What Makes It Great?

Roll out the red carpet again as Andy & Michael Fernandez wrap up the 1950s with another Awards Show Special! Hear their awards for the best of the decade and their updated lists of their best movies of all time on this special episode of What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Hop on your chariots and race around in a big circle as Andy & Michael Fernandez chat about Ben-Hur! Released in 1959, this Charlton Heston epic of biblical proportions is ranked at #72 and #100 and won 13 Academy Awards! Hear Andy & Michael talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

It's 1959 and Andy & Michael Fernandez have been mistaken for George Kaplan and go on a cross-country journey to discuss North By Northwest! This Hitchcock thriller stars Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, is ranked #40 and #55 by AFI, and is sometimes considered to be the first James Bond film. Hear Andy & Michael talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez go on the run with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon (and Marilyn Monroe!) while discussing Some Like It Hot! This 1959 film is one of the highest ranked comedies on the list at #14 and #22. Listen in as Andy & Michael talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez stay away from heights while discussing Vertigo! This Alfred Hitchcock thriller from 1958 stars Jimmy Stewart and is ranked #61 and #9 on AFI's list. On top of that, it is often considered one of the best films ever made! Hear the brothers talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez discuss David Lean's 1957 World War II film, The Bridge on the River Kwai. Ranked #13 and #36 by AFI, this movie stars Alec Guinness and William Holden is the first of three David Lean films on the list! So, whistle while you work and listen as Andy & Michael discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez go to court to discuss 1957's 12 Angry Men. This suspenseful movie, ranked #87 by the American Film Institute, all takes place in one room as twelve jurors deliberate a murder case and if the defendant is innocent or guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Listen as Andy & Michael go over the evidence and discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Howdy y'all! Andy & Michael Fernandez travel to Reata with Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean to talk about 1956's Giant. This epic about cattle ranchers and oilmen in Texas is ranked #82 on the American Film Institute's list and is James Dean's final film, as he died before the movie was completed. Hope you enjoy as Andy & Michael discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Another western? That'll be the day. Andy & Michael Fernandez discuss 1956's The Searchers. Directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, this influential film is ranked #96 and #12 on the American Film Institute's lists. Hear why on What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez plus James Dean equals Rebel Without A Cause. This 1955 cultural phenomenon is ranked #59 on the American Film Institute's list and includes one of the most iconic stars in Hollywood history. Listen as Andy & Michael discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week, Andy & Michael Fernandez discuss their first Alfred Hitchcock movie, 1954's Rear Window. Nominated for four Oscars and ranked at #42 and #48 on the American Film Institute's lists, Rear Window stars Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly as they investigate a possible murder, all from within Jimmy Stewart's apartment! Listen in as the Fernandez brothers talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

We coulda been contenders! Instead of podcasters. Which is what we are, let's face it. That's right, Andy & Michael Fernandez are discussing On the Waterfront, featuring an iconic performance from Marlon Brando. This 1954 film directed by Elia Kazan is ranked at #8 and #19 by the American Film Institute and was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won 8. We hope you enjoy as we discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join Andy & Michael Fernandez as they head to Hawaii to talk about the struggles in finding love, friendship, and self while a threat looms in 1953's From Here to Eternity. Starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, and Donna Reed, this World War II drama was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won 8 of them! Listen in as Andy & Michael talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Ride off into the sunset with Andy & Michael Fernandez as they discuss 1953's Shane! This western is ranked by the American Film Institute as the #69 and #45 greatest movie of all time and it's impact extends all the way into modern day films like 2017's Logan. Listen in to hear What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Do not forsake this podcast, my darlin'. On this episode, Andy & Michael Fernandez discuss 1952's High Noon starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. This western has a lot of parallels to the Hollywood Blacklist while also being an entertaining film, worthy of its places at #33 nd #27 on the American Film Institute's lists of the best movies of all time. Listen in as the brothers discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This one is a big one! A musical classic, a family favorite, a guest joins us, AND it's our first ever commentary track! 1952's Singin' in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor, is ranked at #10 and #5 on the American Film Institute's List and is a joy to watch. If you have access to the film, you can watch along with Andy & Michael Fernandez (and their sister Diana Taylor!) as they watch the movie and talk about What Makes It Great in this special full length commentary track episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Travel down the rivers of Africa with Andy & Michael Fernandez as they discuss the John Huston directed The African Queen. This movie, ranked #17 and #65, is notable for shooting on location, in color, and starring two of the biggest stars of the classic era of Hollywood: Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. We hope you enjoy listening as we discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez dance their way to France as they discuss Gene Kelly in 1951's An American in Paris This award-winning, and highly influential, musical is ranked at #68 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest movies of all time and is also the first live-action film in color on the list since 1939's Gone With The Wind! Listen as they discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Hey Stella! Andy & Michael Fernandez are talking about the Elia Kazan directed film from 1951: A Streetcar Named Desire. The American Film Institute ranks this classic at #45 and #47 on their lists, primarily for the introduction of one of the screen's most magnetic actors: Marlon Brando. Also starring Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden, this film based on a Tennessee Williams play, received three acting Oscars and 9 other nominations. We hope you enjoy our discussion of A Streetcar Named Desire! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This episode has a lot of beauty and tragedy as Andy & Michael Fernandez talk about 1951's A Place in the Sun. Directed by George Stevens and starring Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor, A Place in the Sun features more realistic acting, controversial subject matter, and is one of the biggest surprises of the list so far. So listen in as the Fernandez brothers talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, Andy & Michael Fernandez talk All About Eve. This highly acclaimed drama of jealously, backstabbing, and ego stars Bette Davis as an aging actress being pushed out of the spotlight. The American Film Institute ranks this movie as the #16 and #28 movie of all time and was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, including 5 acting nominations. We hope you enjoy our discussion of All About Eve! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

We're back with new episodes! We begin a new decade by discussing a movie about movies, love, independence, admiration, aging, and chimpanzee funerals. That's right! Andy & Michael Fernandez are traveling to Sunset Boulevard! Directed by Billy Wilder and starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson, this film gets the recognition of being ranked by the American Film Institute as the #12 and #16 greatest film of all time. We hope you enjoy our discussion of Sunset Boulevard! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode of What Makes It Great, Andy & Michael Fernandez reflect on the movies they have watched and analyzed so far, rank them in their own list and give out some Oscar-like awards. The brothers have discussed 36 movies from 1915 all the way through 1949. Catch up on what has been discussed so far before they enter in to a new decade of film on What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, Andy & Michael Fernandez go to post-WWII Europe for another film noir: The Third Man. Starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, The Third Man is ranked as the #57 film of all time and features some very stylish shots and locations, as well as one of the most interesting scores we've heard so far! Listen in as Andy & Michael discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez go to Mexico to discuss one of the first Hollywood films shot on location: 1948's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston, this John Huston film dives into the theme of the corrupting power of greed as it follows three men in search of gold. Ranked #30 and #38 on the American Film Institute's lists, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre has what many consider to be Bogart's best performance. Listen in as Andy & Michael discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez travel to Bedford Falls to discuss 1946's It's A Wonderful Life, but they won't be going alone! Special guest, and sister-in-law, Maureen Fernandez joins Andy & Michael to discuss this Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart film that has become a holiday classic. Ranked #11 and #20 on the American Film Institute's lists, It's A Wonderful Life features great performances and an even greater message, making it a perfect film for the times we are living in now. Listen in as Andy & Michael (& Maureen!) discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez discuss their first post-World War II movie: 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives. Three soldiers come back to their hometown and struggle with readjusting to civilian life in this epic directed by William Wyler, shot by Gregg Toland, and featuring a terrific performance from non-actor, Harold Russell. The American Film Institute ranks this film at #37 on both versions of their list. Listen in as Andy & Michael talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this week's episode, Andy & Michael Fernandez consult their inner monologues as they discuss one of the most influential film noirs of all time, 1944's Double Indemnity. Ranked at #38 and #29 on the American Film Institute's lists, Double Indemnity dives into murder, insurance fraud, a sleazy salesman, a manipulative woman, and a determined claims investigator, all while featuring some influential narrative devices and cinematography. Listen in as the brothers break down What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Here's lookin' at you, kid. Andy & Michael Fernandez step into Rick's Cafe to discuss 1942's Casablanca. This exciting, funny, romantic movie is ranked at #2 and #3 on the two versions of the American Film Institute's lists of the greatest films of all time and may be one of the most quotable scripts of all time. Listen as the Fernandez brothers discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez go to town, riding on a pony to discuss the 1942 musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. This movie, ranked at #100 and #98 on the American Film Institute's lists, stars James Cagney in an Oscar winning performance and is directed by Michael Curtiz, one of the best examples of a studio director. Listen in as Andy & Michael travel "Over There" and discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this week's episode, Andy & Michael Fernandez discuss Preston Sturges's 1941 comedy, Sullivan's Travels. A successful comedy director wants to make an impactful film about the struggles of the poor, so he tries to get some first-hand experience at those struggles. Comedy ensues. This film, ranked #61 on the 10th Anniversary version of the American Film Institute's list, is the first movie about movies on the list. Listen as Andy & Michael discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This episode is the stuff dreams are made of. Andy & Michael Fernandez become gumshoes to investigate 1941's The Maltese Falcon. Written and directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, The Maltese Falcon, ranked #23 and #31 on the American Film Institute's lists of the greatest films of all time, is the first film noir movie on the list and features great supporting performances from Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet. Listen as Andy & Michael talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This is the big one. The consensus #1 film of all time according to the American Film Institute: 1941's Citizen Kane. Directed, produced, co-written, and starring a 26 year old Orson Welles, Citizen Kane is a revolutionary, influential, timeless, and funny tale about Charles Foster Kane, an extremely rich and powerful media mogul, who, while being in the public spotlight for most of his life, is still an enigma. Listen in as Andy & Michael Fernandez travel to Xanadu in an attempt to understand the movie that many consider to be the greatest of all time on a brand new episode of What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez travel to Philadelphia to discuss the comic antics of Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart in George Cukor's The Philadelphia Story. This movie from 1940, ranked at #51 and #44 on the two versions of the American Film Institute's lists, features some of the best comic drunk acting ever. Listen as the Fernandez brothers discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez go to a concert while discussing 1940's Fantasia. Produced by Walt Disney, this animated feature is a precursor to the music video and represents a leap forward in sound technology for the movies. The American Film Institute lists it as the #58 greatest film of all time, so listen in as Andy & Michael break down What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this week's episode, Andy & Michael Fernandez join the Joad family on their exodus to California in The Grapes of Wrath. This John Ford directed film, based on the John Steinbeck novel, is a rough, and unfortunately very timely, tale of the struggle of migrant farm workers, forced off their land, fighting to stay together and survive. The American Film Institute ranks this movie as the #21 and #23 greatest film of all time. Tune in as Andy & Michael discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this special episode of What Makes It Great, Andy & Michael Fernandez reflect on the movies they have watched and analyzed so far, rank them in their own list, and give out some Oscar-like awards. The brothers have discussed 23 movies, from 1915 all the way through to 1939. Catch up on what has been discussed so far before they enter in to a new decade of film on What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The final film from the 1930s is also the biggest movie discussed so far: Gone with the Wind. Starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, and Hattie McDaniel, this sweeping epic is not without controversy. Depicting a romanticized view of slavery and the American South pre-Civil War, the movie is challenging and uncomfortable while at the same time it contains some of the most complex characters, some of the most dynamic cinematography, and some of the most epic sets and production value of any film up to this point. Andy & Michael Fernandez tackle all of that and much more in their discussion of this movie, ranked #4 and #6 on the two versions of the American Film Institute's list. Listen as they dive into Gone with the Wind on What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week, Andy & Michael Fernandez watch James Stewart in 1939's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. This Frank Capra film, ranked #29 and #26 on the American Film Institute's two lists, is a timeless tale about sticking to your principles, giving voice to the voiceless, and standing up to fight for what's right. Join the Fernandez brothers as they discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

We're off to see the wizard! Listen this week as Andy & Michael Fernandez get sucked up into a tornado and dive into 1939's The Wizard of Oz. Starring Judy Garland and featuring some iconic music, imagery, and performances, The Wizard of Oz is a massively influential movie and the American Film Institute ranks it at #6 and #10 on their versions of the best movies of all time. So follow the yellow brick road, click your heels together, and join Andy & Michael Fernandez as they discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez go back in time to discuss the 1939 adaptation of Emily Bronte's novel, Wuthering Heights. Directed by William Wyler and starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier, Wuthering Heights was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and is ranked #73 on the original version of the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 greatest American films of all time. Listen as Andy & Michael try to answer the question "What Makes It Great"! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, Andy & Michael Fernandez saddle up to discuss the first western on the list, 1939's Stagecoach. This John Ford directed film stars a large of ensemble of performers, including John Wayne, as they make their way across the West. Ranked #63 on the American Film Institute's original list of the greatest films of all time, Stagecoach provides plenty of interesting performances, techniques, social commentary, and a few issues to examine. Listen as Andy & Michael try to understand What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant star in this Howard Hawks comedy from 1938. Ranked #97 and #88 on the American Film Institute's lists, Hepburn and Grant play two opposites that fall for each other with the help of a few mishaps, misunderstandings, and one leopard named Baby. Hear Andy & Michael Fernandez discuss this screwball classic as they try to understand What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Heigh Ho! Andy & Michael Fernandez take a look in the magic mirror to discuss 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The first animated movie on the list and the first movie in color on the list, this Walt Disney classic is ranked at #49 and at #34 on the American Film Institute's lists of the greatest films of all time. On top of that, the story of the making of this movie is just as fascinating as the movie itself. Listen as Andy & Michael talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Put on your dancing shoes as the Fernandez brothers are talking about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in 1936's Swing Time. Ranked at #90 on the 10th Anniversary List from the American Film Institute, this musical features impressive dance routines, lovable performances, and the origin of the Academy Award winning hit song, The Way You Look Tonight. Tune in as Andy & Michael Fernandez discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this 1936 film by Charlie Chaplin, his Little Tramp character works on an assembly line, falls in love, and tries to make ends meet in an ever changing world. Ranked at #81 and #78 on the two American Film Institute's lists, Modern Times is also the final Chaplin film on the list. Listen in as Andy & Michael Fernandez break it down to discuss What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael Fernandez set sail with Clark Gable and discuss 1935's Mutiny on the Bounty. This adventure on the high seas was ranked #86 on the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 Films of All Time and features some all-star performances from Gable and Charles Laughton as Captain Bligh. Listen as the Fernandez brothers talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael spend A Night at the Opera with the Marx Brothers in this episode of What Make It Great. The 1935 comedy comes in at #85 on the 10th Anniversary list of the American Film Institute's greatest films of all time, and has a lot of the Marx Brothers most famous comedy scenes, such as the stateroom and contract scenes. Another favorite from their childhoods, tune in as the brothers talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Ever wonder the proper hitchhiking technique? Way to get undressed? Dunk a donut? Maybe what piggybacking says about your character? Well, Clark Gable has the answers to all of these and more as he falls in love with Claudette Colbert in Frank Capra's hugely influential 1934 film, It Happened One Night. Ranked at #35 and #46 on the American Film Institute's list, It Happened One Night is also one of only three movies to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Listen to Andy & Michael talk about what makes it great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Andy & Michael travel to the warring nations of Freedonia and Sylvania to discuss one of their favorite comedies of all-time, Duck Soup. Starring the Marx Brothers, Duck Soup is ranked at #85 and #60 on the two American Film Institute's lists, is full of laughs, and allows the Fernandez Brothers to talk about their love of the Marx Brothers. Tune in to this discussion of an anarchic comedy classic as Andy & Michael share their opinions on What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode of What Makes It Great, Andy & Michael travel to an uncharted and mysterious island and come back with a great discussion of 1933's King Kong! This fun movie represents a Kong sized leap forward in special effects and creates the blueprint for many of the blockbuster movies of today. This film, ranked at #43 and #41 on the two American Film Institute lists, may be just as important now as it was then. So, tune in and listen as the brothers talk about What Makes It Great! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app