The Envelope

On this episode, we discuss the seventy-seventh Best Picture Winner: “MILLION DOLLAR BABY.”

"Million Dollar Baby" is a sports drama film based on short stories by F.X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and cutman Jerry Boyd. The film follows Frankie Dunn, a veteran Los Angeles boxing trainer who keeps almost everyone at arm's length, except his old friend and associate Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris. When underdog amateur boxer Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald arrives in Frankie's gym seeking his expertise, he is reluctant to train the young woman, a transplant from working-class Missouri. Eventually, he relents, and the two form a close bond that will irrevocably change them both.  Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film stars Clint Eastwood as Frankie Dunn, Hilary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald, Morgan Freeman as Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris, Jay Baruchel as Danger Barch, Mike Colter as Big Willie Little, Anthony Mackie as Shawrelle Berry, and Michael Peña as Omar.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the seventy-sixth Best Picture Winner: “LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING.”

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is an epic fantasy adventure film that is the culmination of nearly 10 years' work and the conclusion to Peter Jackson's epic trilogy based on the timeless J.R.R. Tolkien classic. Continuing the plot of the previous two films: "Fellowship of the Ring" & "The Two Towers," Frodo, Sam and Gollum are making their final way toward Mount Doom in Mordor in order to destroy the One Ring, unaware of Gollum's true intentions.  Meanwhile, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the rest are joining forces together against Sauron and his legions in Minas Tirith. The film presents the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. Directed by Peter Jackson, the ensemble cast stars Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Sean Astin as Sam, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Dominic Monaghan as Merry, Billy Boyd as Pippin, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Andy Serkis as Gollum / Smeagol, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Ian Holm as Bilbo, Karl Urban as Eomer, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Sean Bean as Boromir, and so many more.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the seventy-fifth Best Picture Winner: “CHICAGO.”

"Chicago" is an American musical black comedy crime film based on the 1975 stage musical of the same name. It explores the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Chicago during the Jazz Age. The film centers on Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two murderesses who find themselves in jail together awaiting trial in 1920s Chicago. Roxie, a housewife, and Velma, a vaudevillian, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film stars Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, Richard Gere as Billy Flynn, Queen Latifah as Matron Mama Morton, John C. Reilly as Amos Hart, Dominic West as Fred Casely, Lucy Liu as Kitty Baxter, and Taye Diggs as Bandleader.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the seventy-fourth Best Picture Winner: “A Beautiful Mind.”

"A Beautiful Mind" is a biographical drama based on the life of the American mathematician John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics and Abel Prize winner. The story begins in Nash's days as a graduate student at Princeton University. Early in the film, Nash begins to develop paranoid schizophrenia and endures delusional episodes while watching the burden his condition brings on his wife Alicia and friends.  Directed by Ron Howard, the film stars Russell Crowe as John Nash, Ed Harris as Parcher, Jennifer Connelly as Alicia Nash, Christopher Plummer as Dr. Rosen, Paul Bettany as Charles, Josh Lucas as Hansen, and Judd Hirsch as Helinger.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the seventy-third Best Picture Winner: “GLADIATOR.”

"Gladiator" is an epic historical drama inspired by Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 book "Those About to Die" (formerly titled "The Way of the Gladiator"). The film follows Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed when Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, murders his father and seizes the throne. Reduced to slavery, Maximus becomes a gladiator and rises through the ranks of the arena to avenge the murders of his family and his emperor.  Directed by Ridley Scott, the film stars Russell Crowe as Maximus, Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Oliver Reed as Proximo, Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius, and Djimon Hounsou as Juba.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the seventy-second Best Picture Winner: “AMERICAN BEAUTY.”

"American Beauty" is a dark satire of American middle-class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction. The film follows Lester Burnham, an advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend.  As he experiences a new awakening of the senses, his wife and daughter also undergo changes that seriously affect their family. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film stars Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham, Annette Bening as Carolyn Burnham, Thora Birch as Jane Burnham, Wes Bentley as Ricky Fitts, Mena Suvari as Angela Hayes, Peter Gallagher as Buddy Kane, Allison Janney as Barbara Fitts, Chris Cooper as Colonel Fitts and Scott Bakula as Jim Olmeyer.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the seventy-first Best Picture Winner: “SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE.”

"Shakespeare in Love" follows a fictional relationship between William Shakespeare and a young woman who poses as a man in order to star in one of the writer's plays, "Romeo & Juliet."  Several characters in the film are based on historical figures, and many of the characters, lines, and plot devices allude to Shakespeare's plays.  Suffering from writer's block, Shakespeare is in need of a new muse, which he soon finds in the form of a beautiful female aristocrat, Viola De Lesseps. But her daring determination to act in his play puts their already forbidden relationship on even more dangerous ground.  Directed by John Madden, the film stars Joseph Fiennes as Will Shakespeare, Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola De Lesseps, Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe, Tom Wilkinson as Hugh Fennyman, Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth, Imelda Staunton as The Nurse, Colin Firth as Lord Wessex, Jim Carter as Ralph Bashford and Ben Affleck as Ned Alleyn.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the seventieth Best Picture Winner: “TITANIC.”

"Titanic" is an epic romance set against a fictionalized account of the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic. Incorporating both historical and fictionalized aspects, the film follows the forbidden romance between Rose and Jack, members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.  Directed by James Cameron, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose Dewitt Bukater,  Billy Zane as Cal Hockley, Kathy Bates as Molly Brown, Frances Fisher as Ruth Dewitt Bukater, Gloria Stuart as Old Rose, Bill Paxton as Brock Lovett, David Warner as Spicer Lovejoy, and Victor Garber as Thomas Andrews.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the sixty-ninth Best Picture Winner: “THE ENGLISH PATIENT.”

"The English Patient" uses the sweeping expanses of the Sahara as the setting for a passionate love affair in this adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel of the same name. A man burned beyond recognition, Laszlo de Almasy, tells his story to a young nurse caring for him in a series of flashbacks, revealing his true identity and the love affair he was involved in before the war. In the process, the nurse learns to heal her own scars as she helps the dying man. Directed by Anthony Minghella, the film stars Ralph Fiennes as Count László de Almásy, Juliette Binoche as Hana, Willem Dafoe as David Caravaggio, Kristin Scott Thomas as Katharine Clifton, Naveen Andrews as Kip, and Colin Firth as Geoffrey Clifton.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the sixty-eighth Best Picture Winner: “BRAVEHEART.”

"Braveheart" is an epic historical fiction war film that follows William Wallace, a late-13th-century medieval Scottish patriot who is spurred into revolt against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself.  When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. When the love of his life is slaughtered, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce. Directed by Mel Gibson, the film stars Mel Gibson as William Wallace, Sophie Marceau as Princess Isabelle, Angus Macfadyen as Robert the Bruce, Patrick McGoohan as Longshanks - King Edward I, Brian Cox as Argyle Wallace, Catherine McCormack as Murron and Brendan Gleeson as Hamish.

Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. 

You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.