And The Winner Still Is

Matt and Marisa kick off the 3rd season of their Oscars retrospective with 2010. It's the year The King's Speech won and The Social Network lost. Listen as they dive into the psychological horror of Black Swan , Jennifer Lawrence's breakout role in Winter's Bone and the inverted worlds of Inception all while dealing with the beginnings of the pandemic.

Our second season finale is jammed pack with content as Matt and Marisa discuss the 1934 Oscars—the year of the first Oscar "grand slam." The hosts may love romantic comedies, but does It Happened One Night live up to their standards? And that's only one of the 10 Best Picture nominees from that year. Find out about the good ( The Thin Man ) the bad ( Flirtation Walk ) and the weird ( The Barretts...

Kat Manos (music editor at The Pop Break) joins Marisa and Matt to talk about the 2008 Oscars—and the trio is burning bridges with beloved actresses every chance they get! In this episode, listeners will: discover why Slumdog Millionaire is one of Matt's most formative filmgoing experiences, learn about Marisa's days as an intern for Us Weekly, and find out if they've managed to see The Reader all...

George Heftler (host of The Best Little Horror House in Philly ) returns to the pod to join Matt and Marisa in breaking down the second Oscars ceremony ever. How does the Best Picture winner, The Broadway Melody , compare to modern musicals? Why was The Patriot lost to time? How many sittings did it take for the hosts to get through The Hollywood Revue ? Whether you like old time musical numbers o...

The boys of Film Twitter might think that Raging Bull deserved Best Picture in 1980, but not so fast! Marisa and Matt are joined by Tom Moore (staff writer for The Pop Break) to defend Robert Redford's Best Picture winning drama, Ordinary People (spoiler alert: there's a lot of crying involved). Along the way, Scorsese inspires Matt to unpack some familial trauma, we debate the merits of musical b...

This week's episode is all about the 1963 Oscars and its winner, Tom Jones . Haven't heard of it? Don't worry, you're fine—Matt and Marisa watched it for you. They also watched all four hours of Cleopatra , all three hours of America, America , and all two and a half hours of How the West Was Won . It's a huge year—and we haven't even mentioned one of the worst Best Picture nominees we've encounte...

This week's episode focuses on the 1941 Oscars, when How Green Was My Valley beat Citizen Kane for Best Picture. Most would say that Orson Welles deserved the top prize that year—do Marisa and Matt agree with Film Twitter? But that's not all, the hosts discuss an insane social issues melodrama, side-eye some propaganda from the era, and even get the chance to discuss Bogey, Hitchcock, and Bette Da...

Alex Marcus (co-host of CinemaJoes and TV  editor at The Pop Break) marks the first guest of the second season, as he joins Matt and Marisa to discuss all the films of 1979. How has Best Picture winner Kramer vs. Kramer held up in the years since its release? Does Apocalypse Now still manage to impress in IMAX? And which notable actor from the year dated Marisa's mom? It's a year packed with...

We're back with a new season and we're starting off strong as Marisa leads a discussion about her favorite movie: The English Patient . How has this controversial Best Picture winner aged and how does it compare to its nominees? Along the way, Matt gushes about Jerry Maguire , both hosts analyze a masterpiece from Mike Leigh, and, of course, discuss formative celebrity crushes. It's a jam-packed e...

Our last episode of the season is all about 1951— An American in Paris won Best Picture, but Matt and Marisa mainly want to talk about all the hot actors in the movies that year. Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire ! Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun ! Plus, of course, Gene Kelly! Along the way, the hosts talk about the questionable messages of sword and sandal epics, cast CW stars in r...

This week's episode is all about 2002, when Chicago won Best Picture. Marisa and Matt love this movie so much that they didn't want to podcast about it alone—so they're joined by George Hefter, host of The Best Little Horror House in Philly . Along the way, they talk about The Lord of the Rings , Meryl Streep, and Steven Spielberg. Plus: George drops an insane hot take about musical theater. You d...

Forrest Gump , The Shawshank Redemption , and Pulp Fiction are three of the biggest films of the 1990s—and they were all nominated for Best Picture in 1994. Matt and Marisa are joined by Bill Bodkin (founder and editor-in-chief of The Pop Break) to discuss this influential year for the Academy and movies as a whole. How have these classics aged? Which actor do we think gave the best performances i...

Just how much preaching (and singing) can our hosts take? In this episode about the 1944 Oscars, Josh Sarnecky (co-host of TV Break and The Anniversary Brothers) joins Marisa and Matt to discuss Going My Way , Bing Crosby's Best Picture winning musical about a singing priest. Also discussed: an epic melodrama, a questionable biopic, and two classic thrillers—which do the hosts think should have ta...

2005 is a formative year for Matt and Marisa as moviegoers...and it's also the year of one of the most hated Best Picture winners of all time. This week, the hosts discuss Crash ... just how bad is Paul Haggis' star-studded drama? Plus: Marisa and Matt contemplate the legacy of Brokeback Mountain , wonder what's happening with George Clooney's career, and ask the question: has Steven Spielberg eve...

Marisa and Matt travel back to the first Oscar race ever: 1927! How has the inaugural Best Picture winner, Wings , aged? The hosts also discuss their crushes from the silent film era, go crazy over an F.W. Murnau's classic, and are shocked when Matt is forced to kill a bug on mic. Even if you haven't seen these movies, you'll want to give it a listen.

1976 is a year filled with classics. Rocky ! Taxi Driver ! All The President's Men ! Network ! Bound for Glory ? Matt Gilbert (staff writer for The Pop Break) joins Matt and Marisa to discuss how these legendary films have aged, and which should have actually won Best Picture. Come for the thoughtful discussion of film history, stay for our Broadway hot takes.

We have our first guest! Sean Cordy (staff writer for The Pop Break) joins Marisa and Matt as they discuss 1967's Best Picture winner, In the Heat of the Night . Spoiler alert: the wrong actor was nominated! Elsewhere, Matt issues a public apology for a bad take from the past, Sean talks about how much he loves The Graduate , and all three hosts wonder if they hallucinated the plot of Doctor Dolit...

It's an episode all about actresses (aren't they all?). Matt and Marisa discuss 1950's Best Picture Winner, All About Eve , and equally legendary nominee, Sunset Boulevard . Which do they prefer? Also discussed in the episode: Judy Holliday's Oscar winning role, Deborah Kerr's not-so-romantic adventure, and Elizabeth Taylor's turn in Father of the Bride .

This week, Matt gets to talk about one of his favorite movies– Broadcast News –as he and Marisa unpack the 1987 Oscars. Along the way, they talk about iconic romantic comedies like Moonstruck , the oeuvre of Adrian Lyne, and, of course, the year's Best Picture winner: The Last Emperor .

In this episode, Marisa and Matt talk about the legacy of 1939’s Best Picture winner, Gone with the Wind . But that’s not the only classic movie nominated for Best Picture that year...we’re talking about The Wizard of Oz , Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Stagecoach to name just a few of the 10 nominees. Also, listen to Matt and Marisa squeal about Bette Davis in the wild melodrama Dark Victory !

For the first episode of our Oscar retrospective podcast, we flash back to one of the most polarizing Best Picture winners: American Beauty . Find out what Marisa (ThePopBreak.com's Film Editor) and Matt think about Alan Ball’s suburban satire. We also discuss how much we hate The Cider House Rules , reflect on The Matrix ’s influence, and Marisa reveals a surprising connection to one of the nomin...