The Analysis crew returns for their annual Oscars extravaganza, and this year the stakes are high. Matt shows up in full Elphaba costume after losing alast years bet. What's on the line this year? The loset has to go full chili dog hot dog experiment like Liam Neeson in Naked Gun, all while painted as "Hot Frankenstein Jacob Elordi. Bob is cautiously optimistic about the Academy for the first time in years, and Hollywood correspondent Spencer Davis joins live from the chaos of Oscar weekend to break down one of the most unpredictable races in recent memory.

Across a packed slate of categories, the trio debates the biggest battles of the night—from the Sinners vs. One Battle After Another showdown for Best Picture, to a wild Best Actor race featuring Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Wagner Moura. They dive deep into the craft categories, argue about the chaotic shorts races that make or break ballots, and break down why this year’s nominations represent a rare mix of blockbuster spectacle and intimate filmmaking.

Along the way, they discuss the potential career-crowning Oscar for Paul Thomas Anderson, the cultural impact of K-Pop Demon Hunters, the emotional devastation of this year’s documentary lineup, and why some races might come down to pure momentum in the final days of voting.

It’s predictions, debates, hot takes, and Oscar chaos—plus a few existential questions like:

Should PTA have won years ago? Is Timothée Chalamet his own worst enemy? And what role would Philip Seymour Hoffman have played in One Battle After Another?

Grab your ballots and settle in—because by the end of the episode, the guys lock in their picks for every major category before the biggest night in Hollywood.

This week on the podcast, Bob is joined by Matty Bonez for a passionate, hilarious defense of Scream 7 — or at least the idea of Scream 7 — as they unpack franchise loyalty, Ghostface obsession, sequel burnout, and whether this latest entry is truly as bad as the internet says. From AI-fueled plot complaints and trailer oversharing to the enduring appeal of a good whodunit slasher, it’s a fun conversation about why some horror fans keep coming back no matter how messy it gets.

They also close things out with a chaotic blind ranking of major movie franchises, forcing Matt to stack Scream, Rocky, Harry Potter, Fast & Furious, Halloween, Star Wars, and more in real time. It’s part horror debate, part franchise therapy session, and fully the kind of movie-nerd chaos we live for.

This week, Matt and Bob willingly wreck their emotional stability by going back-to-back with Hamnet and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You — two beautifully made, deeply stressful films that hit like a gut punch and don’t let up. From Rose Byrne’s relentless anxiety spiral to Jesse Buckley’s generational-level grief performance, we break down the craft, the controversy, the awards buzz, and why sometimes the toughest hangs are the most fascinating watches.

We also debate Shakespearean inspiration, Safdie-esque stress cinema, modern motherhood on screen, and whether emotional devastation is the whole point of great art. It’s an honest, funny, slightly unhinged catch-up as we sprint toward Oscar season and ask: when does a movie break you… and when does it energize you? 🎬

Send Help, Housemaid, and Why Rachel McAdams Should Always Be This Unhinged

Bob is joined by fan-favorite guest Brittany Brown—fresh off dominating the Analysis Awards submissions—to break down one of the year’s most anticipated releases: Send Help, the latest genre-bending horror-comedy from Sam Raimi.

From the electric energy of AMC pre-screenings to Raimi’s signature “Three Stooges but make it blood” filmmaking style, the duo dives deep into why Send Help absolutely rips in a theater. Brittany makes the case that no one balances horror and absurdist comedy quite like Raimi, and both hosts rave about the two-hander performances from Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien.

They unpack:

* The joy of watching rich bros get their comeuppance


* Why Linda might be one of McAdams’ funniest roles ever


* The fine line between survival, manipulation, and straight-up madness


* And whether anyone in this movie actually deserves saving


Plus: comparisons to Castaway, Triangle of Sadness, and a little Misery energy for good measure.

In the back half of the episode, Bob and Brittany pivot to the twisty domestic thriller The Housemaid, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. They debate:

* Does the big reveal actually land?


* Is the twist stronger on the page than on screen?


* And is Amanda Seyfried having way more fun than everyone else?


It’s a lively conversation about performance range, horror-comedy rhythm, thriller pacing, and the very specific pleasure of watching morally questionable women take control of the narrative.

Two movies. One that rocks. One that… exists.
Press play and decide which island you’d rather be stranded on.

From rainy-window cinephiles to chaos gremlins who just want to argue about Spider from Avatar, the 2026 Analysis Awards (aka “The ANALS”) are back — broadcast coast-to-coast from Chicago to Los Angeles with your deeply unqualified hosts Matt and Bob.

It’s the award show built for the people: our personal favorites across BOTH movies and TV, with help from a rotating panel of “pundits” (friends of the pod with dangerously strong opinions). Categories range from the legit (Best Actor/Actress, Cinematography, Writing) to the unhinged (Most Batshit Crazy Character — the Willem Dafoe Award; Worst Performance in an Otherwise Good Movie — the “Brendan Fraser Get Him Outta Here” Award).

Hit play for the only awards show brave enough to honor prestige, popcorn, and pure derailment — and stick around, because the Oscar pod is up next.

Matt and Bob kick off 2026 by breaking down Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie’s relentless, anxiety-fueled ride, and why Timothée Chalamet might be giving his best performance yet. They then slow it way down for Sentimental Value, a raw, sharply written family drama about art, legacy, and whether creativity heals or harms the people closest to us. Along the way they hit Chicago winter misery, Critics Choice/Oscar chatter, wild casting choices, and tease the upcoming ANALYSIS Awards (the ANALS)

This week on The Analysis (In-Person Pod), Bob hosts from his “temporary studio” (aka the dining room) while construction turns his future basement setup into a work-in-progress—and yes, the backdrop is a 4.5-foot Nakatomi Plaza complete with a Bruce Willis ornament and an LED explosion. From Die Hard Christmas party lore to awards-season streaming season, the guys dig into Netflix’s latest lineup with a “Give It a Stream” mindset.

First up: Train Dreams—a quiet, devastating, visually stunning frontier story anchored by Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones. They unpack the film’s naturalistic beauty, the brutal realities of logging life, hidden CGI craft, and why simple stories can hit the hardest.

Then they hop aboard Jay Kelly, Noah Baumbach’s movie-star meditation starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler. They debate its strong bones vs. a jarring tonal detour, highlight standout scenes (Billy Crudup’s “emotional choice” masterclass), and talk about the cost of greatness—career ambition vs. being present for the people who matter.

To close, they hit Knives Out 3: Wake Up Deadman, breaking down why these star-stacked whodunits are the perfect “pause-and-theorize” Netflix watch, what works (Josh Brolin + Josh O’Connor showing up big), and where the movie occasionally runs long—but still lands.

Also: a quick warning about The Roses… and a bottle-fed cameo from Reese to end the episode.

Episode 301 – Chair Company, Bagonia & the Anxiety of Being Extremely Online

Matt and Bob are back “to pod” and this week they’re double-featuring two very different brands of unhinged: Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company on HBO and Yorgos Lanthimos’ new black comedy Bagonia. First up, they break down why Chair Company’s pilot might be an all-timer — deviled eggs, mall-restaurant discourse, wheelbarrow talk, and HR meetings about accidental upskirt eye contact — but why the season’s tone, length, and “Scrooge porn” detours make it a tougher hang than I Think You Should Leave or Friendship. There’s bouncer Mike, Wazy Wanes, giant wieners, and the eternal question: how many huge bits are too many huge bits?

Then they head into the basement with Bagonia, digging into Jesse Plemons’ beautifully weird performance, Emma Stone’s corporate-speak alien CEO, and a story that sits somewhere between Ari Aster dread and Wes Anderson precision. They unpack conspiracy-brain vs. Big Pharma, torture in a foil-lined basement, corporate “no PTO, but take all the time you need” doublespeak, and an ending that somehow manages to combine telekinesis, exploding heads, and puffy tribunal aliens in a way that’s both dark and oddly funny.

Along the way, the guys shout out Jim Downey’s late-career run, Will Tracy’s Onion/Succession DNA, and close with a few rapid-fire watches on their radar: Train Dreams, J. Kelly, Task, Hamnet, and the Safdies’ Christmas chaos ride Marty Supreme. If you’ve ever fallen down a conspiracy rabbit hole, worked in a soul-sucking office, or just love watching deeply weird men completely derail their lives, this one’s for you

Bob is joined once again by resident musical theatre brain Brittney Brown to bring their Wicked movie series in for a landing with Wicked: Part Two. Fresh out of the theater (and a little shot out of a cannon), they unpack whether Act Two really is weaker than Act One, how the film handles “For Good,” and if splitting the story into two movies was bold storytelling…or a glittery cash grab.

They dive into:

Why “Defying Gravity” might still break the show’s structural rules—and why that’s okay

The emotional (and structural) heavy lifting of Act Two, including “No Good Deed” and “As Long As You’re Mine”

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s performances, chemistry, and Oscar potential

The animals, Bach’s transformation, and what the film fixes (or fumbles) from the stage show

Rewatchability, double-feature vibes, and what this adaptation means for future movie musicals

Stick around to the end as Bob and Brittney talk about that final Grimmerie moment, the future of the “Wicked-verse,” and why big, earnest movie musicals like this still feel a little bit like magic.

Matt and Bob fire up the lab equipment for a new Analysis on Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, fresh to Netflix. What should have been the director’s long-awaited monster opus instead leaves them puzzling over CGI deer, swoony color palettes, and a strangely sexy Jacob Elordi.

They dig into Oscar Isaac’s mad-scientist energy, Christoph Waltz’s syphilitic benefactor, and why del Toro’s empathy may have drained the horror from Mary Shelley’s tale. From Victorian melodrama to Twilight-core vibes, the guys debate whether this gothic romance ever truly comes alive.

Then they pivot to The Smashing Machine—Benny Safdie’s gritty UFC biopic starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson—and talk addiction, obsession, and Emily Blunt’s thankless “nagging girlfriend” archetype. Rounding out the episode: Oscar buzz power rankings (One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Sentimental Value), and a quick look at upcoming awards-season heavy hitters like Bagonia and Marie Supreme.