Sinners 2025
A Warner Bros. film, and half of the pair the whole season now runs through.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Awards
The 2026 Alternative Oscars, a.k.a. the 6th Annual Big Picks! Plus: The Craziest Awards Season in Years.
March 3, 2026/ 181 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins · Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris flies in for the sixth Big Picks, the crew's alternative Oscars for everything the Academy left out, after working through the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and a SAG Awards that scrambled the race.
120 films across 3 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The Paramount-Warner Bros. mergerthe biggest studio deal in years, and what it costs
One Battle After Another 2025
The other Warner Bros. title at the center of the year.
Music Box 1989
Wesley's example of the adult mid-budget drama (Jessica Lange defending her Nazi father, directed by Costa-Gavras) that the consolidation squeezes out.
There Will Be Blood 2007
The 'past' corner of the 25-for-25 past/present/future trilogy about what movies used to do.
25th Hour 2002
The 'present' film in that trilogy.
The Social Network 2010
The 'future' film in that trilogy.
Scream 7 2026
Paramount's biggest recent title, No. 1 at the box office that weekend: a sign of the pipeline they're merging.
The Odyssey 2026
Nolan's next; the counterargument that movies aren't going anywhere.
The SAG Awards and the Oscar raceprecursors, the Best Actor swerve, and Harrison Ford's lifetime achievement award
One Battle After Another 2025
Called the strongest best-film precursor package in Academy history (CCA, Globe, BAFTA, ACE, DGA, PGA), with PTA a lock for director.
Sinners 2025
No major best-picture precursor, but won the SAG ensemble and the crowd energy; Michael B. Jordan's surprise SAG Best Actor win reframes the race.
CODA 2021
Wesley's favorite best-picture win: the late surge, the Berkeley audition, ballots still open.
Parasite 2019
The night Sean's voice cracked live.
The Power of the Dog 2021
The cautionary tale: a respected film with a split, 'the power of the nap.'
Anora 2024
Last year's winner; a reminder the ensemble prize doesn't track best picture.
Conclave 2024
Won SAG ensemble last year while another film ran the table.
Marty Supreme 2025
New York Film Festival entry in the festival spread that fed this Best Picture field.
The Secret Agent 2025
A Cannes title in the mix, to be discussed at length Friday.
Sentimental Value 2025
Cannes premiere in the season's spread.
Frankenstein 2025
Venice premiere; Christoph Waltz gets a passing knock for playing outside a Tarantino register.
Hamnet 2025
Telluride entry; Jacobi Jupe would win the kid category in a walk if he were eligible here.
Train Dreams 2025
Sundance premiere in the field.
F1 2025
The blockbuster corner of the premiere spread.
Field of Dreams 1989
Amy Madigan's SAG win prompts the 'too American for international voters' worry.
Witness 1985
Harrison Ford's lone Oscar nomination.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2015
The performance they argue should have earned Ford a supporting nod.
The Fugitive 1993
Another Ford near-miss, in a stacked year.
The Mosquito Coast 1986
The other Ford turn they think deserved a nomination.
Working Girl 1988
'They nominated every actress in it' but couldn't find room for Ford.
Creed 2015
Stallone got in for it the year Ford didn't.
Bridge of Spies 2015
Mark Rylance won supporting that year, making the Ford question moot.
Blade Runner 1982
Deckard would be a lock nomination under today's Academy, per Sean.
The 6th Annual Big Picksthe alternative Oscars: no Academy nominees allowed, six per category
Best First Feature
- Sorry, Baby Ava Victor
- Eephus Carson Lund
- Pillion Harry Lighton Winner
- One of Them Days Lawrence Lamont
- Lurker Alex Russell
- My Father's Shadow Akinola Davies Jr.
Breakthrough Performance
- One of Them Days SZA Winner
- Nouvelle Vague Guillaume Marbeck
- Companion Jack Quaid & Sophie Thatcher
- Urchin Frank Dillane
- It Was Just an Accident Mariam Afshari
- Eleanor the Great Erin Kellyman
Best Cameo
- Happy Gilmore 2 Bad Bunny Winner
- Friendship Connor O'Malley
- I Know What You Did Last Summer Sarah Michelle Gellar
- Superman Bradley Cooper
- Final Destination Bloodlines Tony Todd
- Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Tramell Tillman
Best Kid Performance (17 and under)
- The Plague Everett Blunck
- Weapons Kerry Christopher Winner
- Bring Her Back Jonah Wren Phillips
- 28 Years Later Alfie Williams
- Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight Lexi Venter
- Left-Handed Girl Nina Ye
Best Performance by an Animal
- Sorry, Baby The dog Winner
Best Stunt / Action Sequence
Best Ending
- Eddington
- Final Destination Bloodlines
- It Ends Alexander Ullom
- Bugonia Winner
- Marty Supreme
- Hamnet
Most Fun Had by an Actor
- F1 Javier Bardem
- Now You See Me: Now You Don't Rosamund Pike Winner
- Mickey 17 Robert Pattinson
- Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Tramell Tillman
The Glenn Close Memorial 'It's Time' Oscar
- Jay Kelly Noah Baumbach Winner
Best Screenplay
- If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Mary Bronstein
- Splitsville Michelangelo Covino & Kyle Marvin
- The Secret Agent Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Weapons Zach Cregger Winner
- Sorry, Baby Ava Victor
- Eddington Ari Aster
Best Supporting Actor
- Black Bag Tom Burke
- The Ballad of Wallis Island Tim Key
- Jay Kelly Adam Sandler
- Anniversary Dylan O'Brien
- Weapons Austin Abrams
- Train Dreams William H. Macy Winner
Best Supporting Actress
- 28 Years Later Jodie Comer
- Avatar: Fire and Ash Oona Chaplin
- Father Mother Sister Brother Vicky Krieps
- Hedda Nina Hoss
- The Secret Agent Tania Maria Winner
- Roofman Kirsten Dunst
- One Battle After Another Regina Hall
Best Actor
- The Phoenician Scheme Benicio del Toro
- No Other Choice Lee Byung-hun Winner
- Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Josh O'Connor
- Peter Hujar's Day Ben Whishaw
- Pillion Harry Melling
- Bugonia Jesse Plemons
Best Actress
- After the Hunt Julia Roberts
- The Testament of Ann Lee Amanda Seyfried
- On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Susan Chardy
- Die My Love Jennifer Lawrence
- Familiar Touch Kathleen Chalfant Winner
- Eden Ana de Armas
Best Director
- The Testament of Ann Lee Mona Fastvold
- Black Bag Steven Soderbergh
- The Mastermind Kelly Reichardt
- The Secret Agent Kleber Mendonça Filho Winner
- No Other Choice Park Chan-wook
- It Was Just an Accident Jafar Panahi
Also mentioned raised along the way
Awards history Green BookMoonlightSpotlightNomadlandBlack PantherHidden FiguresThe Trial of the Chicago 7
Sole-nomination supporting-actress winners Mighty AphroditeVicky Cristina BarcelonaThe Great LieKey LargoThe V.I.P.sCactus FlowerThe Year of Living DangerouslyGirl, Interrupted
The stacked 1993 Best Actor field Schindler's ListPhiladelphiaIn the Name of the FatherWhat's Love Got to Do with It
In passing Malcolm XGloryThe Last King of ScotlandThe IrishmanCarlito's WayMementoFollowingWhite NoiseMistress AmericaGreenbergWhile We're YoungKinds of KindnessJust MercyFruitvale StationEternalsThe MarvelsJurassic ParkOppenheimerCruel IntentionsDangerous LiaisonsFargoSaltWolfsOldboyThe HandmaidenNo Hard FeelingsHitman28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV SeveranceCurb Your EnthusiasmGrey's AnatomyLove StoryThe WireFriday Night LightsThe Underground RailroadGame of Thrones
Ads State FarmWarby Parker
Podcasts CannonballThe Rewatchables