All Systems Argo!

Buckle in for a mega-packed double feature of an episode that breaks the fabric of time and space, in much the same way that Flash did when he entered the speed force. The first half of the show takes place prior to ABC's Oscars telecast. Jess schools Jamal on every Best Picture nominee north of Dune but south of Belfast and Jamal addresses the harebrained executive decisions that reshaped the structure of the broadcast. During the second part of the program, Jess and Jamal slap together a post-ceremony roundtable panel that features returning ASA guests David and Jamie, as well as Jess's best friend and fellow CODA stan, Dani. MUSIC: "Breath" by HoliznaCC0 [Public Domain]

Back at the beginning of this year, Disney launched a For Your Consideration Oscars campaign for their ensemble action drama Eternals, directed by Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao. In the wake of the conglomerate pleading for industry prestige, Jess and Jamal sat down to answer one question: “Do any of Marvel's superhero movies deserve to win Best Picture?” Their conversation touches on Ruth E. Carter's historic Costume Design win for Black Panther, why Eternals' story is best suited to the small screen, and the sublime joy of seeing Michael B. Jordan call Angela Bassett ‘Auntie.' MUSIC: "SPANISH BEEEYYAAACHHH" by Malaventura [Public Domain]

If the film Forrest Gump is to be believed, you can run away from a lot of things in life, but you can't run away from the truth. The truth in this case is that the geniuses in the Academy thought that Forrest Gump deserved the honor of being called Best Picture, and then they made that same mistake again with Argo. On this episode, Jess and Jamal are joined by Jamal's former roommate Parker to hack through a forest's worth of willful historical inaccuracies and settle a long-standing debate about where Gump himself belongs in the story of Argo. (TW/CW: Discussion of sexual assault) MUSIC: “Garden Party” by TRG Banks [Public Domain]

It Happened One Night is the first film to take home all five major Academy Awards, but over seven decades have elapsed since its historic wins. How will it fare when compared to Argo— Ben Affleck's follow-up to The Town? To answer this, Jess and Jamal invite Jordan from the podcast Robots Into Guys to talk about sexy cinema, sociocultural displacement and standing in the shadow of Aaron Sorkin. MUSIC: “Nobody” by Bert Williams [Public Domain]

Dive into the memory palace with Jess and Jamal on this tasty mini-sode as they reappraise the NBC police drama *Hannibal * in light of their recent review of Silence of the Lambs. They contrast Hannibal's abusive treatment of Will Graham against his cat-and-mouse dynamic with Clarice Starling and pinpoint what they deem are the series' all-time scariest death scenes. Plus, Jamal shares a shocking secret about his dark past with the show's fandom. (CW: Mentions of violence and mental abuse) MUSIC: “Thirteen” by Cathedral of Chemical Equilibrium [Public Domain]

The horror and thriller genres reached a major milestone in 1992 when Silence of the Lambs won Best Picture at the Oscars, clearing the field for future award-winning thrillers…Like Argo! On this episode, Jess, Jamal and their pal Nick get together for a classified conversation about federal-level boys' clubs, tension without intention and how one decade's progressivism can seem practically conservative as time marches on. MUSIC: “Thirteen” by Cathedral of Chemical Equilibrium [Public Domain]

Two years after Argo rocked Oscar viewers everywhere by winning Best Picture, the same award went to another movie about fakery and popular entertainment: Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). On this episode, Jess and Jamal talk with comedian and TikTok star Scott Seiss about the expected dullness of Artists making Art about their own Art and answer the question on everyone's lips: “Which real scene in Birdman belongs in Argo's fake movie?” MUSIC: “Everyone” by Loyalty Freak Music [CC0]

Argo won Best Picture at the Oscars for its heart-stopping story about white people who really need to board a plane, but just how well does it stack up next to the O.G. "get on the plane" classic, Casablanca? On this episode, Jess and Jamal and joined by author Anthony Alberti to compare both films' positive character arcs and their matter-of-fact approaches to prejudice. MUSIC: "Four Way" by William Ross Chernoff's Nomads [CC-BY]

Is there any battle more intense than Kramer vs. Kramer? Hell yes, and it's the battle between Jess and Jamal vs. Kramer vs. Kramer. In this special mini-sode, the hot-steppin' hosts of All Systems Argo dive deeper into all the most troubling aspects of 1980's Best Picture winner. They go over the implied horrors of the Kramers' married life, dissect an especially bizarre restaurant scene, and laugh about the film's overwhelming MGTOW vibes. MUSIC: “Dirty Beet Roots” by Futuristic Cavemen [CC-BY-SA]

It's the deadbeat dad power hour on the pod, when Argo gets critiqued alongside the 1979 legal drama Kramer vs. Kramer. Jess, Jamal and special guest David from the podcast Robots Into Guys go all in on the films' distractingly uneven takes on nuanced dilemmas and why both movies leave them all feeling downright unclean. MUSIC: “Dirty Beet Roots” by Futuristic Cavemen [CC-BY-SA]

Back in September 2020, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a new set of inclusion mandates for future Best Picture nominees. In this mini-sode, Jess and Jamal break down what the guidelines could mean for the prestige film industry going forward (spoiler: not much), the pitfalls of checklist diversity, and why these newly proposed rules reek of weak tea. MUSIC: “Lost in the Flame” and “Don't Need Drugs” by Kid N' Nasty [CC-BY]

Moonlight, Barry Jenkins's and Tarell Alvin McCraney's loving, melancholic triptych on the subject of Black masculinity, will forever be a part of Academy Awards history (stay gold, Warren Beatty). So too will Argo, for better or worse. Jess and Jamal bring on their producer and editor Ian to discuss the films' contrasting approaches to spatial immersion and the importance of knowing when a scene needs music. Listen to hear the shocking answer to the question: "Are there any Black people in Argo?" MUSIC: "Aim to Stay" by William Ross Chernoff's Nomads [CC-BY]

We don't make the rules, the academy does! But what makes a Best Picture winner truly special? And can something so subjective ever be measured? Yes! Join us as we embark on a never-ending journey to understand the True Neutral of Best Pictures and unravel the never-ending mystery of Argo! “Four Corners {103 & 4/4} ” by Mid-Air Machine From the Free Music Archive, CC BY-SA