Film Critic Matt Mueller on the Oscars (Hour 1)

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Hey, hey, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Nightlight.

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I'm doing well my friends.

I'm doing quite well.

It's Friday.

I am here for it And I'm just happy to be on yet another wonderful program with two lovely individuals with a third listening in that's right I can see you senior producer Tucker.

Haha.

He is

there in the shadows.

Yes, you know, I'm well as well Although I I need to spend more time practicing my Shrek impression so that I can more accurately say don't lay Don't lay that was

it's not that

I got to work on it, but

Like he would say donkey pretty good.

Yeah That'll

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We have an outstanding show tonight folks.

We do

we do we have a great get a really good guest tonight Yes, and we're gonna do some Oscar talk Greg with the Milwaukee based film critic Matt Miller who is in addition to talking about movies He's just a really fun guest.

He will be here at 535.

Yes, and then why don't you are the music guru of the night like crew Greg?

So I would I would I would love it if you would do the honors of telling people who will be here in hour number two

In the second hour, we're going to be talking to Adam Bradley, who is a best-selling author, a professor of English and African-American studies at UCLA and the founding director of the Laboratory for Race and Popular Culture, a.k.a.

The Rap Lab.

We're going to be talking about music.

We're going to be talking about the validity of it.

It's used as art, whether we're talking about pop, country, hip-hop.

We talk a lot about hip-hop, but it's a great conversation.

And what's wonderful about this one, it's part of our series that we are calling Nightlight

After Dark, which means you can go and check out the full conversation, because we're going to give you a portion of it.

But this was like a 45 to 50 minute conversation we had with Adam Bradley.

So check that out on the website, on the YouTube, on the YouTube page as well, For Civic Media, the Nightlight After Dark.

Ooh.

Hey, in addition to Nightlight After Dark, which is a fantastic thing we're doing here, this, Greg, is a big night to here at Nightlight because it's a Friday.

Yes.

And I don't think we can say it as well as Megan can.

So

we'll

tell you what this Friday means to us right now.

Please

thank you.

It's casual Friday with Pete and Greg.

Let's see a

girl next door that I love the way she does that.

I just think it's funny because it just feels like she's like it's night light.

It's casual Friday with Pete and Greg.

I gotta go back to work.

Right.

But thank you.

Love it.

Love it.

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And yes, it's casual Friday.

We're relaxing with great guests, great topics.

Also, really quick to give everyone a heads up.

Next week, we begin the spring into multi-state text

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Break into Spring.

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We want you to win super cool prizes.

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We cannot win, Greg.

or Zomers.

You know that, right

guys?

We

have no chance.

Yeah, you know, I've tried, but so far over my, I don't know, three and a half, four years working here, I have not managed.

I've been floored it every single time I tried to win a text contest since we are not eligible.

Well, you just made yourself eligible for a citizen's arrest, my friend.

I don't

know how he

realized the

gravity

of what you just said, Aaron.

Well, Pete, I know you've been wanting to make a citizen's arrest for

some time now.

Listen, I've planted evidence on people just so I can make a citizen's arrest, which actually

qualifies me

to be citizen arrested.

So I'm kind of in a it's a conundrum.

But yeah, great show tonight.

And we have a really good question.

So why don't we get to our night like question of the night?

Boom.

Let's talk about the question.

OK, question.

Question.

Question.

Question.

Question.

OK, I have a question.

Questions.

This

question.

Question.

Questions.

Oh, here we go.

It is Friday the 13th, folks.

What is a superstition you believe in?

We all, I think even people, Greg, that say they're not superstitious,

or

even that they're a little stitious, have something, not one of mine, have something that they...

you know, adhere to because why not?

There's a ladder right there.

Why would I walk under it and risk that superstitions exist when I can just go around it?

That's kind of my philosophy on the superstition thing.

Okay.

So, but let us know your thoughts, folks.

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you i thought you i thought i thought you had some i thought i was i was giving you clearance to just land the plane no yeah i'm good

Well, let let us get into our our casual Friday edition of our big three things the first big

story It's a big one Greg.

Yes weather

weather

weather weather now yesterday when I was driving home from Madison I was kind of keeping my eye on the weather

not

texting and driving or looking at my phone and driving when I stopped for gas but We are good.

We are supposed to get up here in Northeast, Wisconsin

42 inches of snow between Sunday and Monday.

Oh my goodness.

I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that in my life.

You said before the show, though, that we did get something comparable to that, 48 inches when you were a kid, I think, or whatever.

But either way, that is an obscene, obnoxious amount of snow coming to northeast Wisconsin.

I thought Madison and Milwaukee were supposed to get a foot to a foot and a half of snow, but now you say that the temperatures are going to go up.

So it might just be rain or sleep, which is not good either.

Well, according to the weather app that I use on my phone, where I live down here in southeastern Wisconsin in the Kenosha, Racine area, we are going to be getting, it looks like rain now on, it changed actually.

On Sunday it was supposed to be snow showers.

Now it's rain and then Monday we're supposed to be getting snow.

And so,

everything that you guys are all talking about.

Like we've been talking about it in the work chats today and especially when emails go out saying, Hey, this is what happens if there's big weather.

Take it easy, be careful and stay home if you need to.

I'm sitting here looking at like, Oh, it's going to rain on Sunday.

Okay.

There we go.

I mean, it's, it's so windy.

It knocked our power out today, but we're not supposed to be getting massive amounts of snow.

Let's see until Monday.

And they say maybe, and when I talked to you about this, like an hour ago, it was four and a half inches of snow.

Now,

On Monday, it's two and a half inches.

It's been changing crazy pants here in this area.

You

guys are

so lucky down there in southeastern Wisconsin rules, baby Tropical part of this so envious.

No, I in rain can be dangerous too.

I don't honest to God 42 inches of snow I know we had a big storm in 2018 and I remember looking out the window and the pine trees were like They were like parallel with the ground because we had low-grade hurricane winds.

It was insanity

And when that all melts, that's trouble.

But I guess I typically I would prefer rain, but if that could create flooding issues too.

Absolutely.

No, absolutely.

And I'm trying to remember what the conversion chart was for rain versus snow.

And I believe it was for every foot of rain, a foot of snow, it's like 10 inches of rain.

I might be wrong.

I'm probably wrong on that one.

But you just, I mean, I would much rather have

Sun and some rain and a little bit rain here and there I don't want torrential downpours where it's looking at flooding But that I will take that over what you guys are supposed to be getting which is just an onslaught of snow I

mean we have we use part of our garage as storage.

It's to car garage.

So we have an old Toyota Land Cruiser we keep in there and then I've got a newer car So I'm looking for a place to house my car.

Yeah for those two days.

I don't want to

I have to shovel 42 inches of snow if we get that.

It typically, it seems like when we, when stuff is forecasted, like when I drove to Madison the other day, oh, we're getting eight inches of snow.

Well, it turned out to be like two inches.

So, you know, you never know, but I just, I can't even imagine scraping a car with that much snow on it.

42 inches of snow creates problems for plows, actually, like for the guy with a pickup truck with a plow.

That can be difficult.

So we'll

just have to

see.

It also can, it also creates problems for people who live in a house.

Like, so we live in a house and I have to, I have to shovel snowblow.

I have a snowblower.

Thank goodness.

Yeah.

On days like that.

I have to do that maybe two to four times a day because not just the snow coming down, but also the city plows coming around and plowing us back in.

And then I have

to plow that.

I have to plow that out into the middle of the street so it doesn't come right back.

So yeah, there's all sorts of problems, but I have to keep also telling myself that while we are on the cusp of spring, we are still in winter and this is Wisconsin.

So.

Did you ever, do you guys do this in Milwaukee or Southeast Wisconsin where you put like something

You shovel out a parking spot on the street, you

shovel your

car out basically, you pull out and then you put something there like, hey, this is my spot because I shoveled so many so inches of snow off of it.

You mean on the street parking,

you

mean?

Yeah, on the street

parking.

I don't know if they're allowed to do that in Milwaukee.

I've never seen that.

I've never done that.

I remember seeing that in Chicago and feeling like, that's really rude.

You don't get to save a spot, you don't get the spot, you don't get the spot.

Find

a spot.

Yeah, but if you're the one that does all the shoveling,

And

I

did this once and I had to leave town and I wanted my wife to have a spot.

So I shoveled honestly, it was like two and a half feet of snow, whatever.

And we put our little chair there and someone tossed the chair and took the spot.

It was the closest I'd ever come to keying someone's car.

I was that mad and then I'm like, my crime would have been even worse.

So I came to my senses, but initially,

oh, I was

furious, you know.

I don't know if they're allowed to do that up here.

I know in Chicago.

I don't even know if it's still allowed in Chicago.

I just remember seeing it and being like, you just put a chair there and I have to respect that?

No, I need to park.

That's

how it works, baby.

That's real life.

Here's what I would say.

Sit in my chair while your partner shovels your own spot.

I'm happy doing that for you, but I did all the shoveling

back.

I mean, I don't know

if you can do it either.

I really can't handle it.

Anytime I see someone standing in a parking spot and like waving people off like, nope, it's like.

If they're not here yet, go find somewhere else.

You don't just get to stand there and wait.

It

just

infuriates me to no end.

I am so easy with big picture things.

I can let it run off my back and be like, hey, we'll move through it.

We'll get through it together.

It's those small inconveniences that set me off.

Not proud of it, but that's just how I am.

I

get it.

Should we go to our second pick thing?

Um, do we have time?

I don't know if we have time.

Oh, no, we got like, we got like 90 seconds, buddy, before we have to pay some bills.

90

seconds.

Badger victory.

You don't think we can jam through that?

Well, you just did.

I mean, that's really.

The second big.

The Badgers won in overtime as well.

So that means they continue into the next round of basketball playing for sports in college.

Greg likes a good sports contest.

I love sports college sports.

It's

amongst my favorite sports.

And this is quickly, this is my favorite, I would say March Madness's.

probably the coolest sporting event

really in my

opinion well just because it's so frantic and there's always upsets and there's so many games yeah i'd like to share

Chaos of it, but we'll come back after this very short break up folks and break down the victory a little bit We'll tell you what happened and it was a big win and who they beat speaking of Chicago.

I guess I just Yeah, so we'll come back and tell you all you need to know and then our third big story is on the way Oscar talk with Matt Miller and 535 you are here on casual Friday ladies and gentlemen a nightlight with Pete Schwabba and right back on the civic media

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started.

As we ease into the weekend and anticipate incredibly ridiculous weather, but that weather ladies and gentlemen, I mean what better way

or what better excuse to just sit in and watch the Oscars on Sunday night while we're

getting

pummeled with snow or rain or whatever the case may be, depending on what part of the state you're in.

So joining us now, I got it wrong before the break.

Our guest joins us now.

He is a favorite here at Nightlight and he is a great Milwaukee film critic who joins us here periodically.

And he and Greg are going to try to be in their best behavior.

We'll see what happens.

But Matt Miller joins us now over the stream from Milwaukee.

Hey, buddy.

Hey, if I'm on air, I assume something has gravely gone wrong.

Yeah.

Oh, how are you doing, friend?

I'm doing well.

I'm very excited for this weekend.

You got the Oscars, you got Selection Sunday,

you

got Patrick's Day.

It's Pi Day if you celebrate math.

So

I

mean, it really is an underrated weekend this weekend.

What is Selection Sunday?

What do I not know?

That is the, the NCAA basketball team.

Oh, that's why I don't know.

Okay.

That's all the, the, the 60 some teams that get to move on

64.

Now there's like four bubble teams.

I love that they did that.

Just

any more teams

you can

add.

It's so great.

It just doesn't make any sense.

Like there used to be a time when back in baseball, it's like, how many people are in the playoffs?

There are four teams in the playoffs.

That's it.

Now they're like, there's 19 teams.

the, uh, we will play the playoffs through, uh, through January.

Now I just feel like March madness should just be March, April madness.

Like now it's just ridiculous.

It's March April madness.

It's, it doesn't get done until like mid-April.

It's

ridiculous.

They did with the Oscars cause they went from five to 10 and then they went from 10 to anywhere between five to 10.

It depends.

And then they were like, well, that's ridiculous.

Let's just do 10 again.

What are we, why are we pretending like that some years are less good than others?

wouldn't it make more sense?

Because we've seen, now that we've seen Oscar or we've seen award shows change, either ad or like, you know, like they added a new country award for the Grammys because they were so afraid of Beyonce.

And there's a new best of podcast because rich people need to be even more famous at the Golden Globes.

Why not just break up the best picture?

Award into two you have a like you would at the Golden Globes You can have a drama and a comedy musical put five in each and there you go instead of trying to do this thing of ten Movies where like you know five have no chance whatsoever I

do I like the fact that the Golden Globes do you know hold space for comedies Which is famously something the Oscars have never been very good at respecting college Never been good at respecting genre films in general until recent years

But at the same time, there is something...

you know, with the Golden Globes with the two separate categories where one feels lesser, you know, the comedy and musical category always.

And the other thing is with the Golden Globes is you have stuff like the year where they said the Martian was a comedy.

And, you know, you get these like kind of like category fraud situations where they try to like wedge a movie that maybe had one joke in it.

And they're like, ah, obviously a comedy, right?

And it's like, well, no.

And then, you know,

Good comedies don't get nominated or, you know, proper comedies don't.

And then you have the same kind of debate we're having now.

Like to me personally, I would put, I would like, I know it sounds ridiculous, but if there was that mode of thinking in the Oscars and you had a best comedy film, I would, it, it bums me out that the naked gun is getting like no big, because I felt like the naked gun.

for, you know, even though it was a, it was a, you know, whether you want to call it a reboot, a legacy reboot, whatever you want to call it.

I, when I watched it, I was truly entertained and I felt like they did a lot of hard work to make it both reflect the history of where that movie came from, but also still be new, have fan service, but not be all fan service and.

then to know it's just gonna be like, well, it's just a movie that came out and that's great and move on.

It gets no real recognition.

Therefore, that's the thing is why bother trying to make great comedies that could be recognized when the Academy Awards is like, you're adorable.

Oh, I think you're giving the Oscars a little bit too much.

I mean, you know, the Oscars rarely get it right.

I mean, we're talking about a group that, you know, oh, no, it didn't win Best Picture.

It doesn't join the company of Green Book.

You know, I mean, you know, it's a fun discourse.

It's a fun conversation.

I think it's an interesting.

thing that, you know, we talk about in the culture, it's important because it gives Hollywood an excuse to make movies for adults that they assuredly wouldn't make otherwise.

And I do think they're trying to improve.

I mean, you saw last year with the substance becoming a best picture nominee, a midnight, a graphic, gory, gross midnight movie, almost winning, you know, best actress and getting a best picture nomination.

Now this year you have Sinners, a vampire movie, an unapologetic, sexy vampire horror movie that

that is not only one of the best picture front runners, but is also, you know, the most nominated movie in Oscar history.

So they're trying to expand, they're trying to bring in more movies and not just, you know, as token, you know, you're the token animated movie, you're the token, you know, in the international movie, but they are, I think they're really trying to make the Oscars encompass the entire year of film.

But yeah, it would be nice if comedy, if a movie with that snowman sequence in the naked gun could be appreciated.

I don't

have a problem with Naked Gun not getting nominated for best picture.

I don't think F1, to me, that's the result of a 10 nominee field.

I don't think that ever gets nominated, but Matt, we have about 45 seconds or so when we come back after the news, we'll jump into your predictions or what you think.

But for right now, I have to ask you, did Timothy Chalamet is a little, when he ran his trap about ballet and opera, had the voting closed by then?

the

voting had just started.

It is actually probably going to be something that may contribute to him losing on Sunday night.

Now, to be honest, this is one of the dumbest controversies

we've

got.

We're going like, you know, he's he inarticulately made an accurate point and everyone is like all of a sudden decided that they are the greatest opera and ballet, you know, people in the world.

And it's like,

I'm sorry.

You're all misconstruing this and blowing it out of hot water.

But you know what?

If Michael B. Jordan gets an Oscar out of it, that is a win for everybody, honestly.

That's what I hope happens, honestly.

Yeah, there you go.

Matt Miller is here, folks.

Milwaukee-based film critic joining us here on Nightlight on Casual Friday to break down the Oscars for us.

They are Sunday night.

We are coming right back, and we'll hear some of Matt's predictions, and Greg and I will share some of ours.

It's going to be fun.

Don't leave.

The news is next.

Maybe it's the... Secrets of Finish Inn or something?

I don't know.

This is Pete Schwabba and Greg Bach here with you for Nightlight on Casual Friday.

Aaron Zahmer is spinning the tunes, bringing us back.

What is that?

That's Rocky Road to Dublin as performed in the movie Sinners.

Do you think maybe I could be biased about the... I don't know.

Well, there's another version of that song that opens up the show Young Sherlock 2.

Like almost like even like a harder, more like ancient sounding version of it.

It's really cool.

I've looked it up because I'm like, Oh, I want to play this

song.

You're telling me a guy, Richie movie slash TV show decided to go harder and more masculine.

What can I say?

He's really diversifying in his style.

Hey, that's what's going to get me to watch that

show though.

That's probably the only reason I'll watch that show.

I've seen enough Sherlock.

I get it.

I would love to see a Guy Ritchie take on Sherlock.

I think it sounds kind of cool.

I made two movies with Robert Downey Jr.

What's that?

Robert Downey Jr.

He made two Sherlock movies already.

Guy Ritchie.

Yeah.

But this is the TV.

Yeah, I know.

Yeah.

I need a good binge watch.

Hey, that is the voice of Matt Miller, ladies and gentlemen.

He is a Milwaukee based film critic.

And he joins us here tonight to talk about the Oscars.

I know Greg had a final point he wanted to make about Timothy Chalamet.

Greg, bring it.

Well, I mean, there's not like a, I don't know, like I just feel like personally, Timothy Chalamet is a good actor.

I don't dislike his acting.

I don't understand why we're throwing so much insanity towards a movie about ping pong, but whatever.

Matt, I'm not kidding you.

And I said this on the show.

I watched the trailer of that movie because I'd heard everyone talking about Marty Supreme.

I'm like, all right, I watched the trailer.

I got done with it.

I turned to my wife and I said,

Is this a Saturday Night Live trailer?

Have I been duped because this feels like a SNL sketch.

The trailer itself felt like an SNL sketch.

It's a

really

good movie.

And I'll probably end up seeing it.

That's fine.

But I feel like, and tell me if I'm wrong from the both of you, I feel like when it comes to Mr. Shamala, is that he's...

very thirsty for this award he like really wants this award and he puts a lot of stock into it like it's his justification like everyone already gives him kudos like he's won a lot of awards he's been in some of the biggest movies of the past 10 years nobody doubts his ability but for some reason when it comes to the Oscar he just seems to

I don't know.

I don't want to say put his foot in his mouth, but he just just doesn't let it happen like let the awards happen They'll vote and you like unless something tragic happens You have plenty of years to get nominated again.

You will win this award one day That's what will happen if it doesn't happen this Sunday, you'll be fine

Yeah, it's it's interesting because the Oscars do tend to make their young actors wait

You know

you look at people like Jeff Bridges like Al Pacino famously Leonardo DiCaprio really

And they really like to make actors wait for their awards.

And if they think that you really want the award, they will make you wait longer.

That's what happened to Leonardo DiCaprio, where,

you know, we

had to struggle through all those years of, you know, kind of middling dramas.

And then finally, they got around to giving them to the Revenant.

Shame about that.

But yeah, and I think like that's what's going to happen with Timothy Shallow May, where like, you know, he had that speech, I think at the SAG Awards last year, it was like, I really want to win these awards.

I want to be

one of the greats, and you could just feel everyone being like, okay, well, congratulations, you'll get your trophy in 20 years.

It's

a

shame because he's very good in Marty Supreme.

He's very good in the Bob Dylan movie last year.

But the Oscars do have this strange thing where they really

that they want to make sure you prove it before they give you your Oscar if you're a young actor.

And I guess that's fair on some level, but it also oftentimes means, you know, Jeff Bridges wins for crazy heart, you know, Leonardo DiCaprio wins for the Revenant.

Al Pacino wins for cent of all women, like, you know, because we want to delay these things, we end up kind of giving them makeup awards for stuff that in the end, we kind of don't think they probably deserve it for.

Well, let's let's stick with that Matt and that's a good segue with Timmy Timothy Chalamet I think you said it was probably a toss-up between he and Michael B Jordan Yes, I feel like I hit now.

That's one of the films.

I haven't seen I've not seen

Marty's

dream yet.

I've got three movies I've got to watch before Sunday night and I will but they

I don't know.

I love Michael B. Jordan's performance.

You've seen both films.

Give us your prediction for Best Actor and Best Actress.

And I think Greg, I think, saw Song Song Blue.

I'm pulling for Kate Hudson.

I thought she was fantastic.

But again, Hamnet's the other film I haven't seen.

So you tell us.

Yeah.

So in Actor, if I had a ballot, I would vote for Marty Supreme, for Timothy Chalamet.

I think

it's a

very...

It's a charismatic, chaotic performance that if it was a little more irritating, that movie would collapse.

That movie would

be

unwatchable.

And he finds a really nice movie star charisma level that makes that movie work.

But I think it's going to go to Michael B. Jordan for, like we talked about, people want to see Timothy Shalamet Wade.

They want to see him earn it.

They don't want to crown him already.

And then like we talked about this...

Silly controversy happened right in the middle of voting.

So I think they're like, you know, do we want to give Timothy this award or do we want to give it to Michael B Jordan, who is another, you know, younger actor on the rise who's putting great work who hasn't been appreciated.

This, I believe this is his first nomination period.

Um, and who also is like this, like

up-and-coming talent that is directed a movie and is going to be doing a Thomas Crown affair remake.

Let's anoint him.

Let's crown him for this impressive dual role in Sinners, you know, the original movie that was put on his back and he took it to blockbuster status.

Let's give him the award this year and we'll make Timmy wait a little bit more.

I guess that's the thing that like it just doesn't make sense that that that theory because like they're not much different in age and Timothy Chalamet has been nominated before and to me this whole like you say something out loud well you gotta wait for a kid then it just like that for me is bonkers it just feels like petty of the highest order.

Welcome to

the Academy

Awards.

It's very silly why these things.

Renee Zellweger won Best Actress for Judy for a movie no one liked much at the time and no one has watched since.

And she steamed role to that Oscar because for some odd reason everyone decided that was the year we were going to give Renee Zellweger a comeback Oscar.

They're very fickle, the Academy.

They're very strange in when they decide, okay, now is the time.

And I think they've decided, my prediction is that they have decided they want to award Michael B. Jordan.

They like the movie more.

They like him more.

Matt Miller is our guest he reviews movies and it's Milwaukee based Not too far from Greg Bach right now ladies and gentlemen, but he joins us here to we're breaking down the Oscars getting Matt's predictions He is he thinks Michael be Jordan will win.

I hope Michael be Jordan wins just because I love center so much Matt you've got to it seems like it's Jesse Buckley from Hamnet.

That's what I'm reading.

She's the favorite

like she's

gone

Yeah, it's a very night, but best actress is locked up.

She's gonna win.

It's it's a 100% Oscars performance where it's very

big emotions in a, you know, prestige literary British drama,

you know,

it's a very new academy, but they still, you know, they still like themselves a big crying, you know, emotional movie performance.

So I think Jesse Buckley's got that one in easy, not even the bride last week could could knock her off this.

Oh

my goodness.

That movie is a lot.

Yeah, we'll have to get your thoughts on that if we can too, but I really, I love Kate Hudson, I have to say in Song Sun Blue.

She's really

good in

Song

Sun Blue, and I'm not a Kate Hudson person, but- I wasn't either, yeah.

She's a lone nominee, which means that no one's really thinking about Song Sun Blue right now, and no one's really, so that really hurts, especially when you're up against a person from a best picture, you know, a best picture nominee that has like eight or nine nominations itself, so it's just hard to stay in the spotlight with that.

Are there any other, do you foresee possible upsets at all?

Like, you know, I don't feel like, I feel like if Timothy Chalamet wins, that's not an upset.

I

think people will be upset if Michael B. Jordan doesn't win, but I don't think that'll be upset.

But do you see anything like, you know, hanging on a line there that will be like, well, people think that this is going to win, but this person or film has a possibility.

Yeah, so first of all, I just want to shamelessly plug.

I put all of my predictions up on my sub stack of man about film.

So

if we

don't get to all the categories, you can see what I thought about best production design and all

that.

This is gonna sound crazy, but I think sinners winning best picture would be an upset and I know that sounds crazy because it's the most nominated movie of all time But one battle after another has been the steamroller through most of the award season It's won a lot of the precursors other than the screen actors Guild Award And I think people don't appreciate how crazy it is that sinners is on this run.

This is a like I said sexy bloody

vampire horror movie.

It's not, you know, an H24 style one.

It is a, you know, big Hollywood blockbuster horror movie that came out almost a year ago at this point.

And it has somehow managed to ride all the way to this point to potentially win Best Picture.

This is an Academy that barely got around to nominating Get Out that, you know, has only recently started to appreciate genre film.

And now they might be giving Best Picture to sinners.

So I think

I think there's a lot of love for sinners, and I think they vote using a preferential ballot for the Oscars, which means if you are a passionately loved movie, if you are finishing at number one on the most ballots, you're probably going to win.

And that's why I think Sinners is good.

I just think more people love Sinners over one battle after another, which is a movie that also people love.

But I just feel like there's a lot more passion and a lot more love for Sinners the movie and Sinners what it represents.

An original, diverse, thoughtful, political, wildly entertaining Hollywood studio movie that audiences also loved.

It's funny because I think I told you this before Matt I I kind of enjoyed one battle after another a little more than sinners It's more my kind of movie and I love the laughs in it But I think sinners is a spectacle and I would be happy if Ryan Coogler won best director and best picture And I know we talked about maybe they'll split

But everything you just said about centers and the set design and the music and the acting and the direction and it's a vampire.

It's literally got everything.

I think it should win based on that.

But do you think there will be a split between Best Director and Best Picture because they're both the favorites in both categories?

Yeah, and you have two very similar narratives of two directors who are overdue.

Ryan Coogler, this is, I believe, his first nomination.

And if not, he hasn't been nominated nearly enough.

And Paul Thomas Samerson.

Never won before he's nominated 13 or 14 times before this Never won and weirdly he's been nominated more as a writer than as a director which is kind of So you have these very similar movies in terms of you know big budget studio or tour driven films that

Got audiences to show up that got through the studio system unscathed in terms of having something political and social to say.

So I think they want to give both movies a big bow.

I do think centers is going to win a tunnel on Sunday night partly because it's got the most chances.

It's got a ton of nominations.

And it's

so weird that like.

It almost feels like a movie designed in a lab to break the nominations record.

It's got great performances.

It's got an incredible period, you know, production design.

It's got the music component.

So you've got the sound and the score and the best original song.

It would feel cynical for it to be the big movie, but it feels so not cynical.

It feels so truly like a passion project.

And I think, again, that's why I think it's going to win Best Picture on Sunday night, even though

everything else kind of says it's not going to happen.

I think I'm not sure if this is a record or but if if Ludwig Gorinzen wins this weekend, I think it's his third Oscar in less than 10 years.

They've been speedrunning some Oscars.

For those who don't know Ludwig Ornson is the composer.

He won for Oppenheimer.

He's Christopher Nolan's guy now.

He won for Black Panther.

He's probably going to win on Sunday night for Sinners.

It's a music movie, so you're probably going to give it the music thing to score.

They could give Emma Stone her third Oscar win in less than a decade, too, on Sunday night.

Just some very, very strange trends these days at the Oscars.

Matt, great stuff as always, buddy.

And I want to talk about Begonia with you next time you're here.

We'll do that because I watched that.

I had thoughts on it.

But enjoy the Oscars and let's catch up after at some point.

And thanks for being here as always.

You're a blast.

No, thank you guys so much.

This was a hoot.

And hope to see you all at the Oscars.

Sounds good.

All right.

It's Pete Schwabba and Greg Bach at Nightlight.

We are coming right back on the Civic Media Network.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website, civicmedia.us.

I was wondering if we would hear this tonight.

I love it.

Well done, Az.

This is Pete Schwabba and Greg Bach.

You've got Nightlight on the Civic Media Network.

That was fun talking to Matt Miller our favorite Milwaukee based film critic.

We did a little Oscar talk with Matt And Greg we've still got two big things to get to yes, we do I don't have to tell you that sir So no if you don't mind Aaron bring us bring us into number two, please the second big story Well keeping it with the Oscars these are just Oscar fun facts that we found

And I thought this was interesting.

I always kind of wondered where the name Oscar came from.

It has nothing to do with someone's name.

It was never officially renamed Oscar, Greg, but it says the Academy librarian once said the statue looked like her uncle Oscar.

That's stuck.

Seriously?

Is

that actually

where it came from?

Well, unless Wise Brother Media is lying to

me.

That's crazy.

And you

know what's weird?

They don't really give you typically they get the source from where they receive this information And it's not on here for some reason today, but that is listed here.

Like it's a it's a real thing John Williams, they're calling him the goat Yeah, the poser of scores like Star Wars Jurassic Park.

I think Superman Jaws He's been he's the only person ever nominated in seven consecutive decades starting in 1968.

That's

incredible.

Oh my gosh.

How do you like that?

Yeah, he's probably done some of your superhero

movies, too.

Right, Greg?

Doesn't he do... I don't think he has done Marvel movies.

He's done Harry Potter, he has done Star Wars... Harry Potter, Star Wars,

Indiana

Jones, E.T.

He has done all of those films, but I don't think he's ever gotten into the comic book like MCU type stuff that's Alan Sylvester is like the guy for all the really big stuff.

He does most of their films, but I mean John Williams to me is one of those guys who you may not know who he is and you just say play a clip and you're like, I know exactly who that man is because he's John Williams.

Right, exactly.

Well, he's got 54 nominations.

He's the most nominations of anyone living.

Walt Disney had 59.

So I don't know that John Williams is gonna is gonna catch him.

I think he slowed down a bit.

Obviously, I think he's

I

think he's 90 and I think he's pretty done composing.

Yeah.

Yeah, he retired I think I think the Indiana Jones movie dial of destiny was the last thing he was gonna do I mean, he's he's he's 94 years old and I would I don't know like you do what you love and you never work a day in your life But also it's like hey, man.

I just want to take today off.

Can I just take today off?

It's just music.

Pick up a violin.

We're not asking him to do one-armed push-ups here.

Let's go, John.

Awesome.

We

had Robbie Williams on Nightlight a few weeks ago.

His son, the lead singer of Toto, he was a lot of fun.

It talked very highly of his father, obviously.

Wait, for real?

Wait, what?

Like John Williams' son?

Robbie Williams is the lead singer of Toto and a very accomplished musician, too.

And he's even dabbled in film scores and that.

He was on Nightlight maybe three months ago.

Interesting.

Yeah, talking about a show he had, I think it was in Milwaukee, but the way he talked about his dad was great too, yeah.

I just think about, I was gonna say, I just think about Robbie Williams, the English singer from Take

That.

Yeah, that's so funny.

The first time that guest was pitched to me, that's who I thought it was.

I was like, oh, that's a pretty big get-to because he's from London.

So I'll take anyone named Robbie Williams, I guess.

Yeah.

And it's gone now.

If

I remember what I was going to say, I'll let you know.

All right, we've got other big news, folks.

From the world of sports just happened today, Mr. Zahmers.

The third big story.

Greg, I know you're not a huge College Hoops fan, but this is pretty cool.

I'm happy about it.

I love when the teams win that people like.

That's what I'm here for.

Yeah.

The Badgers pulled it out today.

They beat Illinois in overtime by three points.

I think it was three or four.

It was 92 to 88 or 91 to 88.

But this is the second time, 91 to 88 in overtime.

This is the second time the now 23rd ranked Badgers have beaten the Illini.

And the Illini were ranked, I believe, ninth.

So Wisconsin, and they did it without a couple key players.

and Wisconsin trailed by 15 points in the first half and the second half.

And, Edelbeck, I gotta tell you, I was so, I've done such a 180 on Greg Gard.

And this team is not a Greg Gard team, typically.

They run, they're fun to watch, and they did it without shooting well.

They're just gritty and fun, and they play Michigan tomorrow

now.

So, if I'm correct, as Matt Miller, who was here just before, was saying that it's Selection Sunday, so...

There they've won, but that doesn't mean they're in March Madness is that like I don't understand now how this works I thought that they were just I thought we were just Getting our brackets ready, right?

All right.

I don't know how this works educate me

They okay, so they are in because they're either ranked number they could have lost today and still made the big dance The tournament because they have a good enough record and they've had a good enough season.

They had some big upsets They beat Purdue.

I want

to say a

week ago on the

road

Purdue was ranked.

That's a big win They beat Michigan when Michigan was undefeated So the Badgers have some big wins.

They were in already this solidifies it It'll get them a higher seed most likely.

All right, and if they beat Michigan tomorrow

Who knows?

The Badgers aren't going to get a number one seed even if they win the Big Ten tournament.

But who knows?

I mean, so this is just a fun time of year because you've got the tournament coming up and now you've got all these conference tournaments leading into the tournament where people have stuff to play for.

That's what makes college basketball so great to me.

It's one and done.

You lose your out.

It's so frantic.

It's so crazy.

And it's a really fun.

I'll tell you this, Greg, my favorite part of the tournament is the first weekend.

Cause there's so much pressure on the one seeds to win against the 16 seed

and it's

just, it's a really, it's a lot of drama.

It's a lot of fun.

There's a, there's a great deal of upset that can happen.

It's like watching a grand slam tournament when like someone who's like a number two seed gets beaten by someone who's unseeded completely.

And you're like, Oh no.

My mom on the text line, Jackie box says, John Williams only did the music for the first three Harry Potter movies.

He did the theme song.

His theme song is like what you just prevalent it.

So thank you for that.

Even if he doesn't beat Walt Disney, I think he can feel good about writing the theme to the Olympics which will probably be used for the rest of time.

There you go.

He's doing okay.

Yeah.

All right.

We are coming right back, folks.

Hey, we got a great second hour planned.

Adam Bradley will be here, author of Pop and Poetry and a rap music and pop music expert.

He's coming up in hour number two.

Don't go anywhere.

It's not late with Pete Schwabba and break box.

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