This Had Oscar Buzz
319 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1K ratingsA podcast about movies the awards forgot
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Episodes
062 – Miss Potter
September 23, 2019 23:56 - 1 hour - 78.5 MBCertainly one of the biggest Oscar narratives this season will be Renée Zellweger’s return to the big screen, starring as the timeless Judy Garland in Judy. So to mark the occasion (with Chris highly anticipatory and Joe more hesitant in how far Judy can go), we’re discussing one of the actress’ few attempts at Oscar … Continue reading "062 – Miss Potter"
061 – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
September 17, 2019 01:13 - 1 hour - 78.1 MBA title that became a punchline all its own, this week we are discussing 2012′s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. A light romantic drama about project management and Western relationships with the Middle East, Lasse Hallström’s film accidentally stumbled into the Oscar race when the Golden Globes decided the film was a comedy and gave … Continue reading "061 – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
And From Canada MAILBAG!
September 10, 2019 00:45 - 2 hours - 122 MBYou asked for it and it’s finally here! While Joe and Chris are away at TIFF, we are bringing you our first ever MAILBAG EPISODE! We have been taking your questions in the recent weeks and are so excited to bring you this jumbo sized episode devoted just to the Oscar obsessive minutiae that you … Continue reading "And From Canada MAILBAG!"
060 – Miss Sloane (with Kevin O’Keeffe)
September 02, 2019 23:38 - 2 hours - 111 MBJessica Chastain emerged nearly a decade ago with a bevy of roles in major Oscar films like The Tree of Life and The Help and immediately cemented her place as a performer destined for Oscar. After a second nomination for Zero Dark Thirty, her roles after have all garnered some Oscar talk including John Madden’s … Continue reading "060 – Miss Sloane (with Kevin O’Keeffe)"
059 – Vanity Fair
August 27, 2019 00:07 - 1 hour - 77.6 MBThis week, we’re looking back at a film that arrived too early in 2004′s Oscar season and received too mild of a response to eventually make Oscar’s lineup. From the classic William Makepeace Thackeray classic novel, Mira Nair’s Vanity Fair arrived corseted into Labor Day weekend and quickly disappeared from theatres and the conversation at … Continue reading "059 – Vanity Fair"
058 – Men, Women & Children
August 20, 2019 01:41 - 1 hour - 101 MBA film that uses Pale Blue Dot as a quasi-pickup line and features a couple aligning their sex life with 9/11, Men, Women & Children is likely one of the most maligned films we’ve ever discussed. Directed by Jason Reitman and adapted from the novel by Chad Kultgen, the film stars a large ensemble of … Continue reading "058 – Men, Women & Children"
057 – Truth
August 13, 2019 01:07 - 1 hour - 91.6 MBNot only are we Oscar historians here on This Had Oscar Buzz, we are also the Illuminati of Vanderbilts. This week, we look at the directorial debut of Zodiac screenwriter James Vanderbilt Truth. Detailing 60 Minutes’ expose on President George W. Bush’s military service that ended in Dan Rather’s demise, the film starred Cate Blanchett … Continue reading "057 – Truth"
056 – All The Pretty Horses
August 06, 2019 01:50 - 1 hour - 87.7 MBThis week, we have a deceptively titled film that was also sold deceptively to audiences in 2000. Billy Bob Thornton’s Cormac McCarthy adaptation All The Pretty Horses was supposed to be an old-fashioned romantic epic filled with sweeping landscapes and big emotions – but what audiences got on Christmas morning was a bleak western about … Continue reading "056 – All The Pretty Horses"
055 – The Majestic
July 30, 2019 00:43 - 1 hour - 93.3 MBThis episode we arrive at two inevitable discussion points for Joe and Chris. First, a fifteen minute discussion of the Cats trailer. Second, a look at an essential This Had Oscar Buzz title: Frank Darabont’s 2001 melodrama The Majestic. The film arrived in theatres during the Christmas holiday with most of its awards hype trailing … Continue reading "055 – The Majestic"
054 – J. Edgar
July 23, 2019 01:10 - 1 hour - 99.7 MBWe’re taking a trip back this week to some of the darkest days in the “Get Leo an Oscar” saga: Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar. The film starred Leonardo DiCaprio and detailed the many political exploits of J. Edgar Hoover and his efforts to stomp out communism. The actor would get close to a nomination (after … Continue reading "054 – J. Edgar"
053 – Random Hearts
July 16, 2019 01:56 - 1 hour - 78.2 MBGet ready for another Movie That Does Not Exist – except evidence of this week’s film is provided in one of the most iconic EW Fall Movie Preview covers! Yes, in 1999 Random Hearts promised us sexy Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas in a pool and instead it gave us… a creepy dry hump … Continue reading "053 – Random Hearts"
052 – Frankie and Johnny
July 09, 2019 21:05 - 1 hour - 88.4 MBWe’re going all the way back to 1991 for this week’s episode on Gary Marshall’s take on the Terrence McNally two-hander Frankie and Johnny. Here is a film that was a convergence of several Oscar narratives: Al Pacino’s lengthy overdue status, Michelle Pfeiffer’s prestige ascent, and Marshall’s follow-up to the success of Pretty Woman. The … Continue reading "052 – Frankie and Johnny"
051 – I Saw the Light (with Erica Mann)
July 02, 2019 01:30 - 1 hour - 93.7 MBCan you believe it’s taken us this long to discuss that genre Oscar so adores, the musical biopic? This week, Erica Mann joins us for one of the most reviled paint-by-numbers biopics and a little bit of yeehaw with 2016′s I Saw The Light. The film stars Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams and Elizabeth Olsen … Continue reading "051 – I Saw the Light (with Erica Mann)"
050 – Bobby
June 25, 2019 03:34 - 1 hour - 92.4 MBCan you believe we have made it to our 50TH EPISODE?! And for the occasion, we’ve allowed you the listeners to pick the film we are discussing – and you’ve chosen Bobby, Emilio Estevez’s 2006 film about the day Robert Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassdor Hotel during the 1968 Democratic presidential primary! The film … Continue reading "050 – Bobby"
049 – Stonewall
June 17, 2019 23:58 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBThis Pride season honors the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots – and here on This Had Oscar Buzz, we are taking a look at the film that only did so in lip service. From director Roland Emmerich, Stonewall is a cautionary case against the kind of year-ahead Oscar predictions that are made without much … Continue reading "049 – Stonewall"
048 – Rendition
June 11, 2019 03:39 - 1 hour - 82.8 MBWith the return of Big Little Lies to our television screens, we’re taking a look at a film starring one of the Monterey Five’s key players and her newly arrived nemesis. No, that outdoor coffee shop wasn’t the first time someone demanded answers between Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep – they first squared off in … Continue reading "048 – Rendition"
BONUS – A Kiss At The End of 2003’s Rainbow
June 04, 2019 02:37 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBTo wrap up our 2003 miniseries, Joe and Chris take a final look at the Oscar year that was 2003 in this special episode! We take a guess at what the remaining five films would be in a year of ten Best Picture nominees, share our personal ballots, and hint at what future This Had … Continue reading "BONUS – A Kiss At The End of 2003’s Rainbow"
047 – In The Cut (2003 – Part Four)
May 27, 2019 15:56 - 1 hour - 80.8 MBFor our fourth of four films in our 2003 miniseries, we placed the responsibility squarely on you: the listener. (Please try to disregard that Joe repeatedly refers to “readers” in this episode; to him, podcasts are books you read with your ears.) Out of a poll that included The Company, Shattered Glass, and The Station Agent, you chose director … Continue reading "047 – In The Cut (2003 – Part Four)"
046 – The Human Stain (2003 – Part Three)
May 21, 2019 00:45 - 1 hour - 80.3 MBThis week we bring you the Stefon of the 2003 Oscar race: Anthony Hopkins inadvertently saying racial slurs, Nicole Kidman with curly hair, a cringeworthy adaptation of Philip Roth, holdover from the Monica Lewinsky scandal, cast members from The Real World London. It was only inevitable that we would eventually discuss The Human Stain, but … Continue reading "046 – The Human Stain (2003 – Part Three)"
045 – Sylvia (2003 – Part Two)
May 14, 2019 01:46 - 1 hour - 66 MBWe continue our month-long look at the 2003 Oscar year with what could be the poster child for bland biopics: Sylvia. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow as poet Sylvia Plath, the film paint-by-numbered its way to box office and critical failure that inappropriately obsessed over the artist’s untimely death rather than the impact of her work. A … Continue reading "045 – Sylvia (2003 – Part Two)"
044 – The Missing (2003 – Part One)
May 07, 2019 00:30 - 1 hour - 71.6 MBWith this episode, we officially begin our month-long miniseries on the 2003 Oscar year! We are beginning with a high profile failure from a major director: Ron Howard’s The Missing starring Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones. After winning the Oscar in 2001 for A Beautiful Mind, Ron Howard aimed to cash in on that … Continue reading "044 – The Missing (2003 – Part One)"
BONUS – A 2003 Rendezvous
May 05, 2019 23:18 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBTo kick off our 2003 miniseries, we are bringing you this special bonus episode! Here we will lay the groundwork for what the expectations were for the Oscar season before we discuss our four chosen films – The Missing, Sylvia, The Human Stain, and our first Listeners’ Choice In The Cut! Joe and Chris also … Continue reading "BONUS – A 2003 Rendezvous"
043 – The Girl on the Train
April 30, 2019 00:58 - 1 hour - 84.9 MBThe Girl on the Train will likely be remembered for following in the mold that Gone Girl had previously set for it, thanks to both books literary phenomenon status. However when it came time for a movie adaptation, The Girl on the Train chased that would-be spiritual predecessor’s formula without achieving its critical success. But … Continue reading "043 – The Girl on the Train"
042 – Evening (with Richard Lawson)
April 23, 2019 01:52 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBThis Had Oscar Buzz has always been a long day’s journey into Evening! In 2007, the film strangely opened in the summer and quickly became the poster child for the “Oscar bait” moniker. Starring a massive female ensemble including [inhales sharply] Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha Richardson, Glenn Close, Mamie Gummer, Eileen Atkins … Continue reading "042 – Evening (with Richard Lawson)"
041 – The Ice Storm
April 15, 2019 23:57 - 1 hour - 79.4 MBHello Charles! This week, we talk about a real headscratcher: how did Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm get no Oscar nominations? Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival and Lee’s follow-up to his first Oscar success Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm is perhaps even more critically beloved than when it debuted in 1997. But this … Continue reading "041 – The Ice Storm"
040 – Love and Other Drugs (with Nate Jones)
April 09, 2019 01:26 - 1 hour - 90.4 MBCan you believe that in 2010 we got Oscar buzz for a film about the rise of Viagara in the 90s that was also a sexy romance and was also about Parkinson’s AND was directed by your dad’s favorite director of macho war epics? It came true – we’re finally talking about Love and Other … Continue reading "040 – Love and Other Drugs (with Nate Jones)"
039 – Suburbicon
April 02, 2019 01:00 - 1 hour - 71.7 MB2017 was a rough year for Paramount and their awards slate, but none of their films bombed as hard as George Clooney’s Suburbicon. Retooled by Clooney and his writing partner Grant Heslov from a Coen Brothers’ script that sat unproduced for 30 years, the Coens’ brand of misanthropic crime saga is infused with a very … Continue reading "039 – Suburbicon"
038 – Shopgirl (with Pamela Ribon)
March 26, 2019 01:21 - 1 hour - 68.8 MB2005′s Shopgirl looked like a safe Oscar bet on paper – a whimsical, lighthearted romance with Claire Danes taking her ascendancy into lead roles and Steve Martin capitalizing on an Oscar shutout narrative that began in the 80s with All of Me. But its Oscar chances died once the film arrived in the May-December shadow … Continue reading "038 – Shopgirl (with Pamela Ribon)"
037 – The Gift
March 19, 2019 01:06 - 1 hour - 72.8 MBBefore Sam Raimi went into the Spider-Verse, he tipped a toe into prestige waters with A Simple Plan before misfiring with The Gift. The 2000 film starred Cate Blanchett as southern clairvoyant helping solving the murder of a local woman (played by an off-type Katie Holmes) and also her damaged friends Hilary Swank and Giovanni … Continue reading "037 – The Gift"
036 – Where the Wild Things Are
March 12, 2019 04:29 - 1 hour - 89.4 MBDirector Spike Jonze is somewhat of an Oscar anomaly, successfully turning oddities like Being John Malkovitch, Adaptation, and Her into auteur films embraced by the Academy. This week’s episode focuses on perhaps his riskiest and most personal film: 2009′s adaptation of children’s classic Where the WIld Things Are. The film was expensive and divisive, loved … Continue reading "036 – Where the Wild Things Are"
035 – Meet Joe Black (with Bobby Finger)
March 05, 2019 01:24 - 1 hour - 77.4 MBCan anyone today compare to how red hot of an actor Brad Pitt was in the 90s? After following his Oscar nomination for Twelve Monkeys with dual failed Oscar bait (The Devil’s Own and Seven Years in Tibet, for those keeping score at home), Pitt’s next headlining gig was a prestige fiasco: 1998′s Meet Joe … Continue reading "035 – Meet Joe Black (with Bobby Finger)"
034 – Riding in Cars With Boys (with Bowen Yang)
February 25, 2019 22:52 - 1 hour - 82.3 MBPenny Marshall’s passing last year reminded us of how unfortunately she never got her due as a respected director. Never was that more clear than the critical drubbing that was met with 2001′s Riding in Cars With Boys. On paper this one looked to capitalize on Drew Barrymore’s post Charlie’s Angels success and Penny’s previous … Continue reading "034 – Riding in Cars With Boys (with Bowen Yang)"
033 – Rent
February 19, 2019 02:18 - 1 hour - 74.7 MBOnce intended to be adapted for the screen by Spike Lee, the Pulitzer-winning musical Rent made its leap to the big screen in 2005 amid impossible expectations. Having helped usher in the modern era of Broadway blockbusters, this one had to live up to the dreams of its massive fanbase but also the shadow cast … Continue reading "033 – Rent"
032 – Ricki and the Flash
February 12, 2019 01:56 - 1 hour - 84 MBAfter a string of August (yes, early buzzed) hits, Meryl Streep collaborated with two Oscar-winning names that sent Oscar obsessives to get lost in their rock and roll: director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Diablo Cody. 2015′s Ricki and the Flash didn’t set the box office on fire and a very competitive Best Actress year possibly … Continue reading "032 – Ricki and the Flash"
031 – How to Make an American Quilt
February 04, 2019 23:44 - 1 hour - 76.1 MBComing off of two successive Oscar nominations, Winona Ryder led an immaculate female ensemble for Jocelyn Moorhouse’s How to Make an American Quilt. But instead of furthering Ryder’s mounting Oscar narrative, the film wound up as a surprise SAG Ensemble nominee – and, as Joe and Chris argue, a welcome one. This week, we take … Continue reading "031 – How to Make an American Quilt"
Class Of 2018
January 29, 2019 00:16 - 1 hour - 79 MBAn episode an entire year in the making – we’re welcoming This Had Oscar Buzz’s Class of 2018 into the fold! As requested, we’re running down all of this past year’s films that had lofty Academy Award aspirations and were left with nothing come last week’s nomination morning. And not to confuse these new inductees … Continue reading "Class Of 2018"
030 – Brothers
January 22, 2019 00:41 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBOur episode this week is on a film that once dominated the earliest Oscar predictions for 2009: Jim Sheridan’s American remake of Brothers. Led by Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman, the film repurposed Susanne Bier’s film as another in a line of film’s to take on the war in Afghanistan – and like … Continue reading "030 – Brothers"
029 – To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (with Gavin Mevius)
January 15, 2019 00:49 - 1 hour - 96.7 MBThis week, we dive into our pfirst Pfeiffer and it’s also pforgotten Pfeiffer. To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday arrived in 1996, coasting on a triple threat of Oscar buzz: a popular stage play, adapted by the Picket Fences team of David E. Kelley and Michael Pressman, and starring the beloved Michelle Pfeiffer as its … Continue reading "029 – To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (with Gavin Mevius)"
028 – The Paperboy
January 08, 2019 00:36 - 1 hour - 73.5 MBAn episode that asks that oft-repeated eternal question: will the Academy ever be ready for a movie where Nicole Kidman pees on Zac Efron? In 2012, Lee Daniels followed up his Precious Oscar success with a film that scandalized Cannes and answered that question with a resounding “no”. McConaissance be damned! The Paperboy may be … Continue reading "028 – The Paperboy"
027 – The Family Stone (with Tara Ariano)
December 25, 2018 00:46 - 1 hour - 72.7 MBThis week, we invited over Extra Hot Great co-host Tara Ariano to discuss our problematic Christmas fav, 2005′s The Family Stone. It may be one of several love-it-or-hate it holiday movies, but spoiler alert the three of us are super fans. Oscar and critics however, were a different story. Once thought a potential play for … Continue reading "027 – The Family Stone (with Tara Ariano)"
026 – Crazy, Stupid, Love.
December 18, 2018 03:08 - 1 hour - 76.1 MBIn many ways, 2011 was the year of Ryan Gosling. This was the peak “Hey Girl” era, and this year alone gave us the critical darling hotness of Drive and what we thought would suit the more traditional Academy tastes with The Ides of March. He was so omnipresent that a weak Best Actor field … Continue reading "026 – Crazy, Stupid, Love."
025 – Alexander (with David Sims)
December 11, 2018 02:26 - 1 hour - 79.3 MBGrab some snakes and prep that Dionysus monologue, because this week we are taking it back to 2004′s Alexander. Starring Colin Farrell filling the historic shoes of Alexander the Great, this film was a passion project for Oliver Stone that defeated a rival biopic from Baz Luhrman and Leonardo DiCaprio – but lost the war … Continue reading "025 – Alexander (with David Sims)"
024 – Anywhere But Here
December 04, 2018 03:58 - 1 hour - 78.7 MBThis week’s episode is a tale of two actresses at the opposite ends of their respective Oscar stories: 1999′s Anywhere But Here, with Natalie Portman’s kicking off her Oscar trajectory and Susan Surandon struggling to get the nomination that has eluded her since her win for Dead Man Walking. This is a mother-daughter film stooped … Continue reading "024 – Anywhere But Here"
023 – The Tourist (with Katey Rich)
November 27, 2018 03:58 - 1 hour - 78.6 MBRemember that time a movie where Johnny Depp explains vaping to Angelina Jolie made everyone super mad at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association? That’s right, we’re talking this week about The Tourist, a film so notorious in Oscar buzz history that we’ve invited a special guest to unpack it: deputy editor for VanityFair.com Katey Rich! … Continue reading "023 – The Tourist (with Katey Rich)"
022 – Cake
November 19, 2018 23:40 - 1 hour - 73.2 MB2014 was a year of mirrored Best Actress hopefuls launched at the Toronto International Film Festival: out of nowhere, Julianne Moore capitalized on a “weak” field and finally won for Still Alice. And then, ultimately snubbed on nomination morning after being recognized by the other big prizes, there was Jennifer Aniston in Cake. Notorious among … Continue reading "022 – Cake"
021 – Tadpole
November 13, 2018 03:55 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBThe Sundance Film Festival is an elusive mistress that giveth Oscar buzz only to taketh away when at lower altitudes. Case in point is this week’s would-be Oscar title: 2002′s Tadpole. The film was a sensation of the festival, winning a Best Director prize for Gary Winick and stirring buzz for newcomer Aaron Stanford and … Continue reading "021 – Tadpole"
020 – Secretariat
November 06, 2018 01:57 - 1 hour - 77.1 MBAfter landing a Best Actress nomination in a great Best Actress year for Unfaithful, we once thought Diane Lane could come back to the Oscar race by going to a horse race. This week, we’re talking about Secretariat, a live-action Disney biopic that got buried in the wake of The Social Network. Get ready for … Continue reading "020 – Secretariat"
019 – Hannibal
October 30, 2018 03:37 - 1 hour - 70.5 MBHappy Halloween, listeners! This week, we’re getting creepy with Ridley Scott’s follow-up to Best Picture winner Gladiator, the gross-out macabre sequel Hannibal. The legacy of The Silence of the Lambs made this one of the most heavily covered productions of the early 2000s and convinced that it might be similarly bound for Oscar glory. Maybe … Continue reading "019 – Hannibal"
018 – Sommersby
October 23, 2018 01:12 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBIt’s time for some failed harlequin romance Oscar buzz and that means we are talking 1993′s Sommersby. A post-Civil War era love story of overtaken identity and languorous beard shaving, the presence of a post-Silence of the Lambs Jodie Foster had us thinking this weepy could be Oscar-bound. But as the dueling elements of Richard … Continue reading "018 – Sommersby"
017 – Seven Pounds
October 16, 2018 01:33 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBCuddle up to your jellyfish, because this week’s we’re talking about Seven Pounds. Just two years after being nominated for The Pursuit of Happyness, we thought that Will Smith’s reteaming with director Gabriele Muccino could maybe bring the Oscar that has eluded him since first being nominated for Ali. But that was before we realized … Continue reading "017 – Seven Pounds"