And the Winner Should Have Been...

So...there were some challenges with this one. We do apologize for the slow release pace, but in this case the audio required a lot of work to tune up. We're talking Best Picture for the 47th Academy Awards (films from 1974). SPOILERS abound, as always.00:10 Intro00:57 A good year?03:21 The Conversation12:25 Gene Hackman interlude13:35 (Yes, yes; we were thinking of A Few Good Men)18:14 The Godfather Part II34:53 Chinatown48:53 Lenny55:07 The Towering Inferno1:02:34 Digression about film rights and availability of old films1:08:00 Quick review of other notable films from 19741:12:40 Our picks for Best Picture1:14:13 (We are moving ahead a decade)

It's been a little while, but we've jumped another 10 years closer to the present with an episode on the best films of 1964. Unfortunately for filmgoers it was a bit of a fallow year, but it does make for some good conversation. We mostly talk about the 5 Best Picture nominees, but a few more films come in for a mention in passing.As ever, we SPOIL the endings, middles...everything really about these movies without regard for what you might not have seen, so be warned. Watch the films first if you don't want to know how they end.00:10 Intro to the podcast/topic00:56 (Absolutely we did not get caught up to the current year)03:34 Mary Poppins18:03 Becket29:55 My Fair Lady31:12 Bob remembers correctly about Shaw and the Greek origin!38:15 The superior original ending43:53 Dr. Strangelove45:51 The prior episode where we talked about Dr. Strangelove46:25 Bob might be misremembering Hayden's late-life problems52:00 Zorba the Greek57:21 Bob gets on his high horse a bit01:01:57 Picking our winner01:05:18 Next episode plans and conclusionIntro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Bob finally gets busy and edits this episode wrapping up the past calendar year. It's a bit out of date, but then most of the episodes are too since we're almost always looking at films from years earlier. Not too many spoilers this time round, but be wary; one never knows when they may strike!00:10 Intro04:53 Favorites watched for the podcast07:27 Movies from 202417:53 Bob and Indian cinema20:25 Rowdy. Rowdy Rathore. (trailer) 21:57 How Bob sees films; film volume25:09 First time watches not from 202434:48 Bob and Mark argue a bit about Free Solo39:58 It's over!

00:10 Intro 02:04 The White Parade, copyright, and availability 09:02 Which ones did we watch? 10:45 It Happened One Night 11:53 It was the Valentine's Day episode about rom-coms in 2022 15:10 Bob's a little off; Miami was 110,000 in 1930, up from less than 30,000 in 1920 20:05 Bob did! See above. 20:57 The end of the Pre-Code era 23:23 Cleopatra 28:13 Imitation of Life 33:18 Flirtation Walk 38:05 The Gay Divorcee 45:06 The Thin Man 49:25 Drunks on film 53:37 Of Human Bondage 59:06 And the Winner Should Have Been... 01:03:45 Upcoming episodes

This week we talk about the films of Ralph Fiennes. We haven't seen all his movies, but we have seen a goodly number. If you're afraid of the sneaky and nefarious SPOILER, you probably ought to be cautious since we fear it not. 00:10 Intro and the topic 02:40 Fiennes and the theater (theatre?) 06:11 Bob attempts to categorize Fiennes' films 07:05 Bob's very wrong about Macbeth being on streaming 08:00 The bulk of Fiennes' movies 13:37 Fiennes as villain 16:03 The Avengers (1998) Bob will be wrong a few seconds later about Fiennes being the villain (it's Sean Connery); not only that, Fiennes plays the hero, which would have been a good thing to have looked up before having the rest of this conversation. Do your homework, kids! 16:51 Our discussion of The English Patient 19:18 "Never" the hero? Didn't you guys just say he was the hero of The King's Man? Tells you how forgettable that film was. 20:13 Fiennes is an actor not a star? 26:31 Work in children's films 31:46 Odds and ends 37:19 Getting off topic and talking about physical media 43:27 Favorite Ralph Fiennes film 47:25 Digression about commentaries, food, other nonsense 51:24 Least favorite Ralph Fiennes film 54:51 Winding down; upcoming episode 56:45 Quick mention of two upcoming films Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Bob jumps straight into the topic this episode with SPOILERS from the very start. This episode we assume that you have at least a familiarity with the basic plot of the Terminator films even if, like Mark, you've never seen them. We discuss the first three films and ignore the latter three (which neither Bob nor Mark has seen). Enjoy! 00:10 Intro 00:45 Mark had not seen The Terminator; cultural significance and Schwarzenegger 05:37 Evolution from conclusive to open-ended 08:42 The Terminator 12:30 Does James Cameron care more about technical filmmaking than the story elements? 20:04 Masking the antagonist in Terminator 2 23:10 Linda Hamilton/Sarah Connor 25:41 Which is best and supporting cast 27:43 Terminator 3 is a real step down 31:12 Schwarzenegger is inextricably linked with the Terminator 34:05 Rough story moments in the second filmmaking 35:21 Edward Furlong - American History X 36:25 Robert Patrick 37:10 Kristanna Loken 40:25 Time travel and its problems 44:07 Special effects 48:35 Mild spoilers(?) for Reacher season 2 49:27 Prosthetic effects in The Terminator 52:08 Actor miscellany 56:35 Winding down Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

We return triumphantly with...a filler episode! Okay, they can't all be about timeless classics. This episode we look back at what we've seen so far and what is on the horizon. Mostly it's not great, but there were a few gems and several films which augur well. Minimal spoilers too! Enjoy! 00:17 Intro (and the brief return of the clicky pen!) 04:32 Bob's Top 5 of 2024 (so far) 08:32 Mark's movie-going (or lack thereof) 11:34 Bob raves about Perfect Days 13:58 What *should* movies be about? Are we jaded? 19:40 So many sequels/remakes on the horizon 23:57 The War of the Rohirrim 24:58 Writers strike and streaming 28:23 Movies we're looking forward to 31:38 Movies we *aren't* looking forward to 32:58 Back to The War of the Rohirrim 35:35 Upcoming release dates 42:14 Ralph Fiennes 44:00 Terminator(s) 45:49 Wrapping up

00:00 Intro 04:54 Starting the topic 06:55 What's the key understanding? 12:10 A role departure for Denzel Washington 15:57 Mark's choice for a unique Washington role 22:20 Another, similar, actor 23:52 It's not necessarily bad... 26:10 Glory 29:02 Comparing to Tom Cruise 31:51 Man on Fire vs The Equalizer 36:02 (It was from Sicario. -Ed.) 36:29 Noble self-sacrifice 39:42 Roman J. Israel, Esq. 41:40 Inside Man 43:00 Training Day 43:22 Mojo Jojo? 45:45 Wrapping up? No, of course not quite yet. 47:39 Much Ado About Nothing 50:05 Unstoppable 51:27 Two Guns 53:44 Manchurian Candidate(s) 55:40 Wrapping up for reals this time

Back this episode to talk about Jane Austen adaptations. There are many, but we only have time to watch and discuss a handful. At first Bob and Mark seem to be on the same page, but by the end...well, you'll hear. As ever, SPOILERS, but really, these stories are 200 years old. If you don't know them already, that's on you. 00:10 Introduction 2:28 Austen adaptations 7:25 Pride and Prejudice (1995 and 2005) 14:30 Bob compares it to Ozu, because of course he does, and we discuss the stories as a group 20:58 Persuasion (1995) 25:11 Social conventions 33:31 Emma (1996 and 2020) 40:29 Sense and Sensibility (1995) 47:30 Bob and Mark disagree vehemently on the relative quality of the films, then Sense and Sensibility specifically 51:47 Mark finds watching a group of similar movies back to back diminishes his enjoyment 52:36 The perils of watching a lot of movies 56:30 Wrapping up 58:31 Baseball! Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

This time it's the back half of a pair of episodes on Kurosawa. As ever, we're talking about the films with the assumption that you'll have seen them, so beware the fearsome SPOILER. Mark picked the movies for Part I and Bob has picked the films for Part II. We also talk a little about Shane and A Fistful of Dollars. Enjoy!00:10 Intro to Part 207:37 Yojimbo10:36 A Fistful of Dollars11:12 Accounts vary about exactly how much Kurosawa received, but he did win his lawsuit14:41 "Gamblers" as code for "criminal"16:14 Toshiro Mifune18:05 Social commentary?21:01 Spoilers for Shane22:11 Seven Samurai vs Yojimbo25:35 The shameless cribbing of Sergio Leone27:10 Not knowing the history28:12 High and Low32:07 The second half is a second movie33:55 Mifune and Nakadai36:01 The villain43:14 Takashi Shimura43:46 Kagemusha46:34 Solid casting/makeup47:41 The accuracy/truthfulness of the story49:57 Surrealism; possession?55:21 Similar endings for Ran and Kagemusha55:52 Mark argues that Ran surpasses Kagemusha as the sun outshines the moon57:30 The Coppola (and Lucas) interview 59:13 The moment it all goes wrong1:02:30 Cavalry vs firearms true to the real battle1:03:40 Picking a favorite from across both episodes1:05:42 High and Low remake?1:08:20 The next episode topicNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

First of a pair of episodes about the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Mark is dipping into his ouevre for the first time and Bob is revisiting many of his favorite movies. Featuring SPOILERS throughout, but also the return of the clicky pen! Listen at your own risk.00:10 Episode introduction04:08 Seven Samurai19:50 Wrong, Bob; three left20:10 Wrong again; 4 of 720:34 (Seems to be an audio error in the original recording dropping a fraction of a second...)25:14 The ending of Seven Samurai being more cynical than the ending of The Magnificent Seven26:20 Bob realizes his mistake from 6 1/2 minutes earlier27:41 Ran39:20 Kurosawa's diminishing eyesight42:08 Tatsuya Nakadai44:36 Ran makes Mark's top ten films45:22 Ikiru48:44 Spoiler for the final moments of Ikiru57:25 Bob rants about human nature for a while1:01:50 Wrapping upNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

This is as close as we get to jumping on the bandwagon of popular, recent films. We talk most about the Villeneuve Dune movies, but we also touch on the other iterations. No spoiler warnings in the episode, because the whole podcast is composed of SPOILERS!00:10 Intro - What's going to be covered and not04:50 There is no such thing as "spoiling" a 70 year old story; no spoiler warnings this podcast06:05 Dune, the novel13:35 The story from the novel changes in the transition to film15:55 Jodorowsky's attempted adaptation22:44 Dune (1984) (which we praise with faint damns)32:55 Television vs. Movies for adapting books to screen33:56 Dune miniseries (2000 and 2003)36:30 Dune Parts I and II37:42 Bob's rant38:00 Mark thinks II is significantly better than I39:35 Bob doesn't think II is better than I45:00 The secret goals of the Bene Gesserit46:32 Zendaya/Chalamet and Chani/Paul52:10 Chalamet too young? Too small?55:28 We agree Bardem was excellent; Mark is wrong about Walken not being great58:52 Zimmer and the music01:03:46 Sandwalking and the Rohirrim01:04:37 Mark wants the final battle to be longer; Bob disagrees (and gets in a gratuitous swipe at John Wick 4)01:07:05 (The Death Star battle lasts just under 11:30)01:08:13 Why do the Fremen jaunt off into space?01:12:10 Third film coming?01:12:53 Dune II is overratedNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Bob finally stopped being lazy and got this edited. Wrapping up our discussion of the Coens and their films along with theme Mark thinks he's sussed out of their movies. As ever, SPOILERS!02:00 Why are we doing two episodes on the Coens?04:15 Blood Simple10:15 Spoilers begin in earnest16:49 Subscribers only (unfortunately): https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/bill-hader-on-blood-simple21:17 The Big Lebowski23:59 Raymond Chandler33:50 Mark's thesis35:02 Inside Llewyn Davis42:24 Comparing O Brother Where Art Thou?50:01 True Grit53:38 Law and justice54:39 Couldn't find it1:05:10 Summing upNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Another two part episode (at least two; we haven't recorded any more than this so far) this time around, but looking at a selection of Coen Brothers movies chosen by Mark. We discuss four of their films in this episode and plan to discuss four more. SPOILERS THROUGHOUT!Enjoy!00:43 Mark's flu podcast01:46 Introducing the topic04:10 Raising Arizona (SPOILERS BEGIN)20:55 M. Emmett WALSH (Bob apparently has football on the brain, he'll make the mistake again later too)24:26 Miller's Crossing42:48 Fargo45:50 Mark "surfaces" the theme he has in mind that runs through Coen films52:49 No Country for Old Men1:09:04 Wrapping upNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

First episode of the new year is...finishing the topic we started at the end of last year. We're thinking about maybe tackling some smaller topics this year, but the best laid plans, etc. As ever with our podcast SPOILERS ABOUND! Listen at your own risk.00:10 Intro04:42 The Artist10:18 Would it work as a true silent movie?12:55 Mark doesn't like the title character16:32 Bob loves this movie27:24 The Descendants29:15 Connection to Sideways30:57 George Clooney32:29 The Artist vs The Descendants40:21 The Help46:03 A realistic range of people49:58 The Tree of Life53:37 Dinosaurs?!56:42 War Horse58:51 The Black Stallion, redux1:02:20 What else could have been nominated? (Drive!)1:06:35 Wrapping upNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

This time around we decided that since the 2012 Best Picture had 9 nominations, we'd split the discussion into two parts so we didn't have to either run very long or skim over films without discussing them. So 4 this episode, 5 next time.00:10 Intro and beard discussion03:47 Podcast topic - 2012 Best Picture06:05 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close08:25 SPOILERS BEGIN!18:58 Hugo31:10 Midnight in Paris39:26 "Bougie" interlude40:39 Back to the film42:10 Owen Wilson, wow!42:47 Moneyball45:16 The big game58:56 Final thoughts and summing upNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Another movie that's (loosely) connected to the story of Jesus. We didn't plan it that way, but there it is. The other four films all have some connection to World War II, which at the time was still fresh in the mind for many people. We do have SPOILERS, but not so many as in other episodes? Listen at your own risk; as always we tend to talk about the films with the assumption that our listeners have seen them.00:10 Intro1:24 Monty Python boys3:31 Old films, color vs black and white film9:59 Ben-Hur21:49 The fad for sword and sandal epics24:20 Anatomy of a Murder30:26 Stewart vs Heston34:07 Room at the Top37:11 SPOILERS for Room at the Top38:40 Why is it so unpleasant?42:27 The Diary of Anne Frank55:21 The Nun's Story1:06:12 Summing up1:09:18 We start to ramble a bit before wrapping up1:11:51 Bob is trying to think of El Dorado with John Wayne, James Caan, and Robert MitchumNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Wrapping up the Indiana Jones trilogy this time around. Hope you enjoy it, SPOILERS, of course! We're not going to talk about the latter two films; at least, not for the foreseeable future. Never say never, though!0:10 Opening salutations1:13 "The jewel of Southeast Asia"4:45 Synopsis8:50 Is Indy actually searching for the Holy Grail?12:51 Comparing the three films: villains19:06 Donovan vs Belloq20:55 How does the Grail actually *work*?27:53 Nit-picking minor gripes29:46 Schoolboy adventure physics again34:21 Stretching the plot to have the adventure last longer36:21 Fourth wall break38:09 Stepping up the action, excellent stunts42:37 Less like a serial than Raiders, but more like a serial than Temple of Doom44:56 Comparing the three films: the cast47:53 More Star Wars connections!50:01 Ranking the trilogy54:23 Watching them in order isn't really necessaryNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Installment number two in our evaluation of the Indiana Jones franchise. (Ugh, it feels a little dirty saying "franchise.") We'll at least get the the third, but no promises about anything further. Very, very mild spoilers for The Sixth Sense (trailer level), and of course SPOILERS! for Temple of Doom. Enjoy! 00:10 Episode 50!03:05 Thinking about Temple of Doom differently after watching it this time05:00 The Sixth Sense (very mild) spoilers05:35 End of The Sixth Sense spoilers09:11 Deliberately low continuity between Raiders and Temple09:42 The time gap between the films within the stories (which Bob gets wrong; it's Temple-1936, Raiders-1937, Last Crusade-1938)11:48 Plot summary14:23 Should Indy have been trading the emperor for the diamond?17:29 Temple of Doom more action than adventure18:46 The absence of Kasdan21:20 What were the big differences between the first two films?27:05 The difference between the objects sought30:47 Rushed production?32:37 Do sequels usually surpass or fall short of the original?36:10 The "banquet"? First the raft!43:06 The bugs!44:01 Amrish Puri and other positives46:33 Ke Huy Quan as Short Round52:31 Child slavery as a plot element53:45 Deus ex machina ending?55:17 Who's that big guard?57:26 Dan Akroyd and... Casablanca... and James Bond?58:39 Wrapping upNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Still taking our sweet time in this sleepy summer, we return with a (relatively) in-depth look at a single film. Obviously, spoilers, but c'mon. If you've not seen this, then I don't even feel sorry for you being spoiled. It's your own fault for avoiding such a good movie for this long.00:10 Intro1:27 Recapping the lost first attempt3:07 The deliberate homage to serial films6:08 An Alfred Molina discursion7:18 The good stuff12:24 Museum nostalgia14:36 Film as icon; sequels17:20 Moichandising!21:16 Casting...Alfred Molina!28:36 Playing the heavy30:55 Recycled sound effects31:25 More movie connections35:02 The implausibilities increase38:06 Keeping it light40:31 Influencing other movies44:20 Denholm Eliot in brief45:35 Summing upNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

It's been a bit slower because...it's summer. Yeah, that's it. Summer, that's the ticket. But we're back again with another episode, this time talking about 1944 and Bing Crosby's big year winning Best Actor in the Best Picture, Going My Way. Talking about it and the other Best Picture nominees we discuss MANY SPOILERS! You have been warned.00:00 Intro - Heat and the 4th05:38 Going My Way20:25 Double Indemnity31:16 Gaslight40:52 Wilson47:35 Since You Went Away56:54 Other films in 19441:01:31 And the winner should have been...1:03:49 ConclusionNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Slowly getting back into the swing of things; we're back with another timely episode talking about movies from nearly 70 years ago. It's almost silly, but SPOILER WARNING! We're going to spoil them all, insofar as that's possible, since some of them really aren't traditionally spoil...able? Enjoy!00:10 Intro and desultory chit-chat02:45 The nominees04:05 They're how long?!04:41 Around the World in 80 Days10:43 Palin's Around the World in 80 Days14:32 The cameos!17:47 Could it have been shorter?19:18 Giant21:26 Race relations in Giant24:55 Muddled character motivations for Jet28:01 Escalates, but without resolution31:13 The King and I35:41 Anna and the King38:49 Friendly Persuasion44:31 The Hays Code and Gary Cooper47:10 The Ten Commandments52:42 Story variances and a different acting style56:03 "Old" movies58:55 What does Bob complain about this time?1:04:30 Best Picture choices1:05:57 Non-nominees worth mentioningNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

The year is 1997. The category is Best Picture. Who will win? Well, as is unsurprising at this period in history, it's the film pushed by the Weinsteins. But perhaps it ought not to have? We discuss the movies from 1996 that might should have been considered the Best Picture when the awards season rolled around in the first part of 1997. SPOILERS AHOY! No timestamps because Bob was in a hurry, but if you're a regular listener you have the advantage of knowing which movie Bob chose for his personal Best Picture.Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Oh, hey, it's an old episode that Bob forgot to edit and upload. Let's draw a veil on that and we can pretend that it didn't quite happen that way. Spoilers abound for a variety of films old and new in this episode where your two hosts run down lists of movies they dislike, but with which the world seems to be enamored.  In addition to the movies on our lists, we also spoil (a little) La La Land and Rogue One.Spoilers, spoilers everywhere!00:00 Wait, what?02:15 How did we choose (bad but popular) movies to discuss?05:39 Mark's first movie he dislikes12:55 Bob's first movie he dislikes19:17 Mark's second movie he dislikes22:42 Bob's second movie he dislikes25:25 Mark questions whether Bob is merely a contrarian31:28 Mark's third (and fourth) movie he dislikes39:13 Bob's third movie he dislikes43:50 Mark's fifth movie he dislikes49:45 Bob's fourth movie he dislikes58:28 Honorable mentions1:00:58 Narrator: "They did not, in fact, talk about the Oscars next time."Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

It's a bit late (Bob's fault), but we're working to at least stay close to our intended schedule. This episode we talk about The Whale and clearly our conversation predated the Oscar awards (a bit interesting to hear our predictions after the fact). As always SPOILERS ABOUND! (We even spoil The Wrestler.)00:10 Dudes chatting01:45 The Whale02:59 Plot synopsis06:00 Aronofsky's interest in individuals in forms of isolation08:43 The movie is not about justifying characters or them overcoming problems10:22 Honesty and/or authenticity12:33 Spoilers begin in earnest!14:48 I Told Me So - Gregg Ten Elshof18:22 Liz as enabler/codependent20:32 Other characters - daughter Ellie25:50 Charlie chose this life28:27 Sometimes authenticity is bad, actually32:44 The missionary37:00 Brief spoilers of The Wrestler - skip to 37:31 to avoid39:39 What's the deal with the title?44:09 What do we think in sum about this film?48:53 Oscar noms and chances50:52 Authenticity in acting?57:13 Actually, Letterboxd doesn't do this, at least not free accountsNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Keeping it rolling with a single Oscar nominated film. This week is Tár, a film about an orchestra conductor that changes jobs. It's worth seeing, though it's definitely a movie for people who really get into movies. Next episode The Whale! We're sorry we missed an episode, but this is how it goes at this price point.00:10 Intro and idle chatter02:34 Chinese food in Vancouver03:37 No one sees the teapot04:23 Tár plot summary and what is the movie about? 11:01 SPOILERS BEGIN!12:35 Is the movie arguing against "cancel culture"?17:45 At what point do we begin to witness Tár's downfall?22:10 How long has Tár acted in this way before it falls apart?25:01 Has Tár lost interest in the music for the music's sake?28:20 Tár's relationships30:51 Bob theorizes about symbolic meaning off the cuff (and is less pleased with the idea listening to it while editing)32:58 The importance of time; manifestations of madness37:37 Exile39:50 Bob meant to say "South Africa" when talking about Justine Sacco42:49 Apocalypse Now reference and consequences43:55 Profumo Affair45:13 Mark thinks the child is... weird? And could the downfall have been avoided?46:29 Ranking/evaluating the movieNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

We're a bit tardy with this upload, for which we apologize. Bob has been having some troubles with his computron.This episode we discuss (most of) the movies from Martin McDonagh. His latest, The Banshees of Inisherin is up for a fair few Oscars this year and it seemed like a good jumping off point to talk about his work. Mark had only seen one of his films before while Bob is familiar with them all to a bit greater degree. SPOILERS FOR ALL HIS MOVIES! Which, if you're new here, applies to every movie we discuss, and if you're not you're already well aware.No show notes this episode for reasons related to the upload delay. Perhaps next time.Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Now in their 3rd calendar year, Bob and Mark return from a long holiday hiatus with a recap of 2022. Fewer spoilers than usual, but not spoiler-free! LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK!0:00 Intro and Holiday Recap3:10 Geography Lesson6:19 2022 Notable Movies10:57 Maverick as the 2022 movie with lasting cultural effect12:25 Cinema philistines13:19 Was 2022 a good year in film?15:01 Regal (not sponsored) Unlimited15:52 What we thought about the 2022 movies we saw18:09 (Bob has it backwards: Cate Blanchett was in Tar; he's trying to think of Tilda Swinton)25:24 Pitch Meeting28:21 Wes Anderson digression34:38 The Banshees of Inisherin34:58 (Bob gets another name wrong; it's John Michael, not Robert)38:20 The Menu40:39 Bullet Train42:46 Tar and Glass Onion45:40 Looking ahead to 202347:35 Mark is depressed about the comic book movies and sequels generally48:42 Marlowe and others to which Bob is looking forward51:23 RLM51:43 Best movies seen last year that weren't released last year56:53 In conclusion...Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Because there's about to be a new edition of the Sight & Sound poll for the Greatest Films of All-Time, we decided to tell you what our top ten lists are. Probably not a lot of surprises. But there could be spoilers! (Also, Bob's uncertain if he numbered Mark's movies correctly since he did go out of order and didn't mention the rank consistently each time.)00:10 We've got jokes in the intro02:04 How Bob ranks movies (spoiler: he's a big dork)03:59 Baseball-Reference.com!04:53 How Mark ranks movies (spoiler: it's quite different because Mark has a social life)07:33 How events in our lives affect how we rank movies at different points in time08:45 A note on the BFI Sight & Sound polls and how we'll approach the topic11:27 Bob #10 spot - The Hidden Blade15:05 How are things ranked when they're still new and fresh in your mind?15:56 Mark #10 - Prisoners18:44 How many of Mark's choices will star Jake Gyllenhaal19:16 Is the suspense as done by Hitchcock?20:45 Bob #9 - In the Mood for Love23:53 Mark #9 - Princess Mononoke26:21 Bob didn't like it, but hasn't seen it in a long time27:33 Miyazaki's environmental themes29:14 Bob's wrong about the timeline29:31 Bob #8 - Das leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)34:00 Mark #7 - The Pursuit of Happyness36:39 Bob is a Grinch37:35 Will Smith playing Will Smith?38:47 Is Bob crazy?39:32 Bob's #7 - The Apostle40:39 Mark #6 - The Empire Strikes Back43:00 Star Wars :: The Matrix45:04 Bob's #6 - A Night at the Opera47:29 The Stateroom scene49:04 Mark #5 - There Will Be Blood51:28 Bob's #5 - Singin' in the Rain53:41 Mark's #1 - 2001: A Space Odyssey55:42 Sight & Sound polls58:21 Did the poll change with the changing demographics of the critics polled?1:00:48 Mark's observations on the list1:02:05 Older movies benefit by lack contemporary mediocrity1:04:28 How objective can one be when rating movies?1:08:07 Does it matter if the movie is in color or black-and-white?1:11:55 What's next for the poll(s)?1:14:49 Bob's #4 - Seven Samurai1:16:10 Mark #4 - The Prestige1:17:13 Bob's #3 - Casablanca1:18:24 Mark's #3 - Blade Runner1:19:15 Bob's #2 - Hamlet (1996)1:21:01 Mark's #2 - Nightcrawler1:22:19 Bob's #1 - Tokyo Story1:23:13 Mark's #8 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King1:25:08 Wrapping up1:25:45 Tom Hanks? No, we're done.Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Bob finally breaks down Mark's resolve and gets him to watch a handful of Ozu films. Will their podcast partnership survive? No, seriously though, Bob is a big enthusiast of Ozu's films and Mark does watch them for the first time. Is he similarly enthralled? Repulsed? Indifferent? You'll have to listen to find out. Though all the movies in question are more than 50 years old, if you're worried about spoilers, THEY ABOUND!00:10 Salutations and Bob still can't remember which episode number it is.1:17 Talking about Yasujiro Ozu!1:37 Mark had not seen Ozu before (and has found his clicky pen!)2:38 Ozu's Tokyo Story beat out Citizen Kane for Sight and Sound's top spot in 2012 (Directors' Poll, Vertigo won the Critics Poll)4:14 Ozu is well-known to film professionals, but not to the wider public5:00 The Finnish director whose name Bob doesn't remember is Aki Kaurismäki6:17 Actually 9 years7:51 How we selected the movies to cover for this episode8:45 Why have almost a third of Ozu's films been lost?10:18 Silent Ozu vs. Sound Ozu10:44 How many did Mark watch?12:21 Similar themes throughout Ozu's work16:52 SPOILERS BEGIN! Continue at your own risk19:32 Bob's rationale for choosing the 5 films21:49 Ozu using the same actors over and over25:06 Chishu Ryu's accent26:55 Comparing Late Spring and Early Summer29:23 What was Ozu doing differently in Floating Weeds?31:31 Ozu puts momentous events in between scenes34:21 Ozu, pillow shots, and *that* vase36:52 Other Ozu trademarks43:26 Ill-behaved children45:17 Why spend so much time on marriage?46:49 Demographic changes in Japanese society48:16 Favorite Ozu49:12 The emotional effect of Tokyo Story49:39 The emotional gut-punch of Late Spring50:50 Self-sacrificial characters52:45 Tokyo Story as a spur to self-reflection59:59 The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice1:04:01 Floating Weeds1:06:14 First try to wrap up and final thoughts1:08:13 Other directors who use the same actors over and over1:08:47 Why are they titled the way they are?1:11:16 The actual conclusionNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcodeNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

This week we're back in our bag and talking about whether or not the Best Picture winner from the 2015 Oscars deserved the win.  Even though these are not quite 10 years old, we still spoil them with abandon! Enjoy! 00:10 Bob's worst intro ever02:01 Why 2014?03:50 How many of the 8 nominees did we see?06:21 Birdman!09:33 Navel-gazing perspective12:30 We're actors! We're the opposite of people.15:05 Fame at the highest levels19:47 Chicago!20:09 Birdman verdicts22:13 Hail, Caesar! is a better movie about the world of acting22:42 Pandering to the academy23:57 What did the end of Birdman mean?28:14 Boyhood!31:36 It's more interesting what it would be like to make such a movie than to watch this movie32:29 Richard Linklater37:14 Teenagers are not interesting40:18 Wait, we're only two films in at the 40 minute mark?40:39 The Grand Budapest Hotel43:30 What kind of man is M. Gustave?47:40 Bob has only liked 2 of the 4 Wes Anderson films he's seen48:08 The French Dispatch digression49:27 A point of congruence with Birdman51:45 The Imitation Game/Whiplash53:07 JK Simmons as Fletcher54:05 Turing's personal life not that interesting55:53 The wartime stakes in The Imitation Game not well established57:04 Mark Strong as Stewart Menzies59:33 Mark's pick for the best movie of 2014: Nightcrawler1:05:44 Interstellar1:09:09 Our picks for Best Picture1:10:34 The legacy of the Best Picture nominees1:12:05 Mark's technical difficulties1:12:44 Preview of coming attractionsNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

It was topical and au courant when we recorded it, but not now! Yes, we took a look at the first two episodes of The Rings of Power. We're a bit divided on our opinions, but our conclusions aren't that far apart.We spoil things, I guess? But there isn't much that happens and it's only the first two episodes and we're now five episodes in, so...Show notes!00:00 Television instead of films02:10 Filling in for the lost Hobbit episode04:25 The history of Middle-Earth leading up to the beginning of the show08:37 Multiple plot threads established, Galadriel, Elrond, Harfoots, Durin, Arondir11:00 8 episodes in the first season, 50 hours total = 7 seasons?12:55 Moichandizing13:36 Popular opinion? Internet opinion?15:25 Bob finally says something about the pen17:14 The problem of Galadriel20:25 The show is an opportunity to get people invested in the broader lore, but it's changed23:54 The cynicism of casting very young-looking actors (Fun fact, Markella Kavanaugh as Nori is older than Elijah Wood was in 2001 at the release of FOTR)27:25 The third rail! Diversity!28:51 Quick pace of the plot29:38 Depiction of Elrond and Celebrimbor traveling: good or bad? (Digression on the name "Moria")38:50 Elves marrying humans ends badly? Really? Beren/Luthien and Tuor/Idril didn't "end well"?44:04 How to be rid of mice who are disturbing your sleep47:47 Mark talks about himself in the third person and has problems with the characterization of Galadriel49:10 Bob is a white knight for Galadriel (well, not entirely; a gray knight?)51:53 Valinor was a place on earth56:07 Bob forgets for a second that Galadriel was still banned because her participation in the rebellion of Feanor56:28 The Two Trees in Valinor58:10 Structural flaws1:01:20 Mark is the honeybadger: he don't care (about the characters)1:03:56 Gandalf? Is that you?1:09:43 Bob is checking out here1:10:02 Mark is still invested in finding out where it goes1:11:10 ConclusionNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

We tentatively approach television for the first time in the last episode where Mark is still in Europe. It's another shorter one, but you have to expect that once in a while. They can't all be 90 minutes.0:45 Mark again graciously records in the middle of the night from Europe1:20 Trekkie or Trekker? Bob and Mark don't care.3:30 Sub-genres of Trek and Mark's ranking of them6:06 Bob's ranking of the Trek sub-genres7:41 The primary movie at issue8:10 Bob defends9:20 The best defense is a good offense10:05 A digression on the first season of ST:TNG11:41 Bob ranks all the movies12:50 Mark ranks his top 513:45 First Contact as the TNG version of The Voyage Home16:00 Bob is flat-footed when challenged to defend his contention17:25 Mark admits to being pretentious (okay, okay, to liking serious film)19:19 It's really about the whales20:05 Time for nitpicking First Contact!21:25 80s nostalgia24:27 The Kelvin reboot25:55 Beyond26:54 A short list of (rant about?) the problems with Generations (and some actual discussion)30:27 Nemesis31:17 Mark recaps the plot32:33 Bob is still confused34:10 Tom Hardy's third appearance in a feature film35:55 Data's legacy and self-sacrifice in film40:33 Marvel mention!41:55 Wrath of Khan could have been better...43:05 The Final Frontier is best forgotten44:16 Podcasts as therapy!45:24 Series length (and an unintentional pun!)46:45 Banter about Mark's European tour48:30 ConclusionBob's RankingStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered CountryStar Trek II: The Wrath of KhanStar Trek IV: The Voyage HomeStar Trek III: The Search for SpockStar Trek: First ContactStar Trek: The Motion PictureStar Trek: BeyondStar Trek: GenerationsStar Trek: InsurrectionStar TrekStar Trek: Into DarknessStar Trek: NemesisStar Trek V: The Final FrontierMark's RankingStar Trek: First ContactStar Trek II: The Wrath of KhanStar TrekStar Trek: NemesisStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered CountryNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Guess who's back? No, not Shady, it's Mark. He's back in the US now, but he was still in Europe though back on the podcast for this episode. We discuss the brilliant work of Nicolas Cage in the movie Pig. It's a bit shorter than our usual episode, but maybe you'll prefer that.Like we've done in the past with single movie episodes (well, at least once) this has about 12 minutes of relatively spoiler-free discussion before we get down to brass tacks. SPOILERS BEGIN at 12:40! You have been warned. Not sure anyone reads these notes, so show notes might go away unless anyone is finding them useful.Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Chris (@4thClassOfficer on the Twitter Dot Com) returns as guest host on this, the second half of the discussion about the best films of 1954. You don't want to miss his insights (from personal naval experience) on The Caine Mutiny. We also talk about Sabrina, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Country Girl and other things as well. SPOILERS ABOUND! But of course.(Notes still pending since I was already late publishing.)Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

This episode features a couple firsts. Not only is it part one of a two part episode (the conversation lasted about 2 hours, so we'll split it up), but this features our first guest on the podcast. Chris joins Bob (you might know him as @4thClassOfficer on the Twitter Dot Com) to discuss the best films of 1954. Perhaps a bit of disagreement? Certainly an in-depth conversation, given the duration. Bob was fighting a cold, which makes his voice deteriorate over the course of the podcast, and there are a couple places with small audio difficulties (very slight echo), but on the whole it's an episode we think you'll enjoy.SPOILERS ABOUND! But of course.00:10 Intro of podcast and guest host (the slight echo largely goes away after about 7 minutes)06:11 On the Waterfront synopsis06:45 Where does it take place?08:21 The Score and other Brando films08:55 Bob is not impressed; because it was over-hyped before he saw it?09:32 Brando the method actor11:15 Terry Malloy's lack of intelligence11:35 Final spoiler warning for the podcast; beyond this point be spoilers for all kinds of things12:21 I coulda been a contender16:13 Pops and a lack of moral courage17:28 Stock characters surround the leads18:45 8 Oscars20:09 Split vote for Best Supporting Actor?21:18 Bernstein's score (where Bob fails in the moment to recognize the REM reference)22:17 The High and the Mighty ruined by Airplane!22:34 Boxing and boxers in On the Waterfront23:18 Tony Galento23:58 Abe Simon25:05 Appropriate appearance for supporting cast26:25 Personal allegory for Elia Kazan27:22 The High and the Mighty (Airplane!)27:56 Airplane! a parody (but of Zero Hour, not Terminal Countdown)28:25 Crazylegs played football, not basketball29:10 Parallels between the films...29:55 AMC and mocking Mark's youth30:50 The uselessness (from the audience perspective) of the Coast Guard33:31 Further oddities (Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez)34:43 Ploy synopsis36:25 Not a best picture36:45 What did each of us watch for this episode?37:30 Rear Window37:46 Hitchcock and confined spaces38:25 Rear Window synopsis39:33 Chris' first Hitchcock film *ever*41:12 Does the cop believe the photographer or no?43:20 Jimmy Stewart and Hitchcock45:09 Hitchcock and his well-realized bit-part supporting actors46:39 The 39 Steps48:10 The finale of Rear Window50:58 Bob compares Rear Window to On the Waterfront54:03 Three Coins in the Fountain (which Chris hated)54:49 Chris recommends Mark visiting Trevi Fountain if he visits Rome55:25 The low population of Rome relative to today56:01 Three Coins synopsis56:33 The length of the film and what that means for the movie58:20 Clifton Webb's character's compressed timeline59:24 Can't be Two Coins in the Fountain1:00:14 Poor widescreen transfer to DVDNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

It's another episode we recorded well ahead of time (you'll notice easily enough when Bob gets the episode number wrong and fails to know that we'll use this format with The Northman and The Batman), but this was one that was particularly fun. The spoilers on this are heavy throughout, and we really suggest strongly that you watch the movie first. It's a good one, and it's worth seeing unspoilt.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode00:10 Intro and getting the episode number wrong, and then getting the novelty of this format wrong because we recorded The Batman and The Northman after this, but published them sooner.1:01 How we chose to discuss Hell or High Water3:12 Digression on the Oscar Best Picture mix-up4:07 Deciding to avoid spoilers for the first section of the podcast5:04 (Mostly) spoiler-free synopsis (no more spoilers than one would get from the trailer) Jump to 7:10 to skip synopsis entirely7:10 How the movie reveals the plot and motivations slowly and how the trailer short-circuits some of that effort8:54 Taylor Sheridan9:28 Ambiguity regarding the morals and motivations of many of the characters10:44 The odd quasi-mirroring of the pairs of antagonists and the relationship between them15:50 HERE DO THE SERIOUS SPOILERS BEGIN!15:58 Comparison to No Country for Old Men19:26 Ben Foster's portrayal of the older brother, Tanner21:39 Scapegoats and sin-eaters23:54 Viewer impressions of Tanner25:21 Plot discussion: change of bank target at the end of the film27:27 How Tanner's character leads to the final outcomes28:33 Tanner and staying out of prison29:30 Texas and frontier justice30:25 The film testing the viewer's loyalty to the protagonists in the third act32:11 Bob's favorite scene and character38:09 Mark's favorite scene40:08 If that ain't Texan, I don't know what is40:56 Excellent writing creates sympathy for the villains41:31 Sympathy from other characters46:48 Frank view of human frailty and failings and expressing affection when culture forbids it53:29 The expression of grief and loss56:17 The final showdown1:00:00 Reversal of roles, mirroring of the pairs1:06:43 Spoiler for the end of Inception, comparing endings1:08:03 One more scene...1:09:31 Closing thoughts, hidden gems

This podcast was recorded a couple months ago in preparation for Mark being out of the country. As we mention in the beginning, we just ended up having a meandering conversation about film generally because we were off our usual schedule. If you're not a fan, well, all the jokes can't be good. You have to expect that once in a while.00:10 Intro (in which Mark calls Bob obscene and it is revealed that the topic was chosen at the last minute)2:56 Introspective interlude about the nature of this and other podcasts8:50 Mark's early experiences with film13:16 Bob's early experiences with film16:15 Books versus Movies18:47 Hollywood cannot live up to the power of imagination!21:05 Bob misremembers a bit combining two of Pascal's Pensees: 11 and 18327:15 Tokyo Story mentioned, but not spoiled29:06 Mark hates the MCU30:33 Is the MCU a retread of the Bond series in a significant way?38:29 Why LOTR gets a pass from Mark when the MCU doesn't39:00 Avengers: Endgame spoiler!43:13 Movies that contain truth44:04 Hail, Caesar!47:11 The Nicholas Brothers48:10 Sonja Henjie51:17 Everything Everywhere All At Once53:09 Bob on going to the theater54:18 Mark on his favorite genre of film55:27 Falling Down57:21 Other films coming out soon58:55 Bob recommends Hell or High Water to Mark59:43 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and then it devolves into Bob and Mark arguing about actors and films1:03:43 We fail our first attempt to wrap things up and conclude and instead begin talking about soundtracks1:04:44 Finally wrap this up and outroMusic:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

We enjoyed talking about a current film so much a couple weeks ago that we did it again. Better movie though, this time around. Once again, if you're going to see this, we do spoil the whole dang thing!  But if you've been listening for a while, you expect that. Also like our last episode, we do delay spoiling it in a serious way for a few minutes, so if you want to hear our synopsis and initial thoughts, you can listen and get warned before the spoilers get serious. Enjoy!Introduction 00:00Mark's Summer Vacation 00:55Guest Host? 02:09Preliminary Spoiler warning 04:00Synopsis 06:49Discussion start 08:32His blunted purpose? 12:11Sadly, the chainsaw *is* audible :( 13:47Viking = Pirate 16:00Seeing the world without the lens of Christian ethics 18:09Final Spoiler Warning 20:40Famous actors distracting from the story? 26:16Laurence Olivier 29:40Suspension of disbelief 31:42Comparison to Hamlet 37:40Mother issues! 41:19Is the story a fantasy or a grounded reality? 44:52Myth on film, not a modern story 47:28Realism vs Factualism 49:39Truth vs Facts 51:52Physical realism 53:41Olga of the Birch Forest 55:16Anya Taylor-Joy 1:00:18Cinematography 1:02:03Ending? 1:06:09European beer encore discussion 1:07:15Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Back at it again, but this time with a new and clever twist! Instead of looking at older films, we both saw The Batman and decided to talk about it. Mark was considerably more exercised than Bob, perhaps a less frequent occurrence, but not unknown to science. We do spoil the movie, but you can at least listen to the first 12 minutes or so and get a taste before stopping to see the movie yourself, should your inclinations so tend. Since it's a week for new things, we're also trying out some more detailed show notes. (Though, this was a lot more work, so don't expect it every time, you freeloaders! ~B)The Northman - 2:13Avengers: Endgame - 7:30Hell or High Water - 7:22The Rover - 7:43Cultural relevance (Woolter in Zootopia) - 8:05Star Wars - 8:42Dune - 8:51M*A*S*H - 9:14Seinfeld - 9:15Quibi - 9:50Most Dangerous Game - 10:24Spoilers Begin at - 12:06Batman Year 2 - 12:20Hugh Jackman - 19:28Christopher Nolan - 20:33Batman Begins - 20:39Sherlock Holmes - 28:53CATS! - 33:42Hercules - 35:40Jason - 35:50Frank Miller's Dark Knight - 37:00I can't believe you've done this (language warning)- 38:07The Dark Knight - 47:45Assassin's Creed (also the subpar film) - 50:30Dostoyevsky - If God does not exist, everything is permissible - 50:38Gary Oldman - 54:04Chris Pine - 1:07:40Star Trek - 1:07:40

This episode we make an effort, half-hearted though it may be, at being au courant. In honor of the recent Academy Awards we take a look back at the Oscars from 30 years ago and re-evaluate the winners and losers. If it's not a ridiculous notion for movies this old, we spoil each and every one!The Silence of the LambsJFKThe Prince of TidesBugsyBeauty and the BeastA few other films come up in the course of conversation as well.Cape Fear (and the original from 1962)The AviatorNight of the HunterL.A. StoryRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are DeadLooking these up for the notes, turns out Bob was mixing up two Robert Mitchum movies; the original Cape Fear and Night of the Hunter. Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

This episode we decided to tackle some of our favorite films in languages other than English. It's not, strictly speaking, a top 5 list since we make an effort at variety as much as anything and Bob leaves Ozu off his list entirely. (He's still holding out for an entire episode dedicated to Ozu!) Because it's countdown episode, no listings for the films. In this, as ever was and ever will be, we spoil the movies to various degrees and in various ways. If we list a title you're meaning to see, be warned you may learn twists from us rather than from the film should you keep listening.As promised, here's the link to the George Lucas Oldboy parody that comes up during the honorable mention section at the end.Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

In a twist on what we've done before, this episode is a free-wheeling discussion of the career and films of Paul Giamatti. Which is not to say that we claim to be experts, but the idea of discussing one actor's career just sounded like fun. It's lighter on spoilers than our usual fare, but though the chances of Bob and Mark spoiling a movie might be low, they are never zero!Normally this would be the place that we list off the movies under discussion... But not this episode. You'll just have to listen and find out. Sorry.Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

We're staying in the current century for another episode and talking about the 2005 Best Picture. It's been nearly 20 years, so there are spoilers a-plenty! We go ahead and even spoil a film that wasn't a nominee. On the whole we consider the nominees to have been a weaker group than usual and would have preferred other movies. We criticize all the nominees (Bob goes ahead makes critical comments about the one he didn't see), but we mostly try to be fair. Million Dollar BabyFinding NeverlandThe AviatorSidewaysRayNext week we're going to try something a little bit different and look at a single actor across his career (or that portion of it for which we've seen the movies). We've chosen to try this out first with Paul Giamatti, and we'll see how it goes.Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

This episode we're back in fine form (an hour and a quarter) talking about the Best Picture nominees for the 2003 Oscars. This is the year Chicago walked away with most of the accolades and left Scorcese and Gangs of New York thinking about what might have been. Be warned! We spoil many movies, perhaps not only the Oscar nominees!It will surprise no one who's listened to even a single episode that we're not big fans of the year's winner, but we diverge significantly in which film we'd pick to replace it. Along the way we discuss the merits of the various acting performances and some of the...odd...make-up choices.ChicagoGangs of New YorkThe HoursThe Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersThe PianistWe also chat a bit about The Bourne Identity, Punch-Drunk Love, and Spirited Away. Enjoy!Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

No links to movies this week (you know how to use the internet, it's not like you really need us to hold your hand here), because we're counting down our favorite(?) rom-coms in honor of Valentine's Day. We hope you'll be able to find a good selection to watch with that special someone tomorrow even though the episode is up a day late. (Who are we kidding? You're all a bunch of animals who don't watch physical media any longer! You can stream any of these you like any time you like.) But! While we might not spoil our list, we do spoil the movies we discuss, refusing to heed your plaintive cries!In between recording and editing/posting this episode, we did decide on the next topic and we're going after the 2003 Best Picture Winner: Chicago. Hopefully you like our new sponsor; we moved the spot into the intro rather than leaving it for after the end this week. Happy Valentine's Day all. May you all get more valentines than good ol' Charlie Brown.Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Bob's over the Covids, Mark's moved in to his new place and we're back on that cinema grind. Moving only 2 years ahead from last week's episode, we take on 10 films from the 2011 Oscars with the expansion of the pool in the Best Picture category. (Okay, if we're being honest, it's really more like 6 or something since we didn't watch them all, and we gave short-shrift to a couple that only one of us watched. We're still liable to spoil them for you, however, so listener beware!)Nominees:The King's Speech127 HoursBlack SwanThe FighterInceptionThe Social NetworkTrue Grit (2010)Toy Story 3The Kids Are All RightWinter's BoneOther things noted in this episode:The WrestlerTrue Grit (1969)Cool Hand LukeKing George VIDarren AronofskyNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

This episode we tackle the Best Picture nominees (and a few more besides) from the 2009 Oscars. (Or is it 2008?) We spoil all kinds of movies, so listen with a wary ear if you're eagerly looking forward to any of the below!Bob is very pleased that he recognized Danny Boyle to be the director of both Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting and has added this note to brag about it.Slumdog MillionaireMilkThe Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonFrost/NixonThe ReaderThe VisitorThe WrestlerThe Dark KnightGran TorinoIn BrugesNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

If it's not one thing, it's another. Bob got his audio issues sorted, but discovered while getting this episode ready that he lost his audio for the third and final Hobbit episode. After talking it over, we've decided that we really don't want to spend the time to do it again (for a few reasons). If you've been enjoying it, we do apologize, but at some level you get what you pay for.  :)This episode consists of our top 5 Christmas movies for each of us, but as befits a holiday/celebratory recording, we didn't take the whole thing too terribly seriously. To preserve the surprise, no movie links this week. But though we're not spoiling the podcast, we will spoil the movies! Let the listener hear and understand.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our listeners! Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Back at it again with the second of three episodes on The Hobbit cinematic universe. Once again we are here to spoil this movie for you in multiple senses of the word. You will both be told what happens and why it is terrible. Prepare yourself!Also, Bob had some real trouble (with a capital T!) with his audio and while it's...okay? You might not find it up to our usual standard. We'll remedy that next time around.  If you're new in these here parts, allow us to suggest you check out our episodes on The Lord of the Rings before diving into this episode; we think it'll flow a bit better.The Fellowship of the RingThe Two TowersThe Return of the KingThe Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

At the behest of a listener, we bring you the first of three installments on the three... Three? (Is that right? That can't be right. Huh.) On the three Hobbit films. We are unsparing both of our criticism and spoilers. If you fear either, beware.Check out our episodes on The Lord of the Rings. Probably ought to do that first, because they do come before The Hobbit. Well, cinematically, anyway.The Fellowship of the RingThe Two TowersThe Return of the KingThe Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyNote: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode