2018/19 Oscar Sprint Profiles

Black Panther Review - Part 1 - Non-Spoilers

***Part One of Our Two Pod Review of Black Panther which is Spoiler FREE***

When reality sucks: An Intro - Episode Start

Black Panther Review Part 1 of 2

Cast & Crew Bio/ Filmographies:
Coogler, Boseman, Jordan, N’yongo, Gurira, etc… - 2:50
Production Profile - 18:50
Movie Specs - 28:03
Review of Production Values - 34:18
Performances - 42:53
Spoiler Episode Previews/Tease - 45:14
Cultural Touchstones - 46:10
Watch/Don’t Watch - 48:47


Spoiler Filled Review Coming Soon in Part 2.

“And we’re back!”  It was so good to podcast again alongside my pal, Mike No 1.  He had a tough week, and we explain why we haven’t posted since last weekend.  Just know we’re thrilled to dive back into things here with a two part Black Panther Movie Event Pod, which for the record, may also turn out to be an Early Bird 2018-19 Oscar Profile.  

We go off on tangents early and often, leave some bloopers in the episode cuz we think it's more amusing that way, and if it's possible, I think the few days away from recording leave us all the weirder.

Part One is jam packed.  We begin with the Cast & Crew bios and filmographies of Ryan Coogler, Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita N’yongo, and Danai Gurira.  Then we gush over the rest of the dream cast including Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Serkis, Sterling K. Brown, and break-out stars, Letitia Wright and Winston Duke.

Our Production Notes cover some of the highlights from the promotional tour interviews from Coogler and the cast.  Then we chronicle the long brewing development of the film from its early Wesley Snipes inception days to Ava Duvernay all the way to the launch of the Wakanda plotline in Captain America: Civil War and Ryan Coogler’s courtship with Marvel going into this film.

No 1 has all the movie specs, including the eye popping box office and critical / audience reviews of the film, and we then dive into our review of the production values.  We praise Rachel Morrison’s cinematography, the trademark Disney Marvel visual effects, Kendrick Lamar’s soundtrack, the rich tapestry of cultural influences affecting the costume and production designs, and  then we do a non-spoiler analysis of the screenwriting.  We have some quibbles throughout, but we’re mostly in awe of this landmark accomplishment.  The rest of the review teases some of our best / worst scenes and comments on the film’s impact on our culture and the industry at large.  

Part 2 of our Black Panther review will be a spoiler filled look at the plot, and we’ll discuss the reverberations this movie event has had upon Hollywood and upon the zeitgeist at large.  In retrospect, having the chance to digest the film for a bit longer has given us a greater perspective of this movie event, and we’re proud of the substantive discussion we have coming soon in Part 2.  So do stay tuned.

Our Best Original Screenplay, Director, and Picture category review pods are coming as soon as we can record, edit, and release.  We’ll be grinding through the weekend and sending them out ASAFP for you all over the next week as we continue to sprint through this Oscar Season.  We’ll have an Oscar Prediction pod, as well as the Mike Mike & Oscars, where we’ll give you our best films and performances on the year.

As always, thank you for all your support throughout our first Award Season in the life of this podcast.  We’re having a blast recording all these episodes, and if you can help us spread the word through social media or with some old school -tell a friend - word of mouth, then please do.  We truly appreciate the help.  When reality sucks, do watch movies with us.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!

Black Panther Part 1 - The spoiler FREE Review - Ep 42

Black Panther Review - Part 2 - Spoilers

***Part 2 is our Spoiler Section of our two pod review of Black Panther***

Spoiler Music - :05
Best Scenes - 2:50
Worst Scenes - 10:15
Effect on the Marvel Cinematic Universe - 18:17
Discussion on the Critics of the Film - 24:10
Trolling, Backlash, and Responding to Those Who “Hate” Black Panther - 30:05
Final Thoughts - 38:25


Check out part one for all the cast & crew bios, production notes, movie specs, and our non-spoiler reviews of the production values, performances, and some transitional thoughts on the script.  We do recommend you listen to Part 1 first.

Our review of the best scenes diverges into our wishlist for the next series of Bond films.  We reference a not-so-obscure South Park catch phrase in our worst scenes.  We harken back to some oh-so-good action movie conventions with this film and reference The Fugitive to Predator to Butch Cassidy to the Force Awakens as we examine some of our nit-picks with the plot.  

We connect lots of dots in the Marvel Cinematic universe and wonder how they’ll build the next phase from the game-changer of Wakanda and Vibranium, cheer on the next Avengers film, compare it to what DC has done, and we even speculate on how the Wakanda cinematic universe might unravel.  

Then we dive into the backlash against the film and have a substantive discussion regarding some of the naysayers and critics of the movie.  We also break down some of the themes and politics of Black Panther, which we argue have been misconstrued by some.  The cinematic merits of the film are undeniable, but we do cite some of the harshest critics of the film, including journalist Leslie Lee’s criticisms found here https://twitter.com/leslieleeiii/status/964697251372257281  It’s a serious and substantive discussion worth having in our opinion, but his criticism does have its merits, and we do try and make sense of it.

As always, thanks for listening.  We’ll get back to our previews and reviews of the Oscar Categories as we plan to complete that series with our Original Screenplay, Director, and Best Picture episodes.  Then we’ll do an Oscar Prediction pod followed by the Mike Mike & Oscars, which will include our Top 10 films of 2017 as well as our favorite performances, direction, screenwriting, etc…  

Of course, we’ll be covering and reviewing Hollywood’s big night.  We’ve got some surprises in store for you.  Do please help us spread the word about our little show, chat with us on social media, and get ready for the final push to and through the Oscars.  It’s gonna be a fun few weeks.

Black Panther Part 2 - The SPOILERS Review - Ep 43

***This Review of A Quiet Place Has a Spoiler Section***

A Quiet Place Non - Spoiler Review:
Production Profile - 1:53
Specs - 5:28
Feel Good Storylines - 10:10
Expectations - 11:32
Theater-Going Experiences of the Mikes - 13:14
Production Values - 15:52
Performances - 19:33
Plothole Country - 22:55
Mike1 Plays Devil’s Advocate for a Change - 27:46
More Plothole Problems - 30:04
Final Nonspoiler Thoughts - 32:06
Grades/Nonspoiler Overview - 35:09

Spoiler Warning Dance Party - 35:36

SPOILER REVIEW of A Quiet Place:
Spoiler Filled Plot Problems - 36:45
Plot Overview - 37:40
Worst Scenes/Best Scenes- 40:19
Going Over the Ending - 46:54
Highlights of the Film - 48:30
Screaming About Screaming - 49:03

Wrapping Up (Including a Horror Movie Edition of See Buy Skip!) - 51:53

Oscar Chances of A Quiet Place - 54:02

Talk to Us! - 57:00


It’s time for another movie event MMO review.  We’re poised & ready, we’re caffeinated & ornery, and we’re NOT gonna be quiet.  In our review of Emily Blunt & John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place, we discuss how neither of us would survive this - monsters who hunt by sound - reality for long.  The sneeze, the snore, a fart, or some combination thereof (a snart?) would lead to our immediate death in this thankfully fictional world.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun talking about it.

Returning with our normal MMO review format comes some of your favorite segments.  There’s A Quiet Place Production Profile, complete with cast & crew filmographies, story inception & production notes, movie specs about the film festival & release dates, critical reception & box office, and a plot / premise to give you a lead into our review.  We then chronicle the expectations we had & our theater going experiences.  It’s near record time for the Mikes getting through these preliminaries as we can’t wait to sink our teeth into the actual review.

Both of us sing the praises of the production values and performances in A Quiet Place, but that’s about as far as the honeymoon lasts.  For the script is another story, pun intended, and we have some rage built up over the many plot holes and contrivances.  We try to give credit where it’s due as some sequences work extremely well, but after the great additions to the horror genre in recent year(s), we can’t ignore the shortcomings.  So we’re left to theorize about why the reviews have been so stupendous, and we don’t hold back.

The spoiler section reunites you all with your favorite dubstep anthem, and we dive into a full breakdown of the plot and lack thereof.  Our rage is uncensored and louder than any sounds made in the theater from child, parent, monster, or heckler yelling at the screen.  It’s rare for both Mikes to agree, but the might of combined critical powers is strong enough to dispel all the fantastic beasts in our midst.  

Do reach out to us on social media.  We’re guessing the fans of the film will want to backlash against us, and we’re always happy to engage in a fun debate.  Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Gmail, Soundcloud, or Stitcher.  Get ready for mikemikeandoscar.com as we hope to launch our website in the coming future, barring any monster apocalypse, and do please help us spread the word about our show.  A few clicks, a positive review, or a friendly recommendation could all go a long way to expanding our growing audience.

A Quiet Place Review - Ep 62 - 16 Seconds Into This Episode We'd Have Been Killed By The Creatures

***This Review of Hereditary is Spoiler Free***

We give some premise and allusions to early plot details in here, but we’re tactful.  So see the film, and realize how hard that must’ve been and was and just how great we are at this non-spoiling thing.

“The Scariest Movie Ever” - 2:48
Sundance Hype / Our Expectations - 4:04
The Mikes Saw The Movie Together - 7:40
Cast & Crew - 10:54
Movie Specs - 14:43
Review of Production Values - 18:25
Acting Performances - 27:01
Best Scenes - 32:57
Worst Scenes - 35:11
Final Thoughts / RATE AND COMMENT US ON ITUNES! - 38:20

We couldn’t wait to review Hereditary.  It’s getting legit Oscar buzz, Sundance critics gushed, Rotten Tomatoes and Metascore offer up some eye popping numbers and the trailers, the premise, the genre, and the cast all piqued our interest to the point where we couldn’t resist a day-of early review.  

Don’t worry, we do steer clear of spoilers, and after you see the movie, that statement becomes 100x more impressive.  There’s a brief profile of the movie specs, and we help you get your bearings regarding the cast & crew.  Then we share some of our expectations and overshare much of our theater going experience.

The substantive part of the episode kicks in with our review of the production values and performances.  Then per usual, we reference some of our favorite scenes without giving up any context about them.  We’re artists, but I think we’ve got this down to a science at this point, folks.  (Pats himself on the back.)  

Still, this is a brain twister, and we have a lot of rewatches and research in our future before we give you a fuller spoiler filled review.  So in the meantime, please do get at us on social media.  We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and Gmail.  Share your theories and your reactions with us when you see Hereditary this weekend.  By all means, direct message us on Twitter if you want to have a spoiler filled convo.  We do have to work/family time planned, but we’re happy to engage.  Then we’ll try to pull it all together for our upcoming spoiler review of the film.  Who knows, you may unlock the secrets of this movie for us, and we’ll be happy to credit you in the next episode of this Hereditary review.

One thing we must pitch in the coming weeks is our iTunes reviews.  Our numbers, our listens don’t match up with the few reviews we currently have on iTunes.  So you’d help us a great deal if you can click a 5-star review, and if you have the time and keyboard power to drop us a few lines of a review, we certainly thank you.  Again, they do help us a great deal on iTunes, where most of you are listening.

Stay tuned for upcoming episodes.  We’ll finish our 1991 Best Actress retrospective.  Mike no 1 will reverse roles with Also Mike in another Devil and the Advocate quickisode where we’ll be discussing the Halloween trailer debuting on Friday (today… while I write this).  

Do please go back and enjoy our massive catalog of episodes.  We covered the shit out of last award season, and all those Oscar nominees are currently on VOD for you to watch at home.  There’s also a full review of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Netflix offerings, more retrospectives including six Best Original Song Oscar halfisodes, and all the Hollywood News, film festival updates, and 2018-19 Oscar previews you could want.  Check them out!

As always, when reality sucks, watch movies with us.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!!!

Hereditary NONSPOILER Review - Faces Only A Mother Could Make - Ep 75

***This Review of Hereditary is Spoiler Filled***

And oh boy, do you want it that way.  WTF happened in that movie? Is there a great meaning?  We tell you.  Also, Mom, you may not like this one.  

Updated Movie Specs ( A24 Box Office Records) - 2:55
Carryovers ( Review of the Soundtrack / Score) - 4:16
Oscar Lens (Toni Collette + what?) - 6:29
Plot Breakdown (WTF happened) - 13:33
	Act 1 - 16:47
	Act 2 - 30:45
	Act 3 - 39:26

More Best Scenes (What we couldn’t say in non-spoilers) - 42:08
Worst Scenes (Child Actor Extras Tend to Suck) - 44:35
THEMES (WTF Does it all Mean?) -  46:47
	AlsoMike’s Big Interpretation - 53:27

Final Grades - 1:03:15

Social Media/Leave Us An iTunes Comment - 1:05:32


Both Mikes rewatched the film since our Non-Spoiler Review of Hereditary (ep 75). Now it’s time to figure out WTF happened and what does it all mean.  We may sit on fences at times on this pod, and one of us typically heckles the other when this happens.  Since fences in this movie have Ann Dowds on the other side, we're way the hell away from fences in this episode!  

We break down the plot in fuller detail than usual because we’re building up to a grand theory of what this movie symbolizes.  Will we be proven wrong in the coming Oscar buzz filled months? Or could we be the first (that we know of) to put forth this specific reading on the film? Crawl out the window and onto that limb with us.  And yes, there will be a treehouse at the end of it all.

The episode begins with an Easter Egg from the first non-spoiler part, Mike No 1 updates us on the box office / movie specs, and he gives us a story from his second theater going experience that segways perfectly into our Oscar Lens on the film.  Where will it contend?  Toni Collette for Best Actress seems like an obvious place to start.  We mention a bunch of other possibilities and tell you what to look for in the upcoming award season.  

Then it’s plot breakdown time.  With most movies, a full plot breakdown like this one is somewhat unnecessary and dare we say, could be boring.  This batshit crazy story is NOT one of those movies.  We thoroughly enjoy rehashing WTF happened in this film and connect the dots of the convoluted plot.  Even if you haven’t had the chance to rewatch this (Rosemary’s) baby quite yet, you’ll appreciate how we reshuffle the events and exposition bombs of this narrative to give you a more linear throughline and clearer read on this crazy movie.

Finally, we discuss our theories on what it all means.  There are layers to this rotten onion, and we peel most of them back for you in this episode.  Major themes from the text work in conjunction with some of the imagery hidden in plain sight of the production design and through the demonic forces at work in this narrative.  There’s a density to this story, and we try to make some logical connections for you.  Take them with a grain of salt or consume what we say like a kid eating cake.  Walnuts optional, your choice.

Hereditary is not the first 2018 Oscar contender we’ve reviewed thus far.  We did a two part podcast on Black Panther, full OSP styled looks at A Quiet Place and Avengers: Infinity War, and we’ve also broken down some well reviewed films on Netflix like Veronica and Annihilation as well as a dark horse Oscar candidate like Deadpool 2 (the first had some momentum, remember).  

Please keep those iTunes reviews coming.  They do help us out a great deal.  Also feel free to chat with us on social media.  We are Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, & at Gmail (no commas of course).  Then we’re at MMandOscar on Twitter, where we’re most active.  As always, chat it up with us, and we thank you for listening.  When reality sucks, watch movies with us.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!  (cluck)

Hereditary SPOILER Review - An Analysis + Interpretation You WILL NOT HEAR ANYWHERE ELSE - Ep 77

***This Incredibles 2 Review has a Spoiler Section***
The first (36) minutes are spoiler FREE.  Then we play some spoiler music & dive into the plot.

Non-Spoiler Section for The Incredibles 2

Production Profile (Bird, Hunter, Long Development)  - 3:22
Movie Specs (Record Box Office + Critics) - 10:51
Expectations (Raised by the Brand of Pixar?) - 14:26
Theater Going Experience (Giggly Kids) - 18:14
Production Values (Sight to Sound) - 21:43
Performances (Our Favorite Characters) - 26:52
Best/Worst Scenes (Jack Jack is funny) - 31:27
Oscar Lens (Best Animated Feature Plus?) - 32:16
Final Nonspoiler Thoughts (Watch or Don’t) - 34:08

Spoiler Warning Music Break - 35:25

Spoiler-Filled Section for The Incredibles 2

Carryovers/Worst Scenes (A Villain Problem) - 36:35
Best Scenes (The Action Sequences) - 43:29
More Best Scenes (The Jack Jack fight) - 51:54
Final Final Thoughts (And Grades) - 54:15

SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMENT ON OUR ITUNES!  - 56:58


The Incredibles 2 is breaking box office records for animated films and putting up numbers closer to MCU films.  Our production profile breaks down the cast & crew, the original film, and the production story behind the sequel.  Then we discuss some of those early box office numbers and the high marks from critics and audiences alike in our overview of the movie specs.

The Mikes took another field trip to the movies, and we share our theater going story.  We also discuss whether or not the Disney Pixar brand should raise our expectations, or do we lower them for animated films.  Then we dive into our reviews of the production values including the eye popping animation and nostalgic musical score.

These characters are fun and fantastic, and we share our favorites while also mentioning which storylines may have fallen a bit flat as we do a brief non-spoiler review of the script.  Then we glance over some best & worst scenes before offering our Oscar Lens on where the film may get nominated come awards season.

The spoiler music plays, and we open up with some of our worst scenes, but fear not.  We come back around for a lot more praise for the film’s action and comedy as we break down all those best scenes we alluded to in the non-spoiler section.  We end with our final grades and describe how we got there, putting a bookend on the two sections of the pod.  How do our expectations & particular tastes affect the takeaways from this kind of movie?  Tune in and fine out!

The Incredibles 2 is the latest in a long line of 2018 films we’ve reviewed as movie events.  Check out our episodes on The Cloverfield Paradox, Black Panther, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Hereditary to catch up on possible Oscar contenders.  We’ve also given some way to early predictions for next year’s award season (ep 53), we’ve reviewed Cannes, Sundance, and SXSW in ep. 71, and we’ve previewed March & April (52), May & June (67), and we will preview July & August in our next episode.

Our Oscar Off-Season rolls on as we’ve also reviewed the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we’ve mined Oscar history for some fun retrospectives including 6 Best Original Song halfisodes, the 1989 Best Original Screenplay, and 1991 Best Actress races.  There’s a ton of fun movie talk.  So do check out our massive catalog of episodes.

Chat with us on social media, and let us know your thoughts on The Incredibles 2. We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Gmail.  We’re at MMandOscar on Twitter.  Find our show on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, etc…, and please leave us a positive review if you enjoy our stuff. As always, thank you for listening.  When reality sucks, watch movies with us.

The Incredibles 2 Oscar Sprint Profile - New Oscars Race, Same Super Family - Ep 78

Those Earrings. OMFG.

***This Review of Sorry To Bother You has a SPOILER SECTION***


NONSPOILER SORRY TO BOTHER YOU REVIEW

Writer/Director Boots Riley Bio - 2:05
Cast - 5:13
Movie Specs - 11:21
Our Expectations - 16:18
Production Values - 18:11
Performances - 22:54
Oscar Lens - 28:03

SPOILER WARNING DANCE BREAK MUSIC  - 33:51

SPOILER-FILLED REVIEW OF SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Best Scenes - 35:06
That Ending - 43:59
Worst Scenes - 53:28
Carryovers From Non-Spoilers - 58:00
Final Thoughts / Grades - 1:01:50

Wrapping Up; LEAVE AN ITUNES REVIEW - 1:06:42

Another week, another Oscar contender.  Sorry To Bother You expanded last week, and we could not resist the chance to review this.  Nor could we really stay on topic.  So this episode is kinda like the film it’s reviewing, gloriously disjointed, but we hope, creatively or in our case, critically satisfying.

In all honesty, we overflow with admiration throughout the review.  This is a movie lover’s movie.  Boots Riley is going to be a name to watch in upcoming years, but Sorry To Bother You may resonate enough with audiences to accelerate his chances come this year’s award season.  One thing’s for sure, this film has been a critical darling and for good reason.  So we dive into our usual OSP (Oscar Sprint Profile) review format. 

There’s a full non-spoiler review, where we set the stage with some production stories, profile the cast & crew, and round that out that preview with our report on all the film’s critical reception, audience scores, and box office.  Then we review the production values, performances, and script without any real spoilers.  Our Oscar Lens discusses where we predict this film has the best chance to contend come award’s season, and we throw in a full breakdown and follow up on one of the big 7 categories in this particular episode.

Now if there’s ever been a movie that requires a post-watch discussion, this is it.  So after some spoiler warning dance music, we dive into a full spoiler review and embrace the Chris Farley Show inside both of us.  Fanboys have become talk show hosts, wannabes - critics, and we cannot help but wear our feelings on our sleeves or dare we say, earrings in this episode.

Enjoy the rest of our early Award Season coverage as we’ve kept you current on all the theatrical releases from monthly previews through our two part Mid-Year Oscar Report to full episodes dedicated to early contenders like Hereditary, Incredibles 2, Black Panther, and many more.  It’s already been a loaded year of fun filmgoing experiences, and we hope you’ll turn to our show for when you need movie talk.

Do chat with us on social media.  We’re on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Gmail.  Please review us on iTunes and follow/like/subscribe wherever you may listen.  When reality sucks, do watch movies with us.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!

Sorry To Bother You 2018 Oscar Sprint Profile - Ep 85 - Lakeith's a Lead, Boots is Big Time

(Henry Cavill gif)

***This Oscar Sprint Profile of MI6 Has a Spoiler Section***

Also, we somehow give away a few Justice League plot details during this review. But if you listen to Oscar podcasts & haven’t seen a middling film like that, maybe don’t care about that fact? We obviously didn’t.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout NON-spoiler Review
Production Profile (Story Inception, Cast & Crew, Production Notes) - 3:10
Movie Specs (Critical Reception & Some More Big Numbers) - 13:47
Expectations - 19:27
Theater Going Experience - 21:32
Production Values Sight To Sound - 24:34
Performances - 29:10
Did We Choose to Accept the Script? (Yes) - 34:43
OSCAR LENS - 35:05

SPOILER WARNING DANCE PARTY - 39:33

SPOILER FILLED REVIEW
The Plot - 40:59
Best Scenes - 47:26
Worst Scenes - None.
So. Um…. Worst Lines - 57:04
Final Thoughts/Grades - 59:45
The Slow Curtain (Outro) - 1:00:59

What a night!  WHAT… A… MOVIE.  We had a blast seeing this film and even more fun reviewing it.  This is a legit Oscar Sprint Profile, and we gave it the full MMO OSP treatment here.  There’s a production profile featuring Also Mike’s final introduction of Tom Cruise, where we’ll reveal the man, the myth, the legend’s real name.  Mike 1 follows up with all the specs about the raucous applause coming from the critical world.

Look, we may not be at our most articulate in this episode.  The Fallout got to us, and our hands were still shaking during this review.  But the can-do spirit of Tom Cruise flowed through us, and we got it done.  We accomplished our review and dropped the OSP in the middle of the night for your listening pleasure not unlike how Tom dropped from the skies and gave us all this terrific performance.

We recapped our expectations & theater going experience, reviewed the production values & performances, waxed poetic on the strengths of the script, and gave you our trademark Oscar Lens on the sixth and the unequivocally BEST film of the franchise.  

The spoiler music plays, and Mike 1 does a fabulous job summarizing the brilliant plot line before we dive headlong into our best scenes.  This was a landmark action movie, and we hope, a legitimate Oscar worthy film.

Do you agree?  We are Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, and Gmail.  We’re at MMandOscar on twitter, and MikemikeandOscar.com is coming soon.  Get at us however you’d like.  We’d love to hear your theater going stories and takeaways.

Check out our entire Mission: Impossible series of podcasts.  We did full non-spoiler and spoiler filled reviews of each of the preceding 5 films, and stay tuned for our rousing conclusion to the series with our re-rank episode coming out next week.  Our Oscar Off-Season is hereby over.  Do go back and listen to our entire review of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the rest of our halfisodes, which covered 9 Best Original Song categories before we dove into these Mission Impossibles.

When reality has sucked, you’ve been watching movies with us.  Thank you.  We’re having the time of our lives bringing you all of this content.  Enjoy.

MI6: Mission Impossible Fallout Review & Oscar Sprint Profile - Ep 86 - You Read That Right, An OSP

Kayla's Our Hero!

***This OSP on Eighth Grade has a SPOILER SECTION***
We do a non-spoiler review first.  Then we break down the plot in all of its awkward glory in our spoiler section.

**NON-Spoiler Review of Eighth Grade**
Cast & Crew - 1:49
A Bo Burnam Quote Fest / Production Notes - 5:52
Huge Numbers in the Movie Specs - 13:25
Expectations/Theater Going Experiences - 19:37
Review of the Production Values - 23:33
Oscar Lens + Performance Reviews - 27:41
Script Highlights + Watch/Don’t Watch - 35:18
Casual Cinecast’s If This Then What - 36:35

Spoiler Warning Dance Music - 41:08

**SPOILER Review**
The Produce Section - 42:12
Breakdown of the Plot + Also Mike’s Bests - 44:31
What’s In a (Horrifying Car Ride) Scene? - 55:23
Mike 1’s Best Scene - 1:00:56
Worst Scene - 1:05:27
Final Grades - 1:07:39

LEAVE US AN iTUNES REVIEW AND WE WILL HIGH FIVE YOU - 1:09:08


Another week of wide releases and we get another legitimate Oscars Sprint Profile with Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade.  We’ve previewed and profiled this movie in our ep 88 p2 “More Oscar Contender Trailers” episode.  It’s also a film we’ve profiled in our Oscar Race Update (ep 81).  So you’ve been thoroughly primed for this massive review, and if you have yet to see this film, we give you your money’s worth with this non-spoiler section.

The Cast & Crew section has fun with the viral video stardom of Bo Burnham, and we wax poetic on his stand-up comedy career.  Then it’s a Bo Burnham quote fest in Also Mike’s production profile.  Then the movie’s specs showcase some huge critics scores, and we break down the potential for an Oscars campaign by A24.

The non-spoiler review bumps up our usual Oscar Lens throughout our review of the production values and performances.  We both see some serious potential for this film to gain momentum with the Academy, and we do make some bold predictions.  Then we have way too much fun asking a question brought to us by the Casual Cinecast, where we try to pinpoint what other film(s) this movie reminds us of.  

The spoiler music plays, and we break down the plot in all its awkward glory.  We cannot ignore the dramatic weight of this substantive script as we try to get you to jump onto this bandwagon with us.

It’s only August, but we’re getting legitimate Oscars contenders.  Go back and listen to our other OSPs including Black Panther, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Hereditary, The Incredibles 2, Sorry to Bother You, and Mission: Impossible - Fallout.  Enjoy our back catalog of episodes on the Mission Impossibles, Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Oscar retrospectives on all the major categories from Best Actor/Actress through the 10 part Best Original Song halfisode series.

Chat with us on social media.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Gmail.  We’re @MMandOscar on Twitter.  Mikemikeandoscar.com is coming.  If you can help us spread the word about our show, we’d appreciate it.  Reviews and five starring us on iTunes go a long way to helping us grow.  Otherwise, remember the slogan.  When reality sucks, watch movies with us.  Thanks for listening.

Eighth Grade OSP - From "Make Happy" To Making Movies, He's Bo Yo - Ep 89

By 2 Dog Lovers.

***This OSP review of Isle of Dogs has a SPOILER SECTION***
There’s a non-spoiler section, a techno dance music spoiler warning, and then we break down the plot in spoilers.

Our NON-SPOILER Review of Isle of Dogs:
A Wes Anderson & Friends Cast & Crew Segment - 2:13
Production Notes - 5:42
Movie Specs - 11:45
Expectations - 15:04
Review of Production Values - 18:49
Oscar Lens - 24:35
Review of the Performances - 26:53
Some Final Non-Spoiler Thoughts on the Script - 28:40

Spoiler Music Warning to Make You Dance - 30:55

SPOILER-FILLED Review of Isle of Dogs
Mike 1’s Plot Breakdown - 32:01
Addressing Common Script Complaints - 39:07
Best Scene - 40:50
Worst Scene/Grades - 41:35

Social Media Outro - 43:36

It’s the pod that was promised, and then promised again and again and again.  Perhaps we should have just kept stringing you along until you eventually realized it would never come.  Find out which one of us wanted this.  But ce la vie, the other one of us won this benign debate because he bottom line is, we have another probable Oscar nominee to discuss - Isle of Dogs.

Our production profile breaks down the family friends and industry connections of Wes Anderson, and we realize that none other than Bob Balaban might be one of the most important.  The box office was weirdly symmetrical, and we ask questions about who actually saw the film as a means to understand the script.  There’s also a major cultural debate during the production notes segment that we can resolve later on in spoilers. So it’s a weirdly cohesive piece of podcasting on our part.

Then of course, we discuss Isle of Dogs Oscars chances throughout our non-spoiler review before we break down the entire plot in spoilers.  Do check out our other OSPs from the past few months.  We’ve reviewed The Incredibles 2 as the other likely Best Animated Feature, but we’ve also covered Black Panther, A Quiet Place, Deadpool 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Hereditary, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Sorry to Bother You, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Eighth Grade, and BlacKkKlansman.  

We’ve also previewed and profiled the upcoming Oscars contender releases in our Mid-year Oscar Race Update (81) and two episodes on the most promising award season trailers (80 & 88 p2).  Then you can go way back into our catalog to re-live how last year played out with our full coverage and recap of the 2017 year in film, including our recent halfisode 15 recapping the Best Original Song category of Coco vs The Greatest Showman.  Finally, don’t forget how our spring and summer programming showcased series on some of our more popcorn movie favorites like a 12 part series on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a 7 parter on the Mission Impossibles.  

When reality sucks, you’ve been watching movies with us.  You’ve also been chatting us up on social media. Thanks for all your help spreading the word about our new show, and we do enjoy talking film with you on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Gmail, and Twitter.  As always, thanks for listening.

Isle of Dogs Oscar Sprint Profile - The East Coast Pod Talk Experience - Ep 90

SPIKE IS BACK!

***This OSP of BlacKkKlansman has a Spoiler Section***
Our spoiler section will also contain plot details for Get Out, but we are full non-spoilers for the first (39) minutes of our review.

**NON-SPOILER Review**
Production Profile - 2:13
Movie Specs - 12:45
Expectations - 18:47
Production Values - 23:48
(Non-Spoiler Oscar Lens Reviews of...)
…Director - 24:58
Cinematography & Editing - 28:21
Adapted Screenplay - 29:58
Performances - 31:50
Original Score - 35:15
Best Picture? - 37:26

Spoiler Warning Music - 38:45

**SPOILER-FILLED Review**
Carryovers - 40:06
Plot Overview + Analysis - 48:32
Best Scenes - 1:06:27
Worst Scenes - 1:15:53
Final Grades - 1:20:25

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND LEAVE US AN iTUNES REVIEW. PLEASE! - 1:21:43

Spike Lee is back and perhaps better than ever with his newest film, BlacKkKlansman.  From the stories behind the scenes to the box office, it’s one of the more jam packed production profiles.  Then although we bounce around from topic to non-spoiler topic, we do cover all of the major Oscar categories and if this film will contend.  The spoiler music plays, and after some carryover conversation from non-spoilers, we must break down the plot to get our heads around the story and themes being put across to us.  

Honestly, we are still wrestling with this film.  It’s a massive undertaking with a deceptive amount of depth - depth of feeling certainly, but also a depth in terms of all those English Exam vocabulary words we could use to analyze the story.  Although, we’re not at our most articulate, this debate between Mikes brings forth a thesis from Mike 1, and we break down his main takeaway in spoilers.  

BlacKkKlansman is our 12th Oscar Sprint Profile of 2018.  We’ve also reviewed Isle of Dogs (ep 90), Eighth Grade (89), Mission: Impossible - Fallout (86), Sorry To Bother You (85), Ant-Man and the Wasp (83), The Incredibles 2 (ep 78), Hereditary (75, 77), Deadpool 2 (ep 70), Avengers: Infinity War (68), A Quiet Place (62), and Black Panther (42,43).  We’ve also kept you up to date on all the Oscar buzz, the news of the Best Popular Film category, and several episodes predicting the winners, handicapping the race, and of course, reviewing all of the trailers for upcoming contenders.  

Do please reach out to us with your comments on this or any previous episode.  We are most accessible on Twitter @MMandOscar.  We’re also Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Gmail.  You can find our podcast on Google Play, iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, etc…, and whatever you can do to help us spread the word about our new show, we’d really appreciate it.  A few clicks, a follow/like/subscribe/share or certainly a 5 star review on iTunes will go a long way to help us grow, and we’re really proud of our growth over the past few months.

To correct something we’d said during our recording, the numbers we achieved this week actually beat our previous 7-day best, and we owe it all to you.  So thanks for listening.  When reality sucks, keep watching those movies with us.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!

BlacKkKlansman Evokes Our Most In-Depth And Serious Discussion Ever - OSP - Ep 91

Awkwafina's a STAR now.

***This OSP on Crazy Rich Asians has a SPOILER section***
We go premise info & non-spoilers only for awhile, then dance music warnings and a full breakdown.

Crazy Rich Asian Non-Spoiler Review:

Production Profile - 2:01
Cast and Crew - 7:03
Specs - 9:29
Expectations - 13:48
Oscar Lens - 15:38
Production Values - 25:50
Performance Review - 30:02
Foreshadowing the Spoilers - 32:29
Watch/Don’t Watch - 36:50

Spoiler Warning Dance Break - 37:30

Spoiler-Filled Review 

The Director’s letter to Coldplay - 38:52
Getting Worst Scene Out of the Way - 40:20
The Smart Set-Up - 44:50
Michelle Yeoh vs Constance Wu - 48:55
A Great Finale - 57:36
Final Spoiler Thoughts & Our Excitement for the Sequel - 1:04:09
Grades - 1:08:28

We’re late to the Crazy Rich Asians review party, but it works in our favor as we can give you the kind of unique (hear it nowhere else) kind of MMO analysis you deserve.  Who else would describe their deepest darkest secrets during their car ride home from a late night screening?  Who else could work in yet another hot take filled analysis on the Oscar's Best Popular Film category controversy?  All that, plus you get one hell of a crazy rich review.

The production story hallmarks a cultural significance the industry hasn’t celebrated for 25 years.  Then the resulting movie specs showcase some critical and box office numbers never before been seen by the business.  Crazy Rich Asians is a rare film, and we do our best to give it a profile worthy of its accomplishments.

Both the non-spoiler and spoiler reviews also turn out to be two of our more substantive in MMO OSP history.  We dive into our projections and predictions for the Oscar and Golden Globe possibilities for Michelle Yeoh and company.  Then we review nearly all of the production values and performances to close out the non-spoiler section.  And for our encore, the spoiler section commits to several scene breakdowns you don’t want to miss.  That, plus we banter about dumplings.

This review marks our 13th Oscar Sprint Profile.  We’ve also reviewed Black Panther, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Hereditary, The Incredibles 2, Sorry To Bother You, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Eighth Grade, Isle of Dogs, and BlacKkKlansman.  

Nobody gives you as much movie world coverage as us and to prove it, just dive into the rest of our catalog.  There are trailer round up episodes from Comic Con and three on Oscar Contenders. We do monthly previews of theatrical releases and both monthly / timely Hollywood and industry news shows.  We offer Quarterly reviews of Netflix and mid year reports on the Oscar Race and HBO on demand.  There are full series on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Mission Impossible films.  Then of course, we mine Oscar History for breakdowns of all your favorite films and songs.

Chat with us on social media.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Gmail.  We’re most active @MMandOscar on Twitter, and find us wherever you may listen to podcasts: iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Google Play etc… If you can review, 5-star, follow, subscribe, like, or comment, it will help us spread the word about our show, and we thank you for it. When reality sucks, keep watching those movies with us. We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!

Crazy Rich Asians Makes the Mikes Material Girls - Crazy Rich Asians 2018 OSP - Ep 95

Screen Life 4Life!

***This Review of Searching has a Spoiler Section***
We’ll have a non-spoiler first half & then give the plot a full breakdown after some spoiler music warning, which also happens to be the song of the summer.  Not a lot of people know this, but it’s true. (Nobody knows it. Though I take nothing back.)

Searching: Non-Spoiler Review

Cast & Crew / Bye Bye Google - 1:32
Production Notes / The Screen Life Genre - 7:11
Specs / A Sundance & Audience Favorite - 12:33
Expectations / Soderbergian Influences - 16:39
Review of Production Values - 18:23
Performances - 22:30
Final Thoughts / What Else Can Screen Life Cover? - 25:38


Spoiler Music - 28:35

Searching: Spoiler-Filled Review
Immediate Carryovers / Worst Scenes - 29:57
Best Scenes / We Like Fish N’ Chips - 38:35
The Service - 40:00
Grades - 42:38

Outro / Social Media / Words of Wisdom - 45:21

From Russia with love, we get Timur Bekmambetov’s production company pumping out a slew of new films in the Screen Life genre where the entire film plays out on all the screens we know and love and can’t live without in our daily lives.  Our production notes covers the cast & crew, where the director leaves a lucrative career most would kill for in order to writer mysteries about characters who would kill for other reasons.  Then we dive into our full OSP (Oscar Sprint Profile) review treatment of Searching.

Both our non-spoiler and spoiler review covers insights into our psyche’s as well as that of John Cho’s rich character work of the last few years.  Our spoiler review also breaks down all the major highlights of the plot and the movie going experience of Mikes with buttery popcorn hands in hands.  This is an underrated film in our minds, and we hope to do it justice in our full review here.

This is our 14th 2018 Oscar Sprint profile.  Go back & listen to our back catalog of episodes to catch up on all the Oscar contenders we’ve covered including Crazy Rich Asians most recently, Black Panther, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Hereditary, The Incredibles 2, Sorry To Bother You, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Eighth Grade, Isle of Dogs, and BlacKkKlansman.

We’ve also covered the major news stories hitting the trades over the past month including the Best Popular Film outrage from the Academy, which we fixed in episode 92.  We also chronicled the Moviepass saga in halfisode 17.  Then we’ve covered all the buzz coming out of the fall film festival circuit including 3 Oscar Contender Trailer round-ups and monthly previews of everything hitting theaters, and we’ve just begun The Nun preview with a Conjuring Universe rewatch, which we’ll continue for you mid-week.  So stay tuned.

Feel free to chat with us on social media. We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Gmail.  We’re @MMandOscar on Twitter.  When reality sucks, watch movies with us.

Searching Oscar Sprint Profile - When Google, Harold & Kumar, and Will & Grace Collide - Ep 97

143, MMO'ers.

***This Review of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? has a Spoiler Section***
Like a true Oscars Sprint Profile, we’ll open with profile information & specs, followed by a non-spoiler and spoiler review. Spoiler warning dance music plays between the two segments.

Intro / The 2018 Documentary Box Office Boom - 1:42
Production Profile & Mister Rogers Bio - 5:57
Movie Specs / Months of Profitability - 11:15
Personal Connection to the Neighborhood - 16:49
Expectations - 18:28
Subject Profile - 21:16
Production Values - 23:31
Watch/Don’t Watch - 27:07

Spoiler Music - 27:20

Spoiler Review
Immediate Carryovers - 28:29
The Scientific Structure - 31:19
(Necessity is the Mother of Invention - 35:17)
A Worst Scene That Redeems Itself - 36:55
Lots of Best Scenes - 40:45
143 - 46:17
Final Grades - 49:54

Leave Us an iTunes Review PLEEAASSEE?! - 52:13

In perhaps the feel good movie of the year, we Mikes gush over the triumphant achievements of Won’t You Be My Neighbor(?) here in this feel good Oscars Sprint Profile.  Join us as we dive deep into what structural, musical, and editorial highlights enabled this film to be one of the best documentaries in recent memory.

We begin with a discussion on how documentaries have become so profitable at the spring and summer box office this year.  Then we bio Fred Rogers and give you a ton of information on his phenomenal children’s program on PBS, Mister Rogers Neighborhood.  We Mikes share our different personal connections to the show before our non-spoiler review of the production values, script, music, and editing.  And of course, spoiler warning music gets you dancing after that.

Our spoiler review is mostly full of best scenes, but we do have a few worst elements that we break down & discuss.  Even still, those few lulls immediately redeem themselves moments later, and the triumph continues.  It’s definitely a gush fest here, but hopefully, we delve deeper into the why’s and how’s.  We’re in awe of the structural decisions of this film, and we hope it shows.

Do look forward to more OSPs on the Best Documentary Feature contenders.  We’re planning reviews of RBG and Three Identical Strangers in the coming weeks.  Until then, please consult our other thirteen profiles of 2018 award season contenders in this series.  

We also have reviews of the MCU, Mission Impossible films, The Conjuring Universe, and an array of Best Original Song halfisodes, news hot take pods, and a whole bunch more Oscar coverage with our 4 part look at the trailers to preview your push to the red carpet.  

Chat with us on social media.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Gmail.  We are at MMandOscar on Twitter, where we’re the most active.  Then do please leave us the 5 stars and/or a review / share / like on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Tune In, Google Play, etc… This does help us grow our audience organically, and we thank you.  When reality sucks, keep watching those movies with us.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!

Mr. Rogers Documentary Review - Won't You Be My Neighbor OSP - 143 MMO'ers - Ep 101

Paul Schrader’s first Oscar?  Ethan Hawke is also a serious contender.

***This Review of First Reformed Has a Spoiler Section***
Spoiler Warning dance music lets you know when we’ll go into a full plot breakdown.

First Reformed: The Non-Spoiler Review

Cast & Crew: Feat. Schrader & Hawke Filmographies - 1:50
Production Notes: ++ A Shout Out to Sean Fennessy at the Ringer - 10:24
Movie Specs - 12:40
Premise / Expectations / Theater Going Experiences - 16:37
Oscar Lens: It’s all about Schrader’s Script & the Lead Actor, Ethan Hawke - 18:17
Including Shout Outs to Goldderby, Awards Circuit, & Next Best Picture
Production Values - 28:11
Performances - 29:38
Non-Spoiler Script Analysis & Final Thoughts - 30:30
Featuring a quote from Gandalf the Grey (God, we’re such nerds.)

Spoiler Music for our Spoiler Filled Review - 32:55

The Spoiler-Filled Review:
The Plot Breakdown - 34:05
THAT Ending - 43:14
And What We Think It Means - 50:13
Religious Dichotomies - 56:46
Final Final Thoughts & Grades - 1:00:28

Outro / Some Serious Words of Wisdom - 1:02:18

This turned out to be one of our more thoughtful and substantive discussions.  We had to be dragged kicking & screaming to finally review this film.  It’s not an easy watch.  We warn you of the particulars of this.  But it’s worthwhile with the correct perspective, something we’ve worked terribly hard to finally attain (in our opinion).  So we did our very best to shine some light on one of the more controversial films of the year, First Reformed.  Critics love it, Oscar pundits refuse to take it off of their top 5 and top 10 Oscar Contender lists, and we felt compelled to attack this review with all the tools in our critical tool kit.  

The format is tried & true.  It’s hopefully familiar to you all by now.  We give you your money’s worth with our non-spoiler review, knowing most of you may not have seen this.  So do listen irregardless and if the premise moves you as it did us, then perhaps give this a watch and tune back in for our spoiler section where we give it a full plot breakdown and exegesis on THAT ending.  (Yes, I just busted out a term from Philosophy class, but it’s warranted here.)

This was our 16th movie event or Oscar Sprint Profile in 2018.  We’re keeping you updated and thoroughly reviewed & previewed on all these Awards Season contenders, and we vow to continue to do so.  Stay tuned for our upcoming reviews on The Wife, RBG, and the upcoming mega-contenders A Star Is Born, First Man, and the movie event of the year (for Mike 1 at least), Halloween.  All that is coming your way in October.

Do chat us up on social media and send us your responses for our latest Round 3 of Six Degrees Of MMO featuring George C. Scott to Michelle Yeoh.  We love to read those, and we’ll shout out our winners on the air in one of the next few episodes.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Reddit, Gmail, Instagram, and Facebook.  We’re at MMandOscar on Twitter, where we’re most active.  Then if you can, please leave us a review or a 5 star on iTunes or a like / share / subscribe / follow, etc… on Google Play, Tune In, Soundcloud, Stitcher or wherever you may listen.  

Finally, remember our slogan, especially after a tough watch like this one.  When reality sucks, keep watching movies with us.  This film was particularly rewarding for you hardcore film fans.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!

First Reformed Oscar Sprint Profile - Paul Schrader, Ethan Hawke Deprive Themselves - Ep 103

Is it Glenn’s year?

***This Review of The Wife Has a Spoiler Section***

The Wife Non-Spoiler Section

Cast & Crew & Glenn’s Missed Calling - 2:20
Production Notes & The Ultimate Dad Joke - 14:27
Movie Specs & the Difference a Year Makes - 16:04
Expectations & Teaser Reviews -  20:26
Production Values: Just Make Sure the Camera Works - 21:56
Our Oscar Lens Has a Clear Focus - 25:32
The Rest of the Performances - 26:56
Other Script Thoughts & Final Non-Spoiler Thoughts - 31:50

Spoiler Music - 35:30

The Wife Spoiler Section 

A Few Worst Scenes - 36:48
A Women’s Empowerment Role? - 41:53
Lots of Best Scenes - 43:26
Plot vs Performance Criticisms - 54:14
Final Grades - 56:57

Outro / Words of Wisdom - 58:51

We’re nearly three quarters into 2018, and Glenn Close stands atop many lists as the leader in the Best Actress Category.  Our review of The Wife is why. 

The production profile lays the groundwork for our review as usual.  Could this finally be the year for Glenn Close to win her first Oscar?  We recap all of her Awards history during the cast & crew, share what was definitely her missed calling, and then we cover perhaps the best / worst Dad Joke maybe ever.  Our breakdown of the numbers, reviews of the production values and the script - it all orbits around the remarkable performance at the center of this film.

After we give you your money’s worth in the non-spoiler section, there’s a musical interlude to warn you of spoilers, and it’s go-time.  We give you the full plot details, mentioning a few worst scenes before harkening back to many more of the better ones. Where will this film rank in our year at large? Will this performance fight off all the oncoming Best Actress hopefuls?  There’s certainly a lot to talk through between Mikes.

This is our 16th Oscar Sprint Profile or Movie Event in 2018.  We’ve also previewed the rest of the Oscar Contenders in our recent Hollywood Hot Takes episode recapping the buzz coming out of the Fall Film Festivals.  We’ve also released 4 episodes covering the Oscar Contender Trailers.  Then don’t forget our monthly overviews of theatrical releases, with our October episode coming soon.
Our Oscar coverage breaks for some fun diversions into The Conjuring Universe, MCU, and Mission Impossible films.  We’ve also enjoyed many an Oscar Retrospective, looking back at movie history from Best Pictures to Original Songs.  So if you’ve liked our other programming tendencies thus far, you may love what we have in store for the rest of the month, including a Halloween themed Oscar Retrospective.

Do chat with us on social media.  We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Gmail.  We are at MMandOscar on Twitter.  Share your responses to our Six Degrees Of MMO challenge no. 3, George C. Scott to Michelle Yeoh.  We’ll continue to read those winners on the air in upcoming episodes, and please don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes when you can.  When reality sucks, keep watching those movies with us.

The Wife Oscar Sprint Profile - The One Where Toni Collette Gets Close Competition - Ep 104

Rami Malek can act.

***This review of Rami- I mean, Bohemian Rhapsody has a Spoiler Section***

Intro / What’s an OSP? - Top of the Show
Cast featuring Mr. Robot & the kid from Jurassic Park - 2:00
Production Notes & the Saga of the behind the scenes backstory - 8:00
Movie Specs & Some Crazy Ass Numbers - 22:13
A Roller Coaster of Expectations - 26:44
Oscar Lens, which is focused on 1 Nom/Production Values - 31:17
Final Thoughts/Watch or Don’t - 40:42

Spoiler Music - 41:49


Immediate Carryovers + David Bowie/Worst Scenes - 43:31
Rami as Freddie - 54:18
Best Scenes/Live Aid/More Issues - 55:40
Screenwriting Class - 1:01:24
Final Grades - 1:03:20

Outro / A Bunch More OSPs to come - 1:04:15

Well, they sure played the hits, and I’m listening to the soundtrack as I write these show notes. So if one thing is for sure, the music did not disappoint. We had both praise and critique to throw around on this loaded movie review of Bohemian Rhapsody in this Oscars Sprint Profile.  

Go back and listen to our Filmography of Queen episode where we discuss and rank all the best Queen songs in movies. That’s halfisode 23.  We’ll also have a Music Movies special for you early next week where we breakdown our top 5 performances in biopics both fictional and true to life, plus all the great roles from chart toppers turned thespians.

Bohemian Rhapsody is also making some chart topping box office this weekend, and we’re all over it’s success with 3 episodes dedicated to the genre, the film, and the great band on which this blockbuster is based. So enjoy the soundtrack and then our review, or vice versa. MMO is all over this Rami Malek / Freddie Mercury movie event.

Our non-spoiler portion of the show opens up with a discussion of the loaded cast, headlined by the terrific performance by Rami Malek. Then we chronicle the saga about the director(s) of the film before giving you the lowdown on the production backstory.  We then gush over the production values as we get some serious movie goods delivered through more than just the visual sense from this movie.

The spoiler warning dance music plays, we riff on David Bowie opportunities missed, and then we dive into our analysis of the plot. There’s a lot of worst scenes mixed into the highs of this movie. Rami Malek is undeniably good as the epic frontman, but the script may commit some unforgivable sins.  Do you agree?

Let us know on social media. We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Gmail. We’re at MMandOscar on Twitter, where we’re most active, and do send us those Six Degrees Of MMO responses for challenge number 4: Jamie Lee Curtis to Mike Myers. See if you can work in Bohemian Rhapsody as Mr. Myers is in it, and we’ll read our winners on the pod in a coming episode. Last, but not least, do remember our slogan. When reality sucks, keep watching movies with us! We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar.

Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar Sprint Profile - Mr. Robot Turns Mr. Mercury - 2018 OSP - Ep 123

Mahershala, here’s another Oscar.

***This Review of Green Book has a Spoiler Section***
Although for the record, we spoil the ever living shit out of Hidalgo pretty early on in this podcast, if that means anything to ya. 

What is an OSP? - 1:14

Non-Spoiler Review of Green Book

Cast & Crew & Viggo / Mahershala Filmographies - 2:05
Movie Specs & Our Theories on the Critical Numbers - 11:54
Plot Premise / Expectations - 19:10
Best Picture / Director Oscar Lens & Our Teaser Review - 22:27
Review of the Production Values - 26:45
THESE Performances. Wow. - 29:42
Final Thoughts & Screenplay Criticisms - 34:12

Spoiler Warning Dance Music - 37:04

The Plot Overview - 38:55
Worst Scenes - 43:03
Best Scenes - 51:03
Final Final Thoughts & Grades - 1:00:43

Outro / Social Media / Words of Wisdom? - 1:01:43

Green Book is a MAJOR Oscars contender, worthy of an opening night review from us. The performances certainly lived up to the hype, but can the movie live up to pre-season expectations? Can it knock off A Star Is Born, & what is it’s path to victory? We dive into these questions & many more in this Oscar Sprint Profile.

As always, you get two reviews for the price of one. Our non-spoiler section discusses some of essential filmographies of the key cast & crew including Peter Farrelly, Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, and Linda Cardellini. We break down how and why that 70 metascore number has come to be, theorizing on some past trends in recent Best Picture votes. Then we view the rest of our non-spoiler review of the production values, performances, and script through an Oscar Lens before we dance.

In the spoiler section, we cover the essential plotline, but take the time to analyze several of the best & worst scenes & sequences. Since there’s a lot to like and dislike about the movie, we have substantive discussions on this genre and how it’s played to the Academy in year’s past. Plus, you get several anecdotes about Italian family dinners past, present, and future.

We’re burning the candle at both ends to cover as many of these Oscar films and movie events as we possibly can. Do check out our massive catalog of previous episodes and scroll down for our playlists on our Soundcloud account. As we did last year, we’ll cover all of the major nominees later if not sooner, but we will get to them all. Though we have had a ton of fun with these premiere night viewing / recording sessions, and Green Book was certainly another wild late night behind the microphones.

Did you see Green Book? Do you agree or disagree with our stances? Let us know on social media. We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Gmail. We’re at MMandOscar on Twitter, and our website mikemikeandoscar.com is under construction and nearing a launch date. 

Please have fun with our most recent SixDegreesOfMMO movie trivia challenge number 6. You can hear our round 5 winners on our most recent MMO Weekly episode that also featured our most recent Oscar Race update, & we’ll read our next set of winners on MMOW 3!

When reality sucks, keep watching movies with us. We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar!

Green Book Review - 2018 Oscar Sprint Profile - A New Leader in a Major Category - Ep 132

But will Roma win Best Picture?

***This Episode Has a Spoiler Section***

Intro / What’s an OSP? Our Experiences with Roma - Top of the Show

Non-Spoiler Review of Roma

Cast & Crew & Pre-School Teachers - 2:35
Production Notes of Robberies & Brawls On Set - 5:48
Movie Specs with some of the Highest Critical Numbers Ever - 9:20
Plot / Premise, Expectations, & Teaser Reviews - 11:32
Review of Production Values/Oscar Lens pt 1 - 17:32
Performances - 25:16
Script Thoughts - 32:06
Oscar Lens, pt 2 - 33:41
Final Nonspoiler Thoughts/Watch or Not - 39:34

Spoiler Warning Dance Music - 40:21

Immediate Carryovers/We Have to Talk About It - 41:52
Plot Walkthrough - 45:51
(Daddy’s Home - 48:02)
(Cleo’s Drama - 52:04)
(Bests + Worsts Throughout: Holidays - 54:57)
(Cleo’s Relationships - 59:53)
(Bests: Shopping for Cribs - 1:02:08)
(Worsts: More Fermin + CPR - 1:04:08)
(Bests: Far From Shore - 1:09:50)
Final Grades - 1:13:52

Outro / Social Media / Words of Wisdom - 1:15:09


Some films bowl us over upon first watch. Others must take several watches to affect us. As one of the major contenders of this awards season, Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma seemed to create each of these reactions from the Mikes, and we cannot wait to see how it affects both the Academy and the movie watching public at large. So be sure to let us know.

We follow our usual OSP format of non-spoiler and then spoiler filled reviews with a musical breakdown in between sections. There’s an Oscar Lens in between where we breakdown what the film has already accomplished and how it may fare after future red carpets. Our projections may surprise you.

This episode also proves to be one of our more technically focused reviews. Cuaron is a master of camerawork, and we compare his filmography with that of our other favorite directors. But this was not a film where style ruled over substance. We discuss how Cuaron’s childhood and how the women of his upbringing found their way here. Then we ask one of the biggest questions of awards season. Could the role of the streaming giant, Netflix help or hurt it’s ultimate chances at the major trophies?

This is our 27th Oscars Sprint Profile of the year, and as we did in 2017, we’re well on our way to reviewing all of the major nominees. In fact, perhaps we will have reviewed ALL of the nominees by the time it’s Oscars are handed out. Between our OSP series and our new MMO Weekly show, we’re working overtime to review and preview all of the best films of 2018. Keep watching those movies with us.

We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Gmail. We are at MMandOscar on Twitter, and you can find our show just about everywhere you might listen to podcasts: iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Google Play, Tune In, and Spotify, to name a few. Please like, share, & review us when and where able. We certainly appreciate any help spreading the word about our show. Thank you once again, and happy holidays!

Roma 2018 Oscar Sprint Profile - One Big Package (of a Movie) - Ep 141

***This OSP of The Favourite has a Spoiler Section***

Intro / What’s an OSP? - Top of the Show

Non-Spoiler Review of The Favourite
Cast & Crew & Thomas the Tank Engine - 2:19
Production Notes & Why Churchill should get a writing credit - 9:18
Movie Specs - 17:48
An Excellent Premise & Our Expectations or lack thereof - 24:46
Production Values - 28:13
Performances & Script Thoughts - 36:16
Watch or Don’t - 37:24
Oscars Lens - 42:28

Spoiler Warning Dance Music - 44:53


SPOILER - FILLED REVIEW 
Plot Overview/Starting at the End - 46:55
Best Scenes - 54:43
Worst Scene - 56:42
(Who Sarah Really Is - 57:22)
More Bests - 58:29

Final Thoughts & Grades - 1:07:41

Outro/ Social Media / Words of Wisdom - 1:10:15


From the critical reception to the precursors to the film itself, the Favourite feels like one of the most Oscar-y movies of the year and one of the safest bets come nomination time. Perhaps that’s why this was one of the easier and smoothest recording sessions in our history. Or maybe we just took our cue from great screenplay of The Favourite. In any case, we thoroughly enjoyed this conversation about one of the year’s best.

Our non-spoiler review covers a lot of ground as we offer filmographies of Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Coleman, who all seem to be contenders. Then we dive into our reviews of the production values, which if they aren’t yet contenders, we think they probably should be. There’s also a ton of history to analyze both in terms of the production notes and the production process as Yorgos Lanthimos distinguishes himself from his previous films to deliver perhaps his most palatable, if not most polished film to date.

The spoiler section kicks off with an awkward joke, as they tend to do. Then we dive into many of our best scenes, the one we shared as our worst, and of course, we break down the final scenes. Now if you’re keeping score at home, we actually failed to mention one of our Best Scenes of the Year that we mentioned on Wednesday’s halfisode. So go back and enjoy that discussion as we kick ourselves now. But it just goes to show you how many great scenes we wanted to talk about in the episode.

It’s our 30th Oscars Sprint Profile on the year, and do go back to our massive catalog in order to plan your next movie night, or nights as you prepare to bone up on all your Oscar contenders before Hollywood’s big night now less than two months away.  We also have a ton of preview episodes and award season updates and primers, not the least of which, we bring to you on a weekly basis with our new variety show MMOW. 

Although we love everything Oscar related, our podcast does enjoy taking a detour whenever the mood strikes. We cover plenty of blockbusters in our Movie Event series as well as some of our favorite movie series like the MCU, Mission Impossibles, Conjuring films, Halloween Franchise, and we just finished reviewing 3 of our beloved childhood Christmas films this past month as we led you through the holidays by way of memory lane.

Bottom Line: we’re having a ton of fun, and we thank you for listening. Let us know what you think of this movie or any of the many others. We’re Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Gmail. We’re at MMandOscar on Twitter, and our show is available wherever you may listen to podcasts. When reality sucks, watch movies with us!

The Favourite 2018 Oscar Sprint Profile - All About Abigail - Ep 145

MMO is talk radio for movie fans with weekly news shows, reviews, previews, and special guests. We celebrate the Oscars by making awards season year round, without the stuffiness. If you love cinema, if you love showbiz, welcome home.