Here Are The 2025 Nominations of the Las Vegas Film Critics Society


Here are the 2025 nominations of the Las Vegas Film Critics Society.

BEST PICTURE
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt – The Smashing Machine
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

BEST DIRECTOR
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Clint Bentley – Train Dreams

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Sorry, Baby
Weapons

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Bugonia
Frankenstein
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
F1: The Movie
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

BEST FILM EDITING
F1: The Movie
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

BEST SCORE
F1: The Movie
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Tron: Ares

BEST SONG
Clothed by the Sun – The Testament of Ann Lee
Drive – F1: The Movie
Golden – KPop Demon Hunters
I Lied to You – Sinners
Train Dreams – Train Dreams

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cover Up
John Candy: I Like Me
The Perfect Neighbor

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Arco
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle
In Your Dreams
KPop Demon Hunters
Zootopia 2

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
It Was Just an Accident
Left-Handed Girl
No Other Choice
Sentimental Value
The Secret Agent

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

BEST ART DIRECTION
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Superman
The Fantastic Four: First Steps

BEST ACTION FILM
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Predator: Badlands
Superman
The Running Man

BEST COMEDY
Eternity
Friendship
The Ballad of Wallis Island
The Naked Gun
One of Them Days

BEST HORROR / SCI-FI
28 Years Later
Bring Her Back
Frankenstein
Sinners
The Long Walk

BEST FAMILY FILM
How to Train Your Dragon
KPop Demon Hunters
Lilo & Stitch
The Legend of Ochi
Zootopia 2

BEST ANIMAL PERFORMANCE
Bing, the Great Dane – The Friend
Hercules, the Dog – Marty Supreme
Indy – Good Boy
Olga, the Cat – Sorry, Baby
Richard and Baba – The Penguin Lessons

BEST ENSEMBLE
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners

BREAKOUT FILMMAKER
Clint Bentley – Train Dreams
Drew Hancock – Companion
Emilie Blichfeldt – The Ugly Stepsister
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
James Sweeney – Twinless

BEST STUNTS
F1: The Movie
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Predator: Badlands
The Running Man

YOUTH MALE PERFORMANCE (UNDER 21)
Christian Convery – Frankenstein / The Monkey
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
John Wren Phillips – Bring Her Back
Mason Thames – How to Train Your Dragon
Miles Canton – Sinners

FEMALE YOUTH PERFORMANCE (UNDER 21)
Helena Zengel – The Legend of Ochi
Maia Kealoha – Lilo & Stitch
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
Sora Wong – Bring Her Back

WILLIAM HOLDEN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Kathryn Bigelow
Barbara Broccoli
Kathleen Kennedy
Delroy Lindo
Sigourney Weaver

Sinners Wins In Indiana


Yesterday, the Indiana Film Journalists Association announced its picks for the best of 2025.  The winners are listed in bold.

BEST FILM
28 Years Later
Black Bag
Bob Trevino Likes It
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Friendship
Hamnet
Jay Kelly
The Life of Chuck
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another (RUNNER-UP)
The Phoenician Scheme
The Plague
Sinners (WINNER)
Splitsville
Superman
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons

Other Best Film Finalists / Top 10 Films: (listed alphabetically)
Bob Trevino Likes It
Hamnet
The Life of Chuck
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons

BEST ANIMATED FILM
In Your Dreams
KPop Demon Hunters (WINNER)
The Legend of Hei 2 (RUNNER-UP)
Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain
Ne Zha 2
Predator: Killer of Killers
Zootopia 2

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Cloud
It Was Just an Accident
Left-Handed Girl
No Other Choice (WINNER)
Reflection In A Dead Diamond
Rental Family
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value (RUNNER-UP)
Universal Language
The Voice of Hind Rajab

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Are We Good?
Deaf President Now!
Disposable Humanity
Grand Theft Hamlet
Hacking at Leaves
Orwell: 2+2=5 (RUNNER-UP)
Pavements
The Perfect Neighbor
The Tenderness Tour (WINNER)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly
Mary Bronstein – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (RUNNER-UP)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (WINNER)
Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin – Splitsville
Zach Cregger – Weapons
David Koepp – Black Bag
Tracie Laymon – Bob Trevino Likes It
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Charlie Polinger – The Plague

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (WINNER)
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Mike Flanagan – The Life of Chuck (RUNNER-UP)
Alex Garland – 28 Years Later
Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Akiva Schaffer – The Naked Gun
James Gunn – Superman
Rian Johnson – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar and Lee Ja-hye – No Other Choice
Will Tracy – Bugonia

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (WINNER)
Clint Bentley – Train Dreams
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (RUNNER-UP)
Michael Angelo Covino – Splitsville
Zach Cregger – Weapons
James Gunn – Superman
Park Chan-wook – No Other Choice
Charlie Polinger – The Plague
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Steven Soderbergh – Black Bag

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Everett Blunck – The Plague
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (RUNNER-UP)
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (WINNER)
David Corenswet – Superman
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Michael Fassbender – Black Bag
Barbie Ferreira – Bob Trevino Likes It
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Liam Neeson – The Naked Gun
Josh O’Connor – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
Emma Stone – Bugonia

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Pamela Anderson – The Naked Gun
Miles Caton – Sinners
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another (WINNER)
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Nicholas Hoult – Superman
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
John Leguizamo – Bob Trevino Likes It
Amy Madigan – Weapons (RUNNER-UP)
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
French Stewart – Bob Trevino Likes It
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

BEST VOCAL / MOTION-CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Oona Chaplin – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Fantastic Four: First Steps (RUNNER-UP)
Will Patton – Train Dreams (WINNER)
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi – Predator: Badlands
Zhu Jing – The Legend of Hei 2

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Black Bag
Bugonia
The Life of Chuck
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another (RUNNER-UP)
The Plague
Sinners (WINNER)
Superman
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons

BEST EDITING
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Barry Alexander Brown and Allyson C. Johnson – Highest 2 Lowest
Mike Flanagan – The Life of Chuck
Jon Harris – 28 Years Later
Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another (RUNNER-UP)
Kim Sang-bum – No Other Choice
Brian Scott Olds – The Naked Gun
Sara Shaw – Splitsville
Michael P. Shawver – Sinners (WINNER)
Steven Soderbergh – Black Bag

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners (WINNER)
Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another (RUNNER-UP)
Steven Breckon – The Plague
Darius Khondji – Marty Supreme
Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein
Anthony Dod Mantle – 28 Years Later
Larkin Seiple – Weapons
Steven Soderbergh – Black Bag
Fraser Taggart – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams

BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Jerskin Fendrix – Bugonia
Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (WINNER)
Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another (RUNNER-UP)
Ryan Holladay, Hays Holladay and Zach Cregger – Weapons
David Holmes – Black Bag
Johan Lenox – The Plague
Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme
John Murphy and David Fleming – Superman
Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares
Young Fathers – 28 Years Later

BEST STUNT / MOVEMENT CHOREOGRAPHY
Wade Eastwood (second unit director / stunt coordinator) – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (WINNER)
Timothy Eulich (stunt coordinator) – Eddington
Tyler Hall (stunt coordinator / stunt driver) and Dave McKeown (stunt coordinator) – Splitsville
Brian Machleit (stunt coordinator) – One Battle After Another (RUNNER-UP)
Mandy Moore (choreographer) – The Life of Chuck
Alain Moussi (stunt coordinator), Brahim Chab (fight coordinator), László Kósa (stunt coordinator, Hungary) and Balázs Lengyel (fight coordinator, Hungary) – Fight or Flight
Celia Rowlson-Hall (choreographer) – The Testament of Ann Lee
Jacob Tomuri (stunt coordinator) – Predator: Badlands

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess and Ivan Busquets (VFX supervisors) and José Granell (miniatures / models supervisor) – Frankenstein (WINNER)
Jeff Capogreco (VFX supervisor), Dave Funston (VFX supervisor, OPSIS), Ross McCabe (VFX supervisor, Image Engine), Abishek Nair (VFX supervisor, Industrial Light and Magic / VFX supervisor, second unit), Vincent Papaix (VFX supervisor, Industrial Light and Magic) and Cameron Waldbauer (SFX supervisor) – Tron: Ares
Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé and Guy Williams (VFX supervisors) – Superman
Olivier Dumont and Sheldon Stopsack (VFX supervisors, Wētā), Kathy Siegel (VFX producer / co-producer) and Karl Rapley (animation supervisor, Wētā) – Predator: Badlands
Dan Glass, Chris McLaughlin and Stuart Penn (VFX supervisors) and Dominic Tuohy (SFX supervisor) – Mickey 17
Joe Letteri (senior VFX supervisor), Richard Baneham (VFX supervisor, Lightstorm / virtual second unit director), Eric Saindon (senior VFX supervisor, Wētā Digital) and Daniel Barrett (senior animation supervisor, Wētā Digital) – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Charlie Noble (VFX supervisor), David Zaretti (VFX supervisor, ILM), Russell Bowen (VFX supervisor, beloFX) and Brandon K. McLaughlin (SFX coordinator) – The Lost Bus
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl and Guido Wolter (VFX supervisors) and Donnie Dean (SFX coordinator) – Sinners (RUNNER-UP)
Scott Stokdyk (VFX supervisor, Marvel), Robert Allman (VFX supervisor, Framestore), Daniele Bigi (VFX supervisor, ILM), Theodore Bialek (VFX supervisor, SPI) and Alistair Williams (SFX supervisor) – The Fantastic Four: First Steps

BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR
Clint Bentley (director / co-writer) – Train Dreams
Everett Blunck (performer) – The Plague
Miles Caton (performer) – Sinners (RUNNER-UP)
Aidan Delbis (performer) – Bugonia
Chase Infiniti (performer) – One Battle After Another (WINNER)
Jacobi Jupe (performer) – Hamnet
Tracie Laymon (director / writer) – Bob Trevino Likes It
Charlie Polinger (director / writer) – The Plague
Eva Victor (director / writer / performer) – Sorry, Baby
Alfie Williams (performer) – 28 Years Later

ORIGINAL VISION
Good Boy (WINNER)
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
One Battle After Another
The Plague
Reflection In A Dead Diamond
The Testament of Ann Lee (RUNNER-UP)
Train Dreams

The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another 

One Battle After Another Wins In Seattle


Here are the picks of the Seattle Film Critics Society for the best of 2025!  The winners are listed in bold.

BEST PICTURE
Bugonia – Yorgos Lanthimos
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley
Weapons – Zach Cregger

BEST DIRECTOR
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao
Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
David Jonsson – The Long Walk
William H. Macy – Train Dreams
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Eephus – Carson Lund
Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti
One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis
Sinners – Francine Maisler
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story – Bret Howe, Mary Vernieu

BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Shannon Gorman – Rental Family
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Jasper Thompson – The Mastermind
Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later

BEST SCREENPLAY
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Arco – Ugo Bienvenu
The Colors Within – Naoko Yamada
KPop Demon Hunters – Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han
Zootopia 2 – Jared Bush, Byron Howard

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
The Alabama Solution – Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman
Come See Me in the Good Light – Ryan White
Pavements – Alex Ross Perry
The Perfect Neighbor – Geeta Gandbhir
WTO/99 – Ian Bell

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
No Other Choice – Park Chan-wook
The Secret Agent – Kleber Mendonça Filho
Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
The Ugly Stepsister – Emilie Blichfeldt

BEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST FEATURE FILM
Not One Drop of Blood – Jackson Devereux, Lachlan Hinton
To Kill a Wolf – Kelsey Taylor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley
Twinless – James Sweeney
Wolf Land (Director’s Cut) – Sarah Hoffman
WTO/99 – Ian Bell

BEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST SHORT FILM
Charlotte, 1994 – Brian Pittala
A Fateful Weekend – Tony Doupe
Shelly’s Leg – Wes Hurley
Songs of Black Folk – Justin Emeka, Haley Watson
Style: A Seattle Basketball Story – Bryan Tucker

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen
Hamnet – Łukasz Żal
One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman
Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Frankenstein – Kate Hawley
The Phoenician Scheme – Milena Canonero
Sinners – Ruth E. Carter
Train Dreams – Malgosia Turzanska
Wicked: For Good – Paul Tazewell

BEST FILM EDITING
F1 The Movie – Stephen Mirrione, Patrick J. Smith
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen
Reflection in a Dead Diamond – Bernard Beets
Sinners – Michael P. Shawver

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
F1 The Movie – Hans Zimmer
Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat
One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood
Sinners – Ludwig Göransson
Tron: Ares – Nine Inch Nails

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Fantastic Four: First Steps – Kasra Farahani (Production Design); Jille Azis (Set Decoration)
Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell (Production Design); Shane Vieau (Set Decoration)
The Phoenician Scheme – Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
Resurrection – Liu Qiang, Tu Nan
Sinners – Hannah Beachler (Production Design); Monique Champagne (Set Decoration)

BEST ACTION CHOREOGRAPHY
Avatar: Fire and Ash – Garrett Warren, Steve Brown, Stuart Thorp
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – Stephen Dunlevy, Jackson Spindell
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – Wade Eastwood
Predator: Badlands – Jacob Tomuri
Sinners – Andy Gill

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett
F1 The Movie – Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington
Frankenstein – Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell
Predator: Badlands – Olivier Dumont, Alec Gillis, Sheldon Stopsack, Karl Rapley
Sinners – Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean

VILLAIN OF THE YEAR
Aunt Gladys – Weapons (as portrayed by Amy Madigan)
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw – One Battle After Another (as portrayed by Sean Penn)
Laura – Bring Her Back (as portrayed by Sally Hawkins)
Lex Luthor – Superman (as portrayed by Nicholas Hoult)
Remmick – Sinners (as portrayed by Jack O’Connell)

Here Are The 2025 Nominations Of The Indiana Film Journalists Association!


Here are the 2025 nominations of the Indiana Film Journalists Association.

There’s a lot of them.

BEST FILM
28 Years Later
Black Bag
Bob Trevino Likes It
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Friendship
Hamnet
Jay Kelly
The Life of Chuck
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
The Phoenician Scheme
The Plague
Sinners
Splitsville
Superman
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons

BEST ANIMATED FILM
In Your Dreams
KPop Demon Hunters
The Legend of Hei 2
Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain
Ne Zha 2
Predator: Killer of Killers
Zootopia 2

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Cloud
It Was Just an Accident
Left-Handed Girl
No Other Choice
Reflection In A Dead Diamond
Rental Family
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Universal Language
The Voice of Hind Rajab

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Are We Good?
Deaf President Now!
Disposable Humanity
Grand Theft Hamlet
Hacking at Leaves
Orwell: 2+2=5
Pavements
The Perfect Neighbor
The Tenderness Tour

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly
Mary Bronstein – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin – Splitsville
Zach Cregger – Weapons
David Koepp – Black Bag
Tracie Laymon – Bob Trevino Likes It
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Charlie Polinger – The Plague

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Mike Flanagan – The Life of Chuck
Alex Garland – 28 Years Later
Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Akiva Schaffer – The Naked Gun
James Gunn – Superman
Rian Johnson – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar and Lee Ja-hye – No Other Choice
Will Tracy – Bugonia

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley – Train Dreams
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Michael Angelo Covino – Splitsville
Zach Cregger – Weapons
James Gunn – Superman
Park Chan-wook – No Other Choice
Charlie Polinger – The Plague
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Steven Soderbergh – Black Bag

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Everett Blunck – The Plague
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
David Corenswet – Superman
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Michael Fassbender – Black Bag
Barbie Ferreira – Bob Trevino Likes It
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Liam Neeson – The Naked Gun
Josh O’Connor – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
Emma Stone – Bugonia

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Pamela Anderson – The Naked Gun
Miles Caton – Sinners
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Nicholas Hoult – Superman
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
John Leguizamo – Bob Trevino Likes It
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
French Stewart – Bob Trevino Likes It
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

BEST VOCAL / MOTION-CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Oona Chaplin – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Will Patton – Train Dreams
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi – Predator: Badlands
Zhu Jing – The Legend of Hei 2

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Black Bag
Bugonia
The Life of Chuck
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Plague
Sinners
Superman
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons

BEST EDITING
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Barry Alexander Brown and Allyson C. Johnson – Highest 2 Lowest
Mike Flanagan – The Life of Chuck
Jon Harris – 28 Years Later
Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another
Kim Sang-bum – No Other Choice
Brian Scott Olds – The Naked Gun
Sara Shaw – Splitsville
Michael P. Shawver – Sinners
Steven Soderbergh – Black Bag

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners
Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another
Steven Breckon – The Plague
Darius Khondji – Marty Supreme
Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein
Anthony Dod Mantle – 28 Years Later
Larkin Seiple – Weapons
Steven Soderbergh – Black Bag
Fraser Taggart – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams

BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Jerskin Fendrix – Bugonia
Ludwig Göransson – Sinners
Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another
Ryan Holladay, Hays Holladay and Zach Cregger – Weapons
David Holmes – Black Bag
Johan Lenox – The Plague
Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme
John Murphy and David Fleming – Superman
Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares
Young Fathers – 28 Years Later

BEST STUNT / MOVEMENT CHOREOGRAPHY
Wade Eastwood (second unit director / stunt coordinator) – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Timothy Eulich (stunt coordinator) – Eddington
Tyler Hall (stunt coordinator / stunt driver) and Dave McKeown (stunt coordinator) – Splitsville
Brian Machleit (stunt coordinator) – One Battle After Another
Mandy Moore (choreographer) – The Life of Chuck
Alain Moussi (stunt coordinator), Brahim Chab (fight coordinator), László Kósa (stunt coordinator, Hungary) and Balázs Lengyel (fight coordinator, Hungary) – Fight or Flight
Celia Rowlson-Hall (choreographer) – The Testament of Ann Lee
Jacob Tomuri (stunt coordinator) – Predator: Badlands

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess and Ivan Busquets (VFX supervisors) and José Granell (miniatures / models supervisor) – Frankenstein
Jeff Capogreco (VFX supervisor), Dave Funston (VFX supervisor, OPSIS), Ross McCabe (VFX supervisor, Image Engine), Abishek Nair (VFX supervisor, Industrial Light and Magic / VFX supervisor, second unit), Vincent Papaix (VFX supervisor, Industrial Light and Magic) and Cameron Waldbauer (SFX supervisor) – Tron: Ares
Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé and Guy Williams (VFX supervisors) – Superman
Olivier Dumont and Sheldon Stopsack (VFX supervisors, Wētā), Kathy Siegel (VFX producer / co-producer) and Karl Rapley (animation supervisor, Wētā) – Predator: Badlands
Dan Glass, Chris McLaughlin and Stuart Penn (VFX supervisors) and Dominic Tuohy (SFX supervisor) – Mickey 17
Joe Letteri (senior VFX supervisor), Richard Baneham (VFX supervisor, Lightstorm / virtual second unit director), Eric Saindon (senior VFX supervisor, Wētā Digital) and Daniel Barrett (senior animation supervisor, Wētā Digital) – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Charlie Noble (VFX supervisor), David Zaretti (VFX supervisor, ILM), Russell Bowen (VFX supervisor, beloFX) and Brandon K. McLaughlin (SFX coordinator) – The Lost Bus
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl and Guido Wolter (VFX supervisors) and Donnie Dean (SFX coordinator) – Sinners
Scott Stokdyk (VFX supervisor, Marvel), Robert Allman (VFX supervisor, Framestore), Daniele Bigi (VFX supervisor, ILM), Theodore Bialek (VFX supervisor, SPI) and Alistair Williams (SFX supervisor) – The Fantastic Four: First Steps

BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR
Clint Bentley (director / co-writer) – Train Dreams
Everett Blunck (performer) – The Plague
Miles Caton (performer) – Sinners
Aidan Delbis (performer) – Bugonia
Chase Infiniti (performer) – One Battle After Another
Jacobi Jupe (performer) – Hamnet
Tracie Laymon (director / writer) – Bob Trevino Likes It
Charlie Polinger (director / writer) – The Plague
Eva Victor (director / writer / performer) – Sorry, Baby
Alfie Williams (performer) – 28 Years Later

ORIGINAL VISION
Good Boy
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
One Battle After Another
The Plague
Reflection In A Dead Diamond
The Testament of Ann Lee
Train Dreams

Here are the 2025 nominations of the Seattle Film Critics Society!


Here are the 2025 nominations of the Seattle Film Critics Society!

BEST PICTURE
Bugonia – Yorgos Lanthimos
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley
Weapons – Zach Cregger

BEST DIRECTOR
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao
Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
David Jonsson – The Long Walk
William H. Macy – Train Dreams
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Eephus – Carson Lund
Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti
One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis
Sinners – Francine Maisler
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story – Bret Howe, Mary Vernieu

BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Shannon Gorman – Rental Family
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Jasper Thompson – The Mastermind
Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later

BEST SCREENPLAY
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Arco – Ugo Bienvenu
The Colors Within – Naoko Yamada
KPop Demon Hunters – Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han
Zootopia 2 – Jared Bush, Byron Howard

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
The Alabama Solution – Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman
Come See Me in the Good Light – Ryan White
Pavements – Alex Ross Perry
The Perfect Neighbor – Geeta Gandbhir
WTO/99 – Ian Bell

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
No Other Choice – Park Chan-wook
The Secret Agent – Kleber Mendonça Filho
Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
The Ugly Stepsister – Emilie Blichfeldt

BEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST FEATURE FILM
Not One Drop of Blood – Jackson Devereux, Lachlan Hinton
To Kill a Wolf – Kelsey Taylor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley
Twinless – James Sweeney
Wolf Land (Director’s Cut) – Sarah Hoffman
WTO/99 – Ian Bell

BEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST SHORT FILM
Charlotte, 1994 – Brian Pittala
A Fateful Weekend – Tony Doupe
Shelly’s Leg – Wes Hurley
Songs of Black Folk – Justin Emeka, Haley Watson
Style: A Seattle Basketball Story – Bryan Tucker

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen
Hamnet – Łukasz Żal
One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman
Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Frankenstein – Kate Hawley
The Phoenician Scheme – Milena Canonero
Sinners – Ruth E. Carter
Train Dreams – Malgosia Turzanska
Wicked: For Good – Paul Tazewell

BEST FILM EDITING
F1 The Movie – Stephen Mirrione, Patrick J. Smith
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen
Reflection in a Dead Diamond – Bernard Beets
Sinners – Michael P. Shawver

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
F1 The Movie – Hans Zimmer
Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat
One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood
Sinners – Ludwig Göransson
Tron: Ares – Nine Inch Nails

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Fantastic Four: First Steps – Kasra Farahani (Production Design); Jille Azis (Set Decoration)
Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell (Production Design); Shane Vieau (Set Decoration)
The Phoenician Scheme – Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
Resurrection – Liu Qiang, Tu Nan
Sinners – Hannah Beachler (Production Design); Monique Champagne (Set Decoration)

BEST ACTION CHOREOGRAPHY
Avatar: Fire and Ash – Garrett Warren, Steve Brown, Stuart Thorp
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – Stephen Dunlevy, Jackson Spindell
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – Wade Eastwood
Predator: Badlands – Jacob Tomuri
Sinners – Andy Gill

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett
F1 The Movie – Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington
Frankenstein – Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell
Predator: Badlands – Olivier Dumont, Alec Gillis, Sheldon Stopsack, Karl Rapley
Sinners – Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean

VILLAIN OF THE YEAR
Aunt Gladys – Weapons (as portrayed by Amy Madigan)
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw – One Battle After Another (as portrayed by Sean Penn)
Laura – Bring Her Back (as portrayed by Sally Hawkins)
Lex Luthor – Superman (as portrayed by Nicholas Hoult)
Remmick – Sinners (as portrayed by Jack O’Connell)

The National Board of Review Honors One Battle After Another


The National Board of Review has spoken.  *Yawn*

Best Film: One Battle After Another
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Best Actress: Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Best Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actress: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Best Directorial Debut: Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
Breakthrough Performance: Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams
Best Animated Feature: Arco
Best International Film: It Was Just an Accident
Best Documentary: Cover-Up
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners
Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

TOP FILMS (in alphabetical order)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Frankenstein
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
Rental Family
Sinners
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Wicked: For Good

TOP 5 INTERNATIONAL FILMS (in alphabetical order)
Left-Handed Girl
The Love That Remains
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt

TOP 5 DOCUMENTARIES (in alphabetical order)
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Come See Me in the Good Light
My Mom Jayne
Natchez
Orwell: 2+2=5

TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS (in alphabetical order)
The Baltimorons
Bring Her Back
Father Mother Sister Brother
Friendship
Good Boy
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
The Mastermind
Rebuilding
Sorry, Baby
Urchin

Here Are The 2025 Spirit Nominations


The Independent Spirit Nominations were announced earlier today.  As always, one should take the Spirit Awards with a grain of salt as a lot of the current Oscar contenders — like One Battle After Another and Hamnet — are not eligible for the Spirit Awards.  That said, Train Dreams is an Oscar contender that is eligible for the Spirit Awards and it had a fairly nice showing today.  I should also note that Peter Hujar’s Day received the most film nominations, with five.

Film Categories

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer)

Peter Hujar’s Day
Producers: Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake

The Plague
Producers: Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Lizzie Shapiro

Sorry, Baby
Producers: Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski

Train Dreams
Producers: Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman

Twinless
Producers: David Permut, James Sweeney

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)

Blue Sun Palace
Director: Constance Tsang
Producers: Sally Sujin Oh, Eli Raskin, Tony Yang

Dust Bunny
Director/Producer: Bryan Fuller
Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee

East of Wall
Director/Producer: Kate Beecroft
Producers: Shannon Moss, Melanie Ramsayer, Lila Yacoub

Lurker
Director: Alex Russell
Producers: Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby

One of Them Days
Director: Lawrence Lamont
Producers: Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000 (Award given to the writer, director and producer)

The Baltimorons
Director/Writer/Producer: Jay Duplass
Writer/Producer: Michael Strassner
Producers: David Bonnett Jr., Drew Langer

Boys Go to Jupiter
Director/Writer: Julian Glander

Eephus
Director/Writer/Producer: Carson Lund
Writer/Producer: Michael Basta
Writer: Nate Fisher
Producers: David Entin, Tyler Taormina

Esta Isla (This Island)
Directors/Writers/Producers: Cristian Carretero, Lorraine Jones Molina
Writer: Kisha Tikina Burgos

Familiar Touch
Director/Writer/Producer: Sarah Friedland
Producers: Alexandra Byer, Matthew Thurm

BEST DIRECTOR

Clint Bentley
Train Dreams

Mary Bronstein
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Lloyd Lee Choi
Lucky Lu

Ira Sachs
Peter Hujar’s Day

Eva Victor
Sorry, Baby

BEST SCREENPLAY

Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin
Splitsville

Angus MacLachlan
A Little Prayer

James Sweeney
Twinless

Christian Swegal
Sovereign

Eva Victor
Sorry, Baby

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Andrew DeYoung
Friendship

Elena Oxman
Outerlands

Alex Russell
Lurker

Syreeta Singleton
One of Them Days

Constance Tsang
Blue Sun Palace

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Everett Blunck
The Plague

Rose Byrne
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kathleen Chalfant
Familiar Touch

Chang Chen
Lucky Lu

Joel Edgerton
Train Dreams

Dylan O’Brien
Twinless

Keke Palmer
One of Them Days

Théodore Pellerin
Lurker

Tessa Thompson
Hedda

Ben Whishaw
Peter Hujar’s Day

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Naomi Ackie
Sorry, Baby

Zoey Deutch
Nouvelle Vague

Kirsten Dunst
Roofman

Rebecca Hall
Peter Hujar’s Day

Nina Hoss
Hedda

Jane Levy
A Little Prayer

Archie Madekwe
Lurker

Kali Reis
Rebuilding

Jacob Tremblay
Sovereign

Haipeng Xu
Blue Sun Palace

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Liz Larsen
The Baltimorons

Misha Osherovich
She’s the He

Kayo Martin
The Plague

SZA
One of Them Days

Tabatha Zimiga
East of Wall

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Alex Ashe
Peter Hujar’s Day

Norm Li
Blue Sun Palace

David J. Thompson
Warfare

Adolpho Veloso
Train Dreams

Nicole Hirsch Whitaker
Dust Bunny

BEST EDITING

Ben Leonberg
Good Boy

Carson Lund
Eephus

Fin Oates
Warfare

Sara Shaw
Splitsville

Sofía Subercaseaux
The Testament of Ann Lee

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast

The Long Walk
Director: Francis Lawrence
Casting Director: Rich Delia
Ensemble Cast: Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Garrett Wareing

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

Come See Me in the Good Light
Director/Producer: Ryan White
Producers: Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen

Endless Cookie
Director: Peter Scriver
Director/Producer: Seth Scriver
Producers: Dan Bekerman, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle, Chris Yurkovich

My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow
Director/Producer: Julia Loktev

The Perfect Neighbor
Director/Producer: Geeta Gandbhir
Producers: Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne

The Tale of Silyan
Director/Producer: Tamara Kotevska
Producers: Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)

All That’s Left of You
Palestine, Jordan, Germany, Cyprus
Director: Cherien Dabis

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Zambia, UK, Ireland
Director: Rungano Nyoni

A Poet
Colombia
Director: Simón Mesa Soto

The Secret Agent
Brazil
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

Sirāt
Spain
Director: Oliver Laxe

Emerging Filmmaker Awards

PRODUCERS AWARD – The Producers Award, now in its 29th year, honors an emerging producer who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrates the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Emma Hannaway

Luca Intili

Tony Yang

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 32nd year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Tatti Ribeiro
Director of Valentina

Neo Sora
Director of Happyend

Annapurna Sriram
Director of Fucktoys

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 31st year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Tony Benna
Director of André is an Idiot

Rajee Samarasinghe
Director of Your Touch Makes Others Invisible

Brittany Shyne
Director of Seeds

The Films Of 2025: Train Dreams (dir by Clint Bentley)


My house sits near two cemeteries.

To the East, there’s a cemetery that sits near a bus stop.  It’s surrounded by a fence and, judging from the gravestones that I’ve seen, it was last used in 1917.  It was a private cemetery, one that functioned as the final resting place for the members of one of the families who founded my hometown.  To the west, there’s a park that is home to another private cemetery.  It’s also surrounded by a fence.  That fence wasn’t always there but it went up a few years ago because people were vandalizing the tomb stones and breaking the statues that had stood there for over a hundred years.  How sick to do you have to be vandalize a graveyard?

Occasionally, when I’m near either one of the two cemeteries, I’ll take some time to look at the names on the headstones.  The names are of people who I will never know.  I’ll never know what they were like to live with or to eat dinner with.  I’ll never know what hobbies occupied their time.  I’ll never know what books they read.  I’ll never know who they were.  But I will always know that someone cared enough to erect a tombstone to let the world that person had once been alive.  I will always know that, at some point, they were alive and they were a part of society.

I thought about those two cemeteries as I watched Train Dreams.  Based on the award-winning novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier.  At the start of the film, the narrator (Will Patton) tells us that Grainier lived for 80 years and he spent most of his life in Idaho.  He never saw the ocean.  He was an orphan who never learned who his parents were, when he was born, or how he came to be placed on a train in the late 19th century.  The film follows Grainier as he goes from dropping out of school to working as a logger to marrying Gladys (Felicity Jones).  He builds a cabin for Gladys to live in while he’s away looking for work.  He and Gladys have a daughter named Kate.

Growing up at a time when the frontier had only recently been tamed and when death was considered to be acceptable risk for the men cutting down trees and laying down railroad tracks, Robert sees his share of disturbing things.  As a child, he comes across as a mountain man who is slowly dying.  Working for the railroad, he watches as one of his co-workers is casually tossed off a bridge.  Later, the elderly and kind-hearted Arn Peebles (William H. Macy) is mortally injured in a random accident.  When loggers die, their boots are hammered into a tree.  Years, later those same trees are cut down and the boots are forgotten.  And yet, for all the danger in Robert’s life, there are the moments that make it all worth it.  Robert always returns home to his cabin and to the embrace of Gladys and the sight of his daughter growing up.  He always returns to his family until he can’t anymore.  As he ages, Robert isolates himself from civilization and becomes semi-legendary in the nearby town.  But, as always, legends are eventually forgotten.

Visually, it’s a hauntingly beautiful film.  The scenery is stunning, even while Robert and his fellow loggers are busy changing it by chopping down trees.  But there’s always a hint of danger hiding behind the beauty.  A forest fire brings an eerie, orange tint to the sky but it also destroys many lives and dreams.  Joel Edgerton gives a strong performance as Robert, proving once again that he’s one of the few actors who can star in a period piece without looking out-of-place.  Edgerton’s performance gives the film the humanity needed to keep it from becoming purely a film about visuals.  As Robert, Edgerton rarely yells or shows much emotion at all.  But his eyes tell us everything that we need to know.

With its stunning visuals, its narration, and its emphasis on nature, Train Dreams owes an obvious debt to Terence Malick.  That said, it’s not quite as thematically deep as Malick’s best films.  Whereas Malick would have been concerned about Robert’s place in both the universe and the afterlife, Train Dreams is more content to focus on Robert’s 80 years in Idaho (and occasionally Spokane).  Whereas Malick often seems to be daring his audience to walk out, Train Dreams is very much about keeping you watching as Robert grows old.  That’s not necessarily a criticism, of course.  It’s just an acknowledgment that Train Dreams is the rarest of all creatures, an arthouse film that’s also a crowd pleaser.  It doesn’t alienate its audience but it does so at the cost of the risks that make Malick’s later films so fascinating, if occasionally frustrating.  That said, Train Dreams does stick with you.  I’ll be thinking about the final 20 minutes for quite some time.

Train Dreams tells the story of a man — one of many — who may have been forgotten by history but who mattered during his 80 years on this Earth.  In the end, Robert Grainier serves as a stand-in for all the people who lived their lives as American rapidly changed from being a frontier to being a superpower.  The world may forget him but the viewer never will.

The National Board of Review Gets Wicked


 

The National Board of Review has announced its pick for the best of 2024!  The National Board of Review is considered to be one of the big precursors as far as the Oscars are concerned, though perhaps not as much as they once were.

That said, Wicked is definitely contender so get ready for the most annoying people you know to suddenly get very emotionally invested in the Oscars.

Best Film:  Wicked

Best Director:  Jon M. Chu, Wicked

Best Actor: Daniel Craig, Queer

Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, Babygirl

Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning, A Complete Unknown

Best Ensemble: Conclave

Breakthrough Performance: Mikey Madison, Anora

Best Directorial Debut: India Donaldson, Good One

Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, Hard Truths

Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Sing Sing

NBR Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande

NBR Freedom of Expression Award: No Other Land

Best Animated Feature: Flow

Best International Film: The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Documentary: Sugarcane

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Top Films (in alphabetical order):

Anora
Babygirl
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Gladiator II
Juror #2
Queer
A Real Pain
Sing Sing

Top 5 International Films (in alphabetical order):

All We Imagine as Light
The Girl with the Needle
I’m Still Here
Santosh
Universal Language

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):

Black Box Diaries
Dahomey
Look Into My Eyes
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order):

Bird
A Different Man
Dìdi
Ghostlight
Good One
Hard Truths
His Three Daughters
Love Lies Bleeding
My Old Ass
Thelma