Excuse the Intermission
Alex, and Max take you on a journey through film with this discussion podcast about movies.
Excuse the Intermission
ETI's 2025 Oscar Predictions
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This episode is charged with excitement as we gear up for the 97th Academy Awards. Join us as we delve into the nominations, dissect predictions, and share a few surprises that could shake up the night! From the stunning performances in “Amelia Perez” to the artistic endeavors reflected in “The Brutalist,” we showcase an array of films vying for the coveted Oscars. Not only do we make our predictions for each category, but we also unpack the deeper themes these films present and how they resonate within today's cultural context.
Our lively conversation includes sustaining community engagement as we prepare to host a live watch party for the Oscars, encouraging listeners to join in the fun. We also discuss the highly competitive atmosphere surrounding this year’s awards, offering insights into both expected favorites and surprise contenders. With the backdrop of unpredictability, our camaraderie shines through as we share our thoughts and strategies for predicting this year’s winners. Expect a dramatic blend of film analysis, personal insights, and a touch of friendly rivalry as we await the most glamorous night in cinema.
Tune in for a fun-filled and insightful episode that will undoubtedly resonate with every film enthusiast. Don’t miss out on joining our interactive watch party and sharing your own predictions and thoughts ahead of the big night! Subscribe, share, and get ready for the Oscars!
Introduction to the Episode
Speaker 1how's it? I'm alex mccauley.
Speaker 1I'm max vosberg and I'm erica kraus and this is, excuse the intermission a discussion show surrounding our picks for the 97th academy awards. The oscars are this sunday and, along with the anticipation for who will win the night's biggest awards, we of course have our in-house competition for best ballot. We will go through each category and cement our selections for the big night. That conversation next on the other side of this break. All right, y'all, that's one of our biggest episodes of the year. We will go through all 23 categories for the upcoming Academy Awards, cement, cement our picks and then, in about a week's time, see where the dust settles and who gets to pick their own episode theme to claim victory with. Uh, how you feeling as reigning champ right now, max uh, not, uh, particularly confident.
Speaker 3I feel like this is a very wild Oscar year. I don't really have you know, looking over my picks here, I don't have like a strong, like dominator of film that is going to be taking home everything. So I just feel like everything's kind of up in the air a little bit and I definitely do some zags when maybe I should zig, and so I think that's.
Speaker 3That's what helped me win last year, though a little bit, a little bit yeah, um, but yeah, I don't know, I, I, I just feel like it's going to be all over the board this year now, of course, last year was just a, a two-man race, so to say.
Anticipation for the 97th Academy Awards
Speaker 1We now have erica as the third chair. So, erica, how are you feeling not only going into the night, as far as kind of maybe what max was speaking about like do you have a favorite on your list that's dominating a lot of categories and then, just sort of overall, how do you feel about this somewhat competitive process that we've once again thrown you into?
Speaker 2yeah, I, I'm not feeling confident only just because I I also feel like it's gonna be all over the board. I I feel I just have this feeling that the oscars this year will take a lot of us by surprise and that there'll be some things that have been kind of clearing awards season, but then so it's like it won't be as easy to predict that at the at the Oscars. And so I was going through everything last night I was just like I don't, there's, there's obviously categories that I'm like that makes sense, but I don't know. I just feel like it's really really up in the air. And as far as my favorite goes, I love a lot of these movies, but none of them are particularly dominating all the categories.
Speaker 1I do think that this may in time prove to be a really good year for you to jump in and do this exercise with us for the first time, because in years prior it would be a little bit I don't want to say easier, but a little bit more chalk to maybe have a film like Oppenheimer on the board. Or thinking back, maybe if we were to be doing this exercise during a Return of the king kind of year or a La La Land kind of year, where you were like, oh OK, I know I'm going to at least walk away with like 12 or 13 correct picks, because I can. I can kind of pick some of these big ones and then some of these smaller undercard awards. Those seem to be well defined, that the precursors are out there from other award shows, but things have been kind of all over the place here this award season. So that's great, that's what we want. It's it's intrigue for us who care about this kind of stuff.
Speaker 1I don't know if it necessarily is going to result in an uptick in viewership.
Speaker 1I imagine that the Oscars are going to have less viewers this year than they had last year just because there is no barbie, there is no oppenheimer, there is no top gun maverick, there's no real big crowd pleaser on this list. The fact that dune 2 is not really in the running for any of these, these big awards, I think kind of hurts the pop culture, um kind of fascination with with this stuff. This year I don't know how many people are really tuned in to see who wins best actress, mikey madsen or demi more you know, like that's right. I wish more people cared about that because it is a really fun, exciting race for for people like us to pay attention to. But yeah, no, no, we, we will see. Um, we have a lot to get to here. So if there's not any more kind of thoughts or or maybe strategies that you guys want to divulge here before we start selecting our picks, I think we can get right into it yeah, yeah, let, let, let the picks begin.
Speaker 1I'll just say, like these are coming off the dome I, you guys caught me by surprise this morning. I forgot what time we were recording. I have a quad shot of espresso, half drink in front of me, still trying to wake up a little bit we love that.
Speaker 3Yeah, it was by design. It was by design.
Speaker 1I should go back in the group text because I swear y'all said 12 and then Erica's knocking on my door at 9 am.
Speaker 2I was like outside on the porch. I'm like, Alex, wake up. I'm like, Alex, wake up. I knew you were sleeping.
Speaker 1All right. So we're going to start and I mean this respectfully, but we're going to start at the bottom with some of the smaller awards for the evening and then work our way towards things like leading actor, leading actress, director, pitcher and all of the above. So we'll go to the best live action short category first. The nominees here are the man who could not remain silent, anja, aline I'm not a robot and the last ranger a few of these films I'm familiar with I'm not a robot.
Speaker 1We were lucky enough to screen actually for the tacoma film festival, so once again, I think we brought that up maybe a month ago when the nominations were released. Really cool to see a film like that make it all the way here to the Academy Awards. However, I'm going to be going with Anja, and the reason why I'm going with this film actually is because there's sort of another in-house tie to this film. Returning guest of the show and collaborator with Max on a few small projects, britt Harris, her husband, is actually one of the key financiers and producers of this film, so I'll be rooting for it for that reason. If none other, again kind of just a smaller award, but one that it's really fun to sort of have a little extra investment in, so that'll be my pick for this, this category.
Speaker 3Uh, yeah, shout out, britt Harris, lead actress in my capstone film, good friend of the show. Uh, I'm going to be rooting for Anya as well. Uh, come, come, oscar night. Uh, it would be really amazing if uh Krishan gets up there and gets to speak. I don't know, I don't know what level of producer he is, I don't know if, if he is the one to give the speech, if, if a win comes their way. But uh man, how, how cool, how fucking cool.
Speaker 1Well, it's just been a fun thing to track sort of throughout oscar. Like I can remember um kind of the production team Brit reposting things like that when it made the Oscars shortlist. That was a big moment. And then the morning of and I love seeing this I can remember I think the first time this really something like this really went viral was on the morning of the nominee announcements and it was the Godzilla minus one team, yeah, and you kind of it's almost like watching the NFL draft or something, and you have like a camera in the draft room right Like um you know film.
Speaker 1Film teams have started to do this, where they either record they're all on Skype together and they'll record kind of the zoom session or whatever and then release that, and so another thing that we were able to kind of um live vicariously through them on in this moment was was the Oscar nominations announcements morning and to watch this team celebrate the the nomination and so really rooting for him.
Speaker 2Yeah, I um. There's another nominee on there too that we forgot. It's alien. There's five nominees.
Speaker 1Yeah, I think I mentioned it. Oh, you did Okay.
Speaker 2Um, okay, so I haven't seen any of these, and but that's awesome about Brit. Good for her and her husband. I am going with the man who could not remain silent as my pick.
Breakdown of Categories and Picks
Speaker 3And I believe that is the favorite favorite uh, which you know great pick, that's a great pick. Uh, I, this is kind of one that like yes, where I'm, I'm definitely going with the heart over the head here, uh, but on. You know you can also see that. Uh, their film on. I believe it's on netflix cool right now.
Speaker 1I believe it got picked up by netflix, so I I will give netflix some credit here, because typically most of the short films, both animated and live action, netflix does a good job of distributing and and making those available to to see before the, the big night and so those and and also to a lot of um theaters, like a lot of art house theaters some I know amc does it as well, but check your local listings because usually there'll be like a block of live action and in animated short films that are nominated for the oscars. I know the grand cinema is really good about doing this, so you can go and experience all five nominations in both of those two different categories in kind of one sitting. I know, um, that I've done that in the past before. It's a really good experience and a good way to watch them all.
Speaker 1Okay, so we have we have our first zag right off the bat. Erica could have a leg up on us. Yeah, um, okay, so we will now go to. On our board we have sound and visual effects in the same kind of bracket and so we'll do sound first and then move on to visual effects. Uh, max, who do you have for best sound?
Speaker 3well, this is, uh, one of two for the night. Uh, for dune part two, uh, it is the sound and dune, uh, you know, just on a technical level, dune part two is probably like the strongest film, uh, and so I'm hoping it picks up a couple below the line awards here. Starting with sound, uh, and you know, I mean the sounds of the ships, the sounds of the weapons, the sounds of the desert, like the worms. It is an amazing piece of sound design, especially when you see it in a big IMAX theater.
Speaker 1Yeah, pretty easy for me. I'm going with Dune Part 2 for the exact same reasons. Yep, me too. All right, clean sweep there, all right. So then, moving on to visual effects, erica, who do you have in this category?
Speaker 2I also have dune part two. Um, this is also like my preferred, like favorite pick too.
Speaker 1Um, so yeah, dune I have dune part two as well here, an interesting category, I don't you know, during our nominations episode. I know we spent some time on this, but just the fact that, like Alien, romulus is also in this category Better man, which I think people are already trying to start the like we missed something special here. Process on A movie that I have not seen. I could care less about Robbie Williams and the representation of him as a monkey performing his songs.
Speaker 2Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Speaker 1So a weird category that I feel like Dune should win pretty easily. Is that your pick as well? Max, here it is, it's a clean sweep for all three of us.
Speaker 3Okay, and like I said I unfortunately I think these are the only two, at least in my bracket. These are the only two. Uh, awards doom.
Speaker 1Part two picks up all right, so then we will move on to makeup and hairstyling, and then on the on our big board, we also have bracketed together here costume design. So we'll start with makeup and hairstyling. Um, I'll go first here. I have this substance. I'm really hoping that the substance ends up walking away with three, four, potentially maybe even five academy awards here, um, and and that would be in part two winning some of these undercard awards, and so that's, that's the first win that I'll give to this substance.
Speaker 2Uh, but a good category, a kind of an exciting category when you look at the the different nominees here represented yeah, this was a hard one for me, because I think that nosferatu is extremely deserving of this award as well, but yeah, I, the substance is also my pick I am also going with the substance Monstrosity.
Speaker 3Sue, elizabeth, come on, bring it out on stage. How amazing would that be If they walked out the monster.
Speaker 1That would be really cool. Yeah, I mean, would you consider Margaret Qualley losing her teeth as part of the makeup department too? Yeah, absolutely Everyone's working on that, also of the makeup department, to sort of I guess that's almost yeah Right, like that's well, everyone's working on that.
Speaker 3Also like the makeup when she's doing her show you know, like the the beauty the glam. Yeah, or you know the, the scene where Demi Moore is freaking out in front of the mirror in the bathroom and like that makeup is all running and stuff like that. I mean it's just a very striking movie when it comes to that, that technical aspect yeah, I agree, all right.
Speaker 1So then the other side of this coin is costume design. Uh, max, who do you have first in costume design?
Speaker 3I have wicked uh one of a few here for for wicked uh on my board. But yeah, I, I just think you know the, the fantasy element of it all, whether you know you're talking about, you know munchkin land in the beginning, or the iconic witch costume when, when uh alphabet finally puts it on the hat, uh, you know and, and, and all the pink that ariana grande brings to the, to the, to the game here. So I just think wicked I I do think wicked's gonna pick up more than we think, but I think I think costume design is is pretty locked for it yeah, I have also have wicked it's to me.
Speaker 2I have not seen conclave, but this is a hands-down win for them.
Speaker 1There's no way that they don't pick this one up this is too bad, because another category that I know our group chat sort of got riled up about when the nominations came out, with the lack of something like dune part two here, because I believe dune one, dune part one, took home this award a few years ago and so to see it not even get a nomination here is a bit puzzling when you have things like conclave and a complete unknown. I think the joke was like give, give you know. I said like give me the budget and I can dress Timothy Chalamet in some corduroy.
Speaker 1Like it's to see a complete unknown, conclave Nosferatu to a lesser extent, but still I'm so tired of just like the, the old Victorian well-dressed suits. Like you know, oppenheimer won this award last year. It's just kind of it feels so tired. And so Gladiator 2 is the other film on here, not a particular, a particularly effective film, and yet at the same time I feel like Gladiator 2 would be more deserving of a win like this, as opposed to Conclave Nosferatu, a Complete Unknown. So to see Wicked as kind of the consensus favorite in this category makes sense, and I feel like it's something that, whether or not you're a fan of that film or not, you can still feel like.
Speaker 1Ok, this is the Academy acknowledging of the nominees, the film that was probably the most intense to to style as far as costumes go. So I'll agree with the two of you and make it a clean sweep here for Wicked and Best Costume Design, which then brings us to production design, starting to work our way up the board here a little bit. Who do you have for this one, erica?
Speaker 2This is one. This is a category that I'm not particular. I'm trying to go strategy here. I have the Brutalist as my pick. Wicked is my fan pick, but I'm officially putting it down as the Brutalist and I'm not happy about it. Wow.
Speaker 3I went Wicked and I'm not happy about it. Wow, I went Wicked. You know, again I think a lot of like Barbie flavor going on here with Wicked. As far as some of these sets that are built, you know, it's very candy, eye-popping stuff. And yeah, I just think Wicked once again will pick up some of these, these technical awards that that will make it feel, make it feel part of the ceremony.
Speaker 2I really. I hope you're right. I want. There's so many categories on here that I hope that I'm wrong about.
Speaker 1You know what I mean Like for real, like.
Speaker 2I would be so happy to lose this competition if it meant some of my like favorite picks get to win. I just know how the Oscars roll sometimes where they're just so like. Did Barbie win production design when last year, or did they get they?
Speaker 1may have. It was either Barbie or Oppie. You know, those were kind of the two big craft films of last year. And then I want to say just off the top of my head that Oppenheimer probably took home two out of every three of those awards, but Barbie did walk away with a few.
Speaker 2Yeah, but yeah, max, I hope you're right. It was wicked. Alex, what's yours?
Speaker 1I'll go Dune Part 2 here, because Poor Things took home production design Did it oh fantastic, great job. Shout out to Poor Things. I feel like this year's Poor Things in this category is Nosferatu, where you can look at that film and almost take for granted how real and lived in the sets are. However, I don't think it's going to go to nosferatu. I'll go dune part two just to zag and kind of give us the first three-way split here. So someone's going to get a leg up unless conclave or nosferatu, upsets um kind.
Speaker 1The three favorites, which I do think are wicked the Brutalist and Dune Part Two. But again, I mean talk about taking something for granted. We're just all taking, we are not. But I think that everyone at large everyone at large I love the way you just said that we're taking Dune Part Two for granted and the production design in that film, the sets, everything are phenomenal. Everything that's obviously out in the desert as well, but again, just like the world building that Denny and his team were able to create here needs to be acknowledged. So for production design, I will go Dune Part 2. Love it. Design, I will go do in part two, love it. Which then brings us to our documentary dual category here, where we will not only talk about documentary feature but also documentary short thank you 26 minutes, 2650.
Speaker 1it looked like the look you gave was just like fuck me.
Speaker 2Well, I did that last time too. I need my pen. All right, thank you, and scene Now.
Speaker 1Now I am quite unfamiliar with most of these films that's on me. Hopefully, here within the next 10 days, I can catch up on a few of these. So I'm just gonna go chalk with the odds makers out there and select no other land and this is, in short, documentary feature.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, I have not you said no other lands is yours yes, this is, in short, documentary feature feature yeah, yeah, yeah, I have not. You said no other lands is yours yes, no other land. Okay, yeah, I've.
Speaker 1I've not seen any of these, but the, and it's odd too, because usually there's some stirring where, like you'll, you'll know, oh, this was a big one. This has been on the Netflix top 10, or this. This is, you know, being talked about um in circles and you can read it about it in the trades or whatever. I haven't heard of any of these films yet. Yeah, the recent black black box diaries. Our friend, justin robert vinal did say that this was one of his favorite films of 2024 I did see that's coming to the grand too.
Speaker 3I'm gonna go with porcelain war and other than period period. Yeah, that's coming to the grant too. I'm going to go with porcelain war and other than period period yeah. That's the research I did.
Speaker 2That's. That's my pick too. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, all right. Which then takes us to best documentary short film. Um, where we have I am ready Warden incident, the only girl in the orchestra, death by numbers and instruments of a beating heart. Anybody want to take this one?
Speaker 2I'm going with. I am ready warden great as my.
Speaker 3I had a movie that you did not list oh, are you sure it's nominated? Yeah, yeah says it's nominated. Yeah, it says it's a. You said I Am Ready Warden Incident. Michaela's Voice. A Letter to the World.
Speaker 1I'm not seeing either of those films here.
Speaker 3Once Upon a Time in Ukraine.
Speaker 1Nope.
Speaker 3A Swim Lesson.
Speaker 1Nope, nope, none of these films are nominated for Best Documentary Short. Oh, interesting.
Speaker 3It says yeah, those are a list of frontrunners. Oh brother, can you name the nominees again?
Speaker 1So I have. I Am Ready Warden, incident, the Only Girl in the Orchestra. Death by Numbers and Instruments of a Beating Heart. I'm going the Only Girl in the orchestra great can't wait to read your letterbox review of that film what?
Speaker 2what two did you guys have? We both had.
Speaker 3I am ready warden yes uh, yes, yeah, this you know. Interestingly enough, this was one that I think I got last year that you didn't get, which?
Speaker 1was key. I think you beat me by two or three last year, so yeah.
Speaker 3So you know, originally I had a swim lesson in there, but I think last year there was some sort of documentary about kids in a band that won. Like the last shop or something like that yeah, so we're running it back with that.
Discussion on the Competitive Spirit
Speaker 1I love it. Okay, moving on to our musical categories Best Score and Best Song we will start with Best Song, where Amelia Perez has two nominations. Never Too Late. A film about Elton John, I believe, has a nomination, sing Sing has a nomination, and then a film called the Journey has a nomination here, which I believe is your girl, diane Warner yes, claiming her 100th, or Warren I think it's Warren 100th and one Academy Award award nomination she's a dog man, she knows people legitimately.
Speaker 1I think it's like her 14th or 16th, or it's in the high teens now. However many times that she has been nominated um, you know it's. It's really, it's really interesting. Will amelia perez, outside of zoe saldaña anything Now that that film has become even more controversial, um in award circles? I know voting has closed. I'm not sure exactly when voting did close, and so that's always interesting, Um, I don't know. I'll go with El Mal from Amelia Perez because I think that's been the favorite for a while now. However, I would not be surprised if, if the journey um takes home this award. But but we'll go.
Speaker 3I will go with El Mar If the journey takes home the award, because I'd love to see what Diane Warner looks like.
Speaker 1Well, okay, and then I should. The film is not the journey, the film is the six triple, not the Journey, the film is the Six Triple Eight. Yes, the song is called.
Speaker 3The Journey Six, triple Eight, yes, yes, of course, the sequel to Five, double Ten.
Speaker 1The Five Double Nine yeah.
Speaker 2I never even heard of the Six Triple Eight, but I'm all it's a movie. Okay, I'll take your word for it.
Speaker 3I'm also going with El Mal. Against my will, I have El Mal here as well. I do think Amelia Perez will pick up some awards, however, from the big ones it might be out of contention, but I do believe it will take home the best song.
Speaker 1Which then takes us to best score, where, unfortunately, your five nominees are the Brutalist Conclave, the Wild Robot, Amelia Perez and Wicked. Excuse me, I say unfortunately because and I know that some of the stuff that Hans Zimmer did on Dune Part 2 makes him ineligible because they incorporate some of the same musical beats from the original.
Speaker 3Dune. It's because they're cowards.
Speaker 1It's such a dumb rule.
Speaker 3It's such a dumb rule.
Speaker 1Especially when you can put something like Wicked in here, which is based off of a Broadway play and uses a lot of the same musical beats as well. Of course, there's no trent resner and atticus ross represented here, which is just alarming based on the fact that they won the golden globe for best original score for their work on challengers and are nowhere to be seen. So a category that you know, over the last 10 years, has become increasingly more exciting for me to pay attention to. Personally, I feel like good music and not the soundtrack, but good music composed for a film is like one of your top three, top four most important elements, and so, unfortunately, I don't really care too much about this award this year and I'll just be going chalk with the brutalists.
Speaker 3I also have the Brutalists, da-da-da-da.
Speaker 2I feel like I should change my answer, but because I haven't seen either of my two top picks. I would love the Wild Robot to win, but my pick is Conclave.
Speaker 3Conc. You know I like that. That's kind of a sneaky, sneaky, smart pick conclave. That the music in that film is so important.
Speaker 1It goes back to what we were, just what I was just saying yes, so yeah yeah it.
Speaker 1It sounds cliche, but it truly becomes a part of that film, as if it were its own character and creating some of the tension. So a good one. I would not be mad at a conclave win there. That's a good pick, erica. Okay, moving on to best international film, a really interesting category because once again, I feel like two months ago this was locked up as far as Amelia Perez for a win, and now there's real questions and real doubts Once again. Who knows when voting closed and and when different controversies and different news broke about some of these things that can affect voters opinions. And so your, your nominees here are the girl with the Needle, my Beloved Flo that's not the name of the film, my Beloved Flo, but Flo the Seed of the Sacred Fig, amelia Perez, and I'm Still here a movie that is gaining a lot of momentum based on the lead actress's performance. So who do you guys have here for best international film?
Speaker 3I have Amelia Perez Interesting, still winning. I think this will be its big award of the night. How do you think that will be?
Speaker 1received.
Speaker 3It will be interesting. But yeah, I just think you know Jacques Yard. Jacques Yard, Is that how you say his name? The director Yard, Is that how you say his name?
Speaker 1The director's name. That's how you say his name.
Speaker 3Jacques, you know, is a beloved French director and I just I, I think this film had so much steam going in and right after the nominations being nominated 13 times I just think a lot of people are set with voting for this as best international film.
Speaker 2My pick is I'm still here.
Speaker 1So it is really tight at the top here. Just looking at the odds, the girl with a neat with the needle, I feel like, is on the outside looking in, but flow has six to one odds. The seed of the sacred fig has five to one odds. Amelia Perez is basically three to one and I'm still here is two to one. So I think this could go any way. Really, I again I love seeing Flo and we'll get to best animated feature here in a second, but I love seeing Flo as kind of a dual nominee in those two different categories. Amelia Perez like I said, I think that it was their award to lose two months ago, maybe even a month ago, and now it's like, have they done enough to lose it? Um, so it'll be really interesting. I think I will also go with Amelia Perez here, even though I don't feel great about it. Um, but all align with max, because if I'm going to lose to to somebody, I'd rather lose to erica another, another, I would love to see erica create an entire episode, yeah, so that would be fun come in here and whoop us
Speaker 3yeah and honestly with. So if, yeah, if erica picks up best international over us and original score and maybe, and we all went different ways on production design it's gonna be. It's gonna be really hard to to come back once you get to like two up.
Speaker 1Yeah, you're sitting pretty yeah, well again in most years yes years.
Speaker 1Yes, when we kind of know what the top six, seven, eight, you know um awards might look like this year. Who knows, there could, we could still differ on a lot of stuff here at the top. So we will move on now to animated feature and short on our bracket. Let's start with best animated feature short film, uh, where your nominees are beautiful men, wander to wonder, yuck, exclamation point magic candies and, in the shadow of the Cyprus fun titles there, um, I I don't know. Beautiful men, one for the boys. I have no idea what this movie is about. Wander to wonder, don't know. Yet again, this is one in the last couple of years done a really good job of what you know, getting out to see all these films or finding them on demand at home. Lacking in my efforts so far, consensus favorite seems to be beautiful men men. I'll zag a little bit and just go wander to wonder here I also have wander to wonder.
Speaker 3So uh, I hate that you zag there. It's a stop motion, stop motion feature that looks, has like feels of like stop the movie, stop motion, like it's like kind of that crude stop motion so yeah, very excited.
Speaker 2I think that is a fan favorite to win too but I'm going with magic candies magic candies.
Speaker 1Another one where Alex and I could have pie in our face, which then takes us to best animated feature in my opinion. I could have pie in our face, which then takes us to, uh, best animated feature In my opinion. Excuse me, still early over here. Um, I think this is one of your strongest categories of the evening, right here. Uh, your nominees are memoir of a snail, wallace and Gromit, vengeful, most foul inside out to flow, and the wild robot. You already know where I'm going. Where are you guys?
Speaker 3I am also going uh, flow, uh and I hope flow wins. I've heard a lot of in doing my research for this episode. Wild robot apparently is very strong, but I'm hoping that the little film from Latvia can can pull this one out.
Speaker 2Oh, this is. This is such a strong category and this is the one I probably struggled with the most, cause there's two that I feel like could really take it. I would love wild robot to win, but that is not my pick. Oh God, I don't want to like commit to it, but I'm gonna, I'll go. I'm gonna go with flow too. That was, I could not decide between that or memoir of a snail flow on uh, the service max right now it is yeah, you're pumping that out here I, I am.
Speaker 3Yes, yeah, you're welcome. I I called, I made some calls. I I got Flo on the service. Go watch it on demand.
Speaker 1It is great I am seeing a lot of folks finally able to log that film on Letterboxd, experience the magic of that movie, and so hopefully that you know, I know the wild robot, like Erica was saying, is beloved and perhaps the favorite right now going into oscar night. But flow's making a strong push here and and I think that it it deserves its moment here. All right, so now we are really working towards the top, uh, top half of the evening. We will start with best film editing. Of course this is a big precursor to who may walk away with best best pitcher. So your five nominated films here are wicked, amelia perez, the brutalist, anora and conclave.
Speaker 1Um, I hope this isn't. I hope I'm not showing my hand too early here with my best pitcher selection, but I'm gonna go with inori here for best film editing. I know that we've talked a lot about how that movie, for 45 minutes to an hour, feels safty's, safty brothers-esque in terms of the anxiety that it can induce, and I think that is all in part thanks to this not only the script but the editing of bouncing back and forth between two different characters arguing, yelling and screaming at each other. All that is so well done. Sean baker edits his own films, so I think that if he is somehow left out of best picture or best director, he would still take home an award here for best editing, and and so I will be going with Sean Baker and Nora.
Speaker 2I'm going with the brutalist.
Speaker 3I also have the brutalist here Interesting. It's a long movie and it's in two parts and there's an epilogue and an overture and there's a lot of you know. There is some some really good filmmaking throughout and I think the editing here I think we start to feel a little bit of a brutalist, at least on my, on my board gets a little top heavy. We get a little top heavy with the brutalist. So and I believe it starts here- Interesting, interesting.
Speaker 1Okay, it could be a big one here. All right, moving on to cinematography, our five nominees, another one that I think in the last couple of years we've come to understand, a really important category and a really exciting win. Um, I know I wouldn't put it up. I think our, our apex mountain for, like the cool kids award, is best original screenplay. But also cinematography, um, is, is one that we've been paying attention to a lot here over the last handful of years.
Speaker 1So your nominees here are maria, the pablo lorraine film starring angelina jolie, you have emilia perez, dune part two, nosferatu and the brutalist. You know, even though I'm not the biggest fan of the film, it's really tempting to pick nosferatu here, because the lighthouse was once nominated uh, the robert edgers film, of course and did not walk away with a win, and so to see Nosferatu maybe come in as sort of the sophomore addition to Robert Eggers, getting recognized by the Academy, would be really cool. But I also kind of am leaning towards the Brutalist as maybe picking up some of these top five, top six, top seven awards here. And so Dune Part Two and nosferatu are right there. I think they look great.
Speaker 2But the brutalist I think it's recognized for for its craft here this is also a category that I this is probably one of my favorite categories, um, and I am really. I would love to see nosferatu walk away with this award, but my pick is the brutalist.
Speaker 3Just knowing the oscars yeah, I also have the brutalist guess what they fucking filmed on fucking 70 millimeter vista vision and they made sure you knew about it right like it is a thing that is part of this movie that there are canisters that they had to roll around throughout venice, throughout cam.
Speaker 3The brutalist is running on what it shot on and you know that is the cinematography, that is that is like if, if any, you know, if any of these voters who obviously, after reading some stuff this morning, might never watch movies, if they know one thing they know that the Brutalist is in Vista Vision, right, and so I think that will make people vote for the Brutalist.
Speaker 1It is interesting, right, because of maybe your three favorites in this category. The Brutalist is long AF, so have Academy voters sat through the whole thing or are they just checking a box based off what they've heard? Nosferatu as a genre film how many Academy voters are sitting down to watch that picture? Academy voters are sitting down to watch that picture. And then Dune Part 2, based off its past merits, does it hold enough acclaim in Oscar voters' hearts from past years? An interesting one, I think, one that's sort of up in the air here. All right, best adapted screenplay Max. Let's have you go first here. All right, best adapted screenplay Max let's have you go first here.
Speaker 3So this one is kind of more from the heart, but I think Nickel Boys will be taking this home the only award that it wins on this night, and just the fact that you know that is adapted from a well-known novel. It's a first-time filmmaker um, it's, you know, a younger, uh person film, I would say so. I I think it, and the way it was adapted as well, is is is really interesting and very, almost experimental, and I hope that the Academy can recognize it.
Speaker 2I have conclave as mine.
Speaker 1I have conclave as well. I think that conclave is the most traditional Oscar Beatty film that's in your best picture. Race makes a lot of sense and again, it's the music and it's the dialogue in that film that are its two biggest strengths. And so to recognize, you know, these, these cardinals, these popes talking in a room, I think, is what the academy is going to do here if nickel boys wins you know, this could turn into a new cool, cool person award yes, right right, but if it's conclave, then yeah, okay.
Speaker 1So getting to the real cool kids award here. Uh, best, original screenplay. Your nominees are september 5 the brutalist, a real pain, the substance and a nora erica.
Speaker 2We'll have you go first um, my pick is a nora interesting. Yeah, I your beloved.
Speaker 1Your beloved is sitting right there which one the substance, the substance, yeah, I mean that is, that is my like.
Speaker 2Like I said, I hope that I'm wrong on a lot of things I would be happy to lose this competition if it meant that we see some real mood like good, not that an aura isn't great. I really did love, love anora, but the substance is better. You know, the substance is better in so many ways but, um, so yeah, I would be happy to lose this whole entire competition if it meant some like genuinely good movies win. But I am going with anora. It is a pretty like strong screenplay. I. I think that Sean Baker does deserve his flowers in some capacity, um, but I also think a real pain has a good chance, because a real pain is an incredible movie. It's got a really beautiful script, um, but Anora, I think, is a little stronger. So that's my pick.
Speaker 3I am also going with Anora. I think this will be the award that it gets. This will be the moment that Sean Baker gets to go up and speak. And yeah, unfortunately, I think Oscars you know, at least in my top six Oscars are going to Oscar and yeah, this is where we get the Onora Award.
Speaker 1I mean, I would not be mad at Onora at all winning this award. The substance is just such a fun original idea. That, of course, is borrowing from body horror classics of the past and and taking a lot of what we've come to know as the dark side of hollywood and and just representing that on screen. But I still feel like it's such a fun and exciting original movie it'd be very good out it.
Analysis of Voting Patterns
Speaker 1It sure would be. But that's not to say that something like a Nora is not as as deserving. And I think that you know, a Nora can be a tough film. I feel like whoever's left from the old guard of of the Academy they have a tough decision doomed herself into this, this world of of wealth, and I don't want to say necessarily like misogyny, but you know the parents are disapproving and and it's almost like this pretty woman type story. So it has some classic Hollywood elements to it, but it's very controversial.
Speaker 1Or do you want to recognize the substance, which is almost an indictment of what's wrong with with Hollywood and movie making? Because I don't think that. I mean, I think that, like, if the brutalists, or September five when this award, then that is like old hall, old Hollywood, old Academy. You know, oscars, oscaring, so to speak, right, a real pain somewhere in the middle. It's just kind of that Goldilocks bowl of porridge. That's just kind of that Goldilocks bowl of porridge, that's just right. I love that screenplay as well. So this is a tricky one for me.
Speaker 2It's a really strong category it really is.
Speaker 1You know, the substance has been doing really well at some of these other award bodies, at some of these other ceremonies, and so part of me thinks this is a good opportunity to get a category up on you guys. But because I think I like Enora not quite as much as I like the Substance, but it's right there, it wouldn't really hurt me to see that film win.
Speaker 2Gosh. What does your gut tell you? You know?
Speaker 1what this is OK. What does your gut tell you? You know what this is okay. This, I think the substance winning this would be like. The first year that I felt like this was really a thing was when emerald finnell won for promising young woman. And the substance and corley's script gives me more promising young woman energy than anora does. And now maybe that's backwards, but I'm going with the substance. Heck it, love it all right. So now this takes us to our top six awards for the night. We will start with actress. We'll go supporting and then lead. So in supporting, um, I think that this, this may be one of the most clear-cut awards of the evening. I'll go first and just say Zoe Saldana for Amelia Perez and sort of just leave it at that.
Speaker 2Yeah, I am kind of begrudgingly picking Zoe as well, although I fully believe that Ariana Grande deserves this award, just considering everything.
Speaker 3But yep, zoe deserves this award just considering everything. But yep, zoe, the research that was done last night. Yeah, I believe isabella ariana grande is going to get up and accept this award I will literally burst into tears I think the run of saldana Saldana is coming to an end. I think Amelia, I think this is where Amelia Perez starts to really obviously feel the hurt from what the controversy around that film is happening and I, I I just think voters are going to go with Ariana Grande as a nod to old Hollywood.
Speaker 3I also think there's a little bit of we want young people to watch this show.
Speaker 1Is there.
Speaker 3And maybe they are going to try and position themselves to be like oh, this show gave Ariana Grande Like that would be the Instagram real TikTok moment, where all of a sudden viewers start to tune in.
Speaker 1Because, of course, the show always says I like the strategic thinking Right. Because the Oscars do almost always traditionally start with best supporting actor and best supporting actress Yep always traditionally start with best supporting actor and best supporting actress yep. So if, within the first 45 minutes of the broadcast, this moment happens and it goes viral, do more viewers tune in totally I mean, the answer is yes, yeah.
Speaker 3So yeah, I, I have chosen ariana grande.
Speaker 1That would just be wild, though, because I think, if you, if you I love that you say in your research, because looking back at the data.
Speaker 3It's zoe's to lose it is apart from a few few different sources that are saying that ariana has moved into the, the front yeah yeah, um again because of all the fallout, and there was an extension on voting right, so people could sit and really suss out what happened, even though it's not Zoe Saldana's problem or fault or anything. It's the other lead in the film. Yeah, I just think this is going to be the biggest zag of well, this, I don't know. I have one other big zag, but we'll see, we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1Okay, here we go, here we go. It's getting interesting.
Speaker 2Wait, did you say what your pick is? I'm going, zoe. Oh, you are, yeah.
Speaker 1Okay, Okay, so best actress now your five nominees are Carla Sofia Garcon for Amelia Perez, Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Fernanda Torres from I'm Still here, Mikey Madsen from Anora and Demi Moore for the Substance, Back-to-back years of a genre pitcher winning Best Actress. I hope so. You know, Emma Stone won last year for Poor Things and I would say an upset over Lily Gladstone, and so I once again hope that the genre pitcher takes home this award. Demi Moore you know I would love to see her build off of that speech that she gave at the Golden Globes. I know she's been winning at other ceremonies, but this could be a huge moment in Oscars history and I hate to say that, like Mikey, will have her time again, but I think that's where we lie right now.
Speaker 3I think Demi Moore locked this up with the Golden Globes and if she doesn't win, I'd be shocked. If it goes to Fernanda Torres, who is a fine actor, fine actor, it will be. There will be mayhem in the streets. Demi Moore needs to win this.
Speaker 2This is like I want to be wrong about this, but I'm going with Mikey. I just there's just, I feel this, I don't know, nevermind, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna eat my words, but yep, that's going with Mikey Okay.
Speaker 3Some voters have come out and said like I didn't even know who Mikey was before this film. It's incredible, which is unbelievable. Get me on the voting base, yeah, However though.
Speaker 1Like does Right. But like. Does that surprise me that old guard, Oscar voters are not watching Scream five and six, you know? Like, or whatever she was in five, Right, she's in five. Once upon a time in Hollywood. Once upon a time in hollywood. Once upon a time in hollywood, right. Um, yeah, it's frustrating, all right, so now over to best supporting actor. Your nominees are jeremy strong for the apprentice, yura borsov from anora, edward norton from a complete unknown guy, pierce from the brutalist and kieran colkin for a real pain, I think, on the count of three kieran this is the most chalk pick of the night, right like I think this has been locked up for eons.
Speaker 3Uh, it is kieran cole and honestly well deserved.
Speaker 1He's. He's great in that movie. Um tough to watch at times but also his character has such a good arc in that. In that film, jesse eisenberg just a great score or, excuse me, a great script. The way that he wrote um karen's character and and their campaign has been really fun to watch throughout um kind of the award season.
Speaker 2So I do love that man. He's just, he's great in everything I've seen him and he is very well deserved of this award.
Speaker 1Which then moves us on to best actor. Your nominees are Sebastian Stan for the Apprentice Awesome, that for the rest of Sebastian's career, when he's featured in a movie and the trailer rolls, I can say Academy Award nominee Sebastian Stan. Coleman Domingo someone who gosh they just as as a Coleman fan from day one someone who just he needs he needs the stars to align on a year where and now. I think that for a long time, people thought this was maybe it because he was nominated the previous year for Rustin. He's been great in so many other supporting roles in the past. Unfortunately though he is, he is one of the the previous year for Rustin. He's been great in so many other supporting roles in the past. Unfortunately, though, he is one of the underdogs in this category right now for his role in Sing Sing. You then have Ralph Fiennes for Conclave, timothee Chalamet for A Complete Unknown and Adrian Brody for the Brutalist Maxwell. You go first here.
Speaker 3So again in thinking that the Oscars want younger people, to be here, and the fact that Adrian Brody already has an Oscar statue in his house. I am going with Timothée Chalamet. Bob Dylan is an extremely powerful and important figure in American culture, and especially even if, like we think, a lot of old people vote for these awards. Guess what? I bet you?
Speaker 1they're all Bob Dylan fans, and I just think and have sat through a complete unknown, as opposed to the three and a half hour film They've nominated James.
Speaker 3Mangold for Best Director. It's up for Best Picture. Monica Barbeau was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I think Timothee Chalamet will be ascending the stairs to accept the award on Oscar night.
Speaker 2I'd love to see it, but Adrian Brody is my choice.
Speaker 1Wow. So I I'm split here, then, between the two of you, because I'm going in one of these two directions. You know, I feel like refines is he's great and conclave. I think that what that film suffers from, though, is a lot of well-known actors playing dress up. However, coleman Domingo like I said, I just think that he got kind of jobbed here in a tough year where, for whatever reason, he fell out of voters hearts. And then Sebastian Stan I think his big win is the nomination.
Speaker 1So it comes down to timmy and adrian, and as much as I like adrian brody, the person I like, timothy chalamet, the person a million times more, um, and and I think it's time, it's crazy, you know I I think that when you look at his generation of actors, and who has returned to the Academy the most with consistency is probably him Saoirse Ronan, emma Stone. Saoirse has yet to have her moment, and I think that it's still coming. Emma Stone has had hers, obviously, and very recently. So I think you're right, max. I think that it's it's time to really usher in this new generation of a list Hollywood superstars that could go on to become the next crop of, like your next Meryl Streep's, your next Denzel's, your next Tom Hanks, and so it starts this year with Timothee Chalamet. I think so.
Speaker 2I love that.
Speaker 1All right. So then now we have the last two of the evening, the big ones. We have Best Director, where your nominees are Jacques Adard for Amelia Perez, james Mangold for A Complete Unknown, coralie Fregette for the Substance, brady Corbett for the Brutalist and sean baker for a nora. This is tough. Max sent me um like an 80 minute long video of brady talking the other day in an interview about the use of ai and how good and how it was so good used to really authenticate the Hungarian accent portrayed by the actors in the film.
Speaker 1And you're right, it was so convincing I think the man could talk his way out of a paper bag. And so for him to get up there and give an acceptance speech that you know is going to be praising practical filmmaking, final cut. You know a director's right to make the movie that they want to make. What it takes to get a film like this off the ground would be awesome. Could he potentially get played off? I think like it's almost a given versus like what is sean baker to go up there and say, perhaps, like, do you need to have the the sensor button ready to go? Um, not, not that he's a controversial figure, but his?
Speaker 3most recent speech he talked about, uh, theaters and and 90 day windows and like, right, how we need to up the and like I love that, sean, yes, of course that's. That's not gonna. That's not gonna get you up there. That's a. That's what I'm saying both.
Speaker 1I think both these guys, I think sean and brady, would both go up there and be sort of combative, yeah, in in the message that they're going to deliver corley, is she gonna go up there and just have a moment and and be really sweet and endearing? It would be fantastic. Um, I'm still undecided on this one, so let's kick it to erica first yeah, I mean sorry.
Speaker 2Yeah, I'm super decided on this one. No, I it's between Sean Baker and Brady for me, but and I don't want either one of them to take home this award- to be totally honest, you're a big James Mangold believer. How did you know? Oh God, I think I'm just going to go with Brady, you know, with the brutalist.
Live Commentary on Oscar Night
Speaker 3Yes, I am also going with Brady Corbett about the journey of the artists, the, the final cut of it all, the you know again, the canisters, the, this division, the, the three-hour runtime, the fucking, just all of it. Just I feel like is going to be very like. Oh yeah, we, we are. I think the academy always wants to be like, we are for the peer artist and you know a lot of the times they get that wrong. But I think this year they're going to go for Brady.
Speaker 1Corbett. Here's my thinking. I think that there is such a split right now between the Brutalist and Enora as far as who's going to quote unquote win the night, and I think that the best pitcher, best director categories aren't going to do anything to help that narrative. I think they're going to be split, which again, I'm showing my hand for my best pitcher selection here by saying that I I agree, brady Corbett probably wins best director for the Brutalist, not necessarily what I want to see happen, but I will stay packed with the two of you and hopefully not lose a spot here, and I will also go Brady Corbett for the Brutalist, which then takes us to best pitcher, where your ten nominees are Nickel Boysune, part two, I'm still here. The substance amelia perez wicked, a complete unknown conclave. The brutalist and anora I will be going and I will be going the brutalists and I will be going anora.
Speaker 1Nice. Good job, erica. All right, uh, so you. So, max, you do think that this will be a big night for the brutalist then?
Speaker 3Yes, I, I think what I have it best picture, best director, um, I have it in cinematography and editing, uh, and original score. So I think I think, listen, the brutalist is like again, it's like this big old kind of old hollywood, but also like very I don't know pure, and it's like a message about being an artist, right I. I just think that's going to take a lot of the air from from some of these other films, smaller films, even though the brutal this is an independent small film as well. But I don't know, I just feel like when we look back, like this is the Oscar movie of of this year, this is the one that we're going to remember, that like, oh yeah, the the year of the brutalist, and you know we're going to look back.
Speaker 1I think we were talking about last episode last episode last year um last episode that this would be in the back half for you. Back half.
Speaker 3I don't think it's I don't think it's a great movie. I, I, I, much rather see a Nora pick up these, these awards that I've given to the brutalists. Um, I'd much rather see a Nora win, uh, or, or God, even like conclave or fucking. The substance, the substance, um, but I, I, just something about the brutalists just feels, feels like it's going to be it's night and then, and then maybe you know age, really poorly.
Speaker 2So we, erica, you and I, we have both split on director and pitcher, which does not happen often and has certainly not happened recently, where best pitcher and best director do not go to the same production. So what is your thought process on giving it to a nora, when you've also thought brady corbett wins best director? I don't know. I'm like I just have this feeling that things are gonna go in a really interesting way this year because, like, kind of just taking from what the two of you have said throughout this, this episode where we're like we're kind of toying around with the idea that, like they're trying to bring in a younger, like a younger viewer, um, and maybe not prove to us all that they are still just the boring academy making these very like you know, typical choices. But I also feel like they're not quite there yet you know where they're not totally going to just ignore movies like the Brutalist and like completely do a big 180, where everything's like we're gonna be really progressive this year and like do you know, like the substance and stuff like that. But I just I don't know Anora is just getting a lot.
Speaker 2There's a lot of talk of this movie winning Best Picture. It's really, I believe that it is between Anora and the Brutalist. It's like very 50 50 on both. But as far as director goes, I think that brady is a stronger director, like and what he did with the brutalist, which is why I feel like I had to acknowledge that in that category. But I, I don't know man, I'm just and nor is the more fun film right.
Speaker 3It's the more fun pick Again, like if we look back 10 years from now and Enora won best picture, we're going to feel really good about that. But the Oscars are known for not getting it right. Getting it right and, however, I do think they'll get it right with something like Timothee Chalamet, even though, like this, is the completely wrong and worse role for him to win this award for. But on, you know, but in a way it is the right choice because part of that conversation is he's already paid his dues.
Speaker 3He's been here before, Right Uh yeah, I don't know the brutalists to me, just feels like it is. It is going to take the night.
Speaker 1I'm looking at my you know top eight and I have very little. There's not a lot that aligns here, other than for me I have. I have editing and picture going to a nora which are tied together, and then original screenplay and demi, more tied together for the substance. But other than that I'm all over the board and it's.
Speaker 3It's not one of these years where there is one film that I think is going to take home any more than maybe four or five awards and again, if anora does pick up editing early on, I I think obviously that is always a precursor like that will show us, will tell us usually who is going to take home best picture.
Speaker 3And if it perhaps beats the substance in original screenplay as well, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's crazy that I only have one award for Nora on my board and that is best original screenplay Right, which is really sad.
Speaker 1Right. So I don't I mean we will be able to go over these here in real time together while we're watching the award ceremony, but I just know, based off of our conversation that we just had, there's opportunity for some of us to maybe get 15 out of 23 right. Like we are all over the place here.
Speaker 3Well, I think, no matter who wins, I think it's going to be. Last year we were what it was like 20 out of 23, right, oh yeah, you know, like we are all over the place here. Well, I think, no matter who wins, I think it's going to be a. You know, last year we were what it was like 20 out of 23 or something.
Speaker 1The last couple of years, I think we've both been in the 20s.
Speaker 3Yeah, I think a winner here maybe gets 16. Wow yeah.
Speaker 1So this is your first Oscar gambit. How does it feel?
Speaker 2Like I said, I hope I'm wrong. I hope that there's a really exciting and game-changer of an Oscar year. I feel like some of my picks are a little bit game-changing but I did play it safe in a lot of them. But I'm excited to see what this year brings. I'm very attached to some of these movies. I'm excited to see what this year brings. I'm very attached to some of these movies and I kind of in the last few years I'm not a fan of the Oscars, I'm really not. I'm more often disappointed.
Speaker 3And so, yeah, we'll see how it goes. Yeah, erica, I, I, you know your, your board here, I think is is a very well played board to come in here and, and you know, people can say, oh well, it's just, you know, they're just picking like the, the usual suspects or whatever. But looking at at your board, I can see it coming, I feel like I could make a strong case about any of my my picks too.
Speaker 2I'm not. I'm I'm not really picking off of just kind of like well, this is just, you know, I don't care, but I mean there's really strong contenders in all of these categories and I might not have picked my favorites, but I did pick ones that I do still believe are worthy of the award.
Speaker 1I do think. Correct me here real quick if I'm wrong, Max, but I think, on sound and visual effects, all three of us have Dune Part 2. Yeah, yep, okay. So I feel better about that then. However, having Dune Part 2 for production design, there are a few cases, and that's one of them, where I know I'm going with my heart perhaps over my head this year and I'm I'm OK with that. At this point, however, I am. I am almost wondering if my my appreciation for some of my more, for the films that I like better, my favorites, if I'm letting like Dune part two and the substance and and even a Nora to a certain extent, if I'm letting that sort of cloud my judgment here. But we will see, time will tell.
Final Thoughts and Predictions
Speaker 1Okay, so we have a. We have a couple of fun announcements here to end the show with. First, the three of us will be at the grand cinema hosting the Academy Awards in a theater for a live watch along party. We are so thankful to the folks at the Grand Cinema for inviting us back. Max and I were able to do this last year and it was a great experience. Sold out theater tickets are still available for you to come down to the Grand Cinema. Dress up in your your most exciting Academy attire. You can go black tie. You can dress like a character from some of the movies. I'm sure we're going to see a couple of wicked outfits. We might see maybe a Bob Dylan or two in the mix, and so can't wait for the night down there at the Grand Cinema.
Speaker 2Maybe we'll spray some blood on everybody at the end.
Speaker 1That would be great. That would be great.
Speaker 2We could make it real.
Speaker 1We could just bring the substance with us.
Speaker 2Yeah, we could pass out little vials of the substance to everybody. That would be really fun Some green jello.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Like some energy shots or something like that, because, who knows, it's going to be a long night it's always a long, a long broadcast and so we will be there from start to finish. Once again, at the grand cinema, there'll be three different theaters open for screening quote unquote local celebrities. We love being called that, and so we will be in one of those theaters. The way it works is that when you arrive, you get to choose what theater that you go into, so we will be out in front of our auditorium, obviously, campaigning for you to join us along for a live commentary track, and then that will be our episode that we release next week, so you can go back and listen. Max, what did we learn last year from this experience? What? What stands out to you, what? What can we prepare Erica for here?
Speaker 3Uh, what stands out to you? What can we prepare, erica, for here? You know, don't worry about getting laughs, just react in full time or in real time.
Speaker 1It is almost like doing stand-up, though right.
Speaker 3I mean, yeah, improv have some good nuggets that you can throw out there, a little trivia stuff that you know if, if we know, something is going to win. Maybe we have like a little little fact about the, the sound design behind dune part two also it it moves very fast too. So there's not a ton of time to to talk about the wins as the broadcast is going on. We live in the commercials, right.
Speaker 1Yes, it makes for a really interesting podcasting experience because it's short form. It is not like this where we can sit down for an hour and a half and just talk through acceptance speeches and award presentations, because we we are just as interested as the 80 people who are in the theater with us and what's happening on screen, and so really looking forward to it. Um, any any other questions or thoughts about the night? Erica?
Speaker 2No, I'm excited. I went last year and watched you guys.
Speaker 1This is true. You were there, yes, so you know a little bit about what it's going to be. Yeah, year and watched you guys. This is true.
Speaker 2You were there, yes, so you know a little bit about what it's going to be. Yeah, and obviously I'm a big lover of the grand and I'm so happy to be doing this with you guys. I feel honored.
Speaker 3It's going to be a fun time. It's going to be a really fun time.
Speaker 1It will be. We will do our best to bring the studio to the theater with us. Make it homey, bring some movie posters. We'll have some giveaways. Where is oscar, by the way? Oscar's? Uh, downstairs, I believe, right now, our cardboard cutout statue, um, so yeah, we will, we will dress it up, we will make it as gala as we possibly can. Um, and now, before we get out of here, um, you know, back by popular demand is our new segment. People are saying.
Speaker 3People are saying oh also, oh yes, before we get into, people are saying there is a new uh feature in our description of our episodes oh yes, people well, this is part of people are saying yeah, so we want to hear what people are saying, because it's called fan mail.
Speaker 3You can send a text to the show. There's a link in the description of the podcast, whether you're on Spotify, Apple Stitcher, whatever Deezer podcast, all that stuff. So go click on that link. You then can send a text to us. Tell us your hottest movie takes, Tell us what we got wrong. Tell us what you like, what you hate.
Speaker 1This is a great way for us to build like a mailbag episode yeah, yeah, absolutely please, please, interact.
Speaker 3Uh, because we want to hear from the listener, we love listen our listeners. Um, and you know, thank you for all the support and all that, but uh, but yeah, go, go use this fan mail, uh, application tell us what you want to hear if you want to do an episode too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, tell us how to do our show Episode suggestions Please.
Speaker 1Okay, something that I'm bringing to the table here, because it's, I mean, like I knew this would be the case here. It was only a matter of time. People are saying that they were too rough on Madam Web. And listen, I told y'all, I told you that Madam Web is how you have fun with a comic book movie, and it's OK for it to look like trash and to be weird, because guess what Madam Web is. I'm on record of saying it and I'll stay on record.
Speaker 1It's really digestible. I'm on record of saying it and I'll stay on record. It's really digestible, it's a, it's the perfect movie to watch with friends, to have a few beers over and to just like enjoy the schlockiness and the messiness of it. Because right now, what's happening? And this movie is making a million dollars, hand you know, it's just making money hand over foot and it's ridiculous. Like every single day still, I'm looking at the box office mojo and on, like a random tuesday, it's like oh, another, you know, five million dollars here, oh, and it comes the weekend again. Oh, another seven million, oh, another eight million. Captain america, the red hulk I don't know what's this movie called?
Speaker 1I don don't even know. Brave New World. Brave New World. This movie is reportedly just the worst.
Speaker 3The absolute worst. Yeah, I've heard that it's the worst in the worst way, where it's like not fun Right, like something like Madam Web or the Venom movies or even I guess Craven the Hunter which I never saw, but just extremely unimportant yeah. People are saying that that the Sony superhero movies are now more fun than Marvel movies because they are awesomely bad, Thank you. As opposed to Marvel movies that are just blandly bad.
Speaker 1Thank you. Did I not say this a year ago? You?
Speaker 3did? You were on it, you were on it, you were on Madam Web Island. And now listen, the hotel's going up, yeah.
Speaker 1I'm working the front desk. What are your thoughts on Madam Web? Did you ever see that picture?
Speaker 2I sure didn't.
Speaker 3Yeah, no.
Speaker 2I'm so sorry about that, and are you sure that your opinion isn't a little bit skewed for your desperate love for Dakota Johnson.
Speaker 1Oh, it was then and it is now Okay, Dakota Johnson.
Speaker 3Emma Roberts, Cindy Sweeney. The Holy Trinity.
Speaker 2The Holy.
Speaker 3Trinity For the girlies.
Speaker 1For the girlies, and you guys didn't appreciate that in the moment. Shame on you. Yeah, because. So what do you have now? A 500-year-old Harrison Ford turning into the Red Hulk.
Speaker 2What is this and?
Speaker 1it's making so much money. It's so frustrating Because people are saying that a movie like the Gorge should have opened in theaters this past weekend instead of being dumped to Apple TV.
Speaker 3Listen, I'm saying every movie should be opened in a fucking theater. Okay, Sean. Baker.
Speaker 1I mean, I'm right there with you. And now listen, I know that those of you who have seen the Gorge and I understand, I agree, a lot of it looks bad and is infuriating. Honestly, scott derrickson, I think, is a very talented filmmaker. Apple is a studio that we know has so much money to spend on production, and so it's just kind of inexplicable as to why, um, parts of the gorge look as bad as it as it does. However, you can't tell me that this wouldn't be the perfect counter-programming to something like Captain America. Tell me again Brave New World, brave New World. God, what a fucking terrible subtitle.
Speaker 3Well, it's a Brave New World.
Speaker 1Is it Okay and so? Yeah, I don't know. We have to do better. In February We'll see.
Speaker 2Marvel's lost me. I haven't watched a marvel movie in quite some time.
Speaker 3A lot hinges on on fantastic four and it listen. I, I think I said this a couple weeks ago. The trailer looked like tv. Yeah, uh, I, I I do think we're getting to an end point I think it's. I think's starting. The dirt is going on the coffin Now. You know, the coffin was just in the dirt. Now the dirt is being shoveled on.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1I have one more. People are saying uh, nuggets for this episode. Do you guys have anything that you've heard, that you've read? I do? Okay, go for it.
Invitation to Community Events
Speaker 3Uh, this is. This is hot off the press this morning. Oh, people are saying the James Bond franchise is being set out to see. It has been acquired. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson have signed creative control of the James Bond franchise to Amazon MGM Studios. Was it not already? No, the group announced Thursday, february 20th. The three parties have formed a new joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights. Amazon announced on Thursday, and those parties will remain co-owners of the franchise. But following the close, but following the close of this JV's transaction, it will be Amazon MGM Studios to have the final say on Creative, which is a huge deal for this IP.
Speaker 1Isn't this where we? The reason why I thought that this was already happening is because isn't this where we thought that the series starring um let Letitia, uh, letitia Lynch? Isn't this where we thought that the, the new mini series was going to to be housed anyway on Amazon?
Speaker 3I think this has been kind of in the works for a long time, so it's been a rumor, but today the ink dried that Amazon now has control of James Bond. Now what does that do? Yeah, a, it's going to play a huge thing in the casting of a new James Bond.
Speaker 1Raping of this ip and oversaturation, like amazon has done with such things as uh, lord of the rings, right jack reacher, jack reacher. To a lesser extent, yeah, or?
Speaker 3yeah, um, and, and yeah, I mean, do we still get james bond movies in the theaters? Gosh does, does this for.
Speaker 1Nicholas Holtz sake? I hope so. Yeah, yeah, me too yeah.
Speaker 3I hope. Yeah, yeah, yes, um, but yeah, uh, I.
Speaker 1I think this is a huge misstep by the broccoli uh and Wilson state which, like they have been, you know, the the the investors, of the possessors of James Bond since the beginning, and they've always they've, you know, and I usually this term is not used in an um, you know unnecessarily like endearing way, but like they've, they've been such good gatekeepers of this franchise and not relinquishing creative control to anybody for decades. Now, 60 years, yeah, that's too bad.
Speaker 3Uh, yeah. And so yeah it's. And Michael G Wilson is, you know has come out and said I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films. And so, yeah, it's. It's tough times for my girl, barbara, who you know has been such a good steward of the Bond films.
Speaker 1And she's like the, she's like the genie bus. I love God. Yeah, I hope moviemaking.
Speaker 3I hope they don't. They don't fuck this up. I hope they don't fuck this up. Amazon don't fucking do it, Bezos. So that's sad.
Speaker 2I've never seen a single James Bond.
Speaker 3You've never seen a single James Bond movie. No no, daniel Craig's no.
Speaker 1Wow, shocking you are spring chicken that's great that's like having a whole life ahead of you still. I think I'm good, though, without that okay, my last people are saying is that and I know that we're a movie podcast, but again, just to kind of circle back and touch on something that was brought up during our most anticipated episode of of 2025, the white lotus, one of my favorite tv shows, I think, of the 21st century, if I'm being completely honest, people are saying that this could be the darkest, weirdest, perhaps most upsetting and violent season yet.
Speaker 2I already feel that too.
Speaker 1Do you Just after?
Speaker 2that first episode and there is a lot of talk after this. Just the one episode and just what we've seen and people are already like, oh, this is going to get weird, yeah, especially the family. Like Jason Isaac's family, the Rattlers, I is going to get weird, especially the family.
Speaker 1Like.
Speaker 2Jason Isaac's family.
Speaker 1The Rattlers, I think is their last name. Rattliffs, rattliffs.
Speaker 2Okay, yeah, and we have Arnold Schwarzenegger's son as this like creepy finance bro.
Speaker 1Yes.
Speaker 2Which sounds like he's just playing himself, but he's already just given me like really nasty vibes there's.
Speaker 1but I'm really intrigued by the three the girls, the girl group and and let me just say, the casting of michelle monaghan, leslie bibb and carrie coon. Incredible job by mike white and team, because these three women, I feel like are so perfectly cast as friends. As you know, the schwarzenegger character calls them like cougars. They are the perfect group of women to be on vacation together unpacking. You know, leslie bib has a great uh part in in in one of the scenes where she's talking about what her husband said to her before the three of them went on this girl's trip. We're like no, it's not a midlife crisis or whatever, and you know it's a victory tour.
Speaker 2It's a victory tour.
Speaker 1And and right off the bat, you know that carrie coon does not share that same sentiment. But now also, how far are is leslie and michelle, how far are their characters going to take this quote unquote victory tour? I can't wait. I also love that storyline as well, after just one episode.
Speaker 2I saw somebody wonder if I can't remember her name from the second season. But the girl who was she was Jennifer Coolidge's assistant, the girl with the Bob, and she kind of goes off with the British guy.
Speaker 1Ok, yes, you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2Somebody was saying that she is Carrie Coon's daughter in like potentially. But I don't know that's, that's that's what just people are saying, but you know people are just coming up with with theories of this this season already and I'm locked in in it.
Speaker 1Just it's it's already so good people are saying too, that lisa from blackpink is the beyonce of thailand and I just love that for her. I love that my k-pop girlies are are getting their time to shine on hbo. Jenny did this in the idol, now lisa withpink, so I love the casting there as well. I'm really excited for Mook's storyline. She seems really sweet and cute and innocent here in this first episode, but I know that that storyline is also going to get a little hot, a little steamy. Have you watched season one or I mean episode one of season three yet? Max? I have not finished season two.
Speaker 1Okay, and let me just say that, because I think that you know people are always saying that the White Lotus is an anthology series and you don't necessarily need to watch one season to start a new season fresh, In this case in particular, you definitely need to finish season two before you start season three because of one key character's appearance.
Speaker 2I think that you would be doing yourself a disservice just hopping into one like any given season of the show, because, while they are different, there are little like nods to the season Maybe not so much the first season that felt like its own but there's characters that but belinda yeah, belinda has.
Speaker 1She is back for the third season now again and um and coolidge is in all three of them well coolidge is not in three, but the reason why she's not in three is one of the reasons why you need to watch two.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah yeah, I do have something that I just feel like it's not a people are saying it is. People have said it. It's official. Danny and Michael Filippo, the directors of Talk to Me, which was a favorite movie of mine. They have a new movie that was just announced that's coming out this summer and it's not talk to me too, which is still that's still in the works. But this is a movie um called bring her back, looks. I. I did not watch the trailer that there's a teaser out. I think it came out yesterday, but I'm already like sign me up. I love the two. Two of them. Sally Hawkins is the main.
Speaker 1You're a fish lover.
Speaker 2My shape of water, my girl. The tagline is only this. This is all that's out. A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother. Period. End of story. I'm. People are saying this teaser is terrifying yes, people are saying that it's terrifying, that it's creepy and we wouldn't know, because we're not going to watch it I'm not going to watch it.
Speaker 2All I did see is that the very opening scene, um is a cat drinking out of or eating out of, like a little ceramic bowl, and I and I'm just mentioning this because I thought it was super cool that the way that they have like the a24 logo like engraved onto that, it's just very subtle, um, and it's just a very eerie shot, and I already this is why you tried to bring a stray cat into my home this morning first of all, that cat wanted to come in, but no, I love the two of these guys Like.
Speaker 2Talk to Me was an incredible movie.
Speaker 1It was my favorite movie of what was that 2023?
Speaker 2Was that just last year? Wow, I think so. Yeah, and I'm very excited for Talk to Me 2, which is going to be a prequel to the first one, but I had no idea that this was in the works, so it was kind of a nice little treat that I got yesterday and something to look forward to for the summer. Talk to Me also released in the summertime, so just be on the lookout.
Speaker 1I see you clicking away over there. Do you find something else that people are saying?
Speaker 3I don't know, is this going?
Speaker 1to need to be a whole episode.
Speaker 3I don't even know if this is news that should be reported.
Conclusion and Thank You
Speaker 1It's the spirit of this moment, though, this little time at the end of these episodes. That's very true.
Speaker 3This just dropped on IndieWire. Barton Scorsese, oh gosh, just dropped on IndieWire. Okay, barton Scorsese, oh gosh. Uncle Marty, my beloved, has announced he will be executive producing the Buzzy Cape Fear series adaptation, but the tour is actually looking to get wet in a different seaside. Okay, so what did you say, marty's trying to get wet in a different seaside.
Speaker 1Okay, so What'd you say? Marty's trying to get wet, marty's trying to get wet.
Speaker 3Uncle Marty's trying to get wet.
Speaker 1He is going to be. Didn't know you liked to get butt naked.
Speaker 3He is. He's working on a film set in Hawaii Okay Crime film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Speaker 1You're already losing me.
Speaker 3Emily Blunt and Dwayne the Rock Johnson. Oh, I'm so out. People are saying Uncle Marty Is this.
Speaker 1Jungle Cruise 3?.
Speaker 3People are saying Uncle Marty's getting desperate yeah.
Speaker 1Oh, that's a great way to end this segment. God damn this. Is really's a great way to end this segment.
Speaker 3God damn this is really disappointing if this comes to pass, not good, all right.
Speaker 1I love people are saying we're going to keep it going, all right. As for what's next, here on the podcast, we will be releasing our live show from the Grand Cinema as we once again host a theater screening of the Academy Awards, so you can tune in, kind of relive the night with us on that episode. Max, once again, kudos to you for editing something that is so short form. Thank you in advance. Until next time, please follow Excuse the Intermission on Instagram and the three of us on Letterboxd to track what we are watching between shows, and we will talk to you next time on ETI, where movies still matter.
