April’s box office bounce back is driven by A Minecraft Movie, and creatively, we have seen an upswing in the quality of 2025 films as well with Sinners, The Ballad of Wallis Island, Warfare, etc. In fact, AlsoMike delivers a baker’s dozen of new movie reviews in this episode.

3:10 - A Minecraft Movie: discussing the blockbuster box office, social media frenzy, and history of video game adaptations.

23:41 - Hell of a Summer: discussing the benefit of a smaller budget by NEON here for Finn Wolfhard’s directorial debut.

28:28 - Drop: discussing Blumhouse’s smart budgeting and Christopher Landon’s tight thriller script.

30:43 - The Amateur: discussing it’s throwback charms and strong ensemble led by Rami Malek

33:04 - Warfare: discussing why it’s true story is so impactful

38:07 - The Friend: discussing this dramedy and why it’s one of the better doggy parent movies in a while.

41:10 - The Ballad of Wallis Island: discussing the highest graded AlsoMike film of the year

47:35 - Eephus: discussing one of the best baseball movies in recent years

50:20 - Other Streaming Movie Reviews including Revelations, The Rule of Jenny Penn, Holland & Let’s Start A Cult.

53:32 - TV Series Reviews including The White Lotus, Gone Girls, The Studio, Abbott Elementary, Hacks, and The Last of Us.

56:01 - Sinners: discussing some first reactions after seeing the film and some box office projections.

OUTRO: Here’s hoping Mike1 is back soon. In the meantime, please rate & review our show in a positive way if you’re enjoying what we do. We thank you for that as always. Plus, you hear about how we’re going to set a ridiculous new standard for Oscar Podcasts in an upcoming episode. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

Christina Jeurling Birro of the outstanding podcast, Pop Culture Confidential joins us to discuss the Cannes Film Festival and the films announced in the lineup for its 78th edition. Plus, we happily begin with some talk about the new Oscars Category…

Stunts! Finally, we are getting a Stunts Design Academy Award - 2:09

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL COVERAGE

Christina’s history attending & covering the Cannes Film Festival - 4:13

Eating on the run & the tight festival schedule - 6:51

What’s the deal with all the clapping? - 10:03

The Recent Oscar Streak & Last Year’s Incredible Cannes Slate - 13:51

IN COMPETITION LINEUP HIGHLIGHTS FOR CANNES 2025:

Julia Ducournau’s Alpha, a 1980’s Aids Crisis Drama from Neon - 17:44

Ari Aster’s Eddington w/ Joaquin vs Pedro + Austin Butler & Emma Stone - 19:55

The History of Sound from Oliver Hermanus, Josh O’Connor & Paul Mescal - 21:23

Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, a Vietnam War art heist story - 22:44

Richard Linklater’s New Wave on the making of Godard’s Breathless - 24:30

Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme featuring Kate Winslet’s daughter - 25:58

Sentimental Value from Neon, Joachim Trier & Renate Reinsve - 29:01

Other Targets & Potential Discoveries In Competition for Christina - 30:44

Palme D’or Statistics and Our Way Too Early Palme Predictions - 33:19

Female Filmmaker Stats Improve, But Still Need More Improvement - 35:13

Un Certain Regard Recent Oscars Crossover History, Debuts from Scarlett Johansson & Harris Dickinson + Pillion & Other Films we are targeting in this year’s section - 36:16

OUT OF COMPETITION LINEUP HIGHLIGHTS:

Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest is the most recent big name to enter Out of Competition following Marty & Baz films in recent years - 39:16

Jodie Foster in a Murder Mystery & Other Special Screenings of interest - 41:26

Tom Cruise returns with Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning - 43:28

Our Reactions to the Star Studded Cannes Premieres Section - 44:20

What films are NOT here that we thought would be? What films could be added later? And which films might be opting for a Fall Festival launch instead? - 46:02

What Christina is most looking forward to showing first time Cannes festival goer, Ryan McQuade at this year’s festival - 50:07

OUTRO: 51:48 - Our words of Wisdom today are to follow Christina Juerling Birro on her socials and to enjoy her work on the internet, (see the links below). Plus, we talk about her upcoming coverage of Cannes and what’s coming next for both our podcasts, Pop Culture Confidential and Mike, Mike and Oscar. So do please support our shows with positive ratings & reviews, and we thank you for doing so.

Pop Culture Confidential: Pop culture conversations with today's innovators, entertainers and newsmakers - podcast hosted by Christina Jeurling Birro

https://www.popcultureconfidential.com/

Where To Follow Christina Jeurling Birro on Social Media:

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/christinabirro/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/christina.jeurling

Threads

https://www.threads.net/@christinabirro

Twitter

https://x.com/ChristinaBirro

MMO https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

From A24 through Warner Bros, we go studio by film studio and discuss their known film slates and focus on the undated films that could vie for Film Festival love.

A24: Eddington, Highest 2 Lowest, The Entertainment System Is Down, etc - 2:21

Amazon/MGM: After the Hunt, Madden, Hedda - 16:12

Apple Original Films: The Lost Bus, F1 - 18:11

Bleecker Street & Briarcliff: The Wedding Banquet, Sneaks, etc - 20:26

Disney: Deliver Me From Nowhere, The Roses, Is This Thing On? Etc - 21:38

Greenwich Entertainment & Janus: Diane Warren: Relentless, Peter Hujar’s Day, etc - 32:18

IFC, Lionsgate, Magnolia: The Luckiest Man In America, Good Fortune, 40 Acres - 33:45

MUBI: Father Mother Sister Brother from Jim Jarmusch - 36:28

Neon: Sentimental Value from Joachim Trier, Alpha from Julia Ducournau, etc - 38:25

Netflix: Wake Up Dead Man, GDT’s Frankenstein, Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, Edward Berger’s The Ballad of a Small Player, Train Dreams, etc - 41:02

Paramount: What’s their top priority? Plus, some recent history - 53:34

Sony: Blue Moon, Eleanor the Great, East of Wall, etc - 56:07

Universal: The Phoenician Scheme details, Hamnet, Anemone, etc - 1:02:09

WB: The Bride! + Sinners first reax and Superman Cinemacon reactions - 1:08:17

NO DISTRIBUTION YET: Sundance Hits like Kiss of the Spider Woman, SXSW hits like The Rivals of Amziah King, Rosemead w/ Lucy Liu, At The Sea w/ Amy Adams, Sydney Sweeny as Christie Martin, The History of Sound + Greta Lee, Willem Dafoe, & Brendan Fraser vehicles - 1:11:34

OUTRO: We’ll end our Year In Preview Series with the Cannes Lineup reactions and then our 100% Accurate Predictions coming up next! https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

With Cinemacon in the rearview, we look ahead at the Fall & Winter Film Release Calendar and discuss the Oscars chances for all of the major films.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood 2 - 1:03

September’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, One Battle After Another, etc - 7:41

October’s The Smashing Machine, After The Hunt, Good Fortune, etc - 18:04

November’s Bugonia, Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, etc - 32:01

December’s Avatar: Fire & Ash, Marty Supreme, The Housemaid, etc - 39:15

OUTRO - We discuss the next two episodes in the Year In Preview Series, and then we have some big picture thoughts about Cinemacon, Las Vegas, Film Festivals, and why not, going to the bathroom while traveling. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

It’s a spring news catch-up episode! Conan & Nikki return as show hosts, Will Smith raps about the slap, and the Academy apologizes for their statement re: Hamdan Ballal. Plus, we dive into lots of Emmys, Sundance, studio shake-ups, and early takeaways from Cinemacon. Otherwise, sorry… the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood news dropped after we stopped recording on Tuesday night. So that’ll be discussed next episode.

ACADEMY NEWS:

Conan O’Brien returns as host for the 98th Oscars - 1:30

Will Smith raps about ‘The Slap’ - 6:29

The Academy apologizes for its statement after violence against Hamdan Ballal - 8:49

OTHER AWARDS NEWS:

Nikki Glaser returns as host for the 83rd Golden Globes - 13:47

The ACE EDDIE Award Winners - 15:16

The 2025 Emmys set a date + we look at the TV Awards “Season” - 18:05

INDUSTRY NEWS:

Sundance moves to Boulder, Colorado - 21:23

MGM ousts Jennifer Salke + a James Bond update & the state of streaming films - 24:47

Zazlav looks to replace WB studio heads - 32:54

WB sells Coyote vs Acme to Ketchup Entertainment - 35:47

AMC to expand Dolby & IMAX locations, Mike1 quotes Seth Rogen to give us hope - 38:21

FUTURE MOVIE NEWS:

The Beatles film series sets its cast - 42:35

The Legend of Zelda sets its release date - 47:02

Kendrick Lamar & Trey Parker’s film gets pushed to 2026 - 49:00

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:

One New Film: Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna - 50:06

Plus, a bunch of films we watched from previous years including Touch of Evil, The Killing, Chungking Express, Joint Security Area, Midnight Run, Shiva Baby, & Clue - 52:18

Adolescence - 55:38

Plus, a bunch of other TV Series watches we did including American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson, A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Frankie, Reacher, Invincible, The White Lotus, Abbott Elementary, and Shoresy - 58:38

OUTRO: Our Oscars Year in Preview Series continues next. Then we’ll return with an Oscar Race Checkpoints on Cinemacon & the Cannes lineup announcement. We’ll also be announcing upcoming series and new MMO endeavors. So stay tuned. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

Mike1 returns to break down the Spring & Summer release calendar as we speculate which films could have Oscar chances, which films could have a chance to be hits for their studios, and which films the Mikes will enjoy watching most/least.

Recent Oscar Noms from the Spring & Summer - 1:57

THE SPRING & SUMMER FILM CALENDAR:

March Meltdown at the Box Office and a Death of a Unicorn Review - 4:22

April’s Warfare, Sinners & The Wedding Banquet give us hope - 7:48

May enters some marquis players like Tom Cruise & Wes Anderson - 18:09

June has serious potential with The Life of Chuck, Materialists, and F1 - 31:58

July put pressure on Superman, the MCU & Adam Sandler, yes, Adam Sandler - 47:45

August’s Together & Caught Stealing intrigue us. But even though it’s been moved to September, we cannot help discussing One Battle After Another and it’s awesome trailer from WB, PTA & Leo - 57:58

OUTRO: https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar Please follow us on social media and leave us some good reviews and 5 star ratings if you enjoy what we do here. We also discuss upcoming episodes, including News Catchup Shows on Cinemacon, upcoming Cannes film festival coverage, and the rest of this Year In Preview Series. Plus, you get some hints at what our next rewatch series might be.

Andrew Morgan of Recent Activity & What’s On Netflix returns to MMO for this Best (& Worst) of the 2025 Film Year Special Episode. We begin with how we handled our Oscars Hangovers, and then dive into some preliminary talk about how critics got onto their high horses after watching The Electric State. NOTE: All reviews in this episode will be spoiler free, only getting into some plot premise information.

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OUR TOP 10 BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR THUS FAR:

10’s: Good parenting by Andrew & a good doc for Mike - 6:47

9’s: We lose credibility & try not to barf - 11:23

8’s: We both enjoyed this year’s winter horror corridor - 17:54

7’s: Andrew as Daddington & Mike’s indie pick - 22:10

6’s: Andrew’s indie pick & Mike’s fun comedy + our talk on the state of Comedies - 27:40

5’s: The 1 Big Budget Film, where we have very different opinions - 34:34

4’s: We rejoin forces on this indie hit + Mike’s 2nd doc - 40:20

3’s: Fee Fee Men Are We - 49:44

2’s: We’re united on this genre bending thriller - 55:42

1’s: James Bond Auditions & Casting Predictions Included - 58:50

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OUR BOTTOM 5 MOVIES OF THE YEAR THUS FAR:

5’s: When Big Budget Sci-Fi Goes Wrong - 1:06:51

4’s: When Streamo Comedies Give Us Nothing Funny - 1:07:43

3’s: When we really start to fear for the Marvel Cinematic Universe - 1:10:14

2’s: Streaming Curiosities Don’t Land For Either Of Us - 1:16:04

1’s: Our Worst Films of the Year - 1:18:00

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Comparing 2025 to Previous Years & Looking Forward to the Spring - 1:22:34

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OUTRO: Make sure to follow Andrew Morgan & MMO at the links below. Plus, we also discuss the Oscars Year In Preview Series to come.

Andrew Morgan:

https://x.com/jokesondrew

https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/author/andrew-morgan/

Recent Activity:

https://x.com/recentactpod

https://recent-activity.captivate.fm/listen

MMO: https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

Izzy of Be Kind Rewind returns to MMO to give her Oscars thoughts and, most importantly, take Mike1 to school!

Be Kind Rewind Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/@bkrewind

Be Kind Rewind Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/c/bkrewind/posts

Mike, Mike, and Oscar Linktree

https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

Variety's Chief Awards Editor Clayton Davis rejoins MMO to put a final bow on Oscars 2025...and cast the Awards Circuit Off-Broadway Conclave Play?!

***Spoiler Warning for Conclave at the end during the final question***

Make sure to check out Clayton's work at Variety!

https://variety.com/author/clayton-davis/

https://variety.com/t/awards-circuit-podcast/

What Is This Episode - Top of Show

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OSCARS 2025 RECAP EPISODE:

Red Carpet Fashion Takes From 2 UnFashionable Mikes - 1:53

Pros/Cons of the Broadcast - 7:53

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Show Open/Conan’s Monologue - 15:46

Culkin Finishes His Supporting Actor Sweep - 20:51

Video Packages for BP Noms - 23:04

Flow Upsets in Animated Feature - 24:12

A 50:1 Winner in Animated Short!!! - 27:12

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Paul Tazewell Makes Costume Design History - 28:55

Catholics vs Convicts Foreshadowed After Screenplay, MUAH wins - 31:22

The Bond Tribute Miss & Conan Movie Theater Video Hit  - 33:51

Sean Baker wins his 2nd on the night for Editing - 36:29

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Zoe Saldana wins & we put the Emilia Perez controversies to rest - 38:59 

Ben Stiller & Mick Jagger both kill for PD & Score + Diane loses again - 41:43

Docs make fools us & LA Firefighters get their due, but not enough applause  - 45:45

Dune Part Two + Live Action short wins secured by Mike1 & Radiohead - 52:38 

A moving, but oddly constructed in Memoriam - 55:53 

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Everything Brutalist was long, but Cinematography Fab 5 was great - 57:09 

Broadcast Speeds Up for Brazil’s big moment, Brutalist Score & The Whiz! - 58:45 

Adrien Brody big times the play-off music - 1:02:08 

Sean Baker wins Director & AM echoes his pro indie theater speech - 1:05:40 

Mikey Madison over Demi Moore in Lead Actress - 1:10:12 

Anora wins Best Picture! - 1:12:56 

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Tallies, Stats, Our Predictions + a string of history making Best Pictures  - 1:15:07

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OUTRO: 1:18:57 - What’s coming next includes lots of great guests and potential early 2026 contending films that come out this spring.  Our Oscars thank you speech includes our heartfelt gratitude to all of our guests, our sponsors, and most of all, all of our listeners.