Part 2 of Podcast Episode 2 features a discussion of the 2008 Academy Awards between Pete Fenzel, Ryan Sheely, Matt Wrather, and—for reasons passing understanding—the same anonymous political operative as Part 1.

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Interesting article in USA Today (of all places) delving into the There Will Be Blood milkshake line:

[Director P. T.] Anderson concedes that he’s puzzled by the phenomenon — particularly because the lines came straight from a transcript he found of the 1924 congressional hearings over the Teapot Dome scandal, in which Sen. Albert Fall was convicted of accepting bribes for oil-drilling rights to public lands in Wyoming and California.

In explaining oil drainage, Fall’s “way of describing it was to say ‘Sir, if you have a milkshake and I have a milkshake and my straw reaches across the room, I’ll end up drinking your milkshake,’ ” Anderson says. “I just took this insane concept and used it.”

By the way, it’s now kind of painfully obvious this milkshake thing has gone from inside joke to appallingly mainstream, and really is no longer cool. We need to find a more obscure line from an even indier movie. [Honest to blog. —Ed.]

Now that Oscar season is over, so is the battle for my favorite filmic facepalm, and it belongs to generally competent New York Times movie reviewer and easy target* A.O. Scott. In his piece bemoaning the influence of the Oscars on Hollywood, he wrote:

“Releasing ambitious, serious films into theaters has become a brutal blood sport.”

It isn’t that outlandish on its face, because it’s the kind of thing we’re used to hearing at this point, but maybe we should question why we’re used to hearing it, because it really is very silly. more »

Le Mozart Des Pickpockets won Best Live Action Short!

I am shocked. I mean, when Forest Gump beat Shawshank, you could at least feel like, “Well, Forest Gump was just too popular.” But in this case, no one knew any of these shorts, so there shouldn’t have been any preconceptions.

There’s really only one explanation: Academy voters really love cute kids. You want to win an Oscar for Best Live Action Short? Get her.

The Matts (Belinkie and Wrather) discuss the live action films nominated for Oscars®.

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Finally, presumptive Oscar® winner There Will Be Blood.

Belinkie
Cobbling is apparently amazing acting training.
Also, there will be mustache wax.
Best bowling alley scene since Lebowski.
Damn right, it’s better than yours.

Stokes
There Will Be Blood. No, really.
The Oscar® goes to: Daniel Day-Lewis.

Fenzel
Sorry, the milkshake is only metaphorical.
No blood for oil? No thanks!
Citizen Kane, rugged, deranged and sledless.
The struggle of man vs. dirt.
There will not be female characters.

Sheely
Spoiler Alert: He’s not his son!?!
Wait, Paul Dano plays two characters?
Boogie Nights, but with real drilling.
Real profits beat false prophets. Literally.

Wrather
Wait for it… Wait for it…

Oscar® week. *grunt* Six Words. *grunt* It’s a beautiful landscape, but it’s No Country for Old Men.

Belinkie
FYI: He does mind riding bitch.
Moral: Never bring wounded men water.
Honestly, who uses the word “caliche?”
This Oscar is really for Ladykillers.

Stokes
No country for young men, either.
This fall… death wears a bowlcut.

Fenzel
Like The Big Lebowski, only joyless.
Murder porn for film school aspirants.
We heart boxy 80s pickup trucks.
No music, no ending, no problem.

Sheely
A scary killer, a scarier haircut.
Tommy Lee. Coin flips. Batman Forever?

Wrather
Donny, you’re out of your element.

Oscar® week continues at Overthinking It with still more six word summaries of Best Picture nominees. I tried to tell the guys to write even if they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about, but a couple of them were scrupulous and couldn’t help but admit (in six words) that they hadn’t seen Michael Clayton.

Belinkie
Wait, lawyers are sneaky? Gee willickers!
Bizarro Erin Brockovich. (Only took three.)

Stokes
I did not see this movie.
Fenzel
I didn’t see this movie either.

Sheely
Take Syriana; replace oil with lawyers.

Wrather
Greed bad. Clooney good. Oscar, please.

Oscar® week continues at Overthinking It with more six word summaries of Best Picture nominees. We start today with Atonement.

Belinkie
Chick flick that men can tolerate.
Wait, there were non-Americans in WWII?
Prepare for the original Gossip Girl.
It won some BAFTAs! Be impressed!
There’s a long tracking shot. Oooooh.
Keira Knightley really has no breasts.

Fenzel
Fancy outfits, child rape and war!
Why nobody listens to teenage girls.
Men, explain Dunkirk to your dates.
More Vin Diesel and robots, please.
Bad things happen to beautiful people.

Sheely
Didn’t like English Patient? Skip this.

Stokes
Women: Can’t live with them. Period.
Same twist ending as sixth sense.

Wrather
Jealousy sucks. Oh, right, war too.

It’s Oscar® week, and we here at Overthinking It are celebrating with more six word summaries, this time of the Best Picture nominees. We start today with Juno.

Stokes
Cera and Bateman together again? Awesome!

Sheely
Teen Pregnancy? I like indie rock!

Wrather
I liked it. Honest to blog.

Fenzel
Superbad plus Knocked Up equals legitimacy.
Why everybody listens to teenage girls.
Bun on phone. Bun in oven.

Belinkie
That’s gonna be one sassy baby.
NOT the “vampires in Alaska” movie.
Judd Apatow has to be bitter.
Hold on—Michael Cera isn’t gay?