The Academy’s Captive Audience

The news is grim across the sea but grand old Hollywood is booming. In this episode we head back to 1939 in an attempt to grapple with the average movie goer on the cusp of World War II. We first get a taste of American mythology as we travel through Monument Valley and its hoof stamped legacy. After that we board an ocean liner bound for New York City to witness a fated pair of 102nd floor crosse...

Ben and Kit finish up the 44th Academy Awards and it is a doozy. We describe this year as a rather bleak year for cinema. Iconic in every sense of the word as we step off the stage to the familial strife of a beloved Russian Jewish family before taking a turn for the not so great. Be warned that the dark underside through the eyes of a youthful delinquent is not for the faint of heart. So if you w...

Ben and Kit return to their regularly scheduled programing to bring you the 44th Academy Awards. We start the year with the birth of the Tsar and Tsarina's fifth child and first son and boy what a life he lives. Then we mosey on down to a small oil town in Texas to salute the last ticket sale of the town's movie theater. The following films of the 44th Oscars are... - Nicholas and Alexandra The La...

Ben and Kit are breaking off from our regular schedule to interact with some questions asked by our listeners. We also engage in the current discussion on The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan and take a look at the new rule implemented by the Academy for next years' Oscars and beyond. - Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit those notification buttons for future episodes!  If you enjoy what you've h...

With the final films of the 52nd Academy Awards coming to a close, Ben and Kit make a huge discovery. After punching in to the life of a textile factory worker, we live it up once again on Broadway hitting the after party of a lifetime, before bringing down the ultimate ruling on a never before witnessed trilogy of films. The following films are... - Norma Rae All That Jazz Kramer vs. Kramer - Don...

We begin this journey into the heart of the 52nd Academy Awards by going through a brief overview of what was happening during the latter part of the 1970's. Ben then takes us on a descent through the thick overgrowth of the Vietnam jungle, and Kit takes us on a well needed and timely bicycle tour around Bloomington Indiana. Go Hoosiers! The films in this episode are... - Apocalypse Now Breaking A...

We wrap up our look into the 20th Academy Awards but not before we have a chance to check our pulse as we encounter the high strangeness surrounding Christmas. Afterward Ben and Kit encounter the antisemitism of 1947... not sure much has changed since then but maybe there is something to be learned from our last two nominees. Our following films are... - The Bishop's Wife Crossfire Gentleman's Agr...

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled programing! In this episode Ben and Kit kick off the 20th Academy Awards. We start by getting into the well dressed and smokey post war cinema mindset before spending Christmas at Macy's. Then we hop the pond to take in the Dickens tale of a boy named Pip. The following films in this episode are... - Miracle on 34th Street Great Expectations - Don't forget t...

Well we finally made it! One last installment before the big night. In this episode Ben and Kit take their final look across the nominees including other categories and films seen from them. To top it all off we touch on a potential theme that seemed to be a driving force in the majority of the films nominated for Best Picture. So listen in and let us know what you think! Do you agree, disagree, o...

We made it to the final two Best Picture nominees of the year! In early celebration Ben and Kit make their way down south to check out the Juke Joint nightlife scene, after which we make our way further south to experience the brief reprieve of Carnival in 1977 Brazil. Dancing or running shoes are recommended as we take a look at the following films... - Sinners The Secret Agent - Reach out to us...

In this installment of our look at the Best Picture nominees, Ben and Kit prepare for the actions and consequences of the resistance before returning home to reconnect with family. Be ready for a wild ride as we look at the following nominees... - One Battle After Another Sentimental Value - Reach out to us at our email theacapodcast@gmail.com  to be added to our ESPN Oscar Pick'ems group and rece...

Welcome back to the Pod! Contrary to what Ben says to Kit, this is indeed the third installment of our look into the best picture nominees. In this episode we sit and mourn with those who mourn before getting wrapped up into a bizarre conspiracy theory for the ages. The following films in this episode are... - Hamnet Bugonia - Reach out to us at our email theacapodcast@gmail.com to be added to our...

In this episode we welcome back Marc Mens to join Ben and Kit on a voyage to the arctic where we hear the fantastical story of a monster and his father. After being sent out to sea we skip ahead a couple of centuries to globetrot the racetracks of the quintessential and fastest motorsports event in existence. Buckle up, watch out for lightning storms, and enjoy our discussion of the following film...

In this episode Ben and Kit trek the Washington forests to see a man at the turn of the century come to terms with the vastness, brutality, and majesty of nature that cradles his life. Afterward we cross the continent to the east coast to see another man pull himself out of New York to rise up on the world stage of the table tennis scene. So sit back and enjoy our look at the following nominees......

Welcome one and all to the 98th Academy Awards! We are excited to bring you this special episode highlighting what is about to take place for the run up to this years Academy Awards celebration. In this episode we discuss our plans for covering the 10 films nominated this year. So settle in for the buzz and stay tuned for what's to come! - Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit those notificatio...

Welcome to the first episode of 2026! Ben and Kit wrap up the 77th Academy Awards by heading down to Georgia on the Spruce Goose to watch a title boxing match that ends a life. Shocking we know. So take your seats, sit back, and listen in to find out how we capture the leading ideas of 2005. The following films are discussed... - Ray The Aviator Million Dollar Baby - Don't forget to like, subscrib...

For the last episode of 2025, Ben and Kit look back twenty years to 2005 to the 77th Academy Awards. We reminisce on what the early millennium was like and what could these two nominated films say about the culture we inhabited. So join us in ringing in the New Year by rediscovering the childlike imagination at the bottom of a bottle of your choice. This episode we look at... - Finding Neverland S...

Ben and Kit complete their race around the 29th Academy Awards. Only to realize that along the way they forgot to mention one of the most influential films to our modern day directors! If you can figure out what it is, go ahead and leave a comment as to why it was overlooked at this years' Oscars. Otherwise the nominated films we discuss in this episode are... - Giant The King and I Around the Wor...

Get ready for some massive movie insight as Kit and Ben take you through the 29th Academy Awards. With a collective runtime of 14 hours and 34 Minutes across the five nominees, this year the wonders of the silver screen showcase deep questions on war, prosperity, kingship, the Almighty, and well... the best way to travel the globe without an airplane. In this episode we cover the following films.....

In this episode Ben and Kit travel across Sweden in a yellow deuce coupe to place a sure fire wager at an underground establishment. The odds were indeed in our favor, however we would like to remind the listener that despite what you may hear, we are not a fantasy football themed podcast. To round out our visit to the 46th Academy Awards we discuss the following films... - Viskningar Och Rop (Cri...

We begin our journey into the 46th Academy Awards. Before we set the stage Kit plays a word search game with Ben to recover the name of his favorite drink. After he eventually figures it out we take you through a brief overview of the time period followed by two of the nominees from this year. The following films featured are... - A Touch of Class The Exorcist - And here is the link to the episode...

In this episode Ben and Kit are joined by Marc Mens to explore and discuss the themes, ideas, and motifs of one his favorite filmmakers, Wes Anderson. We go over his filmography and beyond to some of his not so much lesser known works but more "in the know" works. So center up your chair and allow us to regale you with our appreciation for this wonderful filmmaker. - Don't forget to like, follow,...

Ben and Kit return to round out their conversation about the 87th Academy Awards. What they discover is that this year actually contained a lot of really great films that weren't even nominated! Man, what a competitive year it was. Find out what films didn't make the cut and why the ones that were nominated deserved it. We discuss the following films... - Selma Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel BIR...

Ben and Kit are going back a decade to the year 2015 to look at the 87th Academy Awards nominees. In this first half of a two-parter, they explore the themes of the universe, war, morality, and just how far you will push yourself or be pushed to achieve artistic perfection. Discoveries are made, laughs are shared, and we reminisce on what may very well be one of the greatest lineups of the Best Pi...

The second of our two part series on the 30th Academy Awards! Kit and Ben go over the last two of the years' best picture nominees and delve into studio practices, behind the scenes stories, and the deeper themes brought about by this lineup of Oscar contenders. Will we submit to and follow the rules of podcasting or circumvent the law and get away with what we say? Listen in to find out! - This e...