stitcherLogoCreated with Sketch.
Get Premium Download App
Listen
Discover
Premium
Shows
Likes

Listen Now

Discover Premium Shows Likes

The Moonlight Awards

40 Episodes

101 minutes | Jun 19, 2022
The Moonlight Awards: 1967
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? 
82 minutes | May 1, 2022
The Moonlight Awards: 1966
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? 
68 minutes | Apr 17, 2022
The Moonlight Awards: 1965
The 1960s are a great period for the movie musical, with all-time classics like West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, and more. The era is also defined by the French New Wave, with one iconic film after another by Varda, Truffaut, Resnais, and all the rest. Maybe the most influential French New Wave director was Jean-Luc Godard - but so far, he's never won a Moonlight. Likewise, no musical has won a Moonlight since Singin' in the Rain back in 1952. Will one of those streaks change this year? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, moviegoers' habits, Shakespeare adaptations, box office sensations, fourth-wall breakers, apartment-wall breakers, sexual liberation and the #MeToo movement - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert-panel votes) to identify the best film of 1965. The nominees are Chimes at Midnight, Dr. Zhivago, Pierrot Le Fou, Repulsion, and The Sound of Music. Who wins the Moonlight? 
61 minutes | Jan 23, 2022
The Moonlight Awards: 1964
Here we are in 1964: one of the best years ever for movie musicals, with classics from Hollywood and Europe, and the breakout year for legendary directors like Sergio Leone and Stanley Kubrick. The French New Wave is rippling worldwide, the Cold War is as hot as it will ever be, and the Beatles have taken over the airwaves. All of those trends factor into our five Best Picture nominees, plus a few other classics that didn't quite make our cut. But which one film best stands the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, Peter Sellers, P. L. Travers, clean old men, the filming of sand, secret New Wave films, secret horror movies, sung-through musicals, spoonfuls of sugar, and the merits of fighting in the War Room - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1964. The nominees (with apologies to Leone) are Dr. Strangelove, A Hard Day's Night, Mary Poppins, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and Woman in the Dunes. Who wins the Moonlight? 
69 minutes | Jan 2, 2022
The Moonlight Awards: 1963
It's 1963, and the Cold War is at its peak - and luckily for us, so is cinema. Alfred Hitchcock continues his run with another horror classic, Jean-Luc Godard and Federico Fellini unveil masterpieces of their own, and Luchino Visconti returns with a lavish historical epic that only he could have made. But which one film of 1963 has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, multilingual casts, Communist allegories, special effects, director's block, long arguments, and Steve McQueen - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1963. The nominees are The Birds, Contempt, 8 1/2, The Great Escape, and The Leopard. Who wins the Moonlight? 
62 minutes | Dec 12, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1962
Welcome to 1962, a year of geopolitical tension, rising anticolonialism, and (at least in the US) an urgent push for racial justice. In the theaters, the French New Wave hits its peak, David Lean attempts the biggest epic ever, and American filmmakers tackle racism, paranoia, and the whereabouts of Baby Jane. But which one film of 1962 has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the New Wave's "ideal woman," Agnes Varda's feminism, brownface casting, and Gregory Peck's acting abilities - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1962. The nominees are Cleo from 5 to 7, Jules et Jim, La Jetee, Lawrence of Arabia, and To Kill A Mockingbird. Who wins the Moonlight? 
58 minutes | Nov 28, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1961
It's 1961! Cold War tensions are at a fever pitch, the anti-colonial movement is rising, and in theaters, the French New Wave is at its peak. In Hollywood, moviegoers are getting their first looks at Audrey Hepburn's little black dress - and their first listen to the musical genius of (the late, great) Stephen Sondheim. Around the world, great directors like Luis Buñuel and Akira Kurosawa are making some of their most treasured classics. But which one film of 1961 has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the man with no name, unceremonious fight scenes, great animal actors, the absence of shadows, Last Supper parodies, Henry Mancini, actors in brownface and yellowface, the greatness of Rita Moreno, and the best strategy for winning at Nim - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1961. The nominees are Breakfast at Tiffany's, Last Year at Marienbad, Viridiana, West Side Story, and Yojimbo. Who wins the Moonlight? 
67 minutes | Nov 14, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1960
We've arrived at the 1960s, and the decade begins with a bang: 1960 brings us five of the most indelible, acclaimed, celebrated, homaged, and influential movies ever made. In Europe, Jean-Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Federico Fellini are changing the game; in the States, Billy Wilder and Alfred Hitchcock deliver two of their most treasured classics, one a brilliant comedy, the other a shocking slasher. They're all great - but which one film from 1960 has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the French New Wave, jump cuts, paparazzi, awful Cannes screenings, "reciprocal pity," great last lines, theater rules, and hot-water heaters - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1960. The nominees are The Apartment, L'Avventura, Breathless, La Dolce Vita, and Psycho. Who wins the Moonlight? 
57 minutes | Oct 31, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1959
We've arrived at the end of our third decade! And it's a busy, transformative period for the movies. The French New Wave has kicked into high gear; the Hays Code is finally in decline; and Alfred Hitchcock is in the middle of (arguably) the greatest run of films a director's ever had. But which one film from 1959 has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the French New Wave, auteur theory, cross-dressing, Cary Grant impressions, "raising hell," Alain Resnais' strangely linear career arc, the emerging dominance of color film, how to commit petty property crime, and Abraham Lincoln's nose - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1959. The nominees are The 400 Blows, Hiroshima Mon Amour, North By Northwest, Pickpocket, and Some Like It Hot. Who wins the Moonlight? 
58 minutes | Sep 12, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1958
We're nearing the end of the 1950s, and it's an exciting period for the movies. The French New Wave is stirring, Eastern European artists are emerging, and Alfred Hitchcock, already far and away our most acclaimed director, is about to have an incredible run that (arguably) tops everything that's come before. But which one film has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, cool titles, misleading titles, Miles Davis, Bernard Hermann, Godard's leading men, modern technology, 50s-era psychology, and Mexican accents (or the lack thereof) - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1958. The nominees are Ashes & Diamonds, Elevator to the Gallows, Mon Oncle, Touch of Evil, and Vertigo. Who wins the Moonlight? 
58 minutes | Aug 22, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1957
In film history, there are certain years that stand out. 1939 may be the most famous example, but there are some years that shine even brighter than that. We've arrived at 1957, arguably the best year ever for movies - with two classic war movies, possibly the greatest courtroom drama of all time, masterpieces by Kubrick and Fellini and Kurosawa - and not one but two all-timers from Ingmar Bergman, who might have had the best year ever for a film director. But which one film, out of all those, has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, existentialism, "date bait," spontaneous parades, unnamed jurors, trench warfare, and the perils of showing an antiwar movie to the troops who fought in that very war - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1957. The nominees are Bridge on the River Kwai, Nights of Cabiria, Paths of Glory, The Seventh Seal, and Twelve Angry Men. (With apologies to Wild Strawberries, Throne of Blood, and The Sweet Smell of Success!) Who wins the Moonlight? 
52 minutes | Aug 1, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1956
Thus far in our journey through cinema history, we've nominated a lot of "genre" films - but very few have won. So far we only have one sci-fi/horror winner, 1935's Bride of Frankenstein, and no Western winners at all. But 1956 gives us one film that's often described as the greatest Western ever made - and another film that's been called the best B horror flick. Will one of them finally break through? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, satiric melodrama, phallic hobby horses, realistic prison breaks, pod people, dish detergent, the Holocaust, the war in Algeria, the hero's journey, Ahab, Homer, and what to do when your protagonist is downright evil - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1956. The nominees are Invasion of the Body Snatchers, A Man Escaped, Night and Fog, The Searchers, and Written on the Wind. Who wins the Moonlight? 
54 minutes | Jul 18, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1955
Are you ready for a three-way showdown? 1955 brings us several classics, including a suspenseful French thriller and a Danish masterpiece that Sight & Sound cited as one of the 25 best films ever made. But it's all going to come down to a battle between three movies, featuring an iconic film villain, James Dean's most famous role, and a hitherto-unknown Indian director whose labor of love finally comes to fruition. But which one film has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, first-time directors, "poverty porn," red jackets, homoeroticism, trains, twists, faith, miracles, LOVE, HATE, spoiler alerts, and dead-or-not-dead men in bathtubs - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1955. The nominees are Les Diaboliques, Night of the Hunter, Ordet, Pather Panchali, and Rebel Without A Cause. Who wins the Moonlight? 
48 minutes | Jul 4, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1954
The year 1954 gives us several of the greatest films of all time. Leading the pack are Akira Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai and Alfred Hitchcock's iconic Rear Window - but 1954 also gives us Federico Fellini's first masterpiece, plus two American classics that stand on opposite sides of the Red Scare. But which one film has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, great women in Westerns, the loneliness of New York City, Kurosawa's influence on the heist film, the brilliance of Giulietta Masina, and the shadow of Joe McCarthy - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1954. The nominees are Johnny Guitar, On the Waterfront, Rear Window, Seven Samurai, and La Strada. Who wins the Moonlight? 
46 minutes | Jun 13, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1953
The 1950s is a great period for movies - but not so much for American movies, as the Red Scare is driving many great artists out of the business. European and Japanese filmmakers are thriving, though, so this year they dominate the spotlight. Will we have our first non-English-language winner since Bicycle Thieves in '48? There's a four-out-of-five chance... Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the Hollywood blacklist, the poor man's Cary Grant, the greatness of Audrey Hepburn, what makes a film "feminist" or "anti-war," Hitchcock's theory of suspense, the generation gap, the menace of bad titles, and what happens when the original gaslighter gets gaslit - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1953. The nominees are The Earrings of Madame de..., Roman Holiday, Tokyo Story, Ugetsu, and The Wages of Fear. Who wins the Moonlight?  
51 minutes | May 30, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1952
The year 1952 is a great one for the movies: it's the age of the Western, with Gary Cooper facing a whole gang of bad guys (and some criminals too); it's the peak of Japanese cinema and Italian neo-realism, with timeless entries from Akira Kurosawa and Vittorio De Sica; and of course the year also brings us "Singin' in the Rain," widely considered the best movie musical of all time. But which one film has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in film, the meaning of life, Hollywood's seedy underbelly, the Red Scare, John Wayne's theory of Westerns, Gene Kelly's work ethic, the similarities between Singin' in the Rain and Clue, and one of the most memorable dogs in movie history - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1952. The nominees are The Bad & the Beautiful, High Noon, Ikiru, Singin' in the Rain, and Umberto D. Who wins the Moonlight? 
59 minutes | May 16, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1951
It's a time of transition for the movies: Marlon Brando is hitting the screen with an all-new acting style, the European and Japanese film industries are reemerging after the devastation of World War II, and in America, Cold War paranoia is giving rise to the golden age of science fiction. It all leads to an influx of very good films in 1951 - but which one film has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in film, "model" actors, Method actors, the perils of adaptation, unconvincing love stories, homoerotic subtexts, and the keys to timeless sci-fi - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1951. The nominees are An American in Paris, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Diary of a Country Priest, Strangers on a Train, and A Streetcar Named Desire. (1951 wasn't big on short titles.) Who wins the Moonlight? 
53 minutes | May 2, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1950
We're officially entering our third decade, and this year is a big one: All About Eve won the Oscar, but Sunset Boulevard is a bona fide classic - and Akira Kurosawa also released Rashomon in 1950 too. All three have stood the test of time, no doubt - but which of the three has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the allure of seedy Hollywood stories, Bette Davis, Gloria Swanson, Toshiro Mifune, postwar pessimism, the return of Luis Buñuel, the artificiality of noir, and just how much of a jerk Humphrey Bogart really was - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1950. The nominees are All About Eve, In A Lonely Place, Los Olvidados, Rashomon, and Sunset Boulevard. Who wins the Moonlight? 
59 minutes | Apr 4, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1949
We've come to the end of our second decade, and it's a pretty good year for films: Alec Guinness breaks out with a multi-role tour de force; Orson Welles delivers another memorable star turn; and a pair of Japanese directors deliver two very disparate postwar classics. But which one film has best managed to stand the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, obsessive cinematographers, zither scores, Freudianism, gender politics, vases, cuckoo clocks, and the brilliance of Joseph Cotten - and then dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1949. The nominees (with apologies to Stray Dog) are Adam's Rib, Kind Hearts & Coronets, Late Spring, The Third Man, and White Heat. Who wins the Moonlight? 
50 minutes | Mar 21, 2021
The Moonlight Awards: 1948
"Awards? We don't need no steenkin' awards!" 1947 was a rough year for movies, but the film industry picked back up in '48 with an Italian neo-realist classic, a lavish Technicolor dance fantasy, Alfred Hitchcock's one-shot experiment, and an iconic, quixotic Mexican treasure hunt - and that's just for starters. But which one film has best managed to stand the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema and dig into the numbers (including our expert panel vote) to identify the best picture of 1948. Our five nominees are Bicycle Thieves, Letter From An Unknown Woman, The Red Shoes, Rope, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Who wins the Moonlight? 
COMPANY
About us Careers Stitcher Blog Help
AFFILIATES
Partner Portal Advertisers Podswag
Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information
© Stitcher 2022