Tag Archives: Oscars

6 Directors Who I Hope Will Win An Oscar In The Next Ten Years

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

David Lynch died without ever having won a competitive Oscar.  He was nominated three times, once for a movie that was also nominated for Best Picture.  He was given an honorary award before he died.  But he never won the Oscar for Best Director.

When it comes to the Oscars, we always talk about artists who are “overdue” and we often suggest that they’ll win with their next major release.  But life and art are both unpredictable.  Indeed, even when a past due director does win an Oscar, it’s often for a lesser film.  George Cukor directed many charming films but he only won one Oscar and that was for the leaden My Fair Lady.

Here are my picks for six directors who I hope will win an Oscar in the next ten years.  Some are overdue.  Some are just underrated.  All of them are deserving.

Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater had a great 2025.  Blue Moon resulted in an Oscar nomination for Ethan Hawke.  Nouvelle Vague swept the Cesars.  He’s widely viewed as one America’s best and most independently-minded directors.  And yet, he’s only once been nominated for Best Director, for Boyhood.  That Linklater lost that Oscar to Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu is a true injustice.  Linklater is one of those directors who vision may be too idiosyncratic for the Academy but I remain hopeful that he will get his Oscar.  He’s currently directing Merrily We Roll Again, with filming set to wrap up in 2040.  That’s a long wait but I look forward to reviewing it.

Joseph Kosinski

With Top Gun: Maverick and F1, Kosinski has emerged as one of the best directors of action around.  Both Top Gun: Maverick and F1 were satisfying films that were not ashamed of being works of adrenaline-pumping excitement.  Both were nominated for Best Picture but Kosinski has yet to receive a Best Director nomination.  I hope that changes soon.

David Fincher

It’s amazing to realize that David Fincher still doesn’t have an Oscar.  He’s one of the most influential directors around.  Much as with David Lynch, a lot of aspiring filmmakers have tried to imitate Fincher but David Fincher really is the only one who can do what he does.  2026 will see the release of The Adventures of Cliff Booth and it will be interesting to see how Fincher continues the story started by Quentin Tarantino in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

Quentin Tarantino

To be honest, I suspect that Quentin Tarantino is never going to win a Best Director Oscar.  He’s talented, he’s beloved by a large number of film fans, and he also has a real talent for burning bridges and ticking people off.  If you’re a director who happens to be a friend of Paul Dano’s, you’re probably never going to vote for Tarantino.  That said, I have my doubts as to whether or not Tarantino really cares about the Oscars.  His favorite films are the ones that don’t win Oscars.  I personally would enjoy hearing his acceptance speech.

Andrea Arnold

I have been a fan of Andrea Arnold’s ever since I saw Fish Tank at the Dallas Angelika in 2010.  This British director has only directed five feature films since 2006 but she’s still one of the best filmmakers out there, capturing life on society’s fringes with an empathy that never feels condescending.

Sofia Coppola

Sofia is a perennial on these lists and I’ll keep including her until she finally wins her Oscar. No one captures the beauty of ennui with quite the skill and visual flair of Sofia Coppola.

 

My Oscar Predictions

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

 

Okay, let’s do this!  Here are my predictions of what will win at the big show tonight!

Best Picture — Sinners

Best Directing — Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best Actor — Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Best Actress — Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Best Supporting Actor — Delroy Lindo, Sinners

Best Supporting Actress — Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Best Original Screenplay — Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay — One Battle After Another

Best Animated Feature — Zootopia 2

Best Casting — Sinners

Best Production Design — Frankenstein

Best Cinematography — Train Dreams

Best Costume Design — Frankenstein

Best Film Editing — Sinners

Best Makeup and Hairstyling — Frankenstein

Best Sound — F1

Best Visual Effects — F1

Best Original Score — Sinners

Best Original Song — Golden from KPop Demon Hunters

Best Documentary Feature — The Perfect Neighbor

Best International Feature — The Secret Agent

Best Animated Short — The Retirement Plan

Best Documentary Short — Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

Best Live Action Short —  Jane Austen’s Period Drama

Welcome To Oscar Sunday!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Audrey Hepburn and her Oscar, in happier times

Welcome to Oscar Sunday!

Today is practically a holiday for me.  As someone who loves movies and who also loves award shows, the Oscar Ceremony is an important annual event.  I really don’t feel like the previous year is over until the Oscars have been handed out.  For me, I won’t truly be able to move on from 2025 and really plunge into 2026 until the award for Best Picture is handed out.

We’ll be here, the TSL crew, watching the show and rooting for our favorite films!  We’ll be posting all the winners, maybe a few reviews, and I’ll be tossing out some Oscar thoughts throughout the day.

Enjoy Oscar Sunday!  May we all be as happy as Audrey Hepburn was when she won her Oscar for Roman Holiday!

Sinners Wins At The Actor Awards

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

 

It was a good night for Sinners.  Victories at both the Actor Awards and the Eddie Awards would seem to indicate that the film has a shot at pulling off an upset.  Still, One Battle After Another won with both the DGA and PGA and it probably still has to be considered front runner.

Here are the winners, listed in bold.  I slept through the ceremony because I took some pain killers for my ankle.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Emma Stone – Bugonia

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Miles Caton – Sinners
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
The Diplomat
Landman
The Pitt
Severance
The White Lotus

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Jason Bateman – Black Rabbit
Owen Cooper – Adolescence
Stephen Graham- Adolescence
Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Matthew Rhys – The Beast In Me

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
The Studio

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown – Paradise
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Walton Goggins – The White Lotus
Gary Oldman – Slow Horses
Noah Wyle – The Pitt

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kathryn Hahn – The Studio
Catherine O’Hara – The Studio
Jenna Ortega – Wednesday 
Jean Smart – Hacks
Kristen Wiig – Palm Royale

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Claire Danes – The Beast In Me
Erin Doherty – Adolescence
Sarah Snook – All Her Fault
Christine Tremarco – Adolescence
Michelle Williams – Dying For Sex

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ike Barinholtz – The Studio
Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This
Ted Danson – A Man On The Inside
Seth Rogen – The Studio
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Britt Lower – Severance
Parker Posey – The White Lotus
Keri Russell – The Diplomat
Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus
Aimee Lou Wood – The White Lotus

OUTSTANDING STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
F1
Frankenstein
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
Sinners

OUTSTANDING STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES
Andor
Landman
The Last of Us
Squid Game
Stranger Things

Weapons (w & dir: Zach Cregger), Film Review by Case Wright – No Spoilers

Posted on by casewright

I should get an academy award for reviewing this film without spoiling it. It is so hard. I won’t post a spoiler review, until the Shattered Lens staff tells me that they’ve seen it.

I know, I know… Case, Weapons came out a while ago! What gives?! In my defense, it’s Oscar nominated; so, I’m not late until April. Take that!

Zach Cregger presents his story through six different perspectives: Justine a teacher/alcoholic, Archer a self-loathing father, Paul an alcholic/cheater cop, James a drug addict, Marcus the school principal who wants to be good, and Alex the crux of the plot. Cregger uses these different perspectives to force you to pay close attention to discern the subtle plot points. One thing that stood out to me was that he told the story through cinematography (showing not telling) to such a degree that the scenes with dialogue could be counted.

The film is clearly rooted in the storytelling of Fulci. There is plot and dialogue, but the vast majority of the story is told visually with unique Americana. Just as The Beyond had to be filmed in New Orleans, Weapons had to be filmed in summertime Suburbia. The setting succeeded in bringing additional tension to the story where the visuals were the storyteller.

He filmed it so that the suburban setting is a character itself. There are scenes where characters are quickly isolated by going from a backyard into the woods. I am certain that this was intentional to show that all normal civilized society is immediately adjacent to an untamed wild forest that can consume us whole. The theme of line crossing both physical and metaphorical is woven throughout the entire story. Lines are crossed that are professional, societal, relationship-based, and actual physical lines. The line crossing is another element that induces a cringe-suspense that ratchets the tension continually.

The score shares the circulatory system with the setting and story so that it is used as a stand-in for dialogue. There are entire scenes without a single word spoken; so, the music and cinematography fill that vacuum, which pulls us in deeper and deeper into Zach Cregger’s world. What makes the story more challenging is that it is a world we know: the suburbs. The music is both congruous and incongruous depending on what part of the story is told.

I believe that I have succeeded in reviewed this film without spoiling it. Normally, I DO NOT CARE, but this film is so well done and rooted in the Fulci storytelling that I can’t do that to the staff and especially not Lisa. I hope that you all watch it soon or we schedule a watch party.

The Society of Composers and Lyricists Honors Sinners

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Society of Composers and Lyricists has announced its picks for the best of 2025.  The winners are listed in bold.

Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
LUDWIG GÖRANSSON – Sinners
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT – Frankenstein
JONNY GREENWOOD – One Battle After Another
STEPHEN SCHWARTZ & JOHN POWELL – Wicked: For Good
MAX RICHTER – Hamnet
JERSKIN FENDRIX – Bugonia

Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film
DARA TAYLOR – Straw
BRYCE DESSNER – Train Dreams
DAVID FLEMING – Eternity
FABRIZIO MANCINELLI – Out of the Nest
JÓNSI & ALEX SOMMERS – Rental Family

SARA BARONE & FOREST CHRISTENSON – To Kill a Wolf

Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production
DIANE WARREN – “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless
ALICE SMITH, MILES CATON & LUDWIG GÖRANSSON – “Last Time (I Seen the Sun)” from Sinners
RAPHAEL SAADIQ & LUDWIG GÖRANSSON – “I Lied to You” from Sinners
SARA BAREILLES – “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” from Come See Me in the Good Light
NIKHIL KOPARKAR & RAMMY PARK – “The Hills of Tanchico” from The Wheel of Time
ED SHEERAN, BLAKE SLATKIN & JOHN MAYER – “Drive” from F1

Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production
EJAE & MARK SONNENBLICK – “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters
STEPHEN SCHWARTZ – “No Place Like Home” from Wicked: For Good
STEPHEN SCHWARTZ – “The Girl in the Bubble” from Wicked: For Good
JACK BLACK & JARED HESS – “Steve’s Lava Chicken” from A Minecraft Movie
MARK RONSON, ANDREW WYATT & JACK BLACK – “I Feel Alive” from A Minecraft Movie
BLAKE SLATKIN, SHAKIRA & ED SHEERAN – “Zoo” from Zootopia 2

Sinners Dominates The Oscar Nominations

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the Oscar nominations!  Sinners received a record-setting 16 nominations but will that be enough to overcome the fashionable radical chic on One Battle After Another?

I’m happy that F1 and Train Dreams were nominated.  I’m less happy that I’m going to have to sit through another Yorgos Lanthimos film.  I haven’t seen Song Sung Blue but I like Kate Hudson and I love her mom and stepfather.

Wicked: For Good was pretty much shut out.  Not even Ariana Grande made the list and I’m okay with that.  Avatar: Fire and Ash received a few technical nominations and not much else so I guess the tyranny of Avatar at the Oscars is now finished.

Best Picture
“Bugonia”
“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another“
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – “One Battle After Another“
Ryan Coogler – “Sinners“
Josh Safdie – “Marty Supreme“
Joachim Trier – “Sentimental Value”
Chloé Zhao – “Hamnet”

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – “Hamnet”
Rose Byrne – “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Kate Hudson – “Song Sung Blue”
Renate Reinsve – “Sentimental Value”
Emma Stone – “Bugonia”

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – “Marty Supreme”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “One Battle After Another”
Ethan Hawke – “Blue Moon”
Michael B. Jordan – “Sinners”
Wagner Moura – “The Secret Agent”

Best Supporting Actress
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – “Sentimental Value”
Amy Madigan – “Weapons”
Wunmi Mosaku – “Sinners“
Teyana Taylor – “One Battle After Another”
Elle Fanning – “Sentimental Value”

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 Adapted Screenplay
“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

Best Original Screenplay
“Blue Moon” – Robert Kaplow
“It Was Just an Accident” – Jafar Panahi, Nader Saeivar, Shadmehr Rastin & Mehdi Mahmoudian
“Marty Supreme” – Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
“Sentimental Value” – Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt
“Sinners” – Ryan Coogler

Best Animated Feature
“Arco”
“Elio”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“Little Amélie or The Character of Rain”
“Zootopia 2”

Best Documentary Feature
“The Alabama Solution”
“Come See Me in the Good Light”
“Cutting Through Rocks”
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
“The Perfect Neighbor”

Best International Feature Film
“It Was Just an Accident” – France
“The Secret Agent” – Brazil
“Sentimental Value” – Norway
“Sirāt” – Spain
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” – Tunisia

Best Casting
Gabriel Domingues – “The Secret Agent”
Nina Gold – “Hamnet”
Cassandra Kulukundis – “One Battle After Another”
Francine Maisler – “Sinners”
Jennifer Venditti – “Marty Supreme”

Best Cinematography
“Frankenstein”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”

Best Costume Design
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme“
“Sinners”

Best Film Editing
“F1”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”

Best Make-Up & Hairstyling
“Frankenstein”
“Kokuho“
“Sinners”
“The Smashing Machine”
“The Ugly Stepsister”

Best Production Design
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”

Best Original Score
“Bugonia”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”

Best Original Song
“Dear Me” – “Diane Warren: Relentless”
“Golden” – “KPop Demon Hunters”
“I Lied to You” – “Sinners”
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” – “Viva Verdi!”
“Train Dreams” – “Train Dreams”

Best Sound
“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“Sirāt“

Best Visual Effects
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“F1”
“Jurassic World: Rebirth”
“The Lost Bus”
“Sinners”

Best Animated Short Film
“Butterfly”
“Forevergreen”
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
“Retirement Plan”
“The Three Sisters”

Best Documentary Short Film
“All the Empty Rooms”
“Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud”
“Children No More: ‘Were and are Gone’”
“The Devil is Busy”
“Perfectly a Strangeness”

Live Action Short Film
“Butcher’s Stain“
“A Friend of Dorothy”
“Jane Austen’s Period Drama”
“The Singers”
“Two People Exchanging Saliva”

The Chicago Indie Film Critics Honor Train Dreams and Sinners!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Chicago Indie Critics have announced their picks for the best of 2025!  The winners are listed in bold!

BEST INDEPENDENT FILM
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You – Producers: Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Conor Hannon, Richie Doyle
It Was Just an Accident – Producers: Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin
The Life of Chuck – Producers: Trevor Macy, Mike Flanagan
Sorry, Baby – Producers: Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins
Train Dreams – Producers: Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler

BEST STUDIO FILM
Hamnet – Producers: Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg
Marty Supreme – Producers: Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas, Timothée Chalamet
One Battle After Another – Producers: Adam Somner, Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson
Sinners – Producers: Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler
28 Years Later – Producers: Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, Bernie Bellew, Danny Boyle, Alex Garland

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
It Was Just an Accident – Producers: Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin
No Other Choice – Producers: Park Chan-wook, Back Jisun, Michèle Ray-Gavras, Alexandre Gavras
The Secret Agent – Producers: Emilie Lesclaux, Kleber Mendonça Filho
Sentimental Value – Producers: Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar
Sirât – Producers: Domingo Corral, Oliver Laxe, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, Esther García, Oriol Maymó, Mani Mortazavi, Andrea Queralt

BEST DOCUMENTARY
John Candy: I Like Me – Producers: Colin Hanks, Johnny Pariseau, George Dewey, Shane Reid, Ryan Reynolds, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper
Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 – Producers: Raoul Peck, Alex Gibney, George Chignell, Nick Shumaker
The Perfect Neighbor – Producers: Alisa Payne, Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee
Secret Mall Apartment – Producers: Jeremy Workman, Jesse Eisenberg
Zodiac Killer Project – Producers: Charlie Shackleton, Anthony Ing, Catherine Bray

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Elio – Producers: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina, Mary Alice Drumm
KPop Demon Hunters – Producers: Maggie Kang, Chris Applehans, Michelle Wong
Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up – Producers: Peter Browngardt, Sam Register, Alex Kirwan
Predator: Killer of Killers – Producers: John Davis, Dan Trachtenberg, Marc Toberoff, Ben Rosenblatt
Zootopia 2 – Producers: Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eddington – Ari Aster
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor
Weapons – Zach Cregger

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Bugonia – Will Tracy
Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
28 Years Later – Alex Garland

BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

BEST ACTRESS
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 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
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Hailee Steinfeld – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

BEST ENSEMBLE (Casting Director Award)
Black Bag – Carmen Cuba
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti
One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis
Sinners – Francine Maisler

BREAKOUT PERFORMER
Odessa A’zion
Miles Caton
Indy the Dog
Chase Infiniti
Jacobi Jupe

BREAKOUT BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Clint Bentley
Harris Dickinson
Scarlett Johansson
James Sweeney
Eva Victor

SIGHT UNSEEN PERFORMANCE
Jason Bateman – Zootopia 2
Oona Chaplin – Avatar: Fire and Ash
Nick Offerman – The Life of Chuck
Will Patton – Train Dreams
Alan Tudyk – Superman

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
F1 – Claudio Miranda
Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen
One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman
Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis
Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell
Sinners – Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne
28 Years Later – Carson McColl, Gareth Pugh
Wicked: For Good – Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales

BEST EDITING
F1 – Stephen Mirrione
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen
Sinners – Michael P. Shawver
Weapons – Joe Murphy

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Alexandra Byrne
Frankenstein – Kate Hawley
Hedda – Lindsay Pugh
Sinners – Ruth E. Carter
Wicked: For Good – Paul Tazewell

BEST MAKEUP
Frankenstein – Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey
Sinners – Mike Fontaine, Ken Diaz, Shunika Terry
The Smashing Machine – Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal
28 Years Later – Flora Moody, John Nolan
Weapons – Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett
F1 – Ryan Tudhope, Keith Alfred Dawson, Nicholas Chevallier, Robert Harrington
Frankenstein – Dennis Berardi
Sinners – Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean
Superman – Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stephane Naze, Guy Williams

BEST STUNTS
Ballerina – Jackson Spidell, Stephen Dunlevy
F1 – Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – Wade Eastwood
One Battle After Another – Brian Machleit
Superman – Wayne Dalglish

BEST SOUND
Avatar: Fire and Ash – Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Brent Burge, Gary Summers, Michael Hedges, Alexis Feodoroff, Julian Howarth
F1 – Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John
Sinners – Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco
28 Years Later – Johnnie Burn
Warfare – Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat
Hamnet – Max Richter
Marty Supreme – Daniel Lopatin
One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood
Sinners – Ludwig Göransson

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Clothed by the Sun” – The Testament of Ann Lee (Written by Daniel Blumberg, Mona Fastvold; Performed by David Cale, Lewis Pullman, Matthew Beard)
“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters (Written by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24, Teddy; Performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami)
“Highest 2 Lowest” – Highest 2 Lowest (Written and Performed by Aiyana-Lee)
“I Lied to You” – Sinners (Written by Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson; Performed by Miles Caton)
“Pale, Pale Moon” – Sinners (Written by Brittany Howard, Ludwig Göransson; Performed by Jayme Lawson)

THE IMPACT AWARD
Elizabeth Arnott – Programmer of “Sapphopalooza”
Tyler Michael Baletine – Programmer of “Life Within the Lens: Juneteenth Edition”
Matthew C. Hoffman – Programmer and Host at the Pickwick Theatre
Anna Pattinson – Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Femme
Michael Phillips – Former Film Critic of The Chicago Tribune

Sinners Wins In Nashville

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Music City Film Critics Association has announced its picks for the best of 2025!  The winners are in bold!

Best Picture
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Train Dreams
Weapons

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Guillermo Del Toro – Frankenstein
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia

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 Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

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 Young Actress
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
Olivia Lynes – Hamnet
Madeleine McGraw – The Black Phone 2
Sora Wong – Bring Her Back
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl

Best Young Actor
Everett Blunck – The Plague
Miles Caton – Sinners
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later

Best Acting Ensemble
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man

Best Music Film
The Ballad of Wallis Island
KPop Demon Hunters
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wicked: For Good

Best Animated Film
The Day the Earth Blew Up
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Predator: Killer of Killers
Zootopia 2

Best Documentary
The Alabama Solution
Cover-Up
John Candy: I Like Me
The Perfect Neighbor
Predators

Best International Film
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt

Best Screenplay
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sorry, Baby
Weapons

Best Cinematography
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

Best Editing
F1: The Movie
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Perfect Neighbor
Sinners

Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wicked: For Good

Best Original Song
“As Alive As You Need Me to Be” – Nine Inch Nails, Tron: Ares
“The Girl in the Bubble” – Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good
“Golden” – EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, KPop Demon Hunters
“I Lied to You” – Miles Caton, Sinners
“Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Train Dreams

Best Score
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

Best Sound
F1: The Movie
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Warfare
Wicked: For Good

Best Stunt Work
Ballerina
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Sinners
Superman

Best Action Film
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
Predator: Badlands
Superman

Best Comedy Film
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Friendship
The Naked Gun
Splitsville
Wake Up Dead Man

Best Horror Film
28 Years Later
Frankenstein
Sinners
The Ugly Stepsister
Weapons

The Jim Ridley Award
The Day the Earth Blew Up
Dracula
A Little Prayer
Resurrection
Sirāt