Chris Columbus – This Had Oscar Buzz

It has to be said that we have been waiting to do Stepmom from the very beginning, and what better excuse to finally dive in to Chris Columbus’ Christmas Day weepy than this week’s special guest Christina Tucker, co-host of the podcast Wait, Is This A Date?. Uniting the 1998 powers of America’s sweetheart Julia Roberts and recent Best Actress winner Susan Sarandon as a mother diagnosed with cancer and her ex-husband’s future wife, the film earned Sarandon a Golden Globe nomination despite critics not taking to the film’s very sentimental mood.

This episode, we unpack all of the film’s silly moments, from unwieldy real estate to photoshop, from new and various house pets to snowblowing, and all of the things in between that we love about it. We also look at Julia Roberts’ swings from successes to misfires in the 90s, Jena Malone’s return to pop culture in The Hunger Games series, and Susan Sarandon joins our 6 Timers Club!

Topics also include the 1998 Best Actress race, the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, and VH1′s I Love the 80s.

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Once intended to be adapted for the screen by Spike Lee, the Pulitzer-winning musical Rent made its leap to the big screen in 2005 amid impossible expectations. Having helped usher in the modern era of Broadway blockbusters, this one had to live up to the dreams of its massive fanbase but also the shadow cast over all movie musicals in the short years that followed Chicago.

But it ultimately satisfied few, thanks to some key mistakes, starting with the mismatched director Chris Columbus and the recasting of most of the original Broadway leads. This week, we look back at the Oscar success of the decade’s musicals, spend some time lamenting the Crash Best Picture win, and unpack all of the film’s “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman” issues.

And, oh yeah, we brace for the coming impact of Tom Hooper’s Cats.

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Tag: Chris Columbus

158 – Stepmom (with Christina Tucker)

033 – Rent