The People vs. Oscar

First there were silent movies; now there are loud blockbusters. The Hollywood of old and now come head to head in our 2011 face-off: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" vs. "The Artist." How does the end of one of the biggest franchises hold up, especially in light of J.K. Rowling's views? Meanwhile, does the charm of "The Artist's" silent movie throwback still work nine years? Listen to find out.

Two friendships face off in our first podcast of the 2010s!

Woody and Buzz conquered the box office and forced us all to weep in "Toy Story 3." The third film in the groundbreaking Pixar series became the third animated film to earn a nomination for Best Picture. However, it lost to the inspirational British tale "The King's Speech." Colin Firth won Best Actor for his work as King George VI, who suffered from a stutter. Will the stuttering King win out against the crafty bunch of animated toys? Listen to find out!

After a long hiatus, we're back with our recap of the 2000s. While these films may have won gold and money, not everything was a winner with us. Hear us call out our favorite performances, most influential filmmakers of the time and offer more recommendations on what to watch from the early 2000s.

A tale as old as time - ex wife vs. ex husband.

Few narratives were more ready made than the David/Goliath fight for the Oscar Best Picture prize in 2009. James Cameron beat himself for the highest grossing movie of all-time, as "Avatar" overtook "Titanic." Meanwhile, Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" was the little indie that could, winning Best Picture to become the lowest grossing Best Picture winner in the modern era. Which holds up best over a decade later? Which one of these films deserves four sequels? Listen to find out.

Looking to travel back to a simpler time!

The year is 2008... recession is on the mind, rather than recession AND pandemic.

Still, "The Dark Knight" won rave reviews from critics, audiences and fanboys alike. All thought it had a great shot at becoming the first superhero Best Picture nominee. Alas, it received eight nominations - including a win for Heath Ledger's Joker - but no Best Picture nomination. Instead, the Best Picture that year was Slumdog Millionaire, which had a pretty good sweep of the night with eight wins. Which holds up with us now holed up in our homes? Listen and find out!

Bonus: We recorded this long before COVID... so it's also a time capsule in that way.

The Coen Brothers steamrolled across the 2007 awards season, as "No Country for Old Men" won Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem) and Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. While the stoic crime/western captured Oscar's attentions, the public flocked to theaters to see the "Pirates of the Caribbean" initial trilogy end with "At World's End." Did the Pirates franchise stick the landing? Is "No Country for Old Men" the best of the Coens' filmography? Listen to find out!

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Davy Jones may have sunk ships, destroyed people and commanded an army of sea creatures, but he can he defeat the first Martin Scorsese film on the podcast? Best Picture Winner "The Departed" faces off against "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" in this 2006 showdown. Does Scorsese's "Infernal Affairs" remake still deserve Best Picture? Is "Dead Man's Chest" one of the best "Pirates" film? Listen to find out!

We've entered into the Triwizard Tournament and we are ... just... so... mad... all... the... time.

The People vs Oscar returns with one of the most controversial Oscar years ever. "Crash" pulled off a crazy upset against "Brokeback Mountain." Is the film as bad as its reputation suggests?

In the other corner, we look at the fourth installation of the "Harry Potter" franchise. "Goblet of Fire" gave us the first glimpse of Voldemort, as played by Ralph Fiennes. With that, this was also the first PG-13 of the franchise. Did the bump in ratings help it against "Crash?" Listen to find out.

In 2004, animation fever overtook audiences. "Shrek 2" ran throughout the summer, becoming a worldwide sensation. With pop culture references abound, it feels like a time capsule of exactly when it came out. Similarly frozen in time is "Million Dollar Baby," which won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actress (Hilary Swank) and Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). How well did Clint Eastwood's sports melodrama age? Did it age better than Shrek's jokes? Listen to find out.

"Do you remember the Oscars, Mr. Frodo? It'll be February soon. And the campaigns will be in blossom, and..." you know where this goes.

"The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" utterly dominated the year 2003. In addition to being a global box office juggernaut, the film swept the Oscars. It won all eleven categories that it was nominated for, including Best Picture. For this special episode, we invited "Lord of the Rings" expert Cody Pestana to discuss the final film of the original trilogy with us.