September 2019 – This Had Oscar Buzz

063 – Morning Glory

What was it that placed a light comedy like Morning Glory on early Oscar predictions in 2010? Was it the potential for a morning news riff on Broadcast News brilliance? The ascendancy of Rachel McAdams that we knew would eventually pay off with an acting nomination? Or the late career turn as journalist curmudgeon from Harrison Ford, who in recent years has generated Oscar talk for even The Force Awakens? Turns out it was a little bit of all of those things.

However, Morning Glory quickly faded from Oscar prognosticators radar when it opened to quite disappointing box office and middling reviews. Unfortunately, the film never quite satisfies on its promise, even with a winning cast that also includes an underserved Diane Keaton and pre-uberhip era Jeff Goldblum. For McAdams, it would take being in a Best Picture frontrunner to land that first nomination we had been expecting, but Morning Glory at least has a few vocal fans.

This week, we feel the rain on our skin as we talk about the specific brand of pop optimism given to us by Natasha Bedingfield, the genius of screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, and Diane Keaton open-mouth kissing a frog.

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062 – Miss Potter

Certainly one of the biggest Oscar narratives this season will be Renée Zellweger’s return to the big screen, starring as the timeless Judy Garland in Judy. So to mark the occasion (with Chris highly anticipatory and Joe more hesitant in how far Judy can go), we’re discussing one of the actress’ few attempts at Oscar that didn’t register with the Academy in some way: the Beatrix Potter biopic Miss Potter.

The film thrust into Oscar late in 2006 as the newly established Weinstein Company was struggling with its awards fare. Perhaps too gentle of a film to register in a season that rewarded much grimmer subjects, the film’s awards hopes ended at Zellweger’s Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy at the Globes. This week, look back at Zellweger’s trajectory from Oscar shutout to Oscar perennial to the arrival of her comeback.

We also discuss director Chris Noonan and the legacy of Babe, the wildly underrated Emily Watson, and the highly thirstable Patrick Wilson in Little Children.

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061 – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

A title that became a punchline all its own, this week we are discussing 2012′s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. A light romantic drama about project management and Western relationships with the Middle East, Lasse Hallström’s film accidentally stumbled into the Oscar race when the Golden Globes decided the film was a comedy and gave the spring release three surprise nominations.

This episode, we discuss the career and outsider awards trajectory for Salmon Fishing star Ewan McGregor and how the film’s Globes nomination tally ultimately meant nothing for the film as an awards player. Get ready for lots of Globes talk as we spotlight 2012′s most glaring comedy omission by the Globes and recall perhaps the greatest presenter duo of all time: Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell. You get outta here, listeners!

Topics also include movies narrated by dogs, left-field Globes Comedy picks both good and bad, and assassination attempts thwarted by fishing hooks.

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And From Canada MAILBAG!

You asked for it and it’s finally here! While Joe and Chris are away at TIFF, we are bringing you our first ever MAILBAG EPISODE!

We have been taking your questions in the recent weeks and are so excited to bring you this jumbo sized episode devoted just to the Oscar obsessive minutiae that you all are curious about. Right off the bat, we focus on most asked questions such as the origins of our theme music and whether or not we would ever talk about a film from before the 90s. Topics also include beloved precursor outliers that made no dent in their Oscar race, Cher as Oscar presenter, and THOB actors still awaiting their first nomination.

Thank you again for all of your questions and support! Listen listeners, we love you guys!

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060 – Miss Sloane (with Kevin O’Keeffe)

Jessica Chastain emerged nearly a decade ago with a bevy of roles in major Oscar films like The Tree of Life and The Help and immediately cemented her place as a performer destined for Oscar. After a second nomination for Zero Dark Thirty, her roles after have all garnered some Oscar talk including John Madden’s Miss Sloane. Starring Chastain as the titular lobbyist waging war with the gun rally with a few dirty tricks up her sleeve, this one ultimately couldn’t catch a late break in a very competitive Best Actress year.

This week, Kevin O’Keeffe joins us in Chastandom to talk about the film’s fun (if sometimes bonkers) depiction of Washington politicking including Nutella taxation and male prostitutes named Forde played by Jake Lacy. The film may not have registered with Oscar but it remains both an earnest and ironic delight. We also discuss the influence of Aaron Sorkin and Molly’s Game adjacencies, how Chastain’s nominated performance for The Help is unlike her other work, and the last film we all three saw before the 2016 election.

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