We review Lead Actor with William Bibbiani! Can Joaquin Phoenix complete the sweep? Should he? What does a Joker win say about the Academy? How should DC make a sequel? And what is the role of film critics in changing the Oscars for the better? We discuss all that & more!

What Is This Show/Introducing Our Guest - Top of Show

William Bibbiani of The Critically Acclaimed Podcast Network!

All His Podcasts Listed In This Section!

BEST ACTOR REVIEW W/ WILLIAM BIBBIANI:

Joaquin’s Portrayals of Mental Illnesses + Joker Problems - 4:12

When Does Physical Transformation Go Too Far? - 8:08

How Much Does Joker Winning Impact DCEU - 10:49

Bibbs Does The Joker Character Study Ranking - 17:41

(And Why Critically Acclaimed Can Appreciate “Leto Joker”)

Which Nom Does William Want Most To Upset - 20:08

Low On These Movies, High On These Performances - 23:11

(Including Critters 3; The Tuxedo; and Fast Break Talk. Bc Bibbs is Amazing.)

Which Nominated Character Best Fits The Schmoedown - 29:00

William’s Biggest Category Snubs - 31:02

(And An Adam Sandler Career Conversation)

Gender Roles, Academy Stereotyping, and The GREATEST SPEECH ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FILM CRITICISM EVER SPOKEN - 35:40

TRADITIONAL MMO CATEGORY REVIEW FORMAT:

BEST ACTOR:

Category Review Format - 48:25

Snubs - 48:57

Antonio Banderas:

Why He’ll Win - 54:50

Why He Won’t - 56:51

Leonardo Dicaprio:

Why He’ll Win - 58:50

Why He Won’t - 1:01:55

Adam Driver:

Why He’ll Win - 1:05:35

Why He Won’t - 1:09:02

Jonathan Pryce:

Why He’ll Win - 1:13:22

Why He Won’t - 1:15:10

Joaquin Phoenix:

Why He’ll Win - 1:18:26

Why He Won’t - 1:22:44

PERFECTING PERFECTION: RE-RANKING THE NOMS:

What is Perfecting Perfection? - 1:28:23

The Re-Rank - 1:28:55

William Bibbiani’s Socials, Podcast Names, Where to Find His Work, + All Other Relevant Info - 1:31:55

Your Homework/Our Socials - 1:33:56

What’s Next From MMO - 1:34:48

We are huge fans of William Bibbiani. Make sure to listen to all the great podcasts from the Critically Acclaimed Network. Critically Acclaimed covers new movies, Cancelled Too Soon celebrates TV Shows, The Two Shot enjoys double features of the best / worst films, The Iron List lays down rankings for filmmakers & franchises alike, & We’ve Got Mail is all about audience interaction. Then do support the Critically Acclaimed Network’s patreon for access to his stupendous Oscars show - Only The Best, where they review every best picture nominee. And stay tuned for their upcoming Star Wars pod, Episode Zero.

Our chat with Mr. Bibbiani breaks down the Lead Actor category with some fun tangents on the future of DC movies, Leo’s acting origins, and how film critics can save the Academy from itself! Of course, we also dive into a further review of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, why Antonio Banderas deserves the nomination (& perhaps more) for Pain and Glory, the strong work from both the other 3 noms, and Bibbs’ favorite snubs.

After our interview, Mike & I discuss the category via our traditional format, starting with our snubs. Then we make the case for & against each nominee’s chances of winning, and we rank our 5’s.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts. Do the same for the Critically Acclaimed Network. You can also read William’s work on Bloody-Disgusting and The Wrap, and you can watch William “The Beast” Bibbianni on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown on youtube to see more of his acting chops, and certainly, what a steel trap he is as a trivia maestro.

As always, let us know what you think, and do send us your input for our upcoming MMO’s. We’re at MMandOscar on Twitter, and we are on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Gmail. You can subscribe / rate / review / like / share / & listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Google Play, Tune In, Spotify, and just about wherever you might listen. We’re Mike, Mike, & Oscar, and we’re making awards season year round, without the stuffiness. Thanks for listening.