2026 Oscar Shorts

Black Bag

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye take on the 2025 film Black Bag. Starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, Black Bag is a sleek espionage thriller that delves into themes of trust, loyalty, and the dangerous intersection of marriage and spycraft.  Is the film a taut and stylishly crafted exercise in tension, or does it sacrifice emotional depth for genre thrills? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there's a movie, show, or podcast you'd like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Sirens

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye pack their bags for a lavish Labor Day weekend in Sirens, the Netflix dark comedy limited series where Julianne Moore plays a billionaire's wife so magnetically unhinged she makes wealth look like a personality disorder (which, in many ways, it has proved to be). When Devon shows up to a gorgeous island estate to pry her sister Simone away from her suspiciously devoted new boss, what unfolds is five episodes of class warfare, sisterly tension, and the creeping question of just how much free will a really nice guest room can buy. Is Sirens a sharp, stylish skewering of money and power, or just another pretty rich-people nightmare with better hydrangeas? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there's a movie, show, or podcast you'd like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co [info@uncertainage.co]!

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye take a look at Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the third installment in Rian Johnson's acclaimed whodunit series, starring Daniel Craig as the inimitable Benoit Blanc: this time drawn into the baffling death of a divisive Catholic priest tangled up with a missing inheritance. As the film layers questions of faith, guilt, and motive across a spectacular ensemble cast, we explore how Johnson keeps the franchise fresh while digging into something genuinely soulful beneath all the clever plot machinery. Learn more on Uncertain Age! And if there's a movie, show, or podcast you'd like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co [info@uncertainage.co].

Penguin Lessons

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye waddle into The Penguin Lessons, the true story of a British teacher (Steve Coogan) in 1970s Argentina whose life is unexpectedly transformed by an orphaned penguin. What begins as a small act of kindness turns into a surprisingly moving tale about friendship, empathy, and the strange teachers that wander into our lives: sometimes with flippers. Learn more on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co.

Jay Kelly

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye take a look at Jay Kelly, the reflective dramedy starring George Clooney as a man quietly unraveling the meaning of success, fame, and identity in midlife. As the film follows Kelly navigating family, regret, and the strange distance that can grow between who we were and who we’ve become, we explore how the story balances humor with a deeper meditation on reinvention and the search for authenticity. Learn more on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co.