Podcast Retro: Oscar Nomination Morning

I did a bad thing readers. I lost the audio file after meeting with the always opinonated and game Eric Blume and Chris James, who I am lucky to count as friends. We spoke on the evening of the Oscar nominations in late January. I figured better late than never since we had a good time chatting and I realized I sincerely missed podcasting. But I found it this morning buried deep in a unexpected place on my hard drive. How did it get there? Who knows! If you'd like a throwback to a more innocent time before we all knew who would win everything Sunday night listen in on iTunes or Spotify or download the attachment below. 

And given my scatterbrained challenges and the odd timing of the post, do tell in the comments:

What are you feeling / thinking NOW that you wouldn't have expected back in late January when these nominations were first announced? 

Oscar Nom Throwback Jan 24

Split Decision: "The Holdovers"

No two people feel the exact same way about any film. Thus, Team Experience is pairing up to debate the merits of this year’s Oscar movies. Here's Abe Friedtanzer and Cláudio Alves on The Holdovers…

ABE: Cláudio, it is always my pleasure to talk about films with you even though I know our tastes rarely overlap. In fact, when I met you in-person at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, you noted that we were barely seeing any of the same films. I was only in Toronto for three and a half days and saw a whirlwind eighteen films in that time, the best of which was The Holdovers. My editor decided to hold my review for the theatrical release, which proved somewhat underwhelming, but fortunately there was plenty of awards acclaim for the film to keep my enthusiasm up about this gem.

I remember seeing Sideways twenty years ago and very much enjoying it as I was just starting to really get into film (and The Film Experience as a reader), and it's great to see Alexander Payne reunited with his star Paul Giamatti for a role that's perfect for him. He's one of the best parts of this film but there are so many, at least in my opinion. Cláudio, tell me about your experience of seeing the film and what did and didn't work for you...

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Almost There: Margot Robbie in "Barbie"

by Cláudio Alves

Everybody complains about comedic performances not getting their due on awards season. But of course, the instant such work becomes a serious contender, the knives come out. These achievements are generally dismissed, as if straight drama was inherently superior to broad comedy. I'm not accusing anyone in particular, but it is a phenomenon that can be felt across cinephilia, especially when it involves a movie like Barbie, which tapped into the zeitgeist and somehow became one of the year's defining movies. I thought about writing on the reaction to Ferrera's Best Supporting Actress nomination or how the tides have turned on Gosling as the season unfolded. Yet, Robbie was perfect for the Almost There Series, so here we are. 

With the 96th Academy Awards mere days away, the dust should have settled after the collective psychosis that followed the movie's "snubs" in Best Director and Best Actress. At least, I hope cool heads prevail as I dive into Margot Robbie's portrayal of Stereotypical Barbie…

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Final Oscar Predictions!

by Nathaniel R

It's that time again. The Oscars are Sunday night so it's time to make those final calls. Oppenheimer is poised to win big but HOW big exactly? Clean sweeps have gone out of fashion in the past 25 years. The only "clean sweep" this century -- aka a movie nominated for a lot of Oscars that won ALL of them on Hollywood's High Holy night -- was 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Even more interesting than Hollywood's turn away from sweeps is that it's become common the Best Picture winner to NOT win the most Oscars. We like it when they spread the wealth but the overperformance last year of Everything Everywhere All At Once suggests that Hollywood may be entering sweep-mindset again.

We expect that Chris Nolan's atomic biopic Oppenheimer will have the biggest Oscar haul since Return of the King on Sunday though it won't break any records...

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Split Decision: "The Color Purple"

No two people feel the exact same way about any film. Thus, Team Experience is pairing up to debate the merits of this year’s Oscar movies. Here's Ben Miller and Eric Blume on The Color Purple…

BEN:  When it comes to Blitz Bazuwale's The Color Purple, I am supremely positive on the film. It's nice to have a film filled with unbridled energy and verve. I don't necessarily see it as a big loser when it comes to Oscar, but I think it deserves much more than it got.

What are your generalized thoughts on the film's quality?

ERIC:  Ah Ben we're going to have a good time with this one!  I watched The Color Purple with my jaw dropped, finding it almost unfathomable how terrible it was.  Like, I couldn't quite believe it... 

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