Welcome to Oscar Talk.

In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is broadcast in special installments throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.

On the docket today…

– FINAL SHOES DROP: Since we last spoke, “American Hustle” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” have finally screened. So it’s time to discuss them and their place in the season.

– THE PRECURSORS HAVE BEGUN: Film critics from New York to Los Angeles have begun dishing out end-of-year kudos, while the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations have shed a little more light on the season.

– BEST OF THE YEAR: It’s the final podcast of 2013, and you know what that means: Top 10 lists!

(P.S.: This is a LOOOOOONNNGGGG podcast. So get comfortable.)

Have a listen to the new podcast below. If the file cuts off for you at any time, try the back-up download link at the bottom of this post. You to subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.

UPDATE (12/31/13): As a certain film on this list (#3 in the recording) continues to linger for me and open up new, fascinating avenues, it has, in the last two weeks, crept up a spot. So consider the #3 film from me on this podcast to be #2 now, and vice versa. Great, great year.

“Here I Come” courtesy of Stuart Park.