Ahhh, the Oscars. First half of the episode is Rachel and Maddie making their picks for winners, and the second half is their reactions to the winners. Irene and Yayoi both stop in with their opinions. OVER IT: Oscar bait war movies, fat suits, apology Oscars. HERE FOR IT: Naatu Naatu, first-time nominees, animation is film.

Movies discussed (* indicates spoilers):

• Nomadland, Tár
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Black Panther
• All Quiet on the Western Front, BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Empire of Light
• The Batman, The Whale*, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
• Top Gun: Maverick
• The Fabelmans
• Banshees of Inisherin, La La Land
• RRR
• My Year of Dicks
• All That Breathes, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Fire of Love, House Made of Splinters, Navalny
• Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinnochio, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast, Turning Red
• Argentina, 1985, Close, EO, The Quiet Girl, Saint Omer, Decision to Leave
• Triangle of Sadness
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Living, Women Talking
• Causeway
• Showing Up
• Aftersun, Ikiru, La chambre
• Blonde, To Leslie
• The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty
• Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
• The Secret Life of Pets, In the Mood for Love, Nope, Titane, The Northman, Monster, CODA, Parasite
• Past Lives, The Persian Version, Shortcoming, Passages, Magazine Dreams
• The Souvenir, The Souvenir: Part II, Scream VI, Showing Up, A Good Person, Garden State

The Smartest People in the Room is hosted by Rachel Casey and Maddie Weiner. It is edited by Maddie Weiner. Original theme and interstitial music is by Scott Boice - follow him on Instagram @sc00gle and find more of his work on Bandcamp.