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 named Harvey Weinstein.  In a shocking upset, a brash, shameless, indie upstart managed to out-campaign the Hollywood elite and take home a best picture Oscar for an artsy film about love and Shakespeare. Using the test of time, many people look back at this year as a complete miscarriage of justice. But was it really? And what other controversies and unbelievable moments took place that evening? Bruce was there and is more than happy to share them..  What do you think?  Did Shakespeare deserve Oscar love? Or did Saving Private Ryan “Earn it?”       

MOVIES MENTIONED

From Russia With Love

Shakespeare in Love

Elizabeth

Saving Private Ryan

The African Queen

Life is Beautiful

The Thin Red Line

Armageddon

A Simple Plan

The Truman Show

Affliction

Civil Action 

Apollo 13

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

In Like Flint

Shine

Rushmore

The Big Lebowski

Rocky Horror Picture Show

A Fish Called Wanda

Gods and Monsters

Hillary and Jackie

Little Voice

Primary Colors

Mrs. Brown

Schindler’s List

Amistad

Warhorse

Lincoln

West Side Story

Munich

The Mask of Zorro

Out of Sight

The Big Chill

Mighty Joe Young

King Kong

What Dreams May Come

Pleasantville

Velvet Goldmine

Beloved

The Last Days

Dance Maker

The Farm Angola USA

Lenny Bruce:  Swear to Tell the Truth

Regret to Inform

Prince of Egypt

Patch Adams

Mulan

A Bug’s Life

The Horse Whisperer

Babe: Pig in the City

Skyfall

Barbie

Quest From Camelot

Wicked

Tango

The Grandfather

Children of Heaven

Central Station

Frankenstein

Bride of Frankenstein

American History X

Two Women

Lord of the Rings

One True Thing

Gia

Bulworth

The Best Years of our Lives

E.T.

The Day the Clown Cried

Guilty By Suspicion

On the Waterfront

Streetcar Named Desire

East of Eden

A Face in the Crowd

Splendor in the Grass

America, America

Gentleman’s Agreement

Viva Zapata

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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 solid. Instead of controversy — this is definitely an episode you’ll want to take notes during, because there are a lot of hidden gems to go with the classics. Either way, you’re going to want to update your ‘Watch List!’ As always for joining us for another look back at the Oscars of the past, through the lens of today!

Movies Mentioned

*Mrs. Miniver

*The Magnificent Ambersons

*Yankee Doodle Dandy

*The Pride of the Yankees

*The Talk of the Town

*The Invaders AKA The 49th Parallel

*King’s Row

The Pied Piper

*Random Harvest

Wake Island

*Now Voyager

*To Be or Not To Be

*The Palm Beach Story

*Johnny Eager

Around the World in 80 Days

*The Letter

*The Little Foxes

Wuthering Heights

Doddsworth

*Angels With Dirty Faces

*My Sister Eileen

Woman of the Year

*I Married a Witch

*This Gun for Hire

*Tortilla Flat

*The Affairs of Cellini

*The Wizard of Oz

*Shadow of a Doubt

Holiday inn

White Christmas

*Road to Morocco

One of Our Aircraft is Missing

The Black Swan

Jungle Book

Bambi

Arabian Nights

The Shanghai Gesture

The Corsican Brothers

The Battle of Midway (first Documentary Winner)

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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 some fun discussing the freakishly fantastic films of 1995 and offer our picks for an Oscars that didn’t happen — but certainly could have!  We’ll be back with a regular episode next week.  (The 1943 Oscars for anyone who wants to do some homework and watch some of the films of 1942!)

Movies Mentioned

(*) Recommended

**Braveheart

*Apollo 13

*Babe

*Sense & Sensibility

*Il Postino: The Postman

**The Usual Suspects

**Leaving Las Vegas

*Dead Man Walking

*Toy Story

*Casino

**Heat

**Twelve Monkeys

**Se7en

*Crimson Tide

*The American President 

Goldeneye

*Mr. Holland’s Opus

*To Die For

**Zone of Interest

**Anatomy of a Fall

*Past Lives

*I’m Still Here

Emilia Pérez

**Sentimental Value

*The Secret Agent

**Parasite

**Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

*Life is Beautiful

*Cries and Whispers

**The Lives of Others

**A Separation

**City of God

**Ran

**81/2

**La Dolce Vita 

Showgirls

*Clueless

*Kids

*Devil in a Blue Dress

*The Crossing Guard

Panther

*The Quick and the Dead

Nixon

*Bridges of Madison County

*Get Shorty

*Living in Oblivion

*Safe

Dangerous Minds

*Dolores Claiborne

Georgia

Rob Roy

Funny Bones

*Kiss of Death

Walking Dead

Boys on the Side

Circle of Friends

Exotica

*Before Sunrise

*The Secret of Roan Inish

The Brothers McMullen

*Clockers

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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

Email us: [email protected]

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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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