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 

San Diego Loves Sinners


The San Diego Film Critics Society has announced its picks for the best of 2025.  The winners are listed in bold.

Best Picture
HAMNET
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
MARTY SUPREME
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (RUNNER-UP)
SINNERS (WINNER)

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS (WINNER)
Yorgos Lanthimos, BUGONIA (RUNNER-UP)
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Chloe Zhao, HAMNET

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, MARTY SUPREME
Leonardo DiCaprio, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Joel Edgerton, TRAIN DREAMS (RUNNER-UP)
Michael B. Jordan, SINNERS (WINNER)
Wagner Moura, THE SECRET AGENT

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley, HAMNET (WINNER TIE)
Rose Byrne, IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU (WINNER TIE)
Renate Reinsve, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Emma Stone, BUGONIA
Eva Victor, SORRY, BABY

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Jacob Elordi, FRANKENSTEIN
Sean Penn, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (RUNNER-UP)
Stellan Skarsgård, SENTIMENTAL VALUE (WINNER)
Jeffrey Wright, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST

Best Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion, MARTY SUPREME
Nina Hoss, HEDDA (RUNNER-UP)
Amy Madigan, WEAPONS (WINNER)
Wunmi Mosaku, SINNERS
Teyana Taylor, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

Best Comedic Performance
Will Arnett, IS THIS THING ON?
Molly Gordon, OH, HI! (RUNNER-UP)
Liam Neeson, THE NAKED GUN
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, ETERNITY (WINNER)
Tim Robinson, FRIENDSHIP

Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
Cary Christopher, WEAPONS (WINNER)
Shannon Mahina Gorman, RENTAL FAMILY
Jacobi Jupe, HAMNET (RUNNER-UP)
Alfie Williams, 28 YEARS LATER
Nina Ye, LEFT-HANDED GIRL

Best Original Screenplay
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Zack Cregger, WEAPONS
David Koepp, BLACK BAG (RUNNER-UP)
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (WINNER)
Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt, SENTIMENTAL VALUE

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (RUNNER-UP)
Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, TRAIN DREAMS
JT Mollner, THE LONG WALK
Maggie O’Farrell & Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Will Tracy, BUGONIA (WINNER)

Best First Feature (Director)
Drew Hancock, COMPANION
Scarlett Johansson, ELEANOR THE GREAT
Ben Leonberg, GOOD BOY
Kristen Stewart, THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER (RUNNER-UP)
Eva Victor, SORRY, BABY (WINNER)

Best Documentary
BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN
BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES (RUNNER-UP)
JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME
ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5 (WINNER)
PREDATORS

Best Animated Film
ELIO
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS (WINNER)
LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN (RUNNER-UP)
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS
ZOOTOPIA 2

Best Foreign Language Film
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (WINNER)
LEFT-HANDED GIRL
THE SECRET AGENT
SENTIMENTAL VALUE (RUNNER-UP)
SIRAT

Best Editing
Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, MARTY SUPREME (WINNER)
Barry Alexander Brown & Allyson C. Johnson, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST
Affonso Goncalves & Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Andy Jurgensen, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (RUNNER-UP)
Stephen Mirione & Patrick J. Smith, F1: THE MOVIE

Best Cinematography
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, SINNERS
Michael Bauman, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (RUNNER-UP)
Dan Laustsen, FRANKENSTEIN
Adolpho Veloso, TRAIN DREAMS (WINNER)
Lukasz Zal, HAMNET

Best Production Design
Hannah Bleachler & Monique Champagne, SINNERS (RUNNER-UP TIE)
Cara Brower & Stella Fox, HEDDA
Fiona Crombie & Alice Felton, HAMNET
Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau, FRANKENSTEIN (WINNER)
Kasra Farahani & Jille Azis, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (RUNNER-UP TIE)

Best Visual Effects
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH (WINNER)
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (RUNNER-UP TIE)
FRANKENSTEIN (RUNNER-UP TIE)
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
SUPERMAN

Best Costume Design
Alexandra Byrne, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
Ruth E. Carter, SINNERS (RUNNER-UP TIE)
Kate Hawley, FRANKENSTEIN (RUNNER-UP TIE)
Paul Tazewell, WICKED: FOR GOOD (WINNER)
Malgosia Turzanska, HAMNET

Best Sound Design
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
F1: THE MOVIE (RUNNER-UP)
FRANKENSTEIN
SINNERS
WARFARE (WINNER)

Best Use of Music
HEDDA (RUNNER-UP)
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
MARTY SUPREME
SINNERS (WINNER)
SIRAT

Best Stunt Choreography
BALLERINA: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (WINNER)
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SINNERS (RUNNER-UP)
SUPERMAN

Best Ensemble
BLACK BAG (WINNER)
JAY KELLY
THE LONG WALK
SINNERS (RUNNER-UP)
WEAPONS

Breakthrough Performance
Chase Infiniti: ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

Special Award for Body of Work
Josh O’Connor: WAKE UP, DEAD MAN, THE MASTERMIND, THE HISTORY SOUND, REBUILDING

Here Are The 2025 Nominations Of The San Diego Film Critics Society


Here are the 2025 nominations of the San Diego Film Critics Society.

Best Picture
HAMNET
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
MARTY SUPREME
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SINNERS

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Yorgos Lanthimos, BUGONIA
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Chloe Zhao, HAMNET

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, MARTY SUPREME
Leonardo DiCaprio, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Joel Edgerton, TRAIN DREAMS
Michael B. Jordan, SINNERS
Wagner Moura, THE SECRET AGENT

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley, HAMNET
Rose Byrne, IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
Renate Reinsve, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Emma Stone, BUGONIA
Eva Victor, SORRY, BABY

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Jacob Elordi, FRANKENSTEIN
Sean Penn, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Stellan Skarsgård, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Jeffrey Wright, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST

Best Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion, MARTY SUPREME
Nina Hoss, HEDDA
Amy Madigan, WEAPONS
Wunmi Mosaku, SINNERS
Teyana Taylor, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

Best Comedic Performance
Will Arnett, IS THIS THING ON?
Molly Gordon, OH, HI!
Liam Neeson, THE NAKED GUN
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, ETERNITY
Tim Robinson, FRIENDSHIP

Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
Cary Christopher, WEAPONS
Shannon Mahina Gorman, RENTAL FAMILY
Jacobi Jupe, HAMNET
Alfie Williams, 28 YEARS LATER
Nina Ye, LEFT-HANDED GIRL

Best Original Screenplay
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Zack Cregger, WEAPONS
David Koepp, BLACK BAG
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt, SENTIMENTAL VALUE

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, TRAIN DREAMS
JT Mollner, THE LONG WALK
Maggie O’Farrell & Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Will Tracy, BUGONIA

Best First Feature (Director)
Drew Hancock, COMPANION
Scarlett Johansson, ELEANOR THE GREAT
Ben Leonberg, GOOD BOY
Kristen Stewart, THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER
Eva Victor, SORRY, BABY

Best Documentary
BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN
BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES
JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME
ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5
PREDATORS

Best Animated Film
ELIO
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS
ZOOTOPIA 2

Best Foreign Language Film
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
LEFT-HANDED GIRL
THE SECRET AGENT
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
SIRAT

Best Editing
Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, MARTY SUPREME
Barry Alexander Brown & Allyson C. Johnson, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST
Affonso Goncalves & Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Andy Jurgensen, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Stephen Mirione & Patrick J. Smith, F1: THE MOVIE

Best Cinematography
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, SINNERS
Michael Bauman, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Dan Laustsen, FRANKENSTEIN
Adolpho Veloso, TRAIN DREAMS
Lukasz Zal, HAMNET

Best Production Design
Hannah Bleachler & Monique Champagne, SINNERS
Cara Brower & Stella Fox, HEDDA
Fiona Crombie & Alice Felton, HAMNET
Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau, FRANKENSTEIN
Kasra Farahani & Jille Azis, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

Best Visual Effects
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
FRANKENSTEIN
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
SUPERMAN

Best Costume Design
Alexandra Byrne, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
Ruth E. Carter, SINNERS
Kate Hawley, FRANKENSTEIN
Paul Tazewell, WICKED: FOR GOOD
Malgosia Turzanska, HAMNET

Best Sound Design
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
F1: THE MOVIE
FRANKENSTEIN
SINNERS
WARFARE

Best Use of Music
HEDDA
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
MARTY SUPREME
SINNERS
SIRAT

Best Stunt Choreography
BALLERINA: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SINNERS
SUPERMAN

Best Ensemble
BLACK BAG
JAY KELLY
THE LONG WALK
SINNERS
WEAPONS

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

Brad reviews THE NAKED GUN (2025), starring Liam Neeson!


When I first saw that THE NAKED GUN was being rebooted with Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin, Jr., I must admit that I was quite skeptical. You see, the original THE NAKED GUN (1988) with Leslie Nielsen came out when I was 15 years old, and I remember watching it at the movie theater on a field trip with our high school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club. I loved it so much! I eagerly watched THE NAKED GUN 2 1/2 (1991) and NAKED GUN 33 1/3 (1994) at the theaters as well. To be completely honest, this series is one of my favorites of my “growing into an adult” years, and I didn’t want to see it screwed up. When the trailer was released a couple of months ago my reaction was cautious optimism as I must admit it looked quite funny, and I decided that I would go watch it in the theater when it came out. Well, tonight my wife and I headed to the Cinemark in Little Rock to see what director Akiva Schaffer and his crew had come up with…

In THE NAKED GUN (2025), dedicated Detective Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) follows in his father’s footsteps by leading Police Squad and causing an endless array of problems for Police Chief Davis (CCH Pounder). When a bank heist is staged by Sig Gustafson (Kevin Durand) in order to obtain a mysterious P.L.O.T. Device, Drebin teams up with his partner, Captain Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser), and the beautiful crime novelist Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson) to investigate. Their subsequent probe leads them to tech mogul Richard Cane (Danny Huston) and his sinister plot to use the device to revert humanity to a base barbaric state as the balls drop on New Year’s Eve. With the help of his deceased father’s spirit that’s being housed in the body of a large owl, Drebin goes all out to foil Cane’s plans while simultaneously falling in love with Beth! 

I’m going to go ahead and alleviate any suspense and state that I love the new NAKED GUN movie. I laughed out loud throughout the entire film, including the end credits, and I wasn’t the only one as there were people in our showing that were laughing much louder than me. It was a fun “crowd experience,” and I’m so glad we caught it in the theater. Not every joke is funny, but in the tradition of the original series, they come so fast and furious that there’s a good chance the next joke will be hilarious. Liam Neeson does a great job as Frank Drebin, Jr., infusing the character with just the right amount of seriousness to allow the absurdity all around him to be played for laughs. I told a friend a few months ago that I’d be really impressed if Neeson was able to pull this role off, and I’m glad to report that he passes with flying colors. He doesn’t make you forget the comedic genius of Leslie Nielsen, but he’s darn good. And Pamela Anderson is perfect in the crime novelist / love interest role. I haven’t seen her in anything in a long time, but she’s truly hilarious in the film. After watching her performance, I honestly don’t think any actress could have done any better. The rest of the game cast, including Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston and Kevin Durand each have good moments that add to the fun. I also enjoyed some of the specific throwbacks to the original series, including brief appearances by Priscilla Presley, Weird Al Yankovic, and especially the stuffed beaver, which got a big laugh out of me, just like it did when I was 15! 

Overall, I had a great time at the movie theater with THE NAKED GUN (2025). Director Akiva Schaffer delivers a hilarious, 85 minute film that’s a worthy follow-up to the original Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker / Leslie Nielsen classics. What else could you ask for?!!

Liam Neeson Battles Zombies In The Trailer For Cold Storage


It’s comforting to know that every year is going to bring us a new Liam Neeson action film.  He’s already got his film for 2026 in the can and ready to go.  Judging by the trailer, Cold Storage finds Neeson battling zombies and leaning into the comedic skills that he’s currently displaying in The Naked Gun.

 

Brad’s “Trailer of the Day” – THE NAKED GUN (2025), starring Liam Neeson!


When I first heard that Liam Neeson would be playing Frank Drebin, Jr. in a reboot of THE NAKED GUN series, I thought it might be a joke. Turns out it was the absolute truth! I’ll admit that I love the original NAKED GUN movies starring Leslie Nielsen. I watched every one of them at the movie theater and proudly own the DVD box set. Based on that love, I certainly hope that Neeson’s version will be a fun movie, and I’ll probably watch it at the movie theater sometime after it opens on August 1st as well. Check out the trailer for THE NAKED GUN (2025) below!

Brad reviews THE GREY (2011), starring Liam Neeson!


Liam Neeson is John Ottway, a sharpshooter who works for an oil company in Alaska. His job is to protect the company’s employees from dangerous wildlife in the area. He’s flying with a group of his co-workers from a remote drilling site when the plane crashes out in the middle of nowhere. There’s a small group of survivors who must now face harsh weather conditions with very little supplies. If that isn’t bad enough, a pack of hungry wolves are after them. Ottway takes charge of the group and tries to lead them out of the remote, frozen wilderness to safety. As impossible as it all seems, it turns out to be even worse, and all of those lucky enough to survive the plane crash must try to come to terms with the difficult moments that lie ahead.

I’ll go ahead and say that THE GREY is my favorite film starring Liam Neeson. When I first saw the movie in the theater back in 2012, I was expecting more of a typical “man versus nature” survival thriller. I wasn’t expecting director Joe Carnahan to deliver a powerful story that would transcend its basic premise and force me to assess the meaning of my life! When I watch THE GREY, I think about the things that make my life meaningful, and if I truly appreciate those things. I think about my own mortality, and if I am living a life that makes a real difference to anyone. I think about the need to take advantage of every moment in my life, and I’m doing this while I’m watching a movie where men are desperately trying not to be eaten by big wolves. Carnahan pulls off this feat brilliantly! With that said, if you’re looking for mindless wall-to-wall action, THE GREY is probably not the movie for you. This is a thinking person’s film, and even though I wasn’t expecting that element when I first watched it, I love it! 

Liam Neeson gives an incredible performance as a man who goes from being so emotionally damaged at the beginning of the film that he considers killing himself, to a man who’s willing to go one on one with a giant black alpha male wolf for one more chance at life! For a man who played Oskar Schindler, I don’t think Neeson has ever been better than he is in THE GREY. If you don’t get misty-eyed in the scene where he holds a man’s hand as he’s dying and talks him through his fear, then you must have a heart of stone. It’s a beautifully acted scene by Neeson and actor James Badge Dale. There are other good performances in the film, mainly from Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, and Dallas Roberts as the plane crash survivors that make it deep into the story with Neeson. Each of these actors have strong moments at different times. But make no mistake, Neeson’s performance is the backbone of the story and elevates THE GREY to something special. 

Throughout the story, Neeson’s character recites a poem that was written by his father:

Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day, live and die on this day.

In THE GREY, we see various characters live their lives and face their deaths in different ways. While none of them wants to die, some fight harder for life than others. At the end of the day, we have to honestly ask ourselves… are our own lives really worth fighting for?

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Liam Neeson Birthday Edition!


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today’s “4 Shots From 4 Films” celebrate the 73rd birthday of Liam Neeson!! Enjoy!

NEXT OF KIN (1989)

SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)

TAKEN (2008)

THE GREY (2011)

Film Review: Michael Collins (dir by Neil Jordan)


Released in 1996, Michael Collins tells the story of the early 20th century struggle of Ireland to gain independence from Britain.

Liam Neeson stars as Michael “Mick” Collins, the revolutionary leader who perfected the use of guerilla warfare against the British and then, in the greatest of ironies, found himself fighting some of his former allies during the Irish Civil War.  Aidan Quinn plays Mick’s friend and fellow revolutionary, Harry Boland.  Both Harry and Mick fall in love with Kitty Kiernan (Julia Roberts).  Stephen Rea shows up as Ned Broy, a member of the Dublin police department who is inspired by Mick’s words to become a double agent.  Charles Dance has a cameo as the fearsome Soames, a British intelligence agent who is sent to Ireland to violently put down the Irish insurgency.  Finally, Alan Rickman plays Eamon de Valera, who goes from being one of Mick’s strongest allies to being one of his fiercest rivals.  The film follows Collins from the Easter Rising of 1916 to his eventual assassination in 1922, providing a look at the history of Ireland that is as much directed towards those outside of Ireland as those on the inside.

When watching Michael Collins, it helps to have a working knowledge of Irish history.  Otherwise, it can occasionally be a bit difficult to keep track of who is angry with who at any particular point in time.  Of course, it should be noted that the movie itself is not exactly historically accurate.  In the film, the gentle and likable Ned Broy becomes a victim of British bloodlust.  In real life, Ned Broy outlived Michael Collins by several decades and died peacefully at the age of 84.  For that matter, the film presents Eamon de Valera as being coldly Machiavellian and it suggests that de Valera was jealous of Mick’s popularity.  Though both Rickman and director Neil Jordan later said it wasn’t intentional, the film also seems to suggest that de Valera played a role in Collins’s assassination.  While Eamon de Valera remains a controversial figure for many reasons (including his neutrality during World War II), Jordan has said that he feels de Valera was not necessarily treated fairly in Michael Collins and indeed, de Valera — who plays as big a role in the founding of the Irish republic as anyone — is portrayed as often being ineffectual and unwilling to truly put himself at risk to fight the British.  De Valera’s relationship with Collins was undoubtedly more complex than portrayed in this film but, when one makes a movie for an international audience, nuance is often the first thing that’s abandoned.

Seen today, 29 years after it was released, Michael Collins is an impressively made film that has a few inescapable flaws.  It’s gorgeous to look at, full of moody shots of dark Dublin streets.  The violence is often shocking and Jordan doesn’t shy away from considering the moral implications of Collins’s guerilla warfare.  Michael Collins doesn’t make the mistake of blindly celebrating violence, which would be a valuable lesson for the world’s current crop of self-styled revolutionaries if they were only willing to hear it.  Having gotten used to seeing Liam Neeson cast in one generic action film after another, it was interesting to watch Michael Collins and see what a good actor he truly could be.  Even in 1996, He was perhaps a few years too old to playing a man who was only 31 when he died but Neeson still plays the role with a ferocious charisma that makes him believable as a leader.  His scenes with Aidan Quinn have a joie de vivre that brings out the both in best actors.  Alan Rickman is memorably sinister as Eamon de Valera and Stephen Rea’s gentle style makes Ned Broy into a truly tragic figure.  That said, the very American Julia Roberts feels miscast as Kitty Kiernan.  One gets the feeling that she was cast solely for her box office appeal.  Every film, the feeling goes, needs  a love story and those love stories need to be between people with familiar faces and Roberts is such a familiar face that her every appearance in the film feels like a distraction from the story being told.  That said, the film captures the excitement and danger of being in the middle of history-making events.  It’s a historical epic that’s never boring and manages to hold the viewer’s interest.

Michael Collins is ultimately a flawed but entertaining look at the early days of the Irish republic.