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Ever since 1928, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has handed out trophies to what it considered the best in film. Sometimes they were absolutely right, sometimes they were entirely wrong, sometimes they were so, so basic. But in all that time, audiences have had their own opinions, sometimes better, sometimes much worse. And sometimes, when the stars align or the fates allow, they even agree. Academy Vs Audience is a deep dive into Oscar history, revisiting film history from the 1920s to the 2020s; from the Studio Era to the age of the IP Franchise; from the age of the silent film to the age of the novelty silent film. Claire, Erin, and Dan take on each year’s Best Picture according to the Academy, and the Box Office Champ selected by audience dollars*. It’s a fascinating look at enduring classics and a descent into madness, because History Is Always Terrible and audiences make questionable choices.(*Based on revenue earned during its initial run, and the year said run began in. No re-releases. Lots of movies become audience favourites years after their initial release, you are not special, Billy Jack.)

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Check latest episodes from Academy Vs Audience podcast

1989 Revisited (feat. Munsi Parker-Munroe)

2026/10/15

While we sort some technical difficulties and get schedules aligned for our final episodes, please enjoy this look back at the end of All 80s Summer/Fall, as Munsi Parker-Munroe joined Erin, Claire, and Dan for Batmen, Last Crusades, and of course, the dawn of the Learning Not to Be Racist Via Chauffeuring Cinematic Universe. The narrative importance of Scudda Hoo Scudda Hey, whether our Oscar winner had the best Dan Aykroyd performance if 1989, Dan's definitive rank order of Indiana Jones adventures, and more! Tune in and turn back the clock with us. Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2021: CODA Way Home

2026/09/17

It's singing and spiders and Hollywood began to emerge from lockdown! A fierce awards race between two lauded competitors resulted in an unexpected result as CODA took the trophy. Is a simple tale of a Child Of Deaf Parents who dreams of a life in music enough to be the Best Picture? Erin, Claire, and Dan get into it. But there was no debate on who deserved to be the Box Office Champ, as a triple-team-up of Spider-Men became the first movie to Save Theatres, breaking the COVID doldrums and packing theatres like nothing else had in ages. All this plus Dan spots a trend in the Oscar nominees our hosts find unsettling. Tune in! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2020: Demon Hunter Nomad Boys (w/ Munsi Parker-Munroe)

2026/09/03

In the year of 2020, a global heath crisis shut down the film industry, and the Academy chose to meet the moment by extending deadlines and loosening rules on theatrical release in order to find eight joyless festival darlings to nominate for Best Picture. Nomadland, Chloe Zhao and Frances McDormand's examination of those who respond to trauma and tragedy by roaming the roads, took the top prize. Ruling the box office, however, was even easier: you just needed to be released either before March, or in Asia. And thus do Erin, Claire, Dan, and returning guest Munsi Parker-Munroe examine the return of Michael Bay's Bad Boys, and try to unpack Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, a feature release from an anime none of our team has seen. Plus Dan and Munsi ponder a more entertaining world, where the Academy only nominated movies that managed theatrical release, asking who would triumph: Sonic the Hedgehog, Harley Quinn, Bill and Ted, or Jaja Ding Dong? Listen and learn! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2009 Revisited (feat. Kevin Weir)

2026/08/20

As we begin to enter the decade of Way of Water and Fire and Ash, we look back to 2009, when Kevin Weir joined Erin, Claire, and Dan to unpack James Cameron's Avatar, and how it lost the Oscar to his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow's war drama The Hurt Locker. The wonders of Pandora and wondering if this time Erin will recognize Guy Pearce await! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2026 (so far) In Review (w/ Olav Rokne)

2026/08/06

While the stars align to kick off the 2020s, Dan takes a look at what 2026 has had to offer so far: the best of what he's seen up until mid July, the penultimate month before Oscar season starts to take shape, including big hits and the criminally (he says) underrated and also Grogu is here. But to balance that out, Olav Rokne of the Hugo Book Club blob tags in to sum up what may be the worst the year has had to offer. How bad can it get? And what beloved (by Dan) movies did you miss that you should find on streaming? All that and more as we review slightly more than half of 2026! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2019: Avenging Parasites

2026/07/23

Is 2019 the apex year for Oscars and audience? Some say the Oscars made one of their best choices ever as embarrassment over Green Book caused voters to look overseas to South Korea, and Bong Joon Ho's class-warfare comedy-thriller Parasite, as a poor family worms their way into a wealthy family's life, only to find they were novices on an expert's turf. Audiences, however, were never going to choose anything but the big conclusion to 11 years of Marvel movies. Avengers: Endgame narrowed the focus from every character possible to the core six Avengers (and four friends) as they conduct a Time Heist to undo Thanos' victory, briefly claiming the all-time box-office record. Is Parasite the greatest Oscar winner? Is Endgame the best of the MCU? Claire, Erin, and Dan are here to find out. Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

Extra Credit: Claire's Top 10 Dogs

2026/07/09

The dogs were good in cinema, here are Claire's top 10. We've talked about the best in Best Pictures, the champions of Box Office Champions, but have missed a key factor: the best in cinematic dogs. Claire is here to correct that, bringing us the goodest boys (and one girl) from the happy dog stories, the sad dog stories, the adventures and the bonds with their humans. Which dogs reign supreme? Find out! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2018: Green Panther: Infinity Book

2026/06/25

It's 2018, and Marvel is lurching towards the climax of ten years of interconnected movies, while the Academy manages to trip over itself. The Oscar went to Green Book, now considered one of the century's biggest blown calls, but is it a bad movie, or just a bad pick for Best Picture? Claire, Erin, and Dan discuss, before moving on to the Marvel movies that ruled the box office. Black Panther brought audiences to the kingdom of Wakanda, while Infinity War finally bring Thanos to the forefront. But which works better? Who's got the hotter lead? Listen in and see if you agree. Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2017: The Shape of Jedi (feat. Kevin Weir)

2026/06/11

It's 2017, and it's time for space wizards and award-winning amphibian erotica! Guillermo Del Toro made a Creature From the Black Lagoon slashfic so beautifully realized it ends up winning Best Picture. Marginalized people in the 60s stand up to the US patriarchy to save a possible fish god, a fish god one mute outsider finds extra compelling. Then it's box office time, which means it's time for the most relaxing thing you can do on the internet... talk about The Last Jedi. Kevin Weir returns to help dissect what works about Rian Johnson's attempt to expand the idea of Star Wars, along with some issues, Erin finally gets her casino planet, Dan reassesses Rise of Skywalker, Claire loves a Porg, and Dan and Kevin share some probably entirely rational rank ordering of Star Wars. Which sci-fi fantasy epic was best? Find out! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2016: Rogue War in the Moonlight

2026/05/28

In 2016, the Oscar race seemed to be hurtling towards "White people get their dream show biz careers but are still sad about it," until a mid-acceptance speech twist handed the top prize to Moonlight, a quiet examination of three key moments in the life of an impoverished gay youth in the ghetto. Claire, Erin, and Dan break it down, and how one of our hosts completely missed the point until rewatching. Then in a complete tone shift, the box office title is split between two Disney properties, as the Rebellion and the Avengers each find themselves at war. Rogue One is Disney-owned Lucasfilm's first attempt at a non-saga Star War, while Captain America: Civil War splits up the Avengers team they'd just introduced a year ago. Which is best, but which is the favourite? Find out! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

The Comics That Made the MCU (w/ Munsi Parker-Munroe)

2026/05/14

Here in the heart of Peak MCU Times, we pause our trek through the 2010s to look at the actual Marvel Comics event books that at minimum leant their titles to major Marvel Studios movies. Munsi Parker-Munroe joins Dan to dig into the comic version of Civil War, Age of Ultron, Secret Invasion, and more to see why Kevin Feige borrowed the titles and left most of the actual stories behind. It turns out that massive event miniseries relying on dozens of tie-in issues don't fit easily into one movie. Join for the journey! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2015: The Spotlight Awakens

2026/04/30

2015 is all about nostalgia, be it for classic space operas or this old-timey thing called "investigative journalism." The Oscar went to Spotlight, an unassuming yet star-studded drama about the Boston Globe's efforts to expose child abuse within the Catholic Church, perhaps the most Boston movie the gang has covered yet. But audiences had little time for hard hitting historical hitpieces, not when STAR WARS WAS BACK, BABY! The Force had Awoken and audiences were there in droves, and Erin, Claire, and Dan are here to unpack Disney's attempt at a new beginning, while asking if the Best Picture is good, great, boring, or some blend thereof? Who picks what side? Listen and learn. Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

2014: Birdman (And The Unexpected Virtue of Optimus Prime) (w/ Munsi Parker-Munroe)

2026/04/16

It's 2014, and the gang hits another good news/bad news situation. First up, the Michael Keaton Renaissance began with Birdman, in which a former superhero actor fought a career slump through a big artistic project by playing a former superhero actor fighting a career slump through a big artistic project, all in seemingly one shot. Claire, Erin, and Dan's theatre kid energy is unleashed, as is returning guest Munsi Parker-Munroe's... before the joy of Birdman's rise and fall and maybe rise again crashes against the rocks of Transformers: The Age of Extinction, in which we learn that a franchise CAN get worse if you replace Shia LeBeouf as the lead. Come for the appreciation of Birdman's artistry, stay for the ladies losing their grip on reality at the mere description of how The Last Knight starts, plus Dan has some things to say about American Sniper. Listen in! Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

The 2026 Oscar Recap (feat. Olav Rokne)

2026/04/02

As the 98th Oscars recede into the background, Erin, Claire, and Dan run down the nominated films and look ahead to our 2025 topic. Dan's seen them all, Erin's seen some, Claire saw none and tries to figure out their plots based on vibes, and returning guest Olav Rokne of the Hugo Book Club has controversial hot takes that have Dan asking how many nominees he actually paid attention to. From how four films ended up with nothing to how Sinners became the most nominated film in history, from Brad Pitt racing cars to Leo DiCaprio chasing cars, join us as we slice through the ten so-called best movies of 2025. Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com

Should it Have Been Nominated?

2026/03/19

While Erin and Claire are away, Dan is left unsupervised, and thus takes us on a journey through the remaining years of the 2010s, looking at popcorn movies (often if not only big hits) that perhaps deserved a Best Picture nomination... or at least deserved one more than some of the actual nominees. Dan argues that perhaps cinematic thrill rides and well-made spy thrillers* are as worthy of Oscar attention as mediocre biopics in which someone does a really good job of playing Stephen Hawking or Freddy Mercury, or that experimental gimmicks do not necessarily a Best Picture make... leading inevitably to Dan's Unhinged Rant about a certain 2014 nominee. Agree? Disagree? Listen in to find out! (*Dan's fanatical devotion to Mission: Impossible does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Erin or Claire) Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com