The People vs. Oscar

The pandemic may have shut down movie theaters, but it couldn't shut down The People vs. Oscars (or the Oscars themselves). With US theaters shut down, China's war blockbuster "The Eight Hundred" was the first foreign language highest worldwide grosser since we did "War and Peace." That went up against Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland," which became the first Best Picture winner to debut on Hulu. It's a brave new world.

Our past has now become our present, we have officially closed out the 2010s. As we wait for the 2020 Oscars to be held, we wanted to name our favorite movies of the 2010s, offer some suggestions and take a look back at the past four years of our podcast. Thanks again to all our wonderful listeners! We've really appreciated you going on this ride with us!

Our final regular episode of the series (until the 2020 Oscars) is quite a doozie. In one corner, we have Avengers Endgame, the highest grossing film of all time. The thrilling conclusion to Phase 3 of the MCU brings together twelve years of Marvel. Meanwhile, the Oscars broke new ground this year when they awarded Bong Joon Ho's Parasite with Best Picture. This made it the first International film in a foreign language to win Best Picture. Which movie will take the win? Will the People or the Oscars win out in the end? Listen to find out!

'Every time somebody is driving somebody, I lose!' - Spike Lee about Green Book 'Every time somebody is snapping, I lose!' - The Avengers about Thanos All the members of the MCU have gathered together for the first of a two part epic extravanganza in "Avengers Inifinity War." Meanwhile, the Oscars decided to replay an old favorite genre with "Green Book." Which one wins out in a battle? Listen to find out.

2017 was all about fish. Fish men, fish nuns, sea life was all around us. Rian Johnson's middle chapter in the most recent Star Wars trilogy polarized many fans. In some ways, Guillermo Del Toro's "The Shape of Water" did the same with many people calling it the "safe choice" for the Oscars. Where will we fall on both of these movies? Who will win, the people or the Oscars? Tune in to find out.

There's no envelope confusion here. The Oscar winning masterpiece "Moonlight" pulled off the upset of the century by defeating the juggernaut "La La Land" in 2016. This week, it goes up against "Captain America: Civil War," the MCU film that pitted its two stars against each other. Captain America vs. Iron Man. MCU vs. Moonlight. Who comes out on top? Listen to find out!

The "Star Wars" franchise returned with a bang. The new trilogy soothed any lingering burns from the previous prequel monstrosities and introduced us to new, great characters. Is this first chapter - "The Force Awakens" - their finest hour? Meanwhile, "Spotlight" won Best Picture with only an additional Original Screenplay. How did this little movie that could take the big prize and does its win hold up years later?

Imagine "transforming" from a superhero actor to respected thespian? The Best Picture winner of 2014 follows Michael Keaton as a movie star who struggles to be taken seriously when he adapts a Raymond Carter play. This marked the first of two director wins for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. While the Oscars may have gone "highbrow," the people went "lowbrow" with the fourth installment in the "Transformers" franchise. "Age of Extinction" jettisoned all of the human characters from previous films and focused on Marky Mark himself in a war against big tech and a tyrannical government. Did the new cast breathe new life in the franchise, or put a stake in it? Listen to find out.

It's hard to think of two more disparate movies than "Frozen" and "12 Years a Slave." However, that's what the People and the Oscars had in store for us this year. "Frozen" represents the final movie we're covering for The People that isn't a sequel or based on IP. The mega-hit musical embedded itself in popular culture, but does it still resonate? Meanwhile, "12 Years a Slave" beat "Gravity" for Best Picture and launched Lupita Nyong'o into stardom. The graphic depiction of slavery through the eyes of Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) won rave reviews. Does Steve McQueen's epic still live up to the high praise? Listen to find out.

Podcasters, Assemble!!! We've reached an important milestone. "The Avengers" was one of the foundational moments in Matt & Chris' friendship. It commemorates the day they moved into the same house together in college. The groundbreaking cinematic universe builder goes up against another thrill ride. "Argo" was a commercial and critical hit in 2012, but almost had its Oscar hopes dashed when Ben Affleck was snubbed for Best Director. 8 years later, does the film age better or worse? Listen to find out.

First there were silent movies; now there are loud blockbusters. The Hollywood of old and now come head to head in our 2011 face-off: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" vs. "The Artist." How does the end of one of the biggest franchises hold up, especially in light of J.K. Rowling's views? Meanwhile, does the charm of "The Artist's" silent movie throwback still work nine years? Listen to find out.

Two friendships face off in our first podcast of the 2010s! Woody and Buzz conquered the box office and forced us all to weep in "Toy Story 3." The third film in the groundbreaking Pixar series became the third animated film to earn a nomination for Best Picture. However, it lost to the inspirational British tale "The King's Speech." Colin Firth won Best Actor for his work as King George VI, who suffered from a stutter. Will the stuttering King win out against the crafty bunch of animated toys? Listen to find out!

After a long hiatus, we're back with our recap of the 2000s. While these films may have won gold and money, not everything was a winner with us. Hear us call out our favorite performances, most influential filmmakers of the time and offer more recommendations on what to watch from the early 2000s.

A tale as old as time - ex wife vs. ex husband. Few narratives were more ready made than the David/Goliath fight for the Oscar Best Picture prize in 2009. James Cameron beat himself for the highest grossing movie of all-time, as "Avatar" overtook "Titanic." Meanwhile, Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" was the little indie that could, winning Best Picture to become the lowest grossing Best Picture winner in the modern era. Which holds up best over a decade later? Which one of these films deserves four sequels? Listen to find out.

Looking to travel back to a simpler time! The year is 2008... recession is on the mind, rather than recession AND pandemic. Still, "The Dark Knight" won rave reviews from critics, audiences and fanboys alike. All thought it had a great shot at becoming the first superhero Best Picture nominee. Alas, it received eight nominations - including a win for Heath Ledger's Joker - but no Best Picture nomination. Instead, the Best Picture that year was Slumdog Millionaire, which had a pretty good sweep of the night with eight wins. Which holds up with us now holed up in our homes? Listen and find out! Bonus: We recorded this long before COVID... so it's also a time capsule in that way.

The Coen Brothers steamrolled across the 2007 awards season, as "No Country for Old Men" won Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem) and Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. While the stoic crime/western captured Oscar's attentions, the public flocked to theaters to see the "Pirates of the Caribbean" initial trilogy end with "At World's End." Did the Pirates franchise stick the landing? Is "No Country for Old Men" the best of the Coens' filmography? Listen to find out!

Aaaaaahhhhhahhhhahhhhh Davy Jones may have sunk ships, destroyed people and commanded an army of sea creatures, but he can he defeat the first Martin Scorsese film on the podcast? Best Picture Winner "The Departed" faces off against "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" in this 2006 showdown. Does Scorsese's "Infernal Affairs" remake still deserve Best Picture? Is "Dead Man's Chest" one of the best "Pirates" film? Listen to find out!

We've entered into the Triwizard Tournament and we are ... just... so... mad... all... the... time. The People vs Oscar returns with one of the most controversial Oscar years ever. "Crash" pulled off a crazy upset against "Brokeback Mountain." Is the film as bad as its reputation suggests? In the other corner, we look at the fourth installation of the "Harry Potter" franchise. "Goblet of Fire" gave us the first glimpse of Voldemort, as played by Ralph Fiennes. With that, this was also the first PG-13 of the franchise. Did the bump in ratings help it against "Crash?" Listen to find out.

In 2004, animation fever overtook audiences. "Shrek 2" ran throughout the summer, becoming a worldwide sensation. With pop culture references abound, it feels like a time capsule of exactly when it came out. Similarly frozen in time is "Million Dollar Baby," which won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actress (Hilary Swank) and Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). How well did Clint Eastwood's sports melodrama age? Did it age better than Shrek's jokes? Listen to find out.

"Do you remember the Oscars, Mr. Frodo? It'll be February soon. And the campaigns will be in blossom, and..." you know where this goes. "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" utterly dominated the year 2003. In addition to being a global box office juggernaut, the film swept the Oscars. It won all eleven categories that it was nominated for, including Best Picture. For this special episode, we invited "Lord of the Rings" expert Cody Pestana to discuss the final film of the original trilogy with us.

The name on everybody's lips is going to be... Smeagol!" Get ready for lots of musical mash-ups. It's Chicago vs. Lord of the Rings! The second installment of Peter Jackson's fantasy saga won the box office, but saw the lowest Oscar nomination tally of the three films. Meanwhile, "Chicago" reinvigorated the musical and became the first musical to win Best Picture since the 60s. Will we sing the same tune of Oscar or move closer towards Mordor? Listen to find out!

"You're an Oscar loser, Harry" 2001 marked the beginning of one of the biggest franchises of all time. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" became the highest grossing film of the year. However, the Oscars were much more taken with the "Lord of the Rings" franchise instead of our young wizard. Still, you can't tear Oscar from their biopics. Ron Howard's hit drama "A Beautiful Mind" won Best Picture, along with Best Director and Supporting Actress for Jennifer Connelly. Is Howard's mathematician biopic more magical than Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Listen to find out.

We jump into the millennium with an action-packed bang in our latest episode. Though it's a new decade, new century and new millennium, the Oscars are always up to their old tricks. "Gladiator" marks a return to the swords and sandals epics of yesteryear, winning five Oscars including Picture and Actor (Russell Crowe). Far from Oscar this year was "Mission: Impossible 2," the sequel to Tom Cruise's lucrative '90s franchise that still runs today. Is this one of the highlights or low points? Listen to find out!

We've reached the end of an era! The millennium is upon the podcast! But first, before we travel into the 2000s, let's look back at the best movies we watched in the 90s, as well as some other movies we didn't cover from that period that you should check out. Our lists have become rather unweildly in minisodes of the past, so this time we're only doing 10 picks each! Let us know some of your favorite movies from the 90s.

1999 may be regarded by many as one of the all time great film years. However, both the People and the Oscars made very interesting choices this year. The highest grossing movie of the year was "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace," a highly anticipated blockbuster that seemed to age poorly the minute it was shown. Competing against it is Best Picture winner "American Beauty," the favorite movie of every mid-2000s high school student. Sam Mendes' film about suburban unrest and one man's mid life crisis takes on a different meaning with the recent allegations of star Kevin Spacey. Which of these two films will prevail? Tune in to find out.

It's the end of the world and modern theater as we know it! The year 1998 brings us one of the biggest Oscar upsets, as the romantic comedy "Shakespeare in Love" pulled out a surprise victory over Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan." Private Ryan also narrowly missed the highest grossing title since Michael Bay's "Armageddon" packed moviegoers in theaters. In the epic fight between Shakespeare and Michael Bay, who comes out ahead? Listen and find out!

Near, far, whereeeeeeeever you are... I believe that, Titanic gooooes on Love it or hate it, it's impossible to not have an opinion on Titanic. The romantic epic became the highest grossing film of all time in 1997 and won a record 11 Oscars from 14 nominations. It catapulted Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to superstardom. In many ways, it defined pop culture for years. The People vs Oscar brings on a record 3 guests to delve to the deeps of the Atlantic. Let us know where you fall on the Titanic "love it/hate it" scale! Email us at peoplevsoscar@gmail.com.

Which movie about flying won in 1996? The winner of nine Oscars, "The English Patient" was a long, epic romance spanning two timelines. The movie was initially loved, only to have its reputation tarnished over the years (potentially from a whole Seinfeld episode about hating it). However, does it hold up better than "Independence Day," the massively successful blockbuster about aliens destroying the Earth? Does President Bill Pullman's monologue work better than sweet words from Ralph Fiennes? Did Juliette Binoche's Fresco painting withstand the aliens? Which movie did Lauren Bacall like better? Listen to find out.

To Infinity, Scotland & Beyond! 1995 features a war between Scottish epic "Braveheart" and the game-changing Pixar debut, "Toy Story." Mel Gibson's three hour film won about as many Oscars as butts were shown in the film, including Picture and Director. Meanwhile, "Toy Story" became the highest grossing film of the year and changed the world of computers, animation and storytelling forever. Which will win in our "People vs. Oscar" face off? Tune in to find out.

Can You Feel the Podcast Tonight? Welcome to our 1994 episode of "The People vs. Oscar." The highest grossing film ("The Lion King") takes on the Oscar winning movie of that year ("Forrest Gump"). What will win out this week - the animated classic or Tom Hank's trip through history? Tune in to find out!

What's better than one Spielberg movie? Two Spielberg Movies! 1993 pits two classic, but very different, Steven Spielberg movies against each other. The highest grossing movie of the year was "Jurassic Park," a classic tale of adventure that also tackles questions around our God's complex. Meanwhile, Spielberg won Best Director and Best Picture for his Holocaust epic, "Schindler's List." Which wins out in the end? Listen to find out.

We can show you the world Dirty, dusty and dangerous Welcome back to the People vs. Oscar! It's the year of our birth... 1992! Disney's animated classic (soon to have a live action remake) Aladdin was the highest grossing movie of the year. This goes up against Best Picture winner "Unforgiven," our first Clint Eastwood of the podcast. Will the western take down the genie? Listen to find out.

I'll be back... with some fava beans and a nice chianti. We've got 2 very different thrillers on our hands for 1991. The people turned out in droves to James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," which sent Arnold Schwarzeneggar back to the 90s, but with a very different mission. Meanwhile, the Oscars went with the February sleeper hit "The Silence of the Lambs" for its top 5 prizes - Best Picture, Director, Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Actress (Jodie Foster) and Screenplay. Did the iconic horror film deserve them all? Tune in to find out!

Listeners, you in danger girrrrrrl! We're back with a new season of People vs Oscar! We've finally made it to the 90s. And 1990 sure gave us quite a quintessential match up. The romance/drama/thriller/comedy "Ghost" may have won the hearts (and box office) of the public. However, the three hour Kevin Costner vanity play "Dances with Wolves" won the Oscar. Perhaps they loved his butt shots almost as much as he did. Listen to find out whether we side with the People or Oscar!

We're here to wrap up the 80s with a not-so-mini minisode. Listen to which movies win our top prizes, as well as the other 80s movies we didn't get to review that we'd recommend you watch.

Two irascible elders face off against each other as we round out the 1980s. "Driving Miss Daisy" puts Morgan Freeman in the driver's seat as he carts around Jessica Tandy's high maintenance Daisy Wertham. Similarly, Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones carts around his father, Henry Jones (Sean Connery) in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Which pairing made for a better viewing experience? Tune in to find out.

We've reached another year where the Best Picture winner was also the highest grossing film of the year. "Rain Man" marks one of the odder films with this distinction (compared to "All Quiet on the Western Front" or "The Godfather"). However, we take a journey as we uncover what made the film so popular and acclaimed in 1988. In addition, does the film hold up today? How does it rank in terms of Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman's careers? How many toothpicks really were on the ground? Tune in to find out.

We are not going to be ignored! Two very different movies go head to head on this week's episode of the podcast. Audiences turned out in droves to see "Fatal Attraction," an erotic thriller with Michael Douglas and Glenn Close which went on to 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. How does the film hold up under modern scrutiny and does it still rank among Glenn Close's best performances? The Oscars, meanwhile, fell in love with Bernardo Bertolucci's epic "The Last Emperor," which swept all nine Oscar categories it was up for. Were we as enamored with the 60 year spanning epic? Tune in to find out.

Not all war movies are created equally. 1986 brought together two very different films about war. Vietnam War Veteran Oliver Stone brought a new, raw and horrifying depiction of war in the film "Platoon," which won Best Picture. Still, audiences had their breath taken away by ace fighter pilot Tom Cruise in "Top Gun." Which war film gets our vote? Listen to find out.

Two romances of the past face off in this 1985 battle. Sydney Pollack's epic romance "Out of Africa" goes up against Robert Zemeckis' blockbuster "Back to the Future." "Out of Africa" marks our last Meryl Streep performance of the podcast and finds our favorite actress fall in love with both Africa and Robert Redford. Meanwhile, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) finds himself in quite an odd love triangle when he travels back to the 50s when his parents first met in the crowdpleaser "Back to the Future." Which won over our hearts? Listen to find out.

What's more treacherous - the Temple of Doom or the classical music scene? We've got the ultimate prestige vs. blockbuster debate in 1984. The Oscars showered Milos Forman's opus "Amadeus" with 8 Oscar wins from 11 nominations. Meanwhile, audiences flocked to the Indiana Jones prequel "The Temple of Doom." Which comes out ahead? Tune in to find out!

Two space movies (of sorts) go head to head in this 1983 battle. People turned out in droves to see the conclusion of the original "Star Wars" trilogy in "Return of the Jedi." However, the Oscars awarded the 2nd biggest hit of the year, "Terms of Endearment." The three hankie dramedy chronicles the decades long relationship between mother and daughter. Plus, Jack Nicholson plays a womanizing astronaut. What's not to love? Stay tuned after the episode for some Terms of Endearment from some special fans of the podcast!

It's blockbuster vs. biopic this week at the People vs Oscar. Steven Spielberg's box office champion "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" won over hearts and wallets as it became the highest grossing movie of its time and even got a Best Picture nomination. It lost, however, to "Gandhi," Richard Attenborough's 3 hour epic on Mahatma Gandhi that spanned over 50 years of his life. Which film wins out in the end? Listen to find out.

It's the war of iconic movie scores! Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster "Raiders of the Lost Ark" takes on the Oscar winning sports drama "Chariots of Fire." The Spielberg classic ranks as the favorite film of all time for one of our co-hosts. However, do the synth filled races of "Chariots of Fire" sway anyone to Oscar's side? Tune in to find out!

Familial strife is at the heart of our inaugural 80s episode. The Star Wars sequel "Empire Strikes Back" takes on the Award winning drama "Ordinary People." Many lauded "Empire" for taking its characters to shockingly dark places and tacking on twists no one could forget. Meanwhile, Robert Redford makes the jump to directing with the searing family drama "Ordinary People." Will the blockbuster or prestige drama walk away with the votes? Tune in to find out!

The one thing we can agree on is the 70s were our favorite decade of the podcast! However, we each had different favorites. Tune in to listen to what both Matt and I thought were the best of the films we saw in the 1970s. Make sure to stay tuned for all of our recommendations, as we talk about other notable films of the decade we wished got recognition.

Is Bond any match for Meryl Streep? Roger Moore's incarnation of Bond goes up against Academy Award winning performances from Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep in the latest episode of "The People vs Oscar." Following the success of "Star Wars," audiences flocked to see Bond in Space! Meanwhile, the Oscars turned their eyes towards the family divorce drama "Kramer vs Kramer." Which film prevails? Listen to find out.

These hometown heroes have wildly different lives ahead of them. Few weeks have such stark contrasts in tone as 1978. The Oscars wanted to confront the Vietnam War head on, with "The Deer Hunter" (about a bunch of local factory town workers headed off to war) besting "Coming Home" (Jane Fonda/Jon Voight's hospital set war romance). However, the people were more interested in the past, turning out in droves to see "Grease," a bop about summer love in the 50s.

At last, the week that inspired the podcast! Few pairings encompass the People vs. Oscar debate quite like 1977 - "Star Wars" vs. "Annie Hall." It's the ultimate David and Goliath showing, as the multi-layered rom-com "Annie Hall" beat top-grossing juggernaut in Best Picture. Both films show up all over AFI lists and any conceivable "Best of All Time" list. In fact, between co-hosts Matt and Chris, each movie is an all time favorite of each of the co-hosts. Who's favorite prevails? Listen to find out.

"Adrian! Yo Adrian!" "Rocky" was the underdog sports story that won everyone over. Made for a minimal budget, Sylvester Stallone's passion project became the highest grossing film of the year and the winner of Best Picture. This is even more incredible when one considers 1976 also had films such as "Taxi Driver," "All the Presidents Men," and "Network." How does the film hold up today? With "Creed" a massive current success, how different or similar does the original feel?

Who's scarier - Jaws or Nurse Ratched? Two classic films face off in 1975. Jaws stole the crown from "The Godfather" to become the highest grossing movie of all time. This led to the birth of the blockbuster and many to fear the beaches. Meanwhile, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" became the 2nd film to sweep the top 5 categories - Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Writing. The tale of a rebellious patient of a mental institution exemplifies the rebellious streak of a new world clashing with the rules of the old world. Which classic prevails? Listen to find out.