Well I think Sorry, Baby was an Academy Award oversight, easily better than the ten movies for Best Picture and competitive in the director and actor for Eva Victor too.
Two movies that I like better than movies nominated for Academy Awards this year are By Design and Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass, neither of which had a hope in hell of ever being nominated (though Sanatorium should by all rights win every animation-related award in the world).
One movie that is not in the 'big' categories but should be, that I hope wins its technical category of hair and makeup, is The Ugly Stepsister. It should have also been in costuming and production design, and frankly should have blown out Frankenstein (and Avatar, angry demon emoji) on all those marks.
I haven't seen No Other Choice but a) I love Park Chan-Wook and b) the short clips and trailers I have seen have been incredible and I'm very confident that this movie and Sorry, Baby are the real 'snubs' of this round.
I would say other than that the Oscars merely competently reflect a year of cinema that was mostly merely competent. It's okay, 2026 has already started off well.
I think it was a good year for big film, such a relief from the onslaught of cartoon IP of the past decade or so. I love sinners, and think it should win everything. I also really liked "One Battle after Another", so many excellent performances, Del Toro, Taylor, Penn. "Train Dreams was lovely". "The Life of Chuck" was really enjoyable to watch. "Sorry, Baby" was very well written and well made, even if its main character was self indulgent. That said, the movie that keeps me thinking about it is "The Secret Agent". Wagner Maura is really, really good, and the writing and directing of the movie is transporting. I felt as if I were in Brazil in 1979, for all the good and bad that entails (the hairy leg was a real phenomenon!).
I was going to mention Life Of Chuck but I wasn’t sure it was from last year. I thought it was a beautiful film. I love the story it was based on but struggled to see how it would work as a film. It’s been done masterfully.
As a screenwriter, I'm always on the lookout for a full, rich screenplay that grabs me and doesn't let up until the end. Of the films I've seen, that would include Sinners and Weapons. One Battle was too loose with tossed-off, functional dialogue that felt more like improvisation (a departure for PTA, it seems), Train Dreams was too thin (just not enough story for me) and Bugonia was clever but predictable and the characters were too one-note (although the ending with the production design that looks like an episode of Star Trek from the 1960s didn't help.). I also thought Bugonia needed a bit more story, too. In fact, that seems to be my main complaint these days, and I think a big reason is so many films are written by their directors and the script is not their highest priority. Remember when prestige movies used to have a separate writer and director?
I’m just pleased we got a lot of good movies this year and the Academy has recognized some of them. “Sinners”, of course, but also “Weapons”, “Bugonia”, and my personal favorite, “Frankenstein”. “One Battle…” is also worthy, but it’s getting the lion’s share of attention already. Any of these deserve an award, but I really hope “Sinners” gets the big one.
In somewhat related news, I would recommend The Alabama Solution. It will never get the attention it deserves, and is as far from the Hollywood elite as one could get, but it is essential viewing for all Americans.
Sinners is incredibly rich, deserving of all the praise and insights I’ve read. I was fascinated by its use of twinning, which was tipped by the twin main characters (masterfully acted by Jordan) but extended to duelling cultural forces (music, religion, folk beliefs) and high concepts like destiny vs free will. It managed to also be highly entertaining while carrying incredible intellectual weight. Also-what a cast! I fear Delroy Lindo will be bypassed again, undeservedly. That’s Hollywood.
The film that most surprised me was Train Dreams. I loved this film for its gritty sentimentality. I felt absorbed by it. It may not be award winning material but worth recommending, especially in a year when the hyped movies felt disappointing (to me).
Didn't see any of these films -- our family was focused on months of end-stage care & the demise that closed the red curtains -- but I am rooting for "Sinners."
I can’t speak with any authority as I haven’t watched enough films from last year but I can say that I cannot think of a time I have been as riveted to the screen for the entire duration of a film as I was during One Battle After Another. I thought it was incredible. The car chase sequence blew my mind.
I thought Blue Moon was brilliantly written (my pick for best screenplay) and Ethan’s performance was sublime. But if I’m honest, my actual favorite movie of the year was KPop Demon Hunters! Just came out of nowhere and blew me away. I didn’t want to love it, but I did- felt like a breath of fresh air.
“Train Dreams” and “Sinners” were the most beautiful, memorable, meaningful, and valuable film experiences this last year.
What art!!! I wish I could have caught “Train Dreams” in theatres.
“Sinners” is a must in theatres if you can.
Great point about Train Dreams (which I streamed 😟).
Well I think Sorry, Baby was an Academy Award oversight, easily better than the ten movies for Best Picture and competitive in the director and actor for Eva Victor too.
Two movies that I like better than movies nominated for Academy Awards this year are By Design and Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass, neither of which had a hope in hell of ever being nominated (though Sanatorium should by all rights win every animation-related award in the world).
One movie that is not in the 'big' categories but should be, that I hope wins its technical category of hair and makeup, is The Ugly Stepsister. It should have also been in costuming and production design, and frankly should have blown out Frankenstein (and Avatar, angry demon emoji) on all those marks.
I haven't seen No Other Choice but a) I love Park Chan-Wook and b) the short clips and trailers I have seen have been incredible and I'm very confident that this movie and Sorry, Baby are the real 'snubs' of this round.
I would say other than that the Oscars merely competently reflect a year of cinema that was mostly merely competent. It's okay, 2026 has already started off well.
Thanks for the recommendations, since I know none of these films and am looking for alternatives to what’s being promoted by the Academy.
I think it was a good year for big film, such a relief from the onslaught of cartoon IP of the past decade or so. I love sinners, and think it should win everything. I also really liked "One Battle after Another", so many excellent performances, Del Toro, Taylor, Penn. "Train Dreams was lovely". "The Life of Chuck" was really enjoyable to watch. "Sorry, Baby" was very well written and well made, even if its main character was self indulgent. That said, the movie that keeps me thinking about it is "The Secret Agent". Wagner Maura is really, really good, and the writing and directing of the movie is transporting. I felt as if I were in Brazil in 1979, for all the good and bad that entails (the hairy leg was a real phenomenon!).
I was going to mention Life Of Chuck but I wasn’t sure it was from last year. I thought it was a beautiful film. I love the story it was based on but struggled to see how it would work as a film. It’s been done masterfully.
As a screenwriter, I'm always on the lookout for a full, rich screenplay that grabs me and doesn't let up until the end. Of the films I've seen, that would include Sinners and Weapons. One Battle was too loose with tossed-off, functional dialogue that felt more like improvisation (a departure for PTA, it seems), Train Dreams was too thin (just not enough story for me) and Bugonia was clever but predictable and the characters were too one-note (although the ending with the production design that looks like an episode of Star Trek from the 1960s didn't help.). I also thought Bugonia needed a bit more story, too. In fact, that seems to be my main complaint these days, and I think a big reason is so many films are written by their directors and the script is not their highest priority. Remember when prestige movies used to have a separate writer and director?
Just my opinion!
I’m just pleased we got a lot of good movies this year and the Academy has recognized some of them. “Sinners”, of course, but also “Weapons”, “Bugonia”, and my personal favorite, “Frankenstein”. “One Battle…” is also worthy, but it’s getting the lion’s share of attention already. Any of these deserve an award, but I really hope “Sinners” gets the big one.
I didn't watch a single one of these films.
In somewhat related news, I would recommend The Alabama Solution. It will never get the attention it deserves, and is as far from the Hollywood elite as one could get, but it is essential viewing for all Americans.
Sinners is incredibly rich, deserving of all the praise and insights I’ve read. I was fascinated by its use of twinning, which was tipped by the twin main characters (masterfully acted by Jordan) but extended to duelling cultural forces (music, religion, folk beliefs) and high concepts like destiny vs free will. It managed to also be highly entertaining while carrying incredible intellectual weight. Also-what a cast! I fear Delroy Lindo will be bypassed again, undeservedly. That’s Hollywood.
The film that most surprised me was Train Dreams. I loved this film for its gritty sentimentality. I felt absorbed by it. It may not be award winning material but worth recommending, especially in a year when the hyped movies felt disappointing (to me).
Didn't see any of these films -- our family was focused on months of end-stage care & the demise that closed the red curtains -- but I am rooting for "Sinners."
I can’t speak with any authority as I haven’t watched enough films from last year but I can say that I cannot think of a time I have been as riveted to the screen for the entire duration of a film as I was during One Battle After Another. I thought it was incredible. The car chase sequence blew my mind.
I thought Blue Moon was brilliantly written (my pick for best screenplay) and Ethan’s performance was sublime. But if I’m honest, my actual favorite movie of the year was KPop Demon Hunters! Just came out of nowhere and blew me away. I didn’t want to love it, but I did- felt like a breath of fresh air.