Sunday Game: Thoughts on Oscars 2026 and Oscar Game Winner

   

So this year we have another Oscars in the history books. 

Below are my thoughts on the night.

THE GOOD

1. Bring Back Conan

 I have always been a huge fan of Conan O'Brien.  I love his sense of silly, self-deprecating humor.  He had me smiling during his entire opening monologue.  Even his digs against those on the opposite side of the political spectrum seemed all in good fun.  I especially liked how he tried to "memify" Leonardo DiCaprio and made fun of how young people don't watch the Oscars anymore.

2. K-Pop Demon Hunters

The Oscars honored one of the rare breakout hits of the year with Best Animated Feature and Best Song, both of which were well-deserved.  In a show where most people have not seen the movies that won awards, it was nice to have something to root for and win.

3. Rob Reiner Tribute

I thought Billy Crystal not only euligized Reiner well (despite his deviation into divisive politics), but he was able to point out the great cannon of films he made.  And then the representation of actors on stage paying tribute to him was very nice to see.

 

THE BAD

1.  The Show Still Drags

I know it is a cliche at this point, but the show goes on way too long.  And I always find it very mean when they cut off some winners and not others.  At least there were fewer meaningless time-filler numbers.

2. Too Much Politics

Oscar ratings have cratered.  One of the reasons is that half of the audience in the US feels targeted and insulted.  This is not a statement of agreement or disagreement with the political positions espoused, but it is an observation about the show's tone.  The regular viewing audience is really not interested in hearing a political message out of entertainers.

3. Who Saw The Best Picture?

With One Battle After Another, we once again run into the problem of very few people having seen the Best Picture.  Last year,  Anora was number 85 on the list of top Box Office draws for 2024, making just a little over $14 million.  This year's Best Picture winner was better at number 30, at $71.5 million.  But compare both of those with 2023's Best Picture Oppenheimer at number 5 and $325 million.

I was not a big fan of Sinners but it was a legitimate hit at number 7 and $280 million at the box office.

Even the critically panned (though a movie I enjoyed) Tron: Ares made more money than One Battle After Another.

So those are my thoughts.  What are yours?

And now, the moment you've been waiting for... the winners of this year's CATHOLIC SKYWALKER OSCAR GAME.

With no clear frontrunner in most of the major categories, scores were generally lower this year, with the lowest score being  -2.9

In third place with a combined score of 3.2... Justin R!

In second place, with a score of 4.2... Catholic Lois Lane!

And in first place with a score of 17.4... me.

I posted my predictions and choices, so everyone can see that things are above board.

This year, I seeing as many of the nominated movies improved my chances.  I bet heavily on One Battle After Another and Sinners.

When grading purely on predictions, the order of the top three winners remains the same (Me = 12.9, Catholic Lois Lane = 2.2, Justin R = 1.2)

When it came to scoring purely on choice, I still won (4.5), But the Garden Stater came in 2nd (2.5), and Catholic Lois Lane and Justin R tied for third (2). 

Thank you to everyone who played this year.  Good luck in next year's game!