Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins discuss the BAFTA results and their impact on Oscar predictions, with particular focus on One Battle After Another's best film win and the surprisingly open acting races. They're joined later by Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer of Sinners, who makes history as the first woman of color nominated for best cinematography.

The conversation covers How to Make a Killing, Glenn Powell's new film that adapts Israel Rank The Autobiography of a Criminal into a modern dark comedy about inheritance murder. They revisit Sinners nearly a year after its release, examining its 16 Oscar nominations and Ryan Coogler's masterful blend of vampire horror with blues music history.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw provides technical insights into shooting Sinners in dual formats - Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX 65mm - explaining how Eudora Welty Photographs served as her primary visual inspiration for recreating 1930s Mississippi Delta authenticity.

BAFTA Shakeup Opens Oscar Acting Races Wide

One Battle After Another won best film at BAFTAs, but the real story is how open the acting categories have become, with Won Mi Masaku winning supporting actress for Sinners

Sean Penn's supporting actor win for One Battle After Another creates uncertainty, as frontrunner Stellan Skarsgård was expected to win

"Pretty much every acting category except for actress is open" - Amanda, noting that multiple variables could still shift the races before voting begins

How to Make a Killing Adapts Classic Crime Literature

Glenn Powell stars in John Patton Ford's adaptation inspired by Israel Rank The Autobiography of a Criminal, the 1907 novel that also inspired Kind Hearts and Coronets

The film follows Beckett Redfellow's murderous quest to reclaim his inheritance, blending dark comedy with eat-the-rich themes in contemporary Huntington, Long Island

"It's another example of a like, I just want like 25 of these a year" - Sean, praising the film's tonal balance despite some narrative lumpiness

Sinners Revisited: Vampire Metaphors and Musical Ecstasy

The vampire metaphor represents white appropriation of black art, with Remic obsessed by Sammy's blues music that allows him to remember his past life

"The vampires don't matter at all" - Amanda on rewatch, noting how the genre elements serve the deeper themes about artistic ownership and spiritual connection

The film builds extraordinary world detail for a 24-hour timeframe, with production design by Hannah Beekler and costumes by Ruth Carter creating immersive 1932 Mississippi

Ryan Coogler draws from movie history including From Dusk Till Dawn, Assault on Precinct 13, and The Thing, continuing the lineage of vampire cinema rather than copying

Autumn Durald Arkapaw on Cinematic Technical Mastery

Eudora Welty Photographs provided the primary visual reference: "There's so much humanity in those photographs that he sent me... it's real people in real spaces"

Ultra Panavision 70 uses 1.3 squeeze anamorphic lenses creating 2.76:1 aspect ratio, while IMAX 65mm provides 1.43:1 for taller projection

Center-punch framing keeps characters in frame center during all movement: "I always put the character in the center of frame. It's a stronger frame for me"

IMAX cameras are "like a lawnmower" in volume, requiring actors to perform over mechanical noise while maintaining intimate emotional connection

The grocery store and juke joint one-shot sequences required extensive pre-visualization to execute fluid camera movement showing both black and white sides of segregated streets

Best Picture Power Rankings: Final Stretch Assessment

Current rankings maintain One Battle After Another at #1, Sinners at #2, with Hamnet, Sentimental Value, and Marty Supreme rounding out top five

F1 moves ahead of Train Dreams based on stronger chances in sound and editing categories, while Begonia drops to last place

"This is the most I've ever matched with the Oscars, like in my life as a fan" - Sean, noting how his personal top films align with nominations