104 – The Terminal

Soak this one up, listeners, because this episode we’re taking one of the very few opportunities for us to talk about Steven Spielberg. The beloved director has one of the best Oscar track records in history, earning nominations for all but five of his feature films – including this week’s misfire, 2004′s The Terminal. Tom Hanks stars as a traveler from the fictional eastern European country of Krakozhia who gets trapped in JFK airport when a coup erupts mid-flight. What ensues is a too-cutesy and logic-defying fairy tale that is widely regarded as one of Spielberg’s biggest creative misses. In this episode, we unpack all of the film’s tonal imbalances and its place in Spielberg’s post-9/11 triptych. We also look at costar Catherine Zeta-Jone’s post-Oscar (and pre-Tony) career, the one category we think The Terminal should have been nominated for, and Stanley Tucci as the film’s bland bureaucrat villain. Other topics include Casa Zeta-Jones, Broadway billboards, and an extensive dive into all of the nominations (and wins) received by Spielberg’s films. Follow Us on Twitter! @Had_Oscar_Buzz Joe: @joereid Chris: @chrisvfeil