This Had Oscar Buzz
319 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1K ratingsA podcast about movies the awards forgot
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Episodes
109 – The Way Way Back
August 31, 2020 16:14 - 1 hour - 209 MBWe decided to end the summer with another Listeners’ Choice episode and your triumphant film was 2013′s Sundance title The Way Way Back. The film was another massive Sundance buy for Fox Searchlight, who sold it to audiences very much in the mold of its successful Little Miss Sunshine. But even with two of Sunshine’s Toni Collette and … Continue reading "109 – The Way Way Back"
108 – A Dangerous Method
August 24, 2020 19:26 - 2 hours - 102 MBIf you look at many of the bizarre and not-safe-for-work fascinations embedded in the filmography of David Cronenberg, it might be surprising that the auteur’s work ever made it close to Oscar conversations. But this week, we’re looking at one of his films that did: 2011′s Freud and Jung horny costume drama A Dangerous Method. … Continue reading "108 – A Dangerous Method"
107 – Prime
August 17, 2020 19:22 - 1 hour - 88.8 MBWe’re back to discussing Meryl Streep (for the SIXTH time!) this episode for a film starring the legend opposite an actress who was overlooked for a defining work. After Oscar ignored the hyperviolent Kill Bill films and its iconic star, Uma Thurman seemed poised for future Oscar success. When she was cast opposite Streep for … Continue reading "107 – Prime"
106 – Dr. T and the Women
August 10, 2020 19:31 - 1 hour - 80.7 MBThis episode, we’re returning to the career of Robert Altman for one of the most bizarre films we’ve ever discussed. With a stacked female cast surrounding Richard Gere as a beloved Texan gynecologist, 2000′s Dr. T and The Women baffled audiences straight to its well-earned F CinemaScore. Erased from our memories one year later by the Oscar … Continue reading "106 – Dr. T and the Women"
105 – Somewhere (with George Civeris)
August 03, 2020 18:27 - 1 hour - 212 MBAfter reaching Oscar success in 2003 with Lost in Transalation, Sofia Coppola has stayed mostly on the fringes of Oscar conversations with her distinct but understated filmography. This week, comedian and StraightioLab cohost George Civeris joins us to look back at perhaps her quietest film, 2010′s Somewhere. Starring Stephen Dorff as a B-movie star and Elle Fanning … Continue reading "105 – Somewhere (with George Civeris)"
104 – The Terminal
July 27, 2020 19:49 - 1 hour - 93.7 MBSoak this one up, listeners, because this episode we’re taking one of the very few opportunities for us to talk about Steven Spielberg. The beloved director has one of the best Oscar track records in history, earning nominations for all but five of his feature films – including this week’s misfire, 2004′s The Terminal. Tom Hanks … Continue reading "104 – The Terminal"
103 – Natural Born Killers
July 20, 2020 20:26 - 1 hour - 84.5 MBThis week, we’re going back to the mid-90s to visit Oliver Stone’s highly controversial skewering of the muckraking, blood-thirsty media landscape. Natural Born Killers arrived in late summer 1994 and immediately started a firestorm of outraged Republicans and a number of copycat killings. While an audacious and uncompromising satire, the violence of its central Mickey and Mallory … Continue reading "103 – Natural Born Killers"
102 – The Walk
July 13, 2020 20:04 - 1 hour - 82.9 MBBonjour, listeners! This week, we’re returning to the work of Robert Zemeckis for a film whose buzz was built first by an Oscar winning documentary. In 2008, Man on Wire steamrolled the documentary race with the telling of highwire artist Philippe Petit’s daring tightrope performance between the World Trade Center towers – leading Zemeckis to give Petit the … Continue reading "102 – The Walk"
101 – Flawless
July 06, 2020 22:50 - 1 hour - 95.1 MBPhilip Seymour Hoffman had a breakout 1999, winning critics prizes for performances in two films that just missed the Best Picture cut but landed his flashier costars with Supporting Actor nominations: Magnolia and The Talented Mr. Ripley. But this week, we’re discussing another less-praised film of his that year that nevertheless landed him a Lead Actor nomination at … Continue reading "101 – Flawless"
100 – mother!
June 29, 2020 20:56 - 2 hours - 121 MBWe have finally arrived at a major milestone – our 100th episode!! To commemorate the occasion, we’re looking back at the notoriously divisive 2017 discourse factory, Darren Aronofsky’s mother!. An environmental allegory of biblical proportions, mother! arrived after a cryptic marketing campaign with few plot details beyond the promise of a horror spectacle and megastar Jennifer Lawrence at … Continue reading "100 – mother!"
099 – Proof
June 22, 2020 23:13 - 1 hour - 91.8 MBWe’re looking to the stage for this week’s episode! After being awarded the Pultizer Prize for Drama, a Tony success, and two years on Broadway, Oscar obsessives looked to the big screen adaptation of Proof to continue its slew of trophies. With Gwyneth Paltrow reprising her role from the London stage (along with that production’s director and Shakespeare … Continue reading "099 – Proof"
098 – Lee Daniels’ The Butler (with Jourdain Searles)
June 15, 2020 22:07 - 1 hour - 90.5 MBOne year after giving us Nicole Kidman peeing on Zach Efron in The Paperboy, Lee Daniels delivered a late summer hit and Oscar hopeful with The Butler. Starring then-recent Best Actor winner Forrest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a White House butler to eight presidents, the film follows the arc of civil rights in America through the lens … Continue reading "098 – Lee Daniels’ The Butler (with Jourdain Searles)"
097 – The Others
June 08, 2020 21:56 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBWe are taking the rare This Had Oscar Buzz stroll through the horror genre this week and also discussing the rare case of a performer possibly splitting their own vote. The Academy rules state that one performer cannot be nominated for two performances in the same category, and one case against that rule was Nicole … Continue reading "097 – The Others"
096 – Nurse Betty (with Rob Scheer)
June 01, 2020 22:25 - 1 hour - 83.9 MBRenée Zellweger’s three year run with Oscar in the early 2000s makes for oft-discussed trajectory, perhaps so much so that we don’t always remember her near nomination the year before it all began. This week, film publicist Rob Scheer joins us to look back at her Golden Globe winning performance in Nurse Betty, a dark comedy … Continue reading "096 – Nurse Betty (with Rob Scheer)"
095 – St. Vincent (Naomi Watts – Part Four)
May 25, 2020 20:39 - 1 hour - 96 MBNao-May comes to a close this week with St. Vincent, the 2014 film that starred Bill Murray as an old codger who learns to love while caring for a not-quite-precocious preteen. The dramedy targeted that elusive follow-up nomination for Murray after losing out for Lost in Translation a decade prior, not to mention holding promise … Continue reading "095 – St. Vincent (Naomi Watts – Part Four)"
094 – Diana (with Richard Lawson) (Naomi Watts – Part Three)
May 18, 2020 21:25 - 1 hour - 77.6 MBAs our Naomi Watts miniseries continues into its third week, we come to the biggest misfire therein: 2013’s reviled biopic Diana. With Watts taking on titular role, the film follows Princess Diana in her final days and her thwarted romantic relationship with surgeon Hasnat Khan (played bby Naveen Andrews). But in an attempt to avoid … Continue reading "094 – Diana (with Richard Lawson) (Naomi Watts – Part Three)"
093 – The Painted Veil (Naomi Watts – Part Two)
May 11, 2020 19:57 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBOur second episode on the Oscar trajectory of Naomi Watts brings us to 2006’s The Painted Veil, a W. Somerset Maugham adaptation set during a cholera outbreak in 1920s China. Watts starred opposite Edward Norton as a combative English couple whose love rekindles after an affair, with the actress’s then-boyfriend Liev Schreiber as the other man. … Continue reading "093 – The Painted Veil (Naomi Watts – Part Two)"
092 – Le Divorce (with Bobby Finger) (Naomi Watts – Part One)
May 04, 2020 19:37 - 1 hour - 128 MBWe kick off our Nao-May miniseries this week with contemporary Merchant Ivory misfire Le Divorce. After missing out on a nomination for Mulholland Drive, Naomi Watts’ first foray with prestige filmmaking was this literary adaptation about two American sisters in Paris caught in the cultural crossfires of French perspectives on love and legality. Opposite the … Continue reading "092 – Le Divorce (with Bobby Finger) (Naomi Watts – Part One)"
BONUS – We Like Her With The Bonnet
May 03, 2020 19:36 - 46 minutes - 64.1 MBThis May, we are kicking off our second ever miniseries by taking a month-long dive into the filmography and Oscar history of Naomi Watts. Coming this month: we’re talking Le Divorce, The Painted Veil, Diana, and St. Vincent. And to kick things off, we are bringing you a special mini episode to set the stage … Continue reading "BONUS – We Like Her With The Bonnet"
091 – Zodiac
April 28, 2020 00:04 - 2 hours - 102 MB2007 was a stacked year for the major names in cinema offering bleak masterpieces and one that got left in the dust was David Fincher’s Zodiac. The film meticulously details the notorious serial killer’s exploits and aftermath with a large ensemble and the obsessive attention to detail that has become synonymous with the auteur. Arriving … Continue reading "091 – Zodiac"
090 – Magic Mike
April 20, 2020 20:43 - 2 hours - 102 MBBased loosely on star Channing Tatum’s experience as an exotic dancer, 2012’s Magic Mike lured director Steven Soderbergh out of his ongoing “retirement” and became a summer smash. Women loved it, men loved, the critics loved it – except the Academy did not. Though released during the full swing of the McConnaissance, it would take … Continue reading "090 – Magic Mike"
089 – The Rainmaker
April 13, 2020 21:55 - 1 hour - 155 MBFrancis Ford Coppola is a legendary director among Oscar lore thanks to the Corleone family, and this week’s episode pairs him with a name that resulted in much ‘90s cinematic prestige: John Grisham. After a string of hit adaptations that danced with major Oscar consideration, Coppola took his shot at Grisham’s The Rainmaker. But despite … Continue reading "089 – The Rainmaker"
088 – Alfie (with Griffin Newman)
April 06, 2020 20:29 - 2 hours - 115 MBWe’re taking it back to Jude Law’s infamously busy 2004 this week and we’ve got a special guest to help dissect it. Actor and cohost of the Blank Check with Griffin and David podcast Griffin Newman joins us to discuss Alfie, the modernized remake of the 1966 Best Picture nominee with Law filling Michael Caine’s … Continue reading "088 – Alfie (with Griffin Newman)"
087 – The Bucket List
March 30, 2020 21:12 - 1 hour - 78.5 MBThis week, we’re crossing a big one off our list. Arriving at the tail end of a very serious-minded 2007, Rob Reiner gave us The Bucket List, a globetrotting buddy comedy about two eldery men with cancer starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Thanks to its two major stars and an early Best Of mention … Continue reading "087 – The Bucket List"
086 – The Bonfire of the Vanities
March 23, 2020 20:44 - 1 hour - 93 MBWe’ve got our oldest movie yet this week and it’s a doozy! In 1990, auteur Brian DePalma gave us a prestige adaptation of the most lauded novel of the 80s and faceplanted to notorious depths. This week, we’re talking about a bomb of era-defining proportions – brace yourself for The Bonfire of the Vanities! Headlined by … Continue reading "086 – The Bonfire of the Vanities"
085 – Exodus: Gods and Kings
March 17, 2020 00:08 - 1 hour - 154 MBWe as Oscar watchers can’t quit predicting Ridley Scott just like Ridley Scott can’t stop making historical epics that end up underwhelming. In 2014, he gave us one of them – a retelling of Moses story (minus all that religion) called Exodus: Gods and Kings. With Christian Bale at the forefront, the film stirred controversy … Continue reading "085 – Exodus: Gods and Kings"
084 – Burlesque (with Oliver Sava)
March 10, 2020 10:53 - 2 hours - 116 MBCome Oscar nomination morning, sometimes you show a little more, sometimes you show a little less. You know we stan Diane Warren, and this week, we’re talking about Burlesque. Yes, back in 2010, even this new camp classic earned it’s flashes of Oscar hope, as most post-Chicago musicals did. While it was the big screen … Continue reading "084 – Burlesque (with Oliver Sava)"
083 – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
March 03, 2020 00:48 - 1 hour - 97.8 MBFor this week’s episode, we have another quintessential prestige picture that flubbed with Oscar: it’s-a Captain Corelli’s Mandolin! Coming off of a Best Picture win with Shakespeare in Love, director John Madden returned with a WWII romance set on a gorgeous Greek island between recent Oscar winner Nicolas Cage and next-big-thing Penélope Cruz. But this … Continue reading "083 – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin"
082 – Stranger Than Fiction (with Kevin Jacobsen)
February 25, 2020 00:40 - 1 hour - 87.6 MBThis week we’re returning to a subject that never fails to summon Oscar buzz: comedic actors going dramatic. For this round, we welcome And The Runner Up Is host and writer for Gold Derby Kevin Jacobsen to discuss 2006′s Stranger Than Fiction. The high-concept seriocomedy starred Will Ferrell in his first major attempt at a … Continue reading "082 – Stranger Than Fiction (with Kevin Jacobsen)"
081 – Finding Forrester
February 17, 2020 22:42 - 1 hour - 81.5 MBAfter the disasterous reception to his shot-for-shot remake of Psycho, Gus Van Sant returned to territory closer to his previous Oscar success with 2000′s Finding Forrester. Another tale of a prodigy in academia, the film follows newcomer Rob Brown as a young writer who stumbles into the guidance of a famed recluse writer William Forrester, … Continue reading "081 – Finding Forrester"
080 – Enough Said (with Mathew Rodriguez)
February 11, 2020 23:15 - 1 hour - 93.4 MBOne one our favorite female filmmakers to hover just outside of Oscar’s graces is Nicole Holofcener, and this week The Body’s Mathew Rodriguez joins us to talk about one of her more recent films: 2013′s Enough Said. The romantic comedy stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a single mother preparing to send her daughter off to college … Continue reading "080 – Enough Said (with Mathew Rodriguez)"
079 – A Love Song for Bobby Long
February 03, 2020 21:50 - 1 hour - 92.1 MBThe Golden Globes have a standing reputation for oddball nominations and this week we are discussing one of the peak examples: 2004′s A Love Song for Bobby Long. The film follows Scarlett Johansson as [ahem] Purslane Hominy Will, a young woman who inherits a home from her estranged mother only to find it occupied by … Continue reading "079 – A Love Song for Bobby Long"
078 – One Hour Photo (with Matt Jacobs)
January 28, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 94.6 MBAfter Robin Williams finally won his Academy Award for Good Will Hunting, unfortunately the next few years were a series of less-than-well-received projects after another. But after a quick break, Williams transitioned from more sentimental films into a run of dark and creepy material – including this week’s film, the stalking psychodrama One Hour Photo. … Continue reading "078 – One Hour Photo (with Matt Jacobs)"
Class of 2019
January 21, 2020 21:27 - 1 hour - 99.7 MBWith last week’s announcement of this year’s Academy Award nominees, we can now discuss the episode a year in the making (or, in the case of The Current War, several years): the This Had Oscar Buzz Class of 2019. In keeping with last year’s tradition, we’ve broken the films up into several categories: The Cake … Continue reading "Class of 2019"
077 – Seven Years in Tibet
January 14, 2020 00:41 - 1 hour - 77.8 MBAs Brad Pitt cements his status as a frontrunner in this year’s Oscar race for his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, we decided to take another look back at his reign as prestige hottie in the 90s. After nearly missing a win on his first nomination for 12 Monkeys, Brad Pitt’s red … Continue reading "077 – Seven Years in Tibet"
076 – In Her Shoes
January 06, 2020 21:49 - 1 hour - 92.8 MBThough it was not the victor of our Listeners’ Choice, the very vocal fans of In Her Shoes told us we shouldn’t make you wait for this one any longer. Starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette, this one has slowly gained its admirers after disappointing box office and failing to turn Shirley MacLaine’s 2005 comeback … Continue reading "076 – In Her Shoes"
075 – Cloud Atlas
December 31, 2019 00:42 - 1 hour - 105 MBWe’re bringing 2019 to a close with another Listeners’ Choice, and our listeners have chosen perhaps what will be our most daunting title yet: 2012′s interconnected science fiction opus from Lana & Lilly Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, Cloud Atlas! This tale of several stories spanning generations, genres, and continents launched its Oscar hopes with a … Continue reading "075 – Cloud Atlas"
A Holiday Mailbag!
December 23, 2019 22:58 - 2 hours - 113 MBAs an exciting holiday treat to show our love to our lovely listeners, Joe and Chris have wrapped up a special mailbag episode to answer all of your burning questions! This week, we’ll be unpacking everything from This Had Oscar Buzz lore to the current Oscar season to Oscar history. We’ll be looking back at … Continue reading "A Holiday Mailbag!"
074 – Welcome to Marwen
December 17, 2019 03:02 - 1 hour - 88.4 MBWe’re cracking open the lid on the coffin of the This Had Oscar Buzz Class of 2018 for the first time this week! And as promised, the first title that we’re diving into is Robert Zemeckis’s uncanny valley disasterpeace Welcome to Marwen. Based on the documentary Marwencol and the life of artist Mark Hogancamp, the … Continue reading "074 – Welcome to Marwen"
073 – Hairspray (with Cameron Scheetz)
December 10, 2019 00:38 - 2 hours - 114 MBWe’ve got a film notorious in the history of the IMDb Game this week: 2007′s Hairspray! After pointing out the film’s omnipresence in our trademark game during our first Mailbag episode, the nicest kid in town The AV Club’s Cameron Scheetz joins us this episode to talk about the film’s delights, from its stellar cast … Continue reading "073 – Hairspray (with Cameron Scheetz)"
072 – I Heart Huckabees
December 03, 2019 00:17 - 1 hour - 110 MBFox Searchlight celebrates their 25th anniversary this year, and this week we’re looking back at their ascension to the Oscar titan that they are today. While 2004 saw Sideways become instrumental in their rise, they also shepherded a different offbeat comedy ultimately too quirky for Oscar’s tastes: David O. Russell’s farce I Heart Huckabees. The … Continue reading "072 – I Heart Huckabees"
071 – Pan (with Katey Rich)
November 26, 2019 03:57 - 2 hours - 114 MBThis week, we welcome back our first ever returning guest: VanityFair.com deputy editor Katey Rich! And what better topic to discuss (as mutual defenders of the work of director Joe Wright) than 2015′s Pan? The film was yet another retelling of the Peter Pan story, this time arriving amidst expectations for Wright to deliver another … Continue reading "071 – Pan (with Katey Rich)"
070 – Prêt-à-Porter (Ready to Wear)
November 19, 2019 02:34 - 1 hour - 84.5 MBRobert Altman had a major comeback in the early 90s, scoring back-to-back lone Director nominations for The Player and Short Cuts. His follow-up, 1994′s Prêt-à-Porter (that’s Ready to Wear for American audiences and fellow philistines), aimed to skewer Paris Fashion Week to comedic effect, but instead ended Altman’s Oscar hot streak that wouldn’t be reignited … Continue reading "070 – Prêt-à-Porter (Ready to Wear)"
069 – Ladies in Lavender (with Danita Steinberg)
November 12, 2019 02:01 - 1 hour - 93.4 MBA perfect example of an early, long-list Oscar prediction movie, 2005′s Ladies in Lavender arrived after multiple festivals to a successful arthouse run thanks to the presence of its Dame headliners Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. But despite coming in the era primed to reward this kind of women’s picture and both actresses in particular, … Continue reading "069 – Ladies in Lavender (with Danita Steinberg)"
068 – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
November 05, 2019 02:38 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBIn the fall festival season, a primo premiere status can assert a film as having major Oscar ambitions. This week’s title, 2013′s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, is a such a case – after debuting an eye-catching trailer, the film debuted as the centerpiece selection of that year’s New York Film Festival. But this … Continue reading "068 – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
067 – Cadillac Records (with Jourdain Searles)
October 29, 2019 00:29 - 1 hour - 106 MBThis week, Bitch Media writer and Bad Romance podcast host Jourdain Searles joins us to talk about 2008′s musical multi-biopic Cadillac Records. Most famous for Beyoncé’s performance as Etta James, the film arrived when audiences and Oscar were getting fatigued with the genre. But detailing the groundbreaking Chess Records, the film spreads its attentions over … Continue reading "067 – Cadillac Records (with Jourdain Searles)"
066 – Bounce
October 22, 2019 02:50 - 1 hour - 86.8 MBThis episode, we have another psychotic romance for you with 2000′s Bounce. One of Miramax’s 2000 awards-hopeful misfires (which ultimately led to the rise of Chocolat), the film stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck as two would-be lovers brought together by a plane crash – only she doesn’t know that he’s the one that gave … Continue reading "066 – Bounce"
065 – Bringing Out The Dead
October 15, 2019 02:49 - 1 hour - 102 MBWith the incoming arrival of a new Martin Scorsese film with The Irishman, naturally we had to talk about the master, right? But rare is the film that results in no Oscar nominations for Scorsese – except for this week’s film which came at the end of the director’s downward trend with the Academy. Even … Continue reading "065 – Bringing Out The Dead"
064 – The Evening Star
October 07, 2019 23:25 - 1 hour - 87.9 MBIs there a faster fast track to Oscar buzz than being a sequel to a Best Picture winner? While there may not be much of a sample pool beyond The Godfather series, 1996 gave us The Evening Star, a follow-up to Terms of Endearment and Shirley MacLaine’s Aurora Greenway. This time without writer/director James L. … Continue reading "064 – The Evening Star"
063 – Morning Glory
September 30, 2019 23:35 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBWhat was it that placed a light comedy like Morning Glory on early Oscar predictions in 2010? Was it the potential for a morning news riff on Broadcast News brilliance? The ascendancy of Rachel McAdams that we knew would eventually pay off with an acting nomination? Or the late career turn as journalist curmudgeon from … Continue reading "063 – Morning Glory"