The Oscar Project Podcast

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In today's episode, I interview Luke Angus, director of the animated short film "Solstice." The film tells a story of loss and grief through the eyes of a lonely Inuit.

Listen to hear about how he started from the end of the story and worked backward, the challenges of getting certain visual elements just right, and a unique approach to scoring the film.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
• Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "Solstice" directed by Luke Angus
• "Alienated" directed by Luke Angus
• Arrival directed by Denis Villenueve
• Interstellar directed by Christopher Nolan
• Toy Story directed by John Lasseter
• Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg
• Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho
• Everything Everywhere All at Once directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
• Ratatouille directed by Brad Bird
• The Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson
• The Truman Show directed by Peter Weir
• "Redivider" directed by Luke Angus (forthcoming)

Follow Luke on Instagram @lukeangusanimator and check out his YouTube channel including a behind the scenes video about "Solstice." You can also find more information on his website angusarts.com.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film Song of the Flame. I'm joined by Taylor Lewis who writes the Luz Films newsletter, and we talk about how difficult it is to evaluate a film based on just the partial audio, how a film can take on a different focus when large parts are missing, and some music in the film that is incredibly recognizable even today.

You can listen to the surviving audio of Song of the Flame on YouTube and be sure to check out Taylor's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• The Great Escape directed by John Sturges
• Bullitt directed by Peter Yates
• Milk directed by Gus Van Sant
• The Jazz Singer directed by Alan Crosland
• Glorious Betsy directed by Alan Crosland
• Don Juan directed by Alan Crosland
• King of Jazz directed by John Murray Anderson
• "Sinkin' in the Bathtub" directed by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising
• The Big House directed by George Hill

Other referenced topics:

• www.georgegroves.org.uk
• New York Times review
• Photoplay Magazine review

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The nominees for the 98th Academy Awards are here. Take a listen to hear the full list, some fun trivia facts about the nominees, and my personal thoughts on the films that made the cut as well as those that were snubbed.

You can check out the full list of nominees on my Substack newsletter at theoscarproject.substack.com. While you're there, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you can get all the latest Oscar news and information and be notified of when you can submit your predictions in this year's Oscar Prediction Contest. If you win, you will have the opportunity to be a guest on this very podcast!

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In today's episode, I interview Simon Panay, director of the short film "The Boy With White Skin." The film explores the world of artisanal gold mines in West Africa and the beliefs and superstitions the miners have.

Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film in some of Simon's previous documentary work, the challenge of finding an albino child actor to fill the film's lead role, and choosing to shoot much of the film in almost complete darkness.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "The Boy With White Skin" directed by Simon Panay
• Titanic directed by James Cameron
• Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola
• Fitzcarraldo directed by Werner Herzog
• Better Call Saul (series)
• Out of Africa directed by Sydney Pollack

Follow Simon on Instagram @simonpanay and check out the film's website at theboywithwhiteskin.com.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film The Devil's Holiday. I'm joined by John DiLeo who previously appeared on the podcast talking about his latest book, Not Even Nominated, and we talk about several instances of overreactions throughout the film, how several scenes feel very out of place in the film, and how much Nancy Carroll drives the film with her performance.

You can watch The Devil's Holiday online on YouTube and be sure to check out John's author page on Amazon.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• Ferris Bueller's Day Off directed by John Hughes
• The Trespasser directed by Edmund Goulding
• Follow Through directed by Laurence Schwab and Lloyd Corrigan
• Men Must Fight directed by Edgar Selwyn
• An American Tragedy directed by Josef von Sternberg
• A Place in the Sun directed by George Stevens
• Dinner at Eight directed by George Cukor
• Stolen Heaven directed by George Abbott
• Broken Lullaby (aka The Man I Killed) directed by Ernst Lubitsch
• Gone With the Wind directed by Victor Fleming
• Lady for a Day directed by Frank Capra
• Watch on the Rhine directed by Herman Shumlin
• Little Women directed by George Cukor
• Greed directed by Erich von Stroheim
• All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Lewis Milestone
• Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz
• The Dance of Life directed by John Cromwell and A. Edward Sutherland
• The Divorcee directed by Robert Z. Leonard
• Their Own Desire directed by E. Mason Hopper
• Anna Christie directed by Clarence Brown
• Romance directed by Clarence Brown
• Morocco directed by Josef von Sternberg
• Hot Saturday directed by William A. Seiter
• Dark Victory directed by Edmund Goulding
• Nightmare Alley directed by Edmund Goulding
• Grand Hotel directed by Edmund Goulding

Other referenced topics:

• Variety review
• Full page advertisement in Variety
• Burlesque (play)
• filmsite.org list of the top films of 1930
• Cliff Alpertini writing on Immortal Ephemera

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In today's episode, I interview Christine La Monte, producer of two recent documentaries, Ai Weiwei's Turandot and the Oscar shortlisted Viva Verdi!.

Listen to hear about Christine's experience growing up listening to opera, what it was like working with a world renowned artist like Ai Weiwei, and the joy of finding new young filmmakers and helping them express their voice through film.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
• Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• The Crying Heart Tattoo by David Lozell Martin
• The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
• Let's Call the Whole Thing Off directed by Elizabeth Guest

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• Ai Weiwei's Turandot directed by Maxim Derevianko
• Viva Verdi! directed by Yvo nne Russo
• La Traviata directed by Franco Zeffirelli
• Children of the River directed by Federico Rodelli (forthcoming)
• The Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola
• Black Orpheus directed by Marcel Camus
• Once Upon a Time in America directed by Sergio Leone
• Dances With Wolves directed by Kevin Costner
• Holiday directed by George Cukor
• The Night Manager (series)
• Something's Gotta Give directed by Nancy Meyers
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (series)

Other things mentioned in this episode:

• "Sweet Dreams of Joy" by Nicholas Pike

Follow Viva Verdi! on Instagram @vivaverdithefilm and check out the websites for both films at aiweiweisturandotfilm.com and vivaverdithefilm.com.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film The Big Pond. I'm joined by James Kreul from the Moving Image Madison newsletter and we talk about the comparison between this and the other recent Maurice Chevalier films covered on the podcast (The Love Parade), how a film can achieve romance between two characters that don't appear on screen together for most of the movie, and how efficiently the film tells the story in a tight 70-minute runtime.

You can watch The Big Pond online on YouTube and be sure to check out James's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• Animal Crackers directed by Victor Heerman
• Monkey Business directed by Norman Z. McLeod
• All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Lewis Milestone
• The Divorcee directed by Robert Z. Leonard
• The Love Parade directed by Ernst Lubitsch
• One Hour With You directed by Ernst Lubitsch and George Cukor
• His Girl Friday directed by Howard Hawks
• Dracula (1931) directed by Tod Browning
• Frankenstein (1931) directed by James Whale
• The Invisible Man (1933) directed by James Whale
• It Happened One Night directed by Frank Capra
• Disraeli directed by Alfred E. Green
• The Green Goddess directed by Alfred E. Green

Other referenced topics:

• The Big Pond (play) by George Middleton and A. E. Thomas
• Spongebob Squarepants pilot episode
• The New Movie Magazine review

Also be sure to check out the full Lantern Media History website at https://lantern.mediahist.org/.

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In today's episode, I interview Jonny Durgan, director of the short film "G.S.W." The film stars Genevieve O'Reilly as a paramedic tasked with helping a gunshot wound victim who might be involved with a school shooting.

Listen to hear about why Jonny decided to make a film around this topic at this time, how he was able to land a dream casting choice, and the challenges of shooting a film about medical professionals in just one day and making it feel real and authentic.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Fatherland by Robert Harris
• The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "G.S.W." directed by Jonny Durgan
• Andor (series)
• Goldfinger directed by Guy Hamilton
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by Michel Gondry
• Total Recall directed by Paul Verhoeven
• Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuarón
• The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan
• Star Wars directed by George Lucas
• Is This Thing On? directed by Bradley Cooper
• A Star is Born directed by Bradley Cooper

Follow the film on Instagram @gsw_film.

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film All Quiet on the Western Front. I'm joined by Kyle Wilson from the Oscar Chaser newsletter and we talk about the challenges of making a film about WWI from the German perspective in the United States, how many of the greatest war movies are about what war does to a person and how they deal with going back to normal life after what they've seen in war, and how this film doesn't shy away from so many of the grisly realities of warfare.

You can watch All Quiet on the Western Front online at The Internet Archive, Tubi, or rent it from Amazon, or pick up a DVD copy for your collection. And be sure to check out Kyle's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

• The Talented Mr. Ripley directed by Anthony Minghella
• The English Patient directed by Anthony Minghella
• King Kong (2005) directed by Peter Jackson
• The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) directed by Peter Jackson
• Philadelphia directed by Jonathan Demme
• Silence of the Lambs directed by Jonathan Demme
• Saving Private Ryan directed by Steven Spielberg
• The Best Years of Our Lives directed by William Wyler
• Band of Brothers (series)
• The Divorcee directed by Robert Z. Leonard
• All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Edward Berger
• Two Arabian Knights directed by Lewis Milestone
• Dragnet (series)
• Gone With the Wind directed by Victor Fleming
• Mister Ed (series)
• Leave it to Beaver (series)
• Petticoat Junction (series)
• The Front Page directed by Lewis Milestone
• His Girl Friday directed by Howard Hawks
• Rain directed by Lewis Milestone
• The Big House directed by George Hill
• The Love Parade directed by Ernst Lubitsch
• With Byrd at the South Pole directed by Julian Johnson

Other referenced topics:

• All Quiet on the Western Front (novel) by Erich Maria Remarque
• The Things They Carried (book) by Tim O'Brien
• George Abbott's 100th Birthday Tribute at the 1987 Tony Awards
• Variety review
• Eve O’Dea on nextbestpicture.com

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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 2026. 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.

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