Who is the most overdue actor in Hollywood? According to a Nate Silver model from 2012, it isn't Leonardo DiCaprio — it's Matt Damon. And he still hasn't won. Now Damon (The Odyssey) and Tom Cruise (Digger) are both heading into the 2027 Oscar race with massive 'he's finally due' narratives — and Dylan and Craig are making their way-too-early calls on who gets in and who takes home the statue.

This week: full five-nominee slates for Best Actor and Best Actress at the 99th Academy Awards, predicted winners, and dark horses nobody else is talking about yet. On the Best Actor side: why the Cruise vs. Damon clash mirrors one of the great rivalries in Oscar history, whether Jeremy Strong (The Social Reckoning) runs as lead or supporting, and why Timothée Chalamet might quietly accumulate his way into the race via Dune 3. On the Best Actress side: why both hosts pick Sandra Hüller but for different movies — and why a new Academy rule could make her the first performer nominated twice in the same category since the 1930s. Plus: the Al Pacino / Scent of a Woman parallel that makes Tom Cruise the 2027 frontrunner, the Ingrid Bergman / Gaslight parallel pointing toward a Hüller win, Craig's case for Julianne Moore (The Debut), and why Elon Musk promoting the new Uwe Boll film as the antidote to The Odyssey might be the funniest thing to happen in Hollywood this year.

Films discussed: Digger, The Odyssey, Fjord, The Debut, The Social Reckoning, Michael, Wild Horse Nine, Obsession, Rose, Fatherland, A Place in Hell, Gentle Monster, Project Hail Mary, I Swear, The Invite, Jack of Spades, All of a Sudden

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