Transcript
Speaker: know the Oscars went to, but should they have gone there? Welcome to And the Oscars Should Have Gone To, 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 back then. Maybe our Best Picture pick was clearly the movie everybody loved back then.
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.
Speaker: And with that, we thank the Academy. Let's start the show.
Speaker: And welcome back everyone to In the Oscar Should Have Gone To. We are talking about 1973 this month and um should be an interesting year. There's a wide variety of movies that were nominated for Best Picture and I'll go through the synopses, the brief synopses for you at the beginning. But before we do that, I want to mention our email and thank our listeners and Ask them to tell your friends to listen and they can tell their friends and so on and so on. How about that? It's the Oscars podcast at gmail.com. Oscars with an S. We've been getting some good emails, so keep those up. And let me introduce you guys. Glenis, why don't you say hello?
Speaker: Hello. Okay. And Dylan, yoy Yo, yo, yo. Pack ass, my brother. Woo. Woo. Let's let go through the the synopses, Cries and Whispers. It's ah it's actually a 1972 film that came out in 1972, but was in with the 1973 Best Pictures.
Speaker: It's a tragedy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Harriet Anderson and others. The film's set in a mansion at the end of the 19th century. It's about three sisters and a servant who struggle with the terminal cancer of one of the sisters.
Speaker: The next movie is A Touch of Class. It's 1973, obviously, British romantic comedy film produced and directed by Melvin Frank starring George Segal and Glenda Jackson. The film tells the story of a couple having an affair who find themselves falling in love.
Speaker: And we'll we'll get into that one a little deeper. and The next one is American Graffiti, 1973 American coming-of-age comedy drama directed by George Lucas. Yes, that.
Speaker: Star Wars George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Lucas and Gloria Katz and Willard Hyuk. starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, and other famous people who we'll talk about. Set in 1962, it's a study of the cruising and early rock and roll cultures popular among Lucas's age group at that time.
Speaker: ah And finally, the movie that won Best Picture in 1973 is The Sting. It's a caper film set in 1936 involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford to con a mob boss played by Robert Shaw directed by George Roy Hill and the screenplay by David S. Ward inspired by real life cons perpetrated by brothers Fred and Charlie Gondorf.
Speaker: So those are, yeah, those are the five movies that we'll be talking about. um Why don't we get started off with a touch of class? I'm really curious. Yes, Clintus. I was like, let's talk about this one first. Let's just get out of the way. Yeah, let's do this one. glennis is just so excited do you want to do you want to start us off i want to start talking about one of the worst movies i've ever watched in my life we probably should not spend the entire time bashing this movie unless unless somebody else liked it but um so this is supposed to be i think a rom-com or a dramedy or i'm not really sure maybe like a modern romance, whatever. And I think it fails on every one of those um one of those efforts. It's not a good rom-com. It doesn't really have the kind of drama in it that you'd need to make up.
Speaker: more interesting um i don't know this is just how did this how did this movie get nominated i guess is my big question what were they thinking how much cocaine was going through hollywood i don't know this this is not this is it it baffles the the mind so george siegel and glenda jackson have some of the worst chemistry on screen chemistry i've ever seen ah it's it's you know At first, you think it's going to be this wacky madcap comedy, but they're you know they're both people having an affair. some she He's having an affair, I guess. Is she married? and I don't even remember. I didn't remember the minute. I think she's married. He's married. and She's not. She has kids, I think. Yeah. they
Speaker: meet they see each other they they have some various meet cutes they try to go on holiday together then it's a disaster um and at that point you just realize this movie is terrible and these people are awful and i'd like to turn it off but we have to watch it because we have a podcast so i didn't like it i but i'm curious for rob because you mentioned it a few times and i'm wondering if you liked it or if you felt the same way um I agree with a lot of what you said, but i I feel like I lowered my standards enough to like it a little bit. um Really? i You know, you're right. that The chemistry wasn't the best between the two of them. And reading about it online, I'm reading about all the other actors that they wanted to.
Speaker: play the main two and they ended up with George Siegel and Glenda Jackson who Glenda Jackson won best actress for this oh wait I like how you say they ended up with yeah that does feel it does feel like a default garbage bin movie like oh this one okay yeah we'll do this one I just kind of turned off my Oscar watching podcast background and just took the movie for what it's worth it I mean it's very It's very cheesy. There's holes in the plot.
Speaker: But they didn't make any apologies for the fact that it's cheesy. You know what i mean? But they should have. Yeah, it was a love affair between two incompatible people um who did not get along at all. So, you know, what's the sense of doing it? But it it made me laugh at times. I laughed out loud at of a few times. And I... um I don't know. i just maybe I was in a super good mood that night or something. And I watched it and I, you know, spoiler alert, I'm not going to pick it for, you know, this picture, of course. But it's just I did like it because I lowered my standards. How's that? You know, I don't think it's a good movie, but I enjoyed it. OK, no, I see what you're saying. You know what i mean? You know, I wouldn't even mind seeing it again. shock. um I am amazed that you're able to find the comedy in it, but okay. Yeah. Dylan, what'd you think?
Speaker: Go see Hannah and her sisters. Next. Okay. All right. Cries and whispers. That's our next movie. All right, Dylan, what your turn to expand upon this movie? What'd you think of it?
Speaker: Go see interiors by Woody Allen. Next. Interiors. i never heard of that one. It's the same thing with better acting. This is the movie that when people make fun of foreign movies, they're almost exactly referencing this.
Speaker: When you see an inexplicable perfume ad that you don't understand, it's probably from this and not a parody. um england bergman is is a real pioneer and he's been very influential how this got nominated all of his out of all his other much more famous influential movies like the seventh seal through a glass darkly wild strawberries on and on i have no idea scenes from a marriage if you guys see one england bergman film this is not it um it's representative of him but it's a pile of cliches and it's um
Speaker: Within context, it is not very good. It's a terrible Bergman film. It's terrible Ford But were they cliches at the time? Or were they inventing cliches? I don't know. But at a certain point, it's like, who cares? And he had already done stuff like this before with the symbolism and talking to the camera and taking everyday things as if it's life or death. I mean... listen, don't see this movie, go see seven seal.
Speaker: And then maybe if you want to go from there, you can see some of his movies that are more like this. Like, like I, like I said, literally go see wild strawberries through a glass darkly scenes from marriage. They all cover roughly the same story much better than this. Uh, I, I'm truly, um, I really have no idea why it's got nominated. I can see why touch of class did, even though i hated it. I don't understand why this did. Um, it's a big waste of time.
Speaker: Um, But hey, whenever you can see someone mutilate their genitals, you got to go for it. Gross. But that did happen. sp yeah no no that Spoiler and trigger trigger warnings.
Speaker: Anyways, what did you guys think? so ah Rob, you go ahead. I... okay
Speaker: I actually wrote down in my notes, and I'm quoting my own self here, a brisket enjoyable 90 minutes. I kind of like this movie. I don't know. We're disagreeing like quite a bit this week, this month, but it's it's in subtitles. It's in Swedish, but you might not know it half the time because there's a lot of silences in this movie. But yeah.
Speaker: you know they they have they They use the the use of color to kind of convey moods in this movie, which I thought was interesting. Everything fades to like a red kind of crimson, which is kind of offsetting with the white that everyone was was wearing. Yeah.
Speaker: It was both a critical and commercial success. I mean, the the fading to red instead of black all the time represents kind of, I think, innocence and a tough world. And they were all kind of like innocent. And you kind of explore the relationship between the sisters. Innocent. I really thought it was a reference to blood.
Speaker: Yeah. could be I mean, none of them are innocent except for the servant, I think. i think that was the point. They're all vaguely like shitty people. They were, but the the so the servant was kind of leading the way, though, don't you think, in her innocence? Well, she was the innocent one. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Rob, I have a question for you. Are you are you an Ingmar Bergman fan? i Like, have you watched other Ingmar Bergman? No, I really am not not. It's not like Woody Allen or the Coen brothers or anything like that. Have you seen other ones? This was the first one I've seen. um One of them that Dylan named I had seen, and it just flew out of my head. Yeah, I don't know if it's his best movie, but it's um it's it's it's unique and it's very he puts his his stamp on it, that's for sure.
Speaker: um It's kind of like an art piece, an art film. And he kind of masters the art, I think. But the characters are so personal and private that we want to look away. Some of the times, I know it's okay, I just fell into that trap. That's a layup for you guys. But we feel like intruders almost watching it.
Speaker: um It's an unpleasant subject matter, but the movie's like aesthetically pleasing. But it's a movie about death and sisterhood. And it's they have to make the plot a little complex because of the of the fact that they never really leave. Like, what is it? Two rooms? I think the whole 90 minutes. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: But anyway, before I dig myself into a deeper hole, I want to hear what Glenn has to say. Probably firmly right in between the two of you. Oh, is that really? Oh, okay. I'm impressed. I think this movie needed a little bit I needed a bit of time to see how I felt about this. um And thinking... Like, I really...
Speaker: like i Well, so I liked it better than A Touch of Class. i'm going to say that. Okay. Way better. Like, Dylan, I disagree with you. I see why it was nominated. I understand that completely. i don't understand why ah Touch of Class was nominated. I never will. um But this one, at least this is, it's a weird movie. It's a bunch of cliches that were being invented at the time. They didn't become a cliche, I think, until after someone like Ingmar Bergman. So in that way, he's influential. It is a very interesting film to watch. And by that, I mean, it makes me think of Barry Lyndon a little bit. One of the early ones we talked about where it's like, you're just watching these big, interesting scenes. There's red all over the place. All the rooms are red, right? It's beautiful. Yeah, it's very beautiful. And all the women are dressed in, Well, you know, it's like, it's just in terms of like, Barry Lyndon feels like you're just watching a bunch of stills of beautiful shots. And that's what this movie feels like to me that you're watching.
Speaker: You didn't feel like there's any flow to it? ah Well, there's a flow of weirdness, but. a flow i think i think that I think that there's just... I think what we're looking at is upper class ennui. And i don't have an appreciation for that very much. um And they're all kind of shitty people, it turns out. All the sisters are shitty people. One of the sisters is dying. There's a loyal servant who... um
Speaker: really is taking care of the dying sister in like such an extreme way. Like, and then just everybody's kind of horrible. And in the end, they double down to this, that they're all horrible, that they want to get rid of the servant, give her nothing, send her on her way. And she's like, yeah, I'm out of here. um And I think that the, to me, that just, yeah,
Speaker: In the end, I say like, oh, you're all horrible people. And why did I just spend 90 minutes watching you? On the other hand, it is a very visually arresting movie and weird. So I don't know if you like Ingemar Bergman and you have not seen this one, maybe see it. Or if you want to have a laugh at how weird and boring it is and you have a lot of time, maybe see it. But it is not really, i wouldn't say go and watch it. But if you have a podcast, you have to watch it. I still like it better than a touch of class and totally see why it got nominated. it is kind of, ah what do you call it? um
Speaker: in ah Innovative or or avant garde avant garde or whatever. I can see that the the Academy would want to congratulate itself for being intellectual enough to nominate a movie like this. So did I enjoy it? No. But can i remember it?
Speaker: And yet, yes. And I have the memory of a fruit fly. So that's pretty impressive that I kind of just, but I think the reason I remember it, I remember it is because it's so visually arresting. Like every room is red. Like you said, they fade to red. He's making use of the color red. And I forget, you can read on Wikipedia why, and I can't remember. And I don't care enough to remember, but it was interesting to look at. But I, yeah, I wouldn't say I hated it as much as a touch of class, but I did. I did.
Speaker: It was okay. I don't know. It was... Don't watch it, but it was fine. I don't know. So you're on fence. You're in the middle. I really... i wouldn't have said I liked it and I would never watch it again. But it was... I can see why it got nominated. Anyway, moving on. ah Nice. Nice. Nice.
Speaker: um American Graffiti. um A movie remembered through history. um Good movie. Linda Blair was amazing. Such a shame she couldn't like escape the the character throughout of her career. but um for if you know Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture. i believe you're correct. Reviews were mixed upon release, but moviegoers loved it. it's it's it It was a movie about a um a girl who, she's 12, I think, whose body was possessed by the devil.
Speaker: And, um you know, it's say what you want about the plot line, but they, you know, I think they seem to have pulled that off for a horror movie for the genre, I think. And, um you know, her her bed gets picked up and shaken around and she yells and swears and curses at people and doesn't act like a 12 year old girl because she's not anymore. She's in the body of a 12 year old girl, but it's the devil. So they,
Speaker: enroll priests to try to perform an exorcism and they're very hesitant to do so because it's like this hasn't been done in hundreds of years we need to we need to find someone who you know that we know of it hasn't been done we need to find someone who has performed one so there's two priests that kind of performed the exorcism and tried to get the devil, um, out of her. Um, and you know, there's some deaths along the way. People, you know, don't always make it through, uh, this whole thing. And, um,
Speaker: Yeah, that's that's really the movie. i ah it began its it's weird It has a weird beginning. It begins in Iraq where they're kind of digging up artifacts and then continues in Georgetown, so which is a section of Washington, D.C.
Speaker: um It had a very small release when it first came out, and it did so well in its small release. It made a lot per cinema, per screen, that they released it to a wide audience, and I guess there were a lot of, like, lines to get in and a lot of great word of mouth and um people were dying to see it and it was very controversial and you know they were kind of hoping the director was hoping that uh that the pope would like condemn this movie and if he did speak out against it which sold more tickets and uh so i guess was the second highest grossing movie of the year behind the sting which we'll talk about um
Speaker: shortly But it's not a movie that you really sit and say, wow, how enjoyable is this? You know, it's unless you're numb to like mainstream movies, this movie can you know make you feel something, I guess. And I think that's what people liked about it.
Speaker: um Not every critic liked it. Some of them called it dumb and anti-intellectual. You know, other people thought it was great for what it was and it pulled it off. um Yeah, that's that's what I think. Clintus, what do you think? I think I disagree with the characterization of not enjoyable. I enjoy it a little bit more each time I watch it.
Speaker: And I have to say I've watched it maybe two or three times now. Maybe this is the... second or third time I've seen it. And I pull something more from it each time. And Dylan really shed some light on it for me actually to, to help make the viewing a bit more interesting that it's not just about a girl who becomes possessed. ah It's about a priest who's lost his faith. He really does not believe anymore.
Speaker: um He's a, he's, he's, he became a priest, but he doesn't, he's lost his faith in God. And then this happens and it makes him believe again. And so much so that he allows, he, he takes, you know, he takes the devil into him to, he he sacrifices himself basically, but he dies in full faith of God. And so it's about that, that person's journey. And, and really I think the little girl being possessed is the entertainment to make you watch that story. Well, it's kind of the MacGuffin as they'd say. It's the MacGuffin. Yeah. And, and,
Speaker: And once you see that, ah it really, this movie can be as layered as you want it to be. So it can just be a straight up horror movie with, you know, girls spitting pea soup out and her head spinning 360 degrees. um And all of those horror, there are horrific moments, like when she's possessed and Linda Blair does such a great job. She goes from being the sweet little, you know, kind of precocious 12 year old who you just see there's no darkness in her to like this troubled and then completely possessed child. And um I think it's such a good movie. It's not really as scary as I thought it was going to be. Maybe if I was 14, though, watching it, I would have been very scared watching it and not picking up on all the other stuff. But I think it's really such a ah layered movie that it's a great watch. And then, of course, even though the special effects are really...
Speaker: Not what you would see today. I think they're used to great effect. And yeah, you're going to laugh a little bit about how outdated they look, but I think it's still very effective. And ah yeah, I think Linda Blair is just doing such a great job. She was just never going to get past that role. never So, but I think this is a very good movie and it's not just a horror movie.
Speaker: So I think Dylan will probably say a lot more about that. So, but I, I really, really think, and I'm not even a horror movie person, although I do enjoy horror movies, but I really think this is such a great entry and so influential. Like it's, I'm glad it got nominated back when they were nominating different kinds of movies.
Speaker: Yeah, it's still talked about today. Yeah. Really, as it's stuck with us through history, and it's an important part of pop culture. And it may not be the scariest movie ever, but it's, you know, pulls off what it's supposed to. I think it benefits from multiple watchings, because then you can sort of see all the other inter, the relationships, the interplay of all the different relationships. Like there's a, you know, wait, is it Ellen Burstyn?
Speaker: Ellen Burstyn. Ellen Burstyn, sorry. Yeah, so Ellen Burstyn has a little romance going on with a side character and then that kind of, you know, he doesn't need a good end. and It's just very, um yeah, I think it's very interesting. So Dylan, I think you're a fan.
Speaker: What do you think? Well, I think it's a great movie and transcends horror the way we're taught Star Wars. You know, it's a sci-fi fantasy, but it's much more than that. um Yeah, I mean, the title is The Exorcist, it's not The Possessed. It's not about her.
Speaker: It's about the the priest. And it's very profound. It's also, it's William Friedkin who did The French Connection. I think it was the next movie he did. In The Exorcist, he's...
Speaker: deconstructing realism. And it's very interesting because the tone of the movie throughout is the the little girls, you know, having some sort of psychiatric problems. And I would say, yeah, some of the special effects don't hold up, but it's more the the psychological terror where it's like, it's a 12-year-old girl. There's nothing more helpless in this world. And she's just getting, what the fuck is wrong with her? and else There's also nothing more scary than a 12-year-old girl. so Well, that's true, too. Yeah, I bet you said it. I agree with that. I'd it both ways. It's true. i know it's like, is she just acting up? Is this a whole analogy for puberty? Wow. well that Well, first of all, that's probably there. There's lots of layers to it.
Speaker: Never mind the possession. She's just a mom and her kid is sick and she just doesn't know what to do. To me, that's very you know terrifying. And the child that doesn't know what's going on, it's like, why is this happening? like So lot of the horror is kind of realistic in a sense where this woman's child has a sickness that no one can cure. so that's kind of, you know again, horrifying.
Speaker: And then yeah she's possessed by the devil. or something. And and it it shifts. It is about the priest who is like, I'm a priest, but I kind of lost my faith. And this is all psychological. i have a psychology degree. We don't do exorcisms anymore. that's not We realize it's not true. And he's forced to confront his lack of faith through this girl. And when the older priest comes on, he kind of sets everything straight where the younger priest, the psychologist, the exorcist of the name of the the title is telling the older priest like, Hey, you know, I think maybe multiple personalities. I think this, and, and, and the older priest's like, Nope.
Speaker: There's just one. Like, well, it's like, nope, just one. And the implicate is like, no, it's it's Satan. Nevermind all this other malarkey. And you have to accept that, which means the character has to accept it when he doesn't want to.
Speaker: It's either a matter of, I don't believe. He goes, no, I don't want to believe. Do you understand? I don't want to believe. I don't care if it's true, but he's forced to accept it. He does the heroic thing. He becomes a Christlike figure and sacrifices himself a little girl, even though no one's ever going to know.
Speaker: and people gonna think he's crazy, but he did it. He finds his faith and he becomes like Jesus and beats the devil. Like that's very profound for a horror movie. um And you throw in the great acting of Linda Blair, of Max von Sydow and Ellen Burstyn who got robbed of an Oscar. Luckily they made it up for the next year, which was a makeup.
Speaker: So I think it's a genuinely great movie, frankly. And whatever horror is dated should be made up for the psychological terror and the underlying themes of faith and belief and science. um and the interconnectedness of everything in this world where nothing changes everything ancient is still modern and americans and 70s can believe believe something else but in the end the old the old rules still apply they're just underneath waiting to kind of come forth But it's still a movie for it's is still a movie for everybody. If you're kind of stupid and you just want to watch a horror movie, then that's great. But if you want to you know if you think yourself as a little bit of an intellectual and you want to go a little bit deeper, that's there for you too. It's it's great for the whole family, except for your five-year-old. Don't let them watch it. oh Yeah, not too young. That's for sure. Okay, well said, both of you all. um Okay, so American Graffiti.
Speaker: what a What a delightful movie. I think it's just, it's, it's such a fun, breezy movie. Um, and I'll get to the influence first. I mean, it kind of, first of all, it kind of kicked off this whole fifties revival in the seventies that had happy days, Greece, um, right and charlieley goodburn and Shirley, and I don't know.
Speaker: I was, it was very influential just in pop culture. It just kicked off this whole fifties revival, which is amazing. Um, It's hard to appreciate now, but it was very it was like an independent movie.
Speaker: um I mean, it had like Coppola behind it, but Lucas was like nobody. And all these stars were nobody at the time. It's just one night and they're all leaving high school or the Richard Dreyfuss character is kind of the the de facto main character. He's about to go to college, but he wants to enjoy kind of one last night as a young person, as a young high schooler.
Speaker: And they kind of get into all these adventures. And it's not very serious, um but it's still it's nostalgic without being cloying. It really captures a lost time where kids just kind of hung out and drove around to see who else was hanging out. The acting's really good. It's really natural.
Speaker: caveat, I really like 50s music, so I thought the music was was great. If you like fifty s music, you're probably out of luck. It does take place in 62, but yeah. I mean, until Kennedy got shot, it's still like the 50s. It's still like kind of doo-wop and you know at the hop. And I think Rob will probably speak on this. I think the soundtrack was a huge hit, right?
Speaker: Absolutely. Yeah, and and he'll speak more about that, I'm sure. But I think it's just a wonderful movie that everyone should see for its influence, to see the young stars, and just as a great movie that's not serious,
Speaker: But it's not like stupid. it's It's very realistic and natural. I think i think everyone should see it. Rob? Yeah, I agree with everything you just said. um Another movie that's kind of stuck with us and as part of the pop culture. Hard to believe it was made by George Lucas, but what an amazing job he did. I mean, until you just felt like you were there in the car with everybody. You know what I mean? Like you didn't feel like you were there was a camera on these cars and you were intruding in their lives. Like you were you part of it. feel like you're riding along with them, right? Like, hey, I'm along with the ride. Like, what are we doing? Exactly. Exactly. Which is um amazing. It must be amazingly hard to to pull off. And he he did it.
Speaker: um Yeah. Modesto, California is where it took place. Drew from a lot of his experiences in life. I guess he was, he was he saw each of those characters. I saw in an interview that he said, like he he was the nerdy guy at one point and he, was a cool guy at another point and he was a hanger on her at another point and at least he thinks he was but yeah at least he thinks he was he was sort like the paul lamat character he's like he's like oh i was totally in the cars like i did hot rods and all this stuff yeah exactly he took his turn being that character uh i guess your original title imagine this was another quiet night in modesto to change it to american graffiti much better But I think the only one that was really known at the time from his work as a child actor was Ron Howard. He was billed as Ronnie Howard in this movie. The rest of them, like Dylan said, were really unknown. And this was his first, you're not really adults in this movie, but non-kid role that he ever played with to to break out of it. And he got happy days, I'm sure, from this. and It's kind of a feeling of... um
Speaker: finality in this movie that I think is is really poignant in the fact that and everyone's kind of moving on after this movie, especially Richard Dreyfuss's character, Kurt. He's like undecided whether he's moving on. He's going to decide by the morning whether he's going to go to college and move on. It's kind of a turning point in history too. You hit upon the Kennedy assassination, which happens like a year after this movie takes place. You got the Cuban Missile Crisis, which hadn't happened yet. You got Vietnam, which hadn't happened yet. All these things are just about to happen right after 62. And there it's the end of the innocence, so to speak, for ah for a lot of them, for many reasons, because not only are they getting out of high school, but the world is you know about to change and they they don't know it.
Speaker: Um, it has, I think I, I thought it had kind of like a documentary type feel almost to it. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know why I thought that in a good way. Yeah. No, I think that was intentional.
Speaker: It was intentional. Like you, like you said, Rob, you kind of feel like you're along for the ride. I think, no, I think that's yeah perceptive. Right. And I guess the the way it was originally supposed to be done was in in segments like A, B, C, D with the plot rather than intertwining them. oh So that would have been a big mistake yeah if they had done it that too. works with the intertwined. You get a sense they're all in this town just kind of passing by or just missing each other, you know? Yeah.
Speaker: But really a brilliant work of like historical fiction, i think, other than what George Lucas was and these characters. But... but but and also the other things were to come for the actors not just the the characters and in the turning of the the world after 1962 but this was before like dylan said before laverne and churley before happy days before star wars before you know indiana jones like look ah like look what all of them were about to to become you know after this movie and it's just kind of uh exciting to be a part of that but the music um
Speaker: I looked up the term diegetic music. Yeah. Right. Yeah. That's the music that the characters can hear as well as you. So there's no, they didn't, it took them so long. There was 71 songs in the movie. Wow. And wow yeah.
Speaker: And, and they came up with the second soundtrack that said thus it was called like the 71 songs from American graffiti, which initially they had a, a bridged soundtrack and then they came out with all 71 songs. Yeah. Which if you want to just put on this movie in the background and not even watch it, you know, just to hear the music, the 50s music and enjoy that right up you know until 62, it was is quite amazing, I think.
Speaker: So one of the most profitable movies ever, $200 million dollars earned on a $4 million dollars budget, which is, where that's quite an investment. I think this movie was singularly responsible for, like Dylan was alluding to, the 50s revival later. Like, you know, it it gave the 50s their identity, the cruising culture. Yeah. And the the music. And, Glynis, what do you think? I loved it, by the way.
Speaker: Really no notes for either of you on your reviews. I have to agree with everything. Like, really great movie. I have watched it maybe two or three times now, and I do enjoy it a little bit more each time. So I think it's rewatchable. um Its influence is huge. It really kicked off a big nostalgia kick for for that generation. I think that boomers are really given to nostalgia, and this is... a big part of that, even the generation before as well. Um, and yeah, it's just a really fun movie. I think it's probably the best movie George Lucas has ever directed, including star Wars. Yeah. Because it's really honest and very, um, heartfelt and, and, and he succeeds at everything and there's no bad acting or anything like totally can see why it was nominated. Well, deserved. And, um,
Speaker: i like I really enjoy it more each time. i think I'll probably watch it again at some point in the future. It's just a really fun, cozy watch. If you just want to feel good and have a nice nostalgic time for a time you didn't even know about, I think this is so great to watch. like it just It puts the early 60s, which was still essentially the late 50s, it puts it in such a ah great...
Speaker: the best light possible right of course we know nothing's i did ideal at any given time but it's just kind of a feel-good movie because it's a it it is his experiences so and i think what helped was i think we watched the documentary that was on the the dvd that we got oh yeah yeah And what they talked about was that George Lucas is really just like, I'm taking the first take. That's it. And if there was mistakes in it, it didn't matter. Like there's um a point where, um, I can't remember the the nerdy guy's name. Yeah.
Speaker: It's Charles Martin Smith. Charles Martin Smith is on a scooter. and It got early scene and he drives and all a sudden he has a mistake and he plows into a building and some garbage cans go flying. And you look, you think that's such a great scene. It looks so intentional. But what he said was that was a complete mistake and he was so pissed off that he'd done that. And, and then that was the take that was used. And they kind of commented like they would make, he would take the the takes with the mistakes in it. And that I think really works so well because it has this air of really naturalistic acting from a bunch of actors that are not known to be naturalistic actors, I think. So it it really just felt like, I think that's why it feels like a documentary because he didn't do a lot of polished takes and he didn't choose the most polished take. He choose chose the least polished ones. And I think that really, really worked. So it it is like just, yeah, it's really enjoyable. I enjoy it more every time I see it. um
Speaker: And go see it. Definitely see this. Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. Okay. So we're all in agreement on that one. Yeah. for one i'm ah I'm big on the the two in a row thing. So we're going to the sting. So, Glennis, you want to go first on the sting?
Speaker: I'm really curious to hear what you this thought about it. Me too. Yeah. Sting is a fine movie. It's okay. But I don't really love heist movies or caper movies. Okay. So um I don't, it just just, this movie doesn't stick with me. And I don't even know if I've seen it more than once. Like I feel like I've seen parts of it, but this time that we watched it might've been my first time for seeing it, which feels amazing to me because everybody knew about the sting growing up. um
Speaker: You know, Paul Newman is Paul Newman. So you have to know what movies those are. He was really kind of going strong, I think, for a long time, even into the eighty s right? Like...
Speaker: you know I don't know. I don't have much to say about this movie. It's okay. It's fun. It's a romp. um It's two Hollywood stars. I think they're trying to recreate... um my God. Butch Cassidy.
Speaker: I think they're trying to recreate Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid. And they're they do, in a sense, just maybe not as well. But I don't know. It's okay. I don't really have anything super negative to say about this other than it's just not... It's like...
Speaker: it's just a It's just a caper film. And the acting is fine. there's There's just nothing super exciting about this to me. so and I'm kind of amazed at one, I guess. um oh or Or maybe I can understand why at one. I don't know. but i know it's I don't know. I never want to see it again, really. i don't like i don't like all the the wacky switchbacks. you You just know in the end... like But, yeah, no, it didn't irritate me. It's fine. I can see why at the time it was a real feel-good kind of movie for people to go out and just go to the movies, you know, um and and have a nice night and don't think too much about anything. And it's just, you know, it's not a very serious movie. And it's it's good. It's fine. I just... um
Speaker: I guess i I don't understand why it won. So it sounds to me like you gave Cries and Whispers a better review than Sting. Yeah, it does. scar yeah So if I'm coming across that way, no, if I'm coming across that way, no, I definitely liked it way better than Cries and Whispers. I did not like Cries and Whispers.
Speaker: So your standard was probably higher for the sting. Yeah. i Because it won best picture. And also because it is two big movie stars who I do genuinely enjoy. and but, but I think it's just like, it's a, I guess the best word for it is it's a very slight movie and there's not much more to it than it's slight. It's a slight fun capery romp that you're not going to remember at all. Other than like, there's a lot of switching of briefcases or something. I don't know. I think they call it switcheroos. There's a lot of switcheroos. Thank you. Yes. As, as parodied in one of my favorite TV shows community, um, lot of switcheroos. Um, and I don't have a lot of patience for that. So part of it is maybe the genre I don't care for, but It's fine. No, but I did like it. Obviously, I liked it way better than Cries and Whispers and A Touch of Class. It's just I don't think it's the greatest as great a movie as it it's being portrayed with this so Oscar win. Okay. Yeah. What about you, Rob?
Speaker: i I disagree respectfully. I think it's a classic. I think it's a movie that's... that that is yeah yeah I it. Yeah. It's the 20th highest grossing film ever adjusted for inflation. And I think for a good reason. I think a lot of people saw it and enjoyed it. I think it can be...
Speaker: enjoyed within the genre and without the genre um i mean every time i thought i had it figured out there was a twist or a plot change and you know i hadn't seen the movie in so many years i had forgotten a lot of a lot of it and really you know intrigued me and brought my attention well i think at the point you do forget a lot about the plot so i think you can watch it multiple times you can watch too much it's a fairly forgettable plot Yeah, I mean, it won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, as we know.
Speaker: um It probably did for Scott Joplin, what American Graffiti did for 50s music, brought back like his music. I think the entertainer and all those kind of songs, fill those up musical pieces. um It lets the audience feel like they're kind of in on the tricks, which is, ah you know, you as the tricks are going on, It's kind of a cool feeling to know exactly what's going on, and it makes the end even more surprising because you think you're in on everything, but the ending is still shocking because you're not in on the ending. I think I was pretty much in on the ending.
Speaker: Yeah, I think I guessed it a mile away. I did not. I knew no one was going to die. It's a Hollywood movie. Yeah, it's not coming a mile away. yeah But that's fine. I think that's, you're expected to, you know. it's part of the genre. That's okay. yeah That's okay. yeah know they're going to get away. It doesn't mean you don't enjoy it. You know what I mean? Right, right, right. I like how they showed like who's who in the movie and like their names, theyre there the actors' names at the very, very beginning, which I thought was cool.
Speaker: ah You know how you read a book sometimes and it'll tell you like the characters and they're they're different, you know a sentence or two about them before you start reading the book. there was is It was kind of like that at the beginning of this movie. I like how they did that. It's got to be one of the best screenplays, I think, ever written. One of them.
Speaker: but I, I thought the screenplay was fantastic. Uh, they wrote a novel after the screenplay cause the screenplay was, it was so good, but it has a lot of charm, a lot of humor, several twists. Um, I think as far as a caper movie, it's gotta be the best of its genre, I think. Uh, yeah. And I see your comparisons to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid, but, um, I forgot all about that as the movie was going on. Um,
Speaker: you know paul newman needed this movie he had like five like flops right before this this yeah i mean i enjoyed the heck out of this movie i want to see it again now that i know what's going on and everything and see how they pulled certain things off um but the two of them were fantastic uh as they were you know they're good and everything they were they were ever in and sometimes the movies weren't so great but they're always great themselves but tillon what'd you think ah One, i appreciate the throwback. Like you were saying, the type the actors at the top of the bill in the beginning of the movie, that's like a throwback to like the 30s and twenty where when you see a movie, they would say, okay, starring...
Speaker: yeah whatever fucking Betty Davis and Paul Henride. And ah so I think it was a self-conscious, like, this is like a, we're trying to get a capture of thirties feel, which okay you can't do in the seventies. Exactly. But I think that's like the sets were very unnatural, which I think was on purpose. I think it's like, Oh, this is sort of like a movie made in the thirties. I think they're really going for that feel.
Speaker: Hmm. where there weren't a lot of exterior shots. It was most like, oh, it's obviously a backlot. But i think I think that's what they're going for, honestly. um that is it was supposed to be kind of self-consciously a like ah a charming throwback to the 30s, those types of movies where the plot doesn't matter. You just want to see movie stars kind of do their thing. you know like When you see like an old James Cagney movie, the plot's ridiculous. You just want to see James Cagney walk around. no I think that was part of the charm. It's like, well, just want to see Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Yeah.
Speaker: Now, having said that, I think a flaw was a lot of times they had separate storylines going on, which i think I think they were trying to capture that Butch Cassidy chemistry, but a lot of times they weren't in the same scenes.
Speaker: right And so I thought that kind of diminished the whole idea like, oh, you want to see these two guys again together, but like half the movie, they're off doing their own things. So it's like, oh, that's too bad. yeah i kind of want to see more of them interacting. that's a good point. Because they're very different actors and and personalities, right? Like Robert Perford always seems like, well, I'm too intelligent to comment on what's going on right now. I'm going to take it in and then I'm going to do something. Paul Newman is always kind of like smirking like, hey you know, like I'm going to charm the pants off you. So they have a very good.
Speaker: Chemistry, I thought in Butch Cassian, this, I thought it a little too, they weren't together enough, but that's just my my take on it. um How Robert Shaw has not been nominated for an Oscar in the 70s is beyond me, which is why the Academy sucks.
Speaker: um For Jaws, for this, for taking the Pelham 1, 2, 3. How he doesn't get nominated for any of those movies. That's bullshit. He was great in this. But anyways, um having said that, I think it's a slight movie. I don't hate it. I don't like it. It already went through my head like, yeah okay.
Speaker: George Royal Hill is a real hack. um he He delivers movies that like- Yeah, he kind of hit it with Butch Cassie. But if you look at filmography, it's like, oh, sure.
Speaker: They're movies no one like gives a shit about because he's he's not that good a director. he's just he's a He's a guy, I think, that probably claps the whiteboard and then just like sits and reads like a racing form or something. So it's it's i I think it got it got nominated at one, I think, because there wass a huge hit.
Speaker: Although correct me I'm wrong, think The Exorcist actually was a bigger hit that year, I think. but And that's included too, obviously. I think that it was a makeup for Butch Cassie and Sundance a little bit.
Speaker: I think everyone's very happy to see them together again. um And it is a classic, honestly. i think people should see it. And I think you're right, Rob. I think for a caper film, a modern caper film, it's really the template.
Speaker: um Like Glenna said, I get tired of the switcheroos. But if you like this genre, I think it's it's good. Like I think, oh, if you like switcheroos, this is perfect. Like, you know, who's who's doing what and who's on what side and stuff like that? And what's the scam? So I think it's a genre piece. It's really exemplary, actually.
Speaker: but I don't think it's a great movie. I think it's okay. um I'll never watch it again. i think it is kind of slight. um And that's, again, that's not the fall of the movie. That's what George Roy Hill does. He's a crowd pleaser. This is going to be a very crowd pleasing movie. Not a lot going on, but i I think my main complaint why I didn't like it ultimately, I don't think there's enough of Newman and Redford together. And as it turns out, they never work together again. So it's like, ah, shit. Like that was kind of the last chance.
Speaker: So it's okay. I don't hate it. I don't like it. People should see it for their cultural reference. Like you said, Rob, just the entertainer alone and stuff like that. And there's a fun factor watching them, you know, prance around, but, um you know, it's it's okay.
Speaker: So I think we're at that point where we can kind of talk about what we're what we're picking. Glennis, I want to hear what you you picked for Best Picture. so i came into this undecided, and I decided to, you know. you need more time? No, no, I know. told that cracker now I think I'm going to pick. It came down to two movies for me, and it was between American Graffiti and The Exorcist. And um I think that either one ah could have won, but I think the one we remember the most and the one that has the most layers would be The Exorcist. Oh, good. The one that I think is just the most enjoyable, like as ah as a watch um for most people would be The Exorcist, I think. okay I mean, I could be wrong. but but A lot of people don't like to be scared by movies, but that one just is so...
Speaker: so entrenched in our cultural memory and so influential for every other horror movie that came after um i think it can't be denied but also just a really interesting thrilling watch real classic um i for for all the reasons that we talked about earlier i just think that probably should have been the one that got the the top award yeah All right. Well, okay. So Glennis picks The Exorcist. Dylan, what did you go with? um I agree Glennis. I think it's The Exorcist.
Speaker: I think American Graffiti is a solid number two. Okay. um i And I understand why The Sting was picked. Absolutely. The Exorcist is still very avant-garde. And as you said, Rob, horror movies are almost never nominated, let alone win. I think Silence of Lambs is still the only quote-unquote horror movie that's ever won. um But I think The Exorcist, again, it's not just a horror movie, which is hugely influential in in in the genre, but on its own, it's much more than that.
Speaker: And no, I think it's just a great movie. And I think American Graffiti is also a great movie, like you said, that no one knows enough about. Everyone kind of knows The Exorcist, even if they've never seen it. They kind of understand the references. But yeah, no, I think it's far and away...
Speaker: the the better movie than the sting certainly which again nothing against the sting i can see why it won but uh over the over the over the uh over the test of time no one no one no one talks about the sting no one even knows it exists but the exorcist you say the exorcist someone's gonna have a vague notion of like i don't know head churning spinning pea soup or whatever um and i think it's just great on its own so i am picking the exorcist Okay. ra Thank you very much for that. Yeah. So I had it narrowed down to three movies. I think you two had it narrowed down to two. Yeah. The Exorcist American and Graffiti and The Sting. And, you know, i I always think of, I think of my late grandfather thing saying like, oh, what a picture. You know what i mean? About certain movies that he would like were from his day or from, you know, as late as the 70s, that kind of thing. And I'm trying I try to think of what movie is a what a picture kind of movie in American Graffiti. I loved to death. To me, that was a feel good movie, but it was more of a feeling than a what a picture kind of movie. um
Speaker: Not to slight it at all, I want to see it again and I highly recommend American Graffiti, but I'm not going with that because of that reason. The Exorcist is remembered through history probably, I agree, probably better than any of these five movies. It's the template for which horror movies are are made and it will always be with us and and everyone always has an opinion of it. I think people have an opinion of that movie Whether you've seen it or not, to be honest with you, which I think is is saying a lot.
Speaker: But for me, my what a picture film is The Sting, and that's what I'm going to go with. I think Hollywood got it right. um I just think it's, yes, it's a caper movie, but it's the best. And that's the template that also that this particular movie is. It kind of went with and kind of exists and it exists in ah the the vacuum of of of to caper movies, but it also kind of extends beyond that. And it's my what a picture film that people will remember. And I do think they remember the sting. I have to disagree with that a little bit. And that's what I'm going to go with.
Speaker: All right. So we have one for The Sting. We have two for The Exorcist. And Hollywood, I guess, agreed with me, I'll point out. So, wow. oh Okay. So that wraps up our show. Remember there are email. Send us ah your comments, criticisms, complaints, compliments, anything that you want to talk about, theoscarspodcast.com. want to give a quick, very brief, because I know we're running a little over. our Shout out to my brother, Dana. This is his year, 1973. He's an avid listener, and this was the year he was born. so um oh young Dana, you have to email us about how wrong we are.
Speaker: How wrong we are. What do you think he would pick? you know You know, I i i don't know. i don't know. If he picks up such a class, he's he's suspended. He's suspended from listening. He goes to movie rehab. Yeah.
Speaker: Okay. So next month will be a podcast I'm sure you'll all be interested in. It's 2025, which just ended. We don't, as we're recording this, we don't even know the nominees yet, but we will soon. And we'll talk about those movies next. And we'll see how many they nominate too. Could be eight, could be nine, could be 10. We don't, we don't know.
Speaker: And that will be our next podcast. So tune in for that one. So thank you both. and It was a pleasure. Tune in again next month for 2025 on and the Oscar i should have gone to.
Speaker: Okay, and the 2025 nominees are Train Dreams, Sinners, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, Frankenstein.
Speaker: Begonia, Secret Agent. F1.
Speaker: you
