Oscars season turns smart people into coin flippers, and we are no exception. We sit down with our ballots open and our confidence shrinking by the minute, then make the call anyway: our final predictions for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture. Along the way we argue the cases for the films and performances that feel like front runners, the ones that might sneak up late, and the reasons our “sure thing” picks keep changing as the Academy Awards buzz shifts.

We also keep it grounded in what’s actually playing for real moviegoers right now. We celebrate a strong New Zealand box office result for Holy Days, give love to local storytelling, and share what we’re hearing from audiences walking out of My Name Is Party. On the new release side, we hit a quick guide to Cold Storage as a Liam Neeson and Joe Keery horror comedy, plus a limited release pick for art lovers with Turner and Constable. We even make time for a classic movie spotlight with Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, because sometimes the best way to reset your movie brain is to watch a great film on a big screen.

Then we zoom out to the movie industry question that affects everything: the theatrical window. A major studio is reportedly slowing down how fast movies hit streaming services, and we unpack why that change could help cinemas survive and help audiences remember what a theatrical release is supposed to feel like. That leads straight into our excitement for Project Hail Mary with Ryan Gosling, a sci fi crowd pleaser getting rave reviews and promising practical filmmaking that sounds made for theaters.

If you’re playing along with Oscars predictions, building a watchlist, or just want a smart, funny movie podcast from New Zealand cinema people, hit play and join us. Subscribe, share the show with a film nerd friend, and leave a review, then tell us what’s your Best Picture pick this year?

Book your tickets to the movies at Cathay Cinemas Kerikeri here - or at Lido Cinema Hamilton here!