x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

01:01:05

The Station Agent (2003 First Feature)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/03/03

The second episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 2003 features our pick for a notable filmmaking debut, Tom McCarthy’s The Station Agent. Written and directed by Tom McCarthy and starring Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Williams and Raven Goodwin, The Station Agent premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and helped McCarthy shift the focus of his career from acting to filmmaking.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

en

55:43

Finding Nemo (2003 Box Office Champ)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/02/24

The first episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 2003 features the second highest-grossing film at the box office, Pixar’s Finding Nemo. Directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton and starring the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett and Allison Janney, Finding Nemo grossed $940.3 million worldwide, making it the all-time highest-grossing animated film at the time.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

en

57:41

Saturday Night Fever (1977 Bonus Episode)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/02/17

NOTE: This episode was originally 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/posts/43082909In this special bonus episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1977, we’re talking about the runner-up in our audience choice poll, disco classic Saturday Night Fever. Directed by John Badham and starring John

en

30:57

1984 Epilogue

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/02/12

In this epilogue to our season on the awesome movie year of 1984, 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 seventh season, covering the awesome movie year of 2003, starting with box-office champion Finding Nemo.

en

55:43

Footloose (1984 Audience Choice)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/02/10

In the finale of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984, we’re talking about this season’s audience choice pick, Herbert Ross’ Footloose. Directed by Herbert Ross from a screenplay by songwriter Dean Pitchford and starring Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Chris Penn, Dianne Wiest and Sarah Jessica Parker, Footloose defeated Beat Street and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo in our audience choice poll of teen dance movies.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

en

50:01

Repo Man (1984 Future Cult Classic)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/02/03

The twelfth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features our future cult classic pick, Alex Cox’s Repo Man. Written and directed by Alex Cox and starring Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton, Olivia Barash and Tracey Walter, Repo Man received minimal studio support but went on to critical acclaim and a cult following.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/repo-man-1984), Vincent Canby in the New York Times

en

01:07:24

Ghostbusters (1984 Dave’s Pick)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/01/27

The eleventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features our producer David Rosen’s personal pick, Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters. Directed by Ivan Reitman from a script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts, Ghostbusters was one of the biggest box-office hits of 1984 and became an enduring pop-culture phenomenon.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger

en

01:01:57

Amadeus (1984 Best Picture)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/01/20

The tenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features the Best Picture Oscar winner, Milos Forman’s Amadeus. Directed by Milos Forman, written by Peter Shaffer (based on his stage play) and starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge and Jeffrey Jones, Amadeus was nominated for eleven Oscars and won eight, including Best Picture.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/amadeus-1984), Peter Travers in

en

47:27

Old Enough (1984 Sundance Award Winner)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/01/13

The ninth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, Marisa Silver’s Old Enough. Written and directed by Marisa Silver and starring Sarah Boyd, Rainbow Harvest and Neill Barry, Old Enough was the first Grand Jury Prize winner at the newly rebranded Sundance Film Festival.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Janet Maslin in the New York Times

en

01:13:02

The Karate Kid (1984 Jason’s Pick)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2021/01/06

The eighth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features Jason’s personal pick, John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid. Directed by John G. Avildsen from a script by Robert Mark Kamen and starring Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka, Martin Kove and Randee Heller, The Karate Kid was a box-office hit that launched a long-running franchise.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

en

51:29

Wheels on Meals (1984 Foreign Film)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/12/30

The seventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features one of the year’s most notable foreign films, Sammo Hung’s Wheels on Meals. Directed by Sammo Hung and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung and Lola Forner, Wheels on Meals is considered a classic of Hong Kong martial arts cinema.The reviews quoted in this episode come from Marc Savlov in the Austin Chronicle (https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/1994-08-05/138520/), and John Krewson in the AV Club

en

01:02:12

Gremlins (1984 Holiday Bonus)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/12/23

We're taking a break from our regular season on the awesome movie year of 1984 to feature a special Christmas bonus, Joe Dante’s holiday horror-comedy Gremlins. Directed by Joe Dante from a screenplay by Chris Columbus and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton and Frances Lee McClain, Gremlins was a commercial success and has since become a holiday favorite.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gremlins-1984), Richard

en

50:14

Night Of The Comet (1984 Josh’s Pick)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/12/16

The sixth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features Josh’s personal pick, Thom Eberhardt’s Night of the Comet. Written and directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, Robert Beltran and Mary Woronov, Night of the Comet was a moderate box-office success and has since become a cult classic.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Variety (https://variety.com/1983/film/reviews/night-of-the-comet-1200426036/), Vincent Canby in

en

01:16:44

Stop Making Sense (1984 Documentary)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/12/09

The fifth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features our pick for the year’s most notable documentary, Jonathan Demme’s Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense. Directed by Jonathan Demme, Stop Making Sense captured Talking Heads performances over four nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater and is often considered the greatest concert movie ever made.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

en

50:48

Paris, Texas (1984 Cannes Palme d’Or Winner)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/12/02

The fourth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner Paris, Texas. Directed by Wim Wenders from a screenplay by L.M. Kit Carson and Sam Shepard and starring Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, Hunter Carson, Nastassja Kinski and Aurore Clément, Paris, Texas won three awards, including the Palme d’Or, at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

en

01:13:38

Streets Of Fire (1984 Box Office Flop)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/11/25

The third episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features the year’s biggest flop, Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire. Directed and co-written by Walter Hill and starring Michael Paré, Amy Madigan, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Deborah Van Valkenburgh and Willem Dafoe, Streets of Fire was a box-office failure following Hill’s success with 48 Hrs.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/streets-of-fire-1984), Janet Maslin in the

en

58:15

Sixteen Candles (1984 First Feature)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/11/18

The second episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features our pick for a notable filmmaking debut, John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles. Written and directed by John Hughes and starring Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, Gedde Watanabe, Haviland Morris and Paul Dooley, Sixteen Candles launched Hughes’ career as a director after his earlier success as a screenwriter.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

en

59:36

Beverly Hills Cop (1984 Box Office Champ)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/11/11

The first episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1984 features the top-grossing film at the box office, Martin Brest’s Beverly Hills Cop. Directed by Martin Brest from a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr. and starring Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox and Steven Berkoff, Beverly Hills Cop grossed $316.4 million worldwide and launched an ongoing franchise.The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert

en

51:39

Waiting For Guffman (1996 Bonus Episode)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/11/06

NOTE: This episode was originally a timed exclusive over on our producer David Rosen's Patreon. Sign up to one of the tiers for access to more great content from us, Piecing It Together, All Rice No Beans and David Rosen.https://www.patreon.com/posts/waiting-for-year-39564661In this special bonus episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1996, we’re talking about Christopher Guest’s influential comedy Waiting for Guffman. Directed and co-written (with Eugene Levy) by Christopher Guest and

en

01:03:26

Space Jam (1996 Bonus Episode)

Awesome Movie Year ·

2020/11/04

NOTE: This episode was originally a timed exclusive over on our producer David Rosen's Patreon. Sign up to one of the tiers for access to more great content from us, Piecing It Together, All Rice No Beans and David Rosen. https://www.patreon.com/posts/space-jam-movie-39564336In this special bonus episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1996, we’re talking about the animated/live-action hybrid comedy Space Jam. Directed by Joe Pytka and starring Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Bill Murray

en

375 results

Similar Podcasts

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

David Yontef

Nerd Culture • A Gamekings Podcast

Blammo Media

UPodcast

UPodcast

The Writers Hangout

Sandy Adomaitis

The Sarah Fraser Show

Sarah Fraser