Jess & Brandi on the 2023 Oscars

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Jess and Brandi discuss their hot takes on the 2023 Oscar nominations in their second annual awards’ season conversation! They break down the 10 Best Picture nominees in alphabetical order and give their takes on what they think is likeliest to win (as of right now) and what their favorites are, as well as what movies are doing well at the public library. Next, they talk about their favorite films of the year not represented at the Oscars (She Said, Bros, The Menu, Cha Cha Real Smooth, The Inspection, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Good Luck to You Leo Grande, The Batman, and Bones and All). Lack of women’s rep, streaming, access of entertainment in libraries, performances, and more are on the docket again this year.

The 2023 Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 12 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Follow the hosts on Letterboxd: Jess @jm910 and Brandi @bsloths

The opinions of the hosts do not reflect endorsement by any organization.

Our conversation, recorded on Jan. 24, has been edited for clarity.

Introduction

Brandi: Hi, I’m Brandi Scardilli. I’m the editor of NewsBreaks [and Information Today], and I’m here with …

Jess: I am Jess Hilburn, and I am the executive director of Benson Memorial Library and a writer for Information Today.

Brandi: And today we’re going to be talking about the nominees for the 95th Academy Awards, which will air on March 12th, and we’re recording this on the day that the nominations came out, on January 24th.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Jess: So, we’re going to have this discussion with going through the Best Picture nominees in alphabetical order, and the first one is All Quiet on the Western Front. I have not seen this movie yet; have you seen this movie yet?

Brandi: No. And I was a German major, so I think I read the book or excerpts of the book in college, but that’s all I really know about it. And since it’s a war movie, I may skip this one.

Jess: I’ll definitely watch it, but it’s on the long end, so I need to make sure I have enough time, and it’s also obviously a difficult concept, a difficult story, so [I’ll] give myself some time to digest it. But it is nice that it’s on Netflix, so it’ll be pretty accessible for a lot of people to watch if they want to. And it’s a classic story, so I think at least name recognition-wise, a lot of people will have an idea of what this one’s about.

Brandi: Yes, I think the original Hollywood movie was in the ’70s, so it was probably due for a remake [i.e., a new adaptation].

Jess: And it got quite a few nominations: It got a total of nine nominations at the Oscars, which didn’t include any acting or directing, so that’s all below-the-line type of stuff (all for the arts and the crafts in the movie), so that’s kind of exciting.

Brandi: Yeah. And like you mentioned, it’s on Netflix, but there hasn’t been an announcement of whether it’ll be available on DVD. So, as a library-focused publication, we always like to think about what will be available for librarians to offer, and this one seems like it’s a Netflix exclusive. And Netflix has released some of their Oscar movies on DVD, but not all of them.

Jess: Yeah, it usually takes a long time. So, for example last year, Power of the Dog got a bunch of nominations at the Oscars, and it took almost a year for that one to come out on DVD from the Criterion Collection. So, it could be a while until we can offer this for checkout in libraries, but we can do our best to route people to Netflix if they have that accessible to them.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Jess: The next one is Avatar: The Way of Water. I also have not seen this movie.

Brandi: This one I did see opening night in IMAX 3D. The story itself has some very upsetting elements, some animal abuse, that was very unnecessary, so that docked it some points in my book, but overall, the story doesn’t matter as much because you’re sucked in by the gorgeous visuals and just this incredible world that James Cameron has created. So I think it absolutely belongs on this list for Best Picture, and it has four nominations total, but again, no directing, no acting noms. And this one is going to be on DVD and Blu-ray in March, and then it’ll go to Disney+ at some point to join the original Avatar, which is on Disney+.

Jess: And it’ll probably wait quite a while to be on Disney+, just because they’re maximizing the profits from the theatrical run, since now it’s definitely the biggest movie of last year. And I think they wanted to get as close as possible to the original theatrical run of the first Avatar, which is a tough bar to meet, but it’s definitely made a ton of money—just not from me.

Brandi: [laughs] Yeah.

Jess: It’s just, for me, it’s a bit long. I have seen the first Avatar; it just doesn’t really do much for me. I know it’s an experience and a spectacle, and it’s sort of all about that theatrical event. It’s just not my kind of theatrical event.

[garbled, overlapping speech]

Brandi: But the Oscars can now say that they’ve nominated a big, popular movie, which they often get flack for not doing, so here’s this giant movie that they nominated for Best Picture.

Jess: And later on—since they’re in alphabetic order—we’ll get to another giant movie they nominated, which I actually do like.

The Banshees of Inisherin

Jess: The next one though in the list is The Banshees of Inisherin, and I saw this movie in theaters when it originally came out, and it is tied for my favorite movie of last year, and I just love every single part of it.

Brandi: And this was one that I had no interest in, so it’s interesting that we flip-flopped on these two movies [Avatar and Banshees], but I do really enjoy the actors in it, it just does not seem like my cup of tea plot-wise. But I would be willing to give it a chance. Maybe. I have to decide.

Jess: Don’t break my heart!

Brandi: Aw! Well, I mean, look at the other nominations it’s gotten—[Best] Director for Martin McDonagh, Best Actor for Colin Farrell, Best Supporting Actor for Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan, and Best Supporting Actress for Kerry Condon, so it literally got into every major acting category [it could], which is pretty incredible.

Jess: And all of which are extremely deserving, because the acting performances are [great]. That, and the original screenplay, which it also got nominated for, and I think has a pretty strong chance of winning, is what makes this movie so exciting and fun to watch. Fun if you like people’s fingers getting cut off, which is not a spoiler because it’s in the trailer. But it’s definitely a dark comedy, and it is a period piece, which is really fun for the costumes. And it’s an Irish movie, if you’re not familiar with it or the actors. This is available on HBO Max to stream, and it’s also on DVD. I just bought this for my library, so I’ll be interested to see how [often] it goes out. Typically, it doesn’t really matter what new movie it is, it’ll get checked out. So a few weeks down the road, when it’s not brand new anymore, that’s when I’ll be interested in the trend of whether it’s still getting seen, especially if it has a resurgence if it wins some awards, if then it picks up in popularity again. And this one got nine nominations and does have some precedence because it won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, Comedy.

Elvis

Jess: Our next one is Elvis, and I think we’ve both seen Elvis, right?

Brandi: Yes, and I did enjoy it. I thought Austin Butler did an incredible job. Tom Hanks was there; he was in the movie.

Jess: [laughs]

Brandi: But I wouldn’t say I’m a huge Elvis fan—I don’t dislike him, but I don’t actually, you know, I didn’t follow his life and career, so I felt like I learned a lot about him. I thought that it was a well-directed movie, but it did not get a directing nom. It only got the nom in the big categories for Austin Butler for Best Actor, which I think is well-deserved. He had to play Elvis from basically a teenager until his death.

Jess: And if you listen to him in interviews, he’s still playing Elvis.

Brandi: [laughs] Yes.

Jess: I generally liked the movie. Again, I think it’s a little long, but I saw it in the theater with my mom; we both enjoyed it. Baz Luhrmann really isn’t my preferred style when it comes to movies. He’s a little bit too ostentatious, a little bit too glitzy, but that is his M.O., and he sticks to it. And I can respect that, but that’s the kind of movies he makes. They don’t necessarily always float my boat, but I enjoyed this for the most part.

Brandi: But to that point, his style fits perfectly with the glitz of the Elvis story.

Jess: Yeah, it didn’t feel out of place with the story, so I definitely agree with that. The Elvis thing is kind of a fun one for me personally only because Priscilla Presley’s family is from the place where I live, so some of her family still lives here. Unfortunately, Lisa Marie Presley died a few days after the Golden Globes. And I had written an article, years ago, about how Priscilla Presley was from our area; her dad was originally from this area, and there are surprisingly quite a few famous people [from here]. Sally Field’s dad was from this area as well. So I wrote an article about that, and obviously, the Elvis stuff is picking up steam for all the different stories surrounding Elvis and the lore of the family and why that story is so interesting. I’m excited for that one. And it’s on HBO Max, and it’s also available on DVD. I have that one at the library right now, and it has gone out a good number of times.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Jess: Next is Everything Everywhere All at Once. I’ve seen Everything Everywhere All at Once twice (not to make that sentence confusing!). I saw it in the theater in April, and then I just saw it over Christmas when I showed it to my family because it’s available on Showtime. And this seems to be the frontrunner so far; it got 11 nominations for this Oscar cycle. What are your thoughts about Everything Everywhere?

Brandi: So, like Banshees of Inisherin, this was one that did not appeal to me in the slightest. I just don’t think it’s my vibe. But you, in previous conversations, have successfully convinced me to watch this movie, so I will be watching it at some point before March 12th.

Jess: It’s definitely worth it even if it doesn’t completely vibe with you when you watch it. It’s definitely a unique experience, and it’s not like anything else that is in the theater or on TV right now. And it also got a boatload of other nominations. Its directors were nominated, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who are known for some previous movies like Swiss Army Man. They make some weird movies. And other people who got in were Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress, Ke Huy Kwan for Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress got two nominations, one for Jamie Lee Curtis and one for Stephanie Hsu. And Stephanie Hsu is probably my favorite part of this movie. As a Millennial woman, I just connected the most with what they were trying to get at with her character, and it’s really enjoyable, and it’s really touching. But I think that the category that Everything Everywhere has the most wrapped up in my opinion is Best Supporting Actor. What do you think?

Brandi: I do think the Academy likes a comeback story, and he has been winning all kinds of precursor awards, so that’s a good sign for him winning. I think we both agree that he probably has Best Supporting Actor on lock. The other acting nominees, [I’m] maybe not so sure of, but still possible. Michelle Yeoh has been a beloved star for a long time, so I could see people going her way, maybe. But then with Cate Blanchett in the category, we were talking about how it probably is going to be her. But I do foresee at least one of the acting noms winning at the Oscars, and I will be able to make a full judgment once I watch it. But Ke has been so charming in every interview and his speeches, and he, just on personality alone and goodwill through in the industry alone, seems to deserve to win.

Jess: I think it helps a lot when you show that you want it, and they appreciate that. And he definitely wants it—and he deserves it as well. It’s a great performance; he’s really fun in it, and he has some really touching moments. But I just love his speeches. His Golden Globe speech made me tear up, so I really love that, and I’d love to see a part two for him. For me, he is the Troy Kotsur of this year; this win would make me feel good, and I think would make a lot of people feel good.

Brandi: And it’s wonderfully heartwarming that he and Steven Spielberg are on the campaign trail in the same year and get to attend these events together and support each other. I think that’s just wonderful.

Jess: Yeah, since he got his start in the Indiana Jones movies with playing Short Round for Steven Spielberg. Every time he’s on stage, Steven Spielberg has such a big smile on his face, which is so sweet. I’ve had this movie at my library for quite some time now because it’s been on DVD for a good number of months, and it’s been checked out more than any of the others. And I don’t think that’s necessarily because of how long it [has been out]; I think it is partly word of mouth, and especially on social media, I think they’ve had a pretty good marketing of this movie on social media, so I can see that definitely increasing in popularity over time.

The Fabelmans

Jess: The next one is The Fabelmans, speaking of Mr. Spielberg himself. What do you feel about The Fabelmans?

Brandi: I liked it quite a bit more than you did. I saw it by myself, and then I saw it with my family, and I liked it much better the second time. I think that it’s really smart that Steven Spielberg wrote a memoir through film. Thinking about it, he kind of meshes together all these different genres to create this movie. The acting is incredible. I really like Michelle Williams’ performance; I know not everybody did, but I thought she was great. I thought Paul Dano was great. And then the young actor who played [fictionalized] Steven Spielberg, Gabriel LaBelle, I thought was incredible—what a job to have to play Steven Spielberg in front of Steven Spielberg directing you. So, I was just very [into it]. It seems to me like an old-school Oscars movie; this is the kind of movie I feel like they nominated all the time when I was growing up watching the Oscars. It’s a feel-good, heartwarming Hollywood story about a family and a kid growing up coming of age. [There are] some great cameos in it. So, you having Priscilla Presley live near you, Steven Spielberg in the beginning of the movie, lives in New Jersey, and that town that he lives in, it’s the Haddonfield-Haddon Heights area, and that’s only about half an hour from where I live.

Jess: Oh, nice.

Brandi: That’s my little claim to fame for with Spielberg. And that one won the Golden Globe Best Picture, Drama, one of the precursor awards that’s important, and then it’s nominated, Steven Spielberg is nominated for [Best] Director, Michelle Williams is nominated for Best Actress, and Judd Hirsch is nominated for Best Supporting Actor. And as much as I like Judd Hirsch, that’s kind of a baffling choice to me, because he was in so little of the movie. He made an impression, but I would have liked to see Paul Dano in that slot instead.

Jess: Yeah, I fully agree. It should be best supporting performance for ripping your shirt off, which was great, and I can’t think of any other people who would contend with him for that award. He also now has the record for longest time between nominations; his only other nomination for Oscar was I think 42 years ago, so now he holds that interesting record as well. Like you said, I liked it enough. I thought it was OK. It didn’t bowl me over or anything. There were a lot of movies this year about people making movies, which is fine—and it’s meta, and I like meta, but it has to be done in a way that I connect with, and this one didn’t get me a hundred percent. Michelle Williams was fine with her interesting little bangs, and I’m a big Paul Dano fan, so I’ll love him in pretty much anything, but overall, with The Fabelmans it just felt a little dated to me. I think like you said, this is an old-school Oscar-type nomination, but I think even maybe like 8 years ago, this would have won. And it wouldn’t have been a big contest.

Brandi: Yes.

Jess: Because I know that they were talking about this movie, Spielberg and Tony Kushner were talking about it, back when they were making Lincoln, so it’s been kind of in their brains for a while, and they only sat down to write it during COVID. But if they had made this movie years ago, I think the reception would be a little bit different, and we’ve moved on in a lot of different ways—and a lot has happened in Hollywood and in the entertainment industry since that time.

Brandi: I completely agree, yeah. This will probably be on Peacock to stream eventually, but it will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 14th. Do you foresee it getting a lot of traction at your library? It’s a big-name director and a family movie.

Jess: I think it will when it’s on the New shelf. I think it’ll be checked out a good number of times, but I see this one as one that’s going to fall off because I can’t think of many reasons to come back to it. And I know you watched it again. I don’t know if other people will want to watch it again, at least in like, the general public, not the movie-loving public, as we are, necessarily. I also think that I’m not really sure who the audience is for this movie exactly, especially when it comes to my library. It is a family movie, but because of the age of the characters versus it being a period piece, is it targeted toward older people, is it targeted towards the younger people who are the protagonists? I’m not 100% sure. I know you watched it with your family—did you all feel the same about this movie, or did you feel that they may have some differing opinions?

Brandi: Well, they didn’t like it as much as I did. They weren’t as charmed by Michelle Williams’ performance, and they thought it was too long and slow. But yeah, I kind of agree with that. To me, it’s a movie for cinephiles. I think the best parts of that movie are the teenage Spielberg learning how to be a filmmaker: You put the sand in the hole and then you shoot it in a way that the sand spurts up, and it’s like bullets are flying in the sand [during a battle scene]—that kind of thing was really fun. I liked seeing that behind-the-scenes of how Spielberg learned and honed his craft. That part was more successful than the family drama part of it. So yeah, I think it’s a movie for people who love Spielberg and love movies. And I mean arguably besides the two big popcorn movies on this list, Spielberg is really the most recognizable director on the Best Picture list. Nobody really knows the Daniels; I don’t think that the average person is going to recognize those directors for Everything Everywhere All at Once, whereas Spielberg is such a recognizable name. But I don’t know if people would borrow it from your library on his name alone. I think the plot may turn them off unless they really are interested in learning his life story.

Jess: On that, I think that people who were to check out that movie based on the Steven Spielberg name will be disappointed in it, because they associate Steven Spielberg with Jurassic Park and Jaws and those sort of things, and this movie is not that. Whereas you know you also have the Lincolns of the world, it’s definitely more in that zone, but this is not an action movie, this is a family drama, and if you’re not 100% sure about that before you check it out, you’re going to start watching it and go, “What is this?” So that’s kind of what I’m interested to see about it as well.

Tár

Jess: Then, moving on to a very polarizing film in my opinion is Tár. Tár is on Blu-ray and DVD already, and it’s going to actually be on Peacock this weekend, on January 27th. I just looked it up to be sure. This movie is very long—it edges towards the 3-hour mark. It got six nominations, three of which of course are Best Picture, also Todd Field for [Best] Director, and Cate Blanchett for Best Actress. I did see Tár, and I saw it in theaters, and I really wish that I had that 3 hours of my life back, because I did not enjoy Tár. I listen to a lot of movie podcasts, and I read a lot of movie articles, and not a lot of people agree with me on that, but I just can’t change my opinion. I did not enjoy it. I felt that it was a lot of social commentary about issues from a man’s point of view, but parroted through a woman character’s mouth, which I did not enjoy. It’s a reverse Me Too story, so it’s about a woman committing sexual assault and sexual harassment. Instead of the being focused on the victims, it’s focused on the perpetrator in this case, and the perpetrator is a woman. But if you want resolution for that, do not look for it in this movie, because you will not find it. So, it doesn’t come as a big recommendation for me. A lot of people love it; I am not one of them.

Brandi: And based on your recommendation, I will not be watching it.

Jess: [laughs]

Brandi: As you’ve heard [throughout this conversation], we don’t agree on a lot of different movies, but I think we disagree more on what we like versus don’t like. I think every movie that you’ve disliked and told me why you disliked, I go, “Yes, absolutely, thank you for telling me that; I will not be watching it.” So, I trust your opinion when it comes to why not to watch something, and Tár is not going to be on my list to watch.

Jess: Yeah. Usually, if I like it, and it’s a really weird thing that you don’t like, I totally get that—I totally get why you wouldn’t like it. But we tend to have the same dislikes with things, where anymore there are there are too many movies that the plot is surrounding abuse of some kind, usually abuse of women, whether it’s mental or sexual abuse or physical abuse, whatever it is, women or children. And I know that’s a plot point, and I know it’s dramatic, but there are other stories you can tell about life, and I’m just getting a little tired of watching that all the time. And I felt that way about this movie, especially when it’s so long, and about a very, I would say, elite part of society, in the idea that orchestral music is not something that’s typically consumed by the general public in a consistent or mainstream way. It’s more of an elite sort of pastime, and that certainly comes through in this movie.

Top Gun: Maverick

Jess: Another “T” [title] movie, but one that I have the exact opposite opinion about, is Top Gun: Maverick.

Brandi: Yay! [laughs]

Jess: I have not met a single person who didn’t like Top Gun: Maverick, have you?

Brandi: No! [makes mm-mm sound for no]

Jess: It was just so much fun. I saw it like two or three times in the theater because I loved it so much. I’m not a Tom Cruise person; I’m not necessarily a military-movie type person; I’m not a plane person. But this movie was fantastic, and I loved it so much.

Brandi: It was just fun. I think it would have been a big hit, it would have been beloved, if it was not one of the big post-COVID—well, we’re still in COVID—it was one of the first movies that drew people back to theaters. I think even if it had come out in, say, 2019, I think it would have still been a huge hit, because look at the Mission Impossible movies, they keep making those, and those are always fun; I go see them, I enjoy them, and then they leave my head, and I forget about them. Top Gun I’ve watched three times. I liked the first one, but didn’t love it; this one I think it’s one of my favorite movies ever. It’s just one of those movies that it’s just joy—you go for the ride, and you just let them take you on a journey, and it is great.

Jess: It is. It is so good, and honestly, it was really, really cool to see this in the theater because of the way they shot a lot of the flying scenes and how expansive that cinematography is—it’s so, so good. And it did get a film editing nomination—just so expertly put together; you could tell they spent a lot of time on it, and I’m so glad that they saved this for the theater, they didn’t just put it out on Paramount+ and let people watch it, because this would not have become the juggernaut that it is if it had not gone to theaters. I remember when I went out to watch it in the theater, and then I came back to work on Monday, I told everybody in the office, “You need to go see Top Gun: Maverick.” I watch a lot of movies; my co-workers are usually like, “I don’t want to watch that.” But Top Gun: Maverick they went out and saw, because it was so good, and I think it was that word of mouth that really spread that got this movie the legs that it needed to even be on this list.

Brandi: Exactly. I was the same way, just telling everybody, You have to go to the movies, it’s just so worth it. It is a simplistic story; it’s similar to Avatar in that there isn’t a ton of nuance to it. I mean, they explained the mission three separate times so you can follow what the final mission is, and to me, it’s the argument of, Well, the Oscars likes to reward movies like Tár that are, you know, thinking movies and prestigious, and I think you can be simplistic and yet tug at people’s heartstrings and make them feel something, even if what they’re feeling is not any kind of deep emotion that’s making them be in pain inside. I think it’s OK to reward movies that just make you happy.

Jess: And that’s the thing, I still think about this movie because it was so much fun to see, it was such an enjoyable experience, and that was the most people that I’ve been in a theater with for years. And that’s even before COVID—there just weren’t that many people in my local theater because I live in a rural area—and people were coming out for this movie constantly. And they’re doing the same with Avatar now—even though Avatar’s not my jam—they’re continually coming out for Avatar to watch it. So, I think that’s a perfect correlation between the two.

Brandi: You had mentioned that Everything Everywhere All at Once is outperforming Top Gun: Maverick at your library, but is it still being checked out a lot? Because it’s been on DVD since, was it Christmastime?

Jess: Yes. Top Gun: Maverick is still pretty much checked out all the time. So, I think that, even though Everything Everywhere currently has the top role there, Top Gun’s going to overtake it soon.

Brandi: And it’s also available to stream on Paramount+. And then it has six nominations total, but all of those nominations are below-the-line nominations. Even though, actually, I think the director—is it Joseph Kosinski, am I remembering that right?

Jess: Yup.

Brandi: I think he deserved a Best Director nom, actually.

Jess: I know there was a lot of controversy about who actually directed the movie.

Brandi: Oh, like whether Tom Cruise directed it too?

Jess: Yeah. And so no one was really sure if Kosinski did the majority of the directing.

Brandi: Interesting.

Jess: After that came out in the public, I was like, Ooh, that [nom] is probably not going to happen now.

Brandi: Oh, OK, interesting.

Jess: I agree with you that it is well-directed, no matter whoever did it, it’s well-directed. And I think it could be a nice stepping stone too for a lot of those actors that are in the supporting roles in that movie. Miles Teller had already been in a lot of stuff—I wasn’t a huge fan of his before, but he was really great in this movie. Glen Powell now is in a bunch more stuff; he’s in another military plane movie, Devotion, I think that’s what it’s called?

Brandi: Yes.

Jess: And he did the Actors on Actors thing, so I’m sure he’ll be in a lot more stuff. That’s exciting to see.

Triangle of Sadness

Jess: Second to last is Triangle of Sadness, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, which is the first place that I had heard about it. It has three nominations total, including one for Best Director for Ruben Östlund. And it is not streaming yet, but you can rent it, and it’s going to be out on DVD on April 25th—which is actually after the Oscars, so unless you rent it, you won’t be able to see it beforehand. Do you have any thoughts about this movie?

Brandi: No, I need to look more into it. I don’t really have any anything intelligent to say about it.

Jess: I was hoping to have watched it before we talked, but I haven’t gotten into it yet. I did rent it, so I’m going to watch it within the next 2 days, before my rental expires. But again, it’s another one that is on the long side, so I need to cut out a chunk of time to watch it, and from what I’ve heard, it is a little polarizing as well, just with some of the content that’s in the movie. I know that Dolly de Leon—who’s in this movie, she’s a popular actress in her country—had gotten into a lot of the precursor nominations, but did not get in for the Oscar nominations, so I want to see what she’s like and see if I want to track her career a little bit and watch some of her other movies. But I’m excited to watch it and see if I like it or not.

Brandi: And I will be excited for you to give me your opinion so I can decide if I’m going to watch it. [laughs]

Jess: [laughs]

Women Talking

Jess: And then the last one is Women Talking, which was kind of on the bubble, as they say; they weren’t sure if this one was going to get nominations or not because it was getting into some things, getting shut out of other things. It did get two nominations, one for [Best] Adapted Screenplay, because it’s based on the book by the same name by Miriam Toews, and it also got into Best Picture. This one is going to be on DVD on March 7th, so it’ll be available right before the Oscars, and you mentioned that it will be on Prime Video at some point as well.

Brandi: Yeah. So, this is one I think we’re both excited about seeing. I’ve been trying to find a theater near me that’s playing it, and none are, so I’m hoping it will come to a local theater eventually, or if it doesn’t, I will watch it on streaming. But you already have plans to go see it.

Jess: Yes, which is shocking to me because you live in a much bigger area than I do, but it is in a theater that is a little over an hour away from me, so I’m going to go and take some of my family to go watch it, and I’m really looking forward to it. I have read the book for this one. Have you read the book for this one?

Brandi: No.

Jess: OK. This is a kind of a weird one, because it is the story of a Mennonite community, and again, this is another one dealing with sexual assaults, where the women have been sexually assaulted by the men. They’ve been drugged and then sexually assaulted, and they’ve figured it out, and they’re deciding whether or not they should leave the community or stay in the community. And it’s all narrated by a man because the man that they have come into this meeting where they’re making this decision is the only one who can read and write, because women in this Mennonite community cannot read and write. As much as I love Ben Wishaw and the stuff that he’s done, I’m actually kind of happy that he didn’t get a nomination for the Oscars, which was one of the rumored ones that might happen. Not because I don’t think he’s lovely and because he doesn’t deserve a nomination, but just because I really didn’t want to see Women Talking get the only acting nod be for a man, for women talking. So, I’m excited to see it. I didn’t love the book, but I appreciated what it was trying to do.

Lack of Nominated Women in 2023 Oscars

Jess: Sarah Polley is a filmmaker that I’m interested in, so I think she’ll have an interesting take on that story. And she’s one of the many women who were not nominated for [Best] Director this year because we again have five men nominated for Best Director, even though there were so many women to choose from—for movies like Till, The Woman King, Women Talking, She Said, Aftersun—other movies that were nominated in other categories or, unfortunately, like Till and The Woman King and She Said, ignored completely, which is very sad to see. How you feel about this situation?

How Trauma Is and Should Be Shown in the Movies

Brandi: Well, as you know, I shy away from movies that are traumatic, and [Women Talking] does seem like the subject matter would not be something I would be interested in, but because it is directed by a woman, because I love Claire Foy and would love to see everything she does, and it just seems like a fascinating story. It may be the case that you tell me there might be parts I have to close my eyes; I don’t know. But I just think it seems like a fascinating movie, and again, the fact that it was directed by Sarah Polley, who is a woman, I would love to see her take on this issue. So yeah, it’s just one that, I am selective in my watching when it comes to serious subjects, but this one is definitely one I think I can handle because of the reasons I’m excited for it.

Jess: I think, too, something that has left me kind of cold with these nominations is that with movies that deal with trauma, like Women Talking, Till, and She Said, these movies aren’t light subject matters, they’re all very difficult. With She Said being the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault, Women Talking like we just talked about, and then Till with the murder of Emmett Till, all three of those movies were directed by women, and all three of them, to my knowledge, from what I’ve heard or from what I’ve seen, from watching one of those movies, they chose not to show the violent parts or the traumatic parts in it—to instead convey that sentiment and those stories through the visions of their female characters without doing those sort of traumatic flashbacks. And I think that’s so powerful to choose to present it in that way, where you’re not forcing your characters to be re-traumatized and forcing the audience to be re-traumatized with this story. But instead knowing the truth, and I know it’s kind of a cliche at this point but sometimes what you don’t see is more powerful than what you do see. And that people who have similar experiences to what are in some of these movies can watch them and not feel like they’re being made to go through such terrible things all over again just to consume art or entertainment. So that means a lot to me, and it means a lot to me that none of those things were really acknowledged or celebrated in these [2023] nominations, and that instead we have celebrated some of the same things that we’ve already celebrated for a long time, and these choices are a lot riskier, and a lot more intriguing, by these filmmakers.

2023 Oscar Winner Predictions

Brandi: So, to wrap up talking about these 10 [Best Picture] nominees, let’s talk about what we think will win and what should win.

Jess: Do you want to go first?

Brandi: Sure. I think it’s probably between Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Banshees of Inisherin, given the precursor awards and the love that people have for those movies. And just all the different nominees that they have in the acting categories and directing. I am glad that Avatar: The Way of Water’s on there; I’m glad Top Gun’s on there; I don’t think either should win. Elvis I did enjoy, but I don’t think that should win either. And they’re the ones that are really the popcorn movies that the Academy used to nominate and would draw more viewers [to the Oscars telecast] because they’d actually seen the movies. So I don’t really know, I don’t think I’ve seen enough to say who should win. Just for the artistry of it, I would be fine if Everything Everywhere All at Once won; I’d be fine if Banshees won because it would make you happy.

Jess: [laughs]

Brandi: Yeah, I really don’t see one that kind of stands out really big. I think in my gut, I’m thinking it is going to be Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Jess: I’m still very torn on the subject especially because of the last few years, of how things have gone—more nominations doesn’t equal a better chance of winning Best Picture anymore necessarily. I can envision a world where Tár actually comes in and wins Best Picture in the end. It’s not a world that I want to live in, but it’s a world that I can envision happening. I can also see the same thing for The Fabelmans, even though I think its chances are decreasing over time. I agree that it’s pretty much a two-horse race between Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Banshees of Inisherin. I’m really hoping that The Banshees of Inisherin didn’t peak too soon, because I do love it so, so much—and in my opinion, it’s the best movie on this list that I’ve seen. I’ve seen six of the 10 so far, which I think is the most that I’ve seen pre-nominations in a quite a few years, which is nice, because that means it’s movies that at least some people are actually watching. If Top Gun: Maverick won, which, it will not win, but if it did, that would be super fun because so many people have watched it. But I agree with you. It’s between those two for the ultimate winner.

Favorite Movies of 2022 Not Nominated

Jess: Are there any other movies from 2022 that didn’t get nominated that you would like to shout out real quick as really good movies that you enjoyed?

Brandi: So, you talked about She Said, which I loved, as a journalist—in that profession, I would not equate myself with those two [main characters] in their investigative reporting, but it made me proud to be a journalist. It empowered me as a woman. I loved She Said; I thought it was fantastic. The performances were great, and none of them got nominated. And it’s a Hollywood story, which the Academy tends to like, so I was surprised that it really didn’t get any attention, and I’m really not sure why. Maybe there’s Harvey fatigue, like people are sick of hearing about Harvey Weinstein, and I get that, but it’s such an important story. The only thing that I think holds She Said back for general audiences [is], it’s very inside baseball, and I don’t think it has the wide appeal. I think you have to know the basics; I think you have to know a little bit about the reporting, a little bit about all the different things Harvey did.

[garbled, overlapping speech]

Jess: Spotlight won Best Picture.

Brandi: Right. Yeah, I really equate it with Spotlight. I mean, I love Spotlight, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, I think it’s incredible. I don’t think She Said is as good as Spotlight. I think it has some holes—it’s an incredible movie, but it does have some weaknesses that make it not quite at that level. There are some weird time jumps, there’s just little things that, you know, it’s not a perfect movie. But I did really walk out of it feeling, as I said, empowered and inspired, and I thought the way that they let—as you mentioned—they let the women tell their own stories, and they were the focus, whereas we only see Harvey Weinstein from the back very briefly, and we hear his voice. So, I thought that was really powerful.

Jess: I like the movie as well. I don’t think it’s as good as Spotlight, but I really enjoyed it. And I love the Ashley Judd cameo, playing herself.

Brandi: Absolutely, yeah. And what an incredible thing for her to do, to have to relive that for a movie. And then my other movie I just wanted to briefly shout out—it was never going to get Academy attention because it’s a comedy—but Bros was a movie that I really loved. And it bombed at the box office. And that broke my heart, because it’s classic Judd Apatow—if you like Judd Apatow comedies, you will like Bros—but it also has this really sweet center of, it’s like classic rom-coms of the ’90s; it takes all the rom-com tropes and just wraps you in this blanket of them. And I just think Luke Macfarlane is a movie star; I thought he was incredible in it, and I really like Billy Eichner. I think the movie lives or dies based on what your opinion of Billy Eichner is, and a lot of people don’t like him. I always thought he was funny, and I think he’s a good actor. So I really, really loved that movie, and I hope more people check out Bros. That one’s available on DVD already, and it’s available, I think on Peacock, to stream.

Jess: Yeah.

Brandi: So, Bros and She Said are my quote unquote snubs, even though, as I mentioned, Bros was never going to get Academy love.

Jess: I haven’t seen Bros, but it is in my queue, since you’ve talked so highly about it. Some movies that I loved from last year that either didn’t get attention, or I knew they wouldn’t get attention: The Menu, I loved The Menu. You will not like The Menu, but I liked it a lot, and so did my family when we watched it. It’s very funny, it’s dark; Anya Taylor-Joy is amazing, Ralph Fiennes is amazing. Hong Chau is also in The Menu, which, if Hong Chau was going to be nominated for something, I wish it would have been for that, instead of the movie she was nominated for. That’s available on HBO Max and definitely worth a watch. Some other movies that I enjoyed were Cha Cha Real Smooth, which I thought might have been a player, but I think it faded too fast.

Brandi: Yes, I enjoyed that as well. That was on my list of top movies of the year. That was a great movie.

Jess: It was an interesting rom-com, kind of from a different perspective. And I really like Dakota Johnson. And she’s a nepo baby I’ll watch anything from, because I just really like her. I also like Raúl Castillo, who plays her husband in that movie. He’s also in The Inspection with Jeremy Pope, and he’s very good in that, and I hope to see him in more stuff. I do like some scary stuff, so I watched Bodies Bodies Bodies, which feels to me like the coming of Gen Z into Hollywood, which I really enjoy. Rachel Sennott is such a standout in that movie, and she was in Shiva Baby, which was her first. Shiva Baby’s on HBO Max, which is a great watch. And it’s on the shorter side. But Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fun horror comedy. Pete Davidson’s in it, a variety of other people—Maria Bakalova, who was up for an Oscar a few years ago for Borat. It’s just very enjoyable if you like funny horror. Another one that I thought might sneak in but didn’t was Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. I believe this one’s on Hulu, and [it’s] Emma Thompson. They had released this with a small theatrical release so that it would be available for nominations, and I know it was shortlisted by a few things. I want to say it was shortlisted like from BAFTA and a couple other things—I’d have to check—and I don’t think it actually got in or she got in. But this was an interesting portrait of aging and romance, and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was both sweet and challenging, which is an interesting tightrope to walk. One last one I wanted to shout out that we both loved was The Batman, which did get some Oscar nominations, but it should have been in Best Score, because the score for that movie is amazing. I don’t listen to scores that often, even though I love music, and after I came home from The Batman, I immediately went on Spotify and started listening to that score because it’s so good. So that was a little disappointing to me. Another one that I wish had been nominated that I forgot to put on my list is Bones and All. Bones and All’s score is so good. You laugh [in disbelief], but the Bones and All performances are so good. The cinematography in that movie is astounding. And it’s another Luca Guadagnino movie, who has been up for Oscars in the past—and I feel like that one was completely overlooked, and nobody’s even talking about it as a snub, but Bones and All was one of my favorite watches. I watched it in 2023, but it’s a 2022 movie, and it’s so good; it’s so gross, but it’s so good. So I’m a little sad about that.

Brandi: But you’re right, that is a very Oscar-caliber lineup—director, actors—so it is surprising that it didn’t get very much attention. But I think just the getting over the hump of that subject matter of cannibalism—is that a spoiler?

Jess: No, it’s not a spoiler, it’s not a spoiler.

Brandi: OK.

Jess: But the cannibalism in the movie—not that this needs to become a Bones and All conversation—but the cannibalism in that movie is really a metaphor, and it can be a metaphor for a lot of different things: for addiction, or there’s also a queer metaphor in it because it’s set in the ’80s, about the AIDS crisis, and if you watch that movie and you start thinking about it from those lenses, oh, it really gets inside of you. I listened to so many podcasts afterwards because nobody else that I know has watched that movie, and it really affected me. I would watch that movie 10 more times in a heartbeat. And Mark Rylance was crazy good and crazy creepy, and he should be in here too [with the nominations], but I’m going to leave it alone because I’m a Timmy [Chalamet] stan.

Brandi: I can’t believe that we’re ending this on Bones and All, and the way you just talked about that movie made me want to see it.

Jess: Yes! [laughs]

Brandi: I will not! I will not see it. But.

Jess: You can cover your eyes during the gross parts.

Brandi: As you were talking, I was like, Hmm, interesting. So that is the perfect note to end on; you should be giving film recommendations to everybody, and everybody should listen to your recommendations. Follow Jess on Letterboxd—what’s your Letterboxd name?

Jess: Oh, that is a great question. I’ll tag it in the notes for this.

Brandi: I’ll put mine in too, although my taste is a lot of Disney princesses and stuff. So you might not want to follow me.

Jess: You’re very kind to things on Letterboxd. If you like happy people, your Letterboxd is great, and if you like mean people, my Letterboxd is great. So, it just depends what you’re into, and that’s why we balance each other.

Brandi: Perfect.

Jess: Thanks for talking to me about it.

Brandi: Yeah, this was fun. Thank you for listening, and check out the article that goes along with this. We’ll link that in the description as well. We will talk [to each other] around the Oscars time, March 12th.

Jess: Sounds good. Thanks!