
Tonight Light with Pete Schwabba.
I am your host, Pete Schwabba.
Great to have you with me on this Monday night where we start our countdown for the next Oscar broadcast, which is just 364 short days away, ladies and gentlemen.
Did you watch?
I did.
I love movies.
I love to watch movies.
I like to watch the Oscars.
I didn't always watch them, but I did watch them last night.
I watched them last year.
As the years go by, I find myself watching the entire broadcast more.
It's fun to watch with a group, kind of like the Super Bowl.
A billion people joined me last night in watching the Oscars.
Were you one of them?
Let me know.
Let me know what your thoughts were about the broadcast, about some of the winnings or people who maybe got snubbed.
Did you think there was a surprise?
Did you have no interest?
You can share all of this stuff at 855-752-4842, 855-75 Civic.
Phone lines are open.
Let me know what you thought of the Oscars.
We'll be joined at 635 by one Matt Miller, Milwaukee based film critic who we have on this show quite frequently to do a deep dive into the broadcast.
Lots to talk about too.
There was Conan O'Brien as the host.
There was some kind of crazy weird James Bond tribute.
The In Memoriam segment was always, that's a staple at the Oscars.
Couple snubs there we'll talk about.
Adam Sandler made a crazy surprise appearance.
Timothy Chalamet showed up.
I want to cheer for this guy.
But I don't know what he was doing with that yellow outfit.
Don't you have enough attention?
You're an Oscar nominee in the Best Actor category.
You're a young guy.
You had two films that were nominated for Best Picture, and you show up wearing that?
That just screams like, I need more attention.
Really strange.
But we'll talk about all things Oscar over the course of the night.
We'll talk about Adrian Brody's really long acceptance speech, which is ironic because he was in the Brutalist, which was almost four hours.
And I muscled through that yesterday before the broadcast.
You see the Brutalist Conrad?
Did not like it.
I would give razzies to the brutalist and the substance.
The substance was just terrible in my opinion.
The brutalist was just long and sort of self-indulgent.
It looked cool.
The acting was great, but eh.
We'll talk about all of that with Matt Miller.
He's gonna be here to help us do a deep dive into last night's broadcast.
And then at 7.35,
This is exciting.
We have the chair of the musical theater department at UW-Stevens Point, who's going to be here talking about their big spring play, Pirates of Penzance, that those of you who live in Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau, Plover, Stevens Point, it's all right there.
Beautiful facility, gorgeous theater, and you can still catch Pirates of Penzance.
I know this coming weekend, possibly the weekend after two, not 100% sure about that, but we will talk with our guest, Mark Hansen.
about that and how you can catch this great show by these up-and-coming musical theater future professionals.
We'll talk about that at 735 with Mark Hansen.
Riding shotgun as usual is the lovable producer
I had a lot of work to do and I thought, you know, I don't know what it's going to take for me to get outside.
The last three gorgeous days I've stayed inside and just kind of worked on the show, worked on some other stuff, made some phone calls.
We have to, we have a little bit of business here we have to get to the other night.
Friday we got texts, we got Tom from Jackson sent us a text right as we were going off the air.
And he said, what is the name of the restaurant?
And that was in Dork County, I believe we were talking about, where our musical guest, Laura Sawaska, worked.
And I don't know that we asked Terry that time.
If I had seen your question, I would have asked her.
I don't know that she knew, actually.
But we could try to find that out.
to 6 a.m.
when we're on the repeat.
The rebroad the recast the rebroadcast if you will bud from Jamesville tuned in and says hi guys I deliver newspapers in Madison, and I appreciate the shout out by the way I deliver papers from a truck so he is a truck driver I Knew I wasn't crazy you got that right glad we could keep you company buck Bring the news bud buck I'm so
I got Oscars in the brain, because I had a joke about it.
Never mind.
But keep listening.
Happy we keep you company.
Keep delivering the papers.
I assume it's newspapers?
Do we still have newspapers?
I hope so.
But thanks for listening, buddy.
And text anytime.
So, all right.
Ladies and gentlemen, we've got our guest, Matt Miller, 635.
Mark Hansen from UW-Stevens Point at 735.
And that brings us, in honor of the Oscars, to our question of the night.
What film would you give an ask or two?
Let me know.
I mean, I know you guys over the course of the year saw at least one movie.
And that would have to be your Oscar winner, because that's what I'm asking.
What is your best picture from last year?
What film would you give an Oscar to?
8-5-5, 7-5-2, 4-8-4-2, 8-5-5, 7-5-Civic.
That's a good question.
And I'm gonna have to actually think about that.
I kind of spent all this time coming up with the question, because I wanted it to be best picture related, and now I'm kind of... What did you see?
You only saw Dune 2, right?
Okay.
Different, innovative, cool.
I admit I'm getting swept up in the Enora buzz.
Sean Baker.
who I wasn't, he wasn't even on my radar until a guest recently said, what have you seen of Sean Baker's or something of that effect?
And I started watching Sean Baker films.
I had heard of the Florida Project for a couple of years and it was on my list of things to watch, never watched it.
And then when the guest said that, I can't remember who it was, I watched the Florida Project, loved it.
One of the sweetest, kind of sad, but one of the sweetest endings I've ever seen in a film, William DeFoe was great.
And I watched Tangerine, Red Rocket, or Red Rooster, Red Rocket, and Enora.
And I have to be honest, I don't even think Enora is Sean Baker's best film.
But Hollywood loves this guy.
And for him to go on a terror like he did last night, I think they were nominated for six Oscars and they won five.
That was the big story last night was Enora.
Let me know if you saw Enora.
I liked it.
I'm surprised at one, but...
Having seen The Brutalist now, which I did not like.
I don't know what else... I don't know what I would have picked.
But I would say last year, or at least of the films I saw this year, I might have liked a complete unknown the best.
Conclave was good.
Best picture I saw all year though.
I will get back to you.
Let me know what you guys think though.
What's the best film you saw all year?
What would you give an Oscar to?
8-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2.
You can text us on the app.
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Check it out.
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You can also text us on the stream.
Conrad, how can people watch the radio?
I'm wearing one of my favorite shirts.
So if you do watch on the stream on YouTube or whenever the outlets Conrad just said, you're going to get to see me in a really slick looking shirt.
If that's not enough to get you to the stream, I don't know what it is.
But join us any way you can.
Just join us.
Be part of the show.
Today is national Irish whiskey day.
You know, it's weird I I used to drink Jameson when I was actually when I was your age That's what we would do if we're at the bars or even when I was younger We would do a shot of Jameson a shot Like if you're just gonna get drunk
Drink the cheapest crap there is.
You don't down good Irish whiskey.
And I think there are better Irish whiskeys than Jameson.
I'm just saying, even back in my mid-20s, I was probably popping down five bucks for a shot of Irish whiskey.
Why would I do that?
And then just down it.
It's like my mother-in-law had a guy she was seeing for a while, and I had great Irish whiskey.
I think I had Ptolemore Dew or something.
I asked him if he wanted some, and I poured in two fingers, and then he puts Coke in it.
I almost lost my mind.
No, that's what Kessler's for.
But whatever.
I love Irish whiskey.
You can tell me your favorite Irish whiskey, too, folks, if you like.
So many good ones.
I do think my favorite for the money is Ptolemore Do.
Ever had Ptolemore Do?
There there's one have to be but there's one liquor that I actually drink by itself.
What's that?
And it's bamboo What's that again?
It's it's a rum, but it's it's like a banana.
I don't know right banana flavored Okay, it's it's so good.
I have it in mixed drinks, or I have it just in a glass.
It's For a Christmas two years ago, I got
a set of the bamboo and then the little glasses.
Look at you, man.
All right, we have so much to talk about.
We're talking Oscars tonight.
Matt Miller is here.
Mark Hanson is here at 735 talking about a great big production at UW-Stevens Point.
We're going to do a deep dive on the Oscars with Matt.
We're going to come back and talk more about the Oscars.
I've heard Adrian Brody is still delivering his acceptance speech.
We'll check in on that.
This is Pete Schwab and Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio Network.
So I was all set to read a text.
And Google makes me log in.
Yeah.
Because that's my favorite Benny Hill sing.
We're going to keep you in suspenders.
So our question tonight is, what would you give an Oscar to for Best Picture?
What's the best film you saw last year?
Let us know.
8-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2.
Ross from Crawford County.
Ross is checking in.
Hey, buddy.
He says, I like Inora because the actress had such spunk.
She just wouldn't put up with you know what and when the Russian or Armenian Mafia boy showed up I thought oh boy here comes the violence and it just turned into these bumbling fixers that was just hilarious It brought some levity to a serious movie Very well said Ross.
That's a great take He says nickel boys was great a complete unknown.
I really enjoyed they're all good movies all the ones you mentioned Ross I liked a lot too.
Nickel boys is such a heart-wrenching story
Based on a true story loosely the two characters were great.
It was weird watching for me personally Watching them break the fourth wall.
I that I had trouble adjusting to that and I don't know if that helped or hurt their cases for best picture I don't know but I did enjoy the film and I do agree with you You know Sean Baker stuff is also weirdly funny.
It's kind of like dark comedy the Russian guys were funny I think there's a scene where a Nora kicked one of the guys in the nose and broke his nose
I just felt like it went on too long and I'm totally nitpicking because, you know, now that the Oscars are in the books and you see how overwhelmingly Enora won, you kind of have to go, yeah, okay, that's the best picture.
Not saying it was like anonymous.
I think The Brutalist was a favorite for a while.
I thought Conclave had picked up steam.
And I would have been okay with that cool, with that too.
There was great acting, pretty good script, and then a cool twist at the end.
I did not see coming.
So I would have been okay with that too.
Ryan from Madison, he's in the 608.
He says, did, that's a Marjorie Taylor green text.
That was not a best picture.
The text was not a best picture.
I don't think it was intended for this show.
Kurt checks in on the stream and says, a complete unknown was phenomenal.
I was hoping it would sweep the Oscars and bummed it didn't win any.
Yeah, that's right.
They got shut out, didn't they, Kurt?
I liked it a lot too.
I was surprised.
I thought maybe, especially since like Adrian Brody won, but the brutalist kind of got shut out, I thought after that, it might have won one more.
I thought, you know, maybe Timothy Chalamet would win, but he didn't.
And seeing that outfit he had on, I'm glad he didn't win.
What is he doing?
I know people want to seem weird and make their mark and stand out, but good Lord.
This
is
I, my theory is that Kylie Jenner addressed him.
Blame your Kardashian, right?
You might be right about that.
You gotta stand out, Tim.
In the 608, I was disappointed that Timothy Chalamet and Demi Moore lost.
Halle Berry looked amazing.
Yes, she did.
That's Anna from Madison.
Thank you, Anna.
I was watching, my mom was over, I was watching it with my wife, my mom and my mother-in-law.
and we all got so drunk, there were drugs, it was great.
No, but my mom and my mother-in-law both commented on Halle Berry, she looked beautiful, no question about that.
I don't know about Timothy Chalamet, I would have been fine if he won, because he was great, he learned how to play the guitar, he did the voice, it was great, but to me more, I don't know, I just hated everything about that movie.
And I thought there were other actresses that did really well too.
I have no problem with Mikey Madison.
She kind of carried the whole movie.
We should check in because Adrian Brody won his second best actor award, which is quite an accomplishment.
That's incredible.
And last I heard, he was still talking and he has now surpassed the amount of time it took to watch The Brutalist.
Let's hear part of his speech.
You're already counting me down.
Okay.
Thank you, God.
Thank you.
for this blessed life.
If I may just humbly begin by giving thanks for the tremendous outpouring of love that I have felt from this world and every individual that has treated me with respect and appreciation, I feel so fortunate.
Acting is a very fragile profession.
It looks very glamorous and in certain moments it is, but the one thing that I've gained, having the privilege to come back here, is to have some perspective.
No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you've accomplished, it can all go away.
And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.
It goes on quite a while.
We'll be checking back in throughout the show to see if he put some closure on that.
Very sweet, very genuine.
He teared up.
He's obviously very thankful.
But it's funny that it...
Actor who's so charismatic does not give a great speech And maybe he wasn't prepared maybe he was talking from the heart.
I don't know.
I do think Adrienne Brody is a great actor My issue was with that movie if if that was and I've heard it's like loosely based on other stories of architects and immigrants But all the weird stuff that happened in that movie I'm okay.
I would have liked it better if it were a true story or based on an actual
Guy named last low who came to this country and Connected with this millionaire and built cool structures.
It just went on forever And I don't think it was the best picture I'm having I just saw it under the wire yesterday And I'm glad it didn't win and I would have taken a Nora conclave a complete unknown I thought they were all way better than the brutalist.
I Like the double entendre name But was not a huge fan
So our question tonight, what would you give an Oscar to what's the best picture you saw yesterday yesterday?
I'm sorry last year What's your best picture?
Let us know eight five five seven five two four eight four two and we'll ask the same question to my next guest Matt Miller joins us the Milwaukee Film Critic We'll do a deep dive into the Oscars recap the event talk about some of the movies It's gonna be a lot of fun and we'll check in again and see if Adrian Brody is still talking.
It's peach wabbit a nightlight on the civic media radio network
Jim from Applin says, I would have given it to Dune 2.
It left me impatiently waiting for number three.
Man, it's funny because Dune 2 was nominated.
One of the ten best according to the Academy.
You did not hear much about it though.
I think it won best sound.
But I enjoyed it.
Great text, Jim.
I don't know much about Dune 3 either, but maybe we can ask our next guest that.
Joining us now in the program, as he so often does, our friend Matt Miller.
He's a Milwaukee film critic who does great work and has always enjoyed to read.
You can check out his sub-stack at A Man About Film.
Check out his work.
He does good stuff there.
And he joins us now over the stream on Nightlight.
Matt, how are you?
Well, and, you know, I could almost grant it if he was like a surprise winner.
Like if he was, you know, not a betting favorite and, you know, he gets up there and he's like, ah, or, but A, he was somebody who was expected to be up there.
It was between him and Timothy Chalamet.
And B, he's been there before.
Like he won an Oscar before.
This isn't new to you.
So, I mean, it's a great performance.
He's a worthy winner, but...
boy and and you know what no good speech has ever begun with the sentence i'm going he threw his gum at his wife you know like that
Well, and like, you'd think when he was shushing the orchestra, it was like, oh, here's where he has like the heartfelt tribute to his parents or something, and instead it was just more rambling.
It was one of the most bizarre parts of the night, and there was a random whiz tribute in the middle of the night, so it was
I wasn't a fan of the Brutalist.
I love the story of Nickel Boys, but I thought the techniques they used breaking the fourth wall and kind of how they told the story took me out of it a little bit.
I know some people love it.
What is your take on those two films, Matt?
Nickel Boys would have been, if I was a person with a ballot, Nickel Boys would have been my best picture.
I do get the kind of hesitance people have toward that movie.
For people who don't know, it's a movie about two young black boys in a reform school in a abusive, horrific reform school in Florida in the 1960s, based on the Coulson Whitehead novel.
And it's all told in first person mode.
It is all told from the perspective of
of its two characters.
And I think that works really well in that movie.
I think it especially serves as a gut punch when they're older, you see that the camera is not first person, it is dissociated.
It is seen from their backside.
And I think it's a very moving, emotionally well-told movie.
But I understand it is a very strange movie.
So I was at the nomination was the win there.
And I respect the brutalist.
I think it's a mammoth
production that they pulled that movie off.
But for a three and a half hour long movie, I really want to feel that movie and really come away being amazed.
And the back half of that movie just doesn't come together for me in a way that I really walked out satisfied.
But I can't not appreciate.
everything that went into making that movie.
It's one maybe I respect more than I really love.
And Adrian Brody was great.
I just felt like it would have had a better chance if it were a true story.
You know what I mean?
Like I felt like kind of it was like, wait, now this guy's doing this and now
I don't know.
It just did not resonate with me, but it looked great.
Adrian Brody, all the actors were great.
Felicity Jones
I will say, I like that it's not a true story.
Like, if you remember three years ago, there was that weird thing with Tar, the Kate Blanchett movie, where people were like, oh, is this a biopic?
And everyone was like, no, this is a completely made up character.
And that's what I had with The Brutalist, where I walked out and I was like, I got to read more about this architect.
And then
But I think that speaks to the writing of that movie that he feels so real in a lot.
And the story feels so tangible.
I think that's maybe the most impressive thing about the movie is that it feels like it should be based on a real person, or at least that this is a true story that actually is, for the most part, just inspired by an architect, as opposed to being truly a biography.
Conan O'Brien, this has got to be the first time in my lifetime that someone has hosted the Oscars and gotten rave reviews.
Yeah.
Normally the hosting the Oscars is the most hated job in Hollywood.
You know, it's a no win scenario.
Everyone thinks you did a bad job.
The room is, you know, awkward.
Conan killed it.
I
When it got to the, why are we gathered here when the world is a mess?
Partion of the night.
I thought he delivered that really sincerely and well.
I thought he did a good job of, I liked the pomp and circumstance of the show.
I liked the kind of, we're going to do a 10 minute, you know, tribute to James Bond for no real reason.
What was that?
Yeah.
That was crazy.
If Amazon didn't buy the rights to Bond and that franchise is doomed to become a shell of itself and MCU'd to death, I think I'd be more upset about that, but I appreciated it.
I think, do you know the John Mulaney joke about making a birthday sign where it's like you start and you do a big ol' B and a big ol' I and a smaller R and a thing and you realize you're running out of room on the sign?
That's how last night's show kind of felt, where it was like, in the beginning of the night, they really let people take their time and luxuriate.
You got these really fun speeches and emotional moments.
And then as the night got on, clearly ABC was like, we got to wrap this up.
And it seemed like things were really kind of rushing to get to the end.
But I thought it was a good show.
I'm sure the ratings aren't going to be great.
I don't think this was a show.
People were like, oh, I got to see what's going on.
here and we have to acknowledge that, you know, these kind of shows are becoming more niche entertainment as opposed to general public entertainment.
He knows how to poke fun at the industry while also seeming like an outsider but also not
alienating the people way Kimmel can, or the way Ricky Gervais does, where Ricky Gervais just seems like he's, it tends to run a little mean and a little self satisfied about it's like, oh, I bet you've never heard this about yourselves.
Yes, they have Ricky, they have the internet too.
So I really liked Conan, I thought he had just the right tone, you know, and again, I'd be shocked if he doesn't come back next year, if he doesn't.
I don't know what they're doing.
Yeah.
I don't need to hear Robert Downey Jr.
use this big five-minute flowery, you know, monologue to each of the nominees for Best Supporting Actor that I tune out of.
Show the work that you are nominating and get people excited to see these performances as opposed to have someone just being like, oh, man, that cinematography was so good.
Show the cinematography.
Yeah.
We've seen some weird ones too.
Like Renee Zellweger winning for Judy, which no one has thought about that Oscar winning quite some time.
I think he's very good in a real pain.
I'm just amazed there was never seemingly any competition.
And I kept waiting for that to happen.
You know, when real pain missed out on Best Picture nomination, I was like, okay, maybe this is Ed Norton's time.
then, you know, we start getting into the awards ceremonies and his speeches are kind of awkward and rambling.
And you're like, okay, well, maybe this will be, you know, Guy Pierce in the Brutalist.
Maybe people will move towards him.
Never happened.
People just really like him, like his persona.
liked that performance in the movie, which I think is fair.
It's a good performance and that movie crumbles if that performance isn't perfect.
He's so good at that.
It's so natural to him.
I felt like Guy Pearce.
I wasn't expecting him to win, but when I saw, I just saw The Brutalist yesterday, and Guy Pearce was one of my favorite actors.
I thought he was great, loved Ed Norton, Jeremy Strong, I did not see the apprentice, Boris Soff was good, and Nora, really, it could have gone any way in that.
of those nominees at least
Yeah, I think all the thing with all the winners this year is that pretty much all of them I have no problems with this was a really
Strong year of winners that I'm like good for you like even Zoe Saldana.
I don't love Amelia Perez I don't love that yeah, but Listen Zoe's been putting in good work for years in really big stuff.
She took a big swing in this movie She's probably the best performance in that movie.
So yeah,
Matt Miller is here helping us break down the Oscars.
We'll get into some of the other awards when we come back.
And then Mark Hanson is here at 735, the musical theater chair at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.
You won't want to miss that as well.
It's Pete Schwabba and Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio
Wow.
Talk about, yeah, they split up in 2018.
Talk about a rebound.
So if she's married to Harvey Weinstein, getting a chunk of gum thrown in her direction is probably a highlight of her day, I would imagine.
Well, whatever.
I mean, that's a shock.
Thank you, Anna, for the text.
And then, where are we here?
Conrad, I'm lost.
Oh, there we go.
Joshua from Warsaw says, Pete, this is good.
Pete, how about awards I watched?
The Godfather of Green Bay a couple months ago.
Good movie.
It made me laugh, but it deserves an award for the number of times the Macarena is played in a movie.
Yeah.
Most people probably wouldn't argue with their Joshua.
We paid handsomely for that title.
Matt Miller is here.
We're breaking down the Oscars.
Matt, so you're OK with Zoey Saldana?
That's another category I thought could have gone.
I would have been happy with anybody that won.
I thought they were all great.
I will say Amelia Perez, the more distance I have from it, the more I dislike it for some reason.
Yeah, I think it's funny because I talking to people in my Oscar watching room and people I was texting with one of the big takeaways was all that movie looks interesting I want to like everyone wanted to watch that movie But I think the thing is Amelia Perez is best watched in 10 second clips like that movie is so out of control and so many you know Impulses not being reigned in and a lot of people taking big swings that maybe don't work
especially across a two-hour time frame.
I can respect the swings it's taking, but it is not a movie I predict.
It was the least of the nominees I thought this year.
I think even as like I think that probably was the death knell for that movie but I think it was as soon as it got that many nominations because people forget it was only one nomination away from tying the record for most nominations for a movie ever um I think you know the frontrunners curse hit it you know it got all those nominations uh and people were like
Do we like this movie that much?
I don't think so.
And people backed away from it and they found other places to go.
And obviously, Enora was that case, especially in terms of best picture.
I would have given it to the woman Fernanda Torres, and I'm still here, the Brazilian movie.
I think that's a really fabulous performance in a very good movie.
I wouldn't call that an upset.
I know a lot of people in the aftermath were like, oh, Demi Moore looks like Hollywood didn't learn the lesson from the substance.
Oh, sorry.
Wait,
I think I would have given it to Chalamet I think he's pretty great in that movie and I think and of the nominate Oh, no Coleman Domingo and sing sing nevermind.
I forgot he's nominated He's tremendous in sing sing.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's Coleman Domingo is gonna be accepting award at the Oscars within the next five.
I agree
Putting out great work.
He is really liked in Hollywood.
I think if he finds the right movie and it gets the right push, that's a done deal.
You know, it's like Paul Giamatti with the holdovers, you know, give him one more movie and that man is going to have an Oscar.
Okay.
So Coleman Domingo, but yeah, I'm with you.
I can't argue.
Adrian Brody was great.
Let's turn to Actress.
I have to say, I don't know how you feel about the substance.
I hated it, another movie, when I get distance from it.
No thanks.
And to me, Moore was good, but everyone was acting like it was a slam dunk, and I'm like, there's some other great performances here too.
I didn't think what she did.
I've seen her act in other better films, I think.
Yeah, and I was getting to this point where, you know, this morning everyone was like, ooh, looks like Hollywood didn't learn the lesson from the substance.
They gave a new young starlet the award, instead of, you know, a woman who's aging.
And I just want to be like, are we forgetting that the substance is an insane movie?
Are we forgetting that the substance is one of the wildest movies to ever receive best picture nominations from the Oscars?
That movie is gross and violent and in your face at all.
times, the fact that Demi Moore was in the running.
is a victory all in itself.
I really like that movie.
I think that movie's, you know, outlandish and wild.
And I'm not surprised at all that the Oscars in the end were like, yeah, this movie's too big, too weird.
And if they loved Inora as much as they obviously did, they gave it best picture.
They gave it, I believe, five Oscars at the end of the night.
Five or
Matt Miller is my guest.
We'll talk best picture and best director by the hottest thing in Hollywood right now.
I think he has been for a while and I just didn't know it.
Sean Baker, we'll talk about that for a few more minutes with Matt Miller.
When we come back after the news, it's Pete Schwabba and Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio