Elizabeth Banks – This Had Oscar Buzz

Are you loving our new original intro music, listeners? We’re joined this week by its composer and our friend Taylor Cole to muse on the genre musical biopic with 2015’s Love and Mercy. The film follows different chapters of Brian Wilson’s life and mental wellness journey, with Paul Dano taking on Wilson’s life as he experimented with The Beach Boys’ sound and John Cusack as the later Wilson. After a debut at the 2014 TIFF, the film launched in the summer to positive reviews and a slew of precursor nominations for Dano. But much like the Academy voted with The Fablemans this past year, Dano was left out at the last moment.

This episode, we discuss how the film’s structure appropriately tells Wilson’s story while creatively twisting the standard biopic framework. We also discuss Elizabeth Banks’ performance headlining the later portions of the film, divisive feelings about Dano’s earlier performances, and 2015 Best Supporting Actor.

Topics also include Cusack strike tweeting, presenting Chicago to Social Studies class, and our relationships with the music of The Beach Boys.

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

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Listeners, are you ready to be exalted?! This week, we welcome back author, screenwriter, Listen to Sassy co-host, and now OSCAR NOMINEE Pamela Ribon. And to welcome her back we’re going on a road trip with some exotic male dancers for Magic Mike XXL. The somewhat surprising sequel to the 2012 original (previously discussed on this podcast) dispensed with the commentary on capitalism and gave us everything we wanted from Mike and the boys: more dancing, more skin, and more guys being dudes. But softer box office and softer reviews kept this totally-not-directed-by-Soderbergh-not-at-all sequel out of serious awards contention, excluding some late-year critical reassessment.

This episode, we celebrate Pam’s success with her animated short My Year of Dicks and our high hopes for Mike’s swan song, Magic Mike’s Last Dance. We also discuss Roxanne Gay’s recap, Magic Mike Live, and the film’s genius film ensemble including Jada Pinkett Smith, Andie MacDowell, and Elizabeth Banks.

Topics also include campaign rules, “going to nationals” as a concept, and Joe Manganiello causing your pants to rip.

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Tag: Elizabeth Banks

251 – Love and Mercy (with Taylor Cole!)

229 – Magic Mike XXL (with Pamela Ribon!)