Hey, it's Brian Curtis from The Ringer, and I want to tell you about the PressBox Podcast. The PressBox is a podcast for anybody who likes news, whether it's about sports or politics or pop culture, and wants to understand how that news really gets made. We have new shows every Monday and Thursday. We have long interviews with everyone from John Crackour to Joe Buck.
Your social media feeds are bursting with information every day. Let us help you sort it out. Join us on the PressBox. I'm Sean Fennese.
I'm Adam Andedadans. And this is the Big Trade Conversation Show about our final picks. We're on the verge of the 96th Academy Awards, and the fever is running hot here at the Big Picture. Amanda, are you excited?
Sure am. I've got the Oscar buzz. It's me. This had Oscar buzz.
I did. You never did? You never did? Los Angeles feels alive.
It doesn't at all. I wasn't invited to a single gifting suite. That's what I'm pissed about. That's where your head's at.
Heading into this wonderful workshop. That's basically what this week is about, right? It's just various parties sponsored by fashion companies and gifting suites. And predictions.
We're making predictions here. And predictions. Do you suggest wagering on the Academy Awards? I still don't really know how to wager, and every time I text you about this, it's not legal in California.
Oh. I did know that it's very complicated, and we can't really get into it right now. We did make a wager, right? With the October predictions?
Yeah, what did we put on the line? Bobbi, do you remember? I don't think that we ever actually formalized what was on the line. I think it was like, yeah, we'll figure that later.
The predictions are... It was something about someone being able to make the other person watch a movie. Okay. And you were like, we'll just have a movie night at home.
And I was like, I don't want to come to your house and watch whatever weird shit you're screaming. That's just really mean spirited. I wanted to make it like a public screening. Uh-huh.
Kung Fu Panda Fort? Yeah, I almost went to that premiere. So am I. I'm not going to go, but everyone at Universal is being very nice about trying to get Knox into an animated film premiere.
Like, like, what? And I think that Despicable Me 4 is when the matter's gonna happen. Make it a double date. Double date.
Let's do it. Let's get... I worry about putting Knox and Alice together while watching a movie. I want it to be as a closed environment.
Like, we don't know anybody here. But... Oh. I don't know.
This is a tricky one. We got to save this conversation. This is like... This is an episode unto itself.
Okay. Let's go back to the Oscars. So, telecast. We had some discussion about this with Wesley Morris earlier this week.
Interesting. I've been listening to this show for years. I've moaned and whined about the desire to nominate films that people have seen because that usually correlates with an increased attention on the Academy Awards higher ratings. We did it.
It happened. Your test case is here. It's here. And this will be a true test of that theory that I have been suggesting.
Even as, you know, the cable bundle has been destroyed and, you know, linear television ratings have gone significantly down and awards shows have moved to streaming services. I got the feeling like it's gonna be up this year, up from the $18.19 million we were at last year. But like, how up? I don't know.
I'm not really sure. I want you to feel vindicated in your years of moaning about how if only they would nominate popular films, then everyone would turn their television back on. Well, I don't live for vindication. So, thank you for framing it that way.
You know what? No, I'm a man of ideas. I'm a man of progress. Do you really think that you don't like being right?
No, I do like being right. But I don't need to be vindicated. You know, I don't need to be in the court of public opinion. What I can do is sit quietly inside of my truth.
I think that's true for me as well. Okay. And yet here we are talking quite a week for hours into a podcast. Nevertheless, I do think that the show will be up.
Probably I would guess in the two to three million range, which would be progress for the Academy. The reason this is relevant, of course, is that the Academy needs good ratings so that their show can continue on in a wide broadcasting environment. Maybe that's Netflix long term. Maybe it's continues to be ABC over time, but negotiations over the next couple years are going to come up.
And I think that the kind of the long term state and approachability access to the Academy Awards is really in play. So it might not change next year. It might not change five years from now. But in 10 years, does this award show still exist in the way that we've understood it?
It may not. So watching it, I guess is ultimately relevant to that. The other thing too is, you know, this being invariably the Christopher Nolan Academy Awards, this does happen every five, 10, 15 years where it becomes clear that, you know, during the Titanic year that was Jim Cameron's Oscars during the Schindler's List year that was Steven Spielberg's Oscars during the departed year that was once for Sazy's Oscars during the Parisite year that was long term hoes Oscars. That wasn't that clear.
It wasn't beforehand, but then after Matthew, we look back at it, we'll see. Coronation. I mean, one, three Oscars. Yeah, absolutely.
But it wasn't like people were tuning in being like, okay, this is going to be great. Yes. When's one, one millionaire like ran rough shot through the Oscars. Did you think of it as Danny Boyle's Oscars?
I was like 22. Okay. I don't know. I was drunk that night.
Okay. We get drunk on Sunday. No, I don't think that that's in the cards for me because I'm a professional. That's something I'd pursue anymore.
I guess I have it. That used to be really nice. But you know, the hangover last two days now. Isn't that brutal?
When you wake up on the second day and feel the little not in the back of your brain, it's really tough. Is just you can't have a drink after eight PM now. That's it. Like eight pms.
Real calm and honestly 730 is a little dicey. You've got to slide in at like five PM. I've never related too more. I feel is very close to you.
But I hear you say that out loud that makes me feel less crazy to hear that. Jimmy Kim will be back as a host of the show. This is his 18th time hosting the show, which is very exciting for him. Um, I think he's going to do great.
He always does great. only concern is that no one's going to watch his monologue because it's going to start at seven o'clock instead of eight o'clock. And you just kind of brush this off when we talk about it. So the Oscars are starting at seven p.m.
Eastern, not eight p.m. Eastern. So I don't know what you guys are doing, what your plans are. The clocks will also roll for the clocks will change on Sunday in a way that is advantageous to people who like sunlight at night.
We will spring forward. OK, but does that mean the clocks go forward? They go forward and then fall back. OK, so we remember they like you guys.
You don't have the visual so Sean is doing very exaggerated spring forward. Yes. Arm gesture fall back. Arm gesture as if I am his two year old daughter.
How would that make it any different from any other episode? It's really true. So there's going to be sunlight. There's going to be people getting up to their Sunday stuff.
Yes, but me and you and Bobby will be in dark rooms watching TVs. Right. But is everyone else going to know at seven p.m. Or four p.m.
Pacific time. Should I schedule a call with Joe Biden? Let's try to discuss this issue. Yeah, because he's really up on clocks.
Yeah, that he'll remember. I sort of not to like jump into the jam of territory, but I really feel like there was a whole conversation around daylight. Same a couple of years ago in Congress and they were like passing laws and that just went away. I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know. I think that there was probably a couple of very fervent Congress people who felt that this issue should be tackled. I genuinely agree with them now that I have a child.
Which side are you on? I'd like to eradicate the whole premise. I don't want to participate in the savings. I know, but I know, but like which.
OK, so you want it to just be. I'm comfortable with winter hours. Let's spring. No, I'm comfortable with.
Let's spring forward and stay there. So you're actually fully in favor of daylight savings. You just don't want to clap. You just want to live in that time zone forever.
Correct. OK, I feel great about that. I feel great about that. I agree with you.
I mean, it's just insanity. Like it's 3am. I'd like to party and it's just because someone somewhere in a government office decided, you know, I cut to the hundreds of millions of big picture listeners were just waiting for us to tell them what's going to win at the Academy Awards. And here we are.
Once again, just some daylight savings time. Because people might be enjoying the sunlight they've been waiting for instead of watching Jimmy Kimmel's blog. It's very possible that the show, not the red carpet. The show starts at 7pm Eastern, 4pm Pacific.
I think this is called last time. I'm sorry. I'm one hour one hour back, 6pm. 5pm Mountain.
6pm Central. It's dinner time. It is dinner time. And I'll be eating dinner whilst watching the show.
Hopefully they'll be showing clips during the show. Kim will be doing his thing. People have soccer games, you know? Basketball games?
What are you talking about? People with children older than us. Like most NBA? No, I mean like, you know, a 7 year old.
No, screw them. That's not who we're looking for. Well, what other parents? We're looking for the fans of Barbie.
The fans of Oppenheimer. Right. The fans of Barbie are in many cases 7. That's good.
You know, and they have to go to basketball and then baton twirling and they don't have time to watch their favorite movie lose all its girl era. The interesting thing about the 7pm Star Time is historically the show opens with either a best supporting actor or a best supporting actress give award give out. And you know, this year. To like bring people in.
We're going to start with a bang. Here's a big award. Someone you know, up on stage right away. Lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm, lots of tears.
Yes, you want to have a moment where it's someone very recognizable getting an award. You don't want to give out best, you know, short doc because that's those are people that people have never seen before. This year we've obviously got two very locked in leaders in the clubhouse for the supporting actor. So we've got Dave Enjair Randolph who's in a movie that a lot of people really like Robert Downey Jr.
is one of the biggest movie stars in the last 25 years in Hollywood. They're both almost certainly going to win. Robert Downey Jr. with an eight peep.
I'm sorry. I mean, if you zag on either of those, we'll be very impressed. If Robert Downey. Everyone's going to stop listening to the podcast now.
They're like, well, we got two out of 23 pecs. No, no, no, I haven't been this unsure about five or six categories in a while. So I'm very interested to have our predictions conversation with you. But R.D.J.
under normal circumstances at the APM is the no brainer way to start the show. It's kind of monologue with you a bit and then here comes R.D.J. Coming on stage hopefully with a well written speech and you know, lighting the audience up and getting us excited for the Hoppenheimer's team role. And then having a lot of people miss it, will be annoyed by that?
I don't know. They might be. They might also see it on Twitter or social media and be like, oh, yeah, the Oscars and then turn it on and watch the rest of it, which I guess for the Oscars telecast is a win. That is good.
Yeah. But that sucks for Robert Downey Jr. And I mean, I guess it doesn't. He doesn't ask her does he care?
I honestly don't know. I feel like he's in a pretty good state in his life at this point. I'm very excited to see what he does next as an actor though. You know, he's obviously got this new HBO miniser coming up later this year.
But beyond that, the films that he's making, I mean, treat by because he has now hit basically all of the checkpoints that you would imagine one should hit as a male movie star starting in the 20th century and emerging into the 21st century successfully. And there's only like seven of them, you know, it's like a cruise, a day in like only a handful of people made it this far. Right. He's there now.
Let's do some overunters before we get into our predictions. Okay. Length of the show. The 2023 ceremony was three hours and 37 minutes.
Now, I, as you know, I love a long show. Do you think that this show will be longer or shorter than last year show? Did Kimmel host last year? Yeah.
Okay. Because I was going to give him credit for being able to keep the train on the tracks and keep things moving. Um, I guess it'll be longer. How long do you think it would be if you had a guess?
I mean, not that much longer. Three hours and 42 minutes. I wonder if the decision to go to 7 p.m. Was that they could fill the four hour time across prime time?
Maybe. Maybe you said, I think it would be bold to just, I guess we should have looked at our DBRs. You think they're just blocking out the four hours? Well, what are they going to run an episode of at elementary at 1030?
That's that would be weird, wouldn't it? I mean, it would. Shouldn't they just let us talk immediately after the show? Like shouldn't they just cut to us on ABC?
I really, really don't want to do that. Are you being prevented from talking to the head to be on ABC? I would, I need to reach more people and share my feelings and show that's what I'm saying. We will be going live, right?
Not live, but we will be recording. Okay. Okay. Thank God.
All right. I do. I just let a WNYC hit live and you did it. I did.
Except for all the times you said offensive things. So I, I tried to, I was very restrained when asked about Austin Butler. Okay. I knew my audience.
I respect WNYC listeners. And yet you were able to convey somehow a stirring in your points. That's me. I'm a professional.
I think, I think three 45 sounds about right. Okay. I said three 42, but okay. Well, I'm going three over in this game of the process, right?
Most wins. I did ask you last week about whether we thought Oppenheimer would cross the eight and a half threshold. You said no, right? I said no because I think I counted to eight.
Now this is, I might have gotten to nine here in my prediction. I was thinking I was wondering if I did that too. I actually didn't count. I didn't count.
Anyway, Oppenheimer will have the most ones of the big six or seven nominees for best picture in the big films of the year. Do you think any of these movies are going to walk away with zero Oscars or is there one for everybody? Does past lives count as one of the big six or seven? I think it's right on that edge there.
I'm sad to say that I don't think past lives is going home with any words. Listen, because they don't let me vote. That's the single reason why. That's it.
When you think they'll add the podcasters branch to the Academy, is that coming anytime soon? Who will be in that branch? Me, you, Griffin and David, Wesley. Well, after the response to this week's episode, who knows?
I believe he should be in our podcasters branch forevermore. Amen. Yeah, I don't know. I guess past lives is probably the only one that may be giving away that the game a little bit on my predictions here, but I spread it around a little bit.
Yeah. I tried to because I think that's what the Academy does now that historically the Academy used to let movies run the table and I think Oppenheimer will run the table as much as it possibly can. But now they like it feels as though, even if it isn't purposeful, it feels as though there is a kind of a sifting of this one goes over here and this one goes over here and that narrative concretizes over the four months of campaigning and people just decide, well, this is the way I will honor this movie. No spoilers, but I think there are a couple of big contenders who are just barely speaking through with one when.
I'm with you. So, you know, just I don't, again, I don't want to give away the rest of this podcast, but that's as close as I can get to your to your no-ins answer. Shut up. Do you want to go to predictions?
Let's do it. We'll go to the social media. People will be able to follow these along on the night of. Are we going to do our October predictions?
I think we should do them on Oscar night, so Bob will have those prepared for us, to get to the future. But we're not even, but you don't think we should pull them up at the end and do you have you looked, do you remember what yours are? Maybe we should do that cold at the end of this. Just be like, wow, I'm an idiot.
Well, that's what you're pursuing. His audience retention. The end of this episode. We will reveal the pics that we made on an already recorded and released podcast five months.
I'm a professional and also audience engagement expert. I think it's really. That is me. It's the work you do.
in those constantly sending me notes, like, oh my God, why, in 1924, why are we so low this week? And I'm like, Amanda, stop, just make the show. The K in Amanda K. Dobbins, Dancer KPI's.
That's right. And the key performance indicator for me on this day will be how many more I get right than you when we do these Oscar versions. But that's always the way. You know, do you think it matters?
Like are we gonna be voted off the island? No one takes it seriously anyway, so it really doesn't matter. It also doesn't work. Not one gift-deep sweet indication.
I need some new headphones, God damn it. You're really bringing it today, I appreciate it. Let's start the predictions. The first category is best original score.
Here are the numbers. By the way, how did you decide this order? It has a good pace. I had a good flow.
I was feeling the flow. But when you said the first category, it was the first category in the list of nominations that Sean had had a full- In the decision for the best and most interesting podcast, execution. I started with a real one. Let everyone know we have done our predictions in a separate document.
So there's an element of surprise. Yeah, here on. What happens when we match 22 of 23? He will be like, okay, good job.
Yeah, I mean, we've discussed this, obviously. The significant number of precursors over the last couple of years has made this a somewhat easier gambit, though, as I said. I, five or six of these, I'm really not sure. And I really could go either way.
And there is, of course, always at least one real surprise on Oster Knight. So I look forward to that surprise. Best original score of the nominees are for American Fiction, Laura Cartman, for Indiana Jones and the Dialogestany, John Williams, the most nominated person in Oscar history. Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson, Elite, Great Robertson, for Oppenheimer, Ludwig Gerenson, and for poor things, Jurskin Fendrix.
Did you know that the composers name for poor things was Jurskin Fendrix? I did not. I mean, I did once I read the nominations. You will only hear his name one more time and that's when his name is announced as a nominee.
It will not be winning. So what do you think will win and what do you think should? I believe that Ludwig Gerenson will win for Oppenheimer. And that's a very good score.
So I'm not angry with the will win. Can you hear the music, Amanda? I guess sort of. Have you ever had an Oppenheimer moment where sort of like all of the scientific ideas of the world were visualized in a work of art for you or in a work of fiction or you felt like you were having a kind of cosmic experience with the world?
No, but I have stared directly into the camera a lot. And then like, this was a mistake. So. Yeah, but it can't really mean my eyes.
Yeah. Yeah, I agree with you. You all are outside just like totling off lost. That's the other thing.
What am I going? So I think that's a good and deserving win. But I will for the interest, you know, the sake of interesting podcasting, I think I Robby Robertson-Menn for Killers of Our Moon would be meaningful. And that's a beautiful score that also is doing a lot to, not just for the movie, but as like the movie of a reflection of Scorsese's work and his work with Scorsese over the years.
So that would be nice. That would be really nice. Obviously, Robbertson is not with us to campaign anymore. I think in a normal year, in a non-Steam roller year, Robbertson would have a very strong chance to win because posthumous officers are of course a thing.
They've been rewarded before. Robbertson has this longstanding partnership with the one Scorsese that you identified. But Lirigarnson, who's already won, who won this award for Black Panther back in 2018, I think holds a kind of, he really is like the new Hans Zimmer. He is the composer of his generation.
And the music is such a critical part of the telling of this movie. And he has now this interesting partnership with Nolan, just like he has had with Coogler over the years, that it just feels undeniable. Like this feels like it was settled a long, long time ago. So I think he should win as well.
And I think he will win. That's the original song, your favorite category. You're the Nami's The Fire Inside, which is from the film Flame and Hot, which I don't think played in movie theaters and only premiered on Hulu, nevertheless, Music and There's By Dying Morn. I'm Just Ken, which is from the film Barbie, Music and Lirks By Mark Ronson, your first while imaginary B.F.
and Andrew Wyatt. And everyone away from American Symphony, Music and Lirks By John Batiste and Dan Wilson, was Isaiah Song from My People from Killers of the Flower Moon, Music and Lirks By George. And what was I made for from Barbie, Music and Lirks By Billy Eilish and Phineas O'Connell. Just like best original score, Billy Eilish has won this award before she won for James Bond theme.
I believe what it was I made for will win. Yes, I do as well. I will have that as my will win. And you think, Dying Worn, should you get this one?
What do you think? Well, of the five nominees, I feel that I'm just Ken should win because not only is it a funnier and more memorable song in my opinion, but it is fit into the narrative of the film as opposed to technically what was I made for starts before the film ends, but it's really at the end. And it's just very slow. You know, a lot of young Billy Eilish people have been trying to change my mind on this.
In what ways? In kind of saying rude things on the internet as if that would affect me. And listen, if you guys like ballads, that's on you. And that's how you spend your time.
I love when Gen Zmami speaks directly to the core demographic. I feel like a better song. I will say my sister-in-law, Ruthie, came over last night and was like, I really like the Billy Eilish song. I don't know what's wrong with you.
And I was like, well, Ruthie, you like boring things. But what? What freedom must be to be in your family? What an absolute joke.
You know what? The experience is the same for everyone. You know? Equal opportunity.
You want to come into the house? You're going to get the full Amanda. Anyway, what should really win is I did in Nightway by Julie, but which is not nominated, and which is finally taken over in our home. And my son can say Julie, except he just says, doula, but loves it.
So that's powerful. I also think I'm just catching with. Thank you. And it sounds like Ryan Gosling will be performing.
How are you feeling about that? Well, I hope all the Ken's show up. OK. You know?
I mean, that would be good to me. What about some new Ken's? What Austin Butler showed up as a Ken? I would be absolutely delighted.
What about Timmy? I mean, that would be great. It literally every single man under 50, right? Because Ryan Gosling is 40 something.
Ryan Gosling is 40 something. So what? Under 44? I don't know.
I haven't checked. Every living man from Joe Biden on down age wise. Every living man with two functioning hips. With two functioning hips.
Ryan Gosling is 43 years old. OK. All right. So you look awesome.
He does look better than me for sure. Of whatever age just cycles through and does the ballet. I think that would be great. I'm looking forward to the ballet.
I think it'll be fun. I'm glad that that's happening. I was afraid he was going to be like, I don't know. But you know what?
He's got a movie to sell. And the boys he's selling it, he said that Steven Spielberg approached him and said, I love the Fall Guy, which was a great story. And I'm sure it's true. I can't wait to see the Fall Guy to find out if I grew Steven Spielberg.
OK. Next category. Best documentary short film. The nominees are The ABCs of Book Banting, the barber of Little Rock Island in between The Last Repair Shop and Nine-Nine WIPO.
So this is your favorite category. Well, are always talking about how much you love getting into the shorts, digging in, spending time, talking to the branch members. I really do. I really value their tastes and their processes.
And I think they're aligned with the values of the cinema and the Oscars writ large. So it's a really great, again, another equal opportunity experience, right? Because anyone can get their short nominated. It has nothing to do with connections.
That's the thing is people here say, all they should dispense with the shorts. This is not something that should be on the telecast. And they're like, this is an opportunity for people to break through and tell their stories. And in some cases, that is true.
But in many cases, I'll give you an example. Because I think that the ABCs of book banning is going to win. ABCs of book banning is directed by Sheila Nevins, who is a legendary documentary film executive. She ran HBO Docs for decades.
She is one of the most decorated executives in the history of Hollywood and television. She has so many Emmys from the amount of Docs that she's worked on. It's incredible that after all those years of doing that work, she has directed at film herself. The film that she has directed is about a very important subject.
You and I have young children. We're thinking about this concept all the time. Young kids are featured in this film. It also does make the very clever choice to just interview children about the books that are banned.
And I mean, put kids in front of a camera. It's a bad camera. Yeah, it's very important. It's very important.
It's not too important. Yeah, no, of course not. And my point is that I have nothing against Sheila Nevins and if she wins an Academy Award, how wonderful for her? This is one of the most connected people in all of Hollywood.
This is not a 28-year-old. Now, in the case of 9.9 WIPO, which for me is my should win, which is a movie that I really loved, Sean Langley, the director of that movie. He also had a movie that's Sundance called DeeDee, which was picked up. Heath is a young filmmaker who is on the rise.
It's exciting that he's got a chance to have a big career. I think he's going to have a big career where he wins this Oscar or not, because he's already made a feature film. He's already on his way. So I think what we kind of denigrate to inclusion of these categories is because there's a sense of unevenness to process.
Right, but also, you know, the barber of Little Rock is a New Yorker production. Island in between is New York Times production. My pick, actually, for what we'll win, is the last repair shop, which is produced by the LA Times and Searchlight. And it is directed by Chris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot, Ben Proudfoot, won this exact award in 2021.
So once again, the Best Documentary Short Subject. So and by the way, like another charming movie about a repair shop for the musical instruments in Los Angeles that are provided to school students in Los Angeles and at interviews with the people who repair and how they wound up in this repair shop. And then the kids being like, now I have a trombone. And you know, once again, you have kids talking about a trombone in front of a camera, sure.
It's lovely. I think all of these movies are well done. I liked all of them. It's the only short category.
I liked all five films. All five of these films are available to watch right now, which distinguishes from the other short categories as well. If you want to check them out, as you mentioned, Last Repair Shops on Hulu. I think Nine-Nine Y Poe is on Disney Plus.
Island in between and the barber of Little Rock are available on YouTube and the ABCs of book banning is available on Paramount Plus. These are good movies, but in a way, I think you're right, they reveal that this is not quite the breakthrough category that has been suggested. Now, Best Animated Short Film is also an interesting example of that. Now, you're very mad because you haven't seen some of these movies because they don't make available to you.
I have seen three out of five because they were available by a streaming. Thank you to people who are enabling the rent function on Vimeo. Right. Your thread's only so they make you aware of them.
No. No. You're building quite a reputation on threads. I know.
Yeah. It's also threads, Mommy. Well, it's awesome. All that girl you were paying off.
All those expenses you paid. So we talked about the Kiersten on profile, very briefly offline. You and I, but then I don't know if you saw my most recent threads post. I'll be honest, I just feel like she looks really cool in these photos.
Yeah, she looks really cool. She's wearing a lot of the MUMIO. It's great. But so this is Marie Claire.
This is on the cover of Marie Claire promoting Civil War. And so in the profile, I read the profile. She picked as the profile activity. She goes shopping at Nicki Kehoe.
Do you know what that is? It's just like the best interior design store in Los Angeles. Like, had I, the resources, I would be asking the people who run Nicki Kehoe to design my entire life. And I just.
So she hears this episode. She'll hook you up. Really, really, well, I mean, she was, you know, she was shopping there. They were buying towels, but I'm sure they were nice expensive hand towels.
Anyway, that's the kind of content you can get on threads for me. That's just a riveting activity to do with the journalist. I got to say, that's up there with F1 racing, mountain climbing. Anytime you can go interior design shopping, you got to do it.
You're you would have liked it. I would have liked it. And also she's like, I'm a, I'm a boring mom, so I never get to go shopping. So that's why I picked this.
And I was like, dope. Me too. Who can relate? Who can relate?
Yeah. Best animated short film here. So now, let's see. I saw letter to a pig, 95 senses and then I saw the 14 different trailer clips that the war is over team have posted to their war is over dot com post here.
What do we have here? We have the trailer. We've got origins. We've got the look.
We've got something about FX. We've got the sound. We have multiple, multiple short films about this short film available on their promotional site, but nowhere can I give them money to watch it. So, War is Over is co-written and produced by Sean Lennon.
The film is scored by Thomas Newman. This is, you know. It's executive produced by Yoko Ono. Yes.
Obviously, it's inspired by the music of John Lennon. Yeah. I mean, listen, I picked it to win, even though I was only able to watch the little clips. So I, I, I, I did see it.
Did you do that? I did think it was, I did do letter to a pig to win. You did letter to a pig. I absolutely loathe letter to a pig.
So, I understand that that's like the other one in the, the runner, but I just went with War is Over. I don't, these categories always flummox me sometimes like War is Over won the Annie short film award. So that was another reason. It's got a very strong campaign because I was a lot of power behind it.
Letter to a pig is, I would say it resonates in our contemporary times. And so that's why I'm choosing it. I didn't really love these five films. I did not either.
I don't have it. I refused to pick a should win. OK. Best live action short film here are the nominees, the after Invincible, Night of Fortune, Red, White and Blue, and the wonderful story of Henry Sugar.
Have you seen all these? I did not. I was not able to see Invincible. I don't know if it was taken down or something.
It was, it was at one point available. I've seen all five of these Invincible. I actually liked it. It was my second favorite.
It's a Canadian film. And I thought then San René Lorti, who directed the movie, is going to make a good feature film. But you I like Night of Fortune, or I was charmed by it until my interest. Yeah, I liked it as well.
This is a pretty interesting category. I think four of the five are very good. And I thought the after was quite bad. As did I.
It's stunningly bad. And I couldn't figure out. It starts David O' Yellowo, who's a very well known and well liked actor. But I really didn't know how he was going at all.
The first three minutes, I guess, set up the rest of the film, but are just so the him visited. Over won't. Yeah, it's just really not able to pull off what they're trying to go with in the first minute. What was the red, white and blue is an interesting one.
It's a technically an abortion, mini drama, starring Britney Snow. And it's a very contemporary kind of a movie because of a lot of the discussion in the world. Sorry. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think in a year in which West Anderson was not nominated, to me it strikes me as the movie that would win because there's often a very kind of political ethical resonance in the shorts. I thought it was OK. There's a twist. And there's a twist in it.
I didn't know. OK. But that's OK. The wonderful story of Henry Sugar.
I mean, it certainly should win. West Anderson finally getting an Oscar. I think there is a chance for a backlash. I do as well.
Do you think it will win? I put it for will win. I did too. But we could be wrong.
What was surprising and perplexing to me was that many other predictors had, if they did not go with, wonderful story of Henry Sugar, they went with the after. And I guess that's because it has Netflix behind it. I think it's very widely seen. Yeah.
And there was a famous person in it, but there are a lot of famous people in the wonderful story of Henry Sugar. I think West is going to win. I think there's a knowledge that West Anderson hasn't won an Academy Award before. And so I think he will win.
I think he should, obviously. But on the other hand, this film was also funded by Netflix and has a much bigger budget than these other movies, presumably. So again, what are we doing with these awards? I agree.
I'm OK. Let's move on. Best makeup and hairstyling. The nominees are Golda, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, and Society of the Snow.
Now, this is one of the categories I really am not sure about. OK. I think Maestro will win. I also have Maestro in Willwin.
Kazu Hero, one of the most acclaimed makeup artists in recent times. He won for Darkest Hour. He's profiled beautifully by our friend Juan, the New Yorker. I think that knows controversy weirdly worked for it.
Yes. Because there's an awareness of the work that was done in a way that there isn't always in this category. Maestro wins poor things. Maestro win is Society of the Snow.
Those guys just looked really grizzled. They were on that mountain for a long time. And a lot of stuff was growing on them. I feel like they're the world in which poor things wins like five to seven Academy Awards, and there's also one in which wins like one.
I think it's probably at like two. I think it's obviously a major contender in this category for the Willem Defoe and everything else that's going on. Maestro won the Golda Word, the makeup Guild Awards, which in this case to me seems a little bit more of a precursor. I mean, spoiler, yes, like this might be the only Maestro word.
I believe this will be the only Maestro word. Yeah, I do as well. So, though maybe not in my heart. Oh, that's beautiful.
Maybe not in my neither. I just remembered I had a little twist for you. Best picture? Maestro?
That's enough. OK, best sound. Interesting category. Yet another category that I just do not know.
I have a feeling that I do not know. The nominees and best sound are the creator, Maestro, my beloved mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, its first Academy Award nomination, Oppenheimer, and the Zone of Interest. You know what's really funny is now I'm remembering that I watched the creator with us. On an airplane?
What? Yes, you're a demon. Well, I thought it looked good. It does look good.
I'm sorry to all these people. It worked very hard. That's a classic. They should have let Tony Gilroy rewrite that movie, too, because it would have been a great movie, because it looks and sounds awesome.
Yeah. OK, what do you think we'll win? For robots to be free. You never even heard that.
You only heard it in the trailer. We had ice cream. OK. It's really, really made an impression.
Honestly, that trailer really made an impression on me. I also went back and forth on this. I think I'm going with Oppenheimer. I picked the Zone of Interest.
You did. So here's what I wrote. I wrote Oppenheimer. I knew we were going to split on this.
I think I'm taking a risk. I also, I think I even had Zone of Interest first. Then I went and was doing all it did again. It won both Soundgill the words.
This is the sound mixing guild and the sound editing. And there is just sort of a sweet phenomenon to this. But I did write, could the international voters change anything here? And I think that's smart.
I think it's deserving. My should win is the Zone of Interest. It is mine as well. But I am just going with Oppenheimer, I guess.
I don't know. I'm just giving in. So then it sounds like you're going to go for nine Academy Awards for Oppenheimer if you think it's going to go in. Well, we'll get there.
We'll get there. Let's keep going. Best cinematography, speaking of Oppenheimer. The nominees are Edward Lachman for El Conde, Rodrigo Prieto for Killers of the Flower Moon, Matthew Libertique for Maestro, Hoytima for Oppenheimer and Robbie Ryan for Poor Things.