By: Eleni King Martin

On March 15, 2026, the 98th Annual Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars), took place in Los Angeles, California. Out of hundreds of feature films that were eligible for nominations, two films stood out amongst the crowd. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners swept the floor. 

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another won the most awards of the night, with six awards. Adding on, One Battle After Another won the highest honor at the 98th Academy Awards by securing the Best Picture award. The movie also won Best Supporting Actor (Sean Penn), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Casting. 

One Battle After Another follows Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio), a paranoid father trying to find his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), from his nemesis (Sean Penn) after Willa goes missing. The movie is largely about a father trying to protect his daughter from his past mistakes. The film also has large political themes, as the film takes place in a somewhat dystopian world with extremely polarized politics.

McCaskey Film Club president, Junior Elias Anderson, says, “One Battle After Another was a film that takes everything and does it well. There wasn’t much doubt in my mind that it would win.” The film is critically acclaimed, with many critics saying it is extremely relevant to current American politics, and does a very good job of representing the concern for out-dated politics. 

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners made history during the 98th Oscar Awards. It broke the record for most nominations of all time, with a whopping It  won four awards including Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the cinematography director for Sinners, made history by being the first woman and woman of color in Oscars history to win the Best Cinematography category. 

Film Club Secretary, Junior Anna Le Duc says, “We had an entire meeting discussing Sinners, which was super fun. We were able to talk about the cinematography, the plot, the music, and every other amazing aspect of the movie. It was really fun to do a deep dive into the film and understand why it was nominated/won so many Oscars.” 

There seems to be some disappointment among fans in reaction to some of the Sinners’ losses of the night. Though it was nominated for almost every major category, it only won four awards. In response, fans have ranged from mildly displeased to outraged. Many fans and critics are saying that Sinners is a generational movie, transcending current political, social, and cultural landscapes. While One Battle After Another focuses on a specific political lens, Sinners leaves room for interpretation. When asked about Sinners and the controversy surrounding its loss for Best Picture, Elias argues that “Sinners was phenomenal in its own right, and Coogler is an amazing director. However, Paul Thomas Anderson has been robbed of these awards in the past, so this was a long time coming for him.” Much of the controversy of this topic also stems from the fact that Sinners was written, directed, produced, and acted in by a majority POC (people/person of color) cast and holds long-standing themes of racial discrimination. Many fans and critics believe that these themes are more important and more relevant than those presented in One Battle After Another. 

Shifting away from Sinners and One Battle After Another, one more movie was heavily talked about after the results of the 98th Academy Awards: Marty Supreme. This film, directed by Josh Safdie, and starring Timothee Chalamet, follows a young table tennis player as he navigates his journey to the World Championships. Marty Supreme is one of the highest rated films of the year, scoring a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for nine categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Timothee Chalamet), and Best Cinematography, but walked away with no awards. It is rare for such a highly rated and nominated film to lose in every category. These circumstances have also sparked controversy among fans and critics. 

When asked about Marty Supreme’s snub, Elias says, “Out of the best picture contenders, I was less impressed by this one than One Battle After Another and Sinners.” Elias also commented on the restricted style of the cinematography, saying that it was “tight,” which made it difficult to establish meaningful shots. He also says, “I was 100% team Michael for Best Actor. Chalamet has talent, but dude, Jordan is incredible for playing two completely different characters.” For reference, both protagonists, a pair of twin brothers named “Smoke” and “Stack,” were played by Michael B. Jordan. 

For those interested in these films, McCaskey Film Club would be a fantastic place to start a discussion. Elias, who is the founder and president of Film Club, says,“I would really like to talk about the variety of categories more. I’ve really been trying to explore cinematography, lighting, sound, and the other physical aspects of filmmaking with the club.” Although the club has discussions about each movie they study, there is a somewhat limited amount of discussion on the filmmaking perspectives and processes, with the majority of discussion being plot/interpretation based. Film Club has already discussed Sinners in a previous meeting. However, Elias says he’s interested in studying more nominees/ winners from this year’s Oscars. He also states that the club is looking into hosting a “McCaskey Oscar’s” film festival. However, nothing has been finalized yet. 

Film Club is a space where all students are welcome! The Vice President of Film Club, Junior Nora Schindler says, “Joining Film Club feels like the “activity” part of extracurricular activities. It’s very low stakes. We’re all about having people just walk in and create community through talking about movies.” 

Film Club would love for students to bring movie suggestions, and all their best opinions and theories on the latest blockbusters! This club is all about community, friendship, and creating fun memories. Nora emphasizes that, “people should come out to Film Club because there is never a bad time to join. We are always ready for new people and we want to give people a space to have fun!” For students interested in discussing these Oscar-worthy films, Film Club meets every other Thursday in JP 201 at 3:15 after school.