Academy Awards – Page 9 – This Had Oscar Buzz

245 – Dolores Claiborne (with Louis Peitzman!)

In the small hall of Oscar-endorsed horror films, the centerpiece must be Kathy Bates brilliant and terrifying win for Best Actress in Misery. A few years after that win, Bates returned to Stephen King territory (though you can debate how much of a horror story it is) with Dolores Claiborne, the mystery of whether or not a woman killed not only her wealthy employer, but her husband decades prior. With Jennifer Jason Leigh as Bates’ estranged daughter and director Taylor Hackford at the helm, the film couldn’t return to that other King film’s Oscar anointing but endures as an intense melodrama and one of the best King adaptations.

This week, writer Louis Peitzman join us to unpack the history of King adaptations and each of our history with King’s work. We also discuss supporting player Judy Parfitt’s exquisite line readings, the differing takes on The Shining delivered by King and Stanley Kubrick, and this story’s connection to Gerald’s Game.

Topics also include the many 1995 Best Actress outsiders, Bates’ pre-Oscar theatre career, and Dead Like Me.

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244 – Everything is Illuminated

In the early aughts, Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated was an inescapable book, launching the young author’s career (and more than a few skeptics). Naturally, the film adaptation came along, though with the unexpected pedigree of cherished actor Liev Schreiber making his director debut. Starring Elijah Wood as a fictionalized version of Foer traveling to Ukraine to discover family truths buried by the Holocaust, the novel and film are a reflection on the lost history of shetls in Eastern Europe. But when the film arrived on the fall festival scene, underwhelming reviews

This episode, we talk about Elijah Wood’s post-Lord of the Rings career and the other films that have come from Foer’s writing. We also discuss the film arriving in the year of Schreiber’s Tony win, distributor Warner Independent’s successful 2005, and the National Board of Review’s 2005 picks for Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking.

Topics also include emailing Natalie Portman, trailer voiceover, and the Blockbuster vs. Netflix discs era.

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243 – Wonderstruck

We’re talking about one of our favorite filmmakers this episode and for one of his most mildly received movies. In 2017, two years after the critical success of Carol, Todd Haynes returned with a pivot to young adult literature with Wonderstruck. Based on the book by Brian Selznick, the film follows two deaf children across decades who trek into Manhattan in search of family: Rose in 1927 and Ben in 1977, respectively played by Millicent Simmonds and Oakes Fegley. With passing observations to film history and the invention of the talkie, the film takes a heady approach to a story of familial reconciliation across generations. But when the film widely disappointed viewers early on at the Cannes Film Festival, the film struggled to gain fans over the year, becoming the first of Amazon’s many awards duds over the season.

This episode, we discuss the film’s early tepid reception at the Cannes Film Festival and all of the talk of this year’s Cannes, including the debut of Haynes’ May December. We also discuss Simmonds’ work in the A Quiet Place franchise, the challenge in marketing Haynes’ films, and Julianne Moore’s dual roles in both storylines.

Topics also include Carter Burwell’s glorious score, another round of Alter Egos, and gossip from the 2017 Cannes.

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242 – Pride

This week’s episode is one we have promised for some time: 2014′s Pride. The film tells the true story of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, a queer activist group that partnered with a Welsh town in the 1980s during the mining strike under Thatcher’s rule. Following the lives of both the straight townsfolk and the queer Londoners, the film paints a portrait of queerness, allyship, and activism that rings true today while also satisfying on a crowd-pleasing level. After launching at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight and winning the Queer Palm, the film launched in the fall of 2014 to some ardent critical fans, but didn’t cross the Oscar finish line.

This episode, we talk about the theatre career of director Matthew Warchus and the film’s comforts in this current tumultuous moment for queer people. We also talk about the film’s tremendous ensemble headlined by Imelda Staunton and Bill Nighy, gay infighting, and unofficial THOB mascot Men Trussler.

Topics also include the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Monica Bellucci bluntly listing director names, and the concept of Festival Regret.

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241 – Selena (with Luis Rendon!)

And we’re back! We hope you all enjoyed the 100 YEARS, 100… SNUBS! May miniseries, but regular episodes are returning and did we come back with a special one! The Mixed Reviews co-host and journalist Luis Rendon joins us to talk about one of the most beloved musical biopics of all time, 1997′s Selena. The film follows the rise and sudden tragic end of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla, and catapulted actress Jennifer Lopez in a major way. Lopez stayed in the conversation to earn a Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy nomination at the Globes, but the Oscars overlooked her now-treasured performance that is often remarked on for her ability to recreate the real life icon that she played.

This episode, we discuss the many phases on Jennifer Lopez’s career from her breakout in 1997 to her emergence into a music career and triumph at the Super Bowl Half Time Show with Shakira. We also discuss the massive casting search that landed her the role, the film as a tool of healing in the immediate aftermath of Selena’s murder, and the visual style of Tejano music videos brought to the film.

Topics also include the 1997 Best Actress race, the tradition of post-Drag Race on VH1 cinema, and character actress legend Lupe Ontiveros.

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100 Years, 100… Snubs! – Part Five

We’ve arrived at the grand finale of our blowout May miniseries 100 Years, 100… Snubs! It’s all been leading up to this Red and Wild strawberry social with guests arriving, boots handed out with abandon, and our picks for the biggest Oscar snub of all time! We also dive into a feast of topics including hating Braveheart, corny 1970s disaster movies, running times of nominated Documentary Features, international feature eligibility issues, double Supporting Actor nominations in 1991, Nicole Kidman’s gaze, which one of us is a bigger You Can Count on Me fan, and 100 Years, 100… Snubs! SNUBS. Special thanks to all of our listeners for sticking with us week after week, film after film — we hope you all had fun with this miniseries!!

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100 Years, 100… Snubs! – Part Four

The penultimate episode of our May miniseries is here! And this week, we are returning to a few repeat boot victims and some of our favorite oft-discussed films and performances. This round of snubs and boots includes terrifying bundles of sticks (cough), being 4′8″ and dying, codpieces, visions of the afterlife, lump twins, Mike Leigh performers, Spike Lee performers, horror movies, the upcoming live action The Little Mermaid, and lots more!

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100 Years, 100… Snubs! – Part Three

We’ve got 20 more snubs (plus guest appearances!) on deck for another installment of 100 YEARS, 100… SNUBS!, and this episode is out for blood! We dive into the much discussed 1999 Best Original Song category, two very famous snubs that DON’T make our list, Chris’ early stumping for one highly anticipated performance this year, a 1980s genre film loved by horse girls and soft boys alike, Leslie Caron getting gaslit by puppets, falling in love from across a fish tank, and lots more!

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100 Years, 100… Snubs! – Part Two

Our May miniseries continues this week with 20 more of our picks for the greatest snubs of Oscar history! As we march towards our pick for the single greatest snub of all time we’re talking about early 2000s emo music, Jessica Lange and Charlize Theron as bootable nominees, Beyonce’s trio of performances for nominated songs, horny acting, the most perplexingly snubbed movie of 2022, Jim Carrey’s fast rise in the 1990s, loving musical theatre people, and horror nominations!

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100 Years, 100… Snubs! – Part One

It’s May miniseries time, Garys! And we’re doing something a little different!

In 1998, the AFI compiled a list of the 100 greatest American films of all time, and turned the list into a primetime special complete with famous faces and a schmaltzy Trisha Yearwood song. It was such a success, the AFI continued to release Top 100 lists for love stories, comedies, stars, and more. For our May miniseries, we are paying a loving tribute to the tradition by selecting our choices for the 100 greatest Oscar snubs of all time, and we have several beloved THOB guests calling in to provide their picks as well!

In part one, we’ll cover our ground rules for selection, including no double mentions for a single category in a year, or double mentions for an artist. And we’ll also be giving the boot to the nomination we would replace in our snubs’ place. Here we kick off the month of May with our first (unranked!) 20 snub selections!

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