Shea Cinema: The Best Picture Project

THIS IS OUR FORTIETH EPISODE!! This third film review of the season covers Five Star Final, starring Edward G. Robinson in a non-gangster role. This tale of yellow journalism gone horribly wrong showcases the horrifying consequences when a newspaper decides to resurrect a long-forgotten murder case, and then does the unthinkable in order to make it happen. This screenplay has several literary allusions, and a stellar cast. Of course we have our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as always, baseball! Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

Here is our second film review for the season! Frank Borzage, who won Best Director at the first Academy Awards for Seventh Heaven, is back, with ANOTHER win for Best Director of this film, Bad Girl. Newcomer James Dunn dominates the screen in this Academy Award-winning adaptation of the novel of the same name. That's right, this pre-code gem won two out of three nominations, losing out only on Outstanding Production. We try to figure out why. Give a listen as we dive into sexual harassment, walks of shame, marriage, and tenement living during the Great Depression. Of course we have our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as always, baseball! Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In our first film review for the season, we cover The Smiling Lieutenant, another Ernst Lubitsch musical comedy. Starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, and newcomer Miriam Hopkins, this jaunty, suggestive film focuses on a love triangle between a lieutenant, his violin virtuoso girlfriend, and a naïve princess. There is lots of innuendo, lots of sexual banter, and ridiculous songs comparing sex to jazz and, yes, breakfast foods. We cover several months on our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as much baseball as we can manage. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

Welcome to our Season 5 Premiere! Sara and Dad cover the 5th Academy Awards ceremony (honoring the best in films - screened in Los Angeles - between August 1, 1931 and July 31, 1932). We discuss (again) the context of these films being made during the pre-code era, and what the implications are for filmmaking moving forward. This season ups the ante with eight nominees instead of five, and we consider the possibilities of doing some more bonus episodes (movies that were not nominated for Outstanding Production but still fall on our historical timeline). Oddly enough, this season has some funky components to the competition--including a tie for Best Actor, and a director with two Best Picture nominees. Of course, we give an overview of the eight films nominated for the top honor, and speculate on our interests. The Movies: The Smiling LieutenantBad GirlFive Star Final The ChampArrowsmithShanghai ExpressOne Hour With YouGrand HotelPlease leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In this episode we wrap up the 4th Academy Awards, giving a quick rundown of all 5 films nominated for the top award, Outstanding Production. Including our two bonus films, we give our personal favorites and personal worsts. And finally, we view the nominees as Oscar Bridesmaids, and bestow runner-up awards. You don't want to miss it! Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

After a quick one week hiatus, we are back with our final review of the season, covering the controversial film Trader Horn. The first non-documentary movie filmed on location in Africa, Trader Horn is based on the memoirs of Aloysius Horn. While there are many amazing real sequences featuring the diverse wildlife to be found in Africa, most of the plot is contrived and over-the-top (read: absolutely fictional). As always, we follow our history context timeline, including top song of the day, and day-of headlines. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

That’s right! Today we have ANOTHER special BONUS episode, covering William Wellman's The Public Enemy. This "gangster" classic was released on April 23, 1931, so it fits right in with our regular Oscar timeline, but this movie wasn’t nominated for Outstanding Production (but it was nominated for Best Original Story--although it didn't win). So why are we discussing it? Because, once again, a film made at the same time as our nominees this season has managed to grapple its way into our collective consciousness, especially regarding criminals. This is a “full-length” episode. We still have: history timeline, top song of the day, day-of headlines, plot examination, personal reactions, and contemporary and modern reviews. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

Today we are covering Skippy, which was adapted from a hugely popular comic strip. This is our first "kids' movie," and features Jackie Cooper in the title role. His performance in this film (at nine years old) garnered him a nomination for Best Actor. What might seem like a frivolous premise actually carries some significant emotional weight. Unexpected connections we make during our examination of this Outstanding Production nominee: But the most important question we explore is...Does Skippy deserve to be on THE LIST? Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

It's another (Lewis) Milestone milestone film! In this episode we take a look at Outstanding Production nominee The Front Page, which was famously adapted into the screwball comedy classic His Girl Friday. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In our second film review for Season 4, we take a look at Outstanding Production nominee East Lynne, based on Ellen Wood's best-selling 1861 novel. This is nearly a lost film, since the single copy in existence is only available for viewing via appointment at UCLA. We had to resort to watching a low-quality pirated version on YouTube. You're going to have to listen to find out what we think! Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

That’s right! Today we have a special BONUS episode, covering Tod Browning’s Dracula. This horror classic actually had its general release on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1931…93 years ago today! It fits right in with our regular Oscar timeline, but this movie is different…it wasn’t nominated for Outstanding Production, and, in fact, wasn’t nominated for any Academy Awards at all. So why are we discussing it? Because Dracula, made at the same time as our nominees this season, has managed to outshine all of them in the annals of history, and has a staying power in our cultural consciousness that defies subjective awards shows. We had intended this to be a “mini-episode”--but the movie is so good it blossomed into a regular “full-length” episode. We have all of our usuals: history timeline, top song of the day, day-of headlines, plot examination, personal reactions, and contemporary and modern reviews (shout out to Roger Ebert). We also have a special guest star: Sara’s daughter Keely is back to offer her thoughts–who knew you wanted to know what an 11-year-old thinks about a super old movie? (And you do, her insights might be rather unexpected.) Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In our first film review for Season 4, we take a look at Outstanding Production winner Cimarron, based on Edna Ferber’s best-selling novel. For modern audiences, this polarizing film often jockeys for position with other notorious Best Oscar winner The Broadway Melody as potentially the worst awarded movie. What do Sara and Dad think? You’ll have to listen to find out! Our history timeline introduces a new episode feature: Top Song on the day of the film’s release. We also have a special announcement at the end of the episode about what is coming next week: a special surprise! Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

Welcome to our Season 4 Premiere! Sara and Dad cover the 4th Academy Awards ceremony (honoring the best in films between August 1, 1930 and July 31, 1931). Although the eligibility timeline covers 12 months, all five nominees are from the first half of 1931, and we speculate on some iconic films that were skipped over. Indeed, we discuss the possibility of doing some bonus episodes this season in order to acknowledge these movies that we wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to discuss. What do you think? Is this a good idea? Our day-of-(awards show)-history gives an interesting insight into global politics and mounting tensions in the Pacific (a full decade before the US is pulled into WWII). Of course, we give an overview of the five films nominated for the top honor, and accessibility issues (some severe) for several of them. The Movies: Cimarron East LynneThe Front PageSkippyTrader Horn Books mentioned by Dad: Seventy Years of the OscarsJames Cagney: A CelebrationPlease leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In this episode we wrap up the 3rd Academy Awards, giving a quick rundown of all 5 films nominated for the top award, Outstanding Production. In addition to revisiting some of the historical context of the time, Sara provides insight into the novel Ex-Wife, on which nominee The Divorcee was based. We give our personal favorites and personal worsts, which might surprise you considering our effusive praise of Oscar winner All Quiet on the Western Front. And finally, we view the nominees as Oscar Bridesmaids, and bestow runner-up awards. You don't want to miss it! Book mentioned by Dad: Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies, editor Mark Carnes (a Society of American Historians book) Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In our final film review for Season 3, we explore The Big House, a stark look inside an overcrowded prison. With an Oscar-nominated performance by Wallace Beery as Butch, this movie explores friendship, betrayal, and what happens when thousands of men are pushed to the breaking point while serving their sentences for various crimes. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In our fifth film review for Season 3, we cover The Divorcee, which was released on April 30, 1930. Based on the shocking novel Ex-Wife, this film is the epitome of pre-code indulgence. Infidelity, sexual escapades, double-standards, and (perhaps?) sexual liberation. Norma Shearer won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Jerry. After a brief rundown of sexual politics and divorce law of the 1920s and 30s, we also have some fun baseball history trivia to indulge in! Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

This is a tough one. We cover Lewis Milestone’s All Quiet on the Western Front, released on April 21, 1930. This is an adaptation of the critically acclaimed (and highly controversial) WWI novel. This is our first film that we are intimately familiar with: Sara has seen it dozens of times. That being said, because Sara lost her brother (and, therefore, Dad his son) in the Iraq war, this review will sound a little different. Fair warning: the subject matter and film are very intense, and we do get personal. Other excellent podcasts that cover All Quiet on the Western Front are History in Film, Best Picture Cast and The Best Pictures Podcast. Check them out, too! On the lighter side, we do cover five months of history, with several stop-offs with the births of some of our favorite actors. Books mentioned by Dad: The New Biographical Dictionary of FilmCinema: The First Hundred YearsHistory Goes to the Movies: A Viewer's Guide to the Best (and Some of the Worst) Historical Films Ever MadePlease leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema Poem Sara reads: Dulce et Decorum est by Wilfred Owen Bent double, like old beggars under sacks Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells dropping softly behind. Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams before my helpless sight He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin, If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, Bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,– My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.

In our second film review for Season 3, we cover The Love Parade, which was released on November 19, 1929. The light-hearted musical received six nominations, and perfectly engenders all of the quips and titillations of a pre-code film, while exposing some of the pratfalls of traditional gender roles. Do you like racy innuendo and lacy, low-cut gowns? Then this film is for you! Our history lesson this week includes a deep dive into a defunct NFL team, as well as breakthroughs in TV technology. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

This is our first film review for Season 3, covering Disraeli, which was released on November 1, 1929. The movie follows English Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli as he navigates the world of espionage (yes, spies!), manipulates information, and races against time to secure the purchase of the Suez Canal. George Arliss stars as Disraeli, and went on to earn the Academy Award for Best Actor. We attempt to look into Billboard charts and bestseller lists...but much to our chagrin, those stats aren't quite ready for primetime...they don't fully exist in our current timeline in November, 1929. We also cover SIX MONTHS of world history, including the Stock Market Crash, and more accolades for Babe Ruth. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

Welcome to our Season 3 Premiere! Sara and Dad cover the 3rd Academy Awards ceremony (honoring the best in films between August 1, 1929 and July 31, 30). This awards was held only seven months after the 2nd awards. Movies during this era are considered “Pre-Code,” so we delve a bit into the Hays Production Code and the upcoming censorship challenges faced by filmmakers. Somehow we manage to discuss whether or not kissing on screen is indecent, and the guidelines of ancient Greek theater. Of course, we give an overview of the five films nominated for the top honor, and speculate on some of the controversial subjects covered in the upcoming films. The Movies: Please leave us a review wherever you are listening! Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com You can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema