2024 in Review

LOVED
~ ~
1. Nickel Boys
2. Bird
3. Babygirl
4. Challengers
5. Close Your Eyes
6. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
7. A Real Pain
8. Flow
9. 20,000 Species of Bees
10. The Brutalist
11. Dune: Part Two

REALLY LIKED
~ ~
12. Mars Express
13. Crossing
14. Problemista
15. Kneecap
16. Chicken for Linda!
17. Evil Does Not Exist
18. Green Border
19. Conclave
20. Santosh
21. Queer
22. All We Imagine as Light
23. The Count of Monte Cristo
24. Emilia Pérez
25. The Fall Guy
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Here
Hard Truths
September 5
Terrestrial Verses
Armand
Simón
The Missing
Love Lies Bleeding
The Settlers
I'm Still Here
Sing Sing
A Quiet Place: Day One
Last Summer

LIKED
~ ~
Dìdi
Road House
Wicked
Thelma
The Return
The Girl with the Needle
No Dogs or Italians Allowed
Kinds of Kindness
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Femme
Anora
Io Capitano
Twisters
Housekeeping for Beginners
Blitz
A Complete Unknown
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Endless Summer Syndrome
The End
Small Things like These
Between the Temples
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Yannick
100 Yards
Gladiator II
We Live in Time
The Apprentice
His Three Daughters
Better Man
The Breaking Ice
Woman of the Hour
Maria
The Peasants
She Is Conann
National Anthem

LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
Hit Man
The Substance
The Vourdalak
The Wild Robot
Alien: Romulus
Nosferatu
Kraven the Hunter
Wicked Little Letters
The Room Next Door
A Prince
My First Film
Memoir of a Snail
The Beast
Blink Twice
The Last Showgirl
The Hypnosis
The Bikeriders
A Different Man
The Six Triple Eight

BARELY LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
The Lord of the Rings: the War of the Rohirrim
Lee
The Piano Lesson
Godzilla x Kong: the New Empire
Monkey Man
Juror #2
Moana 2
Spaceman

DISLIKED
~ ~
I Saw the TV Glow
Inside Out 2
Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga
The Monk and the Gun

HATED
~ ~
Civil War

COMPLETE AND TOTAL WASTE OF TIME
~ ~

My Picks for Best Actress for 2024
My Picks for Best Actor for 2024
My Picks for Best Supporting Actress for 2024
My Picks for Best Supporting Actor for 2024

2022 in Review

LOVED
~ ~
1. Eo
2. All Quiet on the Western Front
3. The Banshees of Inisherin
4. Bones and All
5. Tár
6. Aftersun
7. Empire of Light
8. Everything Everywhere All at Once
9. Avatar: the Way of Water
10. Broker
11. Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
12. Close
13. After Yang
14. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
15. Pinocchio

REALLY LIKED
~ ~
16. Great Freedom
17. Il Buco
18. Madalena
19. Babylon
20. Bullet Train
21. The Box
22. Petite Maman
23. Living
24. Top Gun: Maverick
25. Mascarpone
Saint Omer
Wildhood
Argentina, 1985
Decision to Leave
Armageddon Time
The Long Walk
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Corsage

LIKED
~ ~
The Batman
Return to Seoul
Fabian: Going to the Dogs
To Leslie
Eternal Spring
Happening
RRR
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Fabelmans
The Woman King
Lunana: a Yak in the Classroom
Puss in Boots: the Last Wish
Wet Sand
Bantú Mama
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Saturday Fiction
Causeway
Sundown
Los Conductos
My Father's Dragon
Bros
Turning Red

LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
Triangle of Sadness
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Lingui, the Sacred Bonds
The Sea Beast
Benediction
Neptune Frost

BARELY LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
Holy Spider
White Noise
The Northman
Servants
Public Toilet Africa
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
Clytaemnestra
Elvis
Women Talking
Crimes of the Future
Mad God

DISLIKED
~ ~
Glass Onion: a Knives Out Mystery
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Nope
Fantastic Beasts: the Secrets of Dumbledore

HATED
~ ~
Please Baby Please
Blonde
The Whale

COMPLETE AND TOTAL WASTE OF TIME
~ ~
Ultrasound
Tell It like a Woman

My Picks for Best Actress for 2022
My Picks for Best Actor for 2022
My Picks for Best Supporting Actress for 2022
My Picks for Best Supporting Actor for 2022

2021 in Review

LOVED
~ ~
1. Dune
2. The Worst Person in the World
3. Flee
4. C'mon C'mon
5. Quo Vadis, Aida?
6. Operation Hyacinth
7. Parallel Mothers
8. The Hand of God
9. The Lost Daughter
10. Licorice Pizza
11. Tick, Tick... Boom!

REALLY LIKED
~ ~
12. Memoria
13. Belle
14. The Power of the Dog
15. The Tragedy of Macbeth
16. Spencer
17. The Summit of the Gods
18. Encanto
19. Spring Blossom
20. The Woman Who Ran
21. Faya Dayi
22. Titane
23. Benedetta
24. Pig
25. Luzzu
All Hands on Deck
Drive My Car
Spider-man: No Way Home
Adam
Cryptozoo
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Belfast
Luca
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
The Killing of Two Lovers
Freeland

LIKED
~ ~
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Swan Song
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Mandibles
Chaos Walking
Charlatan
Hive
CODA
Free Guy
Never Gonna Snow Again
Eternals
Undine
Summer of 85
Death Will Come and Shall Have Your Eyes
West Side Story
Coming 2 America
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Passing
This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
Black Widow

LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
Red Rocket
In the Heights
Raya and the Last Dragon
Days
Fauna
King Richard
Saint-Narcisse
Poupelle of Chimney Town
Nightmare Alley
Don't Look Up

Cruella
The Green Knight
Tu Me Manques (I Miss You)
The Sleeping Negro

BARELY LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
No Time to Die
The Mitchells vs the Machines
Wolf
Dance of the 41
Godzilla vs. Kong

DISLIKED
~ ~
My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To
Four Good Days
Cyrano
Being the Ricardos
House of Gucci

HATED
~ ~

COMPLETE AND TOTAL WASTE OF TIME
~ ~

My Picks for Best Actress for 2021
My Picks for Best Actor for 2021
My Picks for Best Supporting Actress for 2021
My Picks for Best Supporting Actor for 2021

2020+ in Review

LOVED
~ ~
1. The Personal History of David Copperfield
2. Martin Eden
3. Beanpole
4. Bacurau
5. Nomadland
6. Tenet
7. The Father
8. Another Round
9. Babyteeth
10. The Vast of Night

REALLY LIKED
~ ~
11. La Llorona
12. A White, White Day
13. Driveways
14. WolfWalkers
15. Minari
16. The Climb
17. The Half of It
18. Zombi Child
19. Two of Us
20. Onward
21. The Painted Bird
22. First Cow
23. Judas and the Black Messiah
24. The Twentieth Century
25. Apples
You Will Die at Twenty
Kajillionaire
Spoor
Nina Wu
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
No. 7 Cherry Lane
Lucky Grandma
Your Name Engraved Herein
Love and Monsters
Palm Springs
The Kid Detective
Heroes Don't Die

LIKED
~ ~
And Then We Danced
Young Ahmed
Corpus Christi
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Sound of Metal
Pinocchio
Eurovision Song Contest: the Story of Fire Saga
Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
Enola Holmes
Bull
Yellow Rose
Let Them All Talk
Soul
My Little Sister
Sibyl
The Traitor
Over the Moon
The Whistlers
A Girl Missing
Dear Comrades!
Fire Will Come
Ammonite
Mulan
The Trial of the Chicago 7
She Dies Tomorrow
The Wild Goose Lake
The Way Back
Being Impossible
Lingua Franca

LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
Da 5 Bloods
Promising Young Woman
Divine Love
Twilight's Kiss
Pieces of a Woman
The Midnight Sky
Greyhound
One Night in Miami...
Mank
Hope Gap
Emma.
Butt Boy
Hill of Freedom

BARELY LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
News of the World
Vitalina Varela
The Gentlemen
Blow the Man Down
Charm City Kings
Ride Your Wave
The Life Ahead
The Prom
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
I Was at Home, But...
The Wanting Mare
The One and Only Ivan

DISLIKED
~ ~
The Burnt Orange Heresy
True History of the Kelly Gang
Calm with Horses
The White Tiger
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Hillbilly Elegy
Made in Italy

HATED
~ ~
Cherry

COMPLETE AND TOTAL WASTE OF TIME
~ ~
Tesla

My Picks for Best Actress for 2020+
My Picks for Best Actor for 2020+
My Picks for Best Supporting Actress for 2020+
My Picks for Best Supporting Actor for 2020+

+The awards year for 2020 included the first two months of 2021.

Best Actress 2020+

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

VASILISA PERELYGINA, Beanpole (Дылда)

BARBARA SUKOWA, Deux (Two of Us)

SIDNEY FLANIGAN, Never Rarely Sometimes Always

VIOLA DAVIS, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

FRANCES McDormand, Nomadland

Also loved:
Tsai Chen, Lucky Grandma (幸運的奶奶)
Viktoria Miroshnichenko, Beanpole (Дылда)
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Yuliya Vysotskaya, Dear Comrades! (Дорогие Товарищи!)
Evan Rachel Wood, Kajillionaire
Wu Ke-Xi, Nina Wu (灼人秘密)

Apologies to:
Itsaso Arana (The August Virgin), Pamela Mendoza Arpi (Song without a Name), Radha Blank (The Forty-Year-Old Version), Carrie Coon (The Nest), Zahia Dehar (An Easy Girl), Clara Riedenstein (The Portuguese Woman), Ia Sukhitashvili (Beginning), and Abigél Szőke (Those Who Remained), whose films I have not yet seen.

Related:
My Best Actress picks from past years (2004-2019)
My Best Actor picks from 2020+
My Best Supporting Actress picks from 2020+
My Best Supporting Actor picks from 2020+

Best Supporting Actress 2020+

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

MARGARITA KÉNEFIC, La Llorona

KATIANA MILFORT, Zombi Child

KSENIYA KUTEPOVA, Beanpole (Дылда)

 

ESSIE DAVIS, Babyteeth

 

YOUN YUH-JUNG, Minari

Also loved:
Haley Bennett, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Aleksandra Konieczna, Boże Ciało (Corpus Christi)
Rodica Lazar, La Gomera (The Whistlers)
Teyonah Parris, Twelve (Charm City Kings)
Alysia Joy Powell, Judas and the Black Messiah
Gina Rodriguez, Kajillionaire
Talia Ryder, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Julieta Szönyi, La Gomera (The Whistlers)

Related:
My Best Supporting Actress picks from past years (2004-2019)
My Best Actress picks from 2020+
My Best Actor picks from 2020+
My Best Supporting Actor picks from 2020+

Best Supporting Actor 2020+

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

LEON DAI, Your Name Engraved Herein (刻在你心底的名字)

JOSH O'CONNOR, Emma.

GLYNN TURMAN, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

BRIAN DENNEHY, Driveways

PAUL RACI, Sound of Metal

Also loved:
Carlo Cecchi, Martin Eden
Bruce Davis, The Vast of Night
Ferdinand Kingsley, Mank
Ben Mendelsohn, Babyteeth
Josh O'Connnor, Hope Gap
David Strathairn, Nomadland

Related:
My Best Supporting Actor picks from past years (2004-2019)
My Best Actress picks from 2020+
My Best Actor picks from 2020+
My Best Supporting Actress picks from 2020+

Best Actor 2020+

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

LEVAN GELBAKHIANI, And Then We Danced (და ჩვენ ვიცეკვეთ)

ROB MORGAN, Bull

LUCA MARINELLI, Martin Eden

DANIEL KALUUYA, Judas and the Black Messiah

RIZ AHMED, Sound of Metal

Also loved:
Ben Affleck, The Way Back
Bartosz Bielenia, Boże Ciało (Corpus Christi)
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Pierfrancesco Favino, Il Traditore (The Traitor)
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Hu Ge, The Wild Goose Lake (南方車站的聚會)
Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods
Mads Mikkelsen, Druk (Another Round)
Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah
Toby Wallace, Babyteeth

Apologies to:
Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island), Armando Espitia (I Carry You with Me), Jude Law (The Nest), Juan Carlos Maldonado (The Prince), Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Farewell Amor), Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian), and Christian Vazquez (I Carry You with Me), whose films I have not yet seen.

Related:
My Best Actor picks from past years (2004-2019)
My Best Actress picks from 2020+
My Best Supporting Actress picks from 2020+
My Best Supporting Actor picks from 2020+

2019 in Review

LOVED
~ ~
1. Pain & Glory
2. 1917
3. Parasite
4. End of the Century
5. Monos
6. Marriage Story
7. Honey Boy
8. I Lost My Body
9. Transit
10. An Elephant Sitting Still
11. Booksmart

REALLY LIKED
~ ~
12. Once upon a Time... in Hollywood
13. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
14. Dolemite Is My Name
15. Synonyms
16. How to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World
17. Uncut Gems
18. Waves
19. Les Misérables
20. Woman at War
21. Atlantics
22. Rocketman
23. Dogman
24. Hustlers
25. Diamantino
Ash Is Purest White
Knife+Heart
The Farewell
The Two Popes
A Hidden Life
Klaus
The Chambermaid
Weathering with You
Socrates
Rafiki
The Heiresses

LIKED
~ ~
The Lighthouse
Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker
By the Grace of God
Invisible Life
Judy
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Frozen II
Ad Astra
Bombshell
Birds of Passage
Richard Jewell
The White Crow
High Life
Knives Out

LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
Midsommar
The King
Jojo Rabbit
Shadow
Long Day's Journey into Night
"I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians"
The Command
Avengers: Endgame

BARELY LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
The Beach Bum
Little Women
Missing Link
Joker
Harriet
Toy Story 4
Cats
Ford v Ferrari
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
The Irishman

DISLIKED
~ ~
The Report
Breakthrough
Better Days
Fighting with My Family
The Souvenir

HATED
~ ~
Climax

COMPLETE AND TOTAL WASTE OF TIME
~ ~
The Lion King
Her Smell

My Picks for Best Actress for 2019
My Picks for Best Actor for 2019
My Picks for Best Supporting Actress for 2019
My Picks for Best Supporting Actor for 2019

Best Actress 2019

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

ZHAO TAO, Ash Is Purest White (江湖儿女)

TAYLOR RUSSELL, Waves

ADÈLE HAENEL, Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

JENNIFER LOPEZ, Hustlers

SCARLETT JOHANSSON, Marriage Story

Also loved:
Ana Brun, Las Herederas (The Heiresses)
Sheila Munyiva, Rafiki
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger, Judy

Apologies to:
Gemma Arterton (Vita & Virginia), Juliette Binoche (Frankie), Elizabeth Debicki (Vita & Virginia), Catherine Deneuve (Frankie), Keira Knightley (The Aftermath), Anna Paquin (Tell It to the Bees), Mary Kay Place (Diane), and Natalie Portman (Lucy in the Sky), whose films I have not yet seen.

Related:
My Best Actress picks from past years (2004-2018)
My Best Actor picks from 2019
My Best Supporting Actress picks from 2019
My Best Supporting Actor picks from 2019

Best Actor 2019

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

FRANZ ROGOWSKI, Transit

KELVIN HARRISON JR., Waves

SHIA LaBEOUF, Honey Boy

PAUL WALTER HAUSER, Richard Jewell

ADAM SANDLER, Uncut Gems

Also loved:
Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once upon a Time... in Hollywood
August Diehl, A Hidden Life
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
George MacKay, 1917
Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Tom Mercier, Synonymes (Synonyms)
Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name
Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse
Matthew Rhys, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Apologies to:
Pierre Deladonchamps (Plaire, Aimer et Courir Vite), Jesse Eisenberg (The Art of Self-defense), Michael B. Jordan (Just Mercy), Félix Maritaud (Sauvage), and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (A Million Little Pieces), whose films I have not yet seen.

Related:
My Best Actor picks from past years (2004-2018)
My Best Actress picks from 2019
My Best Supporting Actress picks from 2019
My Best Supporting Actor picks from 2019

Best Supporting Actress 2019

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

DIANA LIN, The Farewell

JULIANNE NICHOLSON, Monos

ZHOU SHUZHEN, The Farewell

KATHY BATES, Richard Jewell

NICOLE KIDMAN, Bombshell

Also loved:
Cardi B, Hustlers
Luàna Bajrami, Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
Laura Dern, Little Women
Billie Lourd, Booksmart
Fernanda Montenegro, A Vida Invisível
Karin Neuhäuser, A Hidden Life
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dolemite Is My Name

Related:
My Best Supporting Actress picks from past years (2004-2018)
My Best Actress picks from 2019
My Best Actor picks from 2019
My Best Supporting Actor picks from 2019

Best Supporting Actor 2019

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

ASIER EXTEANDIA, Dolor y Gloria (Pain & Glory)

ROB MORGAN, The Last Black Man in San Francisco

ERIC BOGOSIAN, Uncut Gems

STERLING K. BROWN, Waves

DEAN-CHARLES CHAPMAN, 1917

Also loved:
Swann Arlaud, Grâce à Dieu (By the Grace of God)
Timothée Chalamet, Little Women
Joel Edgerton, The King
Vondie Curtis Hall, Harriet
Lucas Hedges, Honey Boy
Richard Madden, 1917
Juan Minujín, The Two Popes
Aleksey Morozov, The White Crow
Franz Rogowski, A Hidden Life
Song Kang-ho, Parasite (기생충)

Apologies to:
Jamie Foxx (Just Mercy), whose film I have not yet seen.

Related:
My Best Supporting Actor picks from past years (2004-2018)
My Best Actress picks from 2019
My Best Actor picks from 2019
My Best Supporting Actress picks from 2019

2018 in Review

LOVED
~ ~
1. Shoplifters
2. Vazante
3. You Were Never Really Here
4. Spider-man: into the Spider-verse
5. The Strange Ones
6. Mirai
7. Lean on Pete
8. The Cakemaker
9. Roma
10. Border
11. If Beale Street Could Talk
12. Summer 1993
13. A Ciambra
14. Burning
15. Double Lover

REALLY LIKED
~ ~
16. BlacKkKlansman
17. Can You Ever Forgive Me?
18. Happy as Lazzaro
19. I Am Not a Witch
20. Sicilian Ghost Story
21. Girl
22. The Favourite
23. Black Panther
24. Outlaw/King
25. Eighth Grade
Ruben Brandt, Collector
Let the Sunshine In
A Prayer before Dawn
Zama
Journey's End
The Sisters Brothers
The Wild Boys
Capernaum
Isle of Dogs
Gabriel and the Mountain
Hereditary
Cold War
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Life and Nothing More
The Third Murder

LIKED
~ ~
Western
Mary Poppins Returns
Love, Simon
Souvenir
L'Animale
Never Look Away
The Guilty
Support the Girls
Incredibles 2
El Angel
First Reformed
Boy Erased
A Quiet Place
Solo: a Star Wars Story
A Star Is Born
Leave No Trace
Tully
First Man
Green Book
Sorry to Bother You

LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
Night Comes On
Disobedience
The Wife
The Death of Stalin
At Eternity's Gate
The Rider
Annihilation
Wildling
Aquaman
Bohemian Rhapsody
Thoroughbreds

BARELY LIKED MORE THAN I DISLIKED
~ ~
On Body and Soul
Widows
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Avengers: Infinity War
Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald

DISLIKED
~ ~
Mary Queen of Scots
Postcards from London
Ready Player One
On Chesil Beach
We the Animals
The Party

HATED
~ ~
Vice

COMPLETE AND TOTAL WASTE OF TIME
~ ~
Ralph Breaks the Internet

My Picks for Best Actress for 2018
My Picks for Best Actor for 2018
My Picks for Best Supporting Actress for 2018
My Picks for Best Supporting Actor for 2018