In today's episode, I interview the writer/director pair of Julia Aks and  Steve Pinder about their short film "Jane Austen's Period Drama," a hilarious comedy about well, periods, set in England two centuries ago. The film played at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February and will be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York this June. Listen to hear about how Julia and Steve collaborate on their comedy, some of the challenges they faced making the film, and  what we might be able to expect in a feature length version of this film. Books recommended in this ..read more

In today's episode, I interview director Nick Russell and writer Nick Musgrove, about their short film "Favourites,"  about parents who are forced to make an impossible choice. The film has been showing at festivals including Australia's Flickerfest and the San Diego International Film Festival and will be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York this June. Listen to hear Nick and Nick discuss his how they developed the story for the film together, their incredible crew that they worked with, and one of the craziest dinner parties ever put together on The Oscar Project Podcast. Bo ..read more

In today's interview, I speak with Andrew Stanley Kiste, a campus life director and life long lover of all things Disney. He has written articles and books including Walt Disney and the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, and three volumes of A Historical Tour of Walt Disney World. He joins me today to talk about his new book, The Early Life of Walt Disney.  Listen to hear how Walt Disney's father Elias impacted how Walt became the man we know, where Walt learned his storytelling and artistic abilities, and some of the early animated creations before Walt's famous mouse Mickey.   Books ..read more

In today's episode, I am joined by Kyle, the winner of the 2024 Oscar prediction contest on The Oscar Project. We talk about a little of everything including what we liked from the 96th Academy Awards, other movies from 2023 we enjoyed, and things we're looking forward to in 2024.   Books mentioned in this episode include: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley Robot Dreams by Sara Varon Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann American Prometh ..read more

Today I am discussing the 1928 film Sadie Thompson. The film tells the story of Sadie Thompson, a woman of questionable moral character, and Mr. Davidson, the devout missionary who makes it his mission to reform her while they are both forced to stay on a remote Pacific island. Listen now to hear about the troubles the film faced in being made, how Swanson's performance can be related to her later work in Sunset Boulevard, and as always, my own thoughts about the film. Resources: Read the short story Read the play Watch the film ..read more

Today I am discussing the 1928 film Sadie Thompson. The film tells the story of Sadie Thompson, a woman of questionable moral character, and Mr. Davidson, the devout missionary who makes it his mission to reform her while they are both forced to stay on a remote Pacific island. Listen now to hear about the troubles the film faced in being made, how Swanson's performance can be related to her later work in Sunset Boulevard, and as always, my own thoughts about the film. Resources: Read the short story Read the play Watch the film ..read more

In today's interview, I speak with Lisa Stein Haven, a Professor of English at Ohio University and expert in all things Charlie Chaplin. She has written extensively on the actor and director and hosted the first international Charlie Chaplin conference ever held on American soil in 2010, the 100th anniversary of Charlie's first trip to America. In addition to several works on Charlie Chaplin, she has published books about hi brother Syd Chaplin and Max Linder. She joins the show to talk about her latest book, The Early Years of Charlie Chaplin: Final Shorts and First Features.  Listen to ..read more

As I announced in my spring preview episode earlier this week, today I am discussing the 1928 film The Crowd. The film focuses on the story of John and Mary Sims as they build a family together and face life's challenges in early 1900s New York City. Listen now to hear about the creative people behind the film, and as always, my own thoughts about the film ..read more

With the 96th Academy Awards in the book, I am joined today by Luis Mendez to discuss all the happenings at the Oscars on Sunday night. Check out Luis at The Mendez Report and follow him on Instagram, Twitter, Threads, and Letterboxd ..read more

It's time for me to break down who I think will win at the Oscars this weekend. In this episode I go over all 23 categories, letting you know who I think will win the Oscar and who I think should win. They don't always match, so listen in to win your Oscar prediction pool ..read more