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PODCAST

Awesome Movie Year

Awesome Movie Year

Awesome Movie Year is a podcast co-hosted by film critic Josh Bell and filmmaker and comedian Jason Harris. Each season looks at why a certain year was an awesome movie year. Each episode focuses on a different film from the year being investigated. Produced by David Rosen of the Piecing It Together Podcast for the All Points West Podcast Network

tv & film film history

All Episodes

01:01:00

The Adventures Of Mark Twain (1985 Animated Film)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/04/08

The eighth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features our animation pick, Will Vinton’s The Adventures of Mark Twain. Directed by Will Vinton and starring James Whitmore, Michele Mariana, Gary Krug and Chris Ritchie, The Adventures of Mark Twain is the first and only feature film directed by stop-motion animation pioneer Vinton.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Vincent Canby in The New York Times

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01:03:39

Ran (1985 Foreign Film)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/04/01

The seventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features our foreign film pick, Akira Kurosawa’s Ran. Directed and co-written by Akira Kurosawa and starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu and Mieko Harada, Ran is adapted from William Shakespeare’s King Lear.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ran-1985), Paul Attanasio in The Washington Post

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01:03:47

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985 Josh's Pick)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/03/25

The sixth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features Josh’s personal pick, Susan Seidelman’s Desperately Seeking Susan. Directed by Susan Seidelman from a screenplay by Leora Barish and starring Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn, Madonna, Mark Blum and Laurie Metcalf, Desperately Seeking Susan marked the feature film debut of pop singer Madonna.The contemporary review quoted in this episode comes from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/desperately-seeking-susan-1985),

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53:37

The Statue Of Liberty (1985 Documentary)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/03/18

The fifth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features our documentary pick, Ken Burns’ The Statue of Liberty. Directed by Ken Burns and narrated by historian David McCullough, The Statue of Liberty was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.The contemporary review quoted in this episode comes from John Corry in The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/28/arts/the-statue-of-liberty-mixes-old-with-new.html).Check out more info and the entire

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58:29

When Father Was Away On Business (1985 Cannes Palme...

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/03/11

The fourth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner, Emir Kusturica’s When Father Was Away on Business. Directed by Emir Kusturica and starring Moreno De Bartoli, Miki Manojlović, Mirjana Karanović, Mustafa Nadarević and Mira Furlan, When Father Was Away on Business was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Janet Maslin in The New York Times

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51:39

Clue (1985 Box Office Flop)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/03/04

The third episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features the year’s biggest flop, Jonathan Lynn’s Clue. Written and directed by Jonathan Lynn and starring Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Brennan, Michael McKean and Lesley Ann Warren, Clue is based on the perennially popular board game.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/clue-1985), Janet Maslin in The New York Times

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01:10:20

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985 First Feature)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/02/25

The second episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features our pick for a notable debut feature, Tim Burton’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Diane Salinger and Mark Holton, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is the first movie featuring Reubens’ long-running Pee-wee Herman character.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Michael Wilmington in the Los Angeles Times

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01:12:19

Back To The Future (1985 Box Office Champ)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/02/18

The first episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features the box-office champion, Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future. Directed and co-written by Robert Zemeckis and starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson, Back to the Future launched an enduring franchise that includes two sequels.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/back-to-the-future-1985), Janet Maslin in

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01:19:14

Boyhood (2014 Bonus Episode)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/02/11

This bonus episode for our season on the awesome movie year of 2014 features Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Written and directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater, Boyhood was filmed over the course of 12 years.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Manohla Dargis in The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/movies/movie-review-linklaters-boyhood-is-a-model-of-cinematic-realism.html), Mick LaSalle in

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43:33

1971 Epilogue

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/02/04

In this epilogue to our season on the awesome movie year of 1971, we talk about alternate movies we considered including in all of our different categories this season, and read suggestions from some listeners about their favorite 1971 movies.Check out more info and the entire archive of past episodes at https://www.awesomemovieyear.com and visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/awesomemovieyear You can find Jason on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JHarrisComedy/, on Instagram at

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54:55

Daughters Of Darkness (1971 Audience Choice)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/01/28

The finale of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features our audience choice pick, Harry Kümel’s Daughters of Darkness. Directed and co-written by Harry Kümel and starring Delphine Seyrig, Danielle Ouimet, John Karlen and Andrea Rau, Daughters of Darkness prevailed over six other horny lady vampire movies in our audience choice poll.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/daughters-of-darkness-1972), Howard Thompson in The

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58:42

Billy Jack (1971 Future Cult Classic)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/01/21

The fifteenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features our future cult classic pick, Tom Laughlin’s Billy Jack. Directed and co-written by Tom Laughlin and starring Laughlin, Delores Taylor, David Roya, Clark Howat and Julie Webb, Billy Jack was at one point the highest-grossing independent film of all time.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/billy-jack-1971), Howard Thompson in The New York Times

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01:00:49

The Corpse Grinders (1971 Dave's Pick)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/01/14

The fourteenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features our producer David Rosen’s personal pick, Ted V. Mikels’ The Corpse Grinders. Directed by Ted V. Mikels from a screenplay by Arch Hall and Joseph Cranston and starring Sean Kenney, Monika Kelly, Sanford Mitchell, J. Byron Foster and Warren Ball, The Corpse Grinders built a cult following that led to two sequels decades later.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Variety

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01:14:39

The French Connection (1971 Best Picture Winner)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2026/01/07

The thirteenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features the Academy Awards Best Picture winner, William Friedkin’s The French Connection. Directed by William Friedkin, based on the book by Robin Moore, and starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey and Tony Lo Bianco, The French Connection was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won five, including Best Picture.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Greenspun in The New York Times

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57:12

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1971 Berlin Film...

Awesome Movie Year ·

2025/12/31

The twelfth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features the Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner, Vittorio De Sica’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, based on the novel by Giorgio Bassani, and starring Lino Capolicchio, Dominique Sanda, Helmut Berger and Fabio Testi, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

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01:02:37

Santa Claus: The Movie (1985 Christmas Bonus)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2025/12/24

This special Christmas preview of our upcoming 1985 season features holiday favorite Santa Claus: The Movie. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc from a screenplay by David Newman and starring David Huddleston, Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, Judy Cornwell, Christian L. Fitzpatrick and Carrie Kei Heim, Santa Claus: The Movie was the final major release from Superman franchise producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

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01:06:18

Harold and Maude (1971 Jason's Pick)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2025/12/17

The eleventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features Jason’s personal pick, Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude. Directed by Hal Ashby from a screenplay by Colin Higgins and starring Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Vivian Pickles and Charles Tyner, Harold and Maude was a critical and commercial failure that has since become an enduring classic.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/harold-and-maude-1972), Vincent Canby in

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01:01:11

The Point (1971 Animated Film)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2025/12/10

The tenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features our animation pick, Fred Wolf’s The Point. Directed, animated and co-written by Fred Wolf and starring the voices of Mike Lookinland, Paul Frees, Lennie Weinrib, Bill Martin and Joan Gerber, The Point features songs from Harry Nilsson’s album of the same name.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Kevin Thomas in The Los Angeles Times, Rick Du Brow of United Press International, and Lou Cedrone in The

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55:01

The Big Boss (1971 Foreign Film)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2025/12/03

The ninth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features our foreign film pick, Bruce Lee in The Big Boss. Written and directed by Lo Wei and starring Bruce Lee, James Tien, Maria Yi and Han Ying-chieh, The Big Boss marked Lee’s return to Hong Kong cinema after launching his career in the United States.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from J. Oliver Prescott in the Tampa Bay Times, Andrew Reschke in the Syracuse Herald-Journal, and Geoff Wong in the Sacramento

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55:37

Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971 Josh's Pick)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2025/11/26

The eighth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features Josh’s personal pick, John D. Hancock’s Let’s Scare Jessica to Death. Directed by John D. Hancock and starring Zohra Lampert, Barton Heyman, Kevin O’Connor, Gretchen Corbett and Mariclare Costello, Let’s Scare Jessica to Death was Hancock’s debut feature following a career in theater.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Greenspun in The New York Times

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375 results

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