The Sixth Annual No Films Left Behind (NFLB) Awards (March 2025)

It's time for the Oscars once again! Who will win the awards this year? Only the judges can tell!

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 Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, 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 – The Brutalist

Best Comedy – Anora

Best Action – Kill

Best Romance – We Live in Time

Best Musical – Wicked

Best Horror – The Substance

Best Science Fiction – Dune: Part Two

Best Animation – The Wild Robot

Best International Feature – I’m Still Here

Best Novel Adaptation – Conclave

Best Comic Book/Manga Adaptation – Look Back

Best Sequel – Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Best Remake/Reboot – Transformers One

Best Box Office Achievement – Despicable Me 4

Best Safe Card – Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire + Red One

Best Copycat – IF (for borrowing Pixar’s heartwarming narrative tropes and one of their regular composers, Michael Giacchino)

Best Tribute – Super/Man: A Christopher Reed Story

Best Underdog – Young Woman and the Sea + Juror #2

Best Family Fun – The Garfield Movie

Best Visual Effects – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Best Cinematography – Nosferatu

Best Screenplay – A Real Pain

Best Stunts – The Fall Guy

Best Rising Director – Arkasha Stevenson (The First Omen)

Best Returning Director – Fede Álvarez (Alien Romulus)

Best Redemption Director – David Gordon Green (Nutcrackers)

Best Rising Star – Elliott Heffernan (Blitz)

Best Returning Star – Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)

Best Redemption Star – Amy Adams (Nightbitch)

Best Voice Star – Maya Hawke (Inside Out 2)

Best Onscreen Duo – Tilda Swinton & Julianne Moore (The Room Next Door)

Best Portrayal of a Historical Figure – Sebastian Stan as President Donald Trump (The Apprentice)

Best Cameo – Henry Cavill & Chris Evans (Deadpool & Wolverine)

Best Producer – Jordan Peele (For pushing Monkey Man, Dev Patel’s directorial debut, for a full theatrical release)

Best Villain – Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed (Heretic)

Best Animal Character – Anzu (Ghost Cat Anzu)

Best Salvation Character in a Mediocre Feature – Lucius Aurelius (Gladiator II)

Best Opening – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (as expected from this franchise!)

Best Ending – Maria

Best Montage – Venom: The Last Dance

Best Set-Up (That is not going anywhere) – Kraven the Hunter

Best Sound Design – A Complete Unknown

Best Soundtrack – “Challengers” & “Match Point” (Challengers)

Best Song – “Never Too Late” (Elton John: Never Too Late)

Best Use of an Existing Song – “Alive” by Hanni El Khatib (Tarot)

Best Line – “So go back to the club…” (Megalopolis)

Best Scene in an Otherwise Average Movie – The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Best Incorporation of Modern Technology – Afraid

Best Cultural Clash and Representation – Didi

Best Utilization of Senses Other Than Sights and Sound – Kung Fu Panda 4

Best Hinderance of the Element of Surprise – Blink Twice

Best Fake-Out Moment – Imaginary

Best Trailer – The Bikeriders

The "Most" List (The "Participation Trophies" award the movies that excel in a nontraditional category):

Most Agitating – Seed of the Sacred Fig

Most Confusing – Kinds of Kindness

Most Impactful – Seed of the Sacred Fig

Most Energetic –  Love Lies Bleeding

Most Nostalgic – Y2K

Most Inspirational – Arthur the King

Most Personal – Problemista

Most Heartwarming – Ordinary Angels

Most Heartbreaking – White Bird

Most Emotional – How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies

Most Thought Provoking – Rumours

Most Innovative Narrative – Here

Most Screwed Up – Emilia Perez

Most Empty – Mufasa: The Lion King + The Watchers

Most Mediocre – Back to Black + Matt and Mara

Most Disappointing – Poolman

Most Forgettable – Absolution

Most Tranquilizing – Oh, Canada

Most Surprising – Civil War

Most Grotesque – Terrifier 3

Most Surprising Box Office Hit – Moana 2 (Especially since the sequel is very mediocre compared to the first movie)

Most Promising Sequel – Smile 2

Most Consistent Sequel – My Hero Academia: You’re Next

Most Likely to Have a Satisfying Sequel – Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (The ending of the movie is actually a tease for what’s to come!)

Most Interesting Interpretation of Source Material – Young Werther (Bringing the classic novel to the modernize setting, with a less tragic conclusion!)

Most Useless Remake – Mean Girls  

Most Desperate for Critical Acclaim – Flow

Most Overexpected (expectation higher than reality) – Argylle

Most Overlooked (and definitely worth a second look in the future) – Nickel Boys

Most Controversial (does not deserve all the hate it gets) – Joker: Folie à Deux

Most Drastic Shift in Tone from its Predecessor (sort of) – The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Most Likely to Appreciate It More If I Know the References – Bob Marley: One Love

Most Visually Distinctive – Piece by Piece

Most Effective Aesthetic Choice – Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle (For utilizing first person POV shots in the last moments of the match)

Most Stereotypical Portrayal of a Family Relationship (but works in every way) – Unsung Hero

Most Accurate Portrayal of a Vicious Cycle of Stardom – MaXXXine

Most Promising Talent – Sydney Sweeney (Immaculate)

Most Wasted Talents – Cate Blanchett (Borderlands) + Madelaine Petsch (The Strangers: Chapter 1)

Most Charismatic Action Star – Jason Statham (The Beekeeper – Two years in a row!)

Most Attractive Star – Daisy Edgar Jones (Twisters)

Most Generic Casting – Hunter Schafer in an emotionally unstable role (Cuckoo)

Most Consistent Director – Luca Guadagnino (Queer)

Most Promising Director – Osgood Perkins (Longlegs)

Most Relatable Character – Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night)

Most Sympathetic Character – Charlotte (Sting)

Most Adoring Character – Ains Ooal Gown (Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom)

Most Adoring Relationship – Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Jones & Channing Tatum as Cole Davis (Fly Me to the Moon)

Most Bland Relationship – Luke Evans as John Lawlor & Gwei Lun-mei as Joey (Weekend in Taipei)

Most Abusive Relationship – Blake Lively as Lily Bloom & Justin Baldoni as Lyle Kincaid (It Ends with Us – Both onscreen and offscreen!)

Most Disappointing Third Act – Trap

Most Predictable Plot – Harold and the Purple Crayon

Most Outrageous Action Movie – The Killer’s Game

Most Tragic Death – In a Violent Nature

Most Horrifying Sequence – Abigail

Most Satisfying Fight Sequence – The Crow

Most Hilarious Fight Sequence – Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Most Shocking Climax – Boy Kills World

Most Surprising Twist – The content of the suitcase (Drive-Away Dolls)

Most Intriguing Set-Up (for the next movie) – The Strangers: Chapter 1

Most Likely to be Enjoyed More as a Standalone – Blue Lock the Movie – Episode Nagi

Most Likely to be Appreciated by More People in the Years to Come – Lisa Frankenstein

Most Likely to Set Off a Cinematic Trend – The father/paternal figure as the antagonist that the family needs to destroy (Night Swim & Speak No Evil – Really hope this trend can stop soon!).

Most Damaging Marketing Strategy – A Quiet Place: Day One (For associating itself with the main franchise to raise people’s expectations)

Most Hilarious Marketing Strategy – Madame Web (For the lack of inclusion of the quote "He was in the Amazon with my mom, when she was researching spiders right before she died" from the trailer that broke the internet)

Most Nostalgic Studio – Warner Bros. (For making Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga & Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, new entries to franchises that were inactive for almost a decade or more)