The Oscar Project Podcast

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In the first of a three part Thanksgiving special, I interview Giorgio Ghiotto, recent recipient of the Gold Medal in the Documentary category at the 2023 Student Academy Awards. He was recognized for his film "Wings of Dust" which shines a spotlight on the activism of Vidal Merma, an independent journalist in Peru.

Listen to hear Giorgio discuss the challenges of making a student documentary, why he became interested in documentaries to begin with, and what his favorite documentary film is.
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• “Wings of Dust” directed by Giorgio Ghiotto
• Cartel Land directed by Matthew Heineman
• Shot Caller directed by Ric Roman Waugh
• Creed directed by Ryan Coogler

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In this author interview, I speak with Nate Patrin, a freelance writer based in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has covered nearly every imaginable genre of music for outlets including Bandcamp, Stereogum, Pitchfork, The Vinyl Factory, and Red Bull Music Academy. His first book Bring That Beat Back: How Sampling Built Hip-Hop was published in 2020, and he joins me today to talk about his new book, The Needle and the Lens: Pop Goes to the Movies from Rock 'n' Roll to Synthwave.

Listen to hear the importance of Lynch's first film Eraserhead to his career, what exactly a Lynchian film is, and why Lynch is a mystery even to himself.
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarantino
• Casino directed by Martin Scorsese
• Boogie Nights directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Master of the Flying Guillotine directed by 
• Dazed and Confused directed by 
• Guardians of the Galaxy directed by James Gunn
• Easy Rider directed by Dennis Hopper
• American Graffiti directed by George Lucas
• Killer of Sheep directed by Charles Burnett

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In this author interview, I speak with Ian Nathan for the second time on the podcast He joins me today to talk about his book, David Lynch: A Retrospective. 

Listen to hear the importance of Lynch's first film Eraserhead to his career, what exactly a Lynchian film is, and why Lynch is a mystery even to himself.
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

• "David Lynch Keeps His Head" by David Foster Wallace (appears in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again)
• Fassbinder Thousands of Mirrors by Ian Penman
• The New Journalism by Tom Wolf

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• Eraserhead directed by David Lynch
• Blue Velvet directed by David Lynch
• Mulholland Dr. directed by David Lynch 
• Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Inland Empire directed by David Lynch
• The Straight Story directed by David Lynch
• Miller's Crossing directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
• Mad Max: Fury Road directed by George Miller
• A Brief Encounter directed by David Lean
• Aliens directed by James Cameron

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Twin Peaks created by David Lynch

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In this author interview, I speak with Andrew DeGraff, a freelance illustrator and artist living and working in Maine. He graduated from Pratt Institute’s Communications Design program and returned to teach there from 2009 to 2014. His gallery work has been shown in cities around the world including New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Calgary, Mexico City, and the Philippines. He published his book Plotted: A Literary Atlas in 2015 and he joins me today to talk about his book, Cinemaps: An Atlas of 35 Great Movies.  

Listen to hear what exactly a Cinemap is, how long it takes to make a single map, and what some of the challenges are in putting together these unique pieces of art.
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross
• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
• The Culture Series by Ian Banks
• The Dark Tower by Stephen King

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• The Goonies directed by Richard Donner
• Raiders of the Lost Ark directed by Steven Spielberg
• Star Wars directed by George Lucas
• Guardians of the Galaxy directed by James Gunn
• Mad Max: Fury Road directed by George Miller
• Metropolis directed by Fritz Lang
• King Kong directed by Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack
• The Wizard of Oz directed by Victor Fleming
• The Conversation directed by Francis Ford Coppola
• The Third Man directed by Carol Reed
• Star Trek (2009) directed by J. J. Abrams
• The Shining directed by Stanley Kubrick
• The Breakfast Club directed by John Hughes
• Terminator 2: Judgement Day directed by James Cameron
• There Will be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Point Break directed by Kathryn Bigelow
• Se7en directed by David Fincher
• Fargo directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
• Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis
• High and Low by Akira Kurosawa
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman
• Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson

Also mentioned in this episode:

• David Rumsey Map Database

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In this author interview, I speak with Nat Segaloff is a writer, broadcaster, teacher, film historian, and raconteur with a varied background in motion picture publicity, journalism, producing, and covering up other people's mistakes. Having begun his career during the exciting transition between the old studios and the film generation of the New Hollywood, he provides both perspective and commentary on a wide range of subjects, many of them having to do with movies. He joins me today to talk about his upcoming book, Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface. 

Listen to hear how the original Scarface film was impacted by the beginning of the production code, and why people gravitate to characters like Tony Montana in film.
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Scarface by Armitage Trail
• Scarface Nation: The Ultimate Gangster Movie and How It Changed America by Ken Tucker
• The Exorcist Legacy by Nat Segaloff
• Which Way to Mecca, Jack? From Brooklyn to Beirut: the Adventures of an American Sheik by William Peter Blatty
• I'll tell them I remember you by William Peter Blatty
• John Goldfarb, Please Come Home by William Peter Blatty
• In Defense of Elitism by William A. Henry III

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• Scarface (1983) directed by Brian DiPalma
• Scarface (1932) directed by Howard Hawks
• The Public Enemy directed by William A. Wellman
• Little Caesar directed by Mervyn LeRoy
• Angels with Dirty Faces directed by Michael Curtiz
• Bonnie and Clyde directed by Arthur Penn
• The Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola
• Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles
• Bringing up Baby directed by Howard Hawks
• His Girl Friday directed by Howard Hawks
• Some Like it Hot directed by Billy Wilder
• The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes directed by Billy Wilder

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Scarface video game

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Regular episodes of The Oscar Project are back and this week I'm discussing the 1928 film The Racket. This story is adapted from a play of the same name and was considered one of the most important cop/gangster films of the time when it was released. Listen now to learn about the threats made against the creators and as always, my own thoughts about the film.

Look for more episodes every Monday as I finish out the rest of the films nominated for Oscars at the very first Academy Awards.

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In this author interview, I speak with Brad Weismann, an award-winning writer and journalist who has also worked as a stand-up comic and improv actor. He’s contributed to publications and websites worldwide such as Senses of Cinema, Film International, Backstage, Movie Habit, Colorado Daily and Boulder Magazine. His first book, Lost in the Dark: A World History of Horror Films, was recently published by the University of Mississippi and he contributed to the critical collection 100 Years of Soviet Cinema. He joins me today to talk about his new book, Horror Unmasked: A History of Terror from Nosferatu to Nope. 

Listen to hear about what horror is, how horror films are similar to today's superhero films, and why the horror genre has been kept out of the Oscars (with very few exceptions).
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Danse Macabre by Stephen King
• The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror by David J. Skal
• Screams of Reason: Mad Science in Modern Culture by David J. Skal
• Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning, Hollywood's Master of Macabre by David J. Skal
• The Horror Film: An Introduction by Rick Worland
• The Rough Guide to Horror Movies by Alan Jones
• Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers on Stage by Robert S. Bader
• Montaigne's Essays by Michel de Montaigne
• On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio by John Dunning

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• Dracula directed by Tod Browning & Karl Freund
• The Mummy directed by Karl Freund
• Frankenstein directed by James Whale
• Batman vs. Superman directed by Zack Snyder
• Freddy vs. Jason directed by Ronny Yu
• Get Out directed by Jordan Peele
• The Shape of Water directed by Guillermo del Toro
• The Silence of the Lambs directed by Jonathan Demme
• Smile directed by Parker Finn
• Nope directed by directed by Jordan Peele 
• Evil Dead Rise directed by Lee Cronin
• The Bride of Frankenstein directed by James Whale
• Peeping Tom directed by Michael Powell
• The Wicker Man directed by Robin Hardy
• Seven Samurai directed by Akira Kurosawa
• Lawrence of Arabia directed by David Lean
• Children of Paradise directed by Marcel Carne

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Scooby-Doo

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In this author interview, I speak with Koren Shadmi, the author of Bionic, Rise of the Dungeon Master, Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D, and The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television. He joins me today to talk about his graphic novel, Lugosi: The Rise & Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula.

Listen to hear about how Lugosi's history as an activist, how Lugosi's career might have been different had he played Frankenstein's monster, and why Dracula is such an enduring story for film adaptation.
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

• All Tomorrow’s Parties: The Velvet Underground Story by Koren Shadmi
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Lugosi The Man Behind the Cape by Robert Cremer
• Bela Lugosi: Hollywood’s Prince of Darkness by Nige Burton and Jamie Jones
• Acting Class by Nick Drnaso

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• Dracula directed by Tod Browning & Karl Freund
• Son of Frankenstein directed by Rowland V. Lee
• The Black Cat directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
• Frankenstein directed by James Whale
• Renfield directed by Chris McKay
• Last Voyage of the Demeter directed by André Øvredal
• Videodrome directed by David Cronenberg
• The 400 Blows directed by François Truffaut
• Vertigo directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Music mentioned in this episode includes:

• Bauhaus

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In this author interview, I speak with Ian Nathan, the author of Stephen King at The Movies, Ridley Scott: A Retrospective and James Cameron: A Retrospective, and biographies of The Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and Wes Anderson. He is the former editor and executive editor of Empire, the world's biggest movie magazine, and a regular contributor to newspapers, magazines, and TV. He joins me today to talk about his new book coming out September 7th, Clint Eastwood: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work. 

Listen to hear about how Eastwood fits in to both the old star tradition of Hollywood and the upstart filmmakers that came in the 1970s, how Eastwood can be considered a feminist filmmaker, and whether Eastwood will ever truly retire from filmmaking.
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley and Ron Powers
• Clint Eastwood: A Biography by Richard Schickel
• Clint Eastwood Interviews edited by Robert E. Kapsis and Kathie Coblentz
• City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940's by Otto Friedrich
• Final Cut: Art, Money, and Ego in the Making of Heaven's Gate, the Film that Sank United Artists by Steven Bach
• David Lynch: A Retrospective by Ian Nathan

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• Dirty Harry directed by Don Siegel
• Play Misty for Me directed by Clint Eastwood
• The Gauntlet directed by Clint Eastwood
• Million Dollar Baby directed by Clint Eastwood
• Bird directed by Clint Eastwood
• Flags of Our Fathers directed by Clint Eastwood
• Letters From Iwo Jima directed by Clint Eastwood
• Invictus directed by Clint Eastwood
• The Outlaw Josey Wales directed by Clint Eastwood
• Unforgiven directed by Clint Eastwood
• Mystic River directed by Clint Eastwood
• Rawhide (television series)
• A Fistful of Dollars directed by Sergio Leone
• For a Few Dollars More directed by Sergio Leone
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly directed by Sergio Leone
• High Plaines Drifter directed by Clint Eastwood
• Pale Rider directed by Clint Eastwood
• Juror #2 directed by Clint Eastwood
• Cry Macho directed by Clint Eastwood
• Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott
• Paris, Texas directed by Wim Wenders
• Miller’s Crossing directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
• E.T. The Extraterrestrial directed by Steven Spielberg
• Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Quo Vadis directed by Mervyn LeRoy
• The Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola
• Blue Velvet directed by David Lynch
• Barton Fink directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

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In this author interview, I speak with Kristen Lopez, the film editor at The Wrap whose articles have appeared at Variety, MTV, TCM, and Roger Ebert. She joins me today to talk about her latest book, But Have You Read the Book?, a look at fantastic books that have been made into films over the last 100 years.

Listen to hear about how Kristen went about picking the books to include in this project, where he desire to read the book before seeing the movie came from, and why she feels it's helpful to read the book first.
 
Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Dune by Frank Herbert
• A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• True Grit by Charles Portis
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane
• Jarhead by Anthony Swofford
• Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
• Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir by Piper Laurie
• Burn it Down by Maureen Ryan

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• Dune directed by Denis Villeneuve
• True Grit (1969) directed by Henry Hathaway
• True Grit (2010) directed by The Coen Brothers
• Little Women (1949) directed by Mervyn LeRoy
• Little Women (1994) directed by Gillian Armstrong
• Little Women (2019) directed by Greta Gerwig
• Rebecca (1940) directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Rebecca (2020) directed by Ben Wheatley
• Gone Baby Gone directed by Ben Affleck
• Jarhead directed by Sam Mendes
• Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson
• The Fountainhead directed by King Vidor
• Bullet Train directed by David Leitch
• Gone Girl directed by David Fincher
• To Kill a Mockingbird directed by Robert Mulligan
• Meet Me in St. Louis directed by Vincente Minnelli
• American Psycho directed by Mary Harron
• My Girl directed by Howard Zieff
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes directed by Howard Hawks
• Almost Famous directed by Cameron Crowe

Emily Edwards Fuckbois of Literature podcast.

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