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A discussion of all the films nominated for Oscars, starting in 1929, plus interviews with filmmakers and authors writing about the film industry.
171 Episodes
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Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Elham Ehsas, director of the short film "There Will Come Soft Rains," a story of a young woman confronting the personal implications of rising sea levels resulting from global warming. Listen to hear about the importance of understanding the personal stories of people impacted by climate change, the importance of layered identities in creating a complex character, and the poem that inspired the film's title. Books mentioned in this episode inclu...
Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film The Love Parade. I'm joined by Enrico Banson from the Director's Notes newsletter and we talk about some uses of editing we haven't seen much in early sound films, how gender roles and class differences are portrayed in the film, and what people mean when they talk about "Lubitsch Land" in the director's films. You can watch The Love Parade on YouTube and be sure to check out Enrico's newsletter. Other films mention...
Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Daniel Persitz, director of the short film "Key of Genius," a story of a young blind autistic savant and the teacher determined to unlock his genius through music. Listen to hear about the process of casting such a specific character, a brief communication with royalty, and the task of picking which music to feature in a film that focuses so much on playing music. Books mentioned in this episode include: In the Key of Genius: The Extraordinary L...
Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film Condemned. I'm joined by Luis Mendez from The Mendez Movie Report and we talk about whether or not it is smart for a prison warden to bring in a prisoner to work in his home, the ongoing development of story pacing in films at this time, and some choices that were made with the intent of taking advantage of the use of sound even in the early stages of sound cinema. You can watch Condemned on YouTube and be sure to ch...
Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Sam Davis, director of the new short film "The Singers," a beautiful exploration of untapped talent and raw emotion. Listen to hear about the Russian short story that served as the inspiration for the film, some practical steps the production took to make the film feel more timeless, and the process of finding the incredible singers that populate the film. Books mentioned in this episode include: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russi...
Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film The Trespasser. I'm joined by Kevin Pettit from the See You at the Movies newsletter and we talk about comparisons between relationships of the 1920s and today, the impact of the stock market crash of 1929 on the film industry (and greater economy), and an unexpected hometown connection with the film. You can watch The Trespasser on YouTube or on Vimeo and be sure to check out Kevin's newsletter. Other films mention...
Send us a text Today's episode is the final episode of my series of double episodes featuring conversations with 2025 Student Academy Award nominees. My first interview today is with 2025 Student Academy Award finalists Loïck du Plessis D’Argentré, Maud Le Bras, and Jiaxin Huang, collaborators on the animated short film "The Shyness of Trees." We discuss thoughts on being away from family, thoughts of losing a parent, and the ability to bring influences from multiple cultures into the film. F...
Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film Disraeli. I'm joined by Jeff Kramer from The Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter and we talk about British politics in the late 1800s, how well George Arliss carries the entire film as the title character, and how it seems like the Russians always make good spies and adversaries in movies regardless of the time period. You can watch Disraeli on YouTube and be sure to check out Jeff's newsletter. Other f...
Send us a text Today's episode is part of my series of episodes featuring conversations with 2025 Student Academy Award nominees. I spoke with 2025 Student Academy Award semi-finalist Megan Mullen, director of the documentary short film "Secrets of Satellite Beach" and we discuss the light that she wanted to shine on the issue of contaminated water in her home town, working with two incredible activists for for the film, and the challenges of making a film about a topic so close to her heart....
Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film Hallelujah. I'm joined by Jonathan Hammond, film director who has multiple shorts on the festival circuit this fall. We talk about many of the problems of the film even though it does include an all African American cast, some interesting images of what life was like at the time in the South, whether or not the film qualifies as a "musical" as we would define it today, and what representation looks like in film both in the ...
Send us a text Today's episode is part of my series of double episodes featuring conversations with 2025 Student Academy Award nominees. My first interview today is with 2025 Student Academy Award winner Tatiana McCabe, director of the documentary short film "Tides of Life." We discuss how she came to wildlife filmmaking to help realize a lifelong dream and the challenges that come with being a one woman show filming a documentary. Following that I chat with 2025 Student Academy Award Winner ...
Send us a text Today's episode is the first film discussion episode of the 3rd Academy Awards and my conversation about the 1929 film Bulldog Drummond. I'm joined by Gareth Bradwick from the "Popped" newsletter and we talk about the film's influence on subsequent films in the genre, how the absence of music affects the overall mood of the film, and how this early example of a franchise film is different from what see today. You can watch Bulldog Drummond on YouTube and be sure to check...
Send us a text Today's episode is part of my series of double episodes featuring conversations with 2025 Student Academy Award nominees. My first interview today is with 2025 Student Academy Award semifinalist Tushar Bhojwani, director of the animated film "Roar of the Tiger." We discuss his experience growing up in what's known as "the land of urban tigers" in Bhopal, India and the delicate balance between humans and nature. Following that I chat with 2025 Student Academy Award Winner Mati G...
Send us a text Today's episode is the beginning of my conversations about the films nominated at the 3rd Academy Awards. I'm joined by Beth Lisogorsky who writes the Beth's TV & Film Recommendations newsletter and we break down some of the history of the 3rd Academy Awards, all of the nominees, and take some a few moments to discuss the one missing film that won't get an individual episode this season. You can check out a short clip of some of the awards being handed out on YouTube along ...
Send us a text Today's episode is the first of a series of double episodes you'll be getting throughout the month of September all featuring conversations with 2025 Student Academy Award nominees. My first interview is with 2025 Student Academy Award Winner Lucas Ansel, director of the animated film "The 12 Inch Pianist." We discuss where he found the story the film was based on and some of what went into making the setting seen on screen. Following that I chat with 2025 Student Academy Award...
Send us a text Today's special episode is a conversation I had with my son Joshua about the 1926 film The General, written by, directed by, and starring Buster Keaton. Joshua recommended this film to me after he saw it in a Film Studies class in school and when I realized I'd never seen the entire thing, we decided to make a podcast episode about it. Take a listen to hear us discuss . You can watch The General on YouTube and a huge thank you to Joshua for helping me edit many podcast ep...
Send us a text Today's episode is a replay of the very first interview episode from back in June 2023. My guest was Mia Mask, a professor at Vassar College where she teaches African American cinema, Documentary History, and seminars on topics including horror film and auteurs like Spike Lee, Charles Burnett and Ava DuVernay. She also teaches feminist film theory, African national cinemas, and other genre courses. Her commentary can be heard on NPR and her first book Divas on Screen: Black Wom...
Send us a text Today's episode is my recap of everything from the second Academy Awards back in 1930. I run through all the nominees and winners of every category and give a final ranking of all 19 films I was able to watch from this year of the Oscars. If you missed any of the episodes discussing specific films, you can go back in this feed or just tap on the links below. 3.28-The Return of the Oscars and Lost Nominees of 1928-1929 with Lewis Beer3.30-Street Angel & Skyscraper with Beth ...
Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Dylan Trupiano, director of the new short film "Recesses," a poignant reflection on hidden childhood trauma and education system. Listen to hear about the inspiration for the story in his own childhood experience with a teacher for a parent, the nature of childhood memories versus adult memories, and the difficulties of figuring out how to tackle such a serious topic with the right young actor for the film. Books mentioned in this episode includ...
Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film Dyamite. I'm joined by Murray Mintz from the "CineVibez Fanzine" newsletter and we talk about what the going rate for "buying a husband" was in 1929, some wonderful twists and turns throughout the plot, and innovative uses of sound in director Cecil B. DeMille's first fully sound feature. You can watch Dynamite on YouTube and be sure to check out Murray's newsletter. Other films mentioned in this episode include: Ba...
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