The Oscar Project Podcast

Send us Fan Mail

In the wake of the wildfires in Los Angeles, I wanted to leave some links to resources you can use if you are affected, or if you want to help those in need. I also provide a brief schedule update for the podcast in the next few weeks.

• LA Fire Mutual Aid Resources-central repository for all sorts of resources including meals, donations, animal services and more 
• Salvation Army
• Red Cross Monetary Donation
• Red Cross Blood Donation
• FireAid Benefit Concert
• Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation

Finally, after hearing the news of the passing of David Lynch yesterday, I've included a portion of the interview I did with Ian Nathan in 2023 where we talked about Lynch.

Listen to the full interview with Ian Nathan about David Lynch.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Today's episode is my conversation about the 1927 film Two Arabian Knights. My friend Shawna Carroll from Notes from Post newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about the key players involved in the film (including someone you might know better as a famous monster), how you could easily remake this film with Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote, and what a shame it is that we don't have any Oscar categories specifically geared toward comedic films.

You can watch Two Arabian Knights on YouTube and be sure to check out Shawna's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• The Circus directed by Charlie Chaplin
• Speedy directed by Ted Wilde
• All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Lewis Milestone
• "The Arrival of a Train" directed by the Lumiere Brothers
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off directed by John Hughes
• Deadpool directed by Tim Miller
• The Maltese Falcon directed by John Huston
• Frankenstein directed by James Whale
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas directed by Charles M. Jones
• The Aviator directed by Martin Scorsese
• Scarface directed by Howard Hawks
• Green Book directed by Peter Farrelly 

Other works referenced:

• "TCM Diary: The Strange Case of Two Arabian Knights" by Nick Davis in Film Comment (March 1, 2017)
• Two Arabian Knights Review from Photoplay Magazine (November 1927)

Read the story that served as the basis for the film in McClure's Magazine in three parts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 film Tempest. My friend Amanda Kusek from The 90-Minute Movie newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about the nature of shifting character dynamics throughout a film, how we see historical events through the lens of film, and almost being able to hear the voice of an actor from his performance on screen even in a silent film.

You can watch Tempest on You Tube and be sure to check out Amanda's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days directed by Donald Petrie
• The Great Dictator directed by Charlie Chaplin
• Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz
• Black Hawk Down directed by Ridley Scott
• United 93 directed by Paul Greengrass
• World Trade Center directed by Oliver Stone
• Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis

Other links:

• Tempest (1928) A Silent Film Review on Movies Silently

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In today's episode, I interview Hannah Beach, Phoebe Campbell-Harris, and Sophie Stacey, the director, writer, and producer of the short film "A Matter of Minutes," a story of a young woman facing a life threatening situation at a house party.

Listen to hear about Phoebe's personal experience that inspired the story, how the film used aspect ratio to drive the story, and a partnership the film has developed with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg
• A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
• The Cider House Rules by John Irving 
• Apt Pupil by Stephen King

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "A Matter of Minutes" directed by Hannah Beach
• Mommy directed by Xavier Dolan
• Boiling Point directed by Philip Barantini
• Rosemary's Baby directed by Roman Polanski
• Waking Life directed by Richard Linklater
• Arrival directed by Denis Villenueve
• Life is Beautiful directed by Roberto Benigni
• It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra
• Past Lives directed by Celine Song 
• The Manchurian Candidate directed by John Frankenheimer
• Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Silence of the Lambs directed by Jonathan Demme
• Erin Brockovich directed by Steven Soderbergh
• The Incredibles directed by Brad Bird
• The Big Lebowski directed by Joel Coen
• E.T. The Extraterrestrial directed by Steven Spielberg
• The Empire Strikes Back directed by Irvin Kershner
• My Dinner With Andre directed by Louis Malle
• The Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson
• Borat directed by Larry Charles

"A Matter of Minutes" will be continuing its festival run throughout 2025.

On Instagram Hannah is @hannah__beach__, Phoebe is @phoebecampbellharris, and Sophie is @sophielst. You can also follow the film @amatterofminutesfilm for all the latest updates. Check out Hannah's film "Pockets: New York" at the London Short Film Festival this month.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Today's episode is a rundown of all the biggest films (and some not so big) that will be coming out in wide release in 2025. These dates are always subject to change, so be sure to subscribe to The Oscar Project newsletter to stay up to date on all the new releases coming your way each and every week.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Happy New Year!

The Oscar Project returns to its origins today with a conversation about the 1928 film Street Angel. My friend Beth Lisogorsky from Beth's TV & Film Recommendations joins me to discuss the film and we talk about some modern analogues to the love story, how certain stars were able to make the transition from silent to sound films while others were not, and just how many animals does one film need!

You can watch Street Angel on YouTube and be sure to check out Beth's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• Wings of Desire directed by Wim Wenders
• Babylon directed by
• Challengers directed by Luca Guadagnino
• The Substance directed by Coralie Fargeat

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

It's time for my 2024 podcast year in review where I count down the 12 most listened to episode of the year. Check back in this podcast feed for all the episodes mentioned.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Today's episode is the first of several year end episodes where I recap 2024 and look ahead into 2025. First up are my top 10s of 2024 where my lists include:

• Top movie books I read in 2024
• Top short film of 2024
• Biggest surprises and disappointments of 2024
• Top first time watches in 2024
• Top films of 2024

Be sure to check out my Substack newsletter for full articles on each of these as we count down to the new year and my next episode where I will be recapping everything that happened on the podcast in 2024.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

I am joined on the podcast today by fellow Substack author Vicki Lesley where we sit down to discuss 2024 in documentaries. We review the Oscar short lists that were announced earlier this week, and talk about a few of our favorites as well as some of the titles that were missing from these lists.

The full list of short listed documentaries is below.

Documentary Feature

• The Bibi Files
• Black Box Diaries
• Dahomey
• Daughters
• Eno
• Frida
• Hollywoodgate
• No Other Land
• Porcelain War
• Queendom
• The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
• Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
• Sugarcane
• Union
• Will & Harper

Documentary Short Subject

• “Chasing Roo”
• “Death by Numbers”
• “Eternal Father”
• “I Am Ready, Warden”
• “Incident”
• “Instruments of a Beating Heart”
• “Keeper”
• “Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World”
• “Once upon a Time in Ukraine”
• “The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
• “Planetwalker”
• “The Quilters”
• “Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr”
• “A Swim Lesson”
• “Until He’s Back”

Subscribe to Vicki's newsletter.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In today's episode, I look over the Oscar shortlists for ten categories that were released by The Academy this morning and provide initial reactions. The categories with announced shortlists are:

• Documentary Feature
• Documentary Short Subject
• International Feature
• Makeup and Hairstyling
• Sound
• Original Score
• Original Song
• Animated Short Film
• Live Action Short Film
• Visual Effects

Check out the full list of films on my Substack newsletter.

Support the show