May 2022 – This Had Oscar Buzz

196 – Notting Hill (EW Summer Movie Preview – Listeners’ Choice)

Whoopsie daisies, we have come to the close of our May miniseries taking a deep focus look back at Entertainment Weekly’s seasonal movie preview issues. And the closer was chosen by you, listeners! For your Listeners’ Choice, you have selected the Summer Movie Preview for Notting Hill. The film famously went head-to-head with grand behemoth Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace and still emerged victorious at the box office, thanks in part to Julia Roberts’ reemergent romcom power and the charms of Hugh Grant back in bumbling mop-haired mode. Notting Hill stars both respectively as the most famous actress in the world and a modest travel bookstore owner who fall in love against the odds, and it comes with all of the signatures of the combined powers of director Roger Michell and screenwriter Richard Curtis.

This episode, we look back at the oft-revisited 1999 movie year and unpack why it remains so fascinating to talk about. We also discuss Roberts’ double-header of romcom hits that summer with Runaway Bride, Pulp Fiction’s influence on films like Go, and South Park’s movie mission to wage war with the MPAA.

Topics also include capsizing in a boat with Tilda Swinton, Eyes Wide Shut’s veil of mystery before release, and VH1 Divas Live 1999.

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195 – The Pelican Brief (EW Holiday Movie Preview) (with Bobby Finger)

We move forward with our May miniseries this week by looking back at the 1993 holiday season with EW’s Holiday Movie Preview and The Pelican Brief. And this week, we have returning guest and Who? Weekly cohost Bobby Finger joining us to unpack all of the John Grisham vibes. Based on Grisham’s novel and released in the same year as The Firm, The Pelican Brief stars Julia Roberts as a law student Darby Shaw caught in a political conspiracy who solicits help from Denzel Washington’s journalist Gray Grantham while on the run. Despite the presence of two Oscar caliber megastars and the great Alan J. Pakula in the director’s chair, The Pelican Brief was ultimately considered a popcorn movie by awards bodies, but remains as entertaining as ever.

This episode, we discuss Julia Roberts’ career in the early 1990s amid the tumultuous tabloid fodder about her love life and her short break between films. We also look back at Macaulay Culkin’s Nutcracker movie, EW’s underplaying of major Oscar contenders in the issue, and formative terrifying gay moments in early 1990s mainstream cinema.

Topics also include the MTV Movie Awards Most Desirable Male, holiday shopping guides, and the River Phoenix being recast in Interview with a Vampire after his untimely death.

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194 – Ransom (EW Fall Movie Preview)

What’s the one about a Best Director frontrunner who gets snubbed for a nomination only to have the star of his then-filming movie assume his frontrunner status all the way to a win. No joke, this is what happened with 1996′s Ransom, with director Ron Howard’s shockeroo miss for Apollo 13resulting in favor being showered upon (boo! hiss!) Mel Gibson. The actor would then delay filming to work on Braveheart’s Oscar campaign, resulting in Ransom from being pushed from summer to Thanksgiving, setting some speculation that it could serve an Oscar rebound for Howard. Instead, the film was a box office success a bit too schlocky (not to mention quite violent) thriller for Oscar.

This episode, we devour the Fall Movie Preview and its offering of THOB eligibles, but even more titles that underwhelmed with one or two nominations. We also discuss the film’s stellar ensemble, from the expect tone-setting from Delroy Linda, to the under appreciated Rene Russo, to the indie darling status of Lili Taylor.

Topics also include Candace Bushnell wearing a weirdly phallic chair, website reviews, and The First Wives Club.

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193 – The Da Vinci Code (EW Summer Movie Preview)

Our EW Movie Previews miniseries continues this week with a look at the summer season! After the ubiquity of the best-selling book, The Da Vinci Code was primed for a glossy movie adaptation even before it landed the Oscar pedigree pairing of Ron Howard and Tom Hanks. Considered prestigious enough to open the Cannes Film Festival, the film received middling reviews for its schlock factor and was ultimately added to the heap of another bad movie in a cursed summer movie season. Though the film stayed somewhat in awards consideration thanks to earning nominations from various crafts’ guilds, the film was quickly destined to a life on cable television.

This episode, we look at the film’s handling of controversies from an upset Catholic Church and EW’s positioning of the summer’s biggest films, including eventual Best Picture nominee Little Miss Sunshine. We also discuss Hans Zimmer’s Oscar nomination history, Hanks’ much discussed longer hairstyle for the film, and Ian McKellen leading Mary Magdalene’s stan army.

Topics also include Paul Bettany at Provincetown Catholic Week, scrunts and narfs, and forgotten studio animated films of the aughts.

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192 – Panic Room (EW Spring Movie Preview) (with Adam B. Vary)

We’re kicking off our May Miniseries on EW Movie Preview cover movies at the beginning of the calendar with the Spring Movie Preview spotlight on Panic Room. David Fincher’s post-Fight Club foray into elevating a straightforward thriller with his stylistic perfectionism, the film almost starred Nicole Kidman as a recently separated mother who hides with her daughter in the eponymous fortress when her new home is invaded by a trio of fledgling criminals. But when Kidman exited due to lingering injuries sustained during Moulin Rouge!, the extremely Oscar friendly Jodie Foster ditched Cannes jury president duties to work with Fincher. Though Foster’s name was still synonymous with Oscar after almost winning her third only a few years prior, this spring release was left in awards voters minds as a crowd pleasing thriller by year’s end.

This episode, senior entertainment writer for Variety Adam B. Vary joins us to discuss how the EW movie previews were made, including a deep dive into how movies were chosen for prime coverage, letters to the editor, and its bonanza of fonts. We also discuss the films’ mismatched brilliance of its three criminals played by Forrest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoakam, its breakthrough performance for Kristen Stewart, and covering Jodie Foster’s pregnancy during filming.

Topics also include EW’s Critical Mass grid as the early Rotten Tomatoes, movies delayed because of 9/11, and Free Winona.

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