July 2018 – This Had Oscar Buzz

007 – Lions For Lambs

In 2007, the movies went hard on the War in Iraq. But what happened when that righteous roar, bolstered by some of the biggest names in Oscar and cinema history, gave the weakest bleat in the barnyard?

This week we are looking at Lions for Lambs, one of several politically motivated films of its year and the one that thudded the loudest. With Robert Redford directing and starring alongside Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise, our immediately assembled Oscar expectations were dismantled even faster once its empty talking head preachiness hit movie screens. Topic also include: a pre-Social Network Andrew Garfield, the thwarted hopes of resurrecting a flailing United Artists, and the joy of a perfect Kevin Dunn line reading.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

BONUS – If Queen Street Could Talk

We’re going to TIFF! If you haven’t seen, the first titles for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival lineup have been revealed. Joe and Chris couldn’t wait to talk about it, so we are treating you to a special bonus episode to discuss what’s to come from what many people consider the official start of the Oscar season. We’ll be discussing the films and performances we’re most anticipating, those that make us nervous, and what we hope will be announced at a later date!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

006 – 1492: Conquest of Paradise

Brace yourselves for some slow motion colonialism set to the dramatics of Vangelis – this week, we are discussing 1992′s Christopher Columbus epic 1492: Conquest of Paradise. With star Gerard Depardieu having a moment in American cinema and director Ridley Scott fresh off of his first nomination for Thelma and Louise, what could possibly go wrong?

Listen as Joe and Chris remember Sigourney Weaver’s costumes, trailer packages on VHS tapes, and how the film is the prototype for Ridley Scott’s slew of historical epics.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

005 – Courage Under Fire

This week, we are taking you back to 1996 for Edward Zwick’s Rashomon-esque half-examination of the Gulf War and sexism in the military, Courage Under Fire. While most of the praise on release was granted to star Denzel Washington and supporting player Lou Diamond Phillips, we take a look at the case for Meg Ryan and how an Oscar nomination eluded her career.

Other discussion points include Zwick filmography as consistently mild Oscar success, Matt Damon “getting” thin for his breakout role, and the constantly shifting landcape of Meg Ryan’s southern dialect. And we change up the format and add a closing trivia showdown: The IMDb Game, AKA Known 4.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

004 – Ask the Dust

What’s that? You’re not familiar with the 2006 romantic drama Ask the Dust? Where a handsome young writer played by Colin Farrell moves to California, negs the hell out of waitress Salma Hayek, and begins a torrid love affair amid the dusty environs of the Great Depression? That’s probably because the early Oscar buzz on this one — goosed by the presence of writer/director Robert Towne (Chinatown) — died a swift death. Let’s talk about it!

Topics include Salma Hayek’s very emotional 2006, whether Colin Farrell’s sex tape made him look good or bad, and whatever the hell Idina Menzel was doing here (and which Looney Tunes character she reminded us of).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

003 – Pay It Forward

This week we’re calling all angels as we discuss 2000’s major critical disaster and thwarted Oscar grab, Pay It Forward. That’s right, the one where a post-Sixth Sense Haley Joel Osment teaches the world to pass on one favor to three strangers. A film notorious in This Had Oscar Buzz lore, Pay It Forward‘s awards hopes were spoiled by epic failures of miscasting and egregious emotional manipulation, not to mention the ever-changing landscape of Kevin Spacey’s burn makeup.

On this episode, we look back at the beloved Entertainment Weekly Fall Movie Preview issues, Jon Bon Jovi’s emerging acting career, and composer Thomas Newman copying himself in the span of a single Oscar season. Just one of several failed awards players from the major studios in 2000 (as well as one of several Helen Hunt movies), Pay It Forward is perhaps the most infamous.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS