Sing it, Frank!
Sing it, Frank!
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.
December 24th is not just Christmas Eve! It’s also the anniversary of the birth of Michael Curtiz! Michael Curtiz was born in Budapest in 1886 and, after getting his start making silent films in Hungary, he eventually came to the United States and became one of the most important directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age! Curtiz mastered every genre and worked with every star and the end result was some of the greatest films ever made.
Today, we honor the legacy of Michael Curtiz with….
4 Shots From 4 Michael Curtiz Films
Here are the 2025 nominations of the New Jersey Film Critics Circle.
Best Picture
Hamnet
It Was Just An Accident
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Weapons
Best Director
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Park Chan-wook – No Other Choice
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Best Original Screenplay
It Was Just An Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Weapons
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia
Hamnet
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
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
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Best Acting Ensemble
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Weapons
Best Original Score
F1
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Original Song
“Drive” – F1
“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
“I Lied to You” – Sinners
“Last Time (I Seen the Sun)” – Sinners
“Train Dreams” – Train Dreams
Best Editing
F1
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Wicked: For Good
Best Costume Design
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Hedda
Sinners
Wicked: For Good
Best Hair and Makeup
Frankenstein
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
Weapons
Wicked: For Good
Best Sound
F1
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirāt
Warfare
Best Animated Feature
Arco
Elio
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
KPop Demon Hunters
Zootopia 2
Best International Feature
It Was Just An Accident
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt
Best Documentary
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Come See Me in the Good Light
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Perfect Neighbor
Predators
Best Cinematography
Hamnet
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Frankenstein
Sinners
Superman
Best Stunts
F1
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
The Running Man
Sinners
Best Directorial Debut
The Chronology of Water
Friendship
Pillion
Sorry, Baby
The Ugly Stepsister
Best Breakthrough Performance
Miles Caton – Sinners
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
Best Animal in a Movie
Bing the Dog – The Friend
Googoo the Meerkat – Left-Handed Girl
Indy the Dog – Good Boy
Noochie the Cat – Sorry, Baby
Tonic the Cat – Caught Stealing
Best LGBTQIA+ Representation
Blue Moon
Hedda
Pillion
Plainclothes
Twinless
Best New Jersey Representation*
The Housemaid
Marty Supreme
Ponyboi
Presence
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
It’s not Christmas without the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his visit with three ghosts. There have been numerous film versions of this story. The one below comes to us from 1938 and stars Reginald Owen in the role of Scrooge.
This version is surprisingly good, considering that it was apparently shot in a hurry. (The movie hit theaters just a few weeks after filming stopped.) Originally, Lionel Barrymore was going to play Scrooge but he had to drop out due to ill-health. Reginald Owen stepped in and gave a good performance as the famous miser.
(Barrymore himself would more or less play Scrooge a little less than ten years later in Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life.)
Sing us into the holidays, Dean!
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 is all about letting the visuals do the talking.
4 Shots From 4 Holiday Films
Even the Ramones enjoy the holidays!
Enjoy!
Here are the 2025 nominations of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists!
BEST FILM
FRANKENSTEIN
HAMNET
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
THE SECRET AGENT
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
SINNERS
TRAIN DREAMS
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Ryan Coogler – SINNERS
Jafar Panahi – IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Joachim Trier – SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Chloe Zhao – HAMNET
BEST SCREENPLAY, ORIGINAL
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT – Jafar Panahi
JAY KELLY – Noah Baumbach
SENTIMENTAL VALUE – Joachim Trier
SINNERS – Ryan Coogler
SORRY, BABY – Eva Victor
BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED
BUGONIA – Will Tracy
FRANKENSTEIN – Guillermo del Toro
HAMNET – Maggie O’Farrell & Chloe Zhao
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER – Paul Thomas Anderson
TRAIN DREAMS – Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
DOCUMENTARY
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT – Ryan White
MY MOM JAYNE – Mariska Hargitay
ORWELL 2+2=5 – Raoul Peck
THE LIBRARIANS – Kim A. Snyder
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR – Geeta Gandbhir
ANIMATED FEATURE
ARCO – Ugo Bienvenu & Giles Cazaux
IN YOUR DREAMS – Erik Benson & Alexander Woo
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS – Chris Applehaus & Maggie Kang
LITTLE AMELIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN – Liane-Cho Jin Kuang & Mailys Vallade
ZOOTOPIA 2 – Jared Bush & Simon Howard
BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley – HAMNET
Rose Byrne – IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
Renate Reinsve – SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Emma Stone – BUGONIA
Tessa Thompson – HEDDA
BEST ACTRESS, SUPPORTING
Nina Hoss – HEDDA
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Amy Madigan – WEAPONS
Teyana Taylor – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Wunmi Mosaku – SINNERS
BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Joel Edgerton – TRAIN DREAMS
Ethan Hawke – BLUE MOON
Michael B. Jordan – SINNERS
Wagner Moura – THE SECRET AGENT
BEST ACTOR, SUPPORTING
Benicio Del Toro – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Jacob Elordi – FRANKENSTEIN
Paul Mescal – HAMNET
Sean Penn – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Stellan Skarsgård – SENTIMENTAL VALUE
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST & CASTING DIRECTOR
HAMNET – Nina Gold & Lucy Amos
MARTY SUPREME – Jennifer Venditti
NOUVELLE VAGUE – Stéphane Batut
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER – Cassandra Kulukundis
SINNERS – Francine Maisler
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
FRANKENSTEIN – Dan Laustsen
HAMNET – Łukasz Żal
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER – Michael Bauman
SINNERS – Autumn Durald Arkapaw
TRAIN DREAMS – Adolpho Veloso
BEST EDITING
F1: THE MOVIE – Stephen Mirrione & Patrick J. Smith
HAMNET – Affonso Gonçalves & Chloe Zhao
MARTY SUPREME – Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER – Andy Jurgensen
SINNERS – Michael P. Shawver
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT – Jafar Panahi
NO OTHER CHOICE – Park Chan-wook
SENTIMENTAL VALUE – Joachim Trier
SIRÂT – Oliver Laxe
THE SECRET AGENT – Kleber Mendonça Filho
FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
Presented Only to Women
FEMALE FOCUS: BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow – A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE
Mary Bronstein – IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
Mona Fastvold – THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE
Eva Victor – SORRY, BABY
Chloe Zhao – HAMNET
FEMALE FOCUS: BEST FEMALE WRITER
Mary Bronstein – IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
Nia DaCosta – HEDDA
Hikari & Stephen Blahut – RENTAL FAMILY
Eva Victor – SORRY, BABY
Chloe Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell – HAMNET
FEMALE FOCUS: BEST VOICED PERFORMANCE IN ANIMATED FILM
Ginnifer Goodwin – ZOOTOPIA 2
Loïse Charpentier – LITTLE AMELIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN
Arden Cho – KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
Fortune Feimster – ZOOTOPIA 2
Zoë Saldaña – ELIO
FEMALE FOCUS: BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Odessa A’Zion – MARTY SUPREME
Chase Infiniti – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Teyana Taylor – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Wunmi Mosaku – SINNERS
Eva Victor – SORRY, BABY
FEMALE FOCUS: BEST STUNTS PERFORMANCE
Ana de Armas – BALLERINA
Hayley Atwell – MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
Chase Infiniti – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Teyana Taylor – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Pom Klementieff – MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
Here are the nominations of the North Texas Film Critics Association.
BEST PICTURE
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Dwayne Johnson – The Smashing Machine
Michael Jordan – Sinners
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
BEST ACTRESS
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Emma Stone – Bugonia
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
BEST DIRECTOR
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
It Was Just an Accident (France)
No Other Choice (South Korea)
Sentimental Value (Norway)
Sirāt (Spain)
The Secret Agent (Brazil)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Deaf President Now
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Alabama Solution
The Perfect Neighbor
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Arco
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Ne Zha 2
Zootopia 2
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another
Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners
Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams
Łukasz Żal – Hamnet
BEST NEWCOMER
Miles Caton – Sinners
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later
BEST SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson & Thomas Pynchon – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Zach Cregger – Weapons
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein – Marty Supreme
Will Tracy – Bugonia
Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet
GARY MURRAY AWARD (BEST ENSEMBLE)
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons
The 2012 film Christmas Twister tells the story of what happens when several twisters hit North Texas on Christmas Day. For a film taking place in the DFW area (a region that is called the flatlands for a reason), there’s a surprisingly large amount of mountains around.
I mean check out the road leading to Fort Worth:
Check out the town of Gransbury!
Guess which movie was definitely not filmed in Texas!
That said, Casper Van Dien manfully drives across the city, saving his children from the tornado and encouraging folks to stay inside. Plus, the film features a perfect shot that shows that the filmmakers did understand at least one thing about Texas:
Hell yeah! The flag of Texas and some other country!
Enjoy Christmas Twister: