Kristen Stewart – This Had Oscar Buzz

327 – On the Road

With I’m Still Here garnering praise in this year’s awards race, we thought it would be a great time to talk about Walter Salles – and, well, things turned out great with a surprise Best Picture nomination for Salles and company. After earning stateside honors with films like The Motorcycle Diaries and Central Station, Salles took on an ambitious and long-gestating project: an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. With a starry cast and impeccable craft team, the film received a mild-to-dismissive reception at its Cannes premiere and struggled throughout the season to regain traction.

This episode, we praise the work of Salles (including in this divisive film!) and mention the many names that were previously attached to bring the landmark book to the screen. We also talk about Kristen Stewart during the height of Twilight, Salles’ reedit of the film before its fall release, and the supporting cast that includes the likes of Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Elisabeth Moss, Alice Braga, and Kirsten Dunst.

Topics also include IFC Films, the 2012 National Board of Review Top 10 Independent Films, and other beat generation films.

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BONUS – Sundance the Night (with Cameron Scheetz)

We’re breaking into your regular podcast schedule to bring you a special bonus episode recapping our thoughts on the films of this year’s Sundance Film Festival! And we’ve asked Queerty’s Cameron Scheetz back on to tell us what the festival was like on the ground at Park City (along with thoughts on non-virtual films like I Saw the TV Glow)! Topics include June Squibb going vigilante as Thelma, a Kieran Culkin/Jesse Eisenberg Pain-ful duet, and our favorite films of this year’s festival!

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192 – Panic Room (EW Spring Movie Preview) (with Adam B. Vary)

We’re kicking off our May Miniseries on EW Movie Preview cover movies at the beginning of the calendar with the Spring Movie Preview spotlight on Panic Room. David Fincher’s post-Fight Club foray into elevating a straightforward thriller with his stylistic perfectionism, the film almost starred Nicole Kidman as a recently separated mother who hides with her daughter in the eponymous fortress when her new home is invaded by a trio of fledgling criminals. But when Kidman exited due to lingering injuries sustained during Moulin Rouge!, the extremely Oscar friendly Jodie Foster ditched Cannes jury president duties to work with Fincher. Though Foster’s name was still synonymous with Oscar after almost winning her third only a few years prior, this spring release was left in awards voters minds as a crowd pleasing thriller by year’s end.

This episode, senior entertainment writer for Variety Adam B. Vary joins us to discuss how the EW movie previews were made, including a deep dive into how movies were chosen for prime coverage, letters to the editor, and its bonanza of fonts. We also discuss the films’ mismatched brilliance of its three criminals played by Forrest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoakam, its breakthrough performance for Kristen Stewart, and covering Jodie Foster’s pregnancy during filming.

Topics also include EW’s Critical Mass grid as the early Rotten Tomatoes, movies delayed because of 9/11, and Free Winona.

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