Episode 355 - Win your Oscar pool. Mark Ellis of Rotten Tomatoes joins & we give you the winners!

·43 min·2 clips

Mark Ellis and Steve Mason split on Adrien Brody versus Timothée Chalamet after debating the AI accent and the SAG win.

1. Culture Pop Podcast previews the 2025 Academy Awards and the race to win an Oscar pool. 2. Steve Mason and Sue Kalinske host, and Mark Ellis of Rotten Tomatoes joins as the awards-season guest who helps break down the categories. 3. The episode is built around one question: which Oscar picks give listeners the best chance to beat their friends. 4. The hosts open with Best Original Screenplay, where The Substance and Anora are treated as the main contenders. 5. Mark Ellis calls The Substance a possible upset, while Sue Kalinske backs Anora after citing WGA, PGA, BAFTA, and Critics Choice momentum. 6. Best Adapted Screenplay turns into a Conclave discussion, with Mark Ellis saying the Vatican-related news has lifted its profile. 7. Visual effects becomes a Dune Part Two conversation, and Mark Ellis jokes that Wicked feels more like a future lifetime-achievement winner in that category. 8. Sound is split between Wicked and Dune Part Two, with the hosts debating whether song-and-dance elements or technical mix should matter more. 9. The short-film categories are handled as pure guesswork, with titles like Anuja, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, and Yuck getting name-based picks. 10. Original song centers on El Mal from Amelia Perez, which Mark Ellis treats as the clear front-runner despite two Amelia Perez songs in the field. 11. Original score becomes a debate between The Brutalist and Amelia Perez, and the hosts repeatedly point to The Brutalist’s three-and-a-half-hour runtime as a volume advantage. 12. Makeup and hairstyling is framed as a likely win for The Substance, while Sue Kalinske and Mark Ellis also name Wicked as a strong option. 13. International feature pivots from Amelia Perez to I'm Still Here because of the fallout around Karla Sofia Gascon. 14. Film editing is treated as a race between Anora and Conclave, with Anora favored for its pace and chase structure. 15. In documentary feature, the hosts land on No Other Land, while documentary short goes to I Am Ready, Warden and the only girl in the orchestra is discussed as a plausible spoiler. 16. Best Actress becomes the most unusual betting idea of the episode when Sue Kalinske floats a Demi Moore and Mikey Madison tie, with Mark Ellis calling that an all-time bold prediction. 17. The tone is casual, fast, and betting-oriented, with the three speakers constantly comparing guild awards, industry narratives, and personal preferences. 18. The format is a category-by-category roundtable, and it includes jokes about tracks, title-picking, and family Oscars competitions. 19. People who like awards-season handicapping and Oscar pool strategy will get the most out of this episode. 20. People who want deep film criticism or dislike Oscar speculation will probably skip it.

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