 year career as a film critic!)

From the central performance, to the script, the music, and technical mastery on display, James and OscarWatch get down to the reasons why Patton will always be 5-stars.

Find James Berardinelli and his writings at www.reelviews.net

And look for OscarWatch on iTunes, SoundCloud and GooglePlay. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @oscarwatchpod and if you'd like to drop a line, shoot us an email at [email protected]

The Sound of Music is one of the most acclaimed musicals of all time. It's also a slog to get through. Could it be 16 going on 17... hours long?

Did The Sound of Music deserve the Best Picture Oscar for 1965? Watch as our fearless hosts discuss a few of their favorite things they saw while wondering just how many minutes were left. Revel in in the undeniably iconic soundtrack while wondering just where the plot is going. Cower in fear as lame Nazis come in and offer our hero a job as the film goes to a standstill.

Steve and Alex tackle what's arguably the Coen Bros' finest moment. In doing so they discuss they lament There Will Be Blood's awful, awful timing in coming out this year, where it would have swept the awards any other year.

They also dive into the many, many great movies that came out this year and talk about how Anton Chigurh is one of the best cinematic villains of all time. (Obviously.)

Find us on Twitter and Instagram at @oscarwatchpod. Find us on Facebook and join the conversation. Drop us an email at [email protected] and be sure to subscribe and review on iTunes. We really appreciate you listening! Spread the word!

OscarWatch takes flight and attempts to bring knowledge the masses with a discussion of Alejando Innaritu's Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), a meta commentary on meta-commentary itself. What exactly is this film trying to say, we ask and does it accomplish it? Or is it just its director yelling about kids these days? Because there's certainly a lot of that. Steve declares his love for Michael Keaton, Alex helps figure out 'that' ending and hey, wasn't that little action scene kinda great?

Oh, we definitely acknowledge that this will be the only "superhero" movie to ever win best picture. At least until every movie is a superhero movie.

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Kaaaawww!

The boys hike up their skirts and show a little leg in order to get your attention with this week's film: Frank Capra's screwball romantic comedy It Happened One Night! Once again, we get into the sexual politics at play in the film - and Alex sums up his feelings on the whole dating scene. Plus, Steve wonders if Gable's behavior in this one is one of the reasons why we have the 'he pulled your hair, so he must like you' trope in the world of romantic advice. Because, let's face it, as charming as he is, Gable is a bit of a jerk in this one. A good time is had by all in this, the second chapter of our 'Road Trip' winners series of Best Pictures!

Subscribe and review us on iTunes and Google Play. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@oscarwatchpod) and if you want to drop us a line the old fashioned way, well, sadly, telegram service has been discontinued (unlike in the movie). But you can send us an email to [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you.

It's an excellent podcast, definitely an excellent podcast! The boys on OscarWatch hit the road for the 1988 Hoffman and Cruise drama, Rain Man and along the way, they talk about the ins and outs of the autism spectrum, just what we think of as an Oscar winning performance maybe has not always been the case and yes, there's yet another Day of the Dolphin reference. Because from now on, there will always be!

We undergo a few technical difficulties but nothing that cannot be overcome.

Oh, and last but not least, I've checked in with a number of sources and yes, it's true: K-Mart sucks! (Qantas is pretty great, though)

Follow us on social media, Subscribe and Review on iTunes and shoot us any email to [email protected]

Next week, something may (or may not) have happened one night...

It's an excellent podcast, definitely an excellent podcast! The boys on OscarWatch hit the road for the 1988 Hoffman and Cruise drama, Rain Man and along the way, they talk about the ins and outs of the autism spectrum, just what we think of as an Oscar winning performance maybe has not always been the case and yes, there's yet another Day of the Dolphin reference. Because from now on, there will always be!

We undergo a few technical difficulties but nothing that cannot be overcome.

Oh, and last but not least, I've checked in with a number of sources and yes, it's true: K-Mart sucks! (Qantas is pretty great, though)

Follow us on social media, Subscribe and Review on iTunes and shoot us any email to [email protected]

Next week, something may (or may not) have happened one night...

This week, the guys of OscarWatch give their regards to Broadway with a look at the 1929 Best Picture winner, The Broadway Melody. The first musical to ever win the big prize, the movie has not aged in the nearly 90 years since its release. The gender politics are hilariously outdated, the technical acumen is basic and the acting overwrought, and yet, Alex and Steve debate whether it is fair to judge a film created at the beginning of sound and modern Hollywood by today’s standards. There’s a lot to appreciate in the movie, but also a lot of problematic moments, as well.

Also, Alex, discovers that there is a movie about a guy unwittingly training dolphins to kill the president of the United States and simply 'can't even'!

Drop us a line at [email protected]. Subscribe on iTunes and Google Play.