Oscar Rant 2026
(Honoring the films of 2025)
Rant by Paul Preston
I have thoughts on who should win/will win and more, but first, for context, my Top 10 Films of 2025. Here we go!:
10) Friendship/Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – I always make room on my Top 10 for the funniest movie of the year, but I really couldn’t pick between Friendship and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. The former is flat-out hilarious in the cringiest kind of way and 2025’s Bridget Jones movie is the best since the original. It’s very funny, but it’s also a perfectly wrapped bow on the franchise.
9) The Lost Bus – Paul Greengrass is one of my favorite directors. I swear, nearly everything he makes ends up in my Top 10 – The Bourne Ultimatum, 22 July, Bloody Sunday, United 93, News of the World. The Lost Bus contains his usual ability to create full-on TENSION coupled with very realistic acting, never-on-pause pace, and shooting and editing with a you-are-there excitement, but where you are isn’t anywhere you want to be – in the middle of the Paradise fire in Northern CA, 2018.
8) Blue Moon – I don’t care if a character is likeable or unlikeable, ARE THEY INTERESTING? Lorenz Hart is flawed in multiple ways, but he’s absolutely fascinating, and in the hands of another one of my favorite directors, the you-can’t-pin-him-down-to-a-genre Richard Linklater, I could’ve watched him for three, four hours. Pile on top of that people talking about art, I’m totally in (both unlikeable characters and arts talk will return later in my top ten). Ethan Hawke is mesmerizing and watching him make bad choices never got old for me.
7) One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson hasn’t really gotten through to me lately. I’ve found his films either cold, confusing, dull, or all three. Phantom Thread, Licorice Pizza, Inherent Vice, The Master, none of them stuck with me. In One Battle After Another, he’s wisely put his talents towards a story way more visceral (and timely) than his last decade and a half’s worth of work. Plus, Leonardo DiCaprio is there to elevate the production, as he does with EVERY project he joins.
6) Weapons – Before there’s even a supernatural element to Weapons, the film is deeply rich in characters and relationships that are fascinating! The filmmaking by Zach Cregger is daring and very, very controlled and then Amy Madigan shows up and boosts the enjoyment level of this movie to eleven. The finale is a total blast and I’d watch this movie again in a heartbeat.
5) Marty Supreme – Told you there’d be more unlikeable characters in this Top 10. Marty Mauser’s rise to the bottom is a can’t-look-away trainwreck but I never, ever could predict what could happen next. When this film ended, I said to my wife, “That’s the greatest movie I’ve ever seen.” OK, that was an in-the-moment overstatement, but it’s pretty damn great. The film performs a stunning magic trick making a movie about a character that irredeemable so compulsively watchable. The Safdie brothers, working together or apart (which they do better than the Coens) certainly have a filmmaking style – panic attack! Timotheé Chalamet is a movie star.
4) Hamnet – I saw this and said, “Well, I know who’s going to win the Oscar.” Now, she’s the lock of the night, and deservedly so. Her performance is the best in any category this year, and it carries this story of Shakespeare and his wife through the DARK and TOUGH moments and right when they seem like it might be too much to endure in a 16th century that seems impossible to survive in, the ending is a breathtaking salve for it all. It’s beautiful. The film is beautiful.
3) Sentimental Value – I had no idea when I went to see this film that it was about a filmmaker! SIGN. ME. UP. One thing you want in relationships in a film, T.V. show or stage play is that they be…complicated. Director Joachim Trier has crafted a story of a filmmaker and his daughters that is remarkably RICH. Rich in story, color, choices, emotion, and…complication. The acting leads the way through pain, unexpected humor, fragility, and lots of talk about art (which I love!). This film is the adult in the room.
2) Sinners – The wait for Ryan Coogler to make a film entirely based on an original story has paid off in amazing ways. Sinners isn’t just a music movie and a horror movie, but it kind of has its own genre unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Much like Weapons, this movie is utterly engrossing WAY before vampires show up. There’s a scene in a juke joint that shows how music has united black generations that literally took my breath away. I’ve seen nothing as good as that scene since, maybe even before. It’s the scene of the year. Throw social and political themes in the horror mix and Coogler has crafted a masterpiece.
1) The Life of Chuck – Mike Flanagan is the best translator of Stephen King to screen since Frank Darabont and Rob Reiner. There are plenty of books out there that bring up the conversation, “How are they going to make a movie out of this?” When I see The Life of Chuck, I have no idea how it’s a book! Flanagan uses moving subtlety, quick glances and brief asides that say so much I can only imagine it would have to be overexplained to annoyance in a book! But King is a master, and I’m sure the novella is total genius. The film follows suit. It’s one of the most profound and impactful movies I’ve ever seen. When it ended, I just gasped. And not for nothing, Mark Hamill is really good, no stunt casting here. Much was asked of him, and he delivered, along with the rest of the stellar cast that includes Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. This delicate, movie film contains multitudes.
RUNNERS-UP:
Elio – Criminally underseen. This film’s Oscar nomination is one of my favorite of the year.
F1: The Movie – The half-baked love story kept this from the top ten for me, but for finally giving F1 fans a big, theatrical winner for their sport, and Brad Pitt in yet another movie star showcase, it’s an easy runner up. Just a wild experience in the theater.
Splitsville – Runner up for funniest movie of the year. BIG laughs.
The Smashing Machine – Another Safdie winner.
Merrily We Roll Along – This filmed Broadway show was exceptional. First of all, the story is sophisticated and involving and, again, about ART! Great performances from Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez, PLUS, this is the best filmed stage show I’ve ever seen. The players hit the same marks every night and the filmmakers here have found places to put the camera that say something…like a film would. You get the best of movies AND the best of the theatre with this production.
Sorry Baby – Eva Victor’s Agnes is one of the most unique characters you will see in the movies.
The Alabama Solution/Come See Me in the Good Light/The Perfect Neighbor/Mr. Nobody Against Putin – I regret not seeing Cutting Through Rocks, but every other documentary nominated in the feature doc category this year is a tour de force.
Time’s ticking, let’s get right to it:
Best Picture
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Glaring Omission: I don’t love every movie on this list, but this is the first Avatar film not nominated for Best Picture. Perhaps the repetition of plot points and devices kept it out but the achievement of making another movie like this is so overwhelming I thought it would still impress the Academy. Also, Wicked: For Good getting NO nominations is a bit of a shock.
Runners-Up: Well, The Life of Chuck certainly makes MY list of runners-up though, sadly, I don’t believe it was ever in the Oscars’ discussion. I’d swap out Frankenstein for Weapons, a more original and haunting horror film.
Great Inclusion: Sentimental Value. It’s not every year a foreign-language film gets in. This is a good one (plus, foreign language films were shut out of The Actor Award categories, it’s good to see The Academy be more worldly in their choices).
Should Win: Sinners
Will Win: One Battle After Another. Despite Sinners late run, I don’t think The Actor Awards forecast the Oscars over the other guild awards, which One Battle pretty much swept.
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
Glaring Omission: Cynthia Erivo. In Wicked: For Good, I was waiting for the moment she’d take my breath away like she did during “Defying Gravity”. It happened during “No Good Deed”. Why not nominate her again?
Runners-Up: Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. To me, it’s the perfect circle – she was delightful as poor ol’ Bridge in the first film, and was nominated. As older, mature Bridge, she’s equally effervescent.
Great Inclusion: Kate Hudson – one of my favorite nominations of them all! There’s magic in a performance that is so full of life.
Should Win: Jessie Buckley
Will Win: Jesie Buckley, your lock of the night.
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
Glaring Omission: For all the love shown to Train Dreams, it’s a surprise to not see Joel Edgerton nominated as he’s the whole film. But perhaps it’s too subtle. That might’ve sunk Dwayne Johnson’s chances, too, in the face of scene chewing the likes of Chalamet and Hawke are up to.
Runners-Up: George Clooney. He’s PERFECTLY cast in Jay Kelly, but I’m not sure who I’d remove to squeeze him in.
Great Inclusion: Hawke, in a movie otherwise ignored by the Oscars, and audiences, frankly. Hopefully this helps people seek out Hawke’s riveting performance.
Should Win: Wow, both the should and will win are incredibly tough. DiCaprio is the key to the entire movie One Battle After Another. His desire to get to his daughter is palpable (much like his drive to save his wife in Inception – he’s the guy when you need a compelling lead character. Jordan’s SO GOOD as TWO CHARACTERS, you forget he was! And Chalamet has created a character for the ages. Man…doesn’t matter who I pick, I’ll regret it, but I’ll go with DiCaprio.
Will Win: This IS where the Actor Awards win will have meaning – Jordan.
Best Supporting Actress
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Glaring Omission: Ariana Grande, largely considered the best part of the Wicked sequel.
Runners-Up: Why not America Ferrera in The Lost Bus? Also, Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash, a very memorable turn in a film that had a lot of not so much new and I think motion capture performances will be nominated soon enough.
Great Inclusion: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – the acting in Sentimental Value is exceptional
Should Win: Madigan
Will Win: Madigan, and a long-time actor will win when she’s actually GOOD as opposed to a career award. Madigan’s a blast in Weapons.
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
Glaring Omission: Adam Sandler for Jay Kelly. Much like a mocap performance getting a nomination soon, Sandler will also get one soon. Thought it might be this time.
Runners-Up: Miles Caton in Sinners is a revelation! Carrying large parts of the movie and singing like a legend.
Great Inclusion: But including Delroy here is one of everyone’s favorite nominations.
Should Win: Skarsgård in the best role I’ve ever seen on him.
Will Win: Penn, for a THIRD time in his career!
Best Director
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Glaring Omission: I say this every year, the biggest omission is FIVE MORE NOMINEES. It’s still pretty dumb to have ten picture nominees and only five directors. If I had to pull another name from the Best Picture nominees, I’d go with Clint Bentley of Train Dreams for some pretty solid control.
Runners-Up: Mike Flanagan for sure, but…
Great Inclusion: …I can’t too mad when this list is my Top 10 films number 2-5 & 7!
Should Win: Coogler
Will Win: Anderson, edging out Coogler in the battle of the really original films, which is a great place for awards season to be.
Best Original Screenplay
Blue Moon, written by Robert Kaplow
It Was Just an Accident, written by Jafar Panahi; script collaborators: Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian
Marty Supreme, written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value, written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Sinners, written by Ryan Coogler
Glaring Omission: If you’ve got It Was Just and Accident here, you could have The Secret Agent here, too. Both films weave a large story and I’d say The Secret Agent takes larger story swings. I’m surprised Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery might weasel its way in here ‘cause the previous films did!
Runners-Up: Weapons. Zach Cregger’s script is full of great characters and story. If they leaned into horror with Sinners, they could’ve done it here, too.
Great Inclusion: Blue Moon. Them’s a lot of words!
Should Win: Sinners
Will Win: Sinners, winning in the category where the film that SHOULD HAVE won Best Picture often wins (Goodfellas, Fargo, Pulp Fiction, etc.)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia, screenplay by Will Tracy
Frankenstein, written for the screen by Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet, screenplay by Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
One Battle after Another, written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Train Dreams, screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Glaring Omission: Probably Wicked: For Good again
Runners-Up: The Life of Chuck, if you read my Top 10 Films of the Year! I can’t even imagine how that movie looks on the page.
Great Inclusion: Train Dreams, a gentle, poetic trip.
Should Win: One Battle After Another
Will Win: One Battle After Another, part of a run on awards for the film on Oscar night.
Best Cinematography
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams
Glaring Omission: There’s a mix here of kinetic cinematography and slow and lush shooting, so it’s tough to say what’s missing but maybe F1, which was technically as incredible as Top Gun: Maverick.
Runners-Up: Sentimental Value. Director Joachim Trier’s shot choice is masterful. He makes a house a character in the film the way he films it.
Great Inclusion: One Battle After Another. People will be talking about the finale scenes in the desert for years to come.
Should Win: One Battle After Another (see above)
Will Win: One Battle After Another
Best Original Score
Bugonia, Jerskin Fendrix
Frankenstein, Alexandre Desplat
Hamnet, Max Richter
One Battle after Another, Jonny Greenwood
Sinners, Ludwig Goransson
Glaring Omission: Simon Franglen for Avatar: Fire and Ash or Hans Zimmer for F1, maybe? No real action movie repped here.
Runners-Up: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were a PERFECT fit for the techno-crazy world of Tron: Ares. I’ll be mentioning them again in the next category.
Great Inclusion: Goransson
Should Win: Goransson
Will Win: Goransson. This guy is the next John Williams. He’s very different, but he’s as much in demand these days and this will be his third Oscar is he wins again.
Best Original Song
“Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless; music and lyric by Diane Warren
“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters; music and lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park
“I Lied to You” from Sinners; music and lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!; music and lyric by Nicholas Pike
“Train Dreams” from Train Dreams; music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; lyric by Nick Cave
Glaring Omission: “No Place Like Home” from Wicked: For Good. These songs they add to properties they’re adapting to the screen that already have a full slate of songs usually go south, but this one’s pretty good!
Runners-Up: “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” by Brandi Carlile and Sara Bareilles from Come See Me in the Good Light is the perfect, delicate song to come in and hug you after that documentary runs your emotions through the mill.
Great Inclusion: “I Lied to You” – again, from one of the greatest movie scenes of the last ten years.
Should Win: “I Lied to You”
Will Win: “Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters will be too much to beat, it’s one of the most popular songs of the year.
Best Editing
F1
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Glaring Omission: A House of Dynamite got a Critic’s Choice award nomination and rightfully so. It kept things at a vibrant pace while matching real-time really well.
Runners-Up: The editing of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You works the same crazy-pace fever dream on you that Marty Supreme does.
Great Inclusion: With that, Marty Supreme is great here.
Should Win: Tough category…One Battle After Another works the same tense pace on you that Marty Supreme does. F1 is shot and cut within an inch of its life. I’ll go with Marty Supreme.
Will Win: One Battle After Another – again, the run will be on at this point.
Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Glaring Omission: Sentimental Value! The house is practically a character in this movie and it’s so wonderfully realized (and shot).
Runners-Up: How about Fantastic Four: First Steps? All people talked about when the film came out was the incredible look of the time period. That amazement continued throughout the film!
Great Inclusion: Hamnet – excellent re-creation of place and time.
Should Win: Speaking of which, Sinners does that well, too.
Will Win: Frankenstein, which won’t thrill me. Big isn’t necessarily the best.
Best Costume Design
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Glaring Omission: Wicked: For Good. I know a lot of the costumes were already a thing in the first film, but there was a lot that was new, especially on Glinda.
Runners-Up: The tragic look of the C-list performers of Song Sung Blue.
Great Inclusion: Avatar: Fire and Ash. Despite being an all-CGI movie, apparently thousands of costumes were made. I love the recognition of that.
Should Win: Sinners
Will Win: Sinners, probably inching out Frankenstein, but I’m not confident about this pick!
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Frankenstein, Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
Kokuho, Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu
Sinners, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry
The Smashing Machine, Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein
The Ugly Stepsister, Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg
Glaring Omission: What a couple of these movies? I guess a lot of high-profile movies didn’t have a lot of makeup involved. Weird, I don’t know two of the films nominated, but I can’t think of what else could replace them.
Runners-Up: Predator: Badlands, maybe?
Great Inclusion: The Smashing Machine. A really good film, I’m glad to see it here somewhere.
Should Win: Sinners. It’s just a better movie than Frankenstein.
Will Win: But Frankenstein will probably prevail.
Best Sound
F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirāt
Glaring Omission: Avatar: Fire and Ash. I always say a movie that has a sound design mostly made from scratch – nominate it!
Runners-Up: With that, full-on animation is working from scratch, too. Let’s nominate Elio.
Great Inclusion: F1 – the car racing was thunderous!
Should Win: F1
Will Win: F1. Probably its only award of the night, but it’ll be an Oscar-winning film!
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Glaring Omission: No comic book movies? The MCU is REMARKABLE in how consistent they are with the quality of the look of their films. No film is the “cheap” one or the one where they didn’t try. They all look awesome.
Runners-Up: So – Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Fantastic Four: First Steps (Galactus alone looked incredible).
Great Inclusion: Sinners – that juke joint scene put effects to amazing use!
Should Win: Avatar: Fire and Ash
Will Win: Avatar: Fire and Ash – I mean, how do you EVEN make these movies!
Best International Feature
The Secret Agent, Brazil
It Was Just an Accident, France
Sentimental Value, Norway
Sirāt, Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia
Glaring Omission: No Other Choice – Prestige director, roundly lauded. Not sure how it missed the cut.
Runners-Up: See above.
Great Inclusion: Sentimental Value, clearly I think it’s one of the year’s best films.
Should Win: Sentimental Value
Will Win: Sentimental Value – consolation prize for not winning Best Picture.
Best Animated Feature
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Glaring Omission: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, I suppose? It made money!
Runners-Up: Boy, a lot of animation looks bad these days, so I didn’t really see much beyond the nominees.
Great Inclusion:
Should Win: Elio! Outstanding movie loaded with Pixar magic. Shame on those who missed it!
Will Win: KPop Demon Hunters – outside of Jessie Buckley, your Annie Award-winning lock of the night.
Best Animated Short
Butterfly
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
Glaring Omission: Nothing glaring.
Runners-Up: Didn’t see much beyond these!
Great Inclusion: Forevergreen. It has the most accessible animation.
Should Win: Retirement Plan – I found the humor and sadness mix here winning, but…
Will Win: The classic storytelling style of The Girl Who Cried Pearls will probably win.
Best Live-Action Short
Butcher’s Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
The Singers
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Glaring Omission: Much like the animated films, I didn’t see much beyond these!
Runners-Up: See above.
Great Inclusion: Jane Austen’s Period Drama. Go, comedies!
Should Win: Jane Austen’s Period Drama. Fall down funny and well made and acted. It’s over-the-top comedy, but that style isn’t recognized enough by The Academy. Then again, the nomination alone might be a win.
Will Win: The Singers. I can see the pathos of this winning.
Best Documentary Feature
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
Glaring Omission: I thought there’d be a Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie spot here for a celebrity doc, in which case John Candy: I Like Me could find a spot here.
Runners-Up: I missed well-regarded films like My Mom Jayne and Cover-Up, but I can’t imagine they’re as good as what’s nominated here.
Great Inclusion: Come See Me in the Good Light, acting AS a light amongst all these dark stories.
Should Win: The Alabama Solution, an incredible achievement compassing years of filming and scores of footage.
Will Win: The Perfect Neighbor. It’s got more hype than the rest.
Best Documentary Short
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
Sadly, didn’t get time for these, except for Perfectly a Strangeness, but I still think I can predict a winner…
Will Win: All the Empty Rooms. I can’t imagine a film about a photographer who takes photos of the bedrooms of children killed in school shootings not making an impact. I will see this movie ASAP!
Enjoy the show!
