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The Loss of David Lynch. Plus, Our Oscar Nomination Predictions.

January 17, 2025/ 99 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins · Chris Ryan

The day after David Lynch's death, Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, and Chris Ryan open with his films and what made them impossible to imitate, then predict the 2025 Oscar nominations across the top eight categories. They close with a full review of 'Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,' which Ryan watched in a packed theater with no subtitles.

58 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.

Remembering David Lynch1946–2025

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me poster

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me 1992

The achievement Sean rates highest: Lynch rejecting and re-examining his own hit, refusing to let Laura Palmer be only a dead body.

Mulholland Drive poster

Mulholland Drive 2001

Sean's first Lynch and his favorite. An Oscar-conversation movie that let a 17-year-old into old-Hollywood noir at the same time it upended it.

Eraserhead poster

Eraserhead 1977

'This is about having a baby': the fugue state of new parenthood, gnarled mutant creatures and sounds from the universe included.

Inland Empire poster

Inland Empire 2006

'Impossibly hard to watch and ugly and annoying,' and, they argue, the closest thing that exists to a movie about the LA fires.

Lost Highway poster

Lost Highway 1997

Slammed on release; the subject of Sean's 2022 Lynch episode with Adam Nayman. The not-working is the point.

Dune poster

Dune 1984

The job he took instead of Return of the Jedi. Never quite hangs together, though the novel's oddity may suit him better than Villeneuve.

Predicting the 2025 Oscar Nominationstop eight categories · nominees announced Jan 23

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Original Screenplay

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Best Actress

Best Actor

Best Director

Best Picture

'Den of Thieves 2: Pantera'the 2026 Best Picture winner, allegedly

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera poster

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera 2025

Big Nick goes to the south of France to run with the Pink Panthers. A shaggy buddy-comedy first hour, then a 70-minute heist. Ryan saw it with a corrupted, subtitle-free print and still had a great time: 'in many ways this is a silent film.'

Den of Thieves poster

Den of Thieves 2018

The 2018 cult original Ryan finally watched this week. 'The truest garbage heat movie that exists,' said with a lot of affection.

Also mentioned raised along the way

Oscar contenders in the mix NosferatuMariaBabygirlHereticChallengersTwistersHit ManMy Old AssCivil WarAll We Imagine as LightThe Seed of the Sacred FigI'm Still HereThe Room Next DoorA Different ManHis Three DaughtersI Saw the TV GlowThe Wild RobotDìdiThe Piano Lesson

Oscar history they invoked CrashBrokeback MountainGreen BookRoma12 Years a SlaveOppenheimerParasiteEverything Everywhere All at OnceMetropolisNightmare AlleyThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingSicario

In the Den of Thieves orbit HeatOcean's TwelveMidnight RunThe BeekeeperA Working ManPlaneGreenlandRififiRebel RidgeCarry OnUnfrostedThe Greatest Night in PopDon't Look UpGone GirlAlex CrossxXxA Man ApartPitch BlackFind Me GuiltyFast FiveFlowJay KellyThe Woman in the YardThe KillerPaddington in Peru

Lynch adjacencies Return of the JediThe Music ManTop Gun: MaverickDaredevilSpider-Man: No Way Home

Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads

TV Twin PeaksTwin Peaks: The ReturnOn the AirHotel RoomDaredevil: Born AgainThe Bear

Podcasts The WatchThe RewatchablesThe Prestige TV Podcast

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