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
The seventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946 features our foreign film pick, Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast . Written and directed by Jean Cocteau and starring Jean Marais, Josette Day and Marcel André, Beauty and the Beast is the first feature-film adaptation of the classic French fairy tale. 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Bosley Crowther in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1947/12/24/archives/the-screen-in-review.html ), Time ( https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,804455,00.html ), and Variety . Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1946 episode, featuring our animation pick, Disney’s Make Mine Music .
The sixth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946 features Josh’s personal pick, Ernst Lubitsch’s Cluny Brown . Directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Jennifer Jones, Charles Boyer, Peter Lawford, Helen Walker and Richard Haydn, Cluny Brown was the last film Lubitsch completed before his death. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from James Agee in The Nation , A.H. Weiler in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1946/06/03/archives/the-screen-clany-brown-new-picture-at-the-rivoli-a-whimsical-film.html ), and Variety ( https://variety.com/1945/film/reviews/cluny-brown-1117789980/ ). 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1946 episode, featuring our foreign film pick, Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast .
The fifth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946 features our documentary pick, John Huston’s Let There Be Light . Directed by John Huston and featuring patients from Mason General Hospital, Let There Be Light was commissioned by the U.S. Army but barred from release until 1981. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from James Agee in The Nation , Vincent Canby in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/16/movies/let-there-be-light-john-huston-vs-the-army.html ), and Owen Gleiberman in The Boston Phoenix . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1946 episode, featuring Josh’s personal pick, Ernst Lubitsch’s Cluny Brown .
The fourth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946 features one of the Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winners, David Lean’s Brief Encounter . Directed and co-written by David Lean and starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey and Cyril Raymond, Brief Encounter was one of 11 films to tie for the Grand Prix at the first-ever Cannes Film Festival. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Bosley Crowther in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1946/08/26/archives/the-screen-in-review.html ), Variety , and C.A. Lejeune in The Observer ( https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/16/brief-encounter-romance-archive-review ). 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1946 episode, featuring our documentary pick, John Huston’s Let There Be Light .
The third episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946 features the year’s biggest flop, Buster Keaton comedy Boom in the Moon . Directed and co-written by Jaime Salvador and starring Buster Keaton, Ángel Garasa and Virginia Serret, Mexican production Boom in the Moon marked Keaton’s final leading role in a film. 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1946 episode, featuring the one of the Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winners, David Lean’s Brief Encounter .
The second episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946 features our pick for a notable debut feature, Ingmar Bergman’s Crisis . Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Inga Landgré, Stig Olin, Marianne Löfgren and Dagny Lind, Crisis is adapted from a Danish radio play by Leck Fischer. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode ( https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/production/crisis ) come from Filmson in Aftonbladet , Barbro Alving in Dagens Nyheter , and Georg Svensson in Bonniers Litterära Magasin . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1946 episode, featuring the year’s biggest flop, Buster Keaton comedy Boom in the Moon .
The first episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946 features the box-office champion, King Vidor’s Duel in the Sun. Directed by King Vidor and starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore, Duel in the Sun was producer David O. Selznick’s effort to match his success and acclaim with Gone With the Wind. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Bosley Crowther in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1947/05/08/archives/duel-in-the-sun-selznicks-lavish-western-that-stars-jennifer-jones.html ), William Brogdon in Variety ( https://variety.com/1945/film/reviews/duel-in-the-sun-1117790601/ ), and Edwin Schallert in the Los Angeles Times. 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1946 episode, with our pick for a notable debut feature, Ingmar Bergman’s Crisis.
This bonus episode for our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features Don Siegel’s Dirty Harry . Directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson and John Vernon, Dirty Harry is the first of five movies featuring Eastwood as San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dirty-harry-1971), Roger Greenspun in The New York Times , and Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/, on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for future episodes.
This bonus episode for our season on the awesome movie year of 1971 features Mel Stuart’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum and Jack Albertson, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is based on the novel by Roald Dahl. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/willy-wonka-and-the-chocolate-factory-1971), Howard Thompson in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/01/archives/chocolate-factory.html), and Tony Mastroianni in the Cleveland Press. 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/, on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for future episodes.
In this epilogue to our season on the awesome movie year of 1985, 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 1985 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in next time for the premiere of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946, featuring the box office champion, King Vidor’s Duel in the Sun .
The finale of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features our audience choice pick, animated toy adaptation He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword . Directed by Ed Friedman, Lou Kachivas, Marsh Lamore, Bill Reed and Gwen Wetzler and starring the voices of John Erwin, Melendy Britt, Alan Oppenheimer and Linda Gary, He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword defeated two other animated movies based on toy lines in our 1985 audience choice poll. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Janet Maslin in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/18/movies/screen-secret-of-the-sword.html ), Mark Salisbury in Time Out ( https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-secret-of-the-sword-2 ), and TV Guide . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next episode, our 1985 season epilogue.
The thirteenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features our cult classic pick, Kurt Thomas action movie Gymkata . Directed by Robert Clouse and starring Kurt Thomas, Tetchie Agbayani, Richard Norton and Buck Kartalian, Gymkata is the first and only film featuring world champion gymnast Kurt Thomas. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert and Laurie Horn in the Miami Herald . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with our audience choice pick, animated toy adaptation He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword .
The twelfth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features our producer David Rosen’s pick, Dan O’Bannon’s The Return of the Living Dead . Written and directed by Dan O’Bannon and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Mathews and Don Calfa, The Return of the Living Dead is the first installment in a long-running horror franchise. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/return-of-the-living-dead-1985 ), Stephen Holden in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/16/movies/screen-return-of-the-living-dead.html ) and Tom Shales in The Washington Post ( https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/08/19/movies/48cdf3ac-70b0-4435-87ee-e0cd35e5b817/ ). 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with our cult classic pick, Kurt Thomas action movie Gymkata .
The eleventh episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features the Academy Awards Best Picture winner, Sydney Pollack’s Out of Africa . Directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Michael Kitchen, Out of Africa is based on the life and writings of Karen Blixen. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/out-of-africa-1985 ), Sheila Benson in the Los Angeles Times ( https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-18-ca-26572-story.html ) and Pauline Kael in The New Yorker . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with our producer David Rosen’s pick, Dan O’Bannon’s The Return of the Living Dead .
The tenth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Blood Simple . Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya and M. Emmet Walsh, Blood Simple was the Coen brothers’ debut feature. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blood-simple-1984 ), Janet Maslin in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/12/movies/blood-simple-a-black-comic-romp.html ) and Pauline Kael in The New Yorker . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with the Academy Awards Best Picture winner, Sydney Pollack’s Out of Africa .
The ninth episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features Jason’s personal pick, Richard Donner’s The Goonies . Directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus and starring Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen and Ke Huy Quan, The Goonies is based on a story by producer Steven Spielberg. The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-goonies-1985 ), Janet Maslin in The New York Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/07/movies/screen-the-goonies-written-by-spielberg.html ) and Paul Attanasio in The Washington Post ( https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/06/07/goonies/718634c1-8878-47b5-a886-1e5ecab819cf/ ). 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Blood Simple .
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 ( https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/17/movies/screen-adventures-of-mark-twain.html ) and Harry McCracken in Cinefantastique . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with Jason’s personal pick, Richard Donner’s The Goonies .
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 ( https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/01/24/movies/86669975-df20-49c2-9e7f-f8c7268250df/ ), and Pauline Kael in The New Yorker . 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with our animation pick, Will Vinton’s The Adventures of Mark Twain .
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 ), Kirk Ellis in The Hollywood Reporter ( https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/desperately-seeking-susan-review-1985-movie-1197797/ ), and Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times ( https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-03-28-ca-29341-story.html ). 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with our foreign film pick, Akira Kurosawa’s Ran .
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 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 https://www.instagram.com/jasonharriscomedy/ and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/goforjason/ You can find Josh online at http://joshbellhateseverything.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshbellhateseverything/ , on Bluesky at signalbleed.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/signalbleed/ If you’re a Letterboxd user and you watch any of the movies we talk about on the show, tag your review “Awesome Movie Year” to share your thoughts. You can find our producer David Rosen and his Piecing It Together Podcast at https://www.piecingpod.com , on Twitter at @piecingpod , on Bluesky at piecingpod.bsky.social and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/bydavidrosen/ Join the Popcorn & Puzzle Pieces Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/piecingpod for more movie discussion and our Awesome Movie Year audience choice polls. All of the music in the episode is by David Rosen. Find more of his music at https://www.bydavidrosen.com Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to exclusive content from Awesome Movie Year and Piecing It Together, plus music by David Rosen: https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosen Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1985 episode, with Josh’s personal pick, Susan Seidelman’s Desperately Seeking Susan .
