The Academy’s Captive Audience

For the last episode of 2025, Ben and Kit look back twenty years to 2005 to the 77th Academy Awards. We reminisce on what the early millennium was like and what could these two nominated films say about the culture we inhabited. So join us in ringing in the New Year by rediscovering the childlike imagination at the bottom of a bottle of your choice. This episode we look at...
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Finding Neverland
Sideways
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Ben and Kit complete their race around the 29th Academy Awards. Only to realize that along the way they forgot to mention one of the most influential films to our modern day directors! If you can figure out what it is, go ahead and leave a comment as to why it was overlooked at this years' Oscars. Otherwise the nominated films we discuss in this episode are...
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Giant
The King and I
Around the World in 80 Days
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If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feeds to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
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Get ready for some massive movie insight as Kit and Ben take you through the 29th Academy Awards. With a collective runtime of 14 hours and 34 Minutes across the five nominees, this year the wonders of the silver screen showcase deep questions on war, prosperity, kingship, the Almighty, and well... the best way to travel the globe without an airplane. In this episode we cover the following films...
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Friendly Persuasion
The Ten Commandments
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If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feeds to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
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In this episode Ben and Kit travel across Sweden in a yellow deuce coupe to place a sure fire wager at an underground establishment. The odds were indeed in our favor, however we would like to remind the listener that despite what you may hear, we are not a fantasy football themed podcast. To round out our visit to the 46th Academy Awards we discuss the following films...
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Viskningar Och Rop (Cries and Whispers)
American Graffiti
The Sting
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If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feeds to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
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We begin our journey into the 46th Academy Awards. Before we set the stage Kit plays a word search game with Ben to recover the name of his favorite drink. After he eventually figures it out we take you through a brief overview of the time period followed by two of the nominees from this year.
The following films featured are...
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A Touch of Class
The Exorcist
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And here is the link to the episode of Cultish that was mentioned in this episode.
https://thecultishshow.com/podcast/the-exorcist-review?rq=the%20exorcist
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Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for future episodes! 
If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feed to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
https://x.com/theacapodcast
 

In this episode Ben and Kit are joined by Marc Mens to explore and discuss the themes, ideas, and motifs of one his favorite filmmakers, Wes Anderson. We go over his filmography and beyond to some of his not so much lesser known works but more "in the know" works. So center up your chair and allow us to regale you with our appreciation for this wonderful filmmaker.
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Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for future episodes! 
If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feed to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
https://x.com/theacapodcast

Ben and Kit return to round out their conversation about the 87th Academy Awards. What they discover is that this year actually contained a lot of really great films that weren't even nominated! Man, what a competitive year it was. Find out what films didn't make the cut and why the ones that were nominated deserved it.
We discuss the following films...
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Selma
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
BIRDMAN or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
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Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for future episodes! 
If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feed to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
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Ben and Kit are going back a decade to the year 2015 to look at the 87th Academy Awards nominees. In this first half of a two-parter, they explore the themes of the universe, war, morality, and just how far you will push yourself or be pushed to achieve artistic perfection. Discoveries are made, laughs are shared, and we reminisce on what may very well be one of the greatest lineups of the Best Picture nominees to date. We discuss the following films...
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The Theory of Everything
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Whiplash
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Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for future episodes! 
If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feed to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
https://x.com/theacapodcast
 

The second of our two part series on the 30th Academy Awards! Kit and Ben go over the last two of the years' best picture nominees and delve into studio practices, behind the scenes stories, and the deeper themes brought about by this lineup of Oscar contenders. Will we submit to and follow the rules of podcasting or circumvent the law and get away with what we say? Listen in to find out!
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This episode features the following films...
Witness for the Prosecution
The Bridge on the River Kwai
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Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for future episodes! 
If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feed to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
https://x.com/theacapodcast

In this episode, Kit and Ben head back to the 1950's to take a look at the 30th Academy's best picture nominees. We ask questions like what was going on between Japan and the United States? Why do courtrooms bring out the worst in people? And won't somebody think of the children? All this and more!
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This episode features the following films...
Sayonara
12 Angry Men
Peyton Place
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Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for future episodes! 
If you enjoy what you've heard, please share this episode with a friend or two and leave us a comment that you've done so!
Also follow us at our social media feed to interact with us and let us know what you think of the films we are watching. Remember we are all part of the captive audience...
https://x.com/theacapodcast