Transcript
Speaker: who the Oscars went to, but should they have gone there? Welcome to And the Oscars Should Have Gone To, a place where we discuss, debate, and decide certain Best Picture races from the Academy Awards, and then reveal who we think should have been awarded the Best Picture Oscar that year. Maybe our Best Picture pick was clearly the movie everybody loved that year.
Speaker: Maybe it was an influential work that filmmakers still discuss years later. Or maybe it's just the movie that everyone re-watched the year after year As always, we recommend that you folks at home watch each nominee so you can make your own determination and then let us know how wrong we are. And with that, we thank the Academy. Let's start the show.
Speaker: Welcome back, valued listeners, for another awesome episode. And the Oscars should have gone too. This is Dylan in Los Angeles. Rob from Boston. Glenis from Los Angeles. We're going to 2011.
Speaker: and That was nine nominees. This is after the Oscars went over five, which we all feel is a huge mistake. We decided instead of watching and discussing movies that you're not going to watch or you shouldn't watch or that no one talks or cares about, we have tried to make an informed but still somewhat biased selection of movies based on the one that won and then four others that we think probably would have been nominated. The movies we're not reviewing, in case you do want to watch them.
Speaker: War Horse, The Tree of Life, The Help, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Of the remaining nominees, we are going to go over Moneyball, which is a biographical sports drama directed by Bennett Miller and starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, based on the 2003 nonfiction title of the same name. It's an account of the Oakland athletic baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager, Billy Beane's attempts to assemble a competitive team with half as much money as his rivals.
Speaker: We were also due Midnight in Paris, which is a fantasy comedy directed by Woody Allen, aspiring novelist played by Owen Wilson, who is forced to confront the shortcomings of his relationship with his materialistic fiance and their divergent goals, which becomes increasingly exaggerated as he travels back in time to 1920s each night at midnight.
Speaker: Next will be Hugo, which is an adventure directed by Martin Scorsese that tells the story of a boy who lives alone in a railway station in Paris in the 1930s, only to become embroiled in a mystery surrounding his late father's automaton and a pioneering filmmaker.
Speaker: Next, we are going to look at The Descendants, which is a tragic comedy film directed by Alexander Payne that traces the journey of an attorney and land baron, Matt King, played by George Clooney, who struggles with unexpected occurrences in his monotonous life.
Speaker: And last, the winner that year, The Artist, which is a French-Belgian comedy drama in the style of a black-and-white silent film starring Jeanne Dujardin that focuses on the relationship between a rising young actress and an older silent film star as silent cinema falls out of fashion and is replaced by The Talkies.
Speaker: So Rob, the descendants, you're, you're a huge George Clooney fan. What'd you think of the descendants? Yeah. One of his more more profitable movies compared to budget. I thought he was very good in this. He plays Matt King, as you said, he's a, so Honolulu based attorney, which was very interesting to see George Clooney being, you know, a Hawaii, well, you a Hawaiian resident and in the story taking place in Hawaii, which I thought was a nice, kind of setting for this movie based on ah on a novel. He's the sole trustee of a family trust of 25,000 acres. so And he's got very you many family members who are wanting to either sell or take advantage of the land. Most of them just wanted to sell it and cash out and you know and spend the money and and that kind of thing. So if there's all kinds of things that go on there. There's his wife was in a um a boating accident. They don't actually show the boating accident, but she's in a coma, which was a very.
Speaker: What did you guys think of that boating scene at the beginning? I thought it was kind of cheesy, like they just kind of show her with a silly grin on her face boating. And then then she like goes into a coma. from Well, I think the idea is she's boating.
Speaker: on her own without him and she's actually happier without him, which is what they alluded to. So I think the idea is like, wow, she's like, she's having a really good time without you. As we find out later. I liked it. I liked it in context of the rest of the movie. Like she, she's out there having this wild time. And I think the idea is that she was kind of the fun one and he's very much the, like the, um, stick in the mud, the stick in the mud or the, you know, the guy who's always doing the right thing or working all the time. is, so it made sense as you watched the movie so i actually like the beginning of it but it sounds like you didn't you didn't love it i i i'm glad you guys shed some light on that i think that's actually actually just hit the nail on the head as to what the the main undertones of the movie were uh i mean the movie does have sad undertones because she is in a coma and he has to take over as the father and
Speaker: He hasn't really been the present father, the leader of the the the family in a social and the social regard, so to speak. He's not really involved in his daughter's life the way that they would like him to be.
Speaker: But now he's forced to be. And, you know, so they visit the mother quite a bit in this one scene where Shailene Woodley, who plays the older daughter, i think her name is Alex, in the movie, says, you don't have a clue, Dad. Mom's been cheating on you.
Speaker: And so that's kind of like another... subplot in the movie or becomes kind of overshadows things and kind of takes over as the main plot yeah and trying to find this guy and meet this guy who has been having an affair with the the wife slash he begs I'm like don't tell my wife don't tell my wife I have a real nice family nice thing going on here And they don't, but they they actually are very nice about it. Matt Clooney's character says, you know, if you'd like to see her one more time before she passes away, because she's not going to make it through this coma, you can go see her.
Speaker: So it kind of pulls at your heartstrings a little bit there. And it's... um you know I thought, I thought the acting was, was very, very good. I would like Clooney and everything he is. Shailene Woodley was fantastic in this movie. Even bull bridges makes a surprise appearance. Yeah. Um, so, um yeah. So, you know, wanting a divorce from him kind of makes him look at his wife a whole different way, like as she's in the coma and how he has to learn from this and kind of, uh, take that on the chin at the same time. he was kind of hoping that she would survive and get better. But I thought it was a very well acted movie, very worth seeing.
Speaker: um I don't think I would give it five stars out of five, maybe four out of five. And I enjoyed it. Glynis, what do you think? it's I'm surprised to hear you say that because I know you're a big Clooney fan and I am I think I'm really becoming team Clooney but this is my one of my favorite um George Clooney movies next to up in the air I think those are my two favorite George Clooney movies. um And I am also a big Alexander Payne fan, i think. Yes. Yeah, like I think you're you're not expecting a big emotional impact from an Alexander Payne movie, but like something pleasant and it will kind of hit some emotional heartstrings for A little quirky. But not not cloying at all. And so I really do like George Clooney in this. I really like the story of how he has to decide what to do with this land, and he's feeling very responsible to everybody. And I think that's a big theme of the movie where he just feels –
Speaker: ah very overly responsible but as a result he's been absent from his family um shailene woodley big breakout and i think even though i don't think george clooney is the best actor actually think he does an okay job in this at the end where he really finally has this emotional moment with his wife who's still in the coma and um and it resolves you know it has a it has kind of a good ending right satisfying ending i think if you're looking for a happy endings And I really like this movie. I think I've seen it maybe three times now. And i it's a it's a real rewatchable for me. So I think I could watch this anytime and be just very pleased with the whole thing. Dylan.
Speaker: Yeah, I do like Alexander Payne movies. they're They're very dry, but then they reveal themselves have a real... um A real sentimental streak in them, yeah which is ah very interesting. I do think it's George Clooney's best role. about if If we're ever going to give a movie star Oscar, which they do all the time, I would have given it to him for this, frankly. um Yeah, the cast is is really outstanding.
Speaker: What I like in this movie, and the Matt King character says it in the opening, where it's like, you everything's Hawaii, it's paradise, but it's, you know, we pay our bills here, and we get cancer here, and this happens here, it's just the same as anywhere else. And I kind of, that was really that was really a great strength of the movie.
Speaker: There's nothing magical or special, which is definitely the tone of Alexander Payne. He definitely, he really respects, and I think loves his subjects, but a lot and gives them a lot of room to be human. So even though his style is very dry, i think, he really, the characters get to reveal themselves. He just showed them all as human people. So it's like, ah, you know, everyone's just trying their best and doing their best. and There's no villain and there's no hero. So it's just nice emotional complex. People get angry each other and then they forgive each other. Then Bayer's distance and then they get close. It's like, it's, I think it's Alexander Payne's peak and one one of George Clooney's peak. I mean, you can pick a few different ones. So I think it's a great movie. Everyone should see it.
Speaker: Glennis, what did you think of Moneyball? Moneyball. This is just one of my favorite um movies, I think. Well, I don't know. I have a long list of one of my favorite what are my food favorite movies are. But this is definitely, like for me, this is the best Brad Pitt. um i just I love this movie so much. It's just...
Speaker: It's a kind of a true story um about the Oakland A's and how the manager – what was the manager? He was the – General manager. general General manager basically changed how they recruited for baseball. And i don't like baseball, but this was – I love sports movies that make me enjoy them even though I don't like the sport. Like I don't like football, but I love – um, well, I love the TV show Friday night lights. So I don't like baseball that much. And I love this movie. It's very clever. It, um, you know, it just really, it's almost like a Dylan, you call them working the case movies in a way. Like, it's like, we got to figure something out. And, and, And it really shows them trying to innovate and come up with you know new ways of doing something for this losing team. And everybody's kind of against him. He's got, oh man, Philip Seymour Hoffman in an kind of almost an unrecognizable Philip Seymour Hoffman role. like he's that That was the beauty of him is that he could really immerse himself in a role. But he's playing this
Speaker: grump how manager chair yeah Grumpy, much older guy right Probably much older than Philip Seymour Hoffman was. but He never kind never got old. yeah he never Right, exactly. And yet he seemed like he was middle-aged pretty much out of the gate, I think. but um ah Jonah Hill, who should have got an Oscar for this. i think He did get nominated, at least. He got nominated, but he didn't win. And I feel like he should have because he's great in this. I actually am such a big Jonah Hill fan, and I wish he would do more at movies like this. But um Yeah, I really am enthusiastic about Moneyball. I think Brad Pitt is doing something that we talk about is not something all actors can do. Like Johnny Depp can't do this, but he's just playing a normal guy and doing it very convincingly um and doing it in a way that makes me give a shit about what he's doing without...
Speaker: Being over the top. We know Brad Pitt is I think Brad Pitt is a good actor. um He could really go for broke on this, but he just does this really great understated job of a guy who's just struggling, wanting to keep his job, wanting to do a good job. And, and you've got Chris Pratt, you know, kind of in a breakout role. And um I just the whole cast works to me and the whole movie works. And I again, this is another rewatchable for me, like I could watch this probably every year, be quite pleased. So I am a big fan of ah this movie.
Speaker: And also super happy that it was nominated. Rob, what'd you think? I loved it as well, as much as you did. I think you were absolutely right. We could probably watch this movie every year and be just as entertained. Watch every baseball season if you want to. But I was trying to think of who could play Billy Bean better than Brad Pitt. Yeah, there's other people who could play the part, but it just seemed... I'm taking it a step further than you're taking I think. I just can't think of someone else who could do it better. mean, no, not better, yeah. Not at that time, yeah. Right. I mean, Johnny Depp, maybe, but not better. He cannot play normal guys. He has to be somebody who's over the top and weird. When he tries to play normal guys, those movies flop. That's why he's not as good an actor as Brad Pitt for what you just said. He can't play a normal person.
Speaker: you know And i don't know I don't know if Glenn Powell is a good actor or not yet, but that'd be someone today maybe. But back then, I can't think of any. He's got an every guy feel. Yeah. um So I think you're right, Rob. Not back then. I can't think.
Speaker: And even now, like I said, yeah, you're right. It's hard to think of something. I mean, Christian Bale? No, because Christian Bale's always got – he's got a little bit of ah a tough edge to him. But Jonah Hill was amazing. Yeah. he was He was funny from his kind of his underreaction, so to speak, to certain things. Yeah. um Amazing. It totally stood out in a role that was was not overshadowed by Brad Pitt. They didn't really overshadow each other, but they were both amazing, I thought. Yeah. I guess sabermetrics was the unconventional scouting philosophy that they used. And when Billy Bean got an offer from the Red Sox at the end of the movie,
Speaker: that he turned down. He turned down millions of dollars to move from Oakland to Boston. They they ended up using Sabermetrics and won the World Series with it. Don't ask me what it is, but I think that's basically what the movie is about. That's what the movie is like. let's Yeah, I guess it's they had a third of the budget of most teams, and that was the thing that they were trying to do. were trying to fit in um baseball players who had a high on-base percentage. yeah rather than these big sluggers that are worth tens of millions. Yeah. Yeah, it was an intelligent movie. Lots of good snappy dialogue. I think it's for people who like not... You don't have to like baseball, but if you do like baseball, it's a bonus, I think. I think it's for people who like business. You don't have to like business, but if you like it, it's a bonus for this movie. um It appeals to a wide audience. I think teenagers would like it. I think baseball fans would like it. I think people who are not baseball fans would like it. I think the audience is very... wide for this movie. I highly recommend it. I think you should, uh, should see it. It's a, it's a gem of a movie.
Speaker: Yeah. I think, you know, when people say they don't make them like this anymore, i you know, I think they tend to refer to like old movies where they didn't swear ladies didn't wear pants or whatever, but with money ball, they truly do not make movies like this anymore. It's a small movie about adults for adults.
Speaker: There's no explosions. Uh, there's no sex, ah there's You know, um there's not Brad Pitt is not out saving the world. They don't even win the World Series in end. They don't even win the World Series. It's really a movie for adults, which they don't make. This isn't just me talking. You can you can you can read about any trade paper. They don't make small movies for adults anymore, maybe on Netflix, but not like this and not with Brad Pitt. So um it's it's super enjoyable.
Speaker: don't any disagreements with either the one of you. Everyone is perfectly cast. yeah Much like Rocky, he doesn't win in the end, but he he wins respect and self-respect and knows that he's right and went the distance, which, again, doesn't happen that often.
Speaker: But yeah, nothing to add. it's ah It's a great movie. If you're a grown up, you should see it. um It's almost like a Frank Capra movie. It's very light, really. um Very entertaining.
Speaker: <unk> There's some things in there you can take out of it. But but honestly, it's just it's kind of a breeze. It just flies by. It's really fun. Almost every scene is kind of fun. All right, Rob. Yeah. Midnight Paris. What'd you think?
Speaker: Midnight in Paris. Oh, I love this movie. Um, I've seen it I don't know, probably four or five times. wow Um, Yeah, were um Woody Allen movie, of course, directed by Woody, his 41st movie. Holy cow.
Speaker: Yeah, and that was back in 2011, so it made some sense. But Owen Wilson, fantastic, was Woody Allen in this movie. He kind of played a younger Woody Allen. though Even the way he talked, you know he still had the Owen Wilson in him, but he also had a whole Woody Allen kind of angle to him yeah that I could just picture Woody in this role.
Speaker: And I don't know if Owen did that like to Woody as a favor or Woody demanded. i don't know how you bring that topic up, to to be honest. But he was Woody Allen, and it was set in modern times. twenty he He mentions the year 2010.
Speaker: um and goes back, gets good midnight every day goes back to the 1920s and meets all kinds of um famous writers and singers, Cole Porter, and oh, there's so many to mention, Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway and Escar Fitzgerald and on on and on and on. And he's, you know, he's happy back in the 1920s because he likes Paris and the rain, you know, so to speak. He likes the city and You know, the modern days he's he's in a relationship with his fiancee played by. um
Speaker: reg mcad Thank you. Flew out of my head. Great Canadian Rachel McAdams. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She was, she was good in this role, but very uptight, very materialistic where he is not any of those things. He's more laid back and doesn't get it involved with material things like, like she does. He just wants to have a ah good time and write his novel and write his screenplays for his movies that he does. Again, a Woody Allen character. Yeah.
Speaker: And every night at midnight, like I said, he goes back to the 1920s. It's a fantasy movie. you know You've got to kind of suspend disbelief, I should say, a bit in this movie. And it's fascinating, the people he meets and the characters. I thought Corey Stoll did a great job as Ernest Hemingway.
Speaker: yeah And, um you know, it just goes on and on with the people he meets. But, ah you know, at the end, um it doesn't work out so well with him and his wife. And he has this other woman in 2011 that he was meeting at the the record, her little record shop. And he just kind of strolls along with her at the end and talking. She also likes Paris and the rain. So they were talking about that at the end. But um just a, I don't know, borderline,
Speaker: Brilliant movie. I think i think it's, i think in my personal opinion, it's Woody Allen's best movie. i I think a lot of people wouldn't disagree with me and go with Annie Hall or Take the Money and Run or one on one of those other older movies. But Hannah and Her Sister is a sweet and lowdown, one of those. But um I loved it. I could watch it again and again.
Speaker: loved the characters. I loved the acting. Even her friend's husband there, I forget the name. Michael Sheen's character. Oh, Michael Sheen. He was great as a pompous ass. Oh, how annoying, though. Smarmy. Smarmy asshole. Yeah, but that's great. Yeah, very good.
Speaker: Yeah, it just kind of showed how like he was more suited for his fiancée than just kind of to illustrate that that someone like him was very materialistic and my very much a know-it-all and very much had...
Speaker: I like to show off his intelligence, um was more suited for his fiancée than he was. So it's just kind of to illustrate the point in a humorous way, I thought.
Speaker: ah But I loved it. I highly recommend it I think everyone should see this movie, and I'm curious to hear what you guys think. um Yeah, I think, you know, Woody Allen's always been a romantic and he's always been an old Hollywood guy. And I think that gets obscured by his mannerisms and sometimes his subject matter, which is a lot of times very ultra modern.
Speaker: But ah the last, don't know, 40 years, i mean, the last four years, that's a huge chunk of time. But he's he's been, more he more and more indulged himself in fantasy like Broadway Danny Rose or Purple Rose of Cairo.
Speaker: And this one, Midnight in Paris, it's interesting because it's also around the time hes he does a lot of non-Woody Allen type movies like Blue Jasmine and Match Point, which are but both outstandingly outstanding movies. Not very Woody Allen-like. They're more like Alfred Hitchcock or the other ones like John Cassavetes, which shows that he is a great filmmaker, whatever made one think about his um his style or anything.
Speaker: And I agree if you, Rob. This is, well, it's definitely one of his best. And yeah in a way, you could say it's not like Hannah and her sisters, for example. But Hannah and her sisters was deeply romantic. Now, I know that sounds silly because i was having affairs with each other. But but it's...
Speaker: It's lighthearted in a way. like he's not it's It's just kind of silly. it's it's not you know it's It's not interiors or one of those serious movies. Sit back and enjoy yourself. Yeah. yeah So I filmed Midnight in Paris. It's just pure entertainment. And I think he doesn't get enough credit for that.
Speaker: um I think half his movies, and again, I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan by any stretch imagination. I like a fair number is movies. And I think he's a great filmmaker. But yeah he has a credit for making kind of entertaining movies. Like this is just entertaining. And Owen Wilson is perfect as Woody Allen, ah which is yeah like you said, Rob, that's obviously who he's supposed to be.
Speaker: Everyone is really all the surrounding characters. Like you said, Corey Stoll is Hemingway is awesome. Kathy Bates is perfect as Gertrude Stein. yeah um And I like, and again, sort of like Moneyball, um,
Speaker: there are There are layers to it if you want, but you could just watch and be totally entertained. But I love that he goes back to the 20s and he's kind of fantasizing and fetishizing the past, how great it was. And he meets the woman, Marion.
Speaker: Cotillard. Cotillard. Yeah. And he's like, I'm totally smitten with her and fucking that. This is who I should be with. And we're totally on the same wavelength. And she's like, 1920s Paris. This is so awful. He's like, what? He's no, imagine being in the 1890s. And then they go back to 1890s within the movie.
Speaker: Yeah. And she's like, this is great. It's too loose to the trek and, um, don't go again or something. And they're saying about like, oh, this, this, this is terrible. I wish we're in the Renaissance and Italy or so. So of course the point is it's easier romanticized the past, but the character, I think his name was Gil Owen Wilson and realizes, yeah well, that's, that is only a fantasy and nothing, but you have the present. And that's when he decides to make the change. He dumps Rachel McAdams and he, he reconnects with the woman, um,
Speaker: who he was talking to yeah you said rob in the record store where they're much more simpatico uh and in true woody allen fashion you know she's 30 years younger um so i like that also that's the message that that's fun to romanticize the past but that's not how it was and you have the present and that you can have a wonderful fulfilling present with the right person now without having to just lament how terrible things are and then you cast back into the past. So there's a little message, but don't get me wrong. It's like 90 minutes of pure entertainment.
Speaker: It's great. I agree with you, Rob. I think it's one of his best movies and I think it's a, it's a great movie on its own. And if you're not a Woody Allen fan, this is the perfect movie to see. It's, it's, it's kind of on Woody Allen, like even though it has his, his hallmarks, but Gwyneth.
Speaker: um Yeah, I don't find much to disagree with ah with either of you. This is really my favorite Woody Allen movie, and I am not a Woody Allen fan by any stretch. I like many Woody Allen movies. I dislike probably many more Woody Allen movies. um But this one does not have the hallmarks of the movies of his that I dislike. I sometimes find it can be very tedious. and But this, I just think, is great. It's just straight up... um entertainment, straight ahead entertainment, just fun. i mean, I think maybe it helps. i I have such an affinity for those 20s writers or that time, that specific time in literature and art that just seems fascinating to me. So of course that's an extra fun element for me, but I think anybody would be entertained by this because he goes back in time, meets like colorful characters, how we would imagine these characters to be, what's the reality? We don't know, but Gil imagines them to be very colorful, and then they are in this kind of, when he goes back in time, and that's what attracts him. But um yeah, ultimately, he he realizes there's something in the present for him. But I just think it's so it's so entertaining. i I do like Owen Wilson in this because he is a perfect... um what's the word um avatar yeah perfect avatar for Woody Allen he's like you said he's got I'm kind of mumbling and I i feel like I look like I'm unsure of myself but actually I'm a really famous writer you know with a big career and um I just that's not bad thank you Let's all do our Owen Wilson now. Yeah. Wow. Wow. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. i don't know. But yeah, I do. I find this another rewatchable movie. So this is what's so interesting about this year is like all these movies are nominated that I would love to watch again and again. um i could watch Midnight. I think I've seen it probably three times now too. um
Speaker: Well, not quite as many as Rob, but maybe... Maybe I'm going to put it in the yearly re rewatchable. But yeah, i do think this is such a fantastic movie ah for Woody Allen, who they have no strong preference for. And there's that's a trick, you know, a director making me like his movies when I don't normally like his movies. So I think that there is something wonderful and whimsical. And if you just want to have like a feel good experience, I think this is in that category of like the descendants and Moneyball. Like it's just a feel good experience. movie to watch. I mean, God, we must have all been in a great move but great mood in 2011 because all those movies are very fun and like movies. I just feel like there haven't been a lot of really fun movies like that in a long time.
Speaker: So, Glynis, what about Hugo? Did you love that? Hugo. So when we first went to see it, and I think we saw it in the theater, I actually did really enjoy it. um It's sort of like very whimsical. It's delightful. um It was in 3D. I think we saw it in 3D. I have...
Speaker: To be honest with you, i did not remember anything about this movie. I remember i knew it was something about in the 20s and there was a clock involved. and you know, as a kid and wacky adventures going on. and um So I didn't remember any of the plot. And then we you rewatched it. and And of course, it all came back. But it is about sort of centering around um this kid, Hugo, who is ah kind of orphaned. And he maintains a clock in um a big rail station.
Speaker: But it's really sort of centered around ah the true life story of ah Georges Méliès, played by Ben Kingsley in the movie. And Georges Méliès, he made one of the first movies, right? Or was it the first movie? The one with the big- It wasn't the first. It was just very innovative and early. Innovative, early, influential movie where yeah anybody who likes movies might recognize the scene and they show in the movie where it's a big moon- And something like, you you know, a rocket flies into it, splats, and it's kind of looking back, it's like, oh, that's funny. But at the time, probably was just incredible to see, right? Because movies are being invented. So it's sort of about how this filmmaker, he was something, and then he... ah maybe also made animatronics. There's an animatronic involved and they're trying to put it back together and it draws things, scenes from the movie. And um yeah, it's just, it's, it's a, Dylan and I have talked about this. It is, I guess it's a pleasant enough film. Although again, on second watch, I was quite...
Speaker: I'm going to get bleeped. It just, I was a little, I was a little impatient for it to be over. And I realized, oh, it's a kid's movie that we, we talked about this. Like it's, it's, it's a kid's movie in the end. So um it's probably great for your kids to watch.
Speaker: um There's wacky Sacha Baron Cohen doing the kind of slapstick stuff. And I realize now it really is filmed for 3D, thinking of the various scenes. So i don't I don't know if it loses something because you don't see it in 3D, but I don't really care about 3D. So I don't know. this movie was fine it was fine i you're not going to remember it going to watch it and like cotton candy eating cotton candy you're gonna be like oh that was pleasant and then you're gonna forget that it ever happened so i i think anyway unless if you were a kid and saw it you might be like wow that was so influential for my movie watching at the time but as an adult i just found it very inconsequential and um think we talked about this lacking in complexity
Speaker: ah There's no real bad character. There's no, you know, there's no real villain. You think it's Slash of Baron Cohen, but at the end, he just, he's misunderstood. ah So yeah, I would say this was okay. It was okay.
Speaker: Rob. ah Hugo, i I didn't like this movie at all. I'm sorry. No, that's all right. I don't feel bad about that. Yeah, I tried to find some value in it, and it's just, it's filled with like a lot of, it seems like it's filled with like a lot of self-importance. Like, here's our Oscar nominees, Martin Scorsese was supposed to get nominated, and it just doesn't deserve it. It's just very slow, very plotting, yeah tries to be funny at times. Those are better than the words I used. Yeah. So with Sasha Baron Cohen's character tries to be funny at times and it's it's not. um
Speaker: Maybe Chloe Grace Moretz was okay in it. um I didn't like the rest of it. It was supposed to be a movie for everybody, which means it's a movie for nobody in particular. You know what i mean? um Lots of dead space between dialogue.
Speaker: It drove me crazy. It's just like, come on, come on, say something, say something. um ah To the fact that it's a Martin Scorsese movie just blows my mind. um Just at his worst in this movie, in my opinion. um Maybe you did have to see it in 3D. I don't remember if I saw it back in the day in 3D or not.
Speaker: but I would imagine that would enhance it a bit and and would make it a little bit more enjoyable, I guess, to see it in 3D in this particular case, because there's not much there. Otherwise, i mean, the big twist in the movie is that Ben Kingsley's character is a um ah shopkeeper who was like Glenna said, it was a very influential movie maker back during the day. And, he named during the war effort he melted down all his movies for into celluloid to make shoes high-heeled shoes or something like that so he didn't have his movies anymore because they needed the actual film yeah uh but way too long way too repetitive an hour could have been cut out and it would have been stronger um i just couldn't stand to see one more scene inside that clock like oh my gosh like stop um And then Papa George was Ben Kingsley's character was just so mean. Like I didn't care that he made movies. All of a sudden they made him into this gentle character who was so nice and thoughtful at the end of the movie. It's not a growth of the character. It's just the fact that it's, it was just a shoddy movie making or storytelling. I think that they made his character so, mean at the beginning and so nice at the end because they they wanted to have a happy ending. It was just like a cheap, cheesy way out of it, I think, you know, to make a happy ending. But I did not enjoy this movie at all and I don't have anything else to say about it, really. so That's fucking awesome. um yeah
Speaker: Yeah, i'm i' um I agree with Rob pretty much up and down on this, but... I'll say this. ah it's It's very unscored says he like, which shows how good a directory is. It's a real fantasy. There's no violence. There's no mafia. There's no ah there's no ironic voiceover. It's a very sweet movie.
Speaker: um So it's surprising that he could do that. And I i think he's one of the few directors that probably could do anything. So take someone like a Stephen Spiel. Actually, I've been to who we taught about Woody Allen. He could never do this movie or Alexander Payne.
Speaker: I don't think they if they can do this movie, they've they've shown no interest in doing this type of movie. So I'm impressed. Scorsese can do this type of movie. Um, so good for him. Um, but the characters are all one dimensional. They're all good people. i think you guys mentioned about Sarah, uh,
Speaker: Chloe Grace Moritz. No, Sasha Baron Cohen. Yeah, it's like he's not really evil. mean, you know, he's he's comical. Ben Kingsley turns out to be a nice guy. i mean, everything kind of wraps up kind of kind of nice and neat. So I think it's a children's movie, which is great. If I'd seen it, was eight maybe, but I don't know.
Speaker: But for an adult, it's really stupid and silly. Well, it is. There's not much to recommend it. Right. You masturbate yourself. It became very self-congratulatory and onanistic where it's like, ah, movies, man, they're just amazing. This guy's, can you believe this amazing artist is doing this? Like, yeah, I can like big deal. So I think the movie is just structurally flawed. Um,
Speaker: I think, like said, it's a kid's movie, so you have to buy a lot the infrastructure where he's an orphan in a clock. And like you, Rob, it's like, one more goddamn scene in this clock. Come I get it. And it's too slow to be a kid's movie, though. like yeah It's not going to keep their interests. No, that's a good point. That's what trying like I guess it's for kids. But no, you're right, Rob. It's too slow even for kids. It's too long. They'll get bored. long now so um So i think he just got I think this just got nominated because people were really impressed.
Speaker: that he could do it. It was a big, it was a box office flop. It didn't do well. Um, and this is, nice ago i didn't realize that. And these were the times when Scorsese was making hits now, like the aviator, like Wolf of Wall Street, like, Oh no, he was a hit maker now. So it wasn't like the old Scorsese where it's an art house movie. So it didn't do well and it's forgotten.
Speaker: I would not recommend seeing Hugo at all. Um, Yes, terrible movie, but got a shitload of nominations. Yeah, yeah, it did. Yeah. So, Rob. Yeah. What did you think of the winner, the artist?
Speaker: The artist. Okay. um Very bold and daring movie to make in 2011. silent film. a black and white film um that says it all right there. um they i i can see what they were trying to do, and it was you know difficult to pull off in today's day and age, and I think they did. I think they pulled it off. I think it was very beautifully filmed. i think the acting, despite the fact they didn't need to speak,
Speaker: was was very good um i didn't quite buy the part that when the talkies came along that she was going to be a big star that was a given and he was not going to be a big star that was a given um i took i didn't like they didn't really illustrate it well i think as to why is he too old was he just out of style did he have a french accent and people wanted an american accent like what was It didn't seem right to me that he's the biggest star in the world and all of a sudden he's just trash because the movies can now feature sound and talking. But that's just a a small complaint and inside of a a movie that I thought was was very well done. um I think it's been kind of forgotten through time. I don't hear a lot of people talking about it, which is unfortunate. um
Speaker: you know He drops deeper and deeper into despair as the talkies get bigger and bigger. The main character. The main character, yeah. sea Sean Dushan's part. George Valentin was his name in the movie.
Speaker: um And, you know, as the movies get bigger and bigger, he just, he attempts suicide. And she's always there to save him because she got her career from him. he He dropped something or something at one kind of red carpet event. And she picked it up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. And boom, she's a big movie star.
Speaker: It's kind of how it happened. But, um you know, they were like, who's that girl? Who's that girl in all the papers? And it turns out she could she could dance and she could act. And that's all you needed to do in the silent films. And then she had a good voice for the talkies and was the biggest star in the world. So um pleasurable film. Dragged a little bit. Another minor complaint. Yeah.
Speaker: I don't feel like I, maybe another complaint is I don't feel like I learned a lot about the silent era other than what they showed. Maybe that's just me. Maybe I knew enough about it to kind of get by and watching this movie. But um I don't really feel like I knew what was going on behind the scenes. Did they really talk to each other during the movie because no one could hear them? um You know, how was it?
Speaker: how was it shot? um I mean, i they, they actually brought forward, brought forth this movie in the four, three aspect ratio, which I thought was interesting. And I guess I learned that that's how all the talkies were. And like ah the size of a, an old TV screen that we used back in the seventies, eighties and nineties. That's how the talkies were or the silent, silent films, the silent films. Sorry. Sorry. Silent films. yeah to say Yeah. So I, I enjoyed it. I, I recommend it. Um, I, I think they pulled it off and what they were trying to do.
Speaker: Uh, I, know, it's funny. You say you enjoy a movie, you think you'd want to see it again. I, did I honestly, honestly, I don't know if I'd want to see this movie again. But I did enjoy it when I said the two times that I saw it back in the day as well as um for the podcast. So I recommend it.
Speaker: What do you guys think? Well, I remember seeing it in the theater and and just being completely charmed by it at the time and thinking, wow, they really pulled something interesting off here. They went they essentially made a silent movie, um and um like a modern-day silent movie about old times in the movies. so um But then on rewatch, I have to say that once you know the gimmick,
Speaker: it's it was It was a little more tedious to watch the next time. i was a little um less charmed. yeah Yeah, which is probably the same reason I wouldn't want to see it again because it's on the small screen and like you already know the gimmick and the trick. Yeah, fair point, fair point. Three out of the five movies we've talked about today, I definitely want to rewatch over and over again. This one, I don't really want to see again. It's just, it's I think I realize it's all gimmick. It's, you know, oh, look at that. They're doing a silent movie. And it's it's kind of winking because aren't silent movies kind of silly now? And, um you know, it it has it has all the elements of a the silent movie, which I don't like. So I don't like watching silent movies now. I think that they obviously we've come so far in acting and that kind of thing. And the acting was good. It wasn't like they were totally doing old timey acting. It was kind of modern, but without the voices, it is also hard to act, I think. um
Speaker: But it's, you know, again, it's it it was a fine movie. I think you should see it once. And then you don't have to ever see it again. It's not super memorable, but there's not really much to remember. It's a silent movie about the talkies taking over and a guy who's struggling to transition. And then they learn to dance and at the end they dance. So that's, I really actually remember when I was thinking about it, like, wasn't there so much more dancing in this? And there was not. i think that was just the trailer. Yeah.
Speaker: Because we were talking about that. was thinking, oh, I think the trailer emphasized that more. So, you know, there wasn't even dancing in it to kind of be interesting. But that's fine because there was also not really that much music. I guess there was music. There was a soundtrack, obviously, to keep it going. but I don't know. i um I guess I was a little disappointed that I was much less charmed by it. Rob, you're right. Nobody really talks about this movie at all. Nobody really remembers it. So it's interesting that it won. I think it won because, and Dylan will but definitely talk probably more about this, Hollywood loves to congratulate congratulate itself about making movies about Hollywood and about movies. Yeah. But yeah, I think that this that's the reason this movie won, because on rewatch, it really loses a lot. And it really loses a lot on the small screen. It's way better to see it on a big screen, which you're just not going to be able to do so anymore. So i this movie was, again, fine. Dylan, what did you think?
Speaker: I mean, I agree with both of you. It was very charming upon the first watch, but a lot of that was the novelty. a second time when you already understand that, it's um it's pretty toothless. Not a lot going on.
Speaker: ah To Rob's point, you know a much better movie about this exact same situation as Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and um Debbie Reynolds. It covers the same ground, but to Rob's point, it kind of shows the panic in the industry and kind of goes through why certain people were not going to be stars any longer, why so other certain people could kind of come up.
Speaker: which as you said, Rob, you don't quite get, I think it's just presumed you understand what what's going on, but what if you don't? Right. So singing the rain is much better with much better. yeah so so So, and again, it actually does kind of explain what was going on in the industry where you could see people are like losing their minds. Like, Oh, we're out of work. What's going to happen? So it didn't really convey that.
Speaker: Um, Yeah, the ad thing was fine, but I think there's a reason you don't see them in American movies. It's, it's a, you know, if you see it once, you'll probably be entertained. Uh, but as we are saying, there's no reason to see it again. And I do think it was the novelty kind of gimmick that people really, um, um,
Speaker: besotted with and better in the theater got in the theater like just about every movie and i I think again it's about it's about Hollywood and Hollywood really likes movies about itself um you know so doesn't mean they always win but but a lot of times that's a surefire way to to get a nomination saying it's about the movies yay so it's fine um yeah if you see it great if you don't see it whatever um It won, so that's what we're talking about. But but honestly... ah But should it have won?
Speaker: Well, that's what we're going to get to. Out of those five movies, should it have won? So, Rob, should it have won? What should it have well What are we doing here? Who am I? Obviously, Hugo was not my pick. Moneyball, I considered because it's such an enjoyable movie, but I think that's one of those movies that it's great that it was nominated. i just don't think it was a best quite quite good enough to be best picture. um better than them Just happy to be nominated. Happy to be nominated. Descendants, the same. Happy to be nominated. So I brought it down to The Artist and Midnight in Paris, and then I said, well...
Speaker: It should be Midnight in Paris. So Woody Allen's highest grossing film of all time is also my favorite movie. And the movie I think should have won Best Picture in 2011. There's nothing to dislike about this movie.
Speaker: Either you connect with it or you don't. And I think most people most people can connect with it. I think the people that don't are the people who are unable to kind of suspend disbelief and like things bound in reality too much.
Speaker: And that's their fault. Screw you. Right. I think the only reason it lost, I'm going to go on a limb here and say the only reason it didn't win over the artist was because the artist was a not only a little bit more daring, But Woody Allen, as we've discussed in podcasts prior, doesn't believe in competition of the arts and doesn't go to award shows.
Speaker: So they knew he wasn't going to be there to accept it. They know he could care less whether he won or lost. Let's just give it to the artist. You know what I mean? That's a bold, daring, adventurous kind of movie to make in 2011. Midnight in Paris really could have been made in any year um except for the I was thinking that too. Except the 1920s. So I loved it. I love Midnight in Paris. I do want to see it again. to me, the best picture 2011 Gladys?
Speaker: glinness Definitely don't think that the artist should have won. I remember at the time thinking, oh, that was fine. i That was good. That was a good movie. I enjoyed that. And I'm not unhappy about that. But the years have not been kind to its legacy. Nobody thinks about this movie that much. So I don't, I think for that reason of all the movies, it was fairly inconsequential as it turns out. It was just more of, i think it was being awarded for the gimmick. And so the, the movie I actually would have awarded. And this was, this, it came down to me between two movies that I liked. I just, I said, yeah.
Speaker: there's no huge technological achievement with any of these movies. So i went with the two that I just really enjoyed the most, which was Moneyball and Midnight in Paris. So to me, it was between those two movies. And I picked, I decided to pick Midnight in Paris. Yeah. yeah um I, I probably will take away Woody Allen's Annie Hall. Oscar and give it to him for this instead. I think it's a it's a really great movie and I didn't realize it was his highest grossing so I think that's well deserved and um it it takes out the... ah I'm just so happy Woody Allen's not in it. you know I think if he were in it I would be like, no, forget it. um he So he had the presence of mind not to play himself.
Speaker: um But ah yeah, I just think it's such a great, fun... old-fashioned movie in the way that we old-fashioned for me now is like an 80s or a 90s movie or something or 70s movie like it just is like oh this is great this is how fun how fun everything is in this and how original and how um it also has a point so i i just think it's a really enjoyable movie i would probably watch it every year if it was on whatever streaming channel I'm watching. So yeah, I, it was hard though. Cause I also really like Moneyball. um But I thought, well, from an, ah an artistic achievement, I think ah Midnight in Paris goes a little bit,
Speaker: Beyond Moneyball. So Moneyball is a great movie. I liked it the way I liked the big short, just like a work in the case or what's, what happened here or break it down or here's a complex thing that happened. I'm going to make you understand it. So I, I enjoyed that aspect of it, but I think just um from, from an artistic standpoint, I think Midnight in Paris is a little bit more deserving.
Speaker: Dylan. Nice. Interesting year because I don't think there's any standouts that people just are beloved. Like, you know, I can't wait to watch this every year or, you know, guess what's coming to the big screen again, whatever.
Speaker: i think i like you said, Rob, maybe Hugo isn't a children's um story. So in a way, all the nominees and even the ones we didn't talk about, it's rare. They're all for adults.
Speaker: um They're not like big IP things and they're not like these kind of stupendous action movies or or new anything. So it's kind of interesting. I appreciate that. Like I said, even the movies we didn't discuss, like The Help, and that's that's for like that's for adults. That's not for kids, you know even though it's very breezy.
Speaker: um So I do like that all these are adult movies, which is a rarity. um But yeah, I i i can't wait anymore. Say it. sorry into so i still Drop the puck.
Speaker: ah yeah i i think it's midnight paris no pretty pretty pretty easily actually ah It's very charming. So it's it's it's it's very well acted for what it is. The directing is very assured, which I always appreciate.
Speaker: Again, the woodman doesn't waste moments, which I like. It's really funny. There is a lot beneath it if you want it. It's very complex, actually, psychologically, but it's also just fun.
Speaker: And again, he is one of those guys... and going to use Scorsese because we're talking about them. We forget how old they are. They grew up on classic Hollywood movies and at heart, they're classic Hollywood storytellers. So of course it's like, well Oh, where are the earrings? I was going to give my mistress. oh Oh, I'm supposed to give it to her. It's like, there's still like, like kind of wacky old Hollywood stuff going on, which is funny, you know?
Speaker: Um, And all the characters are larger than life. And yeah, it's like you said, I imagine Hemingway this way, but I think that's the point. He's in his fantasy, imagine how this Hemingway was. It's like, well, that's, that's also your fantasy.
Speaker: You know, he mostly probably sat around reading and drinking, not fighting bulls and stuff, but that's part of his fantasy. So it's, uh, it's very complex, but it's very breezy and it's really enjoyable. And I think the fact that Rob said it's his highest grossing movie means even if you don't like Woody Allen, which I'm sure there are plenty people who do not like Woody Allen. right You would love this. It's very un-Woody Allen-like, but still keeps, weirdly, some of his hallmarks and idiosyncrasies.
Speaker: So yeah, I would say Midnight in Paris. Yeah, I think i think that it should have won more awards like cinematography. I think it should have beaten out Hugo. I think like those kind of the how they changed the cinematography to go back to the 20s was a lot warmer, which was ah from Gil's point of view.
Speaker: um That kind of thing. I just, I thought it should have like swept the awards. I think Owen Wilson should have won over John What was his name from the artist? Oh, Jean Desjardins. Yeah, exactly. But yeah. So anyways, Midnight Paris. I think so. Unanimous. Unanimous again. And we disagreed though. It reminds me the last one we did when we all picked Star Wars. When we agree, it obviously means something, right? That like, I think we've righted the universe, you know? course we have. That's what we're here to do. But yeah, I think when it's unanimous, I think it means something. I think it really means that they really did pick the wrong movie because there's a clear winner here. Of course, we have hindsight that they don't. You what I mean? Sure, of course. We tell the movies that have stuck with it over time have been remembered. And, know, the artist has been easily forgotten about. Or I don't think Midnight in Paris has been forgotten about. I don't think Woody Allen as a director can be forgotten about. So his body of work stands. Yeah. Whether it's like that or not, it does.
Speaker: It goes to show what a kind of an emotional decision it is at the time. Or or is it more political? I don't know. But at the time, it's like I think everybody liked the artist because it was surprising. And so it probably stuck in people's minds. of Oh, it's surprising. And it's about the old film. And in Hollywood, like like we said, they they love they love talking about themselves. Yeah, they love themselves. Yeah. Well, i think I think the nominations are the way that the Academy shows their appreciation for things. like yeah They just happen to be nominated. like We'll talk about some nominations, like, oh, i'm I'm really impressed that's there. But I know why it's there, because like well we're not getting this best picture, but we want to recognize it's something innovative, or we think it will be around 20 years, or it's very entertaining, or whatever. A lot of it is political in in the sense they have to lobby and market and shake hands. and
Speaker: But like you said, Glace, it is emotional. So I don't expect them to think, you know, is this going to change movies or is this going to be in the canon 20 years? And I think they are kind of um reacting on the spot. And that's fair, too, because it is about what's right now. and you don't know what's going to happen in future.
Speaker: one year alone, 10 years. So it is sort of, well, what's the best movie we think for this year? And, yeah I think they they do their best. Well said. All right. Next up Next episode.
Speaker: Oh, we'll see if we agree on these. Speaking of a wide field, 1973. Hoo boy. The winner was The Sting. The nominees were The Exorcist, American Graffiti, Cries and Whispers, and A Touch of Class.
Speaker: So hold on to your hats. There's going to be an animus choice. Well, goodbye, Glenn, Lisa, and young Dolph, or whoever's listening to us. We really appreciate it. He's got a long list of listeners, but those of the main three.
Speaker: We'll see you next episode. Bye-bye.
