The OSCARS: What Were They Thinking?!

Hey Oscars WWTT? Fans — come take a fateful trip with us as we break down the highest-rated Oscars telecast in history! And because Bruce was there, he can regale you with some behind-the-scenes fun!  Of course, it was a big night for Titanic, which became the highest grossing film of all-tine, But while James Cameron might’ve been ‘The King of the Oscars’ that night — not everything broke his way...

It also makes us 2 Angry Men spending a Dog Day Afternoon grousing about an unfair Verdict.  Yes, these are all ham-fisted references to Sidney Lumet films that were nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. And despite being beloved classics, all four films (12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network & The Verdict) failed to win Oscars for esteemed director Sidney Lumet.  But that’s just part o...

Hello!  We at Oscars WWTT? believe the beauty of this podcast comes from three things. 1. Looking back at the Oscars of the past to see which winners & nominees have stood the test of time, or not.  2. Trying to understand how or why the Academy voters chose that year’s winners and nominees, and 3) Putting hidden gems and/or movies you haven’t heard of on your radar.  For this episode, the 1963 Os...

Hey Oscar fans, Bruce and “Tex” are back with the 2009 Oscars for the films of 2008.  This was an interesting year for many reasons: controversial winners; new formats, a singing & dancing Wolverine as host; and most notably, the reaction to The Dark Knight being snubbed causing the Academy to expand the number of Best Picture nominees from 5 to (up to) 10.  As for the movies that were nominated,...

Hey Oscar fans. Bruce and "Tex" are on a slight hiatus, so we're doing an encore presentation of one of Oscar's most controversial years. A year that pit 'Love' VS 'War.' Of course we’re talking about the 1999 Oscars, for the films of 1998 in which Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar over Saving Private Ryan.   This is known as the year that changed everything thanks to a guy you may have heard of n...

Welcome Oscar fans.  Bruce is back to help break down the 1943 Oscars for the films of 1942.  It’s another stacked year with 10 Outstanding Picture nominees (most of which are very deserving) and yet, there are still several other great films left out in the cold. And while there are a few curious decisions and omissions, most of the winners in all the categories are surprisingly and refreshingly...

1995, an objectively incredible year for movies, doesn’t get talked about enough…until now!  Having done the research for our 1996 Oscars, “Tex” And Mark were amazed at just how many outstanding, Oscar-worthy films came out this year — so many in fact, that we could hold an ‘Alternate Oscars’ and only include non-nominated films, directors and performances.  So…  That’s we did!  Join us as we have...

Hey Oscar fans — for this episode, Bruce Vilanch and “Tex” Davis dive into the 1996 Oscars—the year Braveheart took the crown, beating out an oddly charming mix that includes Apollo 13 and Babe. But here’s the real question: how did a year packed with some all-time classics end up with this lineup?  From snubbed fan favorites to the Academy’s love of big, bold spectacle, we’re breaking down what g...

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we don't have a new episode for you this week -- so we decided to rerun an older one you may not have hear. This is a classic one that started the whole premise of the show. That's because in 1960, three films came out that are all sitting on the AFI's Top 100 American Films of All-Time List. Yet, only ONE of them was actually nominated for an Oscar the year it cam...

Hey Oscar fans - “Tex” and Mark are back with another standout year of films noir.  We kind of teased this episode during our 1953 Oscars episode — when four noirs (The Bad and the Beautiful, Sudden Fear, The Narrow Margin, and The Sniper) were nominated for various Oscars.  But as we soon discovered, that was just the tip of the iceberg!  1952 was an absolute banger of a year for films noir and w...

Hey Oscar fans — Bruce and “Tex” find themselves under the big top for an Oscar year that’s… well… not exactly the greatest show on Earth. While The Greatest Show on Earth somehow walks away with Best Picture, a lineup of stronger, more enduring classics is left juggling in the background (including an all-time classic that wasn’t even nominated!) So, who were the clowns that let this spectacle st...

Hello Oscars Fans! Join "Tex" and Mark for an "entirely too soon to be having this conversation" conversation about the 2026 Oscars. As you probably know, it goes entirely against the premise of our show to discuss the recent Oscars -- since we rely on the 'test of time' to judge and score the winners & non-winners. At the same time, good luck keeping these certified film nerds from giving their t...

Hey Oscar fans, welcome to a fun Bonus Episode that looks at a strange thing that happened following the 1974 Oscars (which we recently covered).  3 of the Best Picture Nominees (The Exorcist, American Graffiti & The Sting) went on to have sequels that were… less than successful.  This led us to looking back at all the Oscar BP nominated or winning films that had sequels.  It turns out, prior to 1...

Hey Oscar fans, Bruce and “Tex” are back with another outstanding year for movies (you really can’t go wrong in the ’70s). And yet, they still found a way to include some head-scratchers while leaving some ‘time-tested’ film classics out in the cold.  Or not.  It all depends on whether you think certain movies are more cult classics, than classic-classics.  Or something like that.  But in a year w...

Hey Oscar Fans -- after last episode's look at the 1997 Oscars for the films of 1996, "Tex" and Mark were compelled to take a deeper dive into the world of independent cinema that exploded onto screens that year. Some of the films were mentioned already, many were not. Along the way we also break down what makes a film an "indie" and "Tex" draws from his experiences having written both a studio an...

Hey Oscar fans, Bruce and “Tex” are back with a brand new episode looking at the Academy Awards of 1997 for the films of 1996.  As you may or may not remember, 1996 was a GOOD year for movies, but a GREAT year for Indie films!  In fact, 4 of the 5 Best Picture nominees are considered independent films — or as Bruce calls them, Tom Cruise and everybody else.  And while Elaine Benes from Seinfeld fa...

Due to a scheduling snafu - we don't have a new episode ready for you today! So, we're replaying one of our favorites (and an early one many of you may have missed!) While Out of Africa and The Color Purple were battling it out (22 nominations between them) for Oscar glory -- another film was all but ignored in all the major categories -- despite dominating the box office that year. But if we coul...

Hey Oscar fans — with the recent Oscar nominations we felt it was only fitting for our Oscars podcast to talk about them... Even though it goes against the theme of our show which uses the ‘test of time’ to see what really deserved to win or be nominated. Despite that, we still have thoughts and hot takes!  Join “Tex” and Mark as we discuss the nominees, make predictions, point out snubs and use e...

1946 was an extraordinary year for film noir—so much so, even the Academy had to take notice. As Hollywood plunged into the shadows, moral ambiguity, and hard-boiled despair, the Oscars recognized standouts like Notorious, The Killers, and The Stranger. But with so much darkness flooding the screen, plenty of essential classics were left behind. Films like Gilda, The Postman Always Rings Twice, an...

Hey there Oscar fans — Bruce is back and we are excited to bring you a super fun episode that looks back at the 1947 Oscars for the films of 1946 — yet another simply outstanding year of movies. And while this year is highlighted by a heavyweight battle between ‘The Best Years of Our Lives’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’…  You can pretty much name any genre and find an incredible movie to suit your t...

Hey Oscars fans -- before recording earlier this week, Bruce, "Tex" and Mark had a brief conversation about the recent Golden Globe Awards. Here is our theorizing on how this bodes for the upcoming Oscar nominations as well as some thoughts on the movies we've seen (so far) from 2025. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey Oscar fans, we’ve got a special treat for you — another episode on yet another luminary director, responsible for some of the greatest movies of all time — only to have the Academy shrug and vote for something/someone else.  Granted a lot of Stanley Kubrick’s movies may have felt ahead of their time, or were in stiff competition with other great movies.  But the fact that you can go to Stanley...

Hey Oscar WWTT? Fans — as we all know, Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle were brutally taken from us on Dec. 14th, 2025.  This episode is a tribute to the amazing films & legendary career he left behind. We mostly concentrate on his first 10 films — 9 of which range from very good to excellent.  And while Mr. Reiner never seemed to get the love he deserved from The Academy, his films stand the test...

Hey Oscar fans, Bruce is back and we’re taking on one of the greatest, unsung years in movie history.  The nominees are mostly great.  The non-nominees are also pretty great.  And the test of time needs to be graded on a curve because so many of these films continue to resonate today. This episode is a treat for anyone who loves and appreciates truly classic films.  And if you’re not already a cla...

Happy Holidays Oscar fans! This week's episode is an encore performance of our previous holiday episode -- where Bruce and "Tex" discuss their favorite holiday movies and explore which ones got some holiday cheer from The Academy and which ones received a lump of coal. Enjoy! Movies mentioned: Just Friends (written by "Tex") It Nearly Wasn't Christmas (starring Bruce!) White Christmas A Christmas...