The Moonlight Awards – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Moonlight Awards

Aaron Keck

Tv & Film

Arts

Frequency: 1 episode/25d. Total Eps: 48

The Oscars' Best Picture choices often look odd or incorrect in hindsight - so why not wait for the hindsight and then give the award? Welcome to the Moonlight Awards! Hosts Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck journey through film history, one year at a time, nominating five movies from each year and honoring one Moonlight winner - the one film from that year that's best stood the test of time. (It's not just our opinion: we base our choices on critics' lists, general-audience votes, and a survey we're conducting of some of the most renowned film scholars in America.) #whowinsthemoonlight

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The Moonlight Awards: 1975

Season 5 · Episode 6

Sunday, May 7, 2023 • Duration 01:17:06

Was 1975 the best year ever for movies? Everybody says 1939, but you can make a very strong case that film hit its peak right here. Tarkovsky triumped with Mirror; Steven Spielberg dropped Jaws; Stanley Kubrick returned with Barry Lyndon; Dog One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest swept the Oscars; Monty Python and Rocky Horror redefined the comedy, the musical, and the cult classic - and hovering above them all is Chantal Akerman's fascinating, hypnotic Jeanne Dielman, just feted by Sight & Sound as the greatest film ever made. But of all those great movies (and more), which one best stands the test of time?

Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, feminism, fops, faulty sharks, forgotten riots, and Fletcher - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1975.

The nominees are Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, Jeanne Dielman, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1974

Season 5 · Episode 5

Sunday, April 16, 2023 • Duration 01:16:06

What's the best year ever for a director? Victor Fleming co-directed Gone With The Wind and The Wizard of Oz in 1939; Ingmar Bergman released Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal in 1957; and Steven Spielberg dropped both Jurassic Park and Schindler's List in 1993. They're all contenders, but 1974 may have them all beat: not only is this the year Francis Ford Coppola finished Godfather II and The Conversation, it's also the year Mel Brooks wrapped up both Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Some folks are just overachievers.

Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the greatest moments in comedy, mental illness, Germany's guestworker program, sisters, daughters, and the year's top headlines - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1974. (This time, we're also joined by historian Jennifer Miller - whose research focuses on that guestworker program, the backdrop of Fassbinder's "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.")

The nominees are Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Chinatown, The Godfather: Part II, A Woman Under the Influence, and Young Frankenstein. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1973

Season 5 · Episode 4

Sunday, February 26, 2023 • Duration 01:15:20

It's 1973, and it's a rough time in world and U.S. history. The Vietnam War is still raging, there's a massive oil shortage, and crime is rampant - even in the White House. So it's no surprise that our top films of '73 share a sort of unease about the present, channeled into horror (The Exorcist) or cynicism (Mean Streets) or nostalgia for the past (American Graffiti). They have that much in common - but which one film best stands the test of time?

Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, emerging directors, awkward fight scenes, rock soundtracks, cursed productions, and the hotness (or lack thereof) of Donald Sutherland - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1973.

The nominees are American Graffiti, Badlands, Don't Look Now, The Exorcist, and Mean Streets. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1972

Season 5 · Episode 3

Sunday, February 12, 2023 • Duration 58:24

Some years are easier than others. This time, we're tackling 1972, a year that has always been dominated by The Godfather. But while Brando and company are likely to take gold this time, it's still a fascinating battle for second - including a resurgence of European films, which had been lacking amidst the predominance of the New Hollywood movement.

Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the greatest film scores, the craziest lead actors, the best musical numbers, and the ploddiest sci-fi flicks - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1972.

The nominees are Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Cabaret, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Godfather, and Solaris. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1971

Season 5 · Episode 2

Sunday, January 29, 2023 • Duration 56:40

The New Hollywood movement has been on the rise for the last few years, and by 1971 it's dominant. From directors like Altman, Friedkin, and Bogdanovich to actors like Bridges, Beatty and Hackman, we're now encountering all the stars that will define the industry for the next generation. But the old guard is still very much around - and standing amidst them all is Stanley Kubrick, who's back again with yet another visually striking masterpiece. But which one film best stands the test of time?

Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, small-town tumbleweeds, decaying cities, fascism, and amoral antiheroes - this was a gritty year! - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1971.

The nominees are A Clockwork Orange, Death in Venice, The French Connection, The Last Picture Show, and McCabe & Mrs. Miller. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1970

Season 5 · Episode 1

Sunday, January 15, 2023 • Duration 01:05:28

1970 is a transition year for world history, and the movies are no different. With the studio system era in the rear view mirror and the French New Wave past its peak, the dawn of the 70s brings a whole new generation of filmmakers to center stage. For the second year in a row, the year's top films are all made by directors we've not yet encountered - though in a couple cases, we'll encounter those directors again, and again. But which one film best stands the test of time?

Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in film, the New Hollywood movement, the Rolling Stones, and the cinematic genius of Omar Bradley - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1970.

The nominees are The Conformist, Five Easy Pieces, Gimme Shelter, MASH, and Patton. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1969

Season 4 · Episode 10

Sunday, October 2, 2022 • Duration 58:46

The 1960s began with the rise of the French New Wave, but it ends with the dominance of the New Hollywood: a new generation of American filmmakers, inspired by their French counterparts, freed from the oppressive Hays Code, and reacting to a period of war, transformation, and social upheaval. The movies they made in 1969 were bleak, violent - and revolutionary, influencing cinema for decades to come. But which one film best stands the test of time?

Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the rise of pop music soundtracks, the kitchen sink drama, the revisionist Western, the bicycle, the motorcycle, and the bus - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1969.

The nominees are Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Easy Rider, Kes, Midnight Cowboy, and The Wild Bunch. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1968

Season 4 · Episode 9

Sunday, July 17, 2022 • Duration 01:13:43

1968 is the year of the genre film! "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Planet of the Apes" pioneered in science fiction, "Rosemary's Baby" is a horror classic, "Night of the Living Dead" practically invented the zombie trope, and "Once Upon a Time in the West" ranks among the greatest Westerns ever made. We're also in an era of independent film, with directors like George Romero and John Cassavetes leading the way. But in a year of beloved classics, which one film best stands the test of time?

Join the braaaainy Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, realism in dialogue, gaslighting, monoliths, harmonicas, the bizarre life of Roman Polanski, and Stanley Kubrick's connection to Monty Python - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1968.

The nominees are Faces, Night of the Living Dead, Once Upon a Time in the West, Rosemary's Baby, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1967

Season 4 · Episode 8

Sunday, June 19, 2022 • Duration 01:40:54

It's 1967, and the film world is about to be conquered by the New Hollywood: a new generation of young American actors and directors, influenced by the French New Wave, galvanized by tumultuous cultural and political movements, and liberated by the collapse of the stifling Hays code. This year, "the curve comes to reassert itself over the straight line," as the critic Philip Kemp said about "Playtime": norms and mores are violated, elites are exposed, marriages are exploded, weddings are disrupted, mud and blood are splattered, and structures fall. And after all that, we're left with five indelible films: which one comes out on top?

Join Rachel Schaevitz, Aaron Keck, and special guest Beverly Gray (author of "Seduced by Mrs. Robinson") as they discuss the year in cinema, the curve, the line, fedoras, fantasies, squibs, plastics, feminism, antifeminism, and the stunning rise of Dustin Hoffman - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best film of 1967.

The nominees are Belle de Jour, Bonnie & Clyde, The Graduate, Playtime, and Le Samourai. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards: 1966

Season 4 · Episode 7

Sunday, May 1, 2022 • Duration 01:21:41

Welcome to 1966, a year of tremendous turmoil worldwide, with the Cold War at its peak, the Vietnam War still on the rise, anti-colonial upheaval across the globe, and rapidly advancing movements for racial justice, gender equality, and sexual liberation. That's all reflected on screen too: the very best movies of 1966 all bring us into the lives of characters living through times of uncertainty, anxiety and possibility, when things have come unmoored, searching for a foundation or a sense of purpose - and sometimes failing to find it, or ruining themselves in the process. It's a heavy year - but these films are also a heck of a lot of fun to watch.

Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the swinging sixties, the death of the Hays code, Soviet censorship, the cost of war, "the Mount Everest of film," orgies, duels, and the misunderstood legacy of Clint Eastwood - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert-panel votes) to identify the best film of 1966.

The nominees are Andrei Rublev, Battle of Algiers, Blow Up, The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly, and Persona. Who wins the Moonlight?

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The Moonlight Awards – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Moonlight Awards – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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Latest published episodes

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Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify