Clare and Alaina discuss the Oscar nominations for the 2023 Academy Awards. Come listen to us break down the major categories. The categories this year are jam-packed with talent, and artists at peak performance. Major stand-outs for us this year include Paul Mescal's nomination in AfterSun, Barry Keoghan in Banshees, and Stephanie Hsu in EEAO. Come listen to our predictions in prep for awards night!

Clare and Alaina reflect on the best 2022 releases. 2022 was the year of horror, multiverses, and hit blockbuster sequels. For the first time, Clare and Alaina have one movie in common on their top 5 list. Listen as we break down our movie statistics for the year and find out what films we deem the best. Are you still trying to catch up on your 2022 watches? Start here to find the movies you may have missed! *Correction: Alaina says the wrong title for her 5th movie, it is “Good Luck to...

Clare and Alaina discuss movie news, early Oscar predictions, and the most anticipated films of 2023. Hear our thoughts on the DC Extended Universe as we learn that Wonder Women 3 is no longer moving forward. Additionally, we talk about the Sundance 2023 lineup and the directorial debut of Taylor Swift. As we roll into Oscar season, we discuss the current front runners for Best Picture, Actor, and Actress. Making Sense of Movies has you covered so you don't miss any of the important movie news.

After a short hiatus, Clare and Alaina are back to explore the world of trickery, scamming, and disguises. You guessed it- we’re diving into the best movies about con artists. A con- artist is a person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something that isn't true. Some films are about real-life con artists, like Lee Israel (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), who forged more than 400 letters from deceased writers and actors. We also talk about Frank Abagnale Jr (Catch Me If You...

In this latest episode of Making Sense of Movies, Clare and Alaina discuss movies about obsession. Since this can be a broad category, we specifically focus on characters obsessed with being the best at their profession or personal project. Hear us talk about the juggernauts of this category, Whiplash, and Black Swan. We compare the journeys between the two protagonists, focusing on the abuse of power, social isolation, and descent into insanity. When we meet Nina (Black Swan) and Andrew...

In this latest episode, we focus on the oldest form of conflict: humanity vs the natural world. These stories have similar beats, like surviving on limited resources, conflict over strategy, and acclimating to harsh weather. We examine what each movie does to rise to the top within the survival genre. Some focus on realism as we see in Alive (1993) and Meek's Cutoff (2010), which are inspired by real-life events. On the flip side, Crawl (2019) shows student-athlete Haley Keller out-swim...

Clare and Alaina make sense of the Oscar nominations!! With less then a week away from the award show, the race is between CODA and Power of the Dog for best picture. Come listen to us speculate over what will win, and remorse over Denis Villeneuve not being nominated for best director. We also discuss ABC’s decision not to present 8 awards during this year's live broadcast. While some categories like supporting actress and visual effects have locked wins, this year is particularly difficult...

What time is it? Time for a follow-up episode of Disney Original Movies. In this fabulous episode, we discuss classics like Cheetah Girls, High School Musical 2, and Wendy Wu. Listen to us evaluate the central friend/family dynamics within each movie. We found that HSM2’s gave secondary characters more room to breathe in a less Troy and Gabrilla focused movie. In Wendy Wu, we were able to appreciate the cultural impact Shen had on each member of the Wu family. Finally, in Cheetah Girls, we...

As the year comes to an end, Clare and Alaina reflect on the best movies that have been released in 2021. We also take time to assess how Covid-19 has impacted the box office this year. Despite steady covid numbers, we saw movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi top the box office. This is also a year that indicates streaming and the theater-going experience can coexist. As for the quality of movies, Clare and Alaina agree that it's been an incredible movie year. With so many good...

One reason classic literature is taught in high school is because of their literary themes that have withstood the test of time. While it may be hard to relate to stories of war or mythical prophecies, everyone can still relate to themes of love, coming of age, and survival (especially in high school). This is why classic literature has become such a popular sub-genre within teen movies. In this episode, Clare and Alaina discuss this sub-genre and break down which movies have become classics...

Fables of human-to-wolf transformations can be found in numerous parts of the world. The first known record of these stories is the Epic of Gilgamesh, published in 2100 BC. These creatures go by a variation of names, like wolf man, lycanthrope, and the most commonly known… werewolf. In this haunted Halloween episode, Clare and Alaina discuss the classic and obscure werewolf movies that have hit the silver screen. Come hear our thoughts on which human to wolf transformation is the most...

Clare and Alaina make sense of romance movies between humans and non-humans. Love is hard to find. Sometimes, love finds you when you least expect it...like when you buy an AI virtual assistant or a sex doll that you buy online. Listen to us as we break down each romance, and which couples get our approval. In addition to breaking down the relationships, we also discuss worldbuilding within the movie Her. Instead of being invested in the relationship, we were too busy thinking about the...

The Green Knight (2021) directed by David Lowery is an adaptation of the 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The visuals, costumes, sets, and performance are all exceptional. While everything is great on a technical level, Clare and Alaina agree that all the movie's loose ends make for an unsatisfying ending. The Green Knight trusted its audience to know specific details about Arthurian history in order to understand the movies major themes. Don't worry though, we’re here to...

Clare and Alaina make sense of Adam Sandler’s extensive career by discussing his earliest films to his latest. Sandler is known for his iconic performance playing *insert an Adam Sandler character who we meet at a low point at the beginning of the movie* whose scolded by *insert any one of his future ex-girlfriends whose frustrated by Adam Sandler's lack of motivation in life* which inspires him to *insert a job that leads to his character growth* which helps him to lead a fulfilling life...

Every studio dreams of having a successful movie franchise since they’re known for generating the most box-office revenue. Take Marvel, Star Wars, and Jurassic World for example- all some of the highest-grossing films of all time. Studios need these movies like these to fund smaller projects within their company. Today, however, we’re here to shine some light on the movies that failed to get their sequels greenlit. Clare and Alaina discuss why these chosen movies didn’t connect with audience...

Clare and Alaina discuss the Oscar nominations for the 2021 Academy Awards. Come listen to us break down the major categories, and do a lot of complaining about Mank (seriously though, who liked this movie?!?). Besides Mank nominations, there isn’t much to complain about. The categories this year are jam-packed with talent, and artists at peak performance. Major stand-outs for us this year include Riz Ahmed's nomination in Sound of Metal, Maria Bakalova in Borat Subsequent MovieFilm, and...

Friends are there through thick and thin. From the simple things in life, like needing a shoulder to cry on, to the times you need someone to passionately kiss before you drive a car over a canyon edge. In this episode, Clare and Alaina discuss each character's past and motivations, and why they’re so compatible with their counterparts. There’s a lot of characters we go over (14) so be warned, this is a long episode. We also take some time to discuss how the cinematography adds to these...

Prime Time, a Polish thriller directed by Jakub Piątek, recently premiered at Sundance 2021. The film revolves around 20-year-old Sebastian as he takes hostages at a news station in an attempt to broadcast his message live on TV. Not only did Clare and Alaina have the opportunity to (virtually) be at the world premiere, but the two also participated in a Q+A with Jakub Piątek, and Bartosz Bielenia. Here is Clare and Alaina’s full review of the film. Intro and outro music: Kevin MacLeod....

Psychological Thrillers evoke a sense of suspense through its focus on the unstable emotions of characters and the devolution of the human mind. These movies often have darker themes and are accompanied by sadistic characters. While these movies can be difficult to watch, we continue watching, hoping for a glimpse into the mind of cannibals and psychopaths. It is in these movies that we also watch the protagonists slowly unraveled by those they’d least expect. In this episode, Clare and...

To end the year of 2020, Clare and Alaina discuss the most successful Hollywood genre: superhero movies. For the past few years, superhero movies have driven the largest audiences to theaters and generated the most box office revenue. In this latest episode, we discuss elements of a good action sequence, compelling villains, and why Batman and Robin is a top tier superhero movie...a very ice-olated opinion (as Mr.Freeze might say). We also delve into the cultural significance these movies...

Are you a fan of close-up shots showing complex math equations being hastily written on old-fashioned blackboards? Do you like your protagonist to wear tweed coats while they explain intricate equations to side characters (only done so the audience can keep up with what's going on)? If you answered yes to either of those questions- we’ve got the right group of movies for you. The good news is, you don’t need to know anything about Additive Number Theory, quantum mechanics, or Integer...

If you just can’t wait for the holiday season or are still lamenting the end of Halloween, join us as we talk about movies that combine the two! These are movies sure to induce “claus”trophobia because we’re talking holiday horror movies. Some of the movies discussed have been able to transcend the genre, like Black Christmas, which is known as one of the great slasher films of all time. We also go over lesser-known movies like Thankskilling, about a talking Thanksgiving turkey on a killing...

Nothing screams nostalgia more than Disney Original Movies (aka, movies released on the Disney Channel, and not shown in theaters). Almost everyone can remember sitting in front of their living room tv screen, watching the iconic Disney commercial of children doing splits in the air, thinking to themselves: whatever movie comes on is gonna be epic. Join our Disney-Original connoisseur Alaina, as she shows Clare these movies for the first time. We’re all in this together as we ask important...