Free Movie Friday: The Sins of the Children (1930)
Watch if you’re up for some classic Pre-Code melodrama.
Film
2025 BAM Award Honorees
Just because something’s a cliché doesn’t mean it’s not true. The nomination process is the most difficult part of this and in its own way more significant than who is selected to celebrate.
As mentioned in my nomination post, this year’s delay in nominations were due to the fact that I’ve been acclimating to life following a liver transplant. In keeping with that re-acclimation, there’s a lack of explanations about what tipped the scales in each category, save for the honorary awards. As you scroll, take in and celebrate the nominees, honorees and above all film.
28 Years Later
Bring Her Back
Hamnet
I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
Nickel Boys
One Battle After Another
Relay
Sinners
Weapons
Young Hearts
Bring Them Down
Freaky Tales
Relay
The Surfer
Young Hearts
Paul Thomas Anderson One Battle After Another
Danny Boyle 28 Years Later
Ryan Coogler Sinners
Zach Cregger Weapons
Walter Salles I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
Tony Cranstoun The Surfer
Geoff Lamb Bring Her Back
Jon Harris 28 Years Later
Andy Jurgensen One Battle After Another
Michael P. Shawver Sinners
Not Awarded
Jessie Buckley Hamnet
Jodie Comer 28 Years Later
Sally Hawkins Bring Her Back
Fernanda Montenegro Vitória
Fernanda Torres I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
Tom Basden The Ballad of Wallis Island
Leonardo DiCaprio One Battle After Another
Michael B. Jordan Sinners
John Lithgow The Rule of Jenny Pen
Josh O’Connor Wake Up Dead Man
Glenn Close Wake Up Dead Man
Ariana Grande Wicked For Good
Amy Madigan Weapons
Mia Sara The Life of Chuck
Teyana Taylor One Battle After Another
Miles Caton Sinners
Ralph Fiennes 28 Years Later
Benicio Del Toro One Battle After Another
Tim Key The Ballad of Wallis Island
Delroy Lindo Sinners
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role
Julia Butters Freakier Friday
Bodhi Rae Breathnach Hamnet
Ana Sophia Heger She Rides Shotgun
Madeleine McGraw The Black Phone 2
Sora Wong Bring Her Back
Helena Zengel The Legend of Ochi
Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth Everything’s Going to be Great
Isaac Amendoim Chico Bento e a Goiabeira Maraviosa
Billy Barratt Bring Her Back
Christian Convery The Monkey
Lou Goosens Young Hearts
Alfie Williams 28 Years Later
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss Avatar: Fire and Ash
Anna Julia Dias Chico Bento e a Goiabeira Maraviosa
Olivia Lynes Hamnet
Violet McGraw The Life of Chuck
Audrina Miranda Jurassic World: Rebirth
Lorena de Oliveira Chico Bento e a Goiabeira Maraviosa
Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role
Benjamin Chivers Fountain of Youth
Jacobi Jupe Hamnet
Miguel Mora Black Phone 2
Benjamin Pajak The Life of Chuck
Jonah Wren Phillips Bring Her Back
Marius De Saeger Young Hearts
28 Years Later
Bring Her Back
One Battle After Another
Hamnet
Sinners
Chico Bento e a Goiabera Maraviosa
Hamnet
Bring Her Back
Young Hearts
The Legend of Ochi
Weapons
Autumn Durald Arkapaw Sinners
Michael Bauman One Battle After Another
Jomo Fray Nickel Boys
Radek Ladczuk The Surfer
Stephen Soderbergh Presence
Dan Clay, Ewa Galak, Carsom McColl, and Gareth Pugh 28 Years Later
Vanessa Cerne, Michael Bell, and Max Nadilo Bring Her Back
Florencia Martin, Alex Max Cahn, Albert Cisneros, and May Mitchell One Battle After Another
Hannah Beachler, Jonathan Cappel, Timotheus Davis, and Jesse Rosenthal Sinners
Rick Heinrichs, Jim Barr, Dean Clegg, Kate Suzanne Hunter, Chloe Kletsa, Hugh McClelland and Quinn Robinson Wake Up Dead Man
Ryan Coogler Sinners
Zach Cregger Weapons
Alex Garland 28 Years Later
Rian Johnson Wake Up Deadman
Phillipou Brothers Bring Her Back
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell Hamnet
Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega, Marcelo Rubens Paiva I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, Colson Whitehead Nickel Boys
Paul Thomas Anderson, Thomas Pynchon One Battle After Another
JT Mollner, Stephen King The Long Walk
Leticia Barbieri Chico Bento e a Goiabera Maraviosa
Ruth E. Carter Sinners
Carson McColl, Gareth Pugh 28 Years Later
Deborah L. Scott Avatar: Fire and Ash
Malgosia Turzanksa Hamnet
28 Years Later
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Bring Her Back
The Legend of Ochi
Sinners
Bring Her Back
F1
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Weapons
28 Years Later
Bring Her Back
The Toxic Avenger
Hamnet
Sinners
Ludwig Goränsson Sinners
The Newton Brothers The Life of Chuck
Francois Tétaz The Surfer
Cornel Wilczek Bring Her Back
Young Fathers 28 Years Later
“Steve’s Lava Chicken” Jack Black A Minecraft Movie
“Morning Evening” Tom Basden & Carey Mulligan The Ballad of Wallis Island
“I Lied to You” Miles Caton Sinners
“Joy” The Pocket Queen The Life of Chuck
“Happy Together” Susanna Hoffs & Rufus Wainwright The Roses
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Caught Stealing
Heads of State
I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
Not Awarded
Robert Downey, Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award
Pedro Pascal
In 2025, Pedro Pascal was in the The Materialists, he was a part of the delightful zaniness of Freaky Tales, and played Reed Richards in the satisfying F4 and played the non-antagonizing antagonist in Eddington. Not to mention the fact that he finished his run on The Last of Us. He flew under the radar for years, broke out, became a beloved presence and in the past year was everywhere and it’s not getting old at all.
Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award
The two women I’m honoring with lifetime achievement awards are the epitome of what the idea behind my version of this award is. In deciding to include this award annually I wanted to have honorees ideally be still at or near top form many years after their debut. This year’s honorees.
Glenn Close
I could have had more pictures of Glenn Close movies above. I chose not to picture the very film I awarded her Best Supporting actress this year. She had a long run of great successes in the 80s and 90s but has still come up to remind the world of her virtuosity in many kinds of projects through the years.
Fernanda Montenegro
Fernanda Montenegro has been nominated for an Academy Award. She’s appeared in three Brazilian films that were nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. I awarded her Best Actress for Central Station (Central do Brasil). I nominated her as Best Actress this year, her daughter Fernanda Torres winning. At 95 she’s still acting on stage and announced her retirement from film only recently. There’s still much of her work I want to see, but she’s already an immortal.
Abbas Kiarostami
I watched mostly early short films of Kiarostami’s last year but I had yet to watch any before 2025. His works quickly became a salve for my soul. I’ll continue to watch him, my soul needs it.
For the director, choreographers and actors who brought the dance sequences in The Life of Chuck alive.
Mike Flanagan Mandy Moore, Stephanie Powell, Jonathan Redavid, The Newton Brothers, The Pocket Queen, Tom Hiddleston, Annalise Basso, Mia Sara, Samantha Sloyan, Benjamin Pajak and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss
Stephen King described his novella, The Life of Chuck, as an experimental work. And I attribute that not just to the structure of it, but also the shifting genre and narrative reality. Another aspect that’s more experimental than not is the importance of dance and music to the plot. They are hard to describe in writing but he does so brilliantly. Despite that, seeing the dances and hearing the music affects audiences differently than words do. Taking those words and turning them into dance steps and musical notes is a herculean task. Director Mike Flanagan, the choreographers, musicians and actors took that unenviable task on and soared. Much out of what I’d read on the page I witnessed on the screen, but they wrenched so much more emotion by inserting missing steps and unwritten musical notes. The film’s heart comes from these contributions from the adjacent arts upon which cinema is built. These sequences are Total Cinema, which is very fitting in a film about life.
Favorite Film Discoveries: 2021
Introduction
This is an idea I first saw on Rupert Pupkin Speaks wherein he lists his favorite “new-to-me” titles of the prior year. My viewings were a little more plentiful in 2021, but I still neglected to post a list of discoveries. However, I can construct a list now due to my tracking activity on my Letterboxd. I didn’t see films from as wide a range of years this year that stood out, but there were still some interesting discoveries.
Cameron’s Closet (1988)
This was an Amazon Prime discovery and was genuinely the most surprising discovery of the year. Not only hadn’t I heard of it but it’s rather impressive. The bones of this horror story were strong enough such that I sought out the novel afterwards.
Boarding School (2018)
Boarding schools are places rife with horrific possibilities on film. Finding new or interesting takes on the trope can prove a challenge, in 2021 I discovered not one but two well worth seeking out. This one dealing with misfits, an odd couple, and a boy obsessed by the image of his deceased grandmother.
Boy Missing (Secuestro) (2016)
This particular boarding school tale hails from Mexico and is unafraid of mixing social commentary and class amidst its unsettling and uncanny occurrences.
I Remember You (Ég man þig)(2017)
A small Icelandic town bears many mysteries waiting to be unearthed in this moody and atmospheric psychological horror tale.
Faust (Lekce Faust) (1994)
This Jan Švankmajer film was one that took me a while to see. His rendition of Goethe’s classic tale was well worth the wait and as iconoclastic as one would expect from as unique a filmmaker as Švankmajer.
Cowards Bend the Knee (2004)
If you’ve followed my blog through the years know that I am very fond of the work of Guy Maddin. Such that whenever I get to see one of his works it’s likely to be a new favorite. And whenever I happen to see a work of his that’s new to me it’s likely to become a favorite.
I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016)
A local murder spree along with struggles with mental illness paint a far more intricate portrait than the title would have you believe, featuring two standout performances by Christopher Lloyd and Max Records.
Véronica (2017)
For a film using the Ouija board trope, this one does that most of it scares with a great deal of finesse and focusing on characters.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
For some reason this Taika Waititi film was one it took me a while to see. However, when I did it was well worth it. Another funny and heartfelt Kiwi film in his repertoire.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Yes, this was another one that managed to be a blind spot of mine for years. There was never an explicit reason this was one I hadn’t seen, just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Now, I’ve seen it multiple times including one big screen viewing.
2025 BAM Award Nominations
Last year I purposely delayed my BAM Award nominations to keep in step with Oscars. Those nominations being delayed due to the devastating wildfires allowed me to deliberate further and, frankly, be a little lazier. This year the delay was all my own as I have been acclimating to life following a liver transplant.
28 Years Later
Bring Her Back
Hamnet
I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
Nickel Boys
One Battle After Another
Relay
Sinners
Weapons
Young Hearts
Bring Them Down
Freaky Tales
Relay
The Surfer
Young Hearts
Paul Thomas Anderson One Battle After Another
Danny Boyle 28 Years Later
Ryan Coogler Sinners
Zach Cregger Weapons
Walter Salles I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
Tony Cranstoun The Surfer
Geoff Lamb Bring Her Back
Jon Harris 28 Years Later
Andy Jurgensen One Battle After Another
Michael P. Shawver Sinners
Not Awarded
Jessie Buckley Hamnet
Jodie Comer 28 Years Later
Sally Hawkins Bring Her Back
Fernanda Montenegro Vitória
Fernanda Torres I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
Tom Basden The Ballad of Wallis Island
Leonardo DiCaprio One Battle After Another
Michael B. Jordan Sinners
John Lithgow The Rule of Jenny Pen
Josh O’Connor Wake Up Dead Man
Glenn Close Wake Up Dead Man
Ariana Grande Wicked For Good
Amy Madigan Weapons
Mia Sara The Life of Chuck
Teyana Taylor One Battle After Another
Miles Caton Sinners
Ralph Fiennes 28 Years Later
Benicio Del Toro One Battle After Another
Tim Key The Ballad of Wallis Island
Delroy Lindo Sinners
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role
Julia Butters Freakier Friday
Bodhi Rae Breathnach Hamnet
Ana Sophia Heger She Rides Shotgun
Madeleine McGraw The Black Phone 2
Sora Wong Bring Her Back
Helena Zengel The Legend of Ochi
Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth Everything’s Going to be Great
Isaac Amendoim Chico Bento e a Goiabeira Maraviosa
Billy Barratt Bring Her Back
Christian Convery The Monkey
Lou Goosens Young Hearts
Alfie Williams 28 Years Later
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss Avatar: Fire and Ash
Anna Julia Dias Chico Bento e a Goiabeira Maraviosa
Olivia Lynes Hamnet
Violet McGraw The Life of Chuck
Audrina Miranda Jurassic World: Rebirth
Lorena de Oliveira Chico Bento e a Goiabeira Maraviosa
Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role
Benjamin Chivers Fountain of Youth
Jacobi Jupe Hamnet
Miguel Mora Black Phone 2
Benjamin Pajak The Life of Chuck
Jonah Wren Phillips Bring Her Back
Marius De Saeger Young Hearts
28 Years Later
Bring Her Back
One Battle After Another
Hamnet
Sinners
Chico Bento e a Goiabera Maraviosa
Hamnet
Bring Her Back
Young Hearts
The Legend of Ochi
Weapons
Autumn Durald Arkapaw Sinners
Michael Bauman One Battle After Another
Jomo Fray Nickel Boys
Radek Ladczuk The Surfer
Stephen Soderbergh Presence
Dan Clay, Ewa Galak, Carsom McColl, and Gareth Pugh 28 Years Later
Vanessa Cerne, Michael Bell, and Max Nadilo Bring Her Back
Florencia Martin, Alex Max Cahn, Albert Cisneros, and May Mitchell One Battle After Another
Hannah Beachler, Jonathan Cappel, Timotheus Davis, and Jesse Rosenthal Sinners
Rick Heinrichs, Jim Barr, Dean Clegg, Kate Suzanne Hunter, Chloe Kletsa, Hugh McClelland and Quinn Robinson Wake Up Dead Man
Ryan Coogler Sinners
Zach Cregger Weapons
Alex Garland 28 Years Later
Rian Johnson Wake Up Deadman
Phillipou Brothers Bring Her Back
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell Hamnet
Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega, Marcelo Rubens Paiva I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, Colson Whitehead Nickel Boys
Paul Thomas Anderson, Thomas Pynchon One Battle After Another
JT Mollner, Stephen King The Long Walk
Leticia Barbieri Chico Bento e a Goiabera Maraviosa
Ruth E. Carter Sinners
Carson McColl, Gareth Pugh 28 Years Later
Deborah L. Scott Avatar: Fire and Ash
Malgosia Turzanksa Hamnet
28 Years Later
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Bring Her Back
The Legend of Ochi
Sinners
Bring Her Back
F1
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Weapons
28 Years Later
Bring Her Back
The Toxic Avenger
Hamnet
Sinners
Ludwig Goränsson Sinners
The Newton Brothers The Life of Chuck
Francois Tétaz The Surfer
Cornel Wilczek Bring Her Back
Young Fathers 28 Years Later
“Steve’s Lava Chicken” Jack Black A Minecraft Movie
“Morning Evening” Tom Basden & Carey Mulligan The Ballad of Wallis Island
“I Lied to You” Miles Caton Sinners
“Joy” The Pocket Queen The Life of Chuck
“Happy Together” Susanna Hoffs & Rufus Wainwright The Roses
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Caught Stealing
Heads of State
I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)
Sinners
Not Awarded
Robert Downey, Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award
TBA
Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award
TBA
TBA
TBA
Film Discoveries: 2020
Introduction
This is an idea I first saw on Rupert Pupkin Speaks wherein he lists his favorite “new-to-me” titles of the prior year. My viewings were down in general in 2020 overall (rewatching sitcoms and watching sports when they resumed in ghostly stadiums got me through it) but there were things worth noting, even things that were not brand new. Some are rather short and can be viewed in their entirety below. There are few selections that come from varied eras to be found.
During the pandemic years, and a little after that, I neglected to post these. I did one for 2023 and will now make up for the years I missed.
The Prince and the Pauper (1920)
This was an offering from Grapevine Video, as one of the oldest adaptations of a story I’ve seen many versions of this one was a must-see especially considering it was directed by Alexander Korda before he emigrated to Hollywood.
Witches (1990)
This was a film that somehow slipped through the cracks during my childhood. I’d heard of it off and on and eventually it became a title I could not longer avoid. And it proved to be an entertaining and unhinged eighties oddity.
Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016)
I wrote about this film for the 2020 O Canada Blogathon. If you like what you read there Kino Lorber has made the full documentary available on their YouTube channel.
September (1990)
This was a title I picked up as part of Twilight Time’s clearance sale following their announcement that they were ceasing operations. Woody Allen‘s dramatic works are often overlooked and this was one of the ones I had yet to see. When he worked with Mia Farrow the works were a notch better, when there were other regulars like Dianne Weist involved they got even better.
Paganini Horror (1989)
I’d not heard of Paganini Horror before it was released by Severin Films. But the combination of the iconic violinist and composer and giallo was too good to pass up, and the score alone makes this film worth watching.
Mini-Review: Broken (2012)
This is a review that was originally posted in a Mini-Review Round-Up. As of this writing Broken can be streamed on Tubi, Pluto, and Plex.
This is a film that, aside from being the opening selection during Critics’ Week at Cannes and winning the Grand Prix at the Odessa Film Festival, was also nominated for nine British Independent Film Awards, A European Film Award and two awards at the London Film Festival; so it made a bit of hay that made me intrigued to see it.
I am glad to say that after all that hullabaloo I was not let down in the least, quite the opposite; Broken is the first great new film of the year that I’ve had the pleasure of watching. It’s an intricately told and layered tale that with many narrative threads, characters crossing paths, that could get trite, but is instead invigorating and riveting.
There are frames within the film and excellent persistent use of cross-cutting that acutely accesses the proper emotional tenor that is sought, which finds the commonality in these characters so frequently at odds. In certain ways, it’s like an externalized version of We Need to Talk About Kevin, in terms of the way it’s cut together and how the actors have to truly use the edit to great affect.
It’s what I like to term a “collision course narrative,” which is a tale wherein there’s a suspenseful foreboding to the meeting of certain events that you feel, and it’s perhaps the best example of such I’ve seen. It’s also a film that starts strong and never really lets go.
Watch Broken, it is an absolutely exquisite piece of cinema.
2024 BAM Award Nominations
In keeping to my pattern of previous years, I have kept in step with the Oscars (announcing nominations one day later). The delays in the announcement have, of course, been understandable due to the devastating wildfires across Los Angeles County. If you’re looking for a way to aid in the recovery effort, here’s just a small list of resources. Every little bit helps.
With no graceful way to segue, so on to some notes then nominations.
Please note that some films from last Awards’ Season are included due to their nationwide release date.
As always they were difficult to decide upon. Best Score always proves most difficult with such diversity of style and disparate aims of music. If you use Apple music you can listen to all the scores that were in serious contention in my playlist where I listened to them repeatedly.
Categories marked Not Awarded are ones I wanted to include but they didn’t have enough contenders.
As usual I will provide further insight when I announce the winners.
Without further ado the nominations…
American Fiction
Dìdi
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
I Saw the TV Glow
Longlegs
Nosferatu
Problemista
The Substance
The Wait (La Espera)
Not awarded.
Drive-Away Dolls
Problemista
Rumours
The Wait (La Espera)
We Grown Now
Robert Eggers Nosferatu
Coralie Fargeat The Substance
Cord Jefferson American Fiction
Julio Torres Problemista
Denis Villeneuve Dune: Part Two
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo Wicked
Lily-Rose Depp Nosferatu
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Tuesday
Demi Moore The Substance
Emma Stone Poor Things
Tilda Swinton Problemista
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Timothée Chalamet A Complete Unknown
Victor Clavijo The Wait (La Espera)
Ralph Fiennes Conclave
Hugh Grant Heretic
Nicholas Hoult Nosferatu
Justice Smith I Saw the TV Glow
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Sônia Braga The First Omen
Michelle Buteau Babes
Joan Chen Dìdi
Ariana Grande Wicked
Isabella Rossellini Conclave
Alicia Witt Longlegs
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Sterling K. Brown American Fiction
Nicolas Cage Longlegs
Willem Dafoe Nosferatu
Dennis Quaid The Substance
Mark Ruffalo Poor Things
Christopher Walken Dune: Part Two
Best Performance by a Young Female Actor in a Leading Role
Pyper Braun Imaginary
Cailey Fleming IF
Ariella Glaser White Bird
Beatrice Schneider The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Mia SwamiNathan Sight
Alisha Weir Abigail
Best Performance by a Young Male Actor in a Leading Role
Luke David Blumm Lost on a Mountain in Maine
Federico Ielapi Cabrini
Homer Janson Nutcrackers
Izaac Wang Dìdi
Orlando Schwerdt White Bird
Rupert Turnbull Daddy’s Head
Best Performance by a Young Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Madsyn Barnes We Grown Now
Valeria Lamm The Hole in the Fence (El hoyo en la cerca)
Alix West Lefler Speak No Evil
Mahaela Park Dìdi
Molly Belle Wright The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Best Performance by a Young Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Bryce Gheisar White Bird
Maxwell Jenkins Arcadian
Griffin Wallace Henkel Lost on a Mountain in Maine
Mason D Nelligan The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Moisés Ruiz The Wait (La Espera)
Ben Wang Sight
Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Brían F. O’Byrne, Sergio Catellito, Carlos Diehz, Lucian Msamati, Jacek Koman, Rony Kramer, Valerio Da Silva, Joseph Mydell, Vincenzo Failla, Garrick Hagon, Merab Ninidze, Mahdav Sharma Conclave
Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, etc. Megalopolis
Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skargård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, and Simon McBurney Nosferatu
Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh, Shaun Prendergast Wicked
Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller, Johann Karthaus, Luis Noah Witte, Nele Ahrensmeier, Lilli Falk, Anastazja Drobniak, Cecylia Pekala, and Max Beck The Zone of Interest
Kynlee Heiman, Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez, Wyatt Dewar, Matthew Lamb, Owen Mathison, Ewan Matthis-Wood, Essek Moore, Laurelei Olivia Mote, Mason D Nelligan, and Isla Verot The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Valeria Lamm, Lucciano Kurti, Yuba Ortega, Santiago Barajas, Eric David Walker, Giovanni Conconi, Adolfo Osorio, etc. The Hole in the Fence (El hoyo en la cerca)
Mason Thames, Rafael Alejandro, and Ramon Reed Incoming
Blake Cameron James, RJ Lewis, Gian Knight Ramirez, Madsyn Barnes, and Giovani Chambers We Grown Now
Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Selma Keymakci, Jordan Cramond, Jem Matthews,and Mia Kadlecova White Bird
Not Awarded
Francis Ford Coppola Megalopolis
Coralie Fargeat The Substance
JT Mollner Strange Darling
Jane Schoenbrun I Saw the TV Glow
Julio Torres Problemista
Robert Eggers, Patrick Galeen, Bram Stoker Nosferatu
Cord Jefferson, Percival Everett American Fiction
Peter Straughan, Robert Harris Conclave
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, Frank Herbert Dune: Part Two
James Watkins, Christian Tafdrup, Mads Tafdrup Speak No Evil
Volker Bertelmann Conclave
Robin Carolan Nosferatu
Raffertie The Substance
Robert Ouyang Rusli Problemista
Hans Zimmer Dune: Part Two
Jérôme Eltabet, Coralie Fargeat, Valentin Féron The Substance
Nick Emerson Conclave
Louise Ford Nosferatu
Sofi Marshall I Saw the TV Glow
Joe Walker Dune: Part Two
Brian Berger, Lawrence He, Jessica Tresidder, et al. Arcadian
James Ashton, Laure Montagnol, Jessica Meir et al. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Dave Whitehead, Chris Terhune, Jeff Sawyer, Matt Stutter, Michael Babcock, Lee Gilmore, et al. Dune: Part Two
Michael Fentum, Anna-Agata Denzenova, Samir Foco, Mariusz Glabinski, Steve Little et al. Nosferatu
Martín Hernández, Charles Maynes, John Nathans, Alejandro Quevedo, Roland N. Thai et al. Terrifier 3
Jarin Blaschke Nosferatu
Stéphane Fontaine Conclave
Greig Fraser Dune: Part Two
Robbie Ryan Poor Things
Miguel Ángel Mora, Raúl Lavado Verdú The Wait (La Espera)
Craig Lathrop Nosferatu
Beth Mickle, Bradley Rubin Megalopolis
Stanislas Reydellet The Substance
Danny Vermette Longlegs
Patrice Vermette Dune: Part Two
Jenny Beavan Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Milena Canonero Megalopolis
Linda Muir, David Schwed Nosferatu
Paul Tazewell Wicked
Jaqueline West Dune: Part Two
A Different Man
Longlegs
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked
Alien: Romulus
Dune: Part Two
Megalopolis
Poor Things
Wicked
Deadpool & Wolverine
Drive-Away Dolls
My Spy: The Eternal City
Red One
Y2K
“Huele a Fraude” OHYUNG & STEFA* Problemista
“Harper and Will Go West” Kristin Wiig Harper & Will
“Song to Woody” Timothée Chalamet A Complete Unknown
“Kaawaa Kaawaa” Sachway Sachdev, Sudir Yaduvanshi, Sanj V Kill
“I Was Made For Lovin’ You” YUNGBLUD The Fall Guy
Robert Downey, Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award
TBA
Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award
TBA
TBA
TBA
2023 BAM Award Nominations
It’s that time of year again, following yesterday’s Oscar Nomination announcement I announce my own personal BAM Awards. Being an academy of one only things I see can qualify and some titles are eligible for the BAMs a year after being eligible for the Oscars, due to what the wide release date is. To see what was eligible for this year’s BAMs please reference my list on Letterboxd.
The winners will be announced in March and each category will have an accompanying writeup. As is usually the case the nomination process was painstaking and was longer and more difficult than the writeup process should be. Enjoy those who made the year in moviegoing most worthwhile.
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
Close
Godzilla Minus One
The Holdovers
Huesera
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Softie
When Evil Lurks
Anatomy of a Fall
Close
Gozilla Minus One
Softie
When Evil Lurks
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Next Goal Wins
Silent Night
What Happens Later
You Hurt My Feelings
Lukas Dhont Close
Greta Gerwig Barbie
Martin Scorsese Killers of the Flower Moon
Justine Triet Anatomy of a Fall
Takashi Yamazaki Godzilla Minus One
Margot Robbie Barbie
Jane Fonda Moving On
Meg Ryan What Happens Later
Lily Gladstone Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller Anatomy of a Fall
Dave Bautista A Knock at the Cabin
Leonardo DiCaprio Killers of the Flower Moon
Paul Giamatti The Holdovers
Barry Keoghan Saltburn
Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer
Emily Blunt Oppenheimer
America Ferrera Barbie
Da’vine Joy Randolph The Holdovers
Lily Tomlin Moving On
Michaela Watkins You Hurt My Feelings
Robert De Niro Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey, Jr. Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling Barbie
Matthew Lillard Five Nights at Freddy’s
Jimmy Tatro Theater Camp
Margot Robbie, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Emerald Fennell, Ryan Gosling, Simu Li, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuit Gatwa, Scott Evans, John Cena, Michael Cera, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Rhea Perlman, Helen Mirren, and Will Ferrell Barbie
Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Brooklynn Prince, Christian Convery, Margo Martindale, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristoffer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Ayoola Smart, Aaron Holliday, J.B. Moore, Leo Hannah, Kahyun Kim, Scott Seis, Matthew Rhys, Shanel Connellan, and Conor Lambert Cocaine Bear
Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Skeet Ulrich, Roger Jackson, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Josh Segarra, Lianna Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Hayden Panettiere, Toby Revolori, and Samara Weaving Scream VI
Cilliam Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Aldren Ehrenreich, Scott Grimes, Jason Clarke, Kurt Koehler, Tony Goldwyn, John Gowans, Macon Blair, James D’Arcy, Kenneth Branagh, Harry Groener, Ted King, Tim DeKay, Steven Houska, Tom Conti, David Krumholtz, Petrie Willink, Matthia Scweighöfer, Josh Hartnett, Alex Wolff, Josh Zukerman, Rory Keane, Michael Angarano, Dylan Arnold, Emma Dumon, Florence Pugh, Matthew Modine, David Dastmalchian, Matt Damon, Dane DeHaan, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Bennie Safdie, Gustad Skarsgård, Devon Bostick, Rami Malek, Olivia Trilby, Casey Affleck, Harrison Gilbertson, Gary Oldman, Hap Lawrence, Et al. Oppenheimer
Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, Jason Isbell, William Belleau Louis Cancelmi, Scott Shepherd, Everett Walker, Talee Redcorn, Yancey Red Corn, Tatanka Means, Tommy Schultz, Sturgill Simpson, Ty Mitchell, Elden Hensen, Et al. Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role
Kristen Cui Knock at the Cabin
Nell Fisher Evil Dead Rise
McKenna Grace Crater
Calah Lane Wonka
Violet McGraw M3gan
Madeleine Yula Voyles The Creator
Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role
Billy Barratt Crater
Eden Dambrine Close
Milo Machado Graner Anatomy of a Fall
Woody Norman Cobweb
Manny Magnus World’s Best
Aliocha Reinert Softie
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role
Farrah Mackenzie Leave the World Behind
Brooklynn Prince Cocaine Bear
Piper Rubio Five Nights at Freddy’s
Gabrielle Echols Evil Dead Rise
Ariana Greenblatt Barbie
Briella Guiza There’s Something Wrong with the Children
Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth All Fun and Games
Morgan Davies Evil Dead Rise
Gustav De Waele Close
Jude Hill A Haunting in Venice
Woody Norman The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Emilio Vodanovich When Evil Lurks
Bailee Bonick, Kyndra Sanchez, Donovan Colan, Vivienne Sachs, Alan Kim, Alexander Bello, Luke Islam, Jack Sobolewski, Dean Scott Vazquez, Quinn Titcomb, Madisen Marie Llora Theater Camp
Isaiah Russell-Bailey, McKenna Grace, Barratt, Orson Hong, Thomas Boyce, Hero Hunter, Carson Minniear, Brady Noon Crater
Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher, Morgan Davies, Tai Wano Evil Dead Rise
Winslow Fegley, Deric McCabe, Clara Stack, Ayden Elijah, Imogen Cohen, Anthony Joo, Cihang Ma, Madilyn Kellam, Camila Rodriguez, Liyou Abere The Naughty Nine
Not awarded.
Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens Close
Emerald Fennell Saltburn
Demián Rugna When Evil Lurks
Samuel Theis, Gaëlle Macé Softie
Justine Triet, Arthur Harari Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach Barbie
Kirk Lynn, Meg Ryan, Steven Dietz What Happens Later
Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin Oppenheimer
Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese, David Grann Killers of the Flower Moon
M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond, Paul Tremblay Knock at the Cabin
Ludwig Göransson Oppenheimer
Mark Mothersbaugh Cocaine Bear
Daniel Pemberton Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Robbie Robertson Killers of the Flower Moon
John Williams Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Kristoffer Borgli Dream Scenario
Alain Dessauvage Close
Jack Price It Lives Inside
Lauret Sénéchal Anatomy of a Fall
Thelma Schoonmaker Killers of the Flower Moon
Erik Aadahl, Malte Bieler The Creator
Emma Bortignon Talk to Me
Nominees to be Determined Godzilla Minus One
Wei Hi, Nick Interlandi, Mark P. Stoeckinger, Roland N. Thai Silent Night
Richard King, Randy Torres Oppenheimer
Steve Annis Inside
Sharon Meir Silent Night
Hoyte van Hoytema Oppenheimer
Rodrigo Prieto Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Richardson The Equalizer 3
Linus Sandgren Saltburn
Toby Britton, Gavin Fitch, Nic Pallace Wonka
Andrew Max Cahn, Dan Clegg, Clara Gomez del Moral Barbie
Andreas Olshausen, Chris Shriver, Régis Marduel, Et al. John Wick: Chapter 4
Nominees to be Determined. Godzilla Minus One
Jacqueline Durran Barbie
Lindy Hemming Wonka
Joanna Johnston Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Jeffrey Kurland Haunted Mansion
Jacquelin West Killers of the Flower Moon
Sally Alcott, Robb Crafer, David Darby, Carmel Jackson, Alex Lawton, John Nolan Wonka
Ozzy Alvarez, Malinalli Contreras Saw X
Rita Balla, Svetlana Gutic, Dominic Hailstone, Daniel Losco Infinity Pool
Colin Penman, Indiana Allemang, Tori Binns, Jenna Howel, Shaun Hunter, Steve Newburn Dream Scenario
Leonardo Signoretti, Aldo Signoretti, Arianna Palmucci, Federico Martellacci, Shaun Smith, Brian Wade, Schott Wheeler Ferrari
The Creator
Cocaine Bear
Godzilla Minus One
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Oppenheimer
Blue Beetle
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Saltburn
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
John Wick: Chapter 4
“World’s Best” Utkarsh Ambudkar & Manny Magnus World’s Best
“Peaches” Jack Black Super Mario Brothers
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) Osage Nation members Killers of the Flower Moon
“A Hatful of Dreams” Timothée Chalamet & the cast of Wonka
“I’m Just Ken” Ryan Gosling Barbie
Robert Downey, Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award
To be announced.
Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award
To be announced.
To be announced.
To be announced.
The Best Movie Every Year I’ve Been Alive
Yes, I’m late on the bandwagon, but here it is. It goes back to 1981. Follow the link for the whole thing.
Short Film Saturday: The Birth of the Goalie of the 2001 F.A. Cup Final
Mike Leigh’s improvisational filmmaking style did not come to him out of thin air. It was developed and one way in which he did is through short films. This one movies and tells a simple story quickly and economically. Here is Open Culture’s take:
The short, which consists of ten vignettes spanning a half-dozen years, is about a couple deciding whether or not to have a baby. The nameless bloke repeatedly asks his reluctant partner, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a kid?” At the end of the movie, he’s kicking the ball around with his young son. The end. It is almost as if Leigh wanted to see how little backstory and character psychology he could get away with.
The Movie Rat 