112 – Goya’s Ghosts

Famous among Oscar predictors in the mid aughts, this week’s film had high sight unseen expectations that were thwarted by a prolonged release and dismal reviews. After twice winning Best Director, Miloš Forman followed a biopic heavy run in the 90s with the costume drama Goya’s Ghosts starring Natalie Portman and Javier Bardem. Cradling the period between the Spanish Inquisition and Napoleon’s later rule, the film is a murky rumination on art, religious power, and human corruptability from one regime to the next. Arriving stateside almost a year after its global release, the film was long forgotten by the time Bardem starting sweeping the season for No Country for Old Men. The film also found Portman at a transitional point in her career, having earned her first nomination for Closer and leaving behind the Star Wars franchise. This week, we discuss Portman’s love of A Choice for better or worse, her 2010 win for Black Swan, and rapping on SNL. Topics also include our beloved Flora Plum and other long-delayed Oscar hopefuls, the 2010 Hollywood Reporter Actress roundtable, and the film’s wild fake teeth. Follow Us on Twitter! @Had_Oscar_Buzz Joe: @joereid Chris: @chrisvfeil