After three eccentric businessman arrange for a young couple to get together right before the holidays, a plane crash kills the three men. However, their ghosts remain on Earth to watch over the couple and to take care of some unexpected holiday business. The film is a holiday film and a comedy and a romance and a musical and a ghost story and a melodrama and finally an oddly sincere meditation on life and death.
From 1940, here’s Beyond Tomorrow!
Today’s song of the day feels appropriate for both the season and the fact that Frank Sinatra was born 110 years ago today.
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 would have been the birthday of Wings Hauser. It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Wings Hauser Films
Vice Squad (1982, dir by Gary Sherman, DP: John Alcott)
A Soldier’s Story (1984, dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Russell Boyd)
Tough Guys Don’t Dance (1987, dir by Norman Mailer, DP: Mike Moyer)
The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989, dir by Brian Trenchard-Smith, DP: Kevin Lind)
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly watch parties. On Twitter, I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday and I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday. On Mastodon, I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix and celebrating the event’s 5th birthday with an encore presentation! The movie? 1984’s The Neverending Story!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, find The Neverending Story on Prime, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag! I’ll be there happily tweeting. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
See you there!
Blake Lewis totally should have won American Idol. (I voted for him and cried when he lost!) But at least he can still win our hearts with this interpretation of a classic Christmas carol!
Enjoy!
The Phoenix Critics Circle has announced their picks for the best of 2025! The winners are listed in bold.
BEST PICTURE
HAMNET
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
SINNERS
BEST COMEDY FILM
THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND
BUGONIA
FRIENDSHIP
THE NAKED GUN
RENTAL FAMILY
BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM
BUGONIA
COMPANION
FRANKENSTEIN
MICKEY 17
THE RUNNING MAN
BEST HORROR FILM
28 YEARS LATER
BRING HER BACK
SINNERS
THE UGLY STEPSISTER
WEAPONS
BEST ANIMATED FILM
ELIO
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS
ZOOTOPIA 2
BEST DOCUMENTARY
DEAF PRESIDENT NOW!
LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY
ORWELL: 2+2=5
PREDATORS
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
NO OTHER CHOICE
THE SECRET AGENT
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
SIRAT
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
TIMOTHEE CHALAMET, MARTY SUPREME
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
JOEL EDGERTON, TRAIN DREAMS
OSCAR ISAAC, FRANKENSTEIN
MICHAEL B. JORDAN, SINNERS
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
JESSIE BUCKLEY, HAMNET
ROSE BYRNE, IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
CHASE INFINITI, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
JENNIFER LAWRENCE, DIE MY LOVE
RENATE REINSVE, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
BENICIO DEL TORO, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
JACOB ELORDI, FRANKENSTEIN
DELROY LINDO, SINNERS
SEAN PENN, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
STELLAN SKARSGARD, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
ODESSA A’ZION, MARTY SUPREME
INGA IBSDOTTER LILLEAAS, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
AMY MADIGAN, WEAPONS
WUNMI MOSAKU, SINNERS
TEYANA TAYLOR, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
BEST DIRECTOR
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
PARK CHAN-WOOK, NO OTHER CHOICE
RYAN COOGLER, SINNERS
JAFAR PANAHI, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
JOACHIM TRIER, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
BEST SCREENPLAY
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
RYAN COOGLER, SINNERS
JAFAR PANAHI, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
JOACHIM TRIER & ESKIL VOGT, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
EVA VICTOR, SORRY, BABY
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
MICHAEL BAUMAN, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW, SINNERS
ADOLPHO VELOSO, TRAIN DREAMS
KIM WOO-HYUNG, NO OTHER CHOICE
BEST SCORE
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, FRANKENSTEIN
JONNY GREENWOOD, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
LUDWIG GORANSSON, SINNERS
KANGDING RAY, SIRAT
BEST STUNT COORDINATION
FRANKENSTEIN
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SINNERS
WEAPONS
The Chicago Film Critics Association has announced their picks for the best of 2025. The winners are listed in bold.
BEST PICTURE
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Mona Fastvold – The Testament of Ann Lee
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Jennifer Lawrence – Die, My Love
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Tessa Thompson – Hedda
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgard – Sentimental Value
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Odessa A’Zion – Marty Supreme
Nina Hoss – Hedda
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Blue Moon by Robert Kaplow
It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi
Marty Supreme by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Sinners by Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby by Eva Victor
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Hamnet by Chloe Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook – Lee Kyoung-mi – Don McKellar – & Jahye Lee
One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson
Train Dreams by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Wake Up Dead Man by Rian Johnson
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Arco
Boys Go to Jupiter
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Cover-Up
My Undesirable Friends – Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow
The Perfect Neighbor
Predators
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirat
BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Phoenician Scheme
Sinners
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein
Lukasz Zal – Hamnet
Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another
Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Kate Hawley – Frankenstein
Lindsay Pugh – Hedda
Ruth E. Carter – Sinners
Malgorzata Karpiuk – The Testament of Ann Lee
Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good
BEST EDITING
Jon Harris – 28 Years Later
Stephen Mirrione & Patrick J. Smith – F1: The Movie
Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Kim Sang-beom & Kim Ho-bin – No Other Choice
Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Rob Mazurek – The Mastermind
Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another
Ludwig Goransson – Sinners
Daniel Blumberg – The Testament of Ann Lee
Bryce Dessner – Train Dreams
BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Mickey 17
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Sinners
MILOS STEHLIK AWARD FOR BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER
Mary Bronstein – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Sarah Friedland – Familiar Touch
Carson Lund – Eephus
James Sweeney – Twinless
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Miles Caton – Sinners
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Abou Sangare – Souleymane’s Story
Tonatiuh – Kiss of the Spider Woman
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
In 2023’s Christmas At The Amish Bakery, book editor Sarah (Alexandra Harris) returns to her Amish roots, hoping to put together an Amish cookbook. (“The Amish are famous for the baking!” Sarah’s boss says.) But what happens when Sarah discovers love and the true meaning of the holidays?
You can probably guess.
This is like the ultimate Hallmark Amish Christmas movie. If you know, you know.
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959, dir by Ed Wood)
103 years ago today, Maila Nurmi was born in Massachusetts. Nurmi would go on to find fame as Vampira, television’s first horror movie hostess. Though she is now best-remembered for playing one of the zombies in Plan 9 From Outer Space, Nurmi actually had a long and varied show business career. James Dean was her best friend. She had an affair with Orson Welles. Walt Disney used her as a model for the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella. She was commissioned to make jewelry and clothing for both Grace Slick and Frank Zappa.
Today’s song of the day came out in 1958. Here’s Bobby Bare singing about Vampira.
Today would have been the 99th birthday of actress Betsy Palmer.
Though Palmer started her acting career in 1951 and was a regular on television, she will always be best known for playing Mrs. Voorhees in 1980’s Friday the 13th. It’s a role that she took, in her own words, because she needed $10,000 to buy a new car. At the time that the film was first released, Palmer did not particularly care for the film but she also definitely also gave the best performance. It’s impossible to imagine that the film would have been as much of a success without her. The scene where she speaks in the voice of Jason inspired Harry Manfredini’s iconic score. Palmer eventually came to embrace her status of being a horror icon.
Today’s scene of the day comes from Friday the 13th. Here is Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees, an old friend of the Christys.
Through the Shattered Lens 