“It Rubs The Lotion On Its Skin, Or Else It Gets The Hose Again” (#90)

Have the podcast hosts stopped screaming? Not yet! We follow last episode’s discussion of the Best Actress nominees of 1991 — including the groundbreaking, genre-defying tale of female outlaws Thelma & Louise — with a look at the night’s big winner, The Silence Of The Lambs. The serial killer thriller not only won the Best […]

“You Watch Your Mouth, Buddy” (#89)

When it comes to leading ladies, you’d have a hard time finding a more powerhouse lineup than 1991’s Thelma & Louise, which saw both of its stars nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars that year. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon play BFFs whose road trip goes seriously south when they shoot a rapist and […]

“Earn This” (#59)

The 1999 Oscars telecast is the most memorable of my youth. Whoopi Goldberg wearing a royal frock and whiteface to portray Queen Elizabeth, a delighted Roberto Benigni leaping onto the seats after winning his first Oscar, Gwyneth Paltrow’s tearful acceptance speech in that pink dress, the Elia Kazan controversy, the Celine Dion backwards tuxedo controversy […]

Not-Oscars 2017

Welcome to another Not-Oscars, where I call out the year’s best craft and performances, including plenty of good work that was not nominated by the Academy. In many years, this list feels pressing to correct some of the Academy’s egregious blunders. This year, I’m pretty happy with the crop of nominees in every category.

Molly & Tonya & Lady Bird, Oh My: The Women Of 2017

Attention, please, gentlemen: 2017’s Best Actresses are not taking any more of your shit. It wasn’t planned this way. No one could have predicted the seismic events that hit Hollywood in the last quarter of 2017, beginning with Harvey Weinstein and continuing with seemingly everyone else. It’s much too soon for awards hopefuls to incorporate […]

We Won Best Picture.

What a night! Leave it to a telecast celebrating the films of 2016 to have a shocking surprise in store at the end. Last year, the modest Spotlight bested the bombastic The Revenant in the Best Picture race, even after Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu won Best Director. This wasn’t a total shocker, because The Revenant was […]

The Not-Oscars 2015

Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences releases a roster of the pictures and performances they think are most deserving of accolades. And every year, I put together this list to tell them what they got wrong.

Bear-Man, Or The Expected Tragedies Of Awards Season: ‘Son Of Saul’ & ‘The Revenant’

(Plenty of spoilers in this review… though you’ve probably heard most of them already.) Here’s a fun game of “Would You Rather?”:

Hard.in.the.City’s 2015 Oscars Drinking Game

No, Academy Awards drinking games are nothing new or novel, and yes, every other more reputable pop culture website has already posted one. But if I’m going to be watching the Oscars, and I’m going to be drinking, and I’m going to be playing a game, I may as well be playing my own Oscars […]

The Gun Show: Tatum, Ruffalo & Carell Brawl In ‘Foxcatcher’

In its most extreme realizations, the American dream means being the best. Foxcatcher is about three men who already are the best, and want to be better.

Mother Of The Year: ‘Still Alice’ & ‘Mommy’

Do you want to cry like a baby? Then boy, have I got a pair of films for you.

The Not-Oscars 2013

It’s the morning of the Oscar nominations, and I’m not upset. This is weird. All the films I wanted to see nominated for Best Picture are. All the actors I hoped to see receive nominations for this year’s performances were. Compare and contrast to last year’s fatal omission of Kathryn Bigelow as Best Director, or […]