Ever since 1928, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has handed out trophies to what it considered the best in film. Sometimes they were absolutely right, sometimes they were entirely wrong, sometimes they were so, so basic. But in all that time, audiences have had their own opinions, sometimes better, sometimes much worse. And sometimes, when the stars align or the fates allow, they even agree. Academy Vs Audience is a deep dive into Oscar history, revisiting film history from the 1920s to the 2020s; from the Studio Era to the age of the IP Franchise; from the age of the silent film to the age of the novelty silent film. Claire, Erin, and Dan take on each year’s Best Picture according to the Academy, and the Box Office Champ selected by audience dollars*. It’s a fascinating look at enduring classics and a descent into madness, because History Is Always Terrible and audiences make questionable choices.(*Based on revenue earned during its initial run, and the year said run began in. No re-releases. Lots of movies become audience favourites years after their initial release, you are not special, Billy Jack.)
Claire Bolton, Dan Gibbins, and Erin Weir
Before we reach the 2000s and spend half an episode breaking down Dan's least favourite entry of one of his favourite franchises, he's here to get the Mission: Impossible brainrot out of his system by breaking down the evolution of the franchise and which film did what the best. From it's lower-key suspense thriller origins to its recent final (unless...) origins, best squads, best villains, and best teammates in a quickie burst for you, the listeners, while Claire and Erin are distracted.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
The decade wraps up with one beautifully crafted but disturbingly hollow Best Picture, and one beloved franchise returning with a controversial entry. Recurring guest/victim of scheduling Munsi Parker-Munroe is back for the takes, joining Claire, Erin, and Dan in being mad at how well made American Beauty is in spite of the troubling central themes and lead actor, then digging into Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, looking for the few good scenes and asking whether a story about how fascism takes root in a decadent democracy is aided or undermined by a CG fart clown. Tune in and find out how Phantom Menace does as a Star War, and which aged worse: American Beauty or Gone With the Wind?Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1998, and was all fair in love and war? Some say no, as Harvey Weinstein launched an Oscar campaign of attrition to get himself an award for theatre kids' ideal romcom Shakespeare in Love, while also slandering rival Steven Spielberg's intense war movie Saving Private Ryan. Claire, Erin, Dan, and returning guest Kevin break down both, ask whether Shakespeare deserves the hate it got for defeating Private Ryan, what each film does well, whether Dan is wrong about his preference or if he's just speaking truth to power (or in this case internet film bros), and who had the best powerhouse ensemble. But one cannot talk box office hits of the 90s without addressing Michael Bay, and international box office champ Armageddon is here for us. Love, war, rocks from space, join the unhinged breakdown!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
While Erin and Claire are busy on a stage, Dan succumbs to his ongoing Titanic brainrot, and drags his Recovered co-host Keith along for the ride by asking: did Titanic need or warrant a remake? Not the movie... the BOAT. Dan and Keith walk through how a replica Titanic is not equipped to compete in the modern cruise market, something it was never designed or priced for, and why one right-wing Australian politician has spent the last 13 years telling the press he's gonna do it, he gonna make a new Titanic any day now. Can a modern-day Titanic replica charge Fabrizio prices for a Cal Hockley experience? Can they fill the ship if they don't? Come down the rabbit hole and find out.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
The day Erin's been waiting for arrives as she, Claire, and Dan dig into the third of three Joint Champion Juggernauts, James Cameron's Titanic. A star crossed romance between Jack and Rose is plagued by class differences, a cruel fiancé, and oh yes the boat they're on plowing into an iceberg. Records are smashed, feelings are felt, Dan's only a little bitter about one of the other nominees being defeated, and the AVA team unpacks it all. Grab your ticket and come aboard for the ride!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Another year, another Oscars has come and gone, and returning guest Olav Rokne of the Hugo Book Club blog is back to help Erin, Claire, and Dan break down how each nominee did, and how they should have done. What does everything think should have won? What won too much? Can Claire, cursed by witches to watch no movies outside of this podcast, tell us anything about them? Also someone even manages to cape for Emilia Perez. Someone named Olav. Tune in for the breakdown!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1996, and Dan is yelling "Elaine was right" as Claire, Erin, and he dissect Harvey Weinstein's first big Oscar win, The English Patient. Was this an early example of the current hip category fraud, where a co-lead ran as a supporting actress for an easier Oscar? Does cheating on young, hot Colin Firth make sense? Those questions answered, the far less clever but far more fun Independence Day claims the box office, which gives our hosts way more emotions in a surprisingly close amount of time. Ralph Fiennes vs Will Smith, join us for the fight!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
1995 wasn't the best year for Hollywood. The Oscars (and only the Oscars) decided to go with Mel Gibson cosplaying a biopic in the epic of Braveheart, loved by dudes and hated by the Scottish ever since. At the box office, audiences were split, with the domestic crown going to rookie studio Pixar's story of toys come to life, while international audiences flocked to John McLane's third outing, which managed to re-discover the magic of Die Hard while discarding what is often seen as the key ingredient. Chaos reigns as Claire, Erin, and Dan dig into all three. Who will triumph?Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
One year after Schindler's List, the Academy chose to take it easy, and go with a heartwarming crowd-pleaser, in fact the biggest hit of the year, Forrest Gump. A film beloved by millions right until it beat Pulp Fiction at the Oscars. But while the USA enjoyed this streak of boomer nostalgia, international audiences were here for Peak Disney in the form of The Lion King, a simple story buoyed by iconic songs and incredible animation, that would one day find new fans through the same songs and much worse animation. Forrest vs Simba, find out how Erin, Claire, and Dan vote by listening in now.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
In 1993, everything was coming up Steven Spielberg! The king of blockbusters won his first Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture with his look at the Holocaust and those who survived because of two men's efforts to save who they could, teaching us that when times are dark, you do what you can and save who you can, even if it never feels like enough. But on the lighter side, Spielberg also smashed box office records with the simple formula of Jeff Goldblum getting chased by dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. One director, one composer, two very different movies that are great in different ways, and we're breaking them down for you. Listen in!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Erin, Claire, and Dan look back at the films they watched over 2024, both new releases, old classics first seen, or the stuff they watched for this, for you, the listeners. Claire visits classic horror, Dan breaks down some possible Best Picture nominees and what they have going for and against them, Erin reflects on franchises she's seen for the first time, and as a bonus nobody talks about Megalopolis. This time. Join us in looking back on 2024 in film, and what a future episode may be!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Season's greetings from your Academy Vs Audience film historians! While turkey was eaten and presents unwrapped and schedules attempted to align, Erin went deep into Non-Christmas Christmas Movies, movies that might not seem to be about Christmas until you realize they (sometimes) are. Erin presents a tier ranking, and neither the top nor bottom may be what you expect.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's Clint Eastwood vs the Disney Renaissance as we reach 1992. Clint returns to the western genre in order to deconstruct its myths and tropes with a story of the west, violence, and how the stories we tell grow beyond the truth in Unforgiven, which Dan thinks would have fit right into the Legacy Sequel Era but it's probably for the best it isn't one. Then after four years, the Disney Renaissance finally claims the box office crown with Aladdin, probably thanks to Robin Williams' iconic performance as the Genie, but Claire and Erin still have a lot of childhood love for it. One film we grew up on, one that grows on us, join us for the breakdowns.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Two very different classics take the titles in 1991 as traditional Oscar bait has not fully developed. The Oscar goes to classic thriller Silence of the Lambs, thanks to riveting suspense, a stellar cast, and a performance from Anthony Hopkins so iconic you forget how little he's actually in the movie. Gina Stewart is back to explore changes from the book, while Dan has a theory about why this is the only Oscar-caliber Hannibal Lector movie. Meanwhile, James Cameron returns to the Terminator for droid-on-droid action in T2: Judgement Day. Who was more correct, audience or academy? It's a photo-finish this week, join the discussion!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
While the gang takes a minute to catch up and prepare to get further into the 90s, we present a special mini-episode of Dan's Extra Credit Corner. A quick and dirty ranking of the Predator franchise, a look into why no film since our next entry has managed to win the Big Five Oscars, and for the feature presentation, an excerpt from Dan's deep dice into Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, one movie guaranteed not be a Best Picture or Box Office Champ, and why it's the most fascinating failure of a movie in five years. It's a speed run of sidebars, take a listen!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's another triple-header, as the Oscars went for the first Extra Long Kevin Costner Western, while audiences were split between Christmas hijinks and the first big Sexy Halloween Monster. Dances With Wolves managed to be the second western to win Best Picture, while flipping the script on the genre's treatment of Native Americans, but could Costner act and direct at the same time? International audiences went for the genre-crossing hit that was Ghost, while Americans fell hard for Macaulay Culkin Saw-trapping burglars in Home Alone. Which do Dan, Claire, and Erin prefer? Listen to find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
At the end of the 80s, the Oscars found themselves short on meaningful, artful, epics, tried to find some heartwarming story about ending racism, and settled for Driving Miss Daisy. Meanwhile, Hollywood began to pay attention to the worldwide box office instead of just the US, and we have our first split between domestic and international box office champions. Batman and Indiana Jones battled for box office supremacy, and who are we to pick a favourite? Munsi Parker-Munroe returns to help Claire, Erin, and Dan dissect whether Driving Miss Daisy is actually a bad movie or just disliked as an Oscar winner, how Burton's Batman holds up, and whether Last Crusade is the best of the Indys (which Dan's Extra Credit Corner is here to rank). Crank the Batdance and come join us!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's the one Joint Champion of the 1980s, as neither Oscars nor audience can resist Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise teaming up for the road movie Rain Man, which also serves as perhaps the first major pop culture depiction of autism. Here to help Claire, Erin, and Dan break down the movie's efforts to examine neurodivergence is Dan's big brother Dr. Chris Gibbins, psychologist specializing in this exact topic, so a fun break from work for Chris. How are the medical professionals depicted this time around, and which is the favourite? What would the 2024 version of this look like? Are we sure Tom Cruise's character isn't also on the spectrum? Join us as we cover all things Rain Man before it's time for Wapner. Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
In 1987, both Academy and Audience were making questionable choices in very different directions, so Kevin Weir's back to help Erin, Claire, and Dan get into it. The Oscar went to The Last Emperor, chronicling the uniquely tragic life of China's final emperor Puyi, and the gang accidentally watches the longest possible version. The audience goes far lighter with Three Men and a Baby, about three bachelors trying to take care of a baby left at their door... while also in a cat-and-mouse game with the mafia? Comedy! Your hosts search for the exact right Three Men to helm the remake Disney may yet still be considering. Listen in for a discussion that almost certainly probably doesn't go off the rails repeatedly.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
In 1986, Hollywood was in two minds about the military. Oliver Stone won an Oscar for his ground-level examination of the destruction and darkness of the Vietnam War, via one idealistic recruit being ground down by perpetual horror and atrocity. Tony Scott went another way, with whizz-bang planes that go fast and hot shot fighter pilots flying and fighting and erotically playing beach volleyball in Top Gun, which won over the crowds and made Tom Cruise a bona fide Movie Star. It's dumb and fun vs smart and soul-crushing: who won the hearts of our hosts? Tune in and find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1985 and the tonal gap between Academy winners and Audience favourite isn't getting smaller. The Oscar goes to Meryl Streep and Robert Redford's languidly paced, ill-fated romance in Out of Africa. Returning guest Gina Stewart joins Erin, Claire, and Dan to explain how the actual Karen Blixen's memoir of life in colonial Africa was mutated into an Oscar-bait romance. The audience turned out stronger for the unhinged sci-fi comedy Back to the Future, which would pave the way for a generation's worth of comedic hot takes, but does it still work as a movie? And what's Dan got to share in Extra Credit Corner? Tune in and find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's buddy cops and classical music frenemies as Academy Vs Audience reaches 1984! First off, the Oscar goes to Amadeus, a film version of the what-if story proposing a deadly rivalry between composers Mozart and Salieri... a rivalry only one of them knows about. Erin, Claire, and Dan dig into it, the music, the wig-game, and if it's as gripping as film reddit insists. While that happened Eddie Murphy cemented himself as a movie star in Beverly Hills Cop, and we look at which parts aged more gracefully than others. Is Amadeus still a classic? Is Beverly Hills Cop still a certified good time? Listen and find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1983, and the big movies are all about difficult parent/child relationships. The Oscars went to Terms of Endearment, a mother/daughter story conceived, written, and brought to the screen by men, and Erin, Claire, and Dan have a lot of questions and notes on its success. Audiences, however, needed to see how Han Solo got out of the carbonite, and flocked to Return of the Jedi, which would seem to be the end of Star Wars. It wasn't, but nobody knew that. Lots of hot takes on bad names, bad relationships, and unnecessarily sexy alien lounge singers, so strap in!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
While Erin and Claire are busy with the all-new theatrical experience of Riverona, travel back with us to 1944 and what Dan insists against all opposition is "one of the three most criminally underrated Best Pictures in history," the cask-stength comfort viewing of Going My Way. But first, for All 80s Summer, Erin has a speed-run review of George Miller's Mad Max saga, since we don't live in a just world and will not have a 2024 episode on Best Picture Furiosa and Box Office Champion The Fall Guy. That's on us as a society. Join us in reminiscing on Father Chuck O'Malley, whose unflinching love and support could rebuild the world.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
While Erin and Claire are bringing a fresh new work to what lucky audiences are able to catch it, we turn back the clock to one of our earliest episodes, in which Dan invited Erin, Claire, and you, the listener, to join him in his Yancey Cravat Madness. Followed by some love for Charlie Chaplin! And since this is All 80s Summer, some quickie 80s movie reviews from the one co-host not getting a play onto a stage right now. Join us in the Wayback Machine!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1982, and the rift between Academy and Audience grows ever farther. The (many) Oscars go to Richard Attenborough's lengthy biopic Gandhi, bringing you the greatest hits of Mohandas-then-Mahatma Gandhi, managing to fill over three hours of runtime with few insights beyond "Gandhi: Nifty." Meanwhile Steven Spielberg re-conquered Hollywood with the simple tale of a boy and his stranded alien exo-botanist in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Whose death earned what reaction from Erin, Claire, and Dan? What makes this the year that Art and Commerce broke up? When you're ready to listen... we'll be right here.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1981, and one of the most iconic adventure movies ever takes on a movie with one iconic piece of music that they use a little. The Academy goes with Chariots of Fire, about the 1924 UK Olympic track and field team and the obstacles both great and very small they faced, while the audience flocks to see Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' latest offering, a rogueish archaeologist named Indiana Jones. Will Claire, Erin, and Dan be able to keep the Chariots cast separate? What's the one great flaw of Raiders of the Lost Ark? And what was actually the Best Picture of 1981? All this and more for your listening pleasure.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Welcome to Academy Vs Audiences All 80s Summer! The hits get bigger and the Oscar winners get smaller, and nothing spells that out quite like 1980. The Oscars go with Ordinary People, Robert Redford's film about a family in turmoil after a tragedy, and the different ways we successfully or unsuccessfully process grief. The audience, however, just really wanted to see more of Luke, Han, and Leia, then got to shock of their 1980 lives about Darth Vader when the Empire Struck Back. Is Ordinary People's quality filmmaking enough for repeat viewings? Do Erin, Claire, and Dan have more notes about this Star War than the last one? Listen in!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1979, nearing the end of the era of serious dramas for adults ruling the box office, and Dustin Hoffman's divorce and custody drama becomes one of our more unlikely joint champions. Erin, Claire, and Dan dig into Ted Kramer's attempts to juggle two lives: raising his son alone after his wife Joanna disappears into the night, and a career that doesn't care for him having other priorities. Will Ted and Billy find a new rhythm? What happens when Joanna comes back? How obvious is it that this was written by a man? Is the real villain, once again, capitalism? Join us to find out.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1978 and the tonal gulf between Oscar winner and people's champ has, if anything, widened, as has the gap in host reactions. The Academy goes for Michael Cimino's home-from-Vietnam story The Deer Hunter, which has some stellar performances but also very strange and off-putting pacing, and an iconic, definitive scene that maybe does more harm than good. Meanwhile, audiences flocked to see John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the 50s nostalgia musical Grease, filled with songs and bad life choices, and which maybe gets more criticism for its ending than it warrants. Erin, Claire, and returning guest Kevin are here for it all, Dan... has a different take, and an explanation as to how Deer Hunter contributed to the Birth of Oscar Season and the Death of New Hollywood. Who's right? Listen and decide!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
In 1977, a long time ago, you might say Academy and Audience's tastes were far, far away. Claire, Erin, Dan, and returning guest Munsi Parker-Munroe strap in to take on one Woody Allen in his seminal hit, Annie Hall, asking how well it's aged and how challenging it is to deal with the Woody Allen of it all. That accomplished, it's time for our first dip into the Skywalker Saga, as George Lucas changes the film landscape forever with the pure-strain monomyth action of Star Wars. Is Annie Hall worth engaging with a problematic creator? How much did Lucas get right out of the gate? Find out with us!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
The Oscars have happened, Award Season is done for now, and we take a look at the ten candidates for Best Picture of 2023, with returning guest Oscar enthusiast, and greatest living fan of Zardoz, Olav Rokne. Dan and Olav saw all ten, as is their wont, Erin's seen six, and Claire's here for the vibes as we speed through reviews of nine great movies and also Maestro. What were their strengths? Their failings? Should modern audiences regrow and attention span or is three and a half hours too long to feel horrified? We discuss, you listen, good times are had.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1976, and audiences and the Academy are united in loving one man: Rocky Balboa. A nine film franchise spanning six decades has a small and simple beginning as a struggling young Sylvester Stallone writes himself into stardom as a simple palooka trying to prove to the world and himself that he can go the distance with heavyweight champ Apollo Creed. Erin, Claire, and Dan dig into Rocky's journey from nothing to stardom, where the Rockys went from here and what it tells us, which scene has NOT aged well, and the birth of the training montage (and what all other montages got wrong). Put all that together? Baby, you got a stew going (RIP Carl Weathers)! Listen in!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1995, and we have cuckoos and sharks coming your way! The Oscar went to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, second film ever to achieve the Oscar Grand Slam, as Jack Nicholson's anti-hero McMurphy squared off with Louise Fletcher's icily villainous Nurse Ratched. It's hailed by a classic, but how does it hold up? And what do other versions of the story do better? But the audience pic is the birth of the blockbuster, Steven Spielberg's classic, Jaws. Claire, Erin, and Dan dig into both, and ask who we feel more sympathy for: controlling nurses or giant sharks? Grab your floaties and find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Two years after The Godfather dominated the box office and snagged the top Oscar, Francis and the Corleones are back for one of the most lauded sequels ever, The Godfather Part 2. Gina Stewart's back to join Erin, Claire, and Dan in unpacking the rise of Vito and the fall of Michael, and the sad story of Fredo and the career of the man playing him. But the sequel didn't fully wow the crowds, so we move on to the pinnacle of the early 70s top genre, disasters, with The Towering Inferno. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen battle to stop a raging fire and claim top billing, while an all-star supporting cast attempts to stay uncooked. Who lives, who dies, why won't Erin be sleeping tonight? Find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1973, and we take a break from Coppola's mafia movies for... more crimes, of legal and spiritual nature! First up, Paul Newman and Robert Redford are back together for new crimes in a new century, as 1930s con men out for payback on a vicious gangster in Oscar winner The Sting. But as popular as the Butch and Sundance reunion was (very), audiences were even more drawn into horror classic The Exorcist, in which a desperate mother exhausts many, many, many options before a young priest and an old priest unite to battle the devil. Horror fan and heist movie tolerator Keith Kollee from Recovered returns to get into the heist and horror double feature. Which one had the more deserving crown? Listen and join the argument.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1972 and Francis Ford Coppola had an offer neither Academy nor Audience could refuse, with all-time-classic mob movie The Godfather. Erin, Claire, and Dan dig into the suspense, the twists and turns, who the best Corleone kid is and why it's Tom Hagen, and Gina Stewart is back to tell us all about how Mario Puzo's novel was adapted (by Puzo himself and Coppola). Get yourself a plate of pasta, pour some wine, and dig into the first Joint Champion of the 70s with us!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's the holiday season, so while taking a brief break, Erin, Claire, and Dan look back at the hits, possible nominees, and other random movies they've seen over the course of 2023. What were some Oscar History highlights? What were the weird trends of 2023 movies? What's the most unfortunate trend? Are we headed for the first Joint Champion in two decades? Probably not but maybe we should be. Join in for a look back.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
1971 brings us another year where you have to ask if someone wrote the winners down wrong, as the Academy goes with the cop thrillers and audiences decide they're not quite done with musicals. Best Picture goes to The French Connection, with Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle, a cop on the edge in world he never made, fighting French drug traffickers with... racism and mostly inept surveillance? Doesn't seem great... Meanwhile, our Box Office Champion Fiddler on the Roof sings of Tradition, wishes to be a Rich Man, and audiences turned out Sunrise, Sunset. Which did Erin, Claire, and Dan connect with the most? Listen and find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Welcome to the 70s, New Hollywood! And as Erin, Claire, and Dan enter this new decade, all is fair in love and war... and if it isn't, love means never having to say you're sorry. The Academy goes for Patton, a biopic of the controversial World War II general, and Erin and Claire are... not convinced. Meanwhile, the audience showed up in droves for the simply titled Love Story, and the hosts have some notes. War gets the glory, love conquers all at the box office, but who stands the test of time? Listen along and find out.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Grab your hat, your boots, your portable radio, and all the chewing gum you can carry, as New Hollywood hits hard in 1969. The Academy goes for the bleak, urban tragedy of two failing hustlers in Midnight Cowboy, and Dustin Hoffman shatters our hosts' hearts. The audience went for something lighter, more fun, and yet with fewer surviving protagonists in western buddy comedy Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Two very different movies succeeding in very different ways, but which is the favourite? Which one set a record? Listen in to find out.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1968, the dying days of Hollywood's "Golden Age," and while grosses have been down and the market's oversaturated, the big-budget Hollywood musical is going down swinging. First, the Oscar goes to Oliver!, a whimsical, light-hearted, peppy musical adaptation of... Oliver Twist? Weird choice. Once we're through the toe-tapping child trauma, it's on to Funny Girl, Barbra Streisand's breakout movie depicting the rise of top-tier Ziegfeld Girl Fanny Brice, the fall of her gambler husband, and how Fanny apparently never did anything wrong ever. It's tone clash vs. whitewashed biography, with songs for the whole family, and Kevin Weir's back to help break it all down!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Welcome to New Hollywood, listeners! The Academy goes for tense, racially charged In The Heat of the Night, where Sidney Poitier announces "They call me Mr. Tibbs" and helps a hick southern sheriff solve a murder. It's gripping, it's powerful, it brings up some sad thoughts for Erin, Claire, and Dan in the wake of recent events in Canada. Then on the lighter side, Dustin Hoffman makes his AVA debut in The Graduate, a blend of bleak and very funny that your co-hosts fall for partially because the characters are very unlikable. The Hayes Code is dead, the Studio Bosses have fallen, and boundaries get pushed as the New Hollywood era begins! Listen in now.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1966, and as the so-called "Golden Age" of Hollywood collapses, nobody's having a good year. The Oscars favour A Man For All Seasons, the story of Thomas Moore, a man bold enough to [checks notes] take no actions, speak no opinions, and "My name's Paul and that's tween y'all" Henry VIII's marriage controversies. Yeah. Great subject for a biopic. Meanwhile two underperforming would-be epics have a photo-finish for Box Office Champ, and we select the last Bible epic, a straight up retelling of Genesis in The Bible: In The Beginning. Munsi Parker-Munroe, our own personal omen of doom, joins Claire, Erin, and Dan for the breakdown. Join in! Learn, laugh, and loathe with us.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1965, and Academy Vs Audience hits Film History's Second Juggernaut: Dame Julie Andrews and the late, great, Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music. Erin, Claire, and Dan dig into the sweet little musical about love, family, music, and the dangers of capitulating to Nazis... breaking down the kids, the king that is Captain Von Trapp and the glorious problem that's Maria, and lots of love for the songs*. Box office records are smashed, Oscar gold is hauled in, one of the other most successful movies ever made is buried, and Dame Andrews' vengeance over My Fair Lady is complete. *Except Lonely Goatherd. What... what was that, honestly.Join us for the breakdown!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1964 and it's all singing, all dancing, all grudge match for Julie Andrews! The Oscar goes to Lerner and Lowe's My Fair Lady, with Audrey Hepburn taking over the role Julie Andrews created onstage, because the future Dame wasn't "a big enough draw." In response, Andrews joins Walt Disney for the aggressively whimsical Mary Poppins, claiming the box office crown from the film that rejected her. But who did it best? When it comes to the tunes, Doolittle's doing plenty and Poppins ain't stoppin', and Erin, Claire, and Dan have many an opinion. Join us for the 60s dance party!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
It's 1963, and both Hollywood and the UK were starting to poke at the boundaries of film censors. First off, the best picture winner, England's Tom Jones, in which the title character tries to win his lady Sophie (whoa, She's a Lady), but can't resist saying "What's New Pussycat" to any woman with a come hither look. Our special guest, Video Vulture John Tebbutt, explains to Claire, Erin, and Dan that It's Not Unusual to find the appeal may have shifted since the Sexual Revolution. Speaking of sex and revolution, the people flocked to see Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, twice the runtime as 1934's version but with much more exposed Cleo. Twice as long, twice as flashy, an hour longer than it needed to be, Dan knows it as "Zack Snyder's Cleopatra," and it managed to be the year's biggest hit while still almost bankrupting the studio. Two protagonists sexing their way through their legends, but who did it best? Join us and find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
War! Huh. Good god, y'all, what is it good for? In 1962, the answer is two surprisingly good movies. First, the Academy Award goes to Lawrence of Arabia, featuring stunning cinematography, deadly deserts, amazing breakout performances from Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif, and some DEEPLY uncomfortable casting choices for Arab leadership. But by a narrow margin, the box office crown goes to The Longest Day, an impressively thorough and nuanced examination of the D-Day invasion of Normandy with a handful of big name actors and a smaller handful of characters Erin, Claire, and Dan could keep straight. Two movies, two wars, seven hours of total runtime, lots to unpack, so grab your camel and your parachute and strap in.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Welcome, listeners, to the Academy Vs Audience/Recovered crossover! Dan, Erin, and Claire welcome Dan's Recovered co-host Keith Kollee to dig into 1961's Joint Champion, West Side Story, the only movie whose every film remake is an Oscar contender. The gang digs into this story of rival gangs, racial tensions, corrupt cops, amazing progressive trans representation, and if there's time, the star-crossed lovers at the center of this Romeo and Juliet riff*. The songs, the dance fights, the weird shifts to the song order, and more in Part One of our West Side Stories Deep Dive. Check it out now!*Riff. See what we did there?Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Welcome to the 60s, the decade that most changed Hollywood! But not quite yet. In The Apartment, Jack Lemmon is doing a sex farce while Shirley Maclaine is in a doomed romance tragedy, Billy Wilder tries to make both work at once, and the Academy was here for it. The Audience wasn't ready to give up sword and sandal epics, and turned out for Kirk Douglas' more secular take on the genre in Spartacus. It's black and white tragi-comedy vs full colour period epic, and both begin to chip away at the Hays Code. Which deserved the win more? Dan, Claire, and Erin debate, but agree that the best call is always Peter Ustinov. Give a cry of "I'm Spartacus!*" and join us!*We do not officially endorse being SpartacusFind all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
Here at the end of another decade, Dan, Claire, and Erin ask a question: can a movie have too much Jesus but also way too little Jesus at the same time? It's our second biggest Joint Champion Juggernaut, Ben-Hur, in which Charlton Heston pursues vengeance via chariot while Forrest Gumping his way through the New Testament. Claire and Erin cry out for slash-fic, Dan makes his final statement on the failures of 50s Bible Epics, and our guest Gina Stewart is here to tell us all about the original novel, and how a nearly four hour movie still managed to leave stuff out. What's the hottest 'ship of the movie? Which alternate film version of this is Dan inevitably going to get drunk and hate-watch? Which of its many Oscars did this objectively deserve the least? All this and more! Listen now!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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