Shea Cinema: The Best Picture Project
TLDR; Father/Daughter team watch and review all movies nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, starting back in 1927.
Welcome to Shea Cinema, The Best Picture Project!
Join host Sara Shea and her father, William Shea, as they watch and explore every film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Sara and Dad are recreating a project Sara assigned to her high school Film Studies students, which includes contextual historical research, discussing their personal responses to each film, what makes these films important, why these films need to be understood in context, and, finally, did the winner deserve the Oscar?
So grab your popcorn, pull up a chair, sit back and relax, and let's begin Shea Cinema.
Shea Cinema: The Best Picture Project
S6E2: White Zombie, 1932 BONUS EPISODE!
Welcome to our first film review of the season! We are kicking off with a special BONUS EPISODE! And what better super surprise than the very first zombie story ever told on celluloid! This obscure movie stars Bela Lugosi fresh off his success as Dracula, and offers up a zombie origin unfamiliar to the average movie-lover (we’ve got Haitian voodoo and mind-control to contend with).
We explore its historical context, cultural significance, and the evolution of zombie films. Of course, we discuss the film's plot, character dynamics, and critical reception, while also reflecting on its impact on modern horror cinema. The conversation highlights the film's shortcomings and its role as a cultural touchstone, ultimately leading to a nuanced discussion about gender representation and the legacy of horror films. We also welcome Andrew Corns from The Revisionist’s Almanac to our final insights, who offers an additional critique of this bizarre tale.
Our history timeline is full of our usual touchstones: headlines, top song of the day, and a deeper than usual examination at an often-overlooked tragedy in Washington D.C.
Article Link: The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies
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Email us rants as well as raves: sheacinema@gmail.com
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