“One Battle After Another” & “Sinners” Shine at an Oscars Filled With Historic Wins and Long‑Awaited Triumphs

History, heart, and a long‑awaited coronation defined the 98th Academy Awards. From Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s landmark Best Cinematography win to a triumphant night for Paul Thomas Anderson’s "One Battle After Another," the Oscars celebrated bold filmmaking, below‑the‑line excellence, and artists at the peak of their powers.

Building the World, Brick by Brick: Oscar Nominee Florencia Martin on “One Battle After Another”

On Oscar Day, we’re revisiting our conversation with Academy Award–nominated production designer Florencia Martin, whose meticulous work on Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another helped build one of the year’s most ambitious cinematic worlds—layer by layer, from the ground up.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s action thriller One Battle After Another is loosely inspired by a section of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” but this three-hour epic is rooted in the present,

Four Acting Nominations. One Casting Director. How Cassandra Kulukundis Unlocked PTA’s “One Battle After Another”

The Oscars’ first new category in 25 years — achievement in casting — finally shines a long‑overdue spotlight on the artists who shape films from the inside out. Among the inaugural nominees is Cassandra Kulukundis, Paul Thomas Anderson’s longtime casting collaborator, whose work on "One Battle After Another" helped deliver two breakout performances (Teyana Taylor and Chase Infinit) and one of the year’s most electrifying ensembles. For Kulukundis, who has cast every PTA film since Magnolia, finding the right actors isn’t just a job — it’s world‑building. “There’s a right role for everyone,” she says. “I just have to figure out what that is.”

WGA Awards: Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” Keep Oscar Race Tight

The 2026 Writers Guild Awards delivered a major shakeup in the Oscar race, with "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another" splitting the top screenplay prizes and "The Pitt" sweeping the drama categories. Roy Wood hosted a night that mixed humor, turbulence, and a call to protect storytellers.

Actor Awards: Michael B. Jordan Scores Major Win, Ryan Coogler Sets New Record

Michael B. Jordan capped a milestone season at the 2026 Actor Awards, winning best lead actor for his dual turn as Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners—the genre‑bending epic that dominated the night and further solidified its position as a frontrunner heading into the Oscars.

Oscar Nominee Cassandra Kulukundis on the Art, Science, and Heart of Casting PTA’s “One Battle After Another”

The Oscars’ first new category in 25 years — achievement in casting — finally shines a long‑overdue spotlight on the artists who shape films from the inside out. Among the inaugural nominees is Cassandra Kulukundis, Paul Thomas Anderson’s longtime casting collaborator, whose work on "One Battle After Another" helped deliver two breakout performances (Teyana Taylor and Chase Infinit) and one of the year’s most electrifying ensembles. For Kulukundis, who has cast every PTA film since Magnolia, finding the right actors isn’t just a job — it’s world‑building. “There’s a right role for everyone,” she says. “I just have to figure out what that is.”

Costume Designers Guild Awards: “One Battle After Another,” “Frankenstein,” & “Wicked: For Good” Designers Honored

Costume designers Colleen Atwood ("One Battle After Another"), Kate Hawley ("Frankenstein"), and Paul Tazewell ("Wicked: For Good") took home top film honors at the 28th Costume Designers Guild Awards

BAFTA Film Award Nominations: “One Battle After Another” & “Sinners” Lead the Pack Again

The 2026 BAFTA Film Award nominations are here! Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" leads with 14 noms, followed by Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" with 13.

“Sinners” Makes Oscars History as Full 2026 Nominations Are Announced

The 2026 Oscar nominations are here! Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" leads with 16 noms, making history in the process.

Golden Globes: One More Big Night for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another”

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the Golden Globes—winning Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor

Critics Choice Awards: “One Battle After Another” Wins Best Picture, “Sinners” & “Frankenstein” Nab 4 Awards

A few battles have already been won for writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson.

Anderson’s thrilling One Battle After Another was named best picture at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday night, and Anderson took home the best director trophy. One Battle’s wins come a little less than a month after Anderson’s epic led the pack for Golden Globe nominations, with nine, including for best picture,

Best of 2025: “One Battle After Another” Production Designer Florencia Martin on Building PTA’s Three-Hour Action Thriller from the Ground Up

It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s action thriller One Battle After Another is loosely inspired by a section of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” but this three-hour epic is rooted in the present, a contemporary vision of a heightened clash between far-left and far-right,

Best of 2025: Inside the Breakneck Cut of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” With Editor Andy Jurgensen

It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.

The best-reviewed movie of the season is also the most relentless. Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Oscar front-runner One Battle After Another races through its two-hour fifty-minute run time propelled by adrenalized performances from Leonardo DiCaprio,

Golden Globes: Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” Leads With 9 Nominations

Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" leads the pack with nine Golden Globe nominations, followed by Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value" and Ryan Coogler's "Sinners."

“One Battle After Another” Production Designer Florencia Martin on Building PTA’s Three-Hour Action Thriller from the Ground Up

Paul Thomas Anderson’s action thriller One Battle After Another is loosely inspired by a section of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” but this three-hour epic is rooted in the present, a contemporary vision of a heightened clash between far-left and far-right, and, more intimately, a story about vengeance, desire, and family.

Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) are partners and active members of a far-left militant group,

“One Battle After Another”: The Makeup Magic Behind Sean Penn’s Gasp-Inducing Third-Act Reveal

Spoilers below.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson wants audiences to see One Battle After Another‘s stellar ensemble cast, warts and all. As a result, makeup department head Heba Thorisdottir and special effects makeup artist and prosthetics designer Arjen Tuiten knew that less would be more, with the only exception being Sean Penn’s Col. Stephen Lockjaw, whose shocking third-act disfigurement is the result of a masterclass of makeup and prosthetics design from Thorisdottir and Tuiten. 

“One Battle After Another” Cinematographer Michael Bauman Breaks Down Filming the Chaos in El Paso

Spoilers below.

About an hour into Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson, a washed-up revolutionary living off the grid in Northern California, sends his teenage daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) to her first high school dance, lights a joint, and queues up The Battle of Algiers when the phone rings. “Bob, we have trouble ahead and the road isn’t clear…”

He might be a burnout perpetually be-robed in tattered leisure wear that would make Big Lewboski proud,

Happy Accidents, Revolutionary Moments, & Killer Improv: Inside “One Battle After Another” With DP Michael Bauman

Spoilers below.

“That dude is unbelievable,” admits One Battle After Another cinematographer Michael Bauman to The Credits about Leonardo DiCaprio. “I mean, he’s a star and he brings people in [theaters] but his ability to expand the character is unreal.” Bauman has worked with Paul Thomas Anderson on five different features in one capacity or another, but it was the first time on set with DiCaprio on the acclaimed film,

Inside the Breakneck Cut of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” With Editor Andy Jurgensen

The best-reviewed movie of the season is also the most relentless. Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Oscar front-runner One Battle After Another races through its two-hour fifty-minute run time propelled by adrenalized performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall as revolutionaries in the French 75 (in the case of DiCaprio’s Bob, Teyanna Taylor’s Perfidia Beverly Hills, and Hall’s Deandra),

“One Battle After Another”: How a Single California Road Became The Year’s Most Hallucinatory Effect

Spoilers below.

Let’s try to ditch hyperbole for a second and get to the heart of the matter, to something we might even call objective: Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is a movie that meets its moment head-on. The visionary writer/director doesn’t make uninteresting movies—this, too, feels like an objective statement—yet he has rarely worked in the present day. For a 19-year period, between 2002 and 2021,