Can "Anora" upset "The Brutalist?" Can Demi Moore take home the Oscar for Best Picture? Alan goes through the major nominations and goes through his predictions, and wonders if there will be any upsets. Timothy Chalamet is in two Oscar nominated films-"A Complete Unknown" and "Dune II." How much value will voters place on his great singing impersonating Bob Dylan. He also goes over some odd choices and laments that there is only one good song nominated for Bes Original Song-and will not win.

We take a look at a dark film that asks if we are wrong to place so much value on physical beauty as Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, who injects herself with a substance so that a youynger, more beautiful version of herself will emerge. Part Black Mirror, part The Twilight Zone, The Substance is one of the best films of the year. We also take a look at Anora in which Mikey Madison stars as a sex worker who thinks she might have met her husband but is in for a nasty surprise. Both are nominated for Best Picture and Moore or Madison should win Best Actress. 

"Emilia Perez" has 13 Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. It is a musical, in a manner of speaking and stars Zoe Saldana as a lawyer and a male drug lord Manitas who becomes a woman-Emilia Perez. Alan gives his thoughts on the widely divisive film that also stars Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Gascon. Alan doesn't mince words. 

Alan talks about the new film "A Real Pain" starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin as Jewish cousins who reconnect on a trip to Poland where they will visit a death camp as well as the house in which a grandmother lived. Alan explains why the movie worked so well and is joined by Nike Silberstein, who talks about her own "March of the Living" trip when she was in high school. They discuss whether or not it is ethical to take selfies and certain places where tragedy took place and they examine the dynamic between the two characters who are jealous of each other. Alan asks Nike if she feels more pressure to live a meaningful life because she is the grandchild of survivors. They also discuss Jennifer Gray, of "Dirty Dancing" fame and whether or not something about her character is implied. They also discuss how this may be a Holocaust movie that is not a Holocaust movie as it instead focuses on how the next generation processes the past.  

Alan speaks with Music Editor Micha Liberman who was nominated for two Emmy's for his work on the Hulu hit "Only Murderers In The Building" and Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Liberman, who won an Emmy for his work on the pilot of HBO's Deadwood explains what it's like to have his work involve such stars at Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. He explains how he plays numerous instruments, how he went to Austria where an 80-piece orchestra and choir that had to go with action sequences in "Avatar: The Last Airbender."  With great humor and humility, Liberman talks about what it's like to be a music editor on such prestigious projects. Alan asks Micha if he would rather hire a talented person with an attitude or a slightly less talented person who is easier to work with. Micha shares one time he had a disagreement with someone. Stick around as he closes with a funny story about Martin Short.

Based on a Stephen King novella, "The Shawshank Redemption" starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is on most people's top 25 list of best movies. It tells the story of a man falsely convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Alan and Sruli Brooker discuss a number of intriguing questions. Is hope always a good thing? What does the film say about justice and the nature of the parole system? Sruli points out some moments that many miss-how the warden nearly caught Andy's means of escape but narrowly missed it. Alan also discusses several metaphors in the film and wonders why Morgan Freeman was in the Best Actor category instead of the Supporting Actor Category.  Brooker also gives advice on how to get through difficult situations.