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Rewatching Oscar
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Freelance film critic and obsessive movie nut, Jack Ferdman, gives a detailed analysis of every Best Picture Academy Award winner by diving headfirst into its structure, writing, direction, and acting. He will share his insane passion for cinema with discussions about the random Oscar winner selected in each episode, as well as the many other greats from that calendar year. Join him every second Friday on his journey of re-watching every film that took home the top prize.
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Biographical films can be incredible ... that is if they delve deep into the main protagonist's character based on their past. Their influences growing up drive who they are and why they became the important figure, we are watching being analyzed on screen. In 1970, there was a larger-than-life war hero, who for better or worse was a strong force for the American effort in defeating the Nazis in WWII. However, George S. Patton ruffled more than a few feathers during the last few years of the ...
Another Oscar broadcast for the history books! Download and listen to Jack's take on the 97th Annual Academy Awards that took place on Sunday, March 2nd. Anora rocked the night with 5 awards including the big prize. Conan O'Brien did a great job with his first time hosting, but who will come back next year? Jack recaps the night and gives you his insight on what happened ... from the winners, the great jokes, the presenters, and even the contoversy. The night went pretty smo...
Only two more days until the big night, so I guess it's time for film critic Jack Ferdman to make his final picks. He has seen all the films ... that's not surprising. But what is, are some of the predictions he has made for what will win each, and every one of the 23 little golden statuettes that will be given out on Sunday, March 2nd. Will he pick The Brutalist, Anora, Conclave, or maybe a film that is a long shot to win the top prize. Download and listen to his choices on...
There is no doubt that this film has a backstory that is fairly controversial. Director Elia Kazan testified to Congress and the HUAC hearings, and named names. There are many people who became his enemy, and never forgave him. However, undoubtedly, his film On the Waterfront is a true classic. A great story about redemption, incredible direction, and amazing performances by the entire cast, including a legendary one by one of the greatest actors of all time, Marlon Brando in his Oscar-winnin...
Films usually have a nice structure to it that makes us feel complete ... the movie has a beginning, a middle, and an ending that kind of wraps everything up neatly. And then there are a few that just don't do that. LOL! The Academy Award-winning film for Best Picture of 2014, Birdman, doesn't do thta. The film is as open-ended as can be. However, the film's technical aspects, the acting, and direction, are all brilliant. This film is very unique ... and was praised by critics and movie goers...
Well ... another year has passed and we finally are here.: The announcement of the Academy Award nominations for the best films of 2024. Yes, there weren't many shockers ... but there are always a couple that stir the pot. Fans lose their minds and they complain and complain about their favourite films or performers not getting recognized. The Academy can't please everyone! Lol! Listen to what Jack has to say about the nominations, the snubs, and his early predictions for who will...
There are very few extra-special films in the history of cinema that not only stand the test of time, they really changed the way we look at history in general ... fictional films that make us see real life in a truly different manner. Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front did just that. It took our perspective of war and turned it on its head by having us see the world of the enemy soldiers. This film is so technically brilliant and the acting is first-rate. This is a ...
The 1960s was the last true decade of the Hollywood musical. Yes, there were others since ... however, they were few and far between. And in 1964, the third of that genre to win Best Picture in those ten years was the huge box office smash hit, and film adaptation of the Broadway hit, My Fair Lady. This Rex Harrison/Audrey Hepburn film was loved by pretty much everyone who saw it. The songs, the costumes, the sets, and the beauty of Hepburn were reasons enough for this film ...
Romantic-screwball comedies had to start sometime ... and that sometime was early 1934. And there was a film that took Hollywood by storm ... Frank Capra's It Happened One Night. This film is one of only three films to home the Big 5 on Oscar night (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay). So many great scenes, great lines, wonderful direction, and incredible performances by Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert make this movie a true gem of cinema. After 90 year...
It took over nine decades for the Academy to award the Best Picture of the year to a foreign language film. And although there were hundreds of brilliant masterpieces that could have won, including eleven other films that were nominated prior to 2019, it was well worth the wait! Parasite is truly a special film full of incredible performances, great direction, a brilliant screenplay, and so many deep themes to analyze. It really is that good. However, 2019 was a great year i...
Well, here's a film that won the Best Picture Oscar that was actually a remake. The was the epic silent version in 1925, but it's the 1959 Biblical classic that everyone remembers. Ben-Hur ended up winning 11 Academy Awards that year, which is still a record that stands until this very day. There is so much to love about this film ... the acting, the direction, the incredible score ... and of course the brilliant sets. But this movie is always remembered for the chariot race. It s...
Here is a film that is eerily similar to what has been happening in the United States political world since 2016. The movie is All the King's Men, a story about greed, corruption, and those who blindly fall prey to those in power. Great direction by Robert Rossen, wonderful acting, and a script based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, launched this film all the way to a Best Picture Oscar victory for 1949? But 75 years later, does it still hold up enough to be regarded as the best...
Listen to film critic Jack Ferdman's take on it as he analyzes everything about 12 Years a Slave as well as many other films from that year, and hear which film he gives his Rewatch Oscar of 2013. Download, listen, and share ALL Rewatching Oscar episodes. SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW Rewatching Oscar: Website: https://rewatchingoscar.buzzsprout.com Apple Podcasts/iTunes Spotify Google Podcasts iHear Radio Podchaser Podcast Addict TuneIn Alexa Amazon Overcasts Podcast Addict&nb...
Another year ... another biopic wins Best Picture. This time it's Gandhi's turn. A film that covers 50 years of a man who has been revered by millions upon millions of people around the world. The performance of Sir Ben Kingley as this small, meek person with no position in government taking on the British in order to get India its sovereignty is absolutely remarkable. However, is that performance enough to make this three hour biopic brilliant on every other level. Also, was it deservi...
There literally was no other year like it. When you look at the list of films that were released in the calendar year of 1939, well, the films most people would consider brilliant classics are in the dozens! You can spend weeks upon weeks watching movies from just that one year, and you would be completely and thoroughly satisfied. The Academy, however, can only pick just one Best Picture winner ... and although many people have differing opinions on what was the best film that ye...
Film critic and historian, Jack Ferdman, loves this time of year! He's a proud Torontonian ... so why wouldn't he love early September? It's not just because of the beauty of fall in his hometown. It's mostly because he goes to his favourite event every year ... The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). And 2024 was no different. It's one of the best events for Cinema in the world. And this year, Jack interacted with many actors, directors, critics, a...
Biopics Biopics Biopics! The Academy loves biopics. There are so many that have been nominated for Oscars ... and even some that have won the top prize, Best Picture. And in 2001, there was one that did just that. Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind won the hearts and, pardon the pun, minds of so many film fans worldwide. It was a huge box-office success. This story about mathematician and Nobel Prize winner, John Nash, tells us the story of a man who had to overcome his ill...
There are a lot of Best Picture winners that are big, bold, and epic in size. Well, in 1936, MGM made something pretty big ... and long. A film that brought people to the theatre to enjoy the spectacle of Broadway, especially if they weren't able to see a show live ad in person. The Great Ziegfeld, at the time, was the longest talking film ever made! It was a box-office success! Looking back all these years ... despite its success, should it have also won the Best Picture of...
There were tons of great films that came out in 1984. However, there was one that took away 8 Oscars at the Academy Awards. Amadeus won the hearts of both fans and critics with its amazing story and brilliant performances by Tom Hulce and Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham. However, 4 decades later, should it still be regarded as the best film of 1984? Listen to film critic Jack Ferdman's take on it as he analyzes everything about Amadeus as well as many other films from that ye...
Bing Crosby was the biggest star both in music and in film of the 1940s. Going My Way put him on an even higher level of popularity. The film earned him the Best Actor Oscar, which was the first of three nominations in his acclaimed career. His charm, his demeanor, and of course his beautiful voice, was a huge reason for the movie's success. However, has the movie stood the test of time? Does it still resonate with people after 80 years? Does it still deserve to be reg...
Here is another Bonus Episode, and this time it's all about ... the one, the only ... Meryl!! Meryl Streep is undoubtedly one of the greatest performers to have ever graced the silver screen. From her start on Broadway to her stints on television, it's her brilliance in movies that we know her work. She has been nominated for an astounding record 21 Academy Awards for her various roles throughout her career, winning three times. But which of those performances are her ...
Many great films came out in 1978 ... several because Hollywood began to tell stories of what soldiers experienced both during the Vietnam war that had just ended a few years before, and also how they dealt with coming home. The Deer Hunter was one of those films. Director and screenwriter Michael Cimino created a layered, powerful, and very raw film about three men dealing with this situation. The performances are incredible and it's incredible technically. However, ...
First, it was the famous novel by Charles Dickens back in 1838, then it hit the silver screen with many silent and sound ones. Then it hit Broadway with the well-known musical version ... until finally it came back to theatres and won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1968. Oliver! is the fourth musical of the 1960s to win the top prize. Its mixture of the dark story of a young boy escaping an orphanage, and wonderful music delighted audiences worldwide. But does this film still...
The year 2020 was a very strange one ... for all of us. The world for all intents and purposes, felt like it was put on pause. COVID-19 was really the only thing on our minds. And because of it, even movie theatres and the film industry as a whole struggled. Filmmakers began making films that were more personal, more meaningful, ones that represented how we felt as a society during these trying times. Nomadland was one of those films that struck a chord with many, and...
In 2009 the Academy Awards increased the number of films that could be nominated for Best Picture. For over 6 decades there used to be only 5 films selected. However, the Academy decided that more films should be at least acknowledged with being honoured with a nomination. So from here on out, there would be at the very least 5, and at the most 10, films that would get that honour. The top two films leading the pack of ten were the huge mega-blockbuster Avatar, and the...
There have been good, great, and even brilliant Best Picture winners over the past century. Many stay with us forever, and we love watching them over and over and over again. And then, well, there are films like The Broadway Melody. Those who have seen it understand. However, its importance and influence in the history of cinema is undeniable. It was the first full-length musical with synchronized sound. Watching it today feels like it was more experimental...
What an incredible year in cinema! There were so many great films to close out the decade. It was a time when Hollywood turned a new page and began making deeper, darker, and more rich films. And one of those films was this classic starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman ... Midnight Cowboy. This movie rocked a lot of people when it came out with its risqué story with homosexual overtones. Despite some of those critics, the film was a huge box -ffice success. Does the f...
There have only been three films that have swept the "big five" Oscars. And this one, the ONLY so-called horror film to win, is the last to win Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay. The Silence of the Lambs scared us all when we first saw it in the theatres in 1991 ... and we keep coming back for more. We love the story, we are blown away by the performances, and we love being terrified. However, after all these years, do we still think it's the best ...
Another Oscar broadcast for the history books! Download and listen to Jack's take on the 96th Annual Academy Awards that took place on Sunday, March 10th. Oppenheimer rocked the night with 7 awards including the big prize. Jimmy Kimmel did a great job in his fourth time hosting, but who will come back next year? Jack recaps the night and also gives his suggestions to the Academy whom Kimmel should pass the hosting baton to. The night went pretty smoothly, with only a couple ...
In 1980, legendary actor Robert Redford made his directorial debut with a film that moved so many and gave us great dramatic performances from Donald Sutherland, newcomer Timothy Hutton, and even comedy sitcom star Mary Tyler Moore. The film is of course the moving Ordinary People. It took home four Oscars, including Best Picture. However, after more than 4 decades does it still resonate with us, and in retrospect is it still deserving as the best of 1980? Download and listen to film cr...
Many directors fit certain categories of filmmaking ... when you think of films that focus on the little guy overcoming obstacles and beating corporations or banks or the rich ... well, you think of Frank Capra. Capra won three Academy Awards in 5 years and the last win is likely his least-known film for movie fans of today, You Can't Take It With You. This zany screwball comedy has a message and heart, but it also has wonderful performances by Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, and espe...
Westerns are not as popular amongst movie-goers over the past 40 years ... but there is one that changed the way we look at the Wild West. Clint Eastwood gave us Unforgiven. It's a film that turns the Western tropes of the past on its head. It's a wonderfully written, acted, and directed film that blew everyone away. It was nominated for nine Oscars and took home four. Should it still be regarded as the best film of 1992? Check out Jack's analysis of this Eastwood-dire...
The 1970s were the dawn of a new generation of filmmakers. The era between 1967 and 1979 is known as New Hollywood cinema. Directors and screenwriters began making films with fewer reigns on them and trying new riskier stories, with styles used predominately in European films. The French Connection is a perfect example of how darker and edgier stories with anti-heroes as the protagonists became the norm and how many more of these movies were becoming more mainstream. The Bes...
Well ... another year has passed and we finally are here.: The announcement of the Academy Award nominations for the best films of 2023. Yes, there weren't many shockers ... but there are always a couple that stir the pot. Fans lose their minds and they complain and complain about their favourite films or performers not getting recognized. The Academy can't please everyone! Lol! Listen to what Jack has to say about the nominations and the upcoming ceremony on March 10th, 2024. &nb...
There were a lot of films that were released after WWII from all different perspectives of what went on during that time. However, during the early 1940s, many films did the same DURING wartime. There were several that were extraordinary. Mrs. Miniver (1942) was one of those special films. Although very much a propaganda-like film released not only to entertain movie fans everywhere, it also pushed the idea of strength and determination to defeat the Nazis no matter ho...
Well ... season 4 starts off with a bang! One of the BIG Oscar winners of all-time. It's epic in size, and was loved by so many when it came out. Is this romance/disaster film still all as great as it was all those years ago? Was it ever that great? Are the effects by Director James Cameron really just a mirage for a screenplay that isnt that very good? Do we still love the story of Jack and Rose's four day romance aboard the doomed ship? Wel, check out Jack's an...
Jack loves being a film critic ... analyzing both the good and the bad of everything that is cinema. The Best Picture Oscar winner of 1951, An American in Paris, covers both ends of that spectrum. The music of George Gershwin, the dance sequences, and many of the scenes really project this film forward ... but was all of that enough to deserve the accolades it received from the Academy, including the top prize at the Oscars. Download and listen to this final episode of Season 3 of Rewat...
Sometimes films go above and beyond just being a source of entertainment. Some movies are not just pieces of art put on celluloid for all film lovers to watch, but they are important ... educational, and even a piece of historical reference. Schindler's List is not a documentary, but it feels a lot like one. Steven Spielberg's epic 3+ hour story about one man who saved 1100 Jews from death in the Holocaust is riveting and moving. Was it deserving of the best picture of 1993....
There are films that seem strange when you read the plot outline. You think to yourself, why would this be made? Then you find out that the perfect guy for this story is the director, so you think it could work. Well, Guillermo del Toro made this fantasy about a mute woman in 1962 who falls in love with an Amphibian Man. The Shape of Water is a great film full of wonderful performances ... however, it's the direction and technical elements of this Best Picture winner from 2017 tha...
It has been 25 years, but there are still many who believe that the 1998 winner for Best Picture should NOT have been Shakespeare in Love. Jack revisits this controversial winner and tells us how good it is after all these years, and if it deserves the terrible reputation it gets from those who love the Oscars. Which film does he think is the best of that year? Download and listen to his take on this movie this fictionalized take on William Shakespeare. SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW Rewat...
It all started with this one. The first Best Picture winner was also a silent film ... the only completely non-talkie to ever win the top award. Yes, even The Artist (2011) had some words at the film's end. But more importantly, Wings is a great film, from its direction, its incredible combat sequences, and the beautiful Clara Bow, known by everyone back then as the "It Girl". Now, is Director William A. Wellman's epic war film deserving of that Academy Award? Well, check ou...
Rewatching Oscar with Jack Ferdman Here is another Bonus Episode, and this time it's all about ... JACK!! No, not the host of this show (although he may want you to think it is), but about the one ... the only ... Jack Nicholson!! What a career he has had. 64 films, tons of accolades, and unforgettable roles. As for those roles, which ones were his best? The ones that stand out in our minds when we think of the nut with the devilish grin and golden smile. Well,...
This is one of the great films of the last 50 years. Jack analyzes this film in depth, talking about how it came about, as well as themes of authoritarianism. This movie not only has an incredible screenplay and great direction, but the acting is second to none. The question is, did the Academy get it right by honouring One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with the top honour back in 1975, or should another film have taken the Best Picture Oscar. SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW Rewatching...
Billy Wilder is one of the greatest directors in cinematic history. Here Jack talks about one of his gems, The Apartment. The screenplay, the direction, the acting, and the cinematography are all remarkable and truly make this film timeless, despite being over 60 years old. Will it be good enough for Jack to give it his top prize as best film of 1960, The Rewatch Oscar? Download and listen to his take on this classic as well as all the other films from that year. SUBS...
Well ... it took the Academy a while, but finally, 34 years after the last musical to win Best Picture, the Rob Marshall blockbuster Chicago took home Oscar's biggest prize in 2002. What makes this film special? It all starts with the director's vision. However, the cast, the editing, and of course the incredible songs and score helped make this Broadway smash hit a fan favourite on the big screen more than two decades ago. Download and listen to what film critic Jack Ferdma...
SEVENTY years ago this movie dominated Hollywood and the Academy Awards. It is a drama disguised as a war film. From Here to Eternity is a movie that took home a boatload of Oscars back in 1953. All the performances are incredible and the direction, editing, and cinematography is first rate. But it's the story that really pulls you in. The question is did it deserve to win best picture that year. Were the other four nominees as goo, or even better. W...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences loves to talk and pay respects to actors and films from a bygone era. They had a huge opportunity to do so by honouring The Artist, a film that pays homage to the silent film era. It won Best Picture beating out many greats of 2011. The question is, even though stylistically it was close to perfect, giving us a look that even Chaplin would be proud of, does it hold up today and in retrospect deserve the top prize? Film Cr...
There are films that deserve the Best Picture award and there are films that are just movies that shocked us that they even got nominated ... and then there are films like Driving Miss Daisy. Wow! How could this small, cute, Hallmark-type film, be regarded as the best movie of 1989 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? Who knows the real reason? Jack Ferdman has a lot to say about this film and why it won. Which film actually did deserve the top prize at ...
This film started the mega-ensemble cast craze. But Grand Hotel is more than just 5 huge stars, led by the incomparable Greta Garbo It not only won the Oscar for Best Picture of that year over nine decades ago, but it was also cinema's biggest box office draw. The fans loved it, and the Academy honoured it, but how does it hold up all these years later? Does it deserve to be regarded as the best of that year? Listen to what Jack says about Grand Hotel and all the other...
It's one of the big years and films in Academy Awards history ... 1965. Jack Ferdman dives into this big year and the legendary film that won the big prize, The Sound of Music. This classic stayed in theatres upon its initial release for almost 4 years!! It was the biggest box office winner of all-time surpassing Gone With the Wind. However, after almost 6 decades later, does it deserve to be regarded as the best of that year. Well, Jack analyzes not only The Sound of Music,...
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