The People vs. Oscar

The pandemic may have shut down movie theaters, but it couldn't shut down The People vs. Oscars (or the Oscars themselves). With US theaters shut down, China's war blockbuster "The Eight Hundred" was the first foreign language highest worldwide grosser since we did "War and Peace." That went up against Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland," which became the first Best Picture winner to debut on Hulu. It's a brave new world.

Our past has now become our present, we have officially closed out the 2010s. As we wait for the 2020 Oscars to be held, we wanted to name our favorite movies of the 2010s, offer some suggestions and take a look back at the past four years of our podcast. Thanks again to all our wonderful listeners! We’ve really appreciated you going on this ride with us!

Our final regular episode of the series (until the 2020 Oscars) is quite a doozie. In one corner, we have Avengers Endgame, the highest grossing film of all time. The thrilling conclusion to Phase 3 of the MCU brings together twelve years of Marvel. Meanwhile, the Oscars broke new ground this year when they awarded Bong Joon Ho's Parasite with Best Picture. This made it the first International film in a foreign language to win Best Picture. Which movie will take the win? Will the People or the Oscars win out in the end? Listen to find out!

'Every time somebody is driving somebody, I lose!' - Spike Lee about Green Book

'Every time somebody is snapping, I lose!' - The Avengers about Thanos

All the members of the MCU have gathered together for the first of a two part epic extravanganza in "Avengers Inifinity War." Meanwhile, the Oscars decided to replay an old favorite genre with "Green Book." Which one wins out in a battle? Listen to find out.

2017 was all about fish. Fish men, fish nuns, sea life was all around us. Rian Johnson's middle chapter in the most recent Star Wars trilogy polarized many fans. In some ways, Guillermo Del Toro's "The Shape of Water" did the same with many people calling it the "safe choice" for the Oscars. Where will we fall on both of these movies? Who will win, the people or the Oscars? Tune in to find out.

There's no envelope confusion here. The Oscar winning masterpiece "Moonlight" pulled off the upset of the century by defeating the juggernaut "La La Land" in 2016. This week, it goes up against "Captain America: Civil War," the MCU film that pitted its two stars against each other. Captain America vs. Iron Man. MCU vs. Moonlight. Who comes out on top? Listen to find out!

The "Star Wars" franchise returned with a bang. The new trilogy soothed any lingering burns from the previous prequel monstrosities and introduced us to new, great characters. Is this first chapter - "The Force Awakens" - their finest hour? Meanwhile, "Spotlight" won Best Picture with only an additional Original Screenplay. How did this little movie that could take the big prize and does its win hold up years later?

Imagine "transforming" from a superhero actor to respected thespian?

The Best Picture winner of 2014 follows Michael Keaton as a movie star who struggles to be taken seriously when he adapts a Raymond Carter play. This marked the first of two director wins for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. While the Oscars may have gone "highbrow," the people went "lowbrow" with the fourth installment in the "Transformers" franchise. "Age of Extinction" jettisoned all of the human characters from previous films and focused on Marky Mark himself in a war against big tech and a tyrannical government. Did the new cast breathe new life in the franchise, or put a stake in it? Listen to find out.

It's hard to think of two more disparate movies than "Frozen" and "12 Years a Slave." However, that's what the People and the Oscars had in store for us this year. "Frozen" represents the final movie we're covering for The People that isn't a sequel or based on IP. The mega-hit musical embedded itself in popular culture, but does it still resonate? Meanwhile, "12 Years a Slave" beat "Gravity" for Best Picture and launched Lupita Nyong'o into stardom. The graphic depiction of slavery through the eyes of Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) won rave reviews. Does Steve McQueen's epic still live up to the high praise? Listen to find out.

Podcasters, Assemble!!!

We've reached an important milestone. "The Avengers" was one of the foundational moments in Matt & Chris' friendship. It commemorates the day they moved into the same house together in college. The groundbreaking cinematic universe builder goes up against another thrill ride. "Argo" was a commercial and critical hit in 2012, but almost had its Oscar hopes dashed when Ben Affleck was snubbed for Best Director. 8 years later, does the film age better or worse? Listen to find out.