128 – Cats

It’s time to finally talk about such serious things as digital fur technology and the perils of tribalism – you’ve been begging for it, we’re finally talking about Cats. Our first Class of 2019 film discussed on the podcast, Cats was announced to the immediate revulsion of many, but Oscar predictors saw some possibility thanks to the participation of two Oscar winners: director Tom Hooper and star Jennifer Hudson in the role of Grizabella. But Cats’ communal punchline status continued to snowball, from its heavily memed trailer, to its legendary Lincoln Center premiere, to its rowdy screenings.

This epsiode, we dive into our own relationships with the staged version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical and the composer’s underwhelming returns with screen adaptations. We also cover what made the film such a disaster including Hooper’s ill-conceived high-minded approach to the material and his reported mistreatment of the film’s visual effects team. We also discuss the “Butthole Cut”, visible wedding rings, and “Beautiful Ghosts.”

Topics also include our rankings of the musical numbers, Celine Dion’s television singing competition version of “Memory”, and what the hell “Jellicle” even means.

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@Had_Oscar_Buzz
Joe: @joereid
Chris: @chrisvfeil

Class of 2019

With last week’s announcement of this year’s Academy Award nominees, we can now discuss the episode a year in the making (or, in the case of The Current War, several years): the This Had Oscar Buzz Class of 2019.

In keeping with last year’s tradition, we’ve broken the films up into several categories: The Cake Memorial Prize for happiest miss, The Justice for “Slaughter Race” Prize for saddest miss, The Dr. Louise Banks Award for most surprising shutout, the Unfinished Life Prize for most forgettable, the Angela’s Ashes technicality prize, and the Welcome to Marwen Prize for most anticipated episode.

We naturally rage against the snub of Jennifer Lopez for Hustlers, make promises of an eventual Cats episode, and highlight what makes this year’s Independent Spirit Awards so special. Apologies for the delay in the arrival of the episode!!

Follow Us on Twitter!
@Had_Oscar_Buzz
Joe: @joereid
Chris: @chrisvfeil