The Smartest People in the Room

It's time for the Smartest People Oscar Predictions! Hopefully we are of some help to your ballots this weekend 🙏🏻 we also discuss the releases we're looking forward to in 2024.

Movies discussed (* indicates spoilers):

• Oppenheimer*, Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Poor Things*, Nyad
• Eileen
• The Boy and the Heron, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse
• Barbie
• The Zone of Interest*, Killers of the Flower Moon*
• 20 Days in Mariupol
• Anatomy of a Fall
• Maestro*, Society of the Snow
• A Star Is Born (2018)
• Green Book
• Asteroid City, Napoleon (2023)
• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
• Godzilla Minus One
• American Fiction
• Following, The Prestige, Tenet, Vice
• Dune: Part 2, The Taste of Things, Drive-Away Dolls, Love Lies Bleeding, La Chimera
• Civil War (2024), Ex Machina, Annihilation, Inside Llewyn Davis, Drive, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, MEN*
• The First Omen, Challengers, Hit Man, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mad Max: Fury Road, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Nosferatu (2024)
• Longlegs, Joker: Folie à Deux, Joker, Faces of Death (2024), The End (upcoming), Nightbitch, Gasoline Rainbow, I Saw the TV Glow, Maxxxine, Mickey 17, Megalopolis, The Way of the Wind, They Follow, It Follows
• Margaret

Okay, so, we recorded this emergency podcast the Saturday after the Oscar nominees were announced, and then Maddie got too busy and is only just now uploading it. This episode is no longer topical, nor a hot take. Please forgive us but please listen anyway! (Also, Maddie knows the song is called "What Was I Made For?" but was too worked up to remember the title).

Things are getting back on track in 2024. We discuss awards season (recorded before the Oscar nominees were announce so don't @ us!), our Barbie's box office success, our favorite movies of 2023, and May December.

Movies discussed (* indicates spoilers):

• Anatomy of a Fall, The Boy and the Heron
• Thelma (June Squibb’s film)
• Barbie, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Oppenheimer, The Lego Movie

• The Zone of Interest, Birth (2004), Sexy Beast, The Fall (2019 short), Under the Skin, La Chimera, Saltburn, Promising Young Woman, All of Us Strangers, A Thousand and One
• Killers of the Flower Moon*, Eileen, Beau Is Afraid*, Certain Women, The Holdovers, Dolemite Is My Name
• May December*, Napoleon (2023), Ferrari, Priscilla, Hustlers, The Go-Between, Babylon (2022), La La Land
• Asteroid City*, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, Waves (2019), The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
• Past Lives*, Poor Things*, Sanctuary (2022), The Tragedy of Macbeth
• The Iron Claw*, Bottoms, How to Blow Up a Pipeline

I know last time we said we were gettin' it together but, well, a lot has been going on! Maddie co-produced a movie, Rachel is a damn city planner, but we're here now to talk about festival buzz, actor-directors, stage-to-screen adaptations, and we pour one out for one of the greatest directors of our time, the late Terence Davies.

We're gettin' it together, folks. This week we talk a lot about Matt Damon, Lily Gladstone, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Sofia Coppola, plus Killers of the Flower Moon and Beau Is Afraid.

Movies discussed (* indicates spoilers):

• Air, BlackBerry, The Martian, The Last Duel, Hustlers, Erin Brockovich, The Departed*, Promised Land, Downsizing, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Terminator: Dark Fate
• Beau Is Afraid, Hilma, Showing Up, First Cow
• Killers of the Flower Moon*, Uncharted, The Whale, Certain Women
• Body Double, Phantom of the Paradise, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• The Wolf of Wall Street, Romeo + Juliet, Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood
• The Night of the Hunter, Far from Heaven, All That Heaven Allows, Days of Heaven, Heaven’s Gate
• Hereditary, Midsommar, Babylon
• The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, The Bling Ring, Priscilla, The Sweet East, Saltburn, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, American Animals
• May December, The Holdovers, Sideways, You Hurt My Feelings, Master Gardener, Occupied City, Small Axe: Mangrove, Small Axe: Lovers Rock, Small Axe: Education, Bad Education (2019), La mala educación (Bad Education) (2004), An Education, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, The Starling Girl, White Men Can’t Jump (2023)
• Of An Age, Before Sunset, Ghosted, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Little Mermaid (2023), The Lure
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Book Club: The Next Chapter

This week we talk about Rachel's problem with Mia Goth, touch on the films of Kelly Reichardt, and share the upcoming films we're excited about. Plus, Maddie details her recent experience working on an indie film production which shall not be named.

Movies discussed (* indicates spoilers):

• MaXXXine, Emma., Suspiria (2017), X, Pearl, Infinity Pool*
• Resurrection (2022), Call of the Wild (1935), Hail, Caesar!, Air, Moneyball, Showing Up
• River of Grass, Night Moves, Wendy & Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, Strictly Ballroom, Poison, Carol, Dark Waters, Wonderstruck
• Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Armageddon Time, Eileen
• John Wick: Chapter 4, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, 80 for Brady, Book Club 2, Predator, High Hopes, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Beau Is Afraid, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Ahhh, the Oscars. First half of the episode is Rachel and Maddie making their picks for winners, and the second half is their reactions to the winners. Irene and Yayoi both stop in with their opinions. OVER IT: Oscar bait war movies, fat suits, apology Oscars. HERE FOR IT: Naatu Naatu, first-time nominees, animation is film.

Movies discussed (* indicates spoilers):

• Nomadland, Tár
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Black Panther
• All Quiet on the Western Front, BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Empire of Light
• The Batman, The Whale*, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
• Top Gun: Maverick
• The Fabelmans
• Banshees of Inisherin, La La Land
• RRR
• My Year of Dicks
• All That Breathes, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Fire of Love, House Made of Splinters, Navalny
• Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinnochio, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast, Turning Red
• Argentina, 1985, Close, EO, The Quiet Girl, Saint Omer, Decision to Leave
• Triangle of Sadness
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Living, Women Talking
• Causeway
• Showing Up
• Aftersun, Ikiru, La chambre
• Blonde, To Leslie
• The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty
• Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
• The Secret Life of Pets, In the Mood for Love, Nope, Titane, The Northman, Monster, CODA, Parasite
• Past Lives, The Persian Version, Shortcoming, Passages, Magazine Dreams
• The Souvenir, The Souvenir: Part II, Scream VI, Showing Up, A Good Person, Garden State

No Maddie until next time, but join Rachel and special guest Spencer Campbell for this episode themed around the films of Bennett Miller!

Movies discussed (* indicates spoilers):

• Moneyball*, Capote*, Foxcatcher*
• Goon, Remember the Titans, Ford v Ferrari
• Boogie Nights, Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked)
• The Social Nework, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Molly’s Game, His Girl Friday
• In The Bedroom, Fight Club

Our topics this week include the 8th Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time poll, Avatar: The Way of Water, White Noise, and "nepo babies." Maddie will be back in March!

This week we're discussing a backlog of movies, including The Fabelmans, The Menu, Glass Onion, RRR, BROS, romantic comedies, Todd Field, and more! The next episode will be in two weeks instead of three and then after that we'll be doing some guest episodes as Maddie has a new job!

We're back... again!! We're finally done filming our short film so expect more podcast episodes from us, at least for now! This week we discuss The Banshees of Inisherin, TÁR, the death of Film Twitter and its effect on people's brains (for better or for worse), Disney's internal drama, Don't Worry Darling, Elvis, Blonde, and the year's remaining new releases.

We're back!! Who knows how long it will be before the next episode but we're here now, and that's what matters. This week we catch up with the movies we've watched lately, including Nope, Three Thousand Years of Longing, and Bodies Bodies Bodies. We also discuss the problems facing HBO Max and other streaming services, theatrical releases, festival movies we're looking forward to, Gen Z, and... the astrology of film?? Also some TV?? You'll have to check it out!

• Nope, Blonde, BROS, Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul
• We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, X, Belle (2022), Bodies Bodies Bodies, Irma Vep (2022)
• Uncharted, Marry Me, Platoon, Three Thousand Years of Longing*
• Synecdoche, New York, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
• Mad Max: Fury Road, Happy Feet, Babe: Pig in the City, The Witches of Eastwick, Practical Magic
• Cha Cha Real Smooth, Moonlight
• TÁR, White Noise, Elvis (2022), Women Talking, BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, The Fabelmans, Babylon (2022), Armageddon Time, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021), Ahed’s Knee, RRR, Killers of the Flower Moon
• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water

We get some visits from Maddie's pet snake Cleo as we discuss Top Gun: Maverick, Fire Island, Apollo 10 1/2, The Bob's Burgers Movie, and Netflix's ill-fated decision to stop producing "vanity projects".

Despite our impromptu break between episodes Rachel has been too busy to see any new movie, while Maddie has seen The Northman, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and Deep Water. We also discuss The Trial Currently Happening Now, A24's membership club, and the types of action movies we like.

Movies mentioned (* indicates possible spoilers):

• Mikey and Nicky
• Judy, Pirates of the Caribbean series
• The Northman*, The Witch
• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent*, Pleasure, Men, Adaptation., Moneyball
• Deep Water*, Serenity (2019), Serenity (2005)
• Everything Everywhere All At Once, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
• Moonlight, Spring Breakers
• Crimes of the Future, Petite Maman, The Worst Person in the World, Memoria, Parasite
• Top Gun: Maverick, Top Gun, Everybody Wants Some!!, The Fast and the Furious series, Ford v Ferrari, John Wick series, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Lost City of Z, Mission Impossible series, Transformers series
• Quo Vadis, Lawrence of Arabia, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Cleopatra
• Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
• The Hobbit (1977), Slumdog Millionaire
• In the Cut

We are joined once again by beloved recurring Smartest Person Irene Mudd to discuss Cyrano, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Jesse Plemons, and a lot of talk on Everything Everywhere All at Once, the movie of the moment.

Movies mentioned (* indicates possible spoilers):

• Cyrano*
• Thelma & Louise, Taxi Driver
• Darkest Hour
• Windfall, Everything Everywhere All At Once*, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)*, tick tick…BOOM!
• The Power of the Dog, Killers of the Flower Moon, Stars at Noon, Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood
• The Lost City (2022)
• Magic Mike, Swiss Army Man*, The Blind Side, Miss Congeniality, While You Were Sleeping, Practical Magic, Speed, The Heat
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Uncut Gems, Safe, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, Baby Driver, Last Night in Soho
• Call Me By Your Name, What Did Jack Do?
• Crimes of the Future*, Memoria, Ad Astra*, The Lost City of Z, Armageddon Time, Logan Lucky
• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman
• Annihilation, Men (2022)

Our format is a little different this week: the first half of the episode was recorded before the Oscars and features our predictions for each category, plus the films which we think actually deserved to win; the second half is our reaction to the total mess that was the 94th Academy Awards.

Movies mentioned (* indicates possible spoilers):

• West Side Story (2021), Cruella, Cyrano, Nightmare Alley (2021), Dune
• The Power of the Dog*, King Richard, tick tick… BOOM!, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Don’t Look Up
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
• Belfast
• Parallel Mothers
• No Time To Die, Encanto
• Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Attica, Flee, Ascension, Writing with Fire
• Drive My Car, The Hand of God, The Worst Person in the World
• The Lost Daughter, CODA
• Hidden Figures, The Shape of Water, Brokeback Mountain, Roma
• Licorice Pizza
• Wild Rose, Men (2022)
• Spencer
• Holy Smoke!
• La La Land, Moonlight
• Zack Snyder’s Justice League, James Bond franchise, The Godfather films
• The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Memoria, The Northman, Thelma & Louise

This week we are joined by Scott Boice, the creator of our theme music! The three of us discuss all of the controversy surrounding the upcoming Oscars broadcast, how Camilla Cabello's Cinderella will probably win the stupid #OscarsFanFavorite award, Francis Ford Coppola's GQ profile, and a lot of new movies we've seen lately, from the great to the atrocious.

Movies mentioned (* indicates spoilers):

• Titane*
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Killers of the Flower Moon
• You Were Never Really Here, The Power of the Dog*, Spencer
• Magic Mike XXL
• Cinderella
• The Sky Is Everywhere*, Shirley, Madeline’s Madeline
• Madagascar 3
• Star Wars
• Dog
• Uncharted
• Wings of Desire
• The Worst Person in the World*, Thelma
• Jackass Forever*
• Gone Girl, Wild Wild West, Nightmare Alley*
• The Batman (2022), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather: Part II, Apocalypse Now
• One From the Heart, Blade Runner 2049
• West Side Story (2021), Close Encounters of the Third Kind, In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians, Suspiria, Cats (2019)

Happy New Year! We recorded this episode before Rachel went on a trip to LA and after she saw several films - the new West Side Story, tick, tick... BOOM!, Belfast, and House of Gucci. Maddie only wants to talk about Joaquin Phoenix, as usual. And we discuss Christmas movies - are they bad? Are they good?

Sorry in advance for the bad sound quality on Maddie's end! There were a LOT of technical difficulties with recording and editing this episode so please bear with us! This episode we discuss mainly two big releases, Spencer and The Power of the Dog, and jump from there to discussions about actors disappearing into roles and auteur theory. Small correction: Maddie said the comic From Hell featured Prince Edward but it is about Prince Albert Victor.

Movies mentioned (* indicates possible spoilers):

• The Beatles: Get Back
• They Shall Not Grow Old
• Spencer*
• Jackie, Ema, Emma.
• The King's Speech
• Amelie
• Promising Young Women
• Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
• Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
• The Power of the Dog*
• Licorice Pizza
• The Hateful Eight, Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood
• Parasite
• Joker, Happening

This week we're joined by beloved recurring guest Irene Mudd!! Our topics include Bond movies and Bond theme songs, the new Uncharted trailer, how we got into film, our controversial opinions on Method acting, our hopefully-uncontroversial opinions on J*red L*to, Memoria's distribution plan and the importance of seeing movies in theaters, and our thoughts on the Gotham Awards nominees!

This week's topics include Villeneuve's Dune and Timothee Chalamet in general, the Best International Feature submissions to the Oscars, the tragic events on the set of Rust (R.I.P. Halyna Hutchins), the IATSE union issues and possible strike, and The Last Duel.

Movies mentioned (* indicates possible spoilers):

• Dune (2021)
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
• Wonka
• Titane
• The Last Duel*
• The Velvet Underground
• CODA (2021)
• A Hero (2021)
• Drive My Car
• The Worst Person in the World
• Memoria
• The Good Boss (referred to as “the Spanish submission”)
• Parallel Mothers
• Law of Desire, All About My Mother, Pain and Glory, Volver
• The Skin I Live In
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire
• Petite Maman
• Les Miserables (2019)
• I’m Your Man
• Flee (2021)
• Cryptozoo
• Rust (TBD)
• Norma Rae
• Exodus: Gods and Kings, Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator
• Lawrence of Arabia, The Ten Commandments
• City Hall (2020)
• Good Will Hunting, Rashomon
• Gone Girl, The Way Back (referred to as “The Comeback”), The Accountant (2016)
• Avengers: Endgame
• House of Gucci
• Eternals*

A grand introduction to Rachel and Maddie's most important and controversial opinions, i.e. how they feel about a certain director and a certain franchise.

Movies mentioned (* indicates possible spoilers):

• Dark Waters (2019)
• The Card Counter*
• Everybody Wants Some!!
• Molly’s Game*
• Drive
• Richard Jewell
• The Aristocats
• Homeward Bound, The Incredible Journey, An American Tail
• Petite Maman
• Shiva Baby
• Mother! and Hereditary
• Uncut Gems*
• Licorice Pizza and Phantom Thread
• Cruella
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Tenet, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Inception
• Nolan’s Batman trilogy, esp. The Dark Knight
• American Psycho
• The Wicker Man (1973)
• Annette
• The Last Duel
• House of Gucci
• Dallas Buyers Club
• The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) and tick, tick... BOOM!
• Last Night in Soho
• The Lost Daughter
• The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)
• Benediction
• The Power of the Dog
• Dune (2021)
• The Green Knight*
• A Ghost Story
• The Father (2020)
• Serenity (2019)
• CODA (2021)
• The Bring It On films
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Marvel movies*
• The Eternals
• The French Dispatch
• Prisoners of the Ghostland
• Marcel the Shell
• Dolly Parton Christmas Special