March 12, 2026 • 37 mins
Grab your popcorn and your most judgmental award-season Oscars pajamas. In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, host Kyle McMahon is joined by Fandango’s Managing Editor and Rotten Tomatoes expert Erik Davis to dissect the absolute chaos that is the 2026 Academy Awards.From record-breaking nominations to the snubs that have "Film Twitter" in a collective meltdown, we’re breaking down who’s going to take home the gold and who’s just there for the gift bag.
In This Episode, We’re Obsessing Over:
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In This Episode, We’re Obsessing Over:
- Genre-Defying Domination: How Ryan Coogler’s Sinners smashed records with 16 nominations and why the Academy is finally giving horror-adjacent films the love they deserve.
- The PTA "Due" Factor: Why Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another might be the unstoppable force standing in Sinners’ way for Best Picture.
- The Best Actor Cage Match: Is it Michael B. Jordan’s year after his electrifying multi-character performance, or will the Academy finally hand the trophy to New York’s golden boy, Timothée Chalamet?
- Aunt Gladys vs. Prophidia: The Best Supporting Actress race is a literal horror show - in the best way possible - as Amy Madigan and Teyana Taylor go head-to-head.
- The Snubs That Stung: We pour one out for Wicked: For Good and Dune: Part Two, discussing why some of the year's biggest spectacles were left in the cold.
- The "Marketing Nerd" Perspective: Was Timothée Chalamet’s rogue campaign for Marty Supreme brilliant Gen Z bait or a case of fatal overexposure?
- Get Your Cheat Sheet: Head to Rotten Tomatoes for the ultimate downloadable Oscar ballot featuring critic and audience scores here!
- Binge the Noms: Catch the full "Best Picture" playlist over at Fandango at Home here!
If you dig the show, subscribe, rate, and share - and tell your friend who's always stealing your streaming passwords.
📍 Watch now on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform
🎧 Subscribe for more celeb interviews, streaming picks and pop culture deep dives!
🗣️ Want to be featured on the show? 📱 Leave a voicemail here!
📧 Join the newsletter to get exclusive content, interviews & more once a week! Subscribe here!
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Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming. Listen here!
--------------------------
Get all the Pop Culture Weekly podcast info you could want including extra content, uncut interviews, photos, videos & transcripts at Podcast.PopCultureWeekly.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, Eric Davis and
I dive into the Oscars twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Welcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from iHeartRadio
your pop culture news, views, reviews and celebrity interviews on
all the movies, TV, music and pop culture U Crab Weekly.
Here's Kyle McMahon.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
No no, no, Hello, and welcome to pop Culture Weekly
with Kyle McMahon. I of course am Kyle McMahon, and
this is the show where we celebrate pop culture, question
our life choices, and occasionally try to explain why we
care so deeply about tiny golden statues handed out by
people in tuxedos. And today those tiny golden statues are
(00:46):
exactly what we're talking about, because the twenty twenty six
Oscars are here. The Academy Awards, Hollywood's biggest night, the
Internet's most chaotic night, and the one evening a year
when phil Twitter, film critics, movie fans, and people who
have only seen one movie since two thousand and seven
all of a sudden become professional awards analysis. And honestly,
(01:11):
I love it. The Oscars are still one of the
last true pop culture events where the entire entertainment world
kind of stops for a moment to celebrate movies, the performances,
the surprises, the speeches that go on way too long,
and of course the inevitable discourse afterwards. So today we
(01:33):
are doing a full Oscars deep dive. Who might win,
who should win, what films are dominating the conversation, and
what surprises could still shake up Hollywood's biggest night. And
to help break it all down, I'm joined by someone
who literally lives and breathes this stuff. I am joined
by Eric Davis. He's the managing editor at Fandango and
(01:55):
contributor to Rotten Tomatoes.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
And if you.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Follow movie news, awards, the and predictions are pretty much
anything going on in the film world, you've probably seen
Eric breaking it all down. We're going to talk about
the biggest Oscar contenders this year, which films have the momentum,
which categories could be total chaos, and whether there are
any underdog.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Movies that might sneak in and steal the night.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So, if you're filling out an Oscar ballad, arguing with
your friends or the Internet about Best Picture, or just
want to sound extremely informed at your Oscars party, this
conversation will absolutely help returning once again. Here he is
Eric Davis. So joining me once again is my buddy
(02:44):
Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Eric Davis, and we're talking
all about the twenty twenty five Oscars.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Welcome back, Eric.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Thank you for having me, of course, and.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
It's always a pleasure to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So we are diving in into the twenty five Oscars.
I gotta know, what do you think in regards to
the Oscars as a whole. Where did the Academy go
this year? Was there any surprises for you? Was it
kind of what you expected? What's your take?
Speaker 5 (03:14):
You know, I'm a big fan of where they went
this year. To be honest with you, I think any
year where we have sort of a record broken with
nominations is a cool year and a year where you
perk up a little bit, especially when that movie is
a film like Sinners, which of course broke the record
for nominations this year. What's sixteen. The previous record was fourteen,
(03:36):
so it beat it by two.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
So it was a pretty pretty.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
Significant milestone that it crushed there. And you know why
I like it is because you know, here Sinners is
a fiercely original film. Yes, some people call it a
horror movie, but I think it's genre defying. I think
there's some horror in there. There's music in there, there's legacy,
there's family, there's all sorts of different genres that you know,
(04:04):
missmash in there. But I think it's just it's exactly
the kind of film that you want to see break
a record like that. Especially, you know, we're in a
day and age where a lot of people sort of
criticize movies for you know, remake sequels, reboots. We see
a lot of those, and you know, I think audiences
(04:25):
will complain, but you know, the audiences still want that stuff.
That's why Ali would make them. But I think there's
a desire for original storytelling as well. And so to
see the two big films up there sinners, and even
though One Battle after Another is an adaptation, Paul Thomas
Anderson took a lot of liberties with that adaptation, so
it still feels very original in its scope and its presentation.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
And so to see those two.
Speaker 5 (04:50):
Films really battling it out for the big wins this year,
I think is a really great a great win for audiences,
a great win for Hollywood, and it's and it's very
exciting to see some really great filmmakers are in the
mix this year. And that's what I'm excited about.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Yeah, I love Ryan Coogler and and I love horror.
And I know we're not completely claiming it as a horror,
but i am because as a huge horror fan, I'm like, okay, wait,
a horror at least adjacent film is like getting Oscar
love is, like you know, as you know, rarely ever happened.
(05:29):
So I'm like, yep, that's a horror, even though as
you said.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
It is a genre defying film.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
But it's so completely and totally original, and like you said,
I mean it really plays as a drama and an
action and you know, music is so tightly integrated into it.
And I am so excited for Ryan and so excited
for Sinners that that's what I'm really, really really rooting for.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
It's just such an original movie and it was.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So refreshing to see it, you know, especially like on
the big score, you know, where I could go and
just like sit and take it in on this eighty
foot screen or whatever it is, and you know, it
was just so different. I feel like and it was
accessible too, you know. I mean I have friends that
are not film buffs like you and I where we
(06:17):
can nerd out about stuff. There was just like, oh,
you know, who's in it and whatever. And the people
that I went with loved it too. So it's like
one of those films for me that talks to different people,
you know what I'm saying exactly.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
I mean, look, this was a box office hit. Not
only was it a box office hit, but it was
also the best reviewed film of the year at Rotten Tomatoes.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Not only that, it was also the audience's favorite film.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Oh wow.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
So I mean, this film just really kind of caught
lightning in a bottle.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
And you know, you mentioned.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
Horror at the Oscars historically sort of snubbed. This year,
I think is probably one of the best years we've
ever seen horror represented. And it's not just from Center
and some of the folks from Sinners who are nominated,
but you have get Moldel Toros Frankenstein in there with
a bunch of nominations. You have Amy Madigan for Weapons
in there, another original horror movie with a big nomination.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
She may win.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
She a lot of people predicting her to win. That award,
so really great if you are a horror fan, and
fans had been sort of nudging the Academy right for
a few years now, being like you got to start
recognizing horror, because I think definitely in the last ten years,
we've seen this sort of resurgence, especially sort of with
like you know, you know, these low budget horror movies
(07:36):
doing really well at the box office, and I think
that helped sort of, you know, the genre kind of expand,
and it helped studios sort of take more chances on horror,
and that's why we're seeing a lot of really great
horror at the moment right now.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
I'm curious, on the rotten Tomato side, how rare is
it for a audience score that high to match a
critics score that high.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Is that a rare thing?
Speaker 4 (08:03):
I definitely think it's it's rare. I mean it's something
that we do see.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
You know, as we talked, you know, Pixars Hoppers came
out past Larry Yeah, very high critical score, very high
audience score both in the in the in the high nineties,
and so you know, it's definitely something that happens occasionally.
But for that to happen on a film, and then
that film to go on and you know, and break
(08:29):
these records at the Oscars. You know, that feels very
rare to see it what it did there. And you know,
and I think in any other year we're sitting here
sort of similarly that we did with the year Oppenheimer
came out being like, you know, this is Oppenheimer's year.
They're just taking it. But Sinners unfortunately for that film
has to contend with one battle after another. Both of
(08:51):
those films could win individually.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
You know.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
It reminds me of the year where I believe it
was Paul Thomas Anderson's Will Be Blood up against No
Country for old Men, you know, and you have these
two incredible films and one of them had to win.
Of course, it was No Country. And so I think
for those reasons, in my mind, I think it's sort
of Paul Thomas Anderson is due, and I think the
(09:16):
industry feels like he's due, and that's why I ultimately
I am leaning in the one battle camp.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Okay, before we get into what was nominated, was there
any surprises for you that were not nominated this year?
Speaker 5 (09:33):
I think Wicked for Good was a surprise for me.
You know that kind of got snubbed pretty much across
the board when it came to the Oscars, and it
was a big surprise. It was a film that showed
up in a lot of other awards consideration. I personally
really enjoyed the film. I thought, you know, the combination
of the two films was such I think an extraordinary accomplishment,
(09:58):
especially from the production side and the music side, and
the performances. Ariana Grande was exceptionally strong in the second film,
and she had been nominated, you know, in other award shows.
So to see that film not show up, I was
kind of surprised. But you know a lot of people
ask me why didn't it show up? And you know,
(10:18):
the first film was recognized, I think ten Oscar nominations,
and you know, there could be a sense of the
Academy saying, you know, we've recognized this film, We've recognized
the achievement here. And because the second film wasn't as
strong I think critic with critics or with audiences as
the first film. The first film really is the fun
portion of Wicked. I think for those reasons, it sort
(10:41):
of slipped by voters this year unfortunately, So that would
for me was probably the biggest snub.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
I kind of thought that it would do a Lord
of the Rings type of thing where you know, the
first one, yeah you got nominations and all that, but
the second one is.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Where we're we'll really reward you.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
And it did not happen this year, which I think
is interesting.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
So I agree with you there.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Yeah, So we'll see when Dune Part three came out,
because that was another one that Doom Part two I loved,
and the snubs for Doom Part two like they hurt me,
like personally hurt me. So I you know, we have
a Dune Part three coming out later this year, and
I'm curious to see if after that film comes out,
if we do see something like a Lord of the
(11:26):
Rings where doing part three is honored in that way.
I hope. I hope so because I think what Didneva
Leneuve has done with that trilogy has been you know, outstanding.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, so jumping in, there's you know, so much we
could get into.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Where where do you want to start?
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I mean best Picture? Really the category?
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Yeah, that's you know, that's that's what I have read
up on my screen right now, all great films.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
I was really happy to see F one get in there.
I feel like F.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
One is sort of sort of like that Top Gun Maverick.
Not only is it from the folks that did Top
Gun Maverick, buts Maverick esque in the way it's it's delivered.
And so it was good and the audience loved that
film ninety seven percent verified hot it's actually the highest
scored film of the Best Picture contenders by the audience.
(12:14):
Oh wow, on Rod Tomatoes is F one, believe it
or not, ninety seven percent.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
So I'm happy to see that in there.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
But all of these films are really really good, you know,
multiple international titles are in there. What you like to
see in sentimental value and the Secret Agent, really lovely
film called Train Dreams from Netflix that's in there.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I was actually sorry to interrupt. I was actually just
going to ask you about that.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
One, because Train Dreams flew completely under my radar, like completely,
and I guess it didn't with you, No, you.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
Know, it's it's it did not. I did catch it
when it when it came on to Netflix. I wish
I had seen it on the big screen. But gorgeous
film and subtle film sort of feels story book esque.
In the way that it is delivered, and great performance
from Joel Edgerton. I think it's a film that a
(13:05):
lot of people should sort of try to discover. But
you know, what we've seen in the past is if
these films aren't getting you know, big theatrical moments, sometimes
they do slip by and and and they're on Netflix,
and finding anything sometimes on a streaming network is hard. So,
you know, I think Train Dreams is definitely one of
(13:26):
those word of mouth films that people who've seen it
really recommend it to a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Okay, and then so we have Secret Agent Train Dreams
F one, Sinners Frankenstein. So this is where I'm torn
because I love Garimel del Toro. I loved his Frankenstein,
but Sinners, I think this is where I go back
and forth.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Today.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I think Sinners takes it tomorrow or even later this afternoon.
You asked me, and I'll probably say Frankenstein. But do
you think those two will cancel each they're out?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
You know, I don't necessarily think they will cancel each
other at I don't think it's it's not a situation,
you know. And we have some multiple people nominated for
the for the same film in the acting categories, and
in those situations, I can sometimes see canceling out happening.
But I don't think Sinners and Frankenstein will cancel each
other at I think Sinners will will get its own
(14:23):
votes without a doubt and won battle. So I do
you know, it's it's interesting I look at sometimes I
look at these other award shows. A lot of people
look at other award shows and say, who who won
these awards? And that's historically what's gonna tell you who
wins Best Picture. But sometimes I look at the award
shows that actually happen while people are voting for the Oscars,
(14:47):
because the noise that comes out of those shows, sometimes
it could, you know, they could convince a voter to say, you.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Know what, everybody's really you know, cheering for this win.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Maybe I'm gonna vote for them. So the after awards
happened and we saw Sinners win, you know, the Casting Award,
so that you know, a big win like that. And
then when we get to the Best Doctor and we
talk about Michael B. Jordan, I think it's gonna help him,
I think more than more than anything else. But you
could see a lot of noise around Sinners happening right
(15:17):
as people are voting, and that could help it ultimately
win Best Picture. I still think though, that one battle
after another is our ultimate winner.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Okay, and.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Marty supreme. This is such I love the film and
I love Timmy. However, there seems to be some pushback,
at least on the social media side, about this kind
of campaign that he's doing kind of on his own.
I feel like, uh, do you think that harms a
(15:51):
film's chances or his own chances?
Speaker 5 (15:55):
You know, It's it's a good question because I think
there's one side of you that can say it's brilliant,
you know. I mean, he took this sort of film
about aspiring ping pong players set in nineteen fifties New
York and made it feel like, you know, it was
a movie that gen Z had to see in twenty
twenty six. So I think from a marketing perspective, and
(16:16):
I'm a little bit of a marketing nerd, I think
what they did with that film was brilliant. But then
I can also see sometimes that leads to over exposure,
and sometimes when you're seeing too much of someone in
all different you know, facets, you can kind of get
tired of seeing that person and say, you.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
Know what, I'm tired of seeing you. I'm going to
vote for the other guy.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
But but I you know, I do I would say,
you know, I would never tell them to take back
that marketing campaign. I think what they the way they
pushed that film out, I thought was brilliant.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
So ultimately, you think one Battle after another is is
going to take the prize?
Speaker 5 (16:53):
There?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
I do.
Speaker 5 (16:55):
I mean, this is the film that's been winning Best
Picture everywhere, you know, and I except we did talk
about Sinners winning Best Casting, but keep in mind there's
also a brand new casting category this year Oscars, and
at the Critics' Choice Awards, similar thing, brand new you know,
casting category and a Best Picture. Sinners took that casting category,
(17:15):
and then One Battle took Best Picture. I am predicting
the same thing to happen on Sunday at the Oscars.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Okay, all right, Eric, we're gonna take a quick break
to pay the bills and we'll be back in sixty seconds.
All right, Thank you so much for supporting our sponsors,
helping us pay our bills so I can bring this
show to you each and every week. Now, let's get
(17:44):
back to it. I guess we can. Let's go right
into Best Actor because we just spoke about it.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Michael B.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Jordan, I mean, I think in my opinion he really
has I don't want to say a leg up on
the others, but he did two characters brilliantly, which I
feel like gives you double points at a lot of
you know what I mean if I was voting and
I'm like, wow, not only did you do one character amazing,
(18:10):
but you did two characters amazingly, Like is that a thing?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Or am I just making that up?
Speaker 4 (18:16):
No, it's really hard.
Speaker 5 (18:17):
I think some would argue that he played three characters
because one of those characters goes through something at the
towards you that to spoil it, But yeah, I think
you know, it's a phenomenal performance in a phenomenal film.
And it's interesting because Michael B. Jordan has not been
winning this award this season. He's sort of been on
the you know, on the peripherary. You know, you've seen
(18:39):
Timothy Shalomey win this award a few times. You've seen
Wagner Moore win it for The Secret Agent, so you haven't,
you know, Michael B. Jordan's been sort of, you know,
kind of hanging around but not really winning it until
the Actor Awards. And what we saw at the Actor
Awards was such a huge outpouring of love. If you
(19:01):
go back and watch the way Viola Davis announces that win,
she was so ecstatic and that kind of noise, that
kind of electricity from a win while people are voting
for the Oscars, I think could do a lot. And
so I actually went a couple of days ago. I'll
(19:22):
be honest with you. I saw Marty Supreme in early November,
and I'm predicting awards as early as October on this
site called gold Derby, where I'm an expert. The morning
after I saw Marty Supreme, I put Timothy Shallomey to
win Best Actor. Haven't touched it, haven't touched it in months.
Over the weekend, I changed it to Michael B.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Jordan.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
So that's how much I feel the energy from that
win at the Actor Awards is going to resonate now
throughout the industry as people are voting for the Oscars.
So I do think Michael B. Jordan wins it on Sunday,
but caveat Timothy shallome is right there. Yeah, and if
he does win, It's not going to be a surprise.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
I love, and I'm I'm kind of right there with you.
I think for me, Michael B. Jordan is the winner,
but I could see Timothy taking it home as well,
and uh yeah, yeah, I'll leave that there, but yeah,
I could see. I could see that happening. But I'm
rooting for Michael just because I love Sinners so much.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Yeah, I love Sinners too. I'm rooting for Michael B.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Jordan.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
I'm rooting for his collaboration with Ryan Coogler. These guys
have been collaborating on several films already, and so you'll see,
you know. But then again, Timothy Shallow, may you know,
he's a New York born and raised. It feels like
the kind of role he was born to play. He's
been nominated three times now, you know, the Academy they
want to give him, they want to give him that Oscar.
They're trying to get it to him. So and I
(20:51):
think if there's any role that he's going to win
the Oscar for, it is this role. Because like I said,
I think he was born to play this kid from
New York. So it's going to be a tight race
and I'm excited because it wasn't necessarily a tight race
a month ago. Now it's a tight race, and so
that's gonna be an exciting moment at the Oscars.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Best Actress for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Yeah, this I think has been the lock for months.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
When I first saw Hamnet at the Toronto Film Festival
and I was wiping away the tears fronting down my
face from that finale, one of the best finales I
think of a film, or at least one of the
strongest I've ever seen. I knew Jesse Buckley was gonna
win Best Actress, so I was like, this is it.
There's nobody else to call it now, And sometimes sometimes
(21:41):
you have categories like that, you have years like that
where it's like call it now. In November, it's just done,
and she's won this award all the way through, with
the exception of the Golden Globes where they split out
comedy and Musical and Drama. So I definitely think Jesse
Buckley's gonna win. I would be this would be the
shocker of the evening if Jesse Buckley loses Best Actress.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Great Actress.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
I'm happy that she's gonna win because She's been in
this sort of indie space for a while. A lot
of the you know, film nerds know Jesse Buckley, but
she's not a sort of a household name to general audiences.
I think this is going to make her a household
name and just a great actress. I'm excited to see
where she goes from here after she wins the Oscar
on Sunday?
Speaker 2 (22:27):
How did I love that? Confidence?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
How did how did Hammett score with Rotten Tomato critics
and audience?
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (22:39):
Strong, eighty six percent certified fresh with the critics, ninety
three percent verified Hot with the audiences. Which is great
to see because sometimes you get these sort of you know,
slower moving, kind of more intimate personal movies that audiences
are divided on. Maybe it's not as accessible for some audiences,
(23:00):
and so to see this with such a high audience
score is really great, and it means that the film
just sort of really hit where it needed to hit
with with all sorts of different audiences.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Best supporting actress since we're in.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
That space, all right, So this is an exciting category this.
You know, I've been a Tianna Taylor fan all the way.
I remember first seeing one Battle. I got to see
one battle kind of early and I walked out of
there and I was like, Tianna Taylor is so.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
Good in this movie.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
But she's only in like the first act of the movie.
Is it enough to get her the Oscar?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
You know?
Speaker 5 (23:41):
And but that's what you have with supporting roles, and
you'll have somebody that's in it for a minute, but
their presence is just so you know, overwhelming that you
can't say, you can't stop thinking about this character when
they're on screen. And I think she does it with
Perfidia Beverly Hills. But then you have Amy Madigan also
(24:02):
similar kind of comes in towards the end second half
of Weapons, but really sort of you know, makes a
you know, makes a name for herself in that movie
and just does great things with that character character and
Gladys And I think, you know, speaking to sort of
the people that want to see horror win, they want
(24:24):
to see a big win for horror, and I think
that could ultimately push Amy Madigan you know, over the
edge here. Also, it's been been in Hollywood for a
long time. It's been forty years since she she was
nominated for her first Oscar, So I think that would
be a really nice win for her, But then you
also have one Me Masaku in there for sinners. She's
won a couple of times on the Awards sort of
(24:46):
season path, so she could slide in there. But as
we were talking earlier, in terms of canceling actors who
cancel each other out, the two nominated for sentimental value
L and I could see them canceling each other out
in this scenario, and so one of those three, Amy won,
me or Tiana will win. I'm currently predicting Tiana, but
(25:09):
there's a there's a part of me that really feels
like Amy is gonna win it.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
I I want I love Tiana Taylor, and I do
love her in one Battle, but I am personally rooting
for Amy Madigan one because of weapons. I think it's
such an original film too. Aunt gladys Uh is just
an I immediately iconic character. The way she portrayed her
is absolutely brilliant and and I love her kind of
(25:37):
career resurgence with this. You know that, at least for
me and in my circles, Amy Madigan wasn't necessarily on
the radar in the last while, and this kind of
put her on the map again and and so I
love that kind of underdogish story, you know, that kind
(25:58):
of comeback story. So I have multiple reasons, but that's who.
That's who I'm rooting for there.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
So it's it's great.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
And that's why you love the oscars because you're Deanna Taylor,
who's sort of just coming out as an actress really
sort of. This is only been in a couple of movies,
so this could be a big deal for her and
her Hollywood aspirations. And then you have Amy, who's a
veteran you know, not necessarily a household name these days,
but winning this Oscar could be a huge thing for
(26:26):
her and her career. So you know, that's why you
have these stories. No matter which way it goes, it's
a really great story and a really great win. So
curious to see who wins this one. I haven't changed
my prediction to Amy yet, but I may.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
May You're good. We're on the countdown now.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Best best actor in a supporting role, which I think
is this is I think this is super interesting.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
I'm curious to hear what you think.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
This is interesting because I want to say, like the
actress role you're gonna see Benicio del Toro and Sean
Penn cancel each other out.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
But that's not what we've been seeing of late.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
Sean Penn has been winning Actor in a Supporting Role,
and he wasn't winning this award. You know, this award
was going to Jacob Elordi at the Critics Choice Stellen
scars Guard won it, you know, and so you've been
seeing different people win this award. But now we're seeing
a little bit of momentum for Sean Penn. I actually
just changed my prediction from Stellin scars Guard over to
(27:30):
Sean Penn because he's been winning this award and it
seems like he's got some momentum. So Sean could take it.
Stellin could take it, even though he wasn't nominated for
the Actor Awards.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
But he could take it.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
Jacob Elordi could take I mean, this is really a
category where it's anybody's to win. And then maybe everybody
cancels each other out. And then del Roy Lindo it's
seventy three years his first Oscar nomination. Maybe he wins
for Sinner would be an amazing sort of career win
for him. But I at this moment in time, I'm
(28:07):
predicting Sean Penn.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Okay, I you know, all of these actors I love
and I love them in this Delroy I love because,
as you said, his first nomination at seventy was the
seventy three incredible Jacob ALORDI I love again Frankenstein, I
love Girmo, do Toro, I love Jacobs as you know
(28:29):
Frankenstein and Benicio. I feel like he's always just such
a solid, you know, a solid. He always brings his
a game, you know. And so it is for me
kind of a toss up. I'm like, I don't know
where it's going to go, and I don't even know
who I want to root for because they're all really great.
(28:51):
I don't have like a dog in this race, in
this one where I'm really like, this needs to win.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
So I'm super curious how it's going to turn out.
Speaker 5 (28:59):
Yeah, yeah, I think for me, if like somebody said,
who would you want to win? If I think it
would be del Roy Lindo. I just I think he's
just such a he's just a legend in the industry,
and you know, to see him sort of nominated for
US for the first time in seventy three for this film,
which was such an incredible film. You know, I would
love to see him win it personally, but yeah, all
(29:23):
these guys did a great job. And I love Benicio.
I think he did such a fantastic job in the
film too. At first I thought it was gonna be
Benicio who took this award, but but you know, Colonel Lockjaws,
Sean Penn left the mark. Ye really great performance from him,
and you can see it and it's sort of resonating
with voters as we get later in the season, and
he's been winning it, so you know, let's see if
(29:45):
Sean Pen rides that momentum into an oscar.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
Win Best Director. You know, we have.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Some really interesting choices, you know, some some I think
obviously expect that there were a few that I wasn't
necessarily expecting.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 5 (30:05):
You know, I'm a big Paul Thomas Anderson fan, have
been for a long time.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
And Magnolia is one of my favorite movies ever.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
By the way, Yep, Boogie Knights, Magnolia, Punch, Drunk Glove,
there will be blood. I mean, I can just keep
reeling them off. They are all such consequential movies in
terms of sort of me growing up to be the
cinema fan that I am. I owe a lot of
it to Paul Thomas Anderson's movies, and so I am
in my personal sort of feeling here as I want
Paul to win, but I also think he's been winning
(30:35):
this award. I mean, this is another one where it's
sort of similar to Jesse Buckley. He's been winning this
Director Award straight through all the way through. So I
do see that playing a role in who wins this category,
and I definitely see him winning this category. But it's
great to see Ryan Coogler in there with his first nomination,
(30:56):
Chloe Jao for having only the second woman to ever
be nominated twice for the.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
Best Director Oscar Interest. I think it is great.
Speaker 5 (31:04):
She won of course for Nomad Land, So it's great
to see Chloe in there. Josh Safty from Marty Supreme,
great to see him in Jokim Treer for Sentiment of Value.
So every guy, you know, everybody in here is strong. Yeah,
but I don't think any of them are going to
beat mister Paul Thomas Anderson for one battle after another.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
That's That's who I'm thinking is going to win. And
again I'm torn between Pta and Ryan Kugler. You know,
I have a special affinity, especially for Ryan Kugler. But
like you you know, I remember watching Magnolia as a
kid when I probably had no business watching that and
that Frau you know, the frogs, and like, I just
(31:46):
remember being like, wait, what is going on? And then
I remember thinking about it and thinking about it and
thinking about it and being like, Okay, this is cinema,
this is film, you know what I mean, Like this
is it's not so supposed to be always easy and digestible,
Like sometimes you gotta think and sometimes it makes you
think long after you know the credits roll, and so
(32:10):
I have that personal affinity for him too, So you know.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
I'm torn. I hope it's one of them. I hope
it's one of them.
Speaker 5 (32:17):
Personally, it's definitely gonna be one of them, you know.
And those are two film centers in one battle after
another that you watch them and you just kind of
say to yourself, this is next level filmmaking. Yeah, it's
just next level. I remember sitting watching Sinners for the
first time thinking that I'm like, there's just this is
just a different level of filmmaking. It's not like what
we normally see and all the other movies like this
(32:39):
is just okay. This guy's operating on a different level,
and it's always very exciting when you see that. Of course,
when you bring the imax of it all into it,
and you know, I think it's it's it's a lot
of fun. So so yeah, I think one of those
guys is gonna win. I personally think it's going to
be pull Tom Sanders.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
And this week are we able to see you know?
Can I get tickets to Fandango for any of the
Best Picture noms?
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Is? Are they playing anywhere?
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Well? I have Fandango at home.
Speaker 5 (33:09):
We have a whole playlist of nominees. I would say, yeah,
so I they're probably there may be a couple of
these playing in theaters, but I would say the majority
of them, almost all of them are at home now
right as we kind of get into the Oscars. So
I would start your watching journey at Fandango at home,
look for our playlist of all the nominees and you'll
(33:32):
see the mayor. Of course, films like Frankenstein and Training
Dreams you'll be able to find on Netflix and Happy Watching.
All of these are worth or worth seeing and I
would try at least to watch those those Best Picture contenders.
This way you can make up your own decision. And
of course, if you're playing at home with your friends,
we have this really great downloadable ballot over at Rotten
(33:54):
Tomatoes that has all of your nominees with the scores
next to them, so as you're sort of checking off
who won with your friends, you could be like, did
you know that this score? This movie had a ninety
four pisode verified hot score. You know, you can kind
of rattle off the scores and people will think, Wow,
you really know your stuff.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Do you. I love that. We'll have the link to
that in the show notes. What are you going to
be doing? How are you watching someday?
Speaker 5 (34:18):
I mean, I always prefer to watch in my pajamas,
in my recliner. It's always the way that I prefer
to watch the Oscars, and so that's how I'm going
to be watching it on Sunday. I like to watch
with my family, and my daughter is a big movie fan,
and so we're always sitting there talking about the films
as it's rolling out, and so in our team, of
(34:41):
course on Fandangle, Rotten Tomatoes on Social will be covering
it live and so we'll have all the big moments
across our social channels too.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
And any any ever heated debates in your family on
Oscar Night or you guys pretty in lock.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
We're pretty in lock.
Speaker 5 (34:59):
Although my daughter is a bit a bit peeved about
the Wicked for Good. She was a Wicked for Good fan.
We actually went together to the premiere in New York
for the all. He's still listening to the way I
hear it blasting out of the shower, the Wicked, the
Wicked music, still listening to it. So I think she's
a little bit scarred by that. But but it'll be
(35:21):
it'll be a fun watch for sure.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
I love that as always, Eric, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
We'll have all of the links to the ballot, to
Fandango at Home playlist, you know, to Rotten Tomatoes, so
we can you know, kind of go along as we're
watching with the scores and all, and please, as always
come back again. We'll talk about you know, upcoming summer
movies or whatever.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
Definitely, man, Yeah, we have a huge pat summer coming up,
so we'll have to get together and chat about some
of those titles soon.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Awesome, Thank you, Eric, Eric, Davis. That's Eric Davis from
Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes. All a joy to have him on,
and honestly, if you're looking for someone who has their
finger on the pulse of what's happening in movies right now,
Eric is absolutely one of those people. Award season always
(36:11):
brings a little drama, a few surprises, and at least
one result that sends the Internet into complete meltdown mode.
So we'll see how it all plays out on Oscar night.
But no matter what happens, one thing is still true.
It is a pretty great time to be a movie fan.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
All right.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
That's it for this episode of pop Culture Weekly. If
you enjoyed this episode, please make sure you're subscribed so
you never miss an interview, a deep dive, or a
pop culture breakdown. You can also find video interviews, reaction videos,
and a lot more pop culture goodness over on my
YouTube channel.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Just search pop Culture Weekly.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Until next time, keep watching great movies, keep celebrating the
stories that bring us together, and if anyone asks you
to predict the Oscars, just confidently say something very specific.
I can hope that nobody remembers later. I'm Kyle McMahon.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
I love you. We thank you for listening to pop
Culture Weekly.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Here all the latest at Popcultureweekly dot com.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
It's the Uskers Sinners Better Win.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
It's the Yaskers and ed Glatics. It's the yskers Frankenstantia win.
It's theskers.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Let's see what fucking happened.
In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, Eric Davis and
I dive into the Oscars twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Welcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from iHeartRadio
your pop culture news, views, reviews and celebrity interviews on
all the movies, TV, music and pop culture U Crab Weekly.
Here's Kyle McMahon.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
No no, no, Hello, and welcome to pop Culture Weekly
with Kyle McMahon. I of course am Kyle McMahon, and
this is the show where we celebrate pop culture, question
our life choices, and occasionally try to explain why we
care so deeply about tiny golden statues handed out by
people in tuxedos. And today those tiny golden statues are
(00:46):
exactly what we're talking about, because the twenty twenty six
Oscars are here. The Academy Awards, Hollywood's biggest night, the
Internet's most chaotic night, and the one evening a year
when phil Twitter, film critics, movie fans, and people who
have only seen one movie since two thousand and seven
all of a sudden become professional awards analysis. And honestly,
(01:11):
I love it. The Oscars are still one of the
last true pop culture events where the entire entertainment world
kind of stops for a moment to celebrate movies, the performances,
the surprises, the speeches that go on way too long,
and of course the inevitable discourse afterwards. So today we
(01:33):
are doing a full Oscars deep dive. Who might win,
who should win, what films are dominating the conversation, and
what surprises could still shake up Hollywood's biggest night. And
to help break it all down, I'm joined by someone
who literally lives and breathes this stuff. I am joined
by Eric Davis. He's the managing editor at Fandango and
(01:55):
contributor to Rotten Tomatoes.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
And if you.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Follow movie news, awards, the and predictions are pretty much
anything going on in the film world, you've probably seen
Eric breaking it all down. We're going to talk about
the biggest Oscar contenders this year, which films have the momentum,
which categories could be total chaos, and whether there are
any underdog.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Movies that might sneak in and steal the night.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So, if you're filling out an Oscar ballad, arguing with
your friends or the Internet about Best Picture, or just
want to sound extremely informed at your Oscars party, this
conversation will absolutely help returning once again. Here he is
Eric Davis. So joining me once again is my buddy
(02:44):
Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Eric Davis, and we're talking
all about the twenty twenty five Oscars.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Welcome back, Eric.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Thank you for having me, of course, and.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
It's always a pleasure to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So we are diving in into the twenty five Oscars.
I gotta know, what do you think in regards to
the Oscars as a whole. Where did the Academy go
this year? Was there any surprises for you? Was it
kind of what you expected? What's your take?
Speaker 5 (03:14):
You know, I'm a big fan of where they went
this year. To be honest with you, I think any
year where we have sort of a record broken with
nominations is a cool year and a year where you
perk up a little bit, especially when that movie is
a film like Sinners, which of course broke the record
for nominations this year. What's sixteen. The previous record was fourteen,
(03:36):
so it beat it by two.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
So it was a pretty pretty.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
Significant milestone that it crushed there. And you know why
I like it is because you know, here Sinners is
a fiercely original film. Yes, some people call it a
horror movie, but I think it's genre defying. I think
there's some horror in there. There's music in there, there's legacy,
there's family, there's all sorts of different genres that you know,
(04:04):
missmash in there. But I think it's just it's exactly
the kind of film that you want to see break
a record like that. Especially, you know, we're in a
day and age where a lot of people sort of
criticize movies for you know, remake sequels, reboots. We see
a lot of those, and you know, I think audiences
(04:25):
will complain, but you know, the audiences still want that stuff.
That's why Ali would make them. But I think there's
a desire for original storytelling as well. And so to
see the two big films up there sinners, and even
though One Battle after Another is an adaptation, Paul Thomas
Anderson took a lot of liberties with that adaptation, so
it still feels very original in its scope and its presentation.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
And so to see those two.
Speaker 5 (04:50):
Films really battling it out for the big wins this year,
I think is a really great a great win for audiences,
a great win for Hollywood, and it's and it's very
exciting to see some really great filmmakers are in the
mix this year. And that's what I'm excited about.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Yeah, I love Ryan Coogler and and I love horror.
And I know we're not completely claiming it as a horror,
but i am because as a huge horror fan, I'm like, okay, wait,
a horror at least adjacent film is like getting Oscar
love is, like you know, as you know, rarely ever happened.
(05:29):
So I'm like, yep, that's a horror, even though as
you said.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
It is a genre defying film.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
But it's so completely and totally original, and like you said,
I mean it really plays as a drama and an
action and you know, music is so tightly integrated into it.
And I am so excited for Ryan and so excited
for Sinners that that's what I'm really, really really rooting for.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
It's just such an original movie and it was.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So refreshing to see it, you know, especially like on
the big score, you know, where I could go and
just like sit and take it in on this eighty
foot screen or whatever it is, and you know, it
was just so different. I feel like and it was
accessible too, you know. I mean I have friends that
are not film buffs like you and I where we
(06:17):
can nerd out about stuff. There was just like, oh,
you know, who's in it and whatever. And the people
that I went with loved it too. So it's like
one of those films for me that talks to different people,
you know what I'm saying exactly.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
I mean, look, this was a box office hit. Not
only was it a box office hit, but it was
also the best reviewed film of the year at Rotten Tomatoes.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Not only that, it was also the audience's favorite film.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Oh wow.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
So I mean, this film just really kind of caught
lightning in a bottle.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
And you know, you mentioned.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
Horror at the Oscars historically sort of snubbed. This year,
I think is probably one of the best years we've
ever seen horror represented. And it's not just from Center
and some of the folks from Sinners who are nominated,
but you have get Moldel Toros Frankenstein in there with
a bunch of nominations. You have Amy Madigan for Weapons
in there, another original horror movie with a big nomination.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
She may win.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
She a lot of people predicting her to win. That award,
so really great if you are a horror fan, and
fans had been sort of nudging the Academy right for
a few years now, being like you got to start
recognizing horror, because I think definitely in the last ten years,
we've seen this sort of resurgence, especially sort of with
like you know, you know, these low budget horror movies
(07:36):
doing really well at the box office, and I think
that helped sort of, you know, the genre kind of expand,
and it helped studios sort of take more chances on horror,
and that's why we're seeing a lot of really great
horror at the moment right now.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
I'm curious, on the rotten Tomato side, how rare is
it for a audience score that high to match a
critics score that high.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Is that a rare thing?
Speaker 4 (08:03):
I definitely think it's it's rare. I mean it's something
that we do see.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
You know, as we talked, you know, Pixars Hoppers came
out past Larry Yeah, very high critical score, very high
audience score both in the in the in the high nineties,
and so you know, it's definitely something that happens occasionally.
But for that to happen on a film, and then
that film to go on and you know, and break
(08:29):
these records at the Oscars. You know, that feels very
rare to see it what it did there. And you know,
and I think in any other year we're sitting here
sort of similarly that we did with the year Oppenheimer
came out being like, you know, this is Oppenheimer's year.
They're just taking it. But Sinners unfortunately for that film
has to contend with one battle after another. Both of
(08:51):
those films could win individually.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
You know.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
It reminds me of the year where I believe it
was Paul Thomas Anderson's Will Be Blood up against No
Country for old Men, you know, and you have these
two incredible films and one of them had to win.
Of course, it was No Country. And so I think
for those reasons, in my mind, I think it's sort
of Paul Thomas Anderson is due, and I think the
(09:16):
industry feels like he's due, and that's why I ultimately
I am leaning in the one battle camp.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Okay, before we get into what was nominated, was there
any surprises for you that were not nominated this year?
Speaker 5 (09:33):
I think Wicked for Good was a surprise for me.
You know that kind of got snubbed pretty much across
the board when it came to the Oscars, and it
was a big surprise. It was a film that showed
up in a lot of other awards consideration. I personally
really enjoyed the film. I thought, you know, the combination
of the two films was such I think an extraordinary accomplishment,
(09:58):
especially from the production side and the music side, and
the performances. Ariana Grande was exceptionally strong in the second film,
and she had been nominated, you know, in other award shows.
So to see that film not show up, I was
kind of surprised. But you know a lot of people
ask me why didn't it show up? And you know,
(10:18):
the first film was recognized, I think ten Oscar nominations,
and you know, there could be a sense of the
Academy saying, you know, we've recognized this film, We've recognized
the achievement here. And because the second film wasn't as
strong I think critic with critics or with audiences as
the first film. The first film really is the fun
portion of Wicked. I think for those reasons, it sort
(10:41):
of slipped by voters this year unfortunately, So that would
for me was probably the biggest snub.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
I kind of thought that it would do a Lord
of the Rings type of thing where you know, the
first one, yeah you got nominations and all that, but
the second one is.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Where we're we'll really reward you.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
And it did not happen this year, which I think
is interesting.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
So I agree with you there.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Yeah, So we'll see when Dune Part three came out,
because that was another one that Doom Part two I loved,
and the snubs for Doom Part two like they hurt me,
like personally hurt me. So I you know, we have
a Dune Part three coming out later this year, and
I'm curious to see if after that film comes out,
if we do see something like a Lord of the
(11:26):
Rings where doing part three is honored in that way.
I hope. I hope so because I think what Didneva
Leneuve has done with that trilogy has been you know, outstanding.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, so jumping in, there's you know, so much we
could get into.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Where where do you want to start?
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I mean best Picture? Really the category?
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Yeah, that's you know, that's that's what I have read
up on my screen right now, all great films.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
I was really happy to see F one get in there.
I feel like F.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
One is sort of sort of like that Top Gun Maverick.
Not only is it from the folks that did Top
Gun Maverick, buts Maverick esque in the way it's it's delivered.
And so it was good and the audience loved that
film ninety seven percent verified hot it's actually the highest
scored film of the Best Picture contenders by the audience.
(12:14):
Oh wow, on Rod Tomatoes is F one, believe it
or not, ninety seven percent.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
So I'm happy to see that in there.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
But all of these films are really really good, you know,
multiple international titles are in there. What you like to
see in sentimental value and the Secret Agent, really lovely
film called Train Dreams from Netflix that's in there.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I was actually sorry to interrupt. I was actually just
going to ask you about that.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
One, because Train Dreams flew completely under my radar, like completely,
and I guess it didn't with you, No, you.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
Know, it's it's it did not. I did catch it
when it when it came on to Netflix. I wish
I had seen it on the big screen. But gorgeous
film and subtle film sort of feels story book esque.
In the way that it is delivered, and great performance
from Joel Edgerton. I think it's a film that a
(13:05):
lot of people should sort of try to discover. But
you know, what we've seen in the past is if
these films aren't getting you know, big theatrical moments, sometimes
they do slip by and and and they're on Netflix,
and finding anything sometimes on a streaming network is hard. So,
you know, I think Train Dreams is definitely one of
(13:26):
those word of mouth films that people who've seen it
really recommend it to a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Okay, and then so we have Secret Agent Train Dreams
F one, Sinners Frankenstein. So this is where I'm torn
because I love Garimel del Toro. I loved his Frankenstein,
but Sinners, I think this is where I go back
and forth.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Today.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I think Sinners takes it tomorrow or even later this afternoon.
You asked me, and I'll probably say Frankenstein. But do
you think those two will cancel each they're out?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
You know, I don't necessarily think they will cancel each
other at I don't think it's it's not a situation,
you know. And we have some multiple people nominated for
the for the same film in the acting categories, and
in those situations, I can sometimes see canceling out happening.
But I don't think Sinners and Frankenstein will cancel each
other at I think Sinners will will get its own
(14:23):
votes without a doubt and won battle. So I do
you know, it's it's interesting I look at sometimes I
look at these other award shows. A lot of people
look at other award shows and say, who who won
these awards? And that's historically what's gonna tell you who
wins Best Picture. But sometimes I look at the award
shows that actually happen while people are voting for the Oscars,
(14:47):
because the noise that comes out of those shows, sometimes
it could, you know, they could convince a voter to say, you.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Know what, everybody's really you know, cheering for this win.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Maybe I'm gonna vote for them. So the after awards
happened and we saw Sinners win, you know, the Casting Award,
so that you know, a big win like that. And
then when we get to the Best Doctor and we
talk about Michael B. Jordan, I think it's gonna help him,
I think more than more than anything else. But you
could see a lot of noise around Sinners happening right
(15:17):
as people are voting, and that could help it ultimately
win Best Picture. I still think though, that one battle
after another is our ultimate winner.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Okay, and.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Marty supreme. This is such I love the film and
I love Timmy. However, there seems to be some pushback,
at least on the social media side, about this kind
of campaign that he's doing kind of on his own.
I feel like, uh, do you think that harms a
(15:51):
film's chances or his own chances?
Speaker 5 (15:55):
You know, It's it's a good question because I think
there's one side of you that can say it's brilliant,
you know. I mean, he took this sort of film
about aspiring ping pong players set in nineteen fifties New
York and made it feel like, you know, it was
a movie that gen Z had to see in twenty
twenty six. So I think from a marketing perspective, and
(16:16):
I'm a little bit of a marketing nerd, I think
what they did with that film was brilliant. But then
I can also see sometimes that leads to over exposure,
and sometimes when you're seeing too much of someone in
all different you know, facets, you can kind of get
tired of seeing that person and say, you.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
Know what, I'm tired of seeing you. I'm going to
vote for the other guy.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
But but I you know, I do I would say,
you know, I would never tell them to take back
that marketing campaign. I think what they the way they
pushed that film out, I thought was brilliant.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
So ultimately, you think one Battle after another is is
going to take the prize?
Speaker 5 (16:53):
There?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
I do.
Speaker 5 (16:55):
I mean, this is the film that's been winning Best
Picture everywhere, you know, and I except we did talk
about Sinners winning Best Casting, but keep in mind there's
also a brand new casting category this year Oscars, and
at the Critics' Choice Awards, similar thing, brand new you know,
casting category and a Best Picture. Sinners took that casting category,
(17:15):
and then One Battle took Best Picture. I am predicting
the same thing to happen on Sunday at the Oscars.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Okay, all right, Eric, we're gonna take a quick break
to pay the bills and we'll be back in sixty seconds.
All right, Thank you so much for supporting our sponsors,
helping us pay our bills so I can bring this
show to you each and every week. Now, let's get
(17:44):
back to it. I guess we can. Let's go right
into Best Actor because we just spoke about it.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Michael B.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Jordan, I mean, I think in my opinion he really
has I don't want to say a leg up on
the others, but he did two characters brilliantly, which I
feel like gives you double points at a lot of
you know what I mean if I was voting and
I'm like, wow, not only did you do one character amazing,
(18:10):
but you did two characters amazingly, Like is that a thing?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Or am I just making that up?
Speaker 4 (18:16):
No, it's really hard.
Speaker 5 (18:17):
I think some would argue that he played three characters
because one of those characters goes through something at the
towards you that to spoil it, But yeah, I think
you know, it's a phenomenal performance in a phenomenal film.
And it's interesting because Michael B. Jordan has not been
winning this award this season. He's sort of been on
the you know, on the peripherary. You know, you've seen
(18:39):
Timothy Shalomey win this award a few times. You've seen
Wagner Moore win it for The Secret Agent, so you haven't,
you know, Michael B. Jordan's been sort of, you know,
kind of hanging around but not really winning it until
the Actor Awards. And what we saw at the Actor
Awards was such a huge outpouring of love. If you
(19:01):
go back and watch the way Viola Davis announces that win,
she was so ecstatic and that kind of noise, that
kind of electricity from a win while people are voting
for the Oscars, I think could do a lot. And
so I actually went a couple of days ago. I'll
(19:22):
be honest with you. I saw Marty Supreme in early November,
and I'm predicting awards as early as October on this
site called gold Derby, where I'm an expert. The morning
after I saw Marty Supreme, I put Timothy Shallomey to
win Best Actor. Haven't touched it, haven't touched it in months.
Over the weekend, I changed it to Michael B.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Jordan.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
So that's how much I feel the energy from that
win at the Actor Awards is going to resonate now
throughout the industry as people are voting for the Oscars.
So I do think Michael B. Jordan wins it on Sunday,
but caveat Timothy shallome is right there. Yeah, and if
he does win, It's not going to be a surprise.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
I love, and I'm I'm kind of right there with you.
I think for me, Michael B. Jordan is the winner,
but I could see Timothy taking it home as well,
and uh yeah, yeah, I'll leave that there, but yeah,
I could see. I could see that happening. But I'm
rooting for Michael just because I love Sinners so much.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Yeah, I love Sinners too. I'm rooting for Michael B.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Jordan.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
I'm rooting for his collaboration with Ryan Coogler. These guys
have been collaborating on several films already, and so you'll see,
you know. But then again, Timothy Shallow, may you know,
he's a New York born and raised. It feels like
the kind of role he was born to play. He's
been nominated three times now, you know, the Academy they
want to give him, they want to give him that Oscar.
They're trying to get it to him. So and I
(20:51):
think if there's any role that he's going to win
the Oscar for, it is this role. Because like I said,
I think he was born to play this kid from
New York. So it's going to be a tight race
and I'm excited because it wasn't necessarily a tight race
a month ago. Now it's a tight race, and so
that's gonna be an exciting moment at the Oscars.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Best Actress for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Yeah, this I think has been the lock for months.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
When I first saw Hamnet at the Toronto Film Festival
and I was wiping away the tears fronting down my
face from that finale, one of the best finales I
think of a film, or at least one of the
strongest I've ever seen. I knew Jesse Buckley was gonna
win Best Actress, so I was like, this is it.
There's nobody else to call it now, And sometimes sometimes
(21:41):
you have categories like that, you have years like that
where it's like call it now. In November, it's just done,
and she's won this award all the way through, with
the exception of the Golden Globes where they split out
comedy and Musical and Drama. So I definitely think Jesse
Buckley's gonna win. I would be this would be the
shocker of the evening if Jesse Buckley loses Best Actress.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Great Actress.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
I'm happy that she's gonna win because She's been in
this sort of indie space for a while. A lot
of the you know, film nerds know Jesse Buckley, but
she's not a sort of a household name to general audiences.
I think this is going to make her a household
name and just a great actress. I'm excited to see
where she goes from here after she wins the Oscar
on Sunday?
Speaker 2 (22:27):
How did I love that? Confidence?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
How did how did Hammett score with Rotten Tomato critics
and audience?
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (22:39):
Strong, eighty six percent certified fresh with the critics, ninety
three percent verified Hot with the audiences. Which is great
to see because sometimes you get these sort of you know,
slower moving, kind of more intimate personal movies that audiences
are divided on. Maybe it's not as accessible for some audiences,
(23:00):
and so to see this with such a high audience
score is really great, and it means that the film
just sort of really hit where it needed to hit
with with all sorts of different audiences.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Best supporting actress since we're in.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
That space, all right, So this is an exciting category this.
You know, I've been a Tianna Taylor fan all the way.
I remember first seeing one Battle. I got to see
one battle kind of early and I walked out of
there and I was like, Tianna Taylor is so.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
Good in this movie.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
But she's only in like the first act of the movie.
Is it enough to get her the Oscar?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
You know?
Speaker 5 (23:41):
And but that's what you have with supporting roles, and
you'll have somebody that's in it for a minute, but
their presence is just so you know, overwhelming that you
can't say, you can't stop thinking about this character when
they're on screen. And I think she does it with
Perfidia Beverly Hills. But then you have Amy Madigan also
(24:02):
similar kind of comes in towards the end second half
of Weapons, but really sort of you know, makes a
you know, makes a name for herself in that movie
and just does great things with that character character and
Gladys And I think, you know, speaking to sort of
the people that want to see horror win, they want
(24:24):
to see a big win for horror, and I think
that could ultimately push Amy Madigan you know, over the
edge here. Also, it's been been in Hollywood for a
long time. It's been forty years since she she was
nominated for her first Oscar, So I think that would
be a really nice win for her, But then you
also have one Me Masaku in there for sinners. She's
won a couple of times on the Awards sort of
(24:46):
season path, so she could slide in there. But as
we were talking earlier, in terms of canceling actors who
cancel each other out, the two nominated for sentimental value
L and I could see them canceling each other out
in this scenario, and so one of those three, Amy won,
me or Tiana will win. I'm currently predicting Tiana, but
(25:09):
there's a there's a part of me that really feels
like Amy is gonna win it.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
I I want I love Tiana Taylor, and I do
love her in one Battle, but I am personally rooting
for Amy Madigan one because of weapons. I think it's
such an original film too. Aunt gladys Uh is just
an I immediately iconic character. The way she portrayed her
is absolutely brilliant and and I love her kind of
(25:37):
career resurgence with this. You know that, at least for
me and in my circles, Amy Madigan wasn't necessarily on
the radar in the last while, and this kind of
put her on the map again and and so I
love that kind of underdogish story, you know, that kind
(25:58):
of comeback story. So I have multiple reasons, but that's who.
That's who I'm rooting for there.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
So it's it's great.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
And that's why you love the oscars because you're Deanna Taylor,
who's sort of just coming out as an actress really
sort of. This is only been in a couple of movies,
so this could be a big deal for her and
her Hollywood aspirations. And then you have Amy, who's a
veteran you know, not necessarily a household name these days,
but winning this Oscar could be a huge thing for
(26:26):
her and her career. So you know, that's why you
have these stories. No matter which way it goes, it's
a really great story and a really great win. So
curious to see who wins this one. I haven't changed
my prediction to Amy yet, but I may.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
May You're good. We're on the countdown now.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Best best actor in a supporting role, which I think
is this is I think this is super interesting.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
I'm curious to hear what you think.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
This is interesting because I want to say, like the
actress role you're gonna see Benicio del Toro and Sean
Penn cancel each other out.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
But that's not what we've been seeing of late.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
Sean Penn has been winning Actor in a Supporting Role,
and he wasn't winning this award. You know, this award
was going to Jacob Elordi at the Critics Choice Stellen
scars Guard won it, you know, and so you've been
seeing different people win this award. But now we're seeing
a little bit of momentum for Sean Penn. I actually
just changed my prediction from Stellin scars Guard over to
(27:30):
Sean Penn because he's been winning this award and it
seems like he's got some momentum. So Sean could take it.
Stellin could take it, even though he wasn't nominated for
the Actor Awards.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
But he could take it.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
Jacob Elordi could take I mean, this is really a
category where it's anybody's to win. And then maybe everybody
cancels each other out. And then del Roy Lindo it's
seventy three years his first Oscar nomination. Maybe he wins
for Sinner would be an amazing sort of career win
for him. But I at this moment in time, I'm
(28:07):
predicting Sean Penn.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Okay, I you know, all of these actors I love
and I love them in this Delroy I love because,
as you said, his first nomination at seventy was the
seventy three incredible Jacob ALORDI I love again Frankenstein, I
love Girmo, do Toro, I love Jacobs as you know
(28:29):
Frankenstein and Benicio. I feel like he's always just such
a solid, you know, a solid. He always brings his
a game, you know. And so it is for me
kind of a toss up. I'm like, I don't know
where it's going to go, and I don't even know
who I want to root for because they're all really great.
(28:51):
I don't have like a dog in this race, in
this one where I'm really like, this needs to win.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
So I'm super curious how it's going to turn out.
Speaker 5 (28:59):
Yeah, yeah, I think for me, if like somebody said,
who would you want to win? If I think it
would be del Roy Lindo. I just I think he's
just such a he's just a legend in the industry,
and you know, to see him sort of nominated for
US for the first time in seventy three for this film,
which was such an incredible film. You know, I would
love to see him win it personally, but yeah, all
(29:23):
these guys did a great job. And I love Benicio.
I think he did such a fantastic job in the
film too. At first I thought it was gonna be
Benicio who took this award, but but you know, Colonel Lockjaws,
Sean Penn left the mark. Ye really great performance from him,
and you can see it and it's sort of resonating
with voters as we get later in the season, and
he's been winning it, so you know, let's see if
(29:45):
Sean Pen rides that momentum into an oscar.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
Win Best Director. You know, we have.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Some really interesting choices, you know, some some I think
obviously expect that there were a few that I wasn't
necessarily expecting.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 5 (30:05):
You know, I'm a big Paul Thomas Anderson fan, have
been for a long time.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
And Magnolia is one of my favorite movies ever.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
By the way, Yep, Boogie Knights, Magnolia, Punch, Drunk Glove,
there will be blood. I mean, I can just keep
reeling them off. They are all such consequential movies in
terms of sort of me growing up to be the
cinema fan that I am. I owe a lot of
it to Paul Thomas Anderson's movies, and so I am
in my personal sort of feeling here as I want
Paul to win, but I also think he's been winning
(30:35):
this award. I mean, this is another one where it's
sort of similar to Jesse Buckley. He's been winning this
Director Award straight through all the way through. So I
do see that playing a role in who wins this category,
and I definitely see him winning this category. But it's
great to see Ryan Coogler in there with his first nomination,
(30:56):
Chloe Jao for having only the second woman to ever
be nominated twice for the.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
Best Director Oscar Interest. I think it is great.
Speaker 5 (31:04):
She won of course for Nomad Land, So it's great
to see Chloe in there. Josh Safty from Marty Supreme,
great to see him in Jokim Treer for Sentiment of Value.
So every guy, you know, everybody in here is strong. Yeah,
but I don't think any of them are going to
beat mister Paul Thomas Anderson for one battle after another.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
That's That's who I'm thinking is going to win. And
again I'm torn between Pta and Ryan Kugler. You know,
I have a special affinity, especially for Ryan Kugler. But
like you you know, I remember watching Magnolia as a
kid when I probably had no business watching that and
that Frau you know, the frogs, and like, I just
(31:46):
remember being like, wait, what is going on? And then
I remember thinking about it and thinking about it and
thinking about it and being like, Okay, this is cinema,
this is film, you know what I mean, Like this
is it's not so supposed to be always easy and digestible,
Like sometimes you gotta think and sometimes it makes you
think long after you know the credits roll, and so
(32:10):
I have that personal affinity for him too, So you know.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
I'm torn. I hope it's one of them. I hope
it's one of them.
Speaker 5 (32:17):
Personally, it's definitely gonna be one of them, you know.
And those are two film centers in one battle after
another that you watch them and you just kind of
say to yourself, this is next level filmmaking. Yeah, it's
just next level. I remember sitting watching Sinners for the
first time thinking that I'm like, there's just this is
just a different level of filmmaking. It's not like what
we normally see and all the other movies like this
(32:39):
is just okay. This guy's operating on a different level,
and it's always very exciting when you see that. Of course,
when you bring the imax of it all into it,
and you know, I think it's it's it's a lot
of fun. So so yeah, I think one of those
guys is gonna win. I personally think it's going to
be pull Tom Sanders.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
And this week are we able to see you know?
Can I get tickets to Fandango for any of the
Best Picture noms?
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Is? Are they playing anywhere?
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Well? I have Fandango at home.
Speaker 5 (33:09):
We have a whole playlist of nominees. I would say, yeah,
so I they're probably there may be a couple of
these playing in theaters, but I would say the majority
of them, almost all of them are at home now
right as we kind of get into the Oscars. So
I would start your watching journey at Fandango at home,
look for our playlist of all the nominees and you'll
(33:32):
see the mayor. Of course, films like Frankenstein and Training
Dreams you'll be able to find on Netflix and Happy Watching.
All of these are worth or worth seeing and I
would try at least to watch those those Best Picture contenders.
This way you can make up your own decision. And
of course, if you're playing at home with your friends,
we have this really great downloadable ballot over at Rotten
(33:54):
Tomatoes that has all of your nominees with the scores
next to them, so as you're sort of checking off
who won with your friends, you could be like, did
you know that this score? This movie had a ninety
four pisode verified hot score. You know, you can kind
of rattle off the scores and people will think, Wow,
you really know your stuff.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Do you. I love that. We'll have the link to
that in the show notes. What are you going to
be doing? How are you watching someday?
Speaker 5 (34:18):
I mean, I always prefer to watch in my pajamas,
in my recliner. It's always the way that I prefer
to watch the Oscars, and so that's how I'm going
to be watching it on Sunday. I like to watch
with my family, and my daughter is a big movie fan,
and so we're always sitting there talking about the films
as it's rolling out, and so in our team, of
(34:41):
course on Fandangle, Rotten Tomatoes on Social will be covering
it live and so we'll have all the big moments
across our social channels too.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
And any any ever heated debates in your family on
Oscar Night or you guys pretty in lock.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
We're pretty in lock.
Speaker 5 (34:59):
Although my daughter is a bit a bit peeved about
the Wicked for Good. She was a Wicked for Good fan.
We actually went together to the premiere in New York
for the all. He's still listening to the way I
hear it blasting out of the shower, the Wicked, the
Wicked music, still listening to it. So I think she's
a little bit scarred by that. But but it'll be
(35:21):
it'll be a fun watch for sure.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
I love that as always, Eric, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
We'll have all of the links to the ballot, to
Fandango at Home playlist, you know, to Rotten Tomatoes, so
we can you know, kind of go along as we're
watching with the scores and all, and please, as always
come back again. We'll talk about you know, upcoming summer
movies or whatever.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
Definitely, man, Yeah, we have a huge pat summer coming up,
so we'll have to get together and chat about some
of those titles soon.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Awesome, Thank you, Eric, Eric, Davis. That's Eric Davis from
Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes. All a joy to have him on,
and honestly, if you're looking for someone who has their
finger on the pulse of what's happening in movies right now,
Eric is absolutely one of those people. Award season always
(36:11):
brings a little drama, a few surprises, and at least
one result that sends the Internet into complete meltdown mode.
So we'll see how it all plays out on Oscar night.
But no matter what happens, one thing is still true.
It is a pretty great time to be a movie fan.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
All right.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
That's it for this episode of pop Culture Weekly. If
you enjoyed this episode, please make sure you're subscribed so
you never miss an interview, a deep dive, or a
pop culture breakdown. You can also find video interviews, reaction videos,
and a lot more pop culture goodness over on my
YouTube channel.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Just search pop Culture Weekly.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Until next time, keep watching great movies, keep celebrating the
stories that bring us together, and if anyone asks you
to predict the Oscars, just confidently say something very specific.
I can hope that nobody remembers later. I'm Kyle McMahon.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
I love you. We thank you for listening to pop
Culture Weekly.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Here all the latest at Popcultureweekly dot com.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
It's the Uskers Sinners Better Win.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
It's the Yaskers and ed Glatics. It's the yskers Frankenstantia win.
It's theskers.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Let's see what fucking happened.
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