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 got nominated, what got ignored, and what the Oscars might have been thinking… if anything.

Films Mentioned

**Babe

**Braveheart

**Apollo 13

**Sense and Sensibility

*Il Postino: The Postman

*Dead Man Walking

**Leaving Las Vegas

Nixon

**Toy Story

*Crimson Tide

*Batman Forever

Waterworld

Showgirls

**The Usual Suspects

*Mr. Holland’s Opus

*Casino

**The American President

*Rob Roy

Bridges of Madison County

**12 Monkeys

Hacksaw Ridge

**Apocalypto

Man Without a Face

**Heat

**Devil in a Blue Dress

**The Goodbye Girl

**Adaptation

*Dances with Wolves

*The Crossing Guard

*Get Shorty

**Thelma and Louise

**Lorenzo’s Oil

**Atlantic City

**Howard’s End

**Remains of the Day

*Safe

**Se7en

Georgia

Mighty Aphrodite

*Butterflies are Free

Shakespeare in Love

*My Cousin Vinny

**La Jette’

Sabrina

Pocahontas

Restoration

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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 came out! Join us as we debate whether or not this is a travesty or if it made sense at the time. As always, thanks for listening and we'll be back with a new episode next week!

Movies Mentioned

Just Friends

The Apartment

Elmer Gantry

The Alamo

Sons and Lovers

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

The Sundowners

From Here to Eternity

Oklahoma

Never on Sunday

Rarfifi

Night in the City

Psycho

Psycho (Gus Van Sant remake)

Sweet Smell of Success

The Killers

Kiss the Blood Off my Hands

The Entertainer

Inherit the Wind

Sands of Iwo Jima

Friendly Persuasion

Mr. Roberts

Teen Sympathy

The Life and Times of Colonel Blimp

Elenor Roosevelt

Butterfield Eight

Cleopatra

Double Indemnity

Pushover

Exodus

Murder, Inc.

Spartacus

All About Eve

Yankee Doodle Dandy

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

Miranda

Fear Strikes Out

Jaws

Homicidal

The Angry Silence

The Facts of Life

Hiroshima, My Love / Hiroshima, Mon Amour

Tunes of Glory

Oceans 11

Little Shop of Horrors

The Magnificent Seven

Swiss Family Robinson

La Dolce Vita

Sergeant York

High Noon

The Naked Edge

Killer’s Kiss

The Killing

Lolita

Paths of Glory

The Ten Commandments

Ben Hur

Solomon & Sheba

Land of the Pharaohs

The Life of Brian

Trumbo

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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 we are all too happy to walk you through at least a dozen more of our favorites, as well as introduce you to some hidden gem talent both in front of and behind the camera!  So sit back and take note of some films that expose both the bad and beautiful sides of life as seen through the dark lens of film noir.  Thanks for listening!

Films Mentioned

The Bad and the Beautiful

Sudden Fear

The Narrow Margin

Narrow Margin (1990)

The Sniper

M (1931 & 1951)

Kansas City Confidential

Angel Face

Laura

Fallen Angel

The Man with the Golden Arm

Don’t Bother to Knock

Inferno

Clash by Night

Affair in Trinidad

Gilda

The Turning Point

Strange Fascination

Pickup

The Girl on the Bridge

Bait

Hit and Run

One Girl’s Confession

This Woman is Dangerous

The Thief

Man Bait

Tread Softly Stranger

Yield to the Night

Passport to Shame

Scandal Sheet

The Phenix City Story

Hell’s Island

99 River Street

All the King’s Men

Deadline USA

The Boy with the Green Hair

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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 steal the spotlight — and which films actually deserved center ring? Step right up for a lively debate, a few raised eyebrows, and one of the biggest Oscar head-scratchers of the decade!  As always, thanks for listening!

Films Mentioned

*Recommended

The Greatest Show on Earth

**High Noon

*Ivanhoe

*Moulin Rouge

The Quiet Man

**Singin’ in the Rain

**The Bad and the Beautiful

*Come Back Little Sheeba

*The Star

*Five Fingers

*Viva Zapata

Melania

*The Lavender Hill Mob

**Sudden Fear

The Member of the Wedding

With a Song in My Heart

*My Cousin Rachel

The Big Sky

**Angel Face

*The Narrow Margin

*The Man in the White Suit

*Ruby Gentry

*The Sound Barrier

The Pride of St. Louis

*The Sniper

*The Atomic City

Pat and Mike

Navajo

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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 takes on the proceedings. Some you might agree with, others not so much -- but isn't that the joy of movies? Either way, thanks for listening and being part of the fun!

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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 1970 there were only a handful.  Why was that?  And why did this year have so many?  What film set the bar for the prestige sequel and how come none of these films from 1973 were able to come close to crossing it?  And what were some planned sequels to classic films that (thankfully) never got made?  Join us as we go sequel crazy at the Oscars!

FILMS MENTIONED

**The Exorcist

The Exorcist II:  The Heretic

*American Graffiti

More American Graffiti

**The Sting

The Sting 2

The Birth of a Nation

The Fall of a Nation

The Broadway Melody

The Broadway Melody of (1936, 1938, 1940)

**The Thin Man

*After the Thin Man

*Going My Way

*The Bells of St. Mary’s

**King Kong

Son of Kong

Airport

Airport 1975

Airport 1977

Concorde: Airport 1979

**The Godfather

**The Godfather II

**Deliverance 

Halloween III

Caddyshack 2

*Exorcist III

*The Great Waldo Pepper

*Slap Shot

**The French Connection

*The French Connection 2

*Chinatown

The Two Jakes

*Roger Dodger

Into the Wild

*The Hustler

*The Color of Money

*Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins Returns

**Psycho

*Psycho II

**Blade Runner

*Blade Runner 2049

*Top Gun

Top Gun:  Maverick

Tron 

Tron Legacy

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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 when you have films like Serpico, Papillon, Save the Tiger, Paper Moon, The Paper Chase and the The Last Detail on the outside looking in — then you know it’s a banger of a year.  Enjoy a spirited debate over what we think should or shouldn’t have made the cut and whether the winner was the right choice or just a con job!  As always, thanks for Oscar-ing with us!    

Films Mentioned

**The Exorcist

**The Sting

*American Graffiti

**Papillon

The Way We Were

*Magnum Force

Last Tango in Paris

**Paper Moon

*Live and Let Die

**Serpico

*Cinderella Liberty

*The Last Detail

*The Paper Chase

**Save the Tiger

**Cries and Whispers

A Touch of Class

*Badlands

*Don’t Look Now

*Day for Night

*Amarcord

*Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

**The Offence

Tom Sawyer

*Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams

*Dirty Harry

*Sudden Impact

The Long Goodbye

*Day of the Jackal

*Bang the Drum Slowly

**The Wicker Man

*Sisters

*Soylent Green

*Sleeper

*Scenes From a Marriage

*Jonathan Livingston Seagull

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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 and an indie film But most of all, you'll listen in awe at the sheer number of great indie films & the talented filmmakers (including some notable first-timers) who made them. Enjoy!

Films Mentioned

*Fargo

*Secrets & Lies

*Shine

*The English Patient

*Sling Blade

*Bottle Rocket

*Rushmore

*Swingers

*Go

*Flirting With Disaster

*Spanking the Monkey

She's the One

*The Brothers McMullen

*Trainspotting

*Trees Lounge

*Big Night

*Romeo & Juliet

*Basquiat

*Citizen Ruth

*Hard Eight

*Lone Star

*Bound

*American Buffalo

*I Shot Andy Warhol

*Dead Man

*Down By Law

*Stranger Than Paradise

Crash (Cronenberg's)

*SubUrbia

*Slackers

*Walking and Talking

*Stealing Beauty

Girl Six

*Scream

*Gardener of Eden (written by "Tex")

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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 famously hated The English Patient, the Academy loved it — bestowing it with 12 nominations and 9 wins!  But did the right movie win?  And who got snubbed and why?  This is a great episode to stress-test our ‘test of time’ theory on — as this year was chock full of curious decisions and plenty of second (or third) guessing.  Let us know what you think and as always thanks for listening! 

MOVIE LIST

(*Recommendations)

*The English Patient

*Fargo

*Shine

Evita

*Jerry Maguire

*Secrets and Lies

Hamlet

Twister

Independence Day

*Flirting with Disaster

*Trainspotting

*Big Night

*Sling Blade

*Swingers

*Bound

*Walking & Talking

*Bottle Rocket

Dead Man

*Breaking the Waves

*The People vs. Larry Flynt

*One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest

*Amadeus

*Say Anything

*Schindler’s List

*The Birdcage

*The Nutty Professor

*Born on the Fourth of July

Marvin’s Room

*First Wives Club

*Terms of Endearment

Ghosts of Mississippi

*Primal Fear

*Boyz in the Hood

Radio

Men of Honor

Boat Trip

*As Good as it Gets

Pearl Harbor

*Kingpin

*The Crucible

The Portrait of a Lady

The Mirror Has Two Faces

*The Accidental Tourist

Yentl

The Prince of Tides

*Lone Star

*Raising Arizona

*Blood Simple

*When We Were Kings

*The Celluloid Closet

*Paradise Lost:  The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

Truth or Dare

One Fine Day

*That Thing You Do!

Up Close & Personal

*The Ghost and the Darkness

*Once Upon a Time When we Were Colored 

*White Squall

*Michael Collins

The Island of Doctor Moreau

*Lost Soul:  The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Doctor Moreau

Hardware

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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 could jump into a Delorean and go back in time -- would we perhaps bestow this beloved action/comedy with some Oscar love? We'll be back with the 1997 Oscars later this week! Thanks!

Movies Mentioned

Recommended

*Out of Africa

*The Color Purple

*Kiss of the Spider Woman

*Prizzi’s Honor

*Witness

**Back to the Future

Rambo: First Blood Pt. 2

Ladyhawke

The English Patient

Evita

Butterfly

Trip to Bountiful 

*Agnes of God

Sweet Dreams

**Tootsie

*Cocoon

Twice in a Lifetime

Ice Pirates

Murphy’s Romance

*Runaway Train

Jagged Edge

Things Change

*Trading Places

The Story of Alexander Graham Bell

Cocoon 2

The Way We Were

*Absence of Malice

*Three Days of the Condor

**They Shoot Horses Don’t They?

*Ran

C.H.U.D.

C.H.U.D. 2: Bud the C.H.U.D.

The Official Story

*Parasite

*Mask

The Phantom of the Opera

*The Mask

*Remo Williams: the Adventure Begins

A Chorus Line

*White Nights

*Silverado

*Young Sherlock Holmes

Return to Oz

The Black Hole

**The Sting

**Quiz Show

*Ordinary People

*Save the Tiger

Last Tango in Paris

*The Last Detail

**Serpico

**The Natural

*Barefoot in the Park

*Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid

*The Candidate

*Purple Rose of Cairo

*Brazil

Rifkin’s Festival

*Midnight in Paris

*Radio Days

*Crimes and Misdemeanors

*Bananas

*Take the Money and Run

*Manhattan

*Stardust Memories

12 Years a Slave

*Do the Right Thing

**Boyz in the Hood

*Malcolm X

*Glory

*Training Day

*A Beautiful Mind

Scent of a Woman

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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 everything we’ve learned making this show to try and understand what the Academy was thinking!  As always thanks for listening!

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