Why ‘Mank’ and ‘Borat 2’ Are Serious Oscar Contenders in a Very Strange Year

When pundits were taking the temperature on awards season earlier this year, nobody expected a “Borat” sequel to be a part of it. In fact, nobody even knew a “Borat” sequel was in the works. But “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” landed on Amazon last week in the midst of an anxious election season with more than just good reviews. The movie has stirred up Oscar talk in a number of categories, even as star Sacha Baron Cohen is already in campaign mode for “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” Meanwhile, David Fincher’s “Mank” has started screening for select members of the press, and while the movie’s mainstream prospects are hard to assess, its perspective on Hollywood history seems likely to resonate with Academy members as the industry grapples with a very strange year.

In this week’s episode of Screen Talk, Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson debate both movies and how their Oscar campaigns are likely to take shape. They also address Sophia Loren’s Oscar odds in “The Life Ahead,” touch base on election season for the last time before it (hopefully!) comes to an end on Tuesday, and close out with a couple of horror movie recommendations for the weekend.

Listen to the full episode below.