September 2023 – This Had Oscar Buzz

256 – Burnt

This week, we’re bringing you an episode to make you yell “YA BURNT!” Back in 2015, Bradley Cooper was to headline an ensemble dreamed about an unruly addict chef trying to earn his third Michelin star. Switching from the anonymously titled Adam Jones to the equally anonymous Burnt, the film had already earned a little bit of punchline status before skipping the fall festival circuit and delivering a dud wide release. Despite Cooper’s rising star power and Academy pedigree, this one didn’t come close to the awards or audience embrace as 2014’s American Sniper.

This episode, we look back at a the rise of chef culture in pop culture at large from Top Chef to The Bear. We also talk about Alicia Vikander’s busy 2015 that led to an Oscar win, the film’s ludicrous but formulaic plotting by screenwriter Steven Knight, and the underwhelming cinematic output from director John Wells.

Topics also include Cooper’s upcoming Maestro, his Oscar nominations as a producer, and Serenity.

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Back to TIFF!

We’re back from our annual trip to the Toronto International Film Festival! Once again, we’ll be dissecting our festival experience, the films we saw, and what lies ahead for the season. We discuss the Peoples’ Choice Award winner American Fiction and its chances in the awards race, several International Feature contenders at the festival including Perfect Daysand The Teachers’ Lounge, the highs and lows of festival films by actors making their directorial debuts, and our top 5 films of the festival!

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255 – Win Win

Before Tom McCarthy would deliver an Oscar triumph with Spotlight (and a bomb with The Cobbler), his critically beloved films centering on everyday people culminated in Win Win. The film starred Paul Giamatti as a lawyer and wrestling coach who takes in the grandson of an elderly client, one who he has taken guardianship of solely to alleviate his family’s precarious financial situation. With a stellar ensemble including Amy Ryan and Melanie Lynskey, the film premiered at Sundance to strong reviews and earned screenplay mentions throughout the season ahead. But with distributor Fox Searchlight handling several bigger films, Win Win did not become McCarthy’s first Oscar nominee.

This episode, we look back at Giamatti’s notorious Oscar snub for Sideways and ahead to his chances this year with Alexander Payne reunion The Holdovers. We also discuss Ryan’s passionate and lovable performance, Spotlight‘s position in its Best Picture lineup, and Win Win‘s fellow nominees for Best Movie for Grownups.

Topics also include Melinda Doolittle on American Idol, Nina Arianda’s film roles, and McCarthy’s canned Game of Thrones pilot.

And remember to join us on This Had Oscar Buzz: Turbulent Brilliance over at patreon.com/thishadoscarbuzz!!

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254 – The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Some might call Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar ascent an unlikely one, given the oddness at the core of his films. But with the Foreign Language Feature nomination for the explicit Dogtooth and the Original Screenplay for The Lobster, the Greek auteur cemented his status in the Oscar club. A victory lap of sorts came with The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017, returning Lanthimos to Cannes competition with the pedigree of Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman. But any expectation that the film might be another Academy affirmed oddity all but evaporated when Cannes audiences discovered a bloody and deeply strange (even for Lanthimos) modern fable about a father given an otherworldly, violent demand from a deceased patient’s son.

This episode, we talk about our anticipation for Lanthimos’ Poor Things this season and the elements that make this film so divisive. We also talk about Barry Keoghan’s brilliant breakthrough performance, Alicia Silverstone’s caramel tart, and the film career of character actor Bill Camp (new bet alert!).

Topics also include the now-defunct Executive Committee, Kidman smoking while gardening, and 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Don’t forget to sign up for our Patreon, This Had Oscar Buzz: Turbulent Brilliance over at patreon.com/thishadoscarbuzz!!

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