The Oscar Project Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode is my conversation about the 1927 film Sunrise: The Song of Two Humans . My friend Joe Cruz from the Joe's Video Club newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about how modern filmmakers could take a lesson from Murnau in trusting the audience to understand the story based on visuals alone, how we disagree with the reviewers of the time when it...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Adam J. Graves, the director of the short film "Anuja," a story of two young sisters working in a garment factory in India. Listen to hear some staggering statistics about the number of children around the world engaged in child labor, the importance of casting the film from real children that live in the are portrayed on screen, and...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 film The Last Command . My friend Vicki Lesley from the Meandering Over the Pebbles newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about how actors were able to use their eyes to convey emotion in silent films, how audiences might have understood the film at the time, and how the film sometimes pokes fun at the world of H...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Luke Shelley, Jenna-Louise Hawkins, and Sophie Stacey, the director, writer, and producer of the short film "What We Wished We Could Be," a story of a young couple dealing with illness as a result of contaminated blood. Listen to hear about Jenna-Louise's personal experience that inspired the story, some of the challenges of cast...

Send us Fan Mail The nominees for the 97rth Academy Awards are here. Take a listen to hear the full list, some fun trivia facts about the nominees, and my personal thoughts on the films that made the cut as well as those that were snubbed. You can check out the full list of nominees on my Substack newsletter at theoscarproject.substack.com . While you're there, be sure to subscribe to the new...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode is my conversation about the 1927 film Underworld . My friend Jeff Kramer from The Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about other films that start off with a heist like this one, how the idea of a mobster has changed over the last century of film, and some of the film techniques used in this film that are...

Send us Fan Mail In the wake of the wildfires in Los Angeles, I wanted to leave some links to resources you can use if you are affected, or if you want to help those in need. I also provide a brief schedule update for the podcast in the next few weeks. LA Fire Mutual Aid Resources -central repository for all sorts of resources including meals, donations, animal services and more  Salvation Army Re...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode is my conversation about the 1927 film Two Arabian Knights . My friend Shawna Carroll from Notes from Post newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about the key players involved in the film (including someone you might know better as a famous monster), how you could easily remake this film with Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote, and what a shame it is...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 film Tempest . My friend Amanda Kusek from The 90-Minute Movie newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about the nature of shifting character dynamics throughout a film, how we see historical events through the lens of film, and almost being able to hear the voice of an actor from his performance on screen even in...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Hannah Beach, Phoebe Campbell-Harris, and Sophie Stacey, the director, writer, and producer of the short film "A Matter of Minutes," a story of a young woman facing a life threatening situation at a house party. Listen to hear about Phoebe's personal experience that inspired the story, how the film used aspect ratio to drive the...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode is a rundown of all the biggest films (and some not so big) that will be coming out in wide release in 2025. These dates are always subject to change, so be sure to subscribe to The Oscar Project newsletter to stay up to date on all the new releases coming your way each and every week. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year! The Oscar Project returns to its origins today with a conversation about the 1928 film Street Angel . My friend Beth Lisogorsky from Beth's TV & Film Recommendations joins me to discuss the film and we talk about some modern analogues to the love story, how certain stars were able to make the transition from silent to sound films while others were not, and...

Send us Fan Mail It's time for my 2024 podcast year in review where I count down the 12 most listened to episode of the year. Check back in this podcast feed for all the episodes mentioned. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode is the first of several year end episodes where I recap 2024 and look ahead into 2025. First up are my top 10s of 2024 where my lists include: Top movie books I read in 2024 Top short film of 2024 Biggest surprises and disappointments of 2024 Top first time watches in 2024 Top films of 2024 Be sure to check out my Substack newsletter for full articles on each...

Send us Fan Mail I am joined on the podcast today by fellow Substack author Vicki Lesley where we sit down to discuss 2024 in documentaries. We review the Oscar short lists that were announced earlier this week, and talk about a few of our favorites as well as some of the titles that were missing from these lists. The full list of short listed documentaries is below. Documentary Feature The Bibi F...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I look over the Oscar shortlists for ten categories that were released by The Academy this morning and provide initial reactions. The categories with announced shortlists are: Documentary Feature Documentary Short Subject International Feature Makeup and Hairstyling Sound Original Score Original Song Animated Short Film Live Action Short Film Visual Effect...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Aryasb Feiz, the director of the short film "Tomorrow," a story of a young boy fighting for survival in the streets of Shiraz in the 1970s. The film is currently qualified for the 97th Academy Awards. Listen to hear a little bit about the meaning behind the title of the film, the ideas behind the development of the characters in the f...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Nebojsa Slijepcevic, the director of the short film "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent," a story of one man who decided to stand up for those being persecuted unfairly. The film is currently qualified for the 97th Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film and the true story it was based on, the importance of...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Isaac Bell, Emiliano Bolado, and Madalyn Horcher, three of the creative forces behind the short film "Over the Board," a story of two long lost brothers who connect over a shared interest in chess. Isaac stars with his twin brother Elijah (who sadly was not available to join the conversation) and the film is qualified for the 97th Aca...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Marco Pergeo, the director of the short film "Dovecote," a intimate look at one woman's preparation to leave prison. Filmed in a working women's prison in Venice and featuring actual inmates, the film stars Zoe Saldaña and is qualified for the 97th Academy Awards. Listen to hear about how Marco came to make this film with hi...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Akshit Kumar, the director of the short film "bonVoyage pour monVoyage," an experimental film animating Akshit's travels. The film received the bronze medal in the experimental/alternative category at the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the some of the Akshit's travels, the process of turning static drawing...

Send us Fan Mail 17 years ago today, my wife Denise and I lost our first son Jackson and it was by far the hardest thing either of us has ever been through. I asked her to come on the podcast with me to tell Jackson's story to the world and help me remember him on this very difficult day. If you have a story related to premature birth or anything similar, please share it with us by leaving a...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Neal Fischer, author of two new movie trivia books, The Rom-Com Ultimate Movie Trivia Book and the Christmas Movie Ultimate Trivia Book . He also hosts two podcasts, Triviality and Curated by Chance . Listen to hear about what goes into creating trivia questions for books like these, a bit about Neal's experience on the FOX game show The F...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Aaron Johnson, the director of the short film "The 17%," a documentary about Colette Divitto, a young woman with Downs Syndrome and her successful cookie business. The film received the silver medal in the documentary category at the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the some of the people that Collete employs in her b...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Florian Maurice, Maxime Foltzer, and Estelle Bonnardel, the directors of the short film "Au Revoir Mon Monde," an animated film about a man in a fish costume trying to reach the woman he loves before the world ends. The film received the gold medal in the animation category at the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the...