historical epics – This Had Oscar Buzz

085 – Exodus: Gods and Kings

We as Oscar watchers can’t quit predicting Ridley Scott just like Ridley Scott can’t stop making historical epics that end up underwhelming. In 2014, he gave us one of them – a retelling of Moses story (minus all that religion) called Exodus: Gods and Kings. With Christian Bale at the forefront, the film stirred controversy for casting all white actors led to a tepid box office, with the film becoming one of many late year disappointments in 2014.

This week, we unpack how this film stands up against previous versions of the exodus story, The Ten Commandments and The Prince of Egypt. We also lament some of Scott’s big budget habits (that he might be returning to later this year with The Last Duel) and the many ways that Exodus: Gods and Kings’ does not stand up to his best work.

Topics also include Joel Edgerton’s rising Oscar trajectory, our top ten films of 2014, and the Oscar-winning dueling divas of “When You Believe”.

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025 – Alexander (with David Sims)

Grab some snakes and prep that Dionysus monologue, because this week we are taking it back to 2004′s Alexander. Starring Colin Farrell filling the historic shoes of Alexander the Great, this film was a passion project for Oliver Stone that defeated a rival biopic from Baz Luhrman and Leonardo DiCaprio – but lost the war to critics and audiences alike. And we’ve brought along another special guest to help us on the journey: staff writer for The Atlantic and co-host of the Blank Check podcast, David Sims.

Alexander was a notorious bomb that failed to walk the road that Gladiator had paved for it, but was initially thought of for Oscar almost on Oliver Stone’s name alone. But that hasn’t stopped the director for making several extended cuts of this already very long film. This episode will go into Stone’s diminishing Oscar returns after his heyday in the 80s and 90s, Colin Farrell’s Hollywood explosion, and take our first look at the Razzies.

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006 – 1492: Conquest of Paradise

Brace yourselves for some slow motion colonialism set to the dramatics of Vangelis – this week, we are discussing 1992′s Christopher Columbus epic 1492: Conquest of Paradise. With star Gerard Depardieu having a moment in American cinema and director Ridley Scott fresh off of his first nomination for Thelma and Louise, what could possibly go wrong?

Listen as Joe and Chris remember Sigourney Weaver’s costumes, trailer packages on VHS tapes, and how the film is the prototype for Ridley Scott’s slew of historical epics.

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