The People vs. Oscar

Who's scarier - Jaws or Nurse Ratched?

Two classic films face off in 1975. Jaws stole the crown from "The Godfather" to become the highest grossing movie of all time. This led to the birth of the blockbuster and many to fear the beaches.

Meanwhile, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" became the 2nd film to sweep the top 5 categories - Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Writing. The tale of a rebellious patient of a mental institution exemplifies the rebellious streak of a new world clashing with the rules of the old world.

Which classic prevails? Listen to find out.

Can a sequel defend the honor of the original?

Best Picture winner "The Godfather Part 2" is widely considered one of the best sequels of all time. How does that stack up against one of the most popular disaster flicks of the 70s? "The Towering Inferno" won over audiences, as Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and many others are trapped inside a fiery skyscraper.

It's con men against the devil.

Two of the most successful films of all time went up against each other at both the Oscars and the Box Office. "The Exorcist," widely regarded as one of the scariest films of all time, won the box office (9th highest grossing of all time) but lost Best Picture. "The Sting," Robert Redford and Paul Newman's con man buddy flick, won Best Picture and stands today as the 20th highest grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation.

Which will the podcast choose? Listen and find out!

We're gonna make you an offer you can't refuse.

1972 brings us only one film this week. Frances Ford Coppola's masterpiece "The Godfather" is a cultural touchstone that tops many "Best Of" movie lists of all time. The Italian mob drama owned the box office that year, while also wrestling the Best Picture Oscar away from "Cabaret," which won the most Oscars that year. Listen to our thoughts on the film.

Who can take down a bad guy better - Popeye Doyle or James Bond?

Gene Hackman and Sean Connery each engage in very different car chases in their respective 1971 films. Hackman won Best Actor in William Friedkin's gritty Best Picture winner "The French Connection." After stepping away from the role of James Bond for one film, Connery returned for one of the zaniest entries in the Bond franchise which includes a diamond encrusted satellite of destruction and an elephant who's good at slots.

Make Love not War? Let us decide.

Two very films welcome us into the 1970s - both of them Oscar Best Picture nominees. "Patton" takes a look at the abrasive General Patton and was rewarded with Best Picture. "Love Story," meanwhile, tells the story of a preppy young man and a dying music major. The film wrung tears out of just about every person in 1970 and was a major blockbuster. Which did we fall for?

The People vs Oscar has come to the end of the 1960s.

What began with musicals, Disney movies and romantic comedies ended with X-rated cowboy tales, murderous western figures and whatever 2001 calls itself. Join us as we count down our own personal winners of the best of the 1960s, as well as other films from this period to check out.

People seemed to love cowboys in 1969, albeit very different sort of cowboys.

It's western week on The People vs Oscar! The people flocked to see movie stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The film takes the expectations of a traditional western and flips it on its head with charm. Meanwhile, the Oscars rewarded their first X-rated picture with "Midnight Cowboy." Jon Voight's Joe Buck isn't your traditional cowboy. He's more of a gigolo type that moves to New York to whore himself out, but ends up experiencing severe poverty with his hobbled homeless friend, Rico "Ratso" Rizzo. Both films take the western genre and inconographies in totally new directions. Which take did we prefer? Listen to find out.

In space, no one can hear you sing!

1968 represents a crazy split between the people and Oscars. The Oscars went with their fourth musical of the decade with the G-rated Charles Dickens adaptation "Oliver!" The people, however, took a strange trip into the mind of Stanley Kubrick with "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Who prevailed, the singing children or the malicious AI system? Listen to find out.

We have our first film with an African American protagonist in the Oscar winning detective film "In the Heat of the Night." Challenging it is the final film Walt Disney directly supervised, "The Jungle Book." What wins out, the racially charged mystery or the colorful animated musical? Do either hold up in 2018? Listen to find out.