Silver Screeners

A fascinating interview with a footman from the HBO Max series The Gilded Age - otherwise known as the independent filmmaker and extra Brendan Manning! We talk about his experience on the pilot episode of the show, our shared thoughts on what this year's Oscars got right and wrong, and other stuff as well. Plus, the usual segments: the weekly poll results, trivia, and listener shout-outs!

It's Oscar weekend, so yeet those groceries into the fridge, let the clean laundry fall where it may, and indulge in Hollywood's big night! In this episode, I offer my predictions for all of the categories. Will CODA prove to have more Power than the Dog? Will Academy Award history have a double helping of Oscar-winning 'Anitas' from both versions of West Side Story? Will Lin-Manuel Miranda get his EGOT, or will Billie Eilish prevail for Best Song? Results of the weekly poll, the trivia segment involving listeners, and shout-outs to listeners, and a demonstration of applied knowledge about newly-acquired British slang!

In this 11th and final in a series of episodes leading up to Oscar night 2022, rewind to early 2017 when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actor to Moonlight and six awards (Director, Leading Actress, Production Design, Cinematography, Musical Score, and Song) to its Best Picture co-nominee La La Land! Includes an objective play-by-play of how “Envelopegate” unfolded on stage. Plus, the usual spoiler-free plot setups, behind-the-scenes fun facts, listener shout-outs, trivia, and highlights of that year's Oscar telecast in the feature "The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageous"!

In this tenth in a series of episodes leading up to Oscar night 2022, rewind to early 2012 when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hurled the Best Picture, Director, Leading Actor, Costume Design, and Musical Score prizes at the silent film The Artist and five awards (Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, and Art Direction) to its Best Picture co-nominee Hugo! Get ready for stories about how Thomas Edison’s rumored involvement in murder, space travel, Charlie Chaplin, a $25,000 bet, a Paris café basement, and a racing horse all part of the backdrop of both films. Plus, the usual spoiler-free plot setups, behind-the-scenes fun facts, listener shout-outs, trivia, and highlights of that year's Oscar telecast in the feature "The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageous"!

In this ninth in a series of episodes leading up to Oscar night 2022, rewind to early 2007 when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave the Best Leading Actress prize to Helen Mirren for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II and the Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor honors to Michael Arndt and Alan Arkin, respectively, for Little Miss Sunshine! Are there any parallels between The Queen and this year's nominee Kristen Stewart's take on Diana Spencer? Just how many cast and crew members of Little Miss Sunshine got their parents to fill in as extras? And what does Arnold Schwarzenegger have to do with it all? Spoiler-free plot setups, behind-the-scenes fun facts, listener shout-outs, trivia, and highlights of that year's Oscars ceremony in the feature "The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageous"!

In this eighth in a series of episodes leading up to Oscar night 2022, rewind to early 2007 when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences bestowed Best Picture honors to The Departed and finally gave Martin Scorsese his long-overdue Best Director award! Did he win for the right film? What was that year's competition? How would the three presenters have reacted if it had been another name in that envelope? And how does the cast measure up to the Boston dialect? Chris from the podcast The Movie Psycho joins me to tackle these and other questions!

In this seventh in a series of episodes leading up to Oscar night 2022, rewind to early 2002 when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences bestowed Best Picture honors to A Beautiful Mind, as well as Art Direction (now Production Design) and Costume Design prizes to Moulin Rouge! How does young Obi-Wan Kenobi stack up against Nicole Kidman? What do listeners have to say about the Muppet parody with Miss Piggy as 'Saltine' in Moulin Scrooge? What do personal painful memories of math class have to do with John Nash's profession? Spoiler-free plot setups, behind-the-scenes fun facts, listener shout-outs, trivia, and highlights of that year's Oscars ceremony in the feature "The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageous"!

In this sixth in a series of episodes leading up to Oscar night 2022, rewind to early 2002 when the first in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy was on the list of Best Picture nominees! My first return guest, DaveyA from the podcast I'd Give That Ten Minutes, joins me for a special episode filled with fun facts about the film that we both bring to a spirited conversation about all things Middle Earth that'll bring out your inner Hobbit.

In this fifth in a series of episodes leading up to Oscar night 2022, rewind to early 1997 when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences bestowed Best Picture honors to The English Patient, as well as Screenplay and Best Actress prizes to the Coen Brothers and Frances McDormand, respectively. Was Elaine Benes (TV's Seinfeld) right - was Sack Lunch better than The English Patient? Was Father Noel Furlong (TV's Father Ted) delusional, or was it his kind of film? Did Pacey (TV's Dawson Creek) put you to sleep by telling you the story as well? Spoiler-free plot setups, behind-the-scenes fun facts, listener shout-outs, trivia, and highlights of that year's Oscars ceremony in the feature "The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageous"!

In this fourth in a series of episodes leading up to Oscar night 2022, rewind to early 1992 when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences bestowed Best Picture nomination honors to an animated feature for the first time, 1991's Beauty and the Beast, as well as JFK, co-written, directed, and produced by Oliver Stone ... Spoiler-free plot setups, behind-the-scenes fun facts, listener shout-outs, trivia, and highlights of that year's Oscars ceremony in the feature "The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageous"!