Month: January 2026

Class of 2025

It’s the biggest This Had Oscar Buzz episode every year! Now that we have this year’s crop of Oscar nominations, that means it’s time to welcome a whole year’s worth of films to the THOB fold. We unpack the Class of 2025 in all its glory, from the films that deserved better to the ones that didn’t, from the narratives we fell for and didn’t, from the most forgotten to the close calls. And, of course, we call it for the Valedictorian, the film that will get the first THOB episode from 2025.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

376 – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

As Rachel McAdams returns to movie screens with Sam Raimy’s horror film Send Help, we thought it a good time to look back at one of her most beloved performances to date. In 2023, Kelly Freeman Craig adapted a book beloved by (and controversial for) generations: Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. With Abby Ryder Fortson as the titular Margaret and McAdams as her doting mother, the film is the story of a young woman’s coming of age, including puberty, social dynamics, and religious questioning.

This episode, we talk about McAdams’ subtle and powerful performance and the film’s struggle at the box office. We also discuss Kathy Bates as a Jewish grandmother, the film’s talented young performers, and Fremon Craig’s debut film The Edge of Seventeen.

Topics also include book fairs, our past YA reading favs, and Benny Sadie as father.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

375 – My Own Private Idaho

We’re finally pulling one of our most passionate entries to our 100 Snubs series, Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho. Adapted loosely from multiple Shakespeare plays (particularly both Henry IVs), the film follows an epileptic young sex worker named Mike (River Phoenix) as he drifts the globe with his loyal cohort Scott (Keanu Reeves). Van Sant was post-Drugstore Cowboy ascendant when the film arrived, but it’s the Venice Film Festival-anointed performance by Phoenix that got the most attention and helps the film live in bittersweet infamy.

This episode, we talk about Phoenix’s stunning performance and his Oscar nomination for Running on Empty before his tragic death. We also discuss the highlights of Van Sant’s filmography, the unfair ridicule that greeted Reeves’ Bram Stoker’s Dracula performance, and where we would place the film in the 1991 Adapted Screenplay race.

Topics also include the 1991 Venice Film Festival, nipple pulling, and New Queer Cinema.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

374 – Booksmart

Happy New Year, Garys! We’re kicking off 2026 with something more bubbly and light-hearted, 2019’s Booksmart. Sold as an ultra-modern and female take on boy-led high school raunch comedies, the film stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein as best friends who decide to live it up after spending their entire high school experience stuck in books. After debuting at SXSW, the film generated a mountain of discussion that yielded disappointing box office results, but managed to stick around in the precursor race until the last minute.

This episode, we talk about the film’s delightful ensemble of faces of the future and Olivia Wilde’s debut directing duties that earned her a number of first film prizes that season. We also talk about Feldstein’s drubbing during the Funny Girl run on Broadway, Dever joins our Six Timers Club, and the shadow of Lady Bird unfairly set expectations for this film.

Topics also include Forte vs. Arnett, the 2019 Globe Musical/Comedy Best Actress nominees, and “I wish you luck with your trees.”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS