This Had Oscar Buzz

We keep losing movie legends, but this week we wanted to memorialize the great Robert Duvall. In 2010, the actor entered the race with Get Low, a tale (based on regional legend) of a town outcast who decides to throw his own funeral. With Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, and Lucas Black filling out the ensemble, the … Continue reading "382 – Get Low"

After the edgy sexual comedy The Opposite of Sex made Don Roos a hot indie name and the drowsy romance of Bouncedampened the vibe, Roos returned in 2005 with ensemble dramedy Happy Endings. With a cast of Lisa Kudrow, Steve Coogan, and Laura Dern, the film looks at the secrets and sexual boundaries of a group of Los Angelenos. … Continue reading "381 – Happy Endings"

After the tremendous success and Oscar comeback for Robert Altman with 2001’s Gosford Park, the idiosyncratic director delivered a more understated work for what would become his second-to-last film, 2003’s The Company. Set within Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, the film follows a dance company both on and offstage, all in their sometimes less than glamour pursuit of artistry. … Continue reading "380 – The Company"

2022’s Amsterdam was a high profile box office dud from disgraced director David O. Russell with timely themes, a big budget, and a ton of stars. The film tells a (partly true) story about fascist maneuverings in America, with Christian Bale, John David Washington, and Margot as a friendship trio who sets out to thwart them after … Continue reading "379 – Amsterdam"

Is the “buzzy literary adaptation to Oscar bonafide” pipeline kaput? This week, we’ve got a forgotten, pre-production-buzzy title on deck: 2012’s Being Flynn! Based on Nick Flynn’s memoir Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, the film follows Paul Dano as the author grappling with addiction, grief, and an absent, addict father played by Robert De Niro. While … Continue reading "378 – Being Flynn"

After our Class of 2025 episode last week, we’re doing one of the most requested from the Class of 2023! After his COVID-stunted release (and beloved THOB title) The Nest, Sean Durkin’s next film would be the true and tragic story of the Von Erich wrestling family. With Zac Efron headlining the film as Kevin Von … Continue reading "377 – The Iron Claw (w/ Roxana Hadadi!)"

It’s the biggest This Had Oscar Buzz episode every year! Now that we have this year’s crop of Oscar nominations, that means it’s time to welcome a whole year’s worth of films to the THOB fold. We unpack the Class of 2025 in all its glory, from the films that deserved better to the ones … Continue reading "Class of 2025"

As Rachel McAdams returns to movie screens with Sam Raimy’s horror film Send Help, we thought it a good time to look back at one of her most beloved performances to date. In 2023, Kelly Freeman Craig adapted a book beloved by (and controversial for) generations: Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. With Abby … Continue reading "376 – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret."

We’re finally pulling one of our most passionate entries to our 100 Snubs series, Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho. Adapted loosely from multiple Shakespeare plays (particularly both Henry IVs), the film follows an epileptic young sex worker named Mike (River Phoenix) as he drifts the globe with his loyal cohort Scott (Keanu Reeves). Van Sant … Continue reading "375 – My Own Private Idaho"

Happy New Year, Garys! We’re kicking off 2026 with something more bubbly and light-hearted, 2019’s Booksmart. Sold as an ultra-modern and female take on boy-led high school raunch comedies, the film stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein as best friends who decide to live it up after spending their entire high school experience stuck in books. … Continue reading "374 – Booksmart"

With Marty Supreme in theatres, we thought it was perfect timing to talk about the Safdies and the gems. And we’ve finally brought in The Ankler’s Chris Rosen to join us! In 2019, the ascendant Josh and Benny Safdie brought us Uncut Gems, an anxiety-inducing comic thriller set in New York City’s Diamond District and hinging on the … Continue reading "373 – Uncut Gems (w/ Chris Rosen!)"

Happy Holidays, Garys! This week, we have some unfinished business with Keira Knightley and who better than our pal, actress Natalie Walker to join us for the holiday season. In 2018, Oscar pedigreed Lasse Hallström and family friendly Joe Johnston adapted the classic Nutcracker story for the screen in a grab bag of Disney certified … Continue reading "372 – The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (w/ Natalie Walker!)"

This week, we got one of the most requested episodes finally on the feed. In 2016, Michael Keaton had already had two comeback seasons on the Oscar trail with both Birdman and Spotlight. Neither earned him Oscar gold but our sights were on The Founder, a retelling of the story of McDonalds and the man the made it … Continue reading "371 – The Founder"

With a new Benoit Blanc out for you to devour, we decided it was a great time to talk about the great Rian Johnson. In 2012, Johnson delivered his genre hybrid Looper, set in a dystopic future where, through the magic of time travel, a hitman (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) faces off against his older self (Bruce Willis) … Continue reading "370 – Looper"

This week, we are talking about Charlie Kaufman in the director’s chair and how our thoughts have settled on what’s probably his most divisive film. In 2020, Kaufman returned to directing by adapting Iain Reid’s psychologically intense i’m thinking of ending things, told from the perspective of an unnamed woman visiting her new boyfriend’s rural home. … Continue reading "369 – i’m thinking of ending things"

Our annual Thanksgiving tradition means The Ankler’s Katey Rich is back! And this year, we’re got a stone cold bummer to go with the turkey! In 2020, while we were all stuck in our homes, Netflix delivered a lockdown crime saga hit with The Devil All the Time. Directed by Antonio Campos, the film follows several … Continue reading "368 – The Devil All the Time (with Katey Rich!)"

Outside of his place in the Star Wars canon, Lawrence Kasdan has a quick rise in the 1980s after his debut Body Heat. With multiple Best Picture nominees to his name like The Big Chill and The Accidental Tourist, Kasdan’s status took a downward trajectory in the 1990s, closing the decade with 1999’s Mumford. Starring Loren Dean as a man pretending to … Continue reading "367 – Mumford"

One of 2023’s most quickly forgotten buzzed titles just so happened to star some of the most heralded actors of their generation. Based on the hyped Iain Reid novel, Foe cast Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal as a married couple in the dystopian future whose lives are upended with a visit from Aaron Pierre as a corporate … Continue reading "366 – Foe"

We were heartbroken at the news of Diane Keaton’s passing, so we decided to quickly get another of her films in the THOB books. Keaton’s final directorial effort was Hanging Up, based on Delia Ephron’s fictionalized experience coping with distant sisters during the final years of their father’s life. Co-written by Delia and Nora Ephron, Meg … Continue reading "365 – Hanging Up"

With Halloween this week and Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt now in theatres, what better time to discuss the BONES! The 2022 fall festival season felt like the first real movie moment post-COVID and anticipation was high for Guadagnino reuniting with his Call Me By Your Name star, Timothee Chalamet. Bones and All was a tale of young love … Continue reading "364 – Bones and All"