Our Most Anticipated Films of 2026 w/ Kolby Mac - Oscars Year In Preview p.1 - Ep 521

Kolby Mac returns to discuss our most anticipated films for the rest of the 2026 film year, including a lot of potential Oscars contenders. Make sure to subscribe & listen to both of Kolby’s podcasts… The Kolby Told Me Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3FodYSr3yWaIySSAjYrAtc Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kolby-told-me-podcast/id1449736187 TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS TOP 10 COUNTDOWN: (4:39) Number 10’s: A sequel to a 3-time Oscar Winner plus a Sundance Hit (12:28) No. 9’s: A 4th sequel to THE beloved pixar franchise ++ a SXSW hit (22:21) No. 8’s: Two follow ups to major recent Oscar contenders (28:42) No. 7’s: Geek Out Picks (37:05) Our No. 6’s & Kolby’s 5 are hopeful for the return of the Superhero CBM (49:19) AlsoMike’s No. 5 is a video game adaptation that may scare him to death (52:27) No. 4’s could be controversial, a musical origin story & a big budget sequel (1:04:39) No. 3’s: An epic conclusion to a trilogy and THE epic adaptation of a classic (1:19:17) No. 2’s: A Monster Horror and a Kubrickian Satire (1:26:22) No. 1’s: the movie event of the summer, and perhaps a fall festival favorite (1:35:13) Honorable Mentions Outro: Our Words of Wisdom today are to follow Kolby Mac and subscribe to his podcasts. He does Dolby, he talks Oscars, and he’s a go-to listen for us here at MMO. So you’re in for a treat if you’re a new subscriber. Also Follow Kolby on Social Media https://x.com/kolbytoldme https://www.instagram.com/kolbytoldme/ & Here’s a Linktree to everything… Minorities Report Film https://linktr.ee/mreportpod

Once more unto the breach, dear friends. Before our post-oscars week break, we need to review Project Hail Mary. A.) because we both loved it. And B.) it’s also probably gonna nab at least a few Oscar nominations next year, maybe more. NON-SPOILER REVIEW OF PROJECT HAIL MARY: Production Backstories, the Book’s Profile & Early Reception / Box Office - 4:20 General Story Thoughts + Interstellar Takes, Crash Dieting & Seeing It in NYC - 12:46 Performance Reviews: Does Gosling get in? How about other favorites - 20:50 Legends Contend in Score Next Year + Bang The Table for Techs & Crafts - 23:51 A Big Oscar Lens Debate - 30:05 Spoiler Warning - 41:02 SPOILER REVIEW OF PROJECTION HAIL MARY: Strengths of the Screenplay - 42:03 Fun Science Lessons- 47:14 That Ending: Book vs Movie - 55:25 Warming to a Sign of the Times - 1:00:33 Recalibrating movie heroes - 1:05:42 Other Bests, Worsts & Final Grades - 1:10:21 Outro: We discuss why we do this show year round and dive into a bit of a study of last year’s nominees to prove it. Did eventual nominees release each month last year? The answer will not shock you. Plus, we reiterate our thanks for listening to us during our year’s worth of content, and knock on wood, we’ll return in a week or so with a whole lot more of it. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

It’s our Post-Oscars Wrap-Up episode featuring Variety’s Awards Editor, Clayton Davis! Make sure to read all of his work at Variety’s Awards Circuit: https://variety.com/e/contenders/ And enjoy Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast: https://variety.com/t/awards-circuit-podcast/ ***This Track has been re-uploaded, correcting a previous audio issue that we discovered during the first hours of our Wednesday release. Apologies if you heard the previous version. We thank you for your patience and understanding. You guys are the best. Wait, WHAT HAPPENED!!!! - 3:25 Why he predicted Sinners - 7:32 Feeling the race in the room and just how close it was - 12:22 Highs like the moments for MBJ & Autumn. Lows like the Social Media Discourse- 16:28 Breaking down the Lead Actor Race - 29:19 Amy Madigan & Michael B. Jordan wins are the coolest Oscars ever - 33:01 Are we heading towards more influencers at the Oscars? - 37:45 What’s Clayton Davis’ Oscar Day like? - 40:13 OUTRO: Another thanks to Clayton Davis, our many other guests this season, our listeners, and to each other. Make sure to stay subscribed to our feed for our upcoming Oscars Year In Preview Series. We’ll start our next set of Oscars Profile Reviews with Project Hail Mary, which we already saw and enjoyed. Then stay tuned later in the year for our Alejandro González Iñárritu Rewatch, amongst many other Oscar Race Checkpoints, Film Festival Coverage and so much more. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

It’s our Post-Oscars Wrap-Up episode featuring Variety’s Awards Editor, Clayton Davis! Make sure to read all of his work at Variety’s Awards Circuit: https://variety.com/e/contenders/ And enjoy Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast: https://variety.com/t/awards-circuit-podcast/ ***FILE CORRECTED: we re-uploaded a corrected file. Sorry to folks who listened in the first few hours of release. There was an audio track off by a few seconds over the last half of the episode. So you may need to re-start your podcast app or re-download the episode, depending on where you listen. Apologies. Wait, WHAT HAPPENED!!!! - 3:25 Why he predicted Sinners - 7:32 Feeling the race in the room and just how close it was - 12:22 Highs like the moments for MBJ & Autumn. Lows like the Social Media Discourse- 16:28 Breaking down the Lead Actor Race - 29:19 Amy Madigan & Michael B. Jordan wins are the coolest Oscars ever - 33:01 Are we heading towards more influencers at the Oscars? - 37:45 What’s Clayton Davis’ Oscar Day like? - 40:13 OUTRO: Another thanks to Clayton Davis, our many other guests this season, our listeners, and to each other. Make sure to stay subscribed to our feed for our upcoming Oscars Year In Preview Series. We’ll start our next set of Oscars Profile Reviews with Project Hail Mary, which we already saw and enjoyed. Then stay tuned later in the year for our Alejandro González Iñárritu Rewatch, amongst many other Oscar Race Checkpoints, Film Festival Coverage and so much more. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

What Is This Episode - Top of Show . THE 2025/26 OSCARS RECAP + REACTIONS SHOW: . A Damn Fine TV Presentation - 1:18 . Please, GOD, SOMEONE Save the Red Carpet PreShow - 4:12 . Conan’s Vignette/Monologue - 11:35 Amy Madigan’s Historic Moment - 17:06 AlsoMike Dislikes the Animated Short Winner - 22:36 I Lied to You was a MOMENT - 24:35 Conan’s Bits and The Ending Pretape Meaning - 26:55 . Sinners vs OBAA upsets, Part 1: Casting - 31:40 A Tie Actually Happened, But Not the One Mike1 Needed - 36:50 Sean Penn Still Can’t be Bothered - 39:41 Avengers Reunion was Meh During Screenplays - 41:16 . The In Memorium Had Highs and Lows - 44:00 Avatar Does Win Again - 52:26 The Mikes Guarantee They Have Doc Feature Figured Out - 55:15 Cinematography Gives Arkapaw History, Gives Sinners BP Life - 1:00:30 The Performance of Golden Got the Crowd Involved - 1:04:14 . We Are Evil as Golden Wins Original Song - 1:08:14 PTA Wins Director, But MBJ Win Looms - 1:10:50 MBJ’s Win was the Moment of the Night - 1:14:38 . Jessie Buckley Finally Crushed Her Speech - 1:17:48 OBAA Wins Best Picture + A Truly Historic Night - 1:19:10 . . THANK YOU LISTENERS, GUESTS, AND What’s Next From MMO/Leave Us 5 Stars! - 1:28:17

Sign Up on Kalshi with Promo Code MMO and you’ll receive a free $10 with a $10 trade https://kalshi.com/sign-up?referral=mmo Then check out Kalshi’s Oscars Dashboard to dive into all their markets. https://kalshi.com/hub/oscars-2026 And on today’s episode, we do just that. We are looking at the Oscar Markets to see where the late movement is happening and where the money is going. This typically tells us about the eventual winners, and we want you to be able to profit from it all with us. CATEGORIES WITH THE MOST MOVEMENT: Cinematography - 3:11 Best Actor - 5:56 Supporting Actress - 10:31 ONE BATTLE IS FAVORED IN THESE OTHER CATEGORIES: Adapted Screenplay, Director & Film Editing - 15:00 Best Picture - 22;07 Supporting Actor - 25:35 Which Film Wins The Most Oscars? - 29:44 SINNERS IS FAVORED IN THESE OTHER CATEGORIES: Original Screenplay & Original Score - 30:47 Casting - 33:22 Plus, you can trade on How many Oscars Sinners will win? - 36:24 MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORIES: Frankenstein is favored in Costumes, Production Design and Makeup & Hair - 38:28 KPop Demon Hunters is favored in Original Song & Animated Feature - 42:59 Best Actress - 47:14 Visual Effects - 48:22 Sound - 49:35 Documentary Feature - 51:28 International Feature - 55:36 The Short Film Categories - 58:10 OUTRO: Please support us by using Promo Code “MMO” on Kalshi. Get a free $10 when you trade $10. Plus, you can also enjoy this episode while you trade. Otherwise, we have several episodes next week. We’ll recap the Oscars on Monday March 16th… both on Chaz and AJ in the Morning on WPLR.com at 8:20am Eastern Standard Time … and then back here on our feed with our recap episode. Then make sure you stay tuned to our feed for another very special interview, and our upcoming coverage of the next film years, starting with Project Hail Mary and going into our Oscars Year In Preview series, etc.

What Is This Episode - Top of Show . THE FEINBERG FINAL W/ THR’S SCOTT FEINBERG! . The Annual “Who’s Winning Best Picture?” Start - 3:14 (And How Big of an Upset Would a Sinners Win Be?) WB’s Sinners/OBAA FYCs + The Mike/Pam Paramount Future - 8:20 . The Evolution of Awards Chatter and Professor Scott - 12:53 . Academy Voters “MUST” Watch Before Voting - 22:47 What IS an Average Academy Voter? - 28:50 . What are the True Bellwether Categories? - 32:50 A Rundown of All 4 INSANE Acting Categories - 36:47 The Frustration with the Casting Category - 49:37 . The Hopes for YouTube’s Oscars Era - 54:08 Conan as Host for 366 Days + The New “Oscars Bump” - 1:00:55 What an Oscars Campaign Was, and What it Is in 2026 - 1:06:45 . Scott and THR’s Upcoming Oscars Work! - 1:10:21 . . What’s Next From MMO/Leave Us 5 Stars! - 1:15:11

David Long returns to predict and bet the 98th Academy Awards as we break down the gambling lines / betting odds for each of the 24 categories at the Oscars. MAKE AN ACCOUNT ON KALSHI USING https://kalshi.com/sign-up?referral=mmo OR SIGNUP CODE "MMO" FOR A FREE $10 WAGER! Mike 1 explains betting to AlsoMom - 6:18 CATEGORIES WITH HEAVY FAVORITES: Lead Actress - 11:31 Original Score - 15:36 Director - 16:51 Original Screenplay - 20:47 Adapted Screenplay - 23:33 VFX - 23:08 Costumes - 25:17 Makeup & Hairstyling - 29:43 Animated Feature - 31:38 Original Song - 33:46 Production Designer - 41:23 Sound - 42:20 BET OR DON’T BET: Film Editing - 45:25 Best Picture - 50:14 Casting - 1:00:17 Supporting Actor - 1:05:18 THE BATTLEGROUND CATEGORIES: International Feature - 1:14:24 Cinematography - 1:19:56 Documentary Feature - 1:25:33 Lead Actor - 1:30:53 Supporting Actress - 1:37:00 The Shorts - 1:48:36 OUTRO: The Words of Wisdom today are to follow David Long. https://x.com/1DavidLong Otherwise, go back and enjoy all our guests from this season, including David Long’s last episodes with us for Holiday Bets. Plus, you can follow us on social media and support our show AND our habits by rating and reviewing, following, liking and subscribing… and as always, by telling your friends about our shows. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

Amanda of Swell Entertainment returns to review Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! We discuss Lead Actress favorite, Jessie Buckley and whether she will Norbit her Oscar chances, and we also dive into the Frankenstein lore and what this film adds to the legacy. NON-SPOILER REVIEW OF THE BRIDE! Our Frankenstein Fandom & Expectations - 2:37 Our Thoughts on Maggie Gyllenhaal & Her Influences - 10:30 Review of the performances - 20:42 Review of the production values - 26:09 Oscar Lens - 31:08 SPOILER REVIEW OF THE BRIDE! - 31:48 The Spirit of Shelley - 32:36 Views on Sex, Gangsters & Oscar Voting - 40:21 Let’s Talk About Frank - 48:55 Let’s Talk About Frankie & The Bride - 54:54 Superfluous Plots, But Themes That Land - 59:25 Finale & Mid-Credits Scene Thoughts - 1:06:00 Grades - 1:11:25 OUTRO: We discuss her upcoming coverage of Formula 1 and her next trip to Japan to visit the Miyazaki Museum! So make sure to follow Amanda on YouTube and social media. Swell Entertainment on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@SwellEntertainment https://beacons.ai/swellentertainment Girly Pop Go for all her F1 Coverage https://www.youtube.com/@GirlyPopGo https://www.tiktok.com/@girlypopgoxo And here’s all our links at Mike, Mike and Oscar https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

What Is This Episode - Top of Show . THE ACTOR/SAG AWARDS HAPPENED: The Netflix Broadcast/Highlights/Stunts Disrespected - 1:17 . Penn Leads Supporting Actor, But Is Lindo Alive? - 10:25 Madigan Makes Supporting Actress is a 3-Way MESS - 16:46 Buckley is the Only Acting Certainty - 22:34 What the Hell Just Happened to Lead Actor?! - 24:25 Sinners Wins Ensemble, OBAA PGA…So…Who Wins Best Picture? - 33:21 . Recapping the Other Guilds - 45:15 (Ace Eddies, VES/VFX; ADG/Prod Design; Artios/Casting; etc) . Sinners vs. OBAA Resumé Match Up - 51:06 MMO’s Best Picture Prediction History - 55:21 . . What’s Next From MMO/Leave Us 5 Stars! - 1:02:40