Kermode & Mayo’s Take

Episode: Oscars Schmoscars 2026
Date: March 16, 2026
Hosts: Mark Kermode, Simon Mayo, Simon Poole, and co-host (possibly a producer or another film critic)

Overview: Main Theme & Purpose

This episode is the show's annual deep dive into the Oscars, humorously titled Oscars Schmoscars 2026. Mark Kermode (reporting from Travelodge, not Hollywood, to much laughter) and the team analyze the ceremony’s winners, surprises, and controversies, dissect the state of film recognition, highlight memorable acceptance speeches, and consider the broader cultural and industry shifts seen through this year’s awards.

Oscars Ceremony: First Impressions

Timestamp: 02:40–05:43

• Mark stayed up through the full ceremony and found it "a long show" (02:51), attributing this to both age and a sense that awards shows increasingly drag on.
• Conan O'Brien hosted, and Kermode thought his jokes "landed like wet fish" in real time, describing much of the humor as "contrived gags that just didn't land." He contrasted this with Billy Crystal’s appearance, which reminded everyone “how you host an Oscar.” (04:34)

  “I thought that there were so many jokes that just landed like wet fish... there was an awful lot of very contrived gags that just didn't land.”
  —Mark Kermode, 04:15

• The co-host (seeing a clipped version) felt Conan “was funny,” but Mark insists, “in real time, it didn’t feel like that.” (05:34)

Main Award Highlights & Analysis

Best Picture & Sweep: One Battle After Another

Timestamp: 07:17–10:55

• As predicted, One Battle After Another dominated, winning 6 Oscars: Best Picture, Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Supporting Actor (Sean Penn), Adapted Screenplay, Editing, and the inaugural Casting Oscar.

  “He does genuinely seem to be thrilled at how well One Battle After Another has done… after all this time, it was really lovely to finally see that happen.”
  —Mark Kermode, 08:47

• Paul Thomas Anderson’s acceptance: apologetic to his kids, reflective about generational responsibility, and aptly humble:

  “Our film obviously has a certain amount of parallels to what’s happening in the news every day.... The end of our movie is our hero, Willow, heading off to continue to fight against evil forces… bring at least common sense and decency back into fashion.”
  —Paul Thomas Anderson, 07:56

• The movie is praised as bold, risk-taking, and not typical “Oscar bait” (“It's not Driving Miss Daisy, it's not Crash… you wouldn’t say, absolutely, that is Oscar bait.” —Mark, 11:31)
• Kermode calls it perhaps Anderson’s most ambitious and best film. Hamnet is noted as a much more traditional Oscar winner.

Sinners: Michael B. Jordan’s Best Actor Win

Timestamp: 12:54–17:56

• Sinners earned four Oscars: Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Original Screenplay, Original Score, and Cinematography.
• Michael B. Jordan is only the sixth Black Best Actor winner and gave a moving tribute to predecessors:

  “I’m here because of the people that came before me... They’re artists. They want to do the work. My father always told me, don’t expect anything to be handed to you.... So I would encourage other actors… to try to keep that in mind and be honest and truthful and just, you know, do. Do, you know, dream big, man.”
  —Michael B. Jordan, 13:31

• His win was a “surprise” over long-time favorite Timothée Chalamet, shifting late in awards season betting.
• The ballet/opera comment controversy around Chalamet is discussed and mocked (“if you make a ridiculous attack on opera and ballet, then they're going to come and get you”—co-host, 19:07).
• Mark says, “all awards are nonsense... voted for by people making decisions for reasons which are multifarious and may not make any sense at all.” (18:15)

Best Actress: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)

Timestamp: 19:38–22:16

• Jessie Buckley becomes the first Irish winner in this category.
• In her speech:

  “It feels like some kind of crazy alchemy that all of these things are colliding on a day like today... And I feel like, what a gift to get to, you know, explore motherhood through this incredible mother... and then to receive this recognition of the incredible role mothers play in our world on this day is something I will never, ever forget.”
  —Jessie Buckley, 20:01

• Mark calls her a “great actor” and says this win was “by popular acclaim... it was a very, very popular win.”
• He candidly shares his own earlier conversation: “At the end of the Q&A, someone put up their hand and said, ‘Have you written your Oscar speech?’... You think you might jinx it. But it was obvious she’d win.” (21:00)

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan (Weapons)

Timestamp: 22:16–24:34

• Madigan wins for a terrifying, old-fashioned villain role—forty years after her last nomination (a record gap).

  “She got onstage and it was really fabulous… that was actually one of the highlights of the evening for me because I think Weapons is one of the best films of the year.”
  —Mark Kermode, 22:54

• Her victory seen as exciting since the category was especially hard to call.

A Landmark Year for Horror?

Timestamp: 24:34–27:01

• Noted as a “good Oscars year for horror”—Sinners, Frankenstein, and Weapons all won major awards.
• Mark dismisses the buzz about “elevated horror,” saying horror films have always been deep and intelligent; citing The Exorcist’s 10 Oscar nominations as evidence.

  “I don’t think elevated horror is more intelligent than that.” (27:01)

Notable Documentary & International Feature Wins

Timestamp: 27:01–31:54

Best Documentary: Mr. Nobody Against Putin

• David Borenstein/Borenstein’s film won; his speech sharply warned of “countless acts of complicity”:

  “You lose [your country] through countless small little acts of complicity, when we act complicit, when a government murders people on the streets... when oligarchs take over the media and control how we can produce it and consume it.”
  —David Borenstein, 27:37

• Mark highlights the resonance of this message in the U.S. context, given the current political climate.

International Feature: Sentimental Value (Norway)

• Norway’s first-ever win, described as “a very popular win.”
• Director Joachim Trier quotes James Baldwin: “All adults are responsible for all children... not politicians who don’t take this into account.”

Animated Feature & Representation: K Pop Demon Hunters

Timestamp: 31:54–33:15

• Wins Best Animated Feature and Original Song (“Golden,” first K-pop Oscar winner).
• Co-director Maggie Kang dedicates the win to “Koreans everywhere” and apologizes “that it had taken so long to have a movie featuring people that look like them.”

  “It is literally like inhaling bubblegum... when I saw K Pop Demon Hunters, it was like I'd stuck my head in the candy floss machine... But it was also really interesting to see that acceptance speech going... it’s to do with representation.”
  —Mark Kermode, 32:16

• Both K Pop Demon Hunters and Sinners have musical numbers performed live at the Oscars.

Other Noteworthy Moments

• Frankenstein wins: Production Design, Costume, Makeup.
• Avatar: Fire and Ash: Visual Effects; Formula One: Sound.
• A rare tie in the Short Film category, presented by Kumail Nanjiani, is only the seventh in Oscar history (“this short film award is going to last twice as long as all the other awards” —33:40).

Industry & Cultural Trends

Timestamp: 34:38–36:48

• Warner Bros. scored 11 wins—a “massive night.” The team notes uncertainty as media mergers accelerate, but Mark highlights the celebration of cinema as a theatrical experience, particularly with this year’s big winners.
• Conan O’Brien’s running jokes about streaming services becoming dominant (“Ted Sarandos is here tonight. It’s the first time he’s been in a theater.” —35:23) speak to new industry anxieties and the ongoing tension between theatrical and streaming releases.

Tributes and In Memoriam

Timestamp: 36:48–41:32

• Billy Crystal’s emotional tribute to Rob Reiner, who recently passed—a moment marked by both humor and genuine reverence: “What fun we had storming the castle.”
• The show highlights the importance of artists’ “decency and moral clarity,” especially in turbulent political times.

  “It is kind of remarkable that at the moment in America you could legitimately look at the people in that room and go, they have more moral authority than some of the monsters who are currently in power.”
  —Mark Kermode, 40:31

• Barbra Streisand’s tribute to Robert Redford is described as “very, very, very moving,” culminating in her singing The Way We Were on stage.

Overlooked Films and Performers

Timestamp: 41:32–44:44

• Acknowledged “there are always films that get left out,” but the big losers (e.g., It Was Just An Accident, Train Dreams, Timothy Chalamet) are all acclaimed and will “live on for a long time.”
• Mark expects Chalamet will have ample future chances at Oscar glory.
• There was also a Bridesmaids reunion and a failed Conan O’Brien attempt at a new Leo DiCaprio meme.

Conan O’Brien: Hits and Misses

Timestamp: 43:41–44:47

• Some of Conan’s jokes did hit, such as the “Hazard Small Penis Theater” gag (“Let’s see him put his name in front of that,” 44:03), but many fell flat.
• Mark and co-host both agree that Billy Crystal remains the gold standard Oscar host.

Fun Final Moments

Timestamp: 45:00–46:09

• Mark heads off for a day of (now-traditional) post-Oscar screenings, beginning with “Midwinter Bread—or Midwinter Bread, anyway it’s got the word Midwinter in it.”
• The show closes on a random, cheerful aside comparing Basil Brush and Basil Rathbone—demonstrating the podcast’s signature blend of movie obsession and British eccentricity.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On the show’s tone:

  “All awards are nonsense and all awards are capricious.”
  —Mark Kermode, 18:15

• PTA’s humility:

  “Bring at least common sense and decency back into fashion.”
  —Paul Thomas Anderson, 07:56

• On horror’s changing Oscar fortunes:

  “Horror movies have always been all of those things... I don’t think elevated horror is more intelligent than [The Exorcist].”
  —Mark Kermode, 27:01

• Michael B. Jordan’s perseverance:

  “You do the work, and everything else will figure itself out.”
  —Michael B. Jordan, 13:31

• Barbra Streisand’s tribute:

  “He always referred to me as Babs. I’m not a Babs—look at me, do I look like a Babs?”
  —Barbra Streisand, 38:30

Conclusion

This episode of Kermode & Mayo’s Take delivers a rich, layered, and opinionated run-through of an Oscar night filled with meaningful wins for daring films, poignant speeches, political undertones, and a visible shift in the industry’s relationship to tradition and change. As always, Mark and the team mix detailed knowledge, sharp wit, and heartfelt fandom to make sense of Hollywood’s biggest night—the full rundown for those who want the Oscars’ stories, laughs, and controversies without staying up all night.