The OSCARS: What Were They Thinking?!

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...

Hey Oscar fans, this week’s bonus episode covers the Director nearest & dearest to our hearts — Mr. Martin Scorsese!  After discussing his breakthrough Oscar win (finally!) on the previous show (The 2007 Oscars) — we're looking back at Scorsese’s film career prior to The Departed and discussing which of his films could’ve/should’ve been nominated or won.  Along the way we give our thoughts, recomm...

Finally!  After leaving empty handed with 5 Best Director (and 4 Best Picture) nominations… one of the greatest film directors of all-time, the God of pure cinema, Martin Scorsese, finally gets to go home with Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.  The Departed, his 2006 crime epic starring half of Hollywood seemed like the perfect vehicle to get him to the finish line… But at the same time,...

Hey Oscars WWTT? Fans — for this bonus episode, a companion piece to our recent 1938 Oscars episode, “Tex” and Mark take a fun look back at an acting legend — the incomparable Humphrey Bogart. However, rather than do a full retrospective of Bogart’s entire career in front of the camera (70+ films) — instead we’re focusing on the 7 films Bogart acted in, in 1937. Two of these films received Oscar n...

I know, I know, another old Oscars ceremony from over 85 years ago. It can’t possibly be interesting!  You can think that… but you’d be wrong!  This year had 10 best picture nominees, covering a wide range of interesting topics — from the rise of fascism, the great Chicago fire and a love affair with Napoleon to the struggles of making it as an actress or Broadway star, the pitfalls of divorce and...

Few filmmakers achieve the level of notoriety and legendary status of Sam Peckinpah. He didn’t just direct movies — he detonated them. And while he never received any love from the Oscars, that was never his goal. Unflinching, uncompromising, and unrelenting, Peckinpah existed to turn on-screen violence into an art form… often in slow motion. Join us as we break down the bruised beauty of his shor...

Hey Oscar fans, welcome to the 1971 Oscars for the films of 1970.  The title of the episode refers to the opening line of this year’s Best Picture Winner — Patton — a movie driven by one of the most powerful performances in film history.  In fact, George C. Scott’s portrayal of General George S. Patton was so acclaimed that despite telling the Academy not to vote for him and that he wouldn’t show...

Hello Oscar lovers, we are back with a very special bonus episode that celebrates the fabulous films from the year 1986.  In fact, “Tex” and Mark think there were so many great films released that year, that we could have an ALTERNATE OSCARS where we nominate and select completely different movies and performances and still have an amazing Oscar show.  And to prove it — that’s exactly what we did!...

Oscars fans, movie fans and especially horror movie fans — you are in for a treat.  Just in time for Halloween, we’ve got a special bonus episode exploring the complicated history of horror movies and the Oscars!   Well, for some people it’s not complicated — the Oscars seem to HATE horror films. But is that true? And what even IS a horror film? We’ll answer those questions and more by looking at...

Welcome to the 1987 Oscars for the films of 1986 — arguably one of the greatest years for movies…ever!  Nearly every category is stacked with worthy entries, but as always, there are a few Oscar oddities, snubs and things to make you go ‘Hmm.’ Mostly, this Oscars has everything — from a born writer/filmmaker spinning his most harrowing wartime experiences into Oscar gold; to a deaf newbie beating...

Did you know one of, if not THE, greatest film directors of all time never won an Oscar for Best Director?  Yep. That is the premise for this bonus episode…  Join Adam “Tex” and Mark as we examine the glorious career of the legendary Sir Alfred Hitchcock and discuss how the Motion Picture Academy just never got around to awarding him its top prize.   Along the way we’ll dissect Hitchcock’s greates...

Hey Oscar fans — welcome to the 1955 Oscars for the films of 1954.  In case you weren’t aware, 1954 was an absolutely outstanding year full of great movies…some of which even got nominated for Academy Awards!  Which means some of the best movies that are still beloved, rewatched, referenced and remade today did NOT get any Oscar love.  This includes a few shockingly egregious omissions that we’re...

Hey Oscars & Movie Fans — we’re proud to present a Bonus Episode that explores 3 great, HIDDEN GEM films from 1964 that we briefly mentioned during our 1965 - MY FAIR OSCAR episode.   Each film was nominated for something — but we really didn’t talk much about them…until now.  If you’re anything like us — we guarantee you’ll dig at least one if not more of these films which include:  TOPKAPI - the...

Finally!  Finally, that Steven Spielberg fellow did something worthy of an Oscar.  We’re kidding of course, but it is shockingly true that after 20 years of making some of the greatest films of all-time, Spielberg finally got his richly deserved Oscar.   And while Schindler's List would earn several more awards that evening (including Best Picture) the Academy would still find a way to mess it up....

With the passing of Hollywood legend Robert Redford on Sept. 16th, we were moved to do a special episode of THE OSCARS: WWTT? in order to honor his legacy and commemorate his relationship with The Oscars.  Enjoy hearing about some great films and some fun movie history as we celebrate The Natural who made it look too easy. Robert Redford Films Referenced   Barefoot in the Park Butch Cassidy and th...

Welcome to the 2012 Academy Awards, a year just outside our ‘test-of-time’ range for judging the merits of the winners, non-winners, and forgotten gems.  This year featured a lot of very good movies but no true odds-on favorite, which is why the eventual winner is seen as kind of a let down. So who or what should have won?  What should have been nominated and wasn’t?  Are there too many nominees i...

Welcome Oscars fans to the 7th Academy Awards (it definitely wasn’t called The Oscars yet) — as we dive into the 1935 Oscars for the films of 1934.   Now some of you might be thinking, ‘How can awards for films this old possibly be interesting today?’ To which we say, get ready because things are going to get wild!   For starters, there were 12 nominees for best picture (and they still got some wr...