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2026 Oscars Reaction Roundtable (VIDEO)

oscars reaction

The 98th Academy Awards have come and gone.

One Battle After Another won its Oscars battle, coming out with six awards—including Best Picture and Best Director, both firsts for acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson. Ryan Coogler’s period drama/genre horror film Sinners didn’t do too shabby, either, collecting four Oscars of its own. And KPop Demon Hunters’ cultural footprint was made golden (sorry), snaring awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

But what stood out about the show? What do the winners tell us about the direction of Hollywood, artistically and spiritually? And did anyone dare challenge Adrien Brody’s record length acceptance speech from last year?

In the video below, Paul Asay and I sit down to discuss the Oscars—the good, the bad and everything in between. We hope you enjoy it.

Bret Eckelberry

Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.

More by Bret Eckelberry
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3 Responses

  1. I’m 66, retired, and reasonably financially secure. I’ve also always been a big movie buff. I’m one of those dinosaurs to actually enjoys going TO the movies, and I try to make a point to see as many of the Oscar-nominated films as I can. I knew it was a toss-up between “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.” “Sinners” was a great film, but “One Battle After Another” was an AMAZING film, and arguably the best movie Paul Thomas Anderson has done to date (and I’ve seen four of his movies prior). I’m glad it won.

  2. One Battle After Another was a masterpiece on every level. Sinners didn’t do much for me story-wise, but I can’t deny it was beautifully crafted.

    Too bad Train Dreams got shut out. I thought Sentimental Value, while well-acted, was emotionally unconvincing. I wish Jafar Panahi would have gotten a Best Director nomination for It Was Just An Accident, an intense, funny, morally serious, and all-around amazing movie. I thought it was the second-best movie of the year.

  3. When it comes to PTA, There will be blood has been my all-time favorite movie since I first saw it in 2008, and I’ve also always loved Punch drunk love and the Master. Boogie nights and Licorice pizza in my opinion are both junk though, and I’m planning on eventually seeing one battle after another, but I have no clue if I’ll love it as much as Blood, Punch or the Master. I look forward to finding out eventually.