We react to the Oscar Shortlists later in the episode. But we start with a non-spoiler review of Richard Jewell, go category by category through all of the updates on the critics associations, and finish the show with reviews of Waves, Dark Waters, & Mike 1’s takes on Marriage Story.

What Is This Show? - :58

RICHARD JEWELL NONSPOILER REVIEW:

Review: Golden Performances - 1:48

(The Most Likable Ensemble on Paper? - 2:08)

The “Controversy” + Repercussions - 3:24

MAKE THE CASE: PWH - 8:29

MAKE THE CASE: KATHY BATES - 12:59

“Too Innocent?” - 14:11

SOCIETY/CIRCLE/GUILD AWARDS NEWS

Cinema Audio Society Noms (Sound Mixing) - 15:40

Sound Editing - 17:00

Women’s Film Critics’ Circle Awards - 20:31

CRITICS SCOREBOARD:

Best Picture - 28:00

Best Director - 30:41

Lead Actress - 31:19

Lead Actor - 33:17

Supporting Actress - 35:32

Supporting Actor - 39:08

Screenplays - 42:00

Cinematography, Costumes, Editing - 45:21

EMERGENCY ACADEMY SHORTLIST ANALYSIS:

Which Ones We’re Discussing - 46:08

Doc Feature Shortlist - 48:04

International Film Shortlist - 49:37

Makeup and Hairstyling Shortlist - 51:36

Original Score Shortlist - 53:17

Original Song Shortlist - 54:05

VFX Shortlist - 55:54

MAKE THE CASE:

AlsoMike FOR Waves - 57:35

AlsoMike AGAINST Dark Waters - 59:27

MIKE1’S MARRIAGE STORY TAKES

The Highs - 1:01:38

The “But” - 1:08:47

Your Homework/PLEASE LEAVE US 5*’S - 1:17:14

What’s Next From MMO/Words of Wisdom - 1:18:15

It’s another major Oscar Race Checkpoint episode from MMO! The Academy Short Lists dropped midway through our recording session. So we were able to react to all those towards the end of the show. But we also bookended the episode with some movie reviews in our Make The Case segments.

We begin with a non-spoiler review of Richard Jewell. The backlash to the Olivia Wilde character has been fierce, and we have some hot takes. Then we Make The Case for both Paul Walter Hauser and Kathy Bates to round out our opening review.

Then we recap all of the non-stop updates regarding the critics associations. Our friends at Next Best Picture have covered the hell out of these on their website. Make sure you check them out & follow at NextBestPicture on Twitter & Instagram to keep up with the race. We use their scoreboard to go category by category for another comprehensive check point on all of the contenders. You get our reactions to all the Oscar Short Lists with a breaking news segment.

And we close out the show with reviews of Waves, Dark Waters, and Mike 1’s takes on Marriage Story. We Make The Case for Sterling K. Brown & Taylor Russell. There’s a quick review of Todd Haynes’ Dark Waters, and since Mike 1 was sick during our review episode on Marriage Story, he lends his wealth of experience as an attorney to what transpired in that film to give us all a new perspective on what worked and what didn’t in Noah Baumbach’s contending film.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a few seconds to leave us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts. Just click on show in your app, scroll down a few moments, and click that fifth star. We greatly appreciate your support.

We covered so much in this one, but the best part of our experience is interacting with you all on social media. Do lend us your thoughts on anything or everything we covered in this O.R.C. 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 iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Google Play, Tune In, Spotify, and just about wherever you listen to podcasts. When reality sucks, keep watching movies with us. We’re Mike, Mike, & Oscar!