and the OSCAR went to ANNIE HALL (1977)

and the OSCAR went to ANNIE HALL (1977)

In this best picture review, Rich Drezen and Kevin Losani examine Woody Allen's iconic film, Annie Hall. Alvy Singer, a forty year old twice divorced, neurotic, intellectual Jewish New York stand-up comic, reflects on the demise of his latest relationship, to Annie Hall, an insecure, flighty, Midwestern WASP aspiring nightclub singer. Unlike his previous relationships, Alvy believed he may have worked out all the issues in his life through fifteen years of therapy to make this relationship with Annie last, among those issues being not wanting to date any woman that would want to date him, and thus subconsciously pushing those women away. Alvy not only reviews the many ups and many downs of their relationship, but also reviews the many facets of his makeup that led to him starting to date Annie. Those facets include growing up next to Coney Island in Brooklyn, being attracted to the opposite sex for as long as he can remember, and enduring years of Jewish guilt with his constantly arguing parents. The film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Writing.

and the Oscar went to MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)

In this Best Picture Podcast review, Rich Drezen and Kevin Losani look back at the original Mutiny on the Bounty film. Based on a true story of the HMS Bounty.Best PictureMidshipman Roger Byam joins Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian aboard the HMS Bounty for a voyage to Tahiti. Bligh proves to be a brutal tyrant and, after six pleasant months on Tahiti, Christian leads the crew to mutiny on the homeward voyage. Even though Byam takes no part in the mutiny, he must defend himself against charges that he supported Christian.The film was one of the biggest hits of its time. Although its historical accuracy has been questioned (inevitable, as it is based on a novel about the facts, not the facts themselves), film critics consider this adaptation to be the best cinematic work inspired by the mutiny.

and the Oscar went to A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)

In this Best Picture Podcast review, Rich Drezen and Kevin Losani pay tribute to the life and achievements of John Forbes Nash Jr. by way of A Beautiful Mind.Best PictureBest DirectorBest Supporting ActressBest Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published  From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experienced it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy, and finally - late in life - received the Nobel Prize. John Forbes Nash Jr. passed away on May 23rd, 2015. A Beautiful Mind is based on his life.

and the Oscar went to PLATOON (1986)

In the debut of the Best Picture Podcast series, Rich Drezen and Kevin Losani discuss Oliver Stone's Platoon.Logline: A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.Best PictureBest DirectorBest SoundBest Film EditingIt was Francois Truffaut who said that it's not possible to make an anti-war movie, because all war movies, with their energy and sense of adventure, end up making combat look like fun. If Truffaut had lived to see "Platoon," the best film of 1986, he might have wanted to modify his opinion. Here is a movie that regards combat from ground level, from the infantryman's point of view, and it does not make war look like fun.