David, Lisa, and Bryan celebrate the life and career of Catherine O'Hara, who passed away in January 2026. The trio traces her path from waitressing at Toronto's Second City at 19, where she understudied for Gilda Radner, through her Emmy-winning years on SCTV alongside future comedy giants John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, and Rick Moranis. The conversation moves through her collaborations with Tim Burton on Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas, her breakout to household fame in Home Alone, her celebrated improv work in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films, and the career renaissance of Schitt's Creek, where decades of character work culminated in the unforgettable Moira Rose. The hosts reflect on how O'Hara elevated everything she touched, from dramatic turns in The Last of Us and The Studio to her fearless willingness to let the awkward moment sit for one extra beat, before selecting three films for the community vote.

Catherine O'Hara Community Movie Poll

Vote for the film we'll cover in our deep dive episode!

Best in Show (2000) | For Your Consideration (2006) | ACOD (2013)

Vote here: https://strawpoll.com/e6Z2Axlw6gN

Poll closes Saturday, October 4, 2026 at 11:59pm EDT

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: intothewest@thelorehounds.com

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David, Lisa, and Bryan light a candle for two icons lost just 48 hours apart. The first half celebrates Dolly Parton, from her childhood in Appalachian poverty through her breakout on the Porter Wagoner Show and into a career that stretched far beyond country music. The hosts trace her film roles in 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Steel Magnolias, her production company's surprising connection to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a philanthropic legacy that includes the Imagination Library, COVID vaccine research funding, and wraparound services that cut her hometown's school dropout rate in half.

After the break, the trio turns to Tim Curry, whose fearless portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show became a cultural landmark for self-expression and nonconformity. The hosts explore his eclectic range from Legend and IT to Clue, Muppet Treasure Island, and three Tony-nominated Broadway roles, and reflect on how Rocky Horror created space for generations of nonconformists to gather, play, and express themselves freely. Community voices from the Lorehounds Discord share their own memories throughout, including the inevitable question: which Tim Curry role was your awakening?

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: intothewest@thelorehounds.com

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Jean and Elysia dive into the characters, action, and moments that triggered tears in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the start of a new MCU Spider-Man trilogy that's currently setting box office records. (Comic-book comparisons, of course, included.)

Stick around under after the credits for our reactions to the just-released X-Men casting and other Marvel news from D23!

Marvel at D23: X-Men casting & VisionQuest / Doomsday trailers

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: mcu@thelorehounds.com

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David, Lisa, and Bryan light a candle for Sam Neill, who passed away shortly after announcing he was cancer free following treatment for the blood cancer he was diagnosed with in 2022. In this shorter tribute episode, the trio traces Neill's journey from his Northern Irish birth through a childhood in New Zealand, where a stutter taught him to listen, to a 50-year career spanning 74 credits across film and television. From early breakthroughs in Sleeping Dogs and My Brilliant Career through iconic roles in The Hunt for Red October, Dead Calm, The Piano, and of course Jurassic Park, the hosts celebrate an actor who moved seamlessly from leading man to beloved character actor without ever disappearing. The episode also features reflections from the Lorehounds community, sharing their favorite Neill performances and memories of an actor universally remembered as warm, generous, and endlessly watchable.

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: intothewest@thelorehounds.com

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

With DCU's Supergirl (2026) now available to watch at home, Jean and Elysia dive into the controversial film. After their spoiler-free (more positive than not) fresh takes (00:32:38), they talk through the on-screen action and the lore behind it (00:53:52).

But, before that, they begin by checking in on recent Marvel news (00:02:15) – from a new T’Challa and Ghost Rider to the the Wonder Man heartbreak – plus the DC trailers (00:23:06) for the swiftly approaching Western scifi Noir take on Lanterns and October's body-horror appears-to-be-a-banger Clayface.

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: comicsvs@thelorehounds.com

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David and Elysia work through their own and the community's mixed-but-leaning-positive feelings about Steven Spielberg's new alien-focused movie Disclosure Day (currently in theaters). They get into the greatest cinematic moments, the cast and performance(s) they loved best, and (yes) the lore holes nagging at them after the fact – and why this film is worth seeing in theaters, and even if it engages the heart more than your critical thinking skills.

Contact Us

lorehounds@thelorehounds.com

Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David, Lisa, and Bryan conclude their Gene Hackman coverage with a deep dive into The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 psychological thriller and the film chosen by community vote. The trio explores Gene Hackman's portrayal of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert whose paranoia, guilt, and isolation unravel him as he becomes convinced his latest recording may lead to a murder. The conversation covers the film's remarkable production history as Coppola's decade-long passion project made between the two Godfather films, its uncanny resonance with the Watergate scandal, and the contributions of editor and sound designer Walter Murch and composer David Shire, whose manipulated piano score mirrors Harry's own distorted perception of reality. From the iconic Union Square opening shot to the film's deliberately unresolved ambiguities, the hosts examine how a 50-year-old film about eavesdropping and the power of information remains strikingly relevant in an era of digital surveillance and post-truth uncertainty.

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: intothewest@thelorehounds.com

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David and Elysia venture into the Horror Hounds to discuss Backrooms (2026), A24's creepypasta-turned-feature film directed by Kane Parsons and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. They trace the film's remarkable origin — from an anonymous 2019 post on 4chan to Kane Pixels' three-year YouTube web series — and unpack how a 19-year-old first-time director delivered a confident, visually stunning film on a $10M budget with a 14X box office return. The conversation digs into the film's rich thematic layers, including the backrooms as a Jungian mirror of shared anxiety and mental illness, the AI-as-mimicry subtext, the literary connection to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, the psychological character studies of Mary and Clark, and what this film signals about a new generation of internet-native storytellers reshaping the horror genre.

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: lorehounds@thelorehounds.com

Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Elysia and John continue the journey of the galaxy's favorite father and son in The Mandalorian and Grogu. They catch up with the New Republic before meeting Hutts of various sizes, watching stop motion and puppetry showcases, and overall having a fun, standalone adventure.

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: starwars@thelorehounds.com

Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

John, Elysia, and Marilyn follow Ryan Gosling to the far reaches of space to save humankind from destruction. They discuss the impressive puppetry and visuals, the hopepunk core of the film, and the parallels to other sci-fi worlds.

Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates: linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Send your questions and feedback to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David, Lisa, and Bryan are joined by Tolkien scholar Marilyn R. Pukkila for a special episode exploring the meaning behind the podcast's name and the deep cultural associations between the West and human mortality. The conversation traces how civilizations from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to the Maori, the Celts, and the indigenous Wabanaki have connected the setting sun with death, transition, and what lies beyond. Marilyn draws on John Garth's research into how the phrase "going West" entered the English lexicon through Celtic-speaking soldiers in the trenches of World War I and became a foundational element in Tolkien's myth-making, while the hosts reflect on how art, storytelling, and community create spaces for renewal, shared grief, and the celebration of lives well lived.

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: intothewest@thelorehounds.com

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David is joined by Tansy Gardam, host of the acclaimed Going Rogue podcast, and Asher Elbein, journalist and co-creator of the newsletter and website Heat Death, for a deep dive into the Jurassic film franchise — all seven films across 32 years. The conversation spans the paleontological promise of the original Park trilogy, the stagnation and franchise anxiety of the Jurassic World era, and the ways mega-franchise pipeline thinking has constrained the series' creative evolution.

Asher brings his background as a science journalist to examine how Hollywood arrested popular dinosaur science in amber while the real field moved on, and Tansy unpacks the franchise mechanics that kept the series reaching back to the first film rather than forward into new territory — including the quietly radical queerness encoded in the very biology of the dinosaurs themselves.

Check Out Our Guests

Tansy Gardam - Going Rogue Podcast

• https://patreon.com/goingroguepodcast
• https://bsky.app/profile/tansyg.bsky.social

Asher Elbein - Heat Death

• https://heat-death.ghost.io
• https://bsky.app/profile/asherelbein.bsky.social

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: lorehounds@thelorehounds.com

Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Elysia is joined by Lisa to spill all the tea on everything that went down in Kristoffer Borgli's The Drama (2026). After giving their spoiler-free takes and general thoughts on the power of dark humor to unlock uncomfortable discussions, they talk about the film's opening sequence (00:21:14) without spoiling the twist, and then finally launch into a full-spoiler discussion of the rest of the film (00:37:40).

Warning: This film (and thus this podcast episode) will not be for everyone. Heed the (spoiler-free, and then later spoiler-filled) content warnings within.

Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates: linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Send your questions and feedback to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David and Elysia dive into Shakespeare's Hamlet, opening with a discussion of the play itself and some of the most classic film and stage adaptations, not to mention the whole sub-genre of films loosely adapting and referencing the Bard's longest work.

With that foundation laid, they turn their attention to the new adaptation starring Riz Ahmed, directed by Aneil Karia, that debuted at Telluride last year and is opening in theaters across North America today, April 10. How faithful is this new incarnation of the story, set in London's Asian community in the modern day? And what does and doesn't work when breaking down the source material to create what they call "the boldest adaptation to date"?

Links discussed:

• "The Name of Action" short doc
• This American Life: "Act V"
• Bait TV series: trailer

Hamlet adaptations discussed:

• Hamlet (1948) – Directed by Laurence Olivier, starring Laurence Olivier
• Hamlet (1990) – Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Mel Gibson
• Hamlet (1996) – Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Kenneth Branagh
• Hamlet (2009) – Directed by Gregory Doran, starring David Tennant
• Hamlet (2018) – Directed by Rhodri Huw and Robert Icke, starring Andrew Scott
• Hamlet (2024) – Directed by Sean Mathias, starring Ian McKellen
• Hamlet (2025) – Directed by Aneil Karia, starring Riz Ahmed
• Hamlet: National Theatre Live (2026) – Directed by Robert Hastie, starring Hiran Abeysekera

Other films discussed:

• Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) – Directed by Tom Stoppard
• The Lion King (1994) – Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
• In the Bleak Midwinter (1995) – Directed by Kenneth Branagh
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (2009) – Directed by Jordan Galland
• Ophelia (2018) – Directed by Claire McCarthy
• The Northman (2022) – Directed by Robert Eggers
• Grand Theft Hamlet (2024) – Directed by Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls
• King Hamlet (2025) – Directed by Elvira Lind
• Scarlet (2026) – Directed by Mamoru Hosoda

Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates: linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Send your questions and feedback to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities

Elysia and Riley kneel at the alter of Ralph Fiennes' Iron Maiden, discuss why Jimmy Crystal is scarier than Sinners' vampire Remmick, and glean hope from this film's not-so-hidden messages of humanity, sacrifice, and teasings of radical forgiveness in the second film in the game-changing 28 Years Later zoombie trilogy.

Previous coverage: 28 Days & Weeks Later (subscribers) & 28 Years Later (2025)

Find Riley online: YouTube – Bluesky

Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates: linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Send your questions and feedback to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities

David is joined by community members Lisa and Bryan to launch Into the West, a new show on The Lorehounds Network dedicated to celebrating the careers of filmmakers and actors who have passed on. In this inaugural episode, the trio explores the life and legacy of Gene Hackman, from his Depression-era roots and early breakthrough in Bonnie and Clyde through his defining role in the New Hollywood movement with The French Connection and The Conversation to later triumphs like Hoosiers, Mississippi Burning, Unforgiven, and The Royal Tenenbaums. Lisa and Bryan share personal memories of growing up with Hackman's films, discuss his reputation as a fiercely prepared and principled actor, and walk through an essential filmography spanning his remarkable 79-film career before each host picks a film for the community vote.

Vote for which Hackman movie we will watch & review

Poll closes on 17-Apr-26 at 12pm EDT:

https://strawpoll.com/BDyNzq4m4yR

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: intothewest@thelorehounds.com

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David joins Elysia for their now traditional Oscars' season wrap! After talking through the highs and lows of the show itself, they share their own rankings of the Best Picture nominees, and discuss where some other high-profile awards-season snubs and other nominees would fit into that list.

• Ceremony reactions (00:01:43)
• Winner reactions (00:30:19)
• Best Picture rankings (01:00:26) – full spoilers, this section only
• Ranking recap & extra movies (01:38:40) – back to spoiler-free

Links discussed:

Conan O’Brien’s Aunt Gladys opening

It’s a tie! Watch “The Singers” (Netflix) & ”Two People Exchanging Saliva” (YouTube)

Doug Orleans’s Best Picture commentary

Best Picture nominees: Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein (our coverage), Hamnet (our coverage [subscribers]), Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another (our coverage:  pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3), Sentimental Value (our coverage [subscribers]), Sinners (our coverage), The Secret Agent, Train Dreams

Other films discussed: No Other Choice, The Blue Trail, Manas, The Smashing Machine, Jay Kelly, Weapons (our coverage), If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, It Was Just an Accident, Sirāt, Project Hail Mary (2026, coverage soon), Hoppers (aka Jumpers [EU], 2026), 28 Years Later (our coverage), 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026, coverage next week)

Check how many Oscar nominees you've seen at OscarsDeathRace.com – or with extended stats via DeathRaceTracking.com

Oscars 2026 coverage

Nominations + Best Picture preview

Live-Action, Animated, & Documentary Shorts 

Production Design, Costumes, Makeup & Hair

International Features

Documentary Features

Animated Features

Score & Original Song

Cinematography, VFX, Editing, Sound

Adapted & Original Screenplay, Director

Lead & Supporting Actor & Actress, Casting

Ceremony reactions + Best Picture rankings (this episode)

Deep dives into 2026 Oscar nominees

Sinners

One Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3

Frankenstein

Weapons

Shorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”

For subscribers: 

Hamnet – WhachaWachin (with spoilers)

Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, Arco)

Additional awards coverage

BAFTA shorts

BAFTA features

Independent Spirit Awards

Revisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notes

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Elysia wraps up the CinemaHounds pre-Oscars prep series with special guest Paulo from the Oscar's Death Race Podcast and a deep dive into the acting categories: Best Actress, Best Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Who's nominated, who should have been nominated, and who will win?

And then they conclude with a look at this year's brand new category: Casting. What is it, why is it here, and who will take home the first statue?

Join us on the Lorehounds Discord (see link.tree below) to discuss all this and more in the #awards-season channel – plus a live chat while the ceremony is airing!

And send your hot takes about the ceremony to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com to be included in the wrap-up discussion!

Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoiler-free.

Check out the Oscars Death Race Podcast w/ Paulo!

The nominees:

Best Actress (00:16:37)

• Jessie Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare – Hamnet (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Rose Byrne as Linda – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (HBO Max, our coverage [subscribers])
• Kate Hudson as Clare Lavinia – Song Sung Blue (Peacock)
• Renate Reinsve as Nora Borg – Sentimental Value(to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller – Bugonia (Peacock)

Best Actor (01:05:52)

• Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser – Marty Supreme (to rent)
• Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart – Blue Moon (Netflix)
• Michael B. Jordan as Elijah "Smoke" Moore / Elias "Stack" Moore – Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Wagner Moura as Armando Solimões / Marcelo Alves / Fernando Solimões – The Secret Agent (Hulu)

Best Supporting Actor (01:40:53)

• Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg – Sentimental Value (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Benicio del Toro as Sergio St. Carlos – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Sean Penn as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim – Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Jacob Elordi as the Creature – Frankenstein (Netflix, our coverage)

Best Supporting Actress (01:58:26)

• Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Wunmi Mosaku as Annie – Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as Agnes Borg Pettersen – Sentimental Value (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Elle Fanning as Rachel Kemp – Sentimental Value (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys – Weapons (HBO Max, our coverage)

Best Casting (02:14:46)

• Francine Maisler – Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Nina Gold – Hamnet (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme (to rent)
• Gabriel Domingues – The Secret Agent (Hulu)

Other performances discussed: 

• Mikey Madison in Anora (2024, Oscar win, Hulu [US] / Skyshowtime [EU]) & The Social Reckoning (2026, releases Oct 9) 
• Jessie Buckley in The Bride! (2026, in theaters), The Lost Daughter (2021, Oscar nom, Netflix), Wicked Little Letters (2024, Hulu / etc.), Men (2022, Prime / etc.), Dolittle (2020, Prime), Fargo S4 (TV, 2020, Hulu [US], Netflix [EU]), & Chernobyl (TV, 2019, HBO) 
• Co-writer/editor Ronald Bronstein of Marty Supreme (to rent) – Rose Byrne in Bridesmaids (2011, Starz) & Insidious (2010, HBO Max) 
• Kate Hudson in Almost Famous (2000, Oscar nom, HBO Max ) – the true Song Sung Blue story in Song Sung Blue (2008, doc, YouTube) 
• Renate Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World (2021, Tubi / etc.); w/ Sebastian Stan in A Different Man   (2024, HBO Max) & Fjord (2026, to premiere at Cannes); w/ Lily Rose Depp & Hoyeon in The Governesses (release TBD); & in Backrooms (2026, in theaters May 29) 
• Emma Stone in Birdman (2015, Oscar nom, Hulu / Disney+), La La Land (2017, Oscar win, Prime [US] / Netflix [EU]), in Lanthimos films The Favourite (2019, Oscar nom, Disney+ [EU] / HBO [EU] / to rent) & Poor Things (2024, Oscar win, BP Oscar nom, Disney+ [EU] / to rent) 
• Chase Infiniti in One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3) – Amanda Seyfried & Lewis Pullman in The Testament of Ann Lee (to rent) – Cynthia Erivo & Ariane Grande in Wicked: For Good (to rent, our coverage) 

• Adrien Brody in The Brutalist (2024, Oscar win, HBO Max [US] / Skyshowtime [EU]) & The Pianist (2002, Oscar win, Prime / etc.) 
• Timothée Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name (2018, Oscar nom, HBO Max), A Complete Unknown (2024, Oscar nom & BP nom, Disney+), & Dune: Part Three (2026, in theaters Dec 18) – Tom Cruise in Digger (2026, in theaters Oct 2)
• Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic (1997, Disney+ / etc.), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013, Oscar nom, Paramount+ / etc.), The Aviator (2004, Oscar nom, Tubi / etc.), The Revenant (2015, Oscar win, Hulu / Disney+), Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019, Oscar nom, YouTube / etc.), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, Apple TV), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993, Oscar nom, Paramount+ / etc.), & Blood Diamond (2006, Oscar nom, Paramount+ [US] / Prime [EU])   
• Ethan Hawke in Training Day (2001, Oscar nom, Starz [US], Prime [EU]), Before Sunrise (1995, writing Oscar nom, Prime [EU] / to rent), Before Sunset (2004, writing Oscar nom, to rent), Boyhood (2014, Oscar nom, AMC+ / etc.)  
• Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther & Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2018 & 2022, Disney+, our coverage) – Nicholas Cage in Adaptation (2002, Oscar nom, to rent) – Robert Aramayo as John Davidson in I Swear (2026, in theaters Apr 24 [US] / Netflix [UK]) 
• Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here (2024, Oscar nom, Netflix [US] / Prime [NL]) – Fernanda Montenegro in Central Station (1998, Oscar nom, to rent) – Brazilian film The Blue Trail (to rent) – Wagner Moura in Narcos S1&2 (TV, 2015-2016, Netflix) & Civil War (2024, Prime, our coverage) 
• Joel Edgerton in Train Dreams (Netflix) – Jesse Plemmons in Bugonia (Peacock) – Lee Byung-hun in No Other Choice (to rent) – Dylan O’Brien in Twinless (Hulu / to rent) – Ryo Yoshizawa in Kokuho (in theaters) – Jackson Yee in Resurrection (to rent, Elysia’s review) 

• Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain (2024, Oscar win, Disney+) 
• Stellan Skarsgård in Andor (TV, 2022 & 2025, Disney+) 
• Benicio del Toro in Traffic (2000, Oscar nom, to rent) & 21 Grams (2003, Oscar nom, to rent) – Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking (1995, Oscar nom, Tubi / etc.), Sweet & Lowdown (1999, Oscar nom, Tubi / etc.), I Am Sam (2001, Oscar nom, YouTube), Mystic River (2003, Oscar win, Netflix [EU] / to rent), Milk (2008, Oscar win, to rent)  
• Delroy Lindo in Da 5 Bloods (2020, infamous snub, Netflix) 
• Oscar Isaac in Frankenstein (Netflix, our coverage) – Jacob Elordi in Wuthering Heights (2026, in theaters)
• Adam Sandler in Jay Kelly (Netflix) – Miles Caton & Jack O’Connell in Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage) – Paul Mescal in Hamnet (to rent, our coverage [subscribers]) 
• Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez (2024, Oscar win, Netflix, our coverage) 
• Amy Madigan in Twice in a Lifetime (1985, Oscar nom, to rent) 
• Odessa A’zion in Marty Supreme (to rent) 

• Lynn Stalmaster: the only Casting Director to have received an Academy Award to date, for 395 films, from the ‘70s/’80s Superman films through Weekend at Bernie’s and beyond
• Casting category shortlist (misses): Frankenstein, Sentimental Value, Sirāt, Weapons, Wicked: For Good
• Paulo’s favorite nominated film this year: Kokuho

The 98th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 15, 2025 at 7 pm ET (on ABC/Hulu in the US) – where it's aired around the world

Check how many Oscar nominees you've seen at OscarsDeathRace.com – or with extended stats via DeathRaceTracking.com

Oscars 2026 coverage

Nominations + Best Picture preview

Live-Action, Animated, & Documentary Shorts 

Production Design, Costumes, Makeup & Hair

International Features

Documentary Features

Animated Features

Score & Original Song

Cinematography, VFX, Editing, Sound

Adapted & Original Screenplay, Director

Lead & Supporting Actor & Actress, Casting (this episode)

Ceremony reactions + Best Picture rankings

Deep dives into 2026 Oscar nominees

Sinners

One Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3

Frankenstein

Weapons

Shorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”

For subscribers: 

Hamnet – WhachaWachin (with spoilers)

Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, Arco)

Additional awards coverage

BAFTA shorts

BAFTA features

Independent Spirit Awards

Revisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notes

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

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Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Writer and photographer Katherine Oktober Matthews joins Elysia to discuss this year's writing and directing nominees for the 2026 Academy Awards. After they each unleash some of their hottest takes breaking down the three categories, they reconvene after the credits for a separate spoiler-filled discussion of eight of the nominees (01:47:05).

Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoiler-free (until the separate post-credits spoiler section)!

Links discussed:

• Katherine's writing and photography
• Elsewhere: A Personal Essay in Words and Photos
• The Emotion Mixer
• Oscars 2025: Live-Action Shorts & the Emotion Mixer (with Katherine)
• The Craft (1996) & The Craft: Legacy (2020) (with Katherine)
• Interview w/ Hamnet author – Not Just the Tudors podcast

Subscriber bonuses:

• What is real witchcraft? (with Marilyn, and a Katherine double-Macbeth cameo)
• Hamnet – WhachaWachin (with spoilers)

The nominees:

Best Original Screenplay (00:10:37.453)

• Ryan Coogler – Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein – Marty Supreme (to rent)
• Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt – Sentimental Value (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Jafar Panahi w/ Mehdi Mahmoudian, Shadmehr Rastin, & Nader Saïvar – It Was Just an Accident (Hulu)
• Robert Kaplow – Blue Moon (Netflix)

Best Adapted Screenplay (00:45:19.607)

• Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3) – based on: The novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
• Chloé Zhao & Maggie O'Farrell – Hamnet (to rent, our coverage [subscribers]) – based on: The novel Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
• Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix, our coverage) – based on: The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams (Netflix) – based on: The novella Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
• Will Tracy – Bugonia (Peacock) – based on: The film Save the Green Planet! (2003) by Jang Joon-hwan

Best Director (01:25:21)

• Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Ryan Coogler – Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
• Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (to rent)

Other films mentioned: Fruitvale Station (2013, Starz), Creed (2015, to rent), Uncut Gems (2019, Netflix), The Smashing Machine (Prime), The Worst Person in the World (2021, Kanopy / Tubi / etc.), Me and Orson Welles (2008, Plex / to rent), Twinless (Hulu), No Other Choice (to rent), The Long Walk (Starz, to rent), Civil War (2024, Prime / Hulu, our coverage), Shakespeare in Love  (1998, Paramount+ / etc.), Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein (1931 & 1935, YouTube, our coverage), Sing Sing (2024, Prime), CODA (2021 [BP winner], Apple), La Familie Bélier (2014, YouTube), Phantom Thread (2017, Mubi [NL] / to rent), Nonnas (Netflix); hive minds (TV): Star Trek: The Next Generation (Paramount+) & Pluribus (Apple)

The 98th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 15, 2025 at 7 pm ET (on ABC/Hulu in the US) – where it's aired around the world

Check how many Oscar nominees you've seen at OscarsDeathRace.com – or with extended stats via DeathRaceTracking.com

Oscars 2026 coverage

Nominations + Best Picture preview

Live-Action, Animated, & Documentary Shorts 

Production Design, Costumes, Makeup & Hair

International Features

Documentary Features

Animated Features

Score & Original Song

Cinematography, VFX, Editing, Sound

Adapted & Original Screenplay, Director (this episode)

Lead & Supporting Actor & Actress, Casting

Ceremony reactions + Best Picture rankings

Deep dives into 2026 Oscar nominees

Sinners

One Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3

Frankenstein

Weapons

Shorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”

For subscribers: 

Hamnet – WhachaWachin (with spoilers)

Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, Arco)

Additional awards coverage

BAFTA shorts

BAFTA features

Independent Spirit Awards

Revisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notes

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Assistant directing and lighting industry professional, and the host of the ContraZoom podcast, Dakota Arsenault joins Elysia to get into the technical details behind this year's Oscar nominees for Cinematography, Visual Effects, Film Editing, and Sound. They look at why a movie is nominated, what makes it special, and others they would have liked to see make the cut. Stick around after their conversation for updates (02:17:37) on these races!

Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoiler-free.

Links discussed:

• Explore the ContraZoom podcast and blog
• One Sentimental Bugonia After Another (audio, Elysia guests)
• Elysia's ContraZoom review of Resurrection
• Corridor Crew's Oscar VFX nominees review
• Inside Sinners' VFX
• Sirāt sound design (video)

Cinematography nominees (00:05:01)

• Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams – trailer (Netflix)
• Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Darius Khondji – Marty Supreme – trailer (to rent)
• Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein – trailer (Netflix, our coverage)

Other films mentioned: The French Connection (1971, Disney+ [EU] / to rent, our coverage [subscribers]), Sound of Falling (eventually Mubi), Ballad of a Small Player (Netflix), Resurrection (to rent), No Other Choice (to rent / Netflix [Korea] / later Hulu [US]), The Long Walk (Starz / to rent), Materialists (Netflix) 

Visual Effects nominees (00:51:46)

• Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash – trailer (in theaters, eventually Disney+)
• Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen, Brandon K. McLaughlin – The Lost Bus – trailer (Apple TV)
• David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan, Neil Corbould – Jurassic World Rebirth – trailer (Netflix [US], Skyshowtime [NL])
• Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington, Keith Dawson – F1 – trailer (Apple TV)

Other films mentioned: Tron: Ares (Disney+), The Creator (2023, Prime, our coverage), Monsters (2010, Prime / Tubi / etc.), The Electric State (Netflix), Superman (HBO Max, our coverage), Predator: Badlands (Disney+, our coverage), Thunderbolts* (Disney+, our coverage), The Fantastic 4: First Steps (Disney+, our coverage), Warfare (Prime), Mickey 17 (HBO Max)  

Film Editing nominees (01:29:57)

• Stephen Mirrione – F1 – trailer (Apple TV)
• Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme – trailer (to rent)
• Michael P. Shawver – Sinners – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Olivier Bugge Coutté – Sentimental Value – trailer (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])

Other films mentioned: If I Had Legs I Would Kick You (HBO Max, our coverage [subscribers]), Better Man (2024, Prime / Paramount+), Black Bag (Prime [USA] / Skyshowtime [EU]), 28 Years Later (Netflix, our coverage), Good Boy (AMC+ / Shudder / etc.), Sore: A Wife from the Future (YouTube)  

Sound nominees (01:55:54)

• Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1 – trailer (Apple TV)
• Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, Yasmina Praderas – Sirāt – trailer (to rent: Mar 24, later Hulu [US])
• Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker – Sinners – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage)
• José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor – One Battle After Another – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern – Frankenstein – trailer (Netflix, our coverage)

Other films mentioned: Wicked: For Good (to rent, our coverage), Superman (HBO Max, our coverage), Predator: Badlands (Disney+, our coverage), Warfare (Prime)    

The 98th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 15, 2025 at 7 pm ET (on ABC/Hulu in the US) – where it's aired around the world

Check how many Oscar nominees you've seen at OscarsDeathRace.com – or with extended stats and access to the animated shorts via DeathRaceTracking.com

Oscars 2026 coverage

Nominations + Best Picture preview

Live-Action, Animated, & Documentary Shorts 

Production Design, Costumes, Makeup & Hair

International Features

Documentary Features

Animated Features

Score & Original Song

Cinematography, VFX, Editing, Sound (this episode)

Adapted & Original Screenplay, Director

Lead & Supporting Actor & Actress, Casting

Ceremony reactions + Best Picture rankings

Deep dives into 2026 Oscar nominees

Sinners

One Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3

Frankenstein

Weapons

Shorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”

For subscribers: 

Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, Arco)

Additional awards coverage

BAFTAs shorts

BAFTAs features

Independent Spirit Awards

Revisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notes

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.