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2026 Oscars Recap

• Robbie Holmes

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Hey folks, I'm Robbie Holmes. I'm your host here at Geekon Film. I'm going to be running us through the 28th Academy Awards, 2026's Oscars. I'm going to go through all the categories. I'm going to mention the nominees, uh the what I thought should have won, what the Academy chose, and then some wouldas, should'as or couldas that could have come in that category. You'll see it's a pretty amazing year for cinema, but thank you so much for starting out with me. Um I've been recapping these over on TikTok, YouTube, and on Instagram. So if you'd like more smaller bite-sized pieces of content from me, please subscribe over in those locations. And comment. I'd love to hear where I was wrong. All right, we're gonna jump into the categories, but thank you so much for sticking with me and starting off your Oscars recap right now. All right, we're gonna start off with Best Supporting Actress. The nominees were Elle Fanning, Inga Ibds Daughter Lilius from Sentimental Value, Amy Madigan from Weapons, Winmoo Misaku from Sinners, and Tiana Taylor from One Battle After Another. I had Winmoo Misaku from Sinners as my best supporting actress of the year, and the Academy decided to go with Amy Madigan from Weapons. Um there's no bad choices in this list. You'll hear me say that a few times uh this year, but I think the reality is true. Um I think Winmoo was a huge and important factor in the in the story that was being told in Sinners, but that can be said for every single one of these supporting actress nominations. Uh a few coulda-shoulders and woulda's, I would have mentioned, is Odessa Zion from Marty Supreme, Naomi Aki from Sorry Baby, Glenn Close from Wake Up Dead Man, Rebecca Ferguson from House of Dynamite, and Sizza from One of Them Days. Um, all great performances. Next up is Best Animated Feature Film. The nominees were Arko, Ilio, K-pop Demon Hunters, Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2. I had K-pop Demon Hunters, and so did the Academy. I think this movie was a bulldozer when it came to pop culture this year. I think the music was amazing. I think the story is pretty great, and I think overall it was the right choice. Zootopia made over a billion dollars, and it's a franchise that really didn't land for me. Uh, it's not something I go back to. So I found myself watching K-pop Demon Hunters like four times this year. Um, a wulda coulda-sulda I would nominate uh this year would have been Predator Killer of Killers, Jan Trackenberg's animated film set in the predator universe. It was pretty great. Next up, best animated short film. Uh the nominees were Butterfly, Forever Green, The Girl Who Cried Pearls, Retirement Plan, and The Three Sisters. I had Retirement Plan as my choice. This is a movie that really moved me. Uh, I think it was a really great uh story of like what it is to think about and to daydream about what you're going to do when you retire. The Academy decided to go with The Girl Who Cried Pearls. This is a beautiful movie. I didn't think that the story resonated with me as much, but these were all pretty good. I think when it comes down to a Three Sisters, I found to be very beautiful and sort of a very old school style uh nomination. Butterfly and its paint release style was pretty great. Um uh woulda coulda shoulda for this category is Eru. It is a uh Cartoon Saloon uh animated film that I think was really great, and I was surprised it did not get nominated. Uh next up is Best Costume Design, uh Avatar Friar and Ash, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, and Sinners. Uh I had Sinners as my uh choice. I think the costumes in that movie are really amazing. They are so perfect. I think the costumes are actually part of telling the story. If you go back and listen to the way they describe Smoke and Stack, each one of their outfits has to do with their personality. I think you can't ask for more. I think it was pretty great. Um, Best Costumes went to Frankenstein. Um a couple of woulda, coulda, shoulda's for me in this category are uh HEDA. I think the gowns and the clothing in that movie are really telling the story. Um it's pretty unreal that that movie was snubbed as many times as it was. Uh the Phoenician scheme, the costumes are really great, and Wicked for Good, probably the biggest snub of the year. The fact that this movie wasn't nominated at all, but the fact that it wasn't nominated here makes no sense. So that's it for me for Best Costume Design. Best makeup and hairstyling. The nominees were Frankenstein, Kakuo, Sinners, The Smashing Machine, and the Ugly Stepsister. Um, I had this as Sinners. I think there was an amazing amount of uh makeup and hairstyling that was done in this movie that actually helped tell the story. And the Academy decided to go with Frankenstein. A couple of snubs, or wouldas, couldas, should'as that I think could be here. Um The Shrouds, first time we're talking about David Cronenberg's um movie The Shrouds. I think it was really moving and powerful, and his movies don't always resonate with me, but this one really did. It's about love and loss. Uh weapons. Uh again, best makeup and hairstyling, you'd be surprised. But the reality is I feel like this movie had a lot of subtlety about it. There's an amazing amount of makeup that happens in this movie that helps tell the story. And the last one that wasn't so subtle was 28 years later. I think this movie uh really, really uh took advantage of the fact that the makeup was a huge part of what was making the uh the infected feel as uh grimy as they were or as unique as they were. I think the rick the creation of the alpha and the worm eaters and all the other pieces were so well done, and a lot of that was makeup and hairstyling. Best casting. First time ever. What an exciting uh year that we actually got a new uh category at the Academy Awards. Uh so the nominees were uh Nina Gold from Hamnet, uh Jennifer Vendetti from Marty Supreme, uh Cassandra Kula Kundis from One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingue from The Secret Agent, and Francine Mazler from Sinners. I had Jennifer Vendetti from Marty Supreme. I feel like that movie uh I'm a sucker for a period New York City film anyway, and I think that movie, the casting was so unbelievable. Everybody felt like they really belonged in New York in that time period. And in the end, they went with uh Cassandra Kakulius uh for one battle after another. We're still trying to figure out, I think, what the best casting Oscar is going to lean towards over time. So this was exciting to see where they started. A really good uh award because we in this movie cast an amazing amount of people, but also found us a brand new Starlet. So uh a couple of movies that could have or should have been nominated here. Uh I have no other choice. Uh I think the movie's beautiful, but I think the casting is unbelievable. Weapons, I think the casting of the children, plus the casting of all the individual interlocking stories. And then Blue Moon. I think uh it's a small story with only about five or six real speaking roles, but the the movies cast beautifully. That's it for me. Best casting. Best live action short film. The nominees were Butcher Stain, Jane Austen's period drama, A Friend of Dorothy, The Singers, and Two People Exchanging Saliva. Now I had two people exchanging saliva, and the Academy decided to create something that was super unique. Only six times in Academy history, there was a tie between two people exchanging saliva and the singers. The Singers is on Netflix, uh, two people exchanging saliva was the New Yorker. Uh, these were all pretty good in my opinion. I think the Butcher Stain was a little bit overstuffed of ideas and probably needed to be a feature-length film in order to get it all across. Uh, a couple of woulda-culda-sulda's that I think could be in this category. Ragamuffin, uh, movie that's set in the in the motocross ecosystem, is really great. Uh, The Reality of Hope is a live-action uh documentary, animated, it's a whole bunch of things. But I mentioned it here because I really think it could have gone in a lot of categories. And Em and Selma Go Griffin Hunting was a really amazing short that I saw last year at the Sundance Um Film Festival in the awards pack uh the shorts package. So there you go. That's it for me for best live action short film. Next up is Best Supporting Actor. The nominees were Benizio del Toro for one battle after another, Jacob Alaurdi for Frankenstein, Delroy Lindo for Sinners, Sean Penn for one battle after another, and Stellan Skarsgard for Sentimental Value. I had Delroy Lindo for Sinners, and the Academy decided to award Sean Penn from one battle after another. There's really good performances up and down this list. Jacob Alordi feels a little bit like he is sort of lead, so I don't know that I would have classified that as best supporting. Um I know the second half of the movie is really his, but he is there in the first. So um it's surprising to see them go with Sean Penn. It's his third uh Academy Award. I think that uh Benizio's scenes are pretty amazing. He's he's wrenching away from Leo and the scenes he's in with Leo, and uh Sean is driving uh a large portion of the film. Again, complicated, I would say. Del Roy Lindo was a huge part of what made Sinners work. He was the epitome of a best supporting actor. He is uh he has a couple of monologues, he's really pushing the story, he's adding a lot of uh flavor to what's going on in the movie. I I really am sad that he didn't end up getting it. Um a couple of coulda, shoulda, woulda's that I think we could have in this category. Um Archie Medekwe from Lurker, uh, is pretty great as the pop star whose entire uh entourage is populated with people that eventually our lead uh actor tries to populate and jump into. Um Paul Mescal from Hamnet, again, it's a little bit of a questionable: is it a lead? Is it too flat? There's a there's a lot of things, but I do think what he did in this movie is pretty great. Um, and last but not least, the one who I think probably would have won it if he had gotten nominated, and if anybody watched the movie, uh is Ray Fines from 28 Years Later. Boy, what a performance by Dr. Ian Kelson. And uh Ray Fines is unbelievable in 28 Years Later. That's it for Best Supporting Actor. Next up is Best Adapted Screenplay. We have Will Tracy from Begonia, uh, Guillermo del Toro Frankenstein, Maggie O'Farrell and Chloe Zhao Hamnet, Paul Thomas Anderson One Battle After Another, and Clint Bentley and Greg Quidar from Train Dreams. I had One Battle After Another written by Paul Thomas Anderson, and so did the Academy. Congratulations, PTA, on your first Oscar. Umthers that I think could have gotten nominated in this uh category are Alex Garland for 28 years later, uh Park Chanwuk, Lee Kung Mi, and Don McKeller and Lee He Hae uh for no other choice, and Nia DeCosta for HETA. Um was a really good year, as you can see, by just the woulda coulda-shudda's that could have been in this category. That's it for best adapted screenplay. Next up is best original screenplay. Uh we have Robert uh Kaplow for Blue Moon, Jafar Panahi for It Was Just an Accident, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safty from Hardy Supreme, Joachim Trier and Askel Vott for Sentimental Value and Ryan Kugler for Sinners. Um I had and the Academy had Ryan Kugler for Sinners. Congratulations, Ryan, on your first Academy Award. Um it was a really amazing year, as you can see by just what was in the nominees list. We haven't even gotten to my coda woulda shouldas. Um I really think that what Ronald and Josh created for Marty Supreme was pretty great. I think the script for Blue Moon is really unbelievable. It was just an accident as a film that is filled with empathy and dark comedy, and sentimental value is so emotionally moving. I again great across the board. My wood-a criticians here are Sorry Baby from Eva Victor. I think that you will hear that name a few more times. Um boy, they created an amazing movie, but they wrote an amazing script. Uh J Juplass and Mark Strasner for the Baltimorons. I think that movie was really fun, and I think it was a lot small smarter than it seemed like it was on the surface. And last but not least is Ariaster for Eddington. This is a movie that I think we will go back and re-evaluate a lot in the future. Uh a lot of the discourse was it's too soon to do a movie about the pandemic. I think it is a sharp and dark and comedic take on what humanity is, uh, and I think it is a much better movie than it got credit for. I hope uh we can revisit it without the discourse in the future. Best production design, the nominees were Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, and Sinners. Uh I had Marty Supreme, and the Academy decided to go with Frankenstein. I think uh every one of these movies has a reason to be in this category, but I think there's a couple of movies I want to mention that I think could have been here or should have been here, and maybe belonged here even over what was nominated. No other choice. The production design of that movie is fantastic. Everything about that movie is fantastic. Sorry, I'm hedging my bets, you're gonna hear a lot about it. The Phoenician scheme. This is a movie that is all production design. I think the script is great, I think the production is great, but I think in in the end, the production design of this movie is unreal. Eddington, I think the creation of uh the worlds, the finding of the town, the decision to uh lean in on some of the fantastical elements, all of it is really great. I I really loved Eddington, and I think it deserved to be nominated for Best Production Design. Best visual effects, our nominees are Avatar Fire and Ash, F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus, and Sinners. I made the joke on my video uh where I was breaking down this category that it should just be renamed if there's an Avatar movie, we give it to that film. Um I had it as Avatar Fire and Ash, and so did the Academy. That does not take away from Sinners. Uh it's it's visual effects are unbelievable. Um, F1, some of those crash sequences are really great. Jurassic World Rebirth, it was not a movie I loved, but uh the effects were pretty great, and I never got to see The Lost Bus. I hear the fire sequences are unreal. Let's talk about the wouldas, couldas, and shoulda's. I have 28 years later, weapons. I'm gonna get to Dust Bunny, which is a movie that I haven't mentioned up to this point. It's a first-time uh feature. Um, wow, some amazing effects in that movie. Uh uh, what a great, fantastical film. If you haven't seen it, you should search it out. And then last but not least, I'll mention Mickey 17. Uh, just because it is not sort of uh a drier, more uh serious uh film from director uh Bong does not mean it does not belong uh in the story. Um it is more in line with Okcha or the host, but that movie's uh visual effects and the creature creation and all the other stuff that's going on here with Robert Pattinson, really great. I think it got really ignored. So that's it for me for Best Visual Effects. Best documentary short, the nominees were All the Empty Rooms, Armed Only with a Camera, The Life and Death of Uh Brent Renault, Children No More Were and Are Gone, The Devil Is Busy, and Perfectly Estrangeness. I had Armed Only with a Camera, The Life and Death of Brent Renault. That movie really moved me. Also, All the Empty Rooms, pretty amazing. I think I had my order, uh it was number two for me. Number three was The Devil is Busy. Children No More Were and Are Gone. Um I didn't get to see, and Perfectly Estrangeness felt more like a tone poem than it did uh a documentary film. Uh a couple of films I'll mention here is Reality of Hope. Uh it's a really unbelievable animated documentary short, so it could fit in a lot of places. And The Boys and the Bees. Uh it's a film I got to see at Sundance, and it was really moving. Uh pretty great film. That's it for Best Documentary Short. Best documentary feature film. The nominees were The Alabama Solution, Come and See Me in the Good Light, Cutting Through Rocks, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, and The Perfect Neighbor. I had the Alabama Solution, and the Academy decided to go with Mr. Nobody Against Putin. I think the Alabama Solution is a super important story that is put together from the cell phone footage of the individual inmates, and they are the ones who are helping tell the story with the documentarians. And I boy, it really moved me. The amount of dread in that movie and the amount of dread it left me with, uh, it stuck with me for a long time, but it is such a well put together documentary. Uh, a couple of movies that I'm going to mention that I could have or should have been nominated in this category. Uh, we're gonna start with Deaf President now. Uh, this was at Sundance last year. It was really an amazing story about the first uh first deaf president of Galleudette University. Um Grand Theft Auto Hamlet is a movie that is uh takes place entirely inside of the game Grand Theft Auto. Uh it's proof that no matter what is going on in the world, people will create something. Uh it's a really powerful film. Uh next up is Predators. I really liked Predators a lot as a documentary. I think the idea of telling the story of how um to catch a predator and how it affected society is really powerful. Um but last but not least is Pavements by Alex Ross Perry. This movie was great. Boy, did I love this documentary. Um you'll hear a little more about it later. All right. Best original score. The nominees were Begonia, Jessrin Fendricks, Frankenstein, Alexander Deplot, Hamnet, Max Richter, one battle after another, Johnny Greenwood, and Sinners, Ludwig Gorenson. I had one battle after another. I think that the score is a huge reason that that almost three-hour movie feels like it moves as fast as it does. It's propulsive, it's driving, and it helps support the editing and the pace of the movie. But uh the Academy decided to go with Sinners, and uh I am okay with that. Ludwig Gorenson has effectively become the next John Williams. He has three Oscars in eight years. Uh, a couple of movies I just want to mention. Twenty-eight years later, I think that the score is really propulsive and pounding and beautiful and haunting, and no other choice is uh there's so much precision in that movie, and I think the score really leans in heavily to help anchor that. There you go. Best sound. The nominees were F1, Frankenstein, one battle after another, Sinners, and Surratt. I had Surratt because I felt like that was one of the most amazing and outside the box nominations I've seen in a long time from the Academy. Um, and the sound is the movie. It's it's really unreal. It's propulsive, it's pounding, it is a big reason that movie is so moving, but it's also a tough movie for people to watch. Uh the Academy decided to go with F1. The sound in that movie is great. I had Sinners, uh, I had Surat, Sinners, one battle after another, F1, and then Frankenstein. Um a couple of woulda-couddas and should-as. Uh a couple of these are familiar. Uh 28 years later, I think the sound in this movie is great. Just think back to uh the war meters or uh the alpha running along the causeway uh weapons. Uh this is a one where I would say that the sound is super subtle and it's surprising at how effective it is. It adds to the creepiness and the the uh overall tone of dread. Um, and I think it was pretty great. Warfare, first time I'm mentioning this movie. Uh it is all about uh being in an active war zone. And I think I walked out of that film feeling assaulted, and I think that was part of the point. I think the sound really is capturing what it feels like to be at war. And last but not least is if I had legs, I'd kick you. The sound of this movie, the constant beeping of mechanical and medic uh medical equipment that is adding to a sense of dread for the characters, but also for the audience. Uh the sound really has a huge impact on how you're feeling and how much you can empathize with the character. It is a big part of that movie. Best film editing. Our nominees were F1, Steven Murian, uh Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein, and Josh Safty, One Battle After Another, Andy Jorgensen, Sentimental Value. Uh Oliver Bouge Coot and Sinners, uh Michael P. Shavar. Uh I had One Battle After Another Zandy Jorgensen, and so did the Academy. I think we I already mentioned earlier that the propulsive nature of this movie is such a huge port uh part of what makes it work, and I think the editing has a huge uh huge amount to do with that. I think without really solid editing, this film could have lagged, it could have felt laggy. It doesn't. It takes its time in moments, it lets things breathe, but overall the pace of this movie is is relentless and it never feels too fast or too much. And I think there's a real sense of uh art and science that's going on to what Andy Jorgensen is doing in this movie. A couple of woulda couldas and shoulda's, uh, two you should have already heard me mention, and one new one. So we'll go with a new one, Presence. Steven Soderbergh's film about a ghostly presence in a home. The editing of this movie is fantastic. Uh the constant shifts of tone that are only based on how the camera's moving and then how the film is edited. Really powerful stuff. Uh, I really love that movie. Um, weapons, I think. Again, the editing in this film really adds to the sense of dread and the constant concern that you are under and that the characters you're feeling for the characters. And there's only a few jump scares in the movie, and boy, the editing is really leaning in on that. And if I had legs, I'd kick you is the last one. But the film editing here, uh, from going languidly while the characters moving and and where they are in their mindset, the lead character, to how frenetic and how chaotic things are, when there are medical issues and and when there's uh you know interacting with the with the with other people, it it's really a powerful aspect of the movie. Um as you can tell, I kind of loved if I had legs, I kick you. Um that's it for best film editing. Best cinematography. Our nominees were Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, one battle after another, Sinners, and Train Dreams. I had one battle after another. I am so glad that I was wrong, because it went to Sinners, to Autumn, Durald, Arkapah. It's an amazing win. It's historic in what it is. First female uh cinematographer, but boy, what an amazing movie. And, you know, with everything that that movie did for Cinephiles to think about different formats and how it gave Ryan Kugler the opportunity to go out there and talk about different formats. Um, but Autumn was the one who actually pulled it off and took advantage of it. It was really beautiful. I love this movie, and I'm so glad that it got this win. A couple others that I would say woulda coulda shoulda is here are No Other Choice, Big Surprise, Hamnet. Um, the movie is really beautiful. Uh, and then last but not least is 28 Years Later. You've heard it a few times. I really like that movie. That's it for me in Best Cinematography. Best International Feature Film. The nominees were From Brazil, the Secret Agent. From France, it was just an accident. From Norway, Sentimental Value. From Spain, Surat. And from Tunisia, The Voice of Henry Job. Um, I had From France's uh It was Just an Accident. I feel like that movie was fantastic. I think it was so much empathy and comedy, and it was such such a well put together and made film. I I loved it. It it quickly catapulted when I finally saw it into my top ten. Um, but also in my top ten was uh what the academy went with, which is Norway's uh sentimental value. I love this movie. I uh I thought it was great. Um pretty good list of uh international films this year. Uh the ones that woulda, coulda, shoulda for me this in this category are from South Korea, no other choice. Whoa, surprise. Uh that movie's great. Uh let's see. From Jordan, all that's left of you. What an amazing movie about what it is, but about the impacts of being occupied and living through war has on you and your family. Um powerful. What an amazing movie. And last but not least is uh From Canada, The Shrouds. I really love this Cronenberg film. Um I I wish you get if you get a chance to see it, you should. Uh it's really powerful and it's a lot less um body horror than a lot of his other films. It's a little more restrained, but it's also very moving. That's it for me for Best International Feature. Best original song, our nominees were Dear Me from Diane Warren Relentless, Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters, I Lied to You from Sinners, Sweet Dreams of Joy from Viva Verde, and Train Dreams from Train Dreams. I had Golden from K-pop Demon Hunters, and so did the Academy. This movie took over pop culture. Um, K-pop Demon Hunters was great. I think there's probably five or six songs that are pretty unbelievable from this soundtrack. Um, it's a great song. Um, I love that movie. I've seen it like four times. Um, if we were talking about the best song that made a scene, uh maybe best scene of the year that was underlined by a song, I'd be talking about I Lied to You. Just the performance we saw at the Academy Awards this year alone should have made it worth uh the the Oscar. It's it's really great. Um let's talk about a couple of wulda-coulda-shoulda's. Uh Hunger and Thirst from the Testament of Ann Lee. Boy, this movie was ignored. Uh Amanda Seafried deserved a lot more. Uh, this movie was great, and this song is diegetic, it's part of this movie, it's it's really powerful, and uh yeah, what a miss by the entire industry. Um next up is My Baby Got Nothing at All from the Materialists. I think this song really is a great song, and it really adds to the overall tone of the movie. Last but not least is Boy the Academy Never Knows What to Do with Trent Reznor or Nine Inch Nails or Naticus Ross or any combination of those guys. Um As Alive as You Need to Be from Tron Ares is a great song. Um and yeah, ignore it again. There you go. Best song. Best director, our nominees are Chloe Zhao for Hamnet, Josh Safty for Marty Supreme, Paul Thomas Anderson for one battle after another, Joakim Trier for Sentimental Value, and Ryan Kugler for Sinners. I had Paul Thomas Anderson for one battle after another, and so did the Academy. I think this movie is amazing. I think his direction is astounding, I think he has been making great films for a very long time. Does not take it all away from Ryan Kugler's Amazing Sinners, which may be the film of the year. Shh, we'll talk about that in a minute. Uh Marty Supreme, which I think really leveled up Josh Safty, Joachim Trier again making a movie that moves people, and is also nominated for Best International Feature. And Chloe Zhao's Hamnet is pretty great. Um, I just don't think it is as good as the other films that were mentioned. Uh, we're gonna talk about a couple of wulda-coulda-shoulas. Um real surprise this year. Let's start with No Other Choice, Park Chan Mook. I think that movie absolutely was one of the best films that was made this year and should have been nominated. Sorry, baby, Eva Victor. What an amazing debut for Eva Victor. Uh Mary Bronstein's If I had Legs, I'd kick you. It's such a personal movie, and it could not have been directed by anyone else. Um, Eddington, Ari Astor. Uh, this this man makes movies that uh question humanity, question America, they are funny, they are dark, they are provocative, and I love his films. And last but not least is uh least is Richard Linkletter's Blue Moon. I think he had a great year. Nouvelle Vogue and Blue Moon in the same year. I think what he did with this movie and the partnership of him and Ethan Hawke together is pretty great. Um, I really loved it, and that's it for me on Best Director. Alright, we're at Best Actor. We're gonna go down the list of nominees. Timothy Chalamet, Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio, one battle after another, Ethan Hawk, Blue Moon, Michael B. Jordan, Sinners, Vagnamora from The Secret Agent. Uh, before I announce any of this, let's just say this may be one of the best, best actor slates we have ever had. And I would say every single one of them could have won this, and I would have felt okay about it. Um, I had a vacillated back and forth. I originally started with Leo is going to be the person to beat, and then Timmy was going to be the person to beat, and then it has come around to Michael B. Jordan for me. So I had finally come to the conclusion that it was Michael B. Jordan, and so did the Academy. After his speech at the Actor Awards, and after revisiting that movie four times and really focusing in on what he is doing, he did such an amazing job in this movie, playing two characters, but also anchoring and allowing the rest of the movie to unfold around him. What a performance he gives. And uh, we were very lucky to have all of these best actors this year. Timothy Chalamet's Marty Supreme might be one of the most singular characters that's ever been created. And I loved it, but people didn't like it the when he was talking about it. Ethan Hawke's in Blue Moon is so powerful as Lorenz Heart. Leonardo DiCaprio, playing a character that is sort of uh not in control, not the lead, uh not the leader, um, allowing the world to sort of fall around him, playing a guy who's not in control is not his normal. And Fagnomora is one of the most charismatic humans on planet Earth. And he's great in Secret Agent. So all five, pretty unbelievable. A couple of woulda-coudders and chuddas for me. Theodore Pellerin from Lurker. God, that movie is powerful and he is unbelievable as the lead character. Um, Michael Strassner from the Baltimore ons, he uh was a surprise for me. Uh, this movie was on the Film Independent uh list. I I finally got to watch it right before I voted for the Film Independent Awards uh for the Independent Spirits, and I fell in love. I I think it was such an amazing movie. Uh Jesse Plemens for Begonia, man, it's like they forgot he was in this movie. Um, so little conversation about Jesse Plemens and the work he's doing in this movie is unreal. Last but not least, probably somebody who I think could have won this category if he was nominated. Uh Lee Byeung Hun from No Other Choice. What an amazing year he's had, but what an amazing movie. That entire movie like hinges on him and allows you to see him playing code switching between uh a father and a desperate man and being vulnerable with his wife and being crazy and kooky, and like it's such an amazing movie. And I think that uh if there was a a possibility of him being nominated, I think he might have taken it. What an amazing performance. Best actress, our nominees are Jesse Buckley for Hamnet, Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs, I'd kick you, Kate Hudson for Songsung Blue, Renata Risev for Sentimental Value, and Emma Stone for Begonia. I vacillated. I finally came back around and made a decision, and I was wrong. I chose Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs, I'd kick you. It is the most powerful performance of the year of the nominated films. I think Jesse Buckley is fantastic in Hamnet. I have been saying all year long it's hers. But I watched If I Had Legs, I'd kick you like three times, and I keep coming back to that movie, and I cannot believe what Rose Byrne pulls off in that movie. Um, it's really unreal. But Jesse Buckley as Hamnet is a very, very good best actress winner. Um, let's talk about a couple of couldas and wunders and shouldas. All right. So we'll mention uh I think all of these have been mentioned up to this point in different ways, except for one. So we'll go with Tessa Thompson for Heda. She's unreal. That movie was unreal. I think it deserved so much better than it got. Eva Victor from Sorry Baby, uh, they deserve to be put on your radar, and anything they make from here on out, you should be paying attention to. Amanda Seafried from The Testament of Ann Lee. That movie was great. She is unreal. She is a force of nature in that movie. Last but not least is Jennifer Lawrence for Die My Love. I don't know that I've seen a more feral performance in any film in the last ten years. She is so good, so vulnerable, so dynamic, so frenetic, um, so in control. It's it's astounding what she pulls off in this movie. Um, if she was nominated, I think there's a good possibility she would have won um in almost any other year. I think this year the buzz saw that was Jesse Buckley, and in any other year, it probably would have been Rose Byrne. But Renata Risev is slowly becoming one of our most important actresses in the international space, and Emma Stone is nominated for every film. She's basically becoming the new Merrill Streep. It's amazing. Um, what a great uh set of actresses that were nominated this year, and all the other amazing ones that could have been. Alright, here we go. Best picture, the big one. The nominees were Begonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams. I'm gonna put them in the order I think they belonged. So we're gonna start with number 10, F1, 9, the Secret Agent, 8, Frankenstein, 7, Train Dreams, 6, Begonia, 5, Hamnet, 4, Sentimental Value, 3, Marty Supreme, 2, 1 battle after another, 1, Sinners. The Academy decided to award one battle after another. I think it is a phenomenal, phenomenal choice. If I was if I was voting, I would have voted for Sinners. I think it is going to be the movie that we talk about that will live on forever. I think it is such an important movie. I think that Ryan Kugler is the future, and I think that the film is eminently rewatchable. I think one battle after another I've seen four times. I own it, I will keep re-watching it. Sinners is a movie that I will keep showing people who haven't seen it. Um, let's talk about a couple of movies, maybe ten, that I think coulda, shoulda, or would have been nominated in this category if I had anything to say about it. So we'll start with number ten, all that's left of you. Talked about it earlier. Number nine, the Baltimorons, number eight, Blue Moon. Number seven, Eddington, number six, K-pop demon hunters, number five, pavements, number four, no other choice. Number three, if I had legs, I'd kick you. Number two, sorry, baby, and number one, twenty-eight years later. I think the order of these is not exactly the word I would say. I probably would say that no other choice was my film of the year, but these are all amazing movies. I've talked about all of them. I think the biggest surprise here is probably that I would have given K-pop Demon Hunter his best picture nomination. It's a pretty great film. Um, I had a great time this year. I really love these movies, and I hope that you also did. Uh one more section to go through. And those are the woulda coulda shouldas. Um, we'll be right back with those. Thanks. So I think we're gonna start this as a new annual tradition. The woulda coulda shouldas. I think that no other choice is my top film of the year. It got nine additional nominations, I would have given it. Best picture, original score, best actor, best director, best adapted screenplay, best casting, best international film, best production design, and best cinematography. Uh right after that is 28 years later, it got eight. Best picture, best actor, best makeup and hairstyles, best original score, best adapted screenplay, best sound, best visual effects, and best cinematography. Um, sorry, baby. Got five. Best picture, best supporting actress, best actress, best director, and best original screenplay. Weapons got five. Best makeup and hairstyles, best casting, best film editing, best sound, and best visual effects. If I had legs I kick you, got four. Best picture, best director, best film editing, best sound. Eddington also got four. Best picture, best director, best original screenplay, best production design. Blue Moon got three additional nominations. Um It was Best Picture, Best Casting, Best Director for Richard McLetter. The Baltimorons, three additional uh shoulda, coulda, woulda's best picture, best supporting actor, uh, and best original screenplay. I think that's best actor. Uh HEDA, three additional nominations. Uh Best Actress to Tessa Thompson, best adapted screenplay, and achievement in costume design. Hamnet, three additional for Paul Mezcala at best actor, best original score, best cinematography. Pavements, two biggies, best picture and best documentary. What are you doing, branch? Uh Lurker, two additional. One for best actor for Theodore Pellerin and Best Supporting Actor for Archie Matacquay. Um Testament of Ann Lee, two additionals, best actress and best original score. Amanda Seafried Deserved Better. Uh, sorry, best original song. Uh The Shrouds, two additional, best makeup and hairstyles, best international film. Uh, let's see, All That's Left of You, Best International Film and Best Picture, two additional. Reality of Hope, probably just best documentary short film. Let's stick with that. Uh Phoenician Scheme got two for me, uh, best production design and achievement in costume design. Uh Dime I Love, Best Actress. Uh, so we're down to ones. So should have got a best actress nomination for Jennifer Lawrence, uh Marty Supreme, best supporting actress for Dessa Zion, Wake Up Dead Man, Best Supporting Actress for Glenn Close, Um House of Dynamite, Best Supporting Actress for Rebecca Ferguson, One of Them Days, Best Supporting Actress for Sciza, Begonia, Best Actor, nomination for Jesse Plemens, M and Selma go Griffin Hunting, best live action short film, Ragamuffin, best live action short film, Eru, best animated short film, Materialist, best original song, uh Tron Aries, best original song, Predators Best Documentary, Grand Theft Hamnet, Best Documentary, Death President Now, Best Documentary, The Boys and the Bees, Best Documentary Short, Predator Killer of Killers, Best Animated Film Presents, Best Film Editing, Warfare, Best Sound, Dust Bunny, Best Visual Effects, Mickey 17, Best Visual Effects, K-pop Demon Hunters, Best Picture, and for our number one snub of the year, Wicked for Good for Achievement for Costume Design. Um, thank you for so much for sticking there with me this year. Thank you for enjoying the time I have put into this by reviewing it and spending time with it. Please rate, review, comment, subscribe. I look forward to hearing from you about how I was wrong, about my wulda, coulda, shudda's are way off. Um, but I look forward to following up with you soon. Uh, this has been a great film year, and I am so happy with where the podcast is, and I look forward to how far we go together in 2026. Thank you so much, folks. Have a great day.

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Robbie Holmes

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