Even in the midst of a year as hectic and unconventional as this one, Oscar season is still in full swing when it comes to this week’s selection of heavy hitters. Joining me once again for the first time in nearly three years is Maria Garcia, my former partner in crime from such shows as Now Conspiring and Part-Time Characters, and we’re discussing two films often hailed as being among the greatest of all time! We begin with Raging Bull, the morally complex sports biopic that saved Martin Scorsese’s life and has developed a widely varied legacy, and which one of us isn’t especially fond of! From there, we rewind the clock to visit Miloš Forman’s award season darling One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a wholly unique classic within film history that holds up wonderfully to this day! What is the nature of tragedy? How far can sympathy and empathy take us? Has Sam become completely unrecognizable in the past three years? Which actor’s appearance in Cuckoo’s Nest has traumatized Maria on more than one occasion, and who emerges as the unexpected MVP of the film? Tune in to this week’s Extra Milestone for all of those answers and more.
NOTE: Due to an unfortunate (and ultimately miraculously avoided) technical error, the final 15~ minutes of the episode were slightly distorted. Sorry about that!
SHOW NOTES:
- 00:01:55 – Raging Bull
- 00:57:30 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
HOSTED BY: Sam Noland and Maria Garcia
MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE: Music from Raging Bull composed by Pietro Mascagni, music from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest composed by Jack Nitzsche
Folks, I am crying over this PTC reunion! Literal tears.
You’re not the only one!
I totally get the friction with Raging Bull. First time I watched it I couldn’t STAND LaMotta and it bewildered me why anyone would consider him a “hero.”
I think it’s fairer to look at LaMotta as an anti-hero. He’s an extremely flawed protagonist and the antagonist is himself.
Certainly a very offputting character, and certainly NOT a hero; even ‘antihero’ is too generous IMO. Curious if you’ve gone back to it since?
Ok, I feel like this is all leading toward an Avengers-styled situation where Sam, Bridget, Maria, and Adonis reunite for real.
Never say never…
Great episode! Sam and Maria have great rapport and analysis! Sam should have Maria on more often! Like Weekly! I too did not necessarily like Jake LaMotta character in Raging Bull and found Joe Pesci’s brother a better character. As for OFOTCN, I agree that Chief’s character arc was very compelling. And while I too found the ending re Jack Nicholson on the dark side, I feel that the final act of Chief to be a triumph for hope and perseverance. I would be interested to hear Sam’s take on TV’s Ratched.