The Best Pictures Podcast

Come listen to Ian and Maggie's takes on the 1989 Best Picture, Driving Miss Daisy. Though the main charcters' performances deserve the praise they garnered, even the contemporaneous critiques still ring true. Despite the poorly-aged material, Ian and Maggie both found parts of the films they enjoyed; listen to find out where it ranked!

Join Maggie and Ian for the 1988 Best Picture, Rain Man. While the film proved to be well written and tidily constructed, our hosts took major issue with its basic premise. Listen to find out where Rain Man ranks!

Join us as we welcome special guest Lola back to talk about this classic romantic comedy for a Valentine's Day/Birthday special! Special Guest: Lola.

Join us for 1987's The Last Emperor. With it's impeccable visuals, the film is a feast for the eyes, but some huge narrative pitfalls left Ian and Maggie wanting more. Where does that leave The Last Emperor? Listen to find out!

We're kicking off 2022 with the sad but incredibly good Platoon! We talk character arcs, cinematography, and why this movie is a master class in building tension. We also discuss how it compares to the many other war films that have one best picture and where it ranks among them. Massive trigger warning for this episode! The movies is very rough and we discuss some difficult topics and scenes. Ple...

Maggie and Ian are back with an earlier retelling of Charles Dickens' classic.

Welcome back to our special guest, Jade, for another holiday episode of the Best Pictures Podcast. Join us as we talk through the delight that is 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol. Between the impressive live-action performance of Michael Caine and the next level puppeteering (who's actually surprised there?), this movie is sure to delight.

We decided to take a left turn out of nowhere and start the holiday lineup early with Miracle on 34th Street. Between the rich and lovable characters, the tight writing, and a heartwarming message of holiday cheer, both Maggie and Ian can't say enough good things about this classic.

We're back with a Halloween (and let's be honest every other time of year) classic: The Rocky Horror Picture Show. We laugh. We cry (mostly cause we're laughing too hard), and we discuss how every element of this movie creates not only the perfect allusion to the sci-fi and horror B-movies of old, but also just a good time. So sit back, relax, do the Time Warp, and join us as we welcome back speci...

In the first of our 2021 Halloween Specials, we cover the classic spooky comedy Arsenic and Old Lace! As a heads up, we had some minor audio issues, but we've cleaned them up the best we could. It was too good an episode to lose! Special Guest: Sangita.

On this episode, we cover the 58th Best Picture winner: Out of Africa. We talk performances, cinematography, and our mixed feelings around character in pacing. Take a listen to find out if we fall for this sweeping romantic epic in the end.

Join Ian and Maggie as they discuss the 57th winner, Amadeus. From the art and music, to the acting and editing, Amadeus proved to be a treat, too many notes and all.

Join Maggie, Ian, and their special guest, Myke from CineMusts, for our long-teased special episode on this 1981 action adventure gem. If it wasn't clear before, the group's discussion leaves no doubt that Raiders should have bested the 54th Best Picture winner, Chariots of Fire.

Our hosts cry their way through the 56th Best Picture winner: Terms of Endearment. They talk amazing performances, how the film perfectly blends comedy and drama, and just how many tissues they went through during the film's last 20 minutes.

On this episode our hosts tackle their first biopic of the 80s: Gandhi! They talk costumes, cinematorgraphy, and killer performances.

Join our hosts and they pick apart one of their less-favorite winners, Chariots of Fire. Between the lack of stakes, overused slow motion, and ill fitting (if iconic) score, Chariots did not finish first in Maggie's and Ian's opinions.

Join Maggie and Ian as they discuss Ordinary People. Serving as a stellar directorial debut for Robert Redford, Ordinary People impressed us with its compelling characters and phenomenal performances from all four main actors. Please be aware suicide is central to Ordinary People's narrative and comes up in our discussion.

Special Guest Emma is back to celebrate our 3 year podcast anniversary! We watched the 1986 cult classic Labyrinth. We talk about David Bowie, puppetry, David Bowie, great sets, David Bowie...

Listen to Ian and Maggie cover 1979's Kramer vs. Kramer. Though both our hosts went in with skepticism, Kramer vs. Kramer managed to impress with it's deft character development and surprisingly modern views on marriage and divorce.

Join Ian and Maggie as they talk through The Deer Hunter. The first Best Picture focused on the Vietnam War, The Deer Hunter provides an emotional gut punch along with some amped up (and arguably sensationalized) violence. Though the characters are lovable and complex, Ian and Maggie couldn't fully get past the often questionable depiction of the Vietnam War. Listen to find out how The Deer Hunter...

Listen to Maggie and Ian discuss 1977's Best Picture, Annie Hall. While they loved the editing and fresh style of the film, neither Ian nor Maggie could get past the characterization of Alvy.

Maggie and Ian kick off 2021 with endearing and inspiring Rocky. The talk score, character development, dialogue, and how the ending couldn't be more perfect.

Maggie and Ian take a trip down memory lane with their friend Matt as they discuss the nostalgia filled romp that is Christmas Vacation. They dissect the meaning of Christmas and what exactly makes this 1989 holiday classic so relatable.

Special Guest: Sangita.

We're back to cannon episodes, and this time we're covering the dark and emotional One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.