The Big Picture – “The Oscars Snubs Draft. Plus: ‘Sirāt’!”
Podcast: The Big Picture
Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Chris Ryan (CR), Joanna Robinson, Katie Rich
Date: February 16, 2026
Overview
The episode focuses on a comprehensive and passionate Oscars Snubs Draft, where the hosts and guests debate and “re-award” historic Oscar snubs across seven detailed categories, spanning almost a century of Academy Awards history. The show also closes out with a nuanced, spoiler-discussion of the divisive international film ‘Sirāt’—including a philosophical interview with its director, Oliver Laxe.
Episode Structure
- Quick check-in on the current Oscar race (2026 context)
- Defining and unpacking the concept of an “Oscar snub”
- Setting up rules and categories for the draft
- The Oscars Snubs Draft (7 categories, snake style, with historical context and reasons)
- "Sirāt" review and director interview
Oscar Race 2026: Setting the Context (03:00–08:00)
- The panel reflects on the unsettled current Oscar race, mainly split between the films Sinners and One Battle.
- Katie Rich: “Ryan Coogler and Zinsey Coogler definitely got the biggest applause in the entire [nominee luncheon] room. Like there is that sinners enthusiasm.”
- There’s excitement around the drama of a close race and speculation on how guild awards (like PGA, SAG) might influence the trajectory.
- Amanda Dobbins: “There’s a huge amount of enthusiasm for Sinners, which is a great movie. And...I would be very happy with either [contender].”
Notable Quotes:
- “We just need something to talk about. You know, we have five weeks left.” – Amanda Dobbins (05:37)
- “If the Academy president thinks I matter, maybe I should embrace being a pundit.” – Katie Rich (01:55)
What Counts as a “Snub”? (09:30–14:00)
- The panel interrogates the use and meaning of “snub.”
- Sean Fennessey: “Subjective—snubs are subjective. That’s kind of how this works.”
- Joanna Robinson: “I think you can only have distance to understand a snub. That’s what’s so interesting about today.”
- Asserts importance of historical context—how time reshapes perceptions of injustice and greatness.
Notable Quote:
- “The body tends to recognize greatness. … The movies and performances we’ll talk about throughout this draft, there's not a lot of controversy about their greatness.” – Sean Fennessey (10:05)
Draft Rules & Categories (14:00–23:00)
- Categories drafted (7 total):
- Best Picture nominee snub (20th Century)
- Best Picture nominee snub (21st Century)
- Best Picture winner snub
- Best Actor winner snub
- Best Actress winner snub
- Best Director winner snub
- Wild Card (any Oscar category)
- Once a film (or performance) is picked, the entire year is “off the board” for further picks.
- Some picks are used to create “chronological domino effects”—righting past wrongs leads to (hypothetical) cascades of justice for future Oscar races.
- Joanna Robinson: “Sometimes you have to take an Oscar away from someone you do think deserves it” (76:07)
Draft Highlights & Memorable Moments
Opening Rounds: Best Picture Winner Snubs (23:06–32:00)
- Joanna (Pick #1): Mad Max: Fury Road for Best Picture (2015)
- “If you’re a film the gen pop loves and film scholars study, you deserve to have won the best picture.” (25:42)
- Amanda: The Social Network for Best Picture (2010)
- “Lost to a Tom Hooper movie, so... David Fincher doesn't have an Oscar. Like, what are we doing?” (26:57)
- Chris: Goodfellas for Best Picture (1990) over Dances with Wolves
- “History has proven that this is a much more significant piece of cinema.” (27:58)
Defining Impactful Wins & Domino Effects (34:29–44:11)
- Katie: Tweaking Jack Nicholson’s 1974 win to fix later wins for Pacino, Denzel, and, eventually, Will Smith (35:04)
- “If Jack Nicholson wins for Chinatown, then Pacino can win for Dog Day Afternoon, then Denzel Washington can win for Malcolm X...” (35:16)
- Animated debates about giving multiple wins/dynasties versus spreading the wealth, shifting the Academy's history (66:07–67:15).
Iconic “Unnominated” Snubs
- Sean: Singin’ in the Rain was not even nominated for Best Picture (38:30)
- Chris: 2001: A Space Odyssey not up for Best Picture (42:01)
- Amanda: Bringing Up Baby (1938) zero nominations, “kind of invents all of it” (78:23)
- Joanna: Seven Samurai for Best Picture (1956) (100:13)
Notable Acting & Directing Correctives
- Amanda (Best Actor): Denzel Washington, Malcolm X (1992) (43:37)
- Chris (Best Actress): Bette Davis, All About Eve (1950) (56:12)
- Joanna (Best Director): Alfred Hitchcock, Rebecca (1940) (46:05)
- Sean (Best Director): Steven Spielberg, E.T. (91:46)
- Katie (Best Actress): Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine (2004) to unburden future years (62:02)
Quotes:
- “Wes Anderson, one of our signature filmmakers, doesn’t have an Oscar yet. Grand Budapest was the coronation moment that just passed him by.” – Amanda Dobbins (54:14)
The Wild Card Picks
Late in the draft, panelists filled their final “wild card” spots with offbeat or overdue acknowledgments:
- Chris: Ennio Morricone, Days of Heaven (score, 1978), to avoid his “makeup” win for The Hateful Eight (107:53)
- Sean: Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a Best Picture nominee snub (109:01)
- Katie: Hoop Dreams for Best Documentary Feature (1994), “possibly the best pick of this draft” (112:03)
Draft Strategies & Philosophical Turns (67:15–69:04; 114:02–117:12)
- Internal arguments about one-and-done Oscars vs. dynasties; correcting “makeup wins” or rewarding late careers.
- Speculation about modern snubs becoming legendary with time (e.g., First Man, Challengers, Tar)
- Playful arguments about blockbusters (The Dark Knight), comedies (Mean Girls), and how the Oscars reward genre.
- Spirited, lively, and at times irreverent tone—podcasters rib each other over film choices and strategic blocks.
Notable Banter:
- “There’s some things that I think it'll just be cool to have… and then there’s like five or six that we can’t stop talking about.” – Sean (22:32)
- “Go with your passions!” – Amanda (53:53)
“Sirāt” Review & Director Interview (129:00– end)
Panel Review (129:27–138:48)
- Sean and Amanda discuss their mixed and intense feelings about Oliver Laxe’s “Sirāt.”
- Amanda: “The first, like, the big Esteban scene worked on me and didn’t feel as manipulative as maybe you felt about it.” (131:50)
- The film’s pivotal and shocking scene—Esteban’s death—is dissected as both crafted agony and emotional devastation:
- Sean: “That death fucked me up… it was a real poke in the chest.” (134:46)
- Amanda: “Communicates to you exactly what’s going to happen and then tortures you throughout the rest of the scene till it does happen.” (135:23)
- The conversation pivots on whether shock-as-cinema is manipulative or meaningful; both conclude “Sirāt” is unforgettable, even if divisive.
Oliver Laxe Interview (139:04–167:49)
- Laxe discusses process, themes, and intentions:
- He approaches filmmaking as “visceral” and wants the audience to “learn to die before dying.”
- The shocking moments stem from his belief in catharsis and a confrontation with our “limits.”
- “When you watch Sirāt, you die. You are confronted to your smallness. But when the film finishes, you are more alive.” (139:07; 141:22)
- On the significance of location and nonprofessional casting: “We were looking for fragility. That’s what we love of people.” (147:12)
- He aligns “Sirāt” with the tradition of American road movies as existential metaphors (“Easy Rider,” “Tulane Blacktop,” “Apocalypse Now”).
- The music and soundscape, developed with composer Kanding Ray, are central: “Images that you can hear, and sounds that you can watch.” (159:09)
- Ultimately, Laxe wants cinema to “heal the collective imaginary” by facing discomfort head-on.
Memorable Quotes:
- “Life takes care of you all the time, even when life shakes you.” (143:00)
- “We want to heal. I think cinema can heal the collective imaginary... There is a collective wound.” (167:01)
- “It’s a film that you watch with the body, not with the brain. You feel it. But I think that is the essence of cinema.” (153:14)
Noteworthy Timestamps
- Current Oscar Race & Luncheon Stories: 03:15–07:28
- Defining a Snub: 09:32–14:09
- Draft Rules & Setup: 14:09–23:01
- Joanna picks Mad Max, kicks off the drafts: 23:19
- Major dominos/alt-history moves discussed: 34:29–44:49, 64:00–68:00
- Hot banter (The Dark Knight, superhero films): 71:36–74:08
- Arrival/Amy Adams debate: 77:12–78:13
- Comedies snubbed (Mean Girls, etc): 62:48–63:02
- Close Encounters, 3rd Kind as wild card classic: 109:01–110:08
- “Sirāt” review & spoilers: 129:27–138:30
- Oliver Laxe interview proper: 139:04–167:49
Episode Takeaways
- The Oscars Snubs Draft is both obsessive and cathartic; panelists relish fixing film history, even as they admit subjectivity and futility.
- “Snubs” are most powerfully felt with time, as great films and performances outlive fleeting Oscar wins.
- “Sirāt” and its creator provoke deep conversation about the powers and perils of shock in art—prompting passionate reflection on cinema’s responsibility.
Final Draft Boards
(Abridged; see full picks in transcript)
Joanna: Seven Samurai, In the Mood for Love, Mad Max: Fury Road, Harrison Ford in Witness, Amy Adams in Arrival, Hitchcock for Rebecca, Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons
Amanda: Bringing Up Baby, The Dark Knight, The Social Network, Denzel in Malcolm X, Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give, Wes Anderson for Grand Budapest, Network
Chris: 2001 A Space Odyssey, Children of Men, Goodfellas, Jeff Bridges in Lebowski, Bette Davis in All About Eve, Peter Jackson for Two Towers, Morricone for Days of Heaven
Sean: Singin' in the Rain, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Brokeback Mountain, Jimmy Stewart for Mr. Smith, Ellen Burstyn for Exorcist, Spielberg for E.T., Close Encounters (Wildcard)
Katie: Do the Right Thing, First Man, Citizen Kane, Jack Nicholson for Chinatown, Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine, Wachowskis for The Matrix, Hoop Dreams (Wildcard)
For Listeners/Readers
If you haven’t heard the episode, use the above as a comprehensive map: discover which beloved films and tragic snubs sparked the greatest passion, how the podcasters would reengineer “Oscar history,” and why “Sirāt” is the shocker that cinephiles will be arguing about for years.
Closing Notable Quote
"If you want to be more free and more emancipated, if we want to suffer more, it’s good medicine—you know, watching films like Sirāt. … The question is, how do we die? Are we dying with dignity...?"
—Oliver Laxe (156:26)