Shea Cinema: The Best Picture Project

THIS IS OUR FORTIETH EPISODE!!This third film review of the season covers Five Star Final, starring Edward G. Robinson in a non-gangster role. This tale of yellow journalism gone horribly wrong showcases the horrifying consequences when a newspaper decides  to resurrect a long-forgotten murder case, and then does the unthinkable in order to make it happen. This screenplay has several literary allusions, and a stellar cast. Of course we have our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as always, baseball!Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

Here is our second film review for the season! Frank Borzage, who won Best Director at the first Academy Awards for Seventh Heaven, is back, with ANOTHER win for Best Director of this film, Bad Girl. Newcomer James Dunn dominates the screen in this Academy Award-winning adaptation of the novel of the same name. That's right, this pre-code gem won two out of three nominations, losing out only on Outstanding Production. We try to figure out why. Give a listen as we dive into sexual harassment, walks of shame, marriage, and tenement living during the Great Depression.Of course we have our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as always, baseball!Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In our first film review for the season, we cover The Smiling Lieutenant, another Ernst Lubitsch musical comedy. Starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, and newcomer Miriam Hopkins, this jaunty, suggestive film focuses on a love triangle between a lieutenant, his violin virtuoso girlfriend, and a naïve princess. There is lots of innuendo, lots of sexual banter, and ridiculous songs comparing sex to jazz and, yes, breakfast foods.We cover several months on our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as much baseball as we can manage.Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

Welcome to our Season 5 Premiere! Sara and Dad cover the 5th Academy Awards ceremony (honoring the best in films - screened in Los Angeles -  between August 1, 1931 and July 31, 1932).  We discuss (again) the context of these films being made during the pre-code era, and what the implications are for filmmaking moving forward. This season ups the ante with eight nominees instead of five, and we consider the possibilities of doing some more bonus episodes (movies that were not nominated for Outstanding Production but still fall on our historical timeline). Oddly enough, this season has some funky components to the competition--including a tie for Best Actor, and a director with two Best Picture nominees.Of course, we give an overview of the eight films nominated for the top honor, and speculate on our interests.The Movies:The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)Bad Girl (1931)Five Star Final (1931)The Champ (1931)Arrowsmith (1931)Shanghai Express (1932)One Hour With You (1932)Grand Hotel (1932)Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In this episode we wrap up the 4th Academy Awards, giving a quick rundown of all 5 films nominated for the top award, Outstanding Production. Including our two bonus films, we give our personal favorites and personal worsts. And finally, we view the nominees as Oscar Bridesmaids, and bestow runner-up awards. You don't want to miss it!Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

After a quick one week hiatus, we are back with our final review of the season, covering the controversial film Trader Horn.The first non-documentary movie filmed on location in Africa, Trader Horn is based on the memoirs of Aloysius Horn. While there are many amazing real sequences featuring the diverse wildlife to be found in Africa, most of the plot is contrived and over-the-top (read: absolutely fictional). As always, we follow our history context timeline, including top song of the day, and day-of headlines. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

That’s right! Today we have ANOTHER special BONUS episode, covering William Wellman's The Public Enemy. This "gangster" classic was released on April 23, 1931, so  it fits right in with our regular Oscar timeline, but this movie wasn’t nominated for Outstanding Production (but it was nominated for Best Original Story--although it didn't win).  So why are we discussing it? Because, once again, a film made at the same time as our nominees this season has managed to grapple its way into our collective consciousness, especially regarding criminals.This is a “full-length” episode. We still have: history timeline, top song of the day, day-of headlines, plot examination, personal reactions, and contemporary and modern reviews. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

Today we are covering Skippy, which was adapted from a hugely popular comic strip. This is our first "kids' movie," and features Jackie Cooper in the title role. His performance in this film (at nine years old) garnered him a nomination for Best Actor. What might seem like a frivolous premise actually carries some significant emotional weight. Unexpected connections we make during our examination of this Outstanding Production nominee:Sir Lawrence OlivierTreasure IslandSupermanBatmanStar Trekwomen in baseballsongs referencing drug use/addictionBut the most important question we explore is...Does Skippy deserve to be on THE LIST?Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

It's another (Lewis) Milestone milestone film! In this episode we take a look at Outstanding Production nominee The Front Page, which was famously adapted into the screwball comedy classic His Girl Friday. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema

In our second film review for Season 4, we take a look at Outstanding Production nominee East Lynne, based on Ellen Wood's best-selling 1861 novel. This is nearly a lost film, since the single copy in existence is only available for viewing via appointment at UCLA. We had to resort to watching a low-quality pirated version on YouTube. You're going to have to listen to find out what we think!Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.comYou can also find us on Instagram (and now Twitter/X): @sheacinema