The Oscars have come and gone. Now that it is over we can get to talking about the actual best movies of the year. This week we are joined by friend of the show Brit Harsh to talk about our favorite movies of 2020.
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Last week the former "Bachelor" star Colton Underwood came out as gay on "Good Morning America." This week we discuss the reaction by the public, Colton's past, and the new Netflix reality show chronicling his journey We also share our thoughts on the movie Bad Trip and the Oscar Nominated film The Father.
Feel like you're watching less news in 2021? You probably are. News consumption is down significantly, with CNN losing almost half of its primetime viewership since Biden took office. And while you may like the feeling, newsrooms are scrambling with what to do. This week we talk to a former sports anchor and reporter from Rochester about the state of local news and he catches us up with all things Buffalo while we lament the state of the Eagles. We also share our thoughts on Promising Young Woman and Formula 1: Drive To Survive.
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People across London and the world are mourning the killing of Sarah Everard. She is the 33-year-old marketing executive who disappeared in South London while walking home earlier this month. Her death has led to protests and anger over gender violence and how it is treated in every part of our society.
This week we are joined by Andrea Duffy, the host of Crime and Cookies, to talk about the case, how she handles harassment in public spaces, and how men need to do better. We also discuss the Oscar nominations, and share our thoughts on 'Minari,' 'Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,' and 'Boss Level.' 
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Award season is back! Last week the Hollywood Foreign Press came out with their nominations for the Golden Globes and there was a collective scream from the internet upon seeing who they chose to celebrate and who they chose to leave out. This week we break down the snubs and surprises to come out of the Golden Globe nominations. We also share our thoughts on In and Of Itself, Malcolm and Marie, Ted Lasso, and Palmer.
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At the beginning of the pandemic, American sports fans were left with no live sports to watch for nearly four months. Then suddenly in June and July, all the major sports leagues returned to play at once creating a sports fan dream. Or so we thought. In reality, people aren't watching and viewership for all the leagues is down steeply from 2019, including the NBA finals, the Stanley Cup, and even NFL games. Why is that? This week we try and figure out why that is happening. We also share our thoughts on The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Lie, and Deaf U,
Busy week. We had the bungling of the Iowa caucuses, the State of the Union Address, the end of Trump's impeachment trial, and another Democratic debate. Not to mention that New Hampshire primary is this week. This week we attempt to talk about all of that along with sharing our thoughts on Bad Boys For Life, 1917 and we do a quick recap of the Oscars.
Plus An Interview With Director Neil Jordan
A big episode this week. This week we start the episode joined by the official wife of the podcast Sara Novic to recap the Oscars, then Ryan joins the show to talk about the new movie Fighting With My Family, the end of Kimmy Schmidt, and the Jussie Smollett case. And finally, at the end of the episode, we are joined by director Neil Jordan to talk about his new movie Greta.
WHO WILL WIN AND WHO SHOULD WIN Today is the big day. Get your Chinese ordered, pop the wine bottles, and buckle in, because despite having no host this Oscars is going to be a four-hour production. Why? Because we forced them to include the award for cinematography in a celebration of movies. But I digress. Before the night begins, allow me to run down the biggest awards, try to guess who will win, and say who should win.
Best Picture: "Black Panther" "BlacKKKlansman" "Bohemian Rhapsody" "The Favourite" "Green Book" "Roma" "A Star Is Born" "Vice" The field has never been more open. Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book won Golden Globes, while Green Book also nabbed the PGA award for Best Film. Black Panther won the SAG. Roma won the DGA and the BAFTA awards. Eighth Grade and Can You Ever Forgive Me? won for writing – and those movies aren’t even in the running. So, what does that mean? There is no consensus this year. Because of that you have to think any movie that didn’t win a major award - A Star Is Born, Vice, The Favourite, and BlacKKKlansman - is out of the running. Though I wouldn’t necessarily say BlacKKKlansman is out. With everything Oscar has been criticized for over the years Spike Lee’s movie could sneak in there. Is Bohemian Rhapsody a good movie? I don’t think so. It is enjoyable and I had a blast watching it, but it isn’t necessarily good cinema, so at least for this category it’s probably out. How amazing would it be if Black Panther won? A movie that people saw wins the award for the best movie of the year. But how can you take a comic book movie seriously? Ryan Coogler makes the case for it exploring ideas of fate vs. destiny and how racial progress should be handled - all while people fight in spandex. While there has been a late push, it would be hard to imagine a comic book movie winning the night’s big award. Green Book which was a heavy favorite early, but as with any early favorite people had a lot of time to find all the flaws and talk about why this movie shouldn’t win. So then will Roma win? Of all the movies on the list, Roma is the most artistic, which the Academy loves, but will they hate that the movie was distributed on Netflix instead of going through the typical theater format? Another question worth asking – despite being on Netflix, how is it that people still refuse to watch it? Should that factor in, or is the beauty of this movie exactly what the Academy wants to support? Who will win: "Roma" Who should win: "Black Panther" Best Director: Spike Lee, "BlacKKKlansman" Pawel Pawlikowski, "Cold War" Yorgos Lanthimos, "The Favourite" Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma" Adam McKay, "Vice" Could Spike Lee finally win his Best Director Oscar? I wouldn’t be surprised. He deserves it for his career even if BlacKKKlansman isn’t his best movie. But this is the category that Roma deserves to be rewarded for. Alfonso Cuarón is the star of this movie. What he did on screen is award-worthy and make no mistake he will win tonight. Who will win: Alfonso Cuarón for "Roma" Who should win: Alfonso Cuarón for "Roma" Best Actor: Christian Bale, "Vice" Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born" Willem Dafoe, "At Eternity's Gate" Rami Malek, "Bohemian Rhapsody" Viggo Mortensen, "Green Book" Everyone has been saying the best part about Bohemian Rhapsody is Rami Malek. And I wouldn’t dare argue that. But if we are going to argue transformations and becoming a well-known person, how are we not going to award the person who physically transformed himself--and not just his body, but his voice as well. Bale changed his look, voice, and physical ticks; he is unrecognizable in this role. Rami Malek added a couple teeth in his mouth and is not the one singing. So why is Malek going to win? Probably because Christian Bale just won and they hate giving any deserving actor multiple Oscars too close together. Just ask Meryl. Buy maybe I am just bitter Leonardo DiCaprio had to wait 20 years for his Oscar and Rami Malek gets it on his first time out. Leo got screwed on Wolf of Wall Street. Who will win: Rami Malek for "Bohemian Rhapsody"" Who should win: Christian Bale for "Vice". Best Actress Yalitza Aparicio, "Roma" Glenn Close, "The Wife" Olivia Colman, "The Favourite" Lady Gaga, "A Star Is Born" Melissa McCarthy, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" A lot of deserving roles in this category. I really loved Melissa McCarthy but no one in the Academy seems to want to vote for her, probably because she is typically a comedic actor. The SAG had a tie in this category between Glenn Close and Lady Gaga, so it seems like it is down to those two. I would be happy with either performance winning. Lady Gaga’s performance felt honest and real. Close’s performance is much more subtle in a movie that is overall quieter. But it is also worth considering that Glenn Close has been nominated seven other times and never won, while this is Lady Gaga’s first movie. In the event of a tie, the award will probably go to the one with the more deserving career. Who will win: Glenn Close for "The Wife" Who should win: Lady Gaga for "A Star Is Born" Those are the four biggest awards but let me know what you think and follow me along on Twitter tonight. Unless I become too captivated in the awards which seems unlikely - it feels like this is going to be a train wreck. But that could make it fun to watch too. Enjoy the show! 
The Academy Awards are right around the corner, but before that happens Ryan, Zach, and friend of the show Brit Harsh rank the best movies of 2018. W
Want to know Zach's personal picks but don't have time to listen to the pod? Just scroll down below. 
Honorable Mentions: Vice, Can You Ever Forgive Me, Deadpool 2, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite
10) Green Book Green Book takes audiences on a surprisingly smooth ride through potentially bumpy subject matter, fueled by Peter Farrelly's deft touch and a pair of well-matched leads. 9) Roma Roma finds writer-director Alfonso Cuarón in complete, enthralling command of his visual craft - and telling the most powerfully personal story of his career. 8) Mission Impossible: Fallout Fast, sleek, and fun, Mission: Impossible - Fallout lives up to the "impossible" part of its name by setting yet another high mark for insane set pieces in a franchise full of them. 7) Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse matches bold storytelling with striking animation for a purely enjoyable adventure with heart, humor, and plenty of superhero action. 6) Upgrade Like its augmented protagonist, Upgrade's old-fashioned innards get a high-tech boost -- one made even more powerful thanks to sharp humor and a solidly well-told story. 5) Crazy Rich Asians With a terrific cast and a surfeit of visual razzle dazzle, Crazy Rich Asians takes a satisfying step forward for screen representation while deftly drawing inspiration from the classic -- and still effective -- rom-com formula. 4) A Quiet Place A Quiet Place artfully plays on elemental fears with a ruthlessly intelligent creature feature that's as original as it is scary -- and establishes director John Krasinski as a rising talent. 3) Avengers Infinity War Avengers: Infinity War ably juggles a dizzying array of MCU heroes in the fight against their gravest threat yet, and the result is a thrilling, emotionally resonant blockbuster that (mostly) realizes its gargantuan ambitions. 2) Star Is Born With appealing leads, deft direction, and an affecting love story, A Star Is Born is a remake done right -- and a reminder that some stories can be just as effective in the retelling. 1) Black Panther This is the best Superhero movie since The Dark Knight. It’s one of the best storied Marvel’s told both in relation to the universe all the while telling one of the MCU's most absorbing stories -- and introducing some of its most fully realized characters. |
Hosts: Zach Stone and Ryan BergerA podcast where we talk about what's going on in the news and cross that with our favorite movies Archives
June 2021
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