Rewatching Oscar

It's time again!  The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is back ... and this year is a big one! It's the 50th anniversary of the greatest film festival in the world. And Jack Ferdman will be…

In 1941, there were a couple of classic films that were released and are currently revered by critics and cinephiles alike.  But the Academy decided to choose a drama about a family in a mining town …

There are only a handful of comedies that changed cinema ... and even fewer that took home the Best Picture Oscar. Annie Hall was both of those things.  Woody Allen's career, with this classic, alter…

There are small, medium, and big films ... and then there are HUGE ones. Those epic films. that are grandiose spectacles. Gladiator was made to be one of those larger-than-life films. The battles, th…

There are all kinds of films ... films that entertain us, films that move us, and those that are important. This best picture winner does all that. The Life of Emile Zola is a movie that will stir up…

There were many great films in 1985.  However, the Academy decided to give its Best Picture Oscar to a long and sweeping epic that was touted as a romance for the ages. A film that had the beauty of …

In an age where people started to stay home to watch television and listen to the radio, and attendance in movie theatres was waning, big spectacles were the way to get people interested in cinema ag…

The Oscar for Best Picture is usually given to films that are epics or biographies. On the rare occasion maybe a western or a thriller. But it is extremely rare for a film that is sweet and somewhat …

The passion of music and choreography in film was never more prevalent than in the Best Picture winner of 1961. West Side Story is a story about love, gangs, cultural wars, and ultimately tragedy. Bu…

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was a huge game show that started in 1998, and then it became a global phenomenon by around 2005. Soooo .... it isn't surprising that a film that was made based on that …

The Best Years of Our Lives made an impact when it was released back in 1946, both on the Academy with its numerous nominations and wins, but also on the movie-going public. William Wyler's film brou…

Biographies are very interesting.  The are hundreds that have been made over the years that have not only been entertaining but also are educational in some way. Learning about an event or a person t…

Biographical films can be incredible ... that is if they delve deep into the main protagonist's character based on their past. Their influences growing up drive who they are and why they became the i…

Another Oscar broadcast for the history books!  Download and listen to Jack's take on the 97th Annual Academy Awards that took place on Sunday, March 2nd.  Anora rocked the night with 5 awards includ…

Only two more days until the big night, so I guess it's time for film critic Jack Ferdman to make his final picks. He has seen all the films ... that's not surprising. But what is, are some of the pr…

There is no doubt that this film has a backstory that is fairly controversial. Director Elia Kazan testified to Congress and the HUAC hearings, and named names. There are many people who became his e…

Films usually have a nice structure to it that makes us feel complete ... the movie has a beginning, a middle, and an ending that kind of wraps everything up neatly. And then there are a few that jus…

Well ... another year has passed and we finally are here.: The announcement of the Academy Award nominations for the best films of 2024.  Yes, there weren't many shockers ... but there are always a c…

There are very few extra-special films in the history of cinema that not only stand the test of time, they really changed the way we look at history in general ... fictional films that make us see re…

The 1960s was the last true decade of the Hollywood musical. Yes, there were others since ... however, they were few and far between.  And in 1964, the third of that genre to win Best Picture in thos…