As always, a review of the rules I follow when handing out the awards:
- Every movie that I have seen will be received either a "Best" or "Most" category exactly ONCE, it is getting increasingly difficult every year but I managed somehow. There are certainly several overlaps but I have tried my best to give them the awards that they deserve!
- Everyone's opinion of movies, like all other art forms, is really subjective. These are my PERSONAL opinions so of course there will be some agreements and disagreements. Constructive and destructive criticism is always welcome as long as you have a valid point!
- I'm ALWAYS looking for suggestions! Unlike most people, I'm kind of behind on all the streaming services, and not be able to watch some movies in theatres clearly destructs my urge to watch them right away. This also applies to the films that are only given a limited release that I didn't get a chance to catch when they were in (selected) theatres. So even though there are some movies, such as Society of the Snow and The Eternal Memory, that I might check out eventually, those are just not on my list of priorities right now. But if you have any more suggestions, feel free to let me know, and I will "give out" appropriate awards for them once I have watched them!
The "Best" List:
Best Drama – Oppenheimer
Best Comedy – The Holdovers
Best Action – John Wick: Chapter 4
Best Romance – No Hard Feelings
Best Musical – Wonka
Best Horror – Saw X
Best Science Fiction – The Wandering Earth II
Best Animation – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best International Feature – Godzilla Minus One
Best Novel Adaptation – The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Best Comic Book Adaptation – Blue Beetle
Best Sequel – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Best Remake – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Best Box Office Achievement – Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Best Safe Card – Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Best Copycat – Anyone But You
Best Tribute – Scream VI
Best Redemption – A Haunting in Venice (A shift in theme and tune from the first two Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Hercule Poirot’s stories made it much more entertaining!)
Best Underdog – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Best Family Fun – Migration
Best Visual Effects – The Creator
Best Cinematography – Poor Things
Best Screenplay – Anatomy of a Fall
Best Rising Director – Celine Song (Past Lives)
Best Returning Director – Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Best Rising Star – Violet McGraw (M3gan)
Best Returning Star – Zac Efron (The Iron Claw)
Best Voice Star – Chris Pine (Wish)
Best Reunion of Onscreen Duo – Andy Lau and Tony Leung (The Goldfinger)
Best Cameo – George Clooney (The Flash)
Best Villain – Nicholas Cage as Dracula (Renfield)
Best Salvation Character in a Mediocre Feature – Russell Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth (The Pope’s Exorcist)
Best Prologue – Thanksgiving
Best Opening Credits – The Killer
Best Ending(s) – American Fiction (Couldn't find a link for the ending(s), probably never will, so I encourage everyone to watch the film to see how brilliant it is. Trust me, it will be worth it!)
Best Sound Design – Zone of Interest
Best Soundtrack – “Ask Me Why (Mahito’s Commitment)” & “The Great Collapse” (The Boy and the Heron)
Best Song – “I’m Just Ken” (Barbie)
Best Use of an Existing Song – “Feeling Good” (Perfect Days)
Best Speech – Air
Best Line – “Stop running and let the Flerkens eat you” (The Marvels)
Best Incorporation of Modern Technology – Missing
Best Incorporation of Multicultural Media – Creed III (Giving off the anime vibe in fight sequences like this)
Best Cultural Clash and Representation – Joy Ride (Bonus points for distinguishing Chinese identity from general Asian identity)
Best Utilization of Senses Other Than Sights and Sound – The Taste of Things
Best Behind the Scenes Moment – Harrison Ford and Ke Huy Kwan reunion at the premiere of Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny (That is WAY more interesting and heartwarming than the movie itself!)
Best Trailer – Sisu (Much better than the movie itself!)
The "Most" List (The "Participation Trophies" award the movies that excel in a nontraditional category):
Most Agitating – The Exorcist: Believer
Most Confusing – Saltburn
Most Impactful – Jawan
Most Energetic – The First Slam Dunk
Most Nostalgic – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Most Inspirational – Gran Turismo
Most Personal – Elemental (Read the statement from Director Peter Sohn here)
Most Heartwarming – Suzume
Most Heartbreaking – Beau is Afraid
Most Emotional – All of Us Strangers
Most Thought Provoking – Shortcomings
Most Innovative Narrative – Monster (For reinventing Rashomon story structure)
Most Screwed Up – Dicks: The Musical
Most Empty – Landscape with Invisible Hand
Most Mediocre – The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Most Disappointing – Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Most Forgettable – Assassin Club (Watched on a plane!) & Insidious: The Red Door
Most Tranquilizing – Knock at the Cabin
Most Surprising – Napoleon (For keeping me engaged throughout the movie)
Most Surprising Box Office Hit – Five Nights at Freddy’s
Most Promising Sequel – The Nun II
Most Consistent Sequel – Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Most Likely to Have a Satisfying Sequel – Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Most Interesting Interpretation of Source Material – Haunted Mansion (compared to the 2003 movie of the same name)
Most Useless Remake – The Color Purple
Most Desperate for Critical Acclaim – Maestro
Most Overexpected (expectation higher than reality) – Cocaine Bear
Most Overlooked (and definitely worth a second look in the future) – May December
Most Divided (I find it quite decent, but almost everyone else hates it) – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Most Controversial (does not deserve all the hate it gets) – The Little Mermaid (2023)
Most Drastic Shift in Tone from its Predecessor – Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Most Likely to Appreciate It More If I Know the References – The Blackening
Most Visually Distinctive – Asteroid City
Most Effective Aesthetic Choice – The Boogeyman (lighting and lack of lighting)
Most Stereotypical Portrayal of a Family Relationship – Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
Most Accurate Portrayal of a Vicious Cycle of Stardom – Dream Scenario
Most Promising Talent – Cailee Spaney (Priscilla), a returning winner from first NFLB Awards (Most Promising Newbie)!
Most Wasted Talent – Robert De Niro (About My Father)
Most Charismatic Action Star – Jason Statham (Meg 2: The Trench)
Most Attractive Star – Madison Iseman (Knights of the Zodiac)
Most Consistent Director – James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
Most Relatable Character – Paul Dano as Keith Gill (Dumb Money)
Most Sympathetic Character – Charlie Day as “Latte Pronto” (Fool’s Paradise)
Most Adoring Relationship – Alma Pöysti as Ansa + Jussi Vatanen as Holappa (Fallen Leaves)
Most Abusive Relationship – Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Mira Ray and Sam Heughan as Rob Burns (Love Again)
Most Disappointing Third Act – Next Goal Wins
Most Predictable Plot – Zombie Town
Most Tragic Death(s) (followed by the best title reveal of the year) – Evil Dead Rise
Most Horrifying Sequence – Talk to Me
Most Satisfying Fight Sequence – The Equalizer 3
Most Outrageous Action Sequence – Fast X
Most Hilarious Fight Sequence – Strays
Most Shocking Climax – Ferrari
Most Likely to be Enjoyed More as a Standalone – Expand4bles
Most Likely to be Appreciated by More People in the Years to Come – Theater Camp
Most Likely to Set Off a Cinematic Trend – Silent Night (Movies without dialogues)
Most Damaging Marketing Strategy – Trolls Band Together (For revealing plot points in the trailers that should be hidden as a surprise!)
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