NOTE: This episode was a timed exclusive over on our producer David Rosen's Patreon. Sign up to one of the tiers for access to bonus episodes and more great content from us, Piecing It Together, and David Rosen. https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen This special bonus episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull . Directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Cathy Moria...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 12Ep. 15
In this epilogue to our season on the awesome movie year of 1992, we talk about alternate movies we considered including in all of our different categories this season, and read suggestions from some listeners about which movies they hoped we would cover. Visit https://www.awesomemovieyear.com for more info about the show. Make sure to like Awesome Movie Year on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/awesomemovieyear and follow us on Twitter @Awesomemoviepod You can find Jason online at http://gofo...
Sep 30, 2022•42 min•Season 12Ep. 14
The finale of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features our audience choice pick, Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct . Directed by Paul Verhoeven from a script by Joe Eszterhas and starring Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne Tripplehorn and George Dzundza, Basic Instinct prevailed over two other movies about femme fatales in our 1992 audience choice poll. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/basic-instinct-1992 ), ...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 12Ep. 13
The twelfth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features our future cult classic pick, Bobcat Goldthwait’s Shakes the Clown . Written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait and starring Goldthwait, Julie Brown, Tom Kenny, Blake Clark and Adam Sandler, Shakes the Clown was a critical and commercial failure that has since been reappraised and appreciated by a cult audience. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sha...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 12Ep. 12
The eleventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features our producer David Rosen’s pick, Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive . Directed and co-written by Peter Jackson and starring Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody and Ian Watkin, Dead Alive was Jackson’s third feature and the end of his “splatter” period. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from David Stratton in Variety ( https://variety.com/1992/film/reviews/braindead-1117901348/ ), Peter Rainer in t...
Sep 14, 2022•54 min•Season 12Ep. 11
The tenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features the Academy Awards Best Picture winner, Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven . Directed by Clint Eastwood from a script by David Webb Peoples and starring Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Jaimz Woolvett, Richard Harris, Frances Fisher and Saul Rubinek, Unforgiven was nominated for nine Oscars and won four, including Best Picture. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Duane Byrge in The Hollywood Reporter...
Sep 07, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 12Ep. 10
The ninth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, Alexandre Rockwell’s In the Soup . Directed and co-written by Alexandre Rockwell and starring Steve Buscemi, Seymour Cassel, Jennifer Beals, Will Patton and Pat Moya, In the Soup won two awards at Sundance in 1992. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times ( https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-06-ca-1123-...
Aug 31, 2022•57 min•Season 12Ep. 9
The eighth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features Jason’s personal pick, Kenneth Branagh’s Peter’s Friends. Directed by Kenneth Branagh from a screenplay by Rita Rudner and Martin Bergman and starring Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton, Peter’s Friends was Branagh’s third film as a director. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/peters-friends-1992 ), Janet Mas...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 12Ep. 8
The seventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features our foreign film pick, Belgian mockumentary Man Bites Dog. Directed by, co-written by and starring Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde, Man Bites Dog premiered at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times ( https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-02-ca-18344-story.html ), Stephen Holden in The New York Times ( http...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 7
The sixth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features Josh’s personal pick, Saturday Night Live adaptation Wayne’s World. Directed by Penelope Spheeris and starring Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Tia Carerre and Rob Lowe, Wayne’s World is based on the popular SNL characters Wayne and Garth, created by Mike Myers. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/waynes-world-1992 ), Duane Byrge in The Hollywood Reporter ( ht...
Aug 10, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 12Ep. 6
The fifth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features our documentary pick, Ron Fricke’s Baraka. Directed and photographed by Ron Fricke, Baraka was filmed in locations around the world, on six continents over a period of 14 months. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/baraka-1993 ), Hal Hinson in The Washington Post ( https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/barakanrhinson_a0a88a...
Aug 03, 2022•46 min•Season 12Ep. 5
The fourth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features a Cannes Film Festival award winner, Robert Altman’s The Player. Directed by Robert Altman from a screenplay by Michael Tolkin and starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Cynthia Stevenson, Fred Ward and Peter Gallagher, The Player won two top awards at Cannes in 1992. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-player-1992 ), Vincent Canby in The New York T...
Jul 27, 2022•57 min•Season 12Ep. 4
The third episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features the year’s biggest flop, Barry Levinson’s Toys. Directed and co-written by Barry Levinson and starring Robin Williams, Joan Cusack, Michael Gambon, Robin Wright and LL Cool J, Toys was nominated for awards at both the Razzies and the Oscars. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/toys-1992 ), Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times ( https://www.latimes.co...
Jul 20, 2022•54 min•Season 12Ep. 3
The second episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features our pick for a notable filmmaking debut, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Chris Penn, Reservoir Dogs premiered at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/reservoir-dogs-1992 ), Owen Gleiberman in Entertainme...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 2
The first episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1992 features the highest-grossing film at the box office, Disney’s Aladdin. Directed and co-written by John Musker and Ron Clements and starring the voices of Scott Weinger, Linda Larkin, Robin Williams, Jonathan Freeman, Douglas Seale and Gilbert Gottfried, Aladdin grossed $504.1 million and won two Oscars. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aladdin-1992 ), Janet...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 12Ep. 1
NOTE: This episode was a timed exclusive over on our producer David Rosen's Patreon. Sign up to one of the tiers for access to this bonus episode and more great content from us, Piecing It Together, All Rice No Beans and David Rosen. https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen For this bonus episode of our special retrospective season, we’re looking back to our season on the awesome movie year of 1999, the runner-up year in our audience choice poll, for teen comedy American Pie . Directed by Paul Weitz...
Jun 29, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 9Ep. 16
This special bonus episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back . Directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan and starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels and Frank Oz, The Empire Strikes Back was the highest-grossing movie of 1980 and helped establish Star Wars as a pop-culture force for decades to come. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Gary Arn...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr•Season 11Ep. 15
In this epilogue to our season on the awesome movie year of 1980, we talk about alternate movies we considered including in all of our different categories this season, and read suggestions from some listeners about which movies they hoped we would cover. Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in soon for the premiere of our twelfth season, featuring the awesome movie year of 1992, starting with box-office champion Aladdin .
Jun 17, 2022•30 min•Season 11Ep. 14
The finale of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features our audience choice pick, John Carpenter’s The Fog . Directed and co-written by John Carpenter and starring Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh, Ty Mitchell and Hal Holbrook, The Fog prevailed over two other 1980 horror classics in our audience choice poll. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-fog-1980 ), Vincent Canby in The New Yo...
Jun 15, 2022•56 min•Season 11Ep. 13
The twelfth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features our future cult classic pick, William Friedkin’s Cruising . Written and directed by William Friedkin (based on the novel by Gerald Walker) and starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox and Don Scardino, Cruising was met with controversy and criticism on its release but has since been reassessed and appreciated. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogereber...
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 11Ep. 12
The eleventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features our producer David Rosen’s pick, the Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor comedy Stir Crazy. Directed by Sidney Poitier from a screenplay by Bruce Jay Friedman and starring Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, Georg Stanford Brown, Barry Corbin, Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams, Stir Crazy was the second of four movies that Wilder and Pryor made together. The post Stir Crazy (1980 Dave’s Pick) appeared first on Awesome Movie Year ....
Jun 01, 2022•58 min•Season 11Ep. 11
The tenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features the Academy Awards Best Picture winner, Robert Redford’s Ordinary People . Directed by Robert Redford from a script by Alvin Sargent (based on the novel by Judith Guest) and starring Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Elizabeth McGovern, Ordinary People was nominated for six Oscars and won four, including Best Picture. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 11Ep. 10
The ninth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features the Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion winner, John Cassavetes’ Gloria . Written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Gena Rowlands, John Adames, Julie Carmen and Buck Henry, Gloria tied with Louis Malle’s Atlantic City for the Golden Lion at the 1980 Venice International Film Festival. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gloria-199...
May 18, 2022•57 min•Season 11Ep. 9
The eighth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features Jason’s personal pick, John Landis’ The Blues Brothers. Directed and co-written (with Dan Aykroyd) by John Landis and starring Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, John Candy, Carrie Fisher and a cast of blues and R&B musicians, The Blues Brothers was the first feature film based on a Saturday Night Live sketch. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-blues...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 11Ep. 8
The seventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features our foreign film pick, Francois Truffaut’s The Last Metro . Directed and co-written by Francois Truffaut and starring Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, Jean Poiret, Andréa Ferréol and Heinz Bennent, The Last Metro was nominated for both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-metr...
May 04, 2022•54 min•Season 11Ep. 7
The sixth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features Josh’s personal pick, teen comedy Little Darlings . Directed by Ronald F. Maxwell from a screenplay by Kimi Peck and Dalene Young and starring Kristy McNichol, Tatum O’Neal, Armand Assante, Matt Dillon and Krista Errickson, Little Darlings was a box-office hit that fell into obscurity after being unavailable on home video for many years. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.r...
Apr 27, 2022•54 min•Season 11Ep. 6
The fifth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features our documentary pick, Les Blank’s Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers . Directed by Les Blank and featuring various garlic enthusiasts, Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers has been added to the National Film Registry and preserved by the Academy Film Archive. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Vincent Canby in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/11/movies/a-les-blank-trio-from-garlic-to-t...
Apr 20, 2022•52 min•Season 11Ep. 5
The fourth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner, Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz . Directed and co-written by Bob Fosse and starring Roy Scheider, Leland Palmer, Ann Reinking, Jessica Lange, Erzsébet Földi and Cliff Gorman, All That Jazz shared the Palme d’Or with Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha . The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Vincent Canby in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/20/archives/t...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 11Ep. 4
The third episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features the year’s biggest flop, Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate . Written and directed by Michael Cimino and starring Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston and Jeff Bridges, Heaven’s Gate is one of the most notorious flops of all time. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/heavens-gate-1981 ), Vincent Canby in The New York Times...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 11Ep. 3
The second episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1980 features our pick for a notable filmmaking debut, Harold Ramis’ Caddyshack . Directed and co-written by Harold Ramis and starring Michael O’Keefe, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, Caddyshack helped launch Ramis’ career as one of Hollywood’s most successful comedy writers and directors. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/caddyshack-...
Mar 30, 2022•54 min•Season 11Ep. 2
