The Envelope

Ladies & Gentlemen. Welcome to “The Envelope” Podcast.  For the last time.Here on The Envelope, we have discussed & reviewed every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History.  We began with the very first Best Picture Winner “Wings” and over the past 93 episodes (plus a few Special Episodes), we have watched, analyzed and debated every Best Picture Winner in order, all the way up to the latest winner “Nomadland.”  What an amazing way to view the progression of film through the decades. We genuinely hope you enjoyed following along with us! Our podcasts will remain on iTunes and our website for future enjoyment. So please catch up on any episodes you might have missed! This week we’re bringing you our FINAL EPISODE where we rank our Top Ten Favorite Academy Award Best Picture Winners.

On this episode, we discuss the ninety-third Best Picture Winner: “NOMADLAND”"Nomadland" is based on the 2017 nonfiction book "Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century" by Jessica Bruder. The film follows Fern, a woman in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. The film is a poetic character study on the forgotten and downtrodden that captures the restlessness left in the wake of the Great Recession. Directed by Chloé Zhao, the film stars Frances McDormand as Fern and David Strathairn as Dave.Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the ninety-second Best Picture Winner: “PARASITE”"Parasite" is a South Korean black comedy thriller that follows a poor family who scheme to become employed by a wealthy family and infiltrate their household by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals. Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan. Directed by Bong Joon Ho, the film stars Kang-ho Song as Ki Taek, Sun-kyun Lee as Dong Ik, Yeo-jeong Cho as Yeon Kyo, Woo-sik Choi as Ki Woo and So-dam Park as Ki Jung.Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the ninety-first Best Picture Winner: “GREEN BOOK”"Green Book" is a biographical comedy-drama written by Peter Farrelly, Brian Hayes Currie and Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga's son, Nick Vallelonga, based on interviews with his father and Shirley, as well as letters his father wrote to his mother. Dr. Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film stars Viggo Mortensen as Tony Lip, Mahershala Ali as Dr. Donald Shirley, Linda Cardellini as Dolores and Sebastian Maniscalco as Johnny Venere.Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the ninetieth Best Picture Winner: “THE SHAPE OF WATER”"The Shape of Water" is a romantic fantasy film that follows Elisa, a mute, isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady in a hidden, high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret: a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank. As Elisa develops a unique bond with her new friend, she soon learns that its fate and very survival lies in the hands of a hostile government agent and a marine biologist.  Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the film stars Sally Hawkins as Elisa Esposito, Michael Shannon as Richard Strickland, Richard Jenkins as Giles, Octavia Spencer as Zelda Fuller, Michael Stuhlbarg as Dr. Robert Hoffstetler and Doug Jones as Amphibian Man.Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the eighty-ninth Best Picture Winner: “MOONLIGHT”"Moonlight" is a coming-of-age drama based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue." The film presents three stages in the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. The film explores the difficulties he faces with his sexuality and identity, including the physical and emotional abuse he endures growing up.  His epic journey to manhood is also guided by the kindness, support and love of the community that helps raise him.  Directed by Barry Jenkins, the film stars Mahershala Ali as Juan, Janelle Monáe as Teresa, Naomie Harris as Paula, Alex R. Hibbert as Little (Chiron in the first segment), Ashton Sanders as Chiron (in the second segment), and Trevante Rhodes as Black (Chiron in the third segment).Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the eighty-eighth Best Picture Winner: “SPOTLIGHT”"Spotlight" follows The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative journalist unit in the United States, and its investigation into cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests. In 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. Led by editor Walter "Robby" Robinson, reporters Michael Rezendes, Matt Carroll and Sacha Pfeiffer interview victims and try to unseal sensitive documents. The reporters make it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. Directed by Tom McCarthy, the film stars Michael Keaton as Walter 'Robby' Robinson, Mark Ruffalo as Mike Rezendes, Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer, Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron, John Slattery as Ben Bradlee Jr., Stanley Tucci as Mitchell Garabedian and Billy Crudup as Eric Macleish.Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the eighty-seventh Best Picture Winner: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”"Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” follows former cinema superhero Riggan Thomson as he mounts an ambitious Broadway production that he hopes will breathe new life into his stagnant career. It's risky, but he hopes that his creative gamble will prove that he's a real artist and not just a washed-up movie star. As opening night approaches, a castmate is injured, forcing Riggan to hire an actor who is guaranteed to shake things up. Meanwhile, Riggan must deal with his girlfriend, daughter and ex-wife. Directed Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the film stars Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson, Emma Stone as Sam, Zach Galifianakis as Jake, Naomi Watts as Lesley and Edward Norton as Mike.Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the eighty-sixth Best Picture Winner: “12 YEARS A SLAVE.”"12 Years a Slave" is a biographical period-drama adaptation of the 1853 slave memoir "Twelve Years a Slave" by Solomon Northup. In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner, Edwin Epps, he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon's life forever.  Directed by Steve McQueen, the film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps, Sarah Paulson as Mistress Epps, Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey, Paul Dano as Tibeats, Benedict Cumberbatch as Ford and Brad Pitt as Bass.Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

On this episode, we discuss the eighty-fifth Best Picture Winner: “ARGO.”"Argo" is a historical drama thriller based on the 1999 book by U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operative Tony Mendez, titled "The Master of Disguise," and the 2007 Wired article by Joshuah Bearman, titled "The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran". The film deals with the "Canadian Caper", in which Mendez led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, under the guise of filming a science fiction film during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis. On Nov. 4, 1979, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 66 American hostages. Amid the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge with the Canadian ambassador. Knowing that it's just a matter of time before the refugees are found and likely executed, the U.S. government calls on extractor Tony Mendez to rescue them. Mendez's plan is to pose as a Hollywood producer scouting locations in Iran and train the refugees to act as his "film" crew. Directed by Ben Affleck, the film stars Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez, Bryan Cranston as Jack O'Donnell, Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel, John Goodman as John Chambers, Victor Garber as Ken Taylor, Clea DuVall as Cora Lijek and Kyle Chandler as Hamilton JordanHere on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.