Monday, January 5, 2026

MTFB Oscar Take: International, Doc, Animated and Casting #3 / National Society of Film Critics and TFF #52/ Critics Choice Awards and TFF #52

MTFB OSCAR TAKE: SECOND PREDICTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL, DOCUMENTARY AND ANIMATED FEATURES AND CASTING

Here's MTFB's third round of Oscar nomination predictions for these four categories.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE




1) Sentimental Value (Norway) (1)
2) It Was Just an Accident (France) (2)
3) The Secret Agent (Brazil) (3)
4) Sirat (5)
5) No Other Choice (South Korea) (4)

Others: The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia), Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan) and Kukuho (Japan).


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE


1) The Perfect Neighbor (1)
2) 2000 Meters to Andriivka (2)
3) Cover-Up (4)
4) The Alabama Solution (5)
5) My Undesirable Friends Part 1...(NR)

Others: Apocalypse in the Tropics*, Come See Me in the Good Light and Mr. Nobody Against Putin.


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1) K-Pop Demon Hunters (1)
2) Zootopia 2 (2)
3) Arco (3)
4) Little Amelie or the Character of Rain (4)
5) Elio (5)

Others: In Your Dreams, Demon slayer, The Magnificent Life.


BEST CASTING




1) Sinners (1)
2) One Battle After Another (2)
3) Marty Supreme (3)
4) Hamnet (4)
5) Wicked: For Good (4)

Others: Frankenstein, Sentimental Value and Weapons.


NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS AWARDS




The National Society of Film Critics announced their awards for 2025 this past weekend.  Here's how TFF #52 showed:

The Secret Agent: Winner: Best Foreign Language Film, First Runner-up Actor (Moura), Second Runner-up Best Picture and Second Runner-up Screenplay.

It Was Just an Accident: Winner Best Screenplay, First Runner-up Film in a Foreign Language and First Runner-up Director.

Blue Moon: Winner Best Actor (Hawke), First Runner-up Screenplay, 2nd Runner-up Director.

Sentimental Value: Second Runner-up Film in a Foreign Language, 2nd Runner-up Actress (Reinsve), Second Runner-up Supporting Actress (Lilleaas), Second Runner-up Supporting Actor (Skarsgard).

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You: Forst Runner-up Actress (Byrne).

Nouvelle Vague: Second Runner-up Director (along with Blue Moon).



CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS AND TFF #52




Also occurring this past weekend were the Critics Choice Awards.  Here's how the films from TFF #52 fared:

Frankenstein (4): Best Supporting Actor (Elordi), Production Design, Costumes, Make-up/Hair.
Hamnet: Best Actress (Buckley)
Sentimental Value: Best Foreign Language Film


And coming up this week announcements from The Producers Guild, Directors Guild, SAG/Aftra (SAG Awards) and BAFTA's longlists.  Hold your breath!!!





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Thursday, January 1, 2026

MTFB Oscar Update: Supporting Acting and Screenplays #5 / Visitations: Maggie O'Farrell (author of Hamnet)

MTFB OSCAR UPDATE: SUPPORTING ACTING AND SCREENPLAYS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


Here's MTFB's fifth take on the Oscar races for the Supporting acting and Screenplay categories.  A film/performers previous rank is listed to the right in parentheses.  TFF #52 films are in Bold.


SUPPRORTING ACTRESS


1) Teyana Taylor/One Battle After Another (1)
2) Amy Madigan/Weapons (3)
3) Ariana Grande/Wicked" For Good (2)
4) Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas/Sentimental Value (5)
5) Elle Fanning/Sentimental Value (4)

Others: Wunmi Mosaku/Sinners, Regina Hall/One Battle After Another and Odessa A'Zion/Marty Supreme.


SUPPORTING ACTOR



1) Stellan Skarsgard/Sentimental Value (1)
2) Benicio del Toro/One Battle After Another (4)
3) Sean Penn/One Battle After Another (2)
4) Paul Mescal/Hamnet (3)
5) Jacob Elordi/Frankenstein (5) 

Others: Adam Sandler/Jay Kelly, DelRoy Lindo/Sinners and Adam Scott/ Blue Moon.


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY


1) Sinners (1)
2) Sentimental Value (2)
3) Marty Supreme (3)
4) It Was Just an Accident (4)
5) Jay Kelly (5)

Others: Sorry, Baby, The Secret AgentWeapons and Blue Moon.


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1) One Battle After Another (2)
2) Hamnet (1)
3) Train Dreams (4)
4) Bugonia (3)
4) Train Dreams (4)
5) Frankenstein (5)

Others: No Other Choice, Wakeup Dead man and Nuremburg.




VISITATIONS: MAGGIE O'FARRELL









EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

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Monday, December 29, 2025

MTFB Oscar Take: Updated Predictions for Best Picture, Direction and Lead Acting / Visitations: Sentimental Value and Pillion

MTFB OSCAR TAKE: UPDATES PREDICTIONS FOR BEST PICTURE, DIRECTION AND LEAD ACTING

Here's the fifth set of predictions for the four major categories.  TFF #52 predicted nominees are in Bold.

BEST PICTURE




1) One Battle After Another (1)
2) Sinners (3)
3) Hamnet (2)
4) Marty Supreme (4)
5) Sentimental Value (5)
6) Frankenstein (6)
7) It Was Just an Accident (7)
8) Train Dreams (10)
9) Wicked: For Good (9)
10) Bugonia (NR)


Others: The Secret Agent, Avatar: Fire and Ice, and F1.
 


BEST DIRECTION

1) Paul Thomas Anderson/OBAA (1)
2) Chloe Zhao/Hamnet (2)
3) Ryan Coogler/Sinners (3)
4) Jafar Panahi/It Was Just an Accident (4)
5) Joachim Trier/Sentimental Value (5)

Others: Guillermo del Toro/Frankenstein, Josh Safdie/Marty Supreme and Kleber Mendanca Filho/The Secret Agent.



BEST ACTRESS




1) Jesse Buckley/Hamnet (1)
2) Rene Reinsve/Sentimental Value (2)
3) Rose Byrne/If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (NR)
4) Emma Stone/Bugonia (5)
5) Chase Infiniti/OBAA (NR)

Others: Cynthia Erivo/Wicked: For Good, Amanda Seyfreid/The Testament of Ann Lee and Kate Hudson/Song Sung Blue.


BEST ACTOR

1) Timothee Chalamet/Marty Supreme (1)
2) Leonardo DiCaprio/OBAA (2)
3) Walter Moura/The Secret Agent (3)
4) Michael B. Jordan/Sinners (5)
5) Ethan Hawke/Blue Moon (4)

Others: Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), George Clooney/Jay Kelly and  Jesse Plemons/Bugonia.

This set of predictions suggests that five TFF #52 films will be nominated for Best Picture which would be an all time record for films from TFF.


VISITATIONS



 


Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value from Pop Culture Confidential.

Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value from Pop Culture Confidential.





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Monday, December 22, 2025

MTFB Oscar Take: Updated Predix for Production Design, Costumes, Makeup/Hair, Sound and Visual Effects / Nominations: Satellite Awards and USC Scripter Award / Trailer for Riz Ahmed's Hamlet / Visitations: Jeremy Allen White, Jesse Buckley and Noah Baumbach

MTFB OSCAR TAKE: UPDATED PREDIX FOR PRODUCTION DESIGN, COSTUMES, MAKEUP/HAIR, SOUND AND VISUALE EFFECTS 

Today we update the final five feature categories with predictions for Production Design, Makeup/Hair, Costumes, Sound and Visual Effects. A film's previous ranking is to he right of the title in parentheses. All TFF #52 films are in Bold.    Here they are:


PRODUCTION DESIGN


1) Frankenstein (1)
2) Sinners (4)
3) Hamnet (2)
4) Wicked: For Good (3)
5) Marty Supreme (NR)

Others: Avatar: Fire and Ash, One Battle After Another and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.


COSTUME DESIGN




1) Frankenstein (2)
2) Wicked: For Good (1)
3) Sinners (3)
4) Hamnet (4)
5) One Battle After Another (NR)

Others: Hedda and Marty Supreme and Train Dreams.


MAKEUP AND HAIR


1) Frankenstein (1)
2) Wicked: For Good (2)
3) Sinners (4)
4) The Smashing Machine (3)
5) One Battle After Another (NR)

Others: Kokuho, The Ugly Stepsister and The Alto Knights.


SOUND DESIGN




1) Sinners (2)
2) F1 (1)
3) One Battle After Another (4)
4) Wicked: For Good (3)
5) Frankenstein (NR)

Others: Avatar: Fire and Ash, Sirat and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere..


VISUAL EFFECTS

1) Avatar: Fire and Ash (1)
2) F1 (2)
3) Frankenstein (5)
4) Superman (4)
5) Sinners (NR)

Others: Wicked: For Good, Tron: Ares, Jurassic World Rebirth.


As of this morning's post if the MTFB Oscar Take is 100% accurate, Ten TFF films will earn 42 nominations on announcement morning-Jan. 22nd.  Hamnet will lead TFF films with 11 nominations.

Here's how that could shake out:

Hamnet (11): Best Picture, Direction, Actress (Buckley). Supporting Actor (Mescal), Adapted Screenplay, Casting, Costumes, Cinematography, Editing, Original Score and Production Design.

Frankenstein (10): Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Elordi), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Original Score, Production Design, Costumes, Makeup/Hair, Sound and Visual Effects.

Sentimental Value (8): Best Picture, Direction, Actress (Reinsve), Supporting Actress (Fanning and Lilleaas), Supporting Actor (Skarsgard), Original Screenplay and International Feature.

It Was Just an Accident (4): Best Picture, Direction, International Feature and Original Screenplay.

Jay Kelly (2): Best Picture and Original Screenplay.

The Secret Agent (2): Best Actor (Moura) and International Feature.

Bugonia (2): Best Actress (Stone) and Adapted Screenplay.

Blue Moon (1): Best Actor (Hawke).

Cover-Up (1) Best Documentary.

Apocalypse in the Tropics (TFF #52) (1): Best Documentary.

One Battle After Another and Sinners are currently predicted to lead all nominees with 13 each.


NOMINATIONS

SATELLITE AWARDS




International Press Academy's nominees for the Satellite Awards for TFF films:

Hamnet (10): Best Picture/Drama, Direction, Actress/Drama (Buckley), Supporting Actor (Mescal), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costumes and Score.

Frankenstein (10): Best Picture/Drama, Direction, Actor (Isaac), Supporting Actor (Elordi), Cinematography, Production Design, Costumes, Score, Makeup/Hair, Visual Effects.

Sentimental Value (8): Best Picture/Drama, Direction, Actress (Reinsve), Supporting Actress (Fanning and Lilleaas), Supporting Actor (Skarsgard), Original Screenplay and International Feature.

Bugonia (5): Best Picture/Comedy or Musical, Best Actor/Comedy or Musical (Plemons), Best Actress/Comedy or Musical (Stone), Adapted Screenplay and Makeup/Hair.

It Was Just an Accident (3): Best Direction, Original Screenplay and International Feature.

The Secret Agent (2): Best Actor/Comedy or Musical (Moura), International Feature.

Jay Kelly (2): Best Actor/Comedy or Musical (Clooney), Original Screenplay.

Nouvelle Vague (1): Best Picture/Comedy or Musical.

Blue Moon (1): Best Actor/Comedy or Musical (Hawke).

If I had Legs I'd Kick You (1): Best Actress/Comedy or Musical (Byrne).

Cover-Up (1): Best Documentary.


USC SCRIPTER AWARD NOMINATIONS:




Of the five nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay TFF #52 had two: Hamnet and Frankenstein.  The other three were: Train Dreams, One Battle After another and Peter Hujar's Day.


TRAILER FOR RIZ AHMED'S HAMLET:




VISITATIONS














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Thursday, December 18, 2025

MTFB Oscar Take: After Short Lists: Cinematography, Editing, Score and Song / Oscar Shortlist and TFF / London Film Critics and TFF

MTFB OSCAR TAKE AFTER SHORT LISTS:  CINEMATOGRAPHY, EDITING, SCORE AND SONG


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY




1) Sinners (3)
2) One Battle after Another (2)
3) Hamnet (1)
4) Frankenstein (4)
5) Train Dreams (5)

Others: F1, Marty Supreme and Nouvelle Vague.


BEST EDITING

1) One Battle After Another (1)
2) Sinners (2)
3) F1 (4)
4) Marty Supreme (5)
5) Hamnet (3)

Others: Frankenstein, It Was Just an Accident and Sentimental Value.


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE




1) Sinners (1)
2) One Battle After Another (2)
3) Hamnet (3)
4) Frankenstein (4)
5) Train Dreams (NR)

Others: F1, Marty Supreme and Bugonia.


ORIGINAL SONG

1) Golden/K Pop Demon Hunters (1)
2) I Lied to You/Sinners (2)
3) Dear Me/Diane Warren: Relentless (3)
4) The Girl in the Bubble/Wicked: For Good (4)
5) Train Dreams/Train Dreams (NR)

Others: Last Time (I Seen the Sun)/Sinners, No Place Like Home/Wicked: For Good and Drive/F1. 


OSCAR SHORTLISTS AND TFF




The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its Shortlists for 12 different categories as Academy members get ready to cast their votes to nominate films and individuals for the 2026 Oscars. At this point a film can only be nominated in any of the 12 categories if they have been shortlisted.

Among the films from TFF #52 Frankenstein lead the way with six mentions.  Overall TFF #52 were mentioned 27 times across a broad array of the ten categories.  Here' where TFF films landed:

Frankenstein (6): Best Casting, Cinematography, Makeup/Hair, Score, Sound and Visual Effects.
Hamnet (3): Casting, Cinematography and Score.
Sentimental Value (3): Casting, Cinematography and International Feature.
The Secret Agent (2): Best International Feature and Casting.
Bugonia (2): Best Cinematography and Score.

TFF #52* feature films with Single mentions:

The Ballad of a Small Player: Cinematography.
Nouvelle Vague: Cinematography.
Cover-Up: Documentary.
Apocalypse in the Tropics: Documentary (*TFF #51)
It was Just an Accident: International Feature.
Jay Kelly: Score.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere" Sound.

TFF #52 Short Films:

All the Empty Rooms: Doc Short.
All the Walls Come Down: Doc Short.
Last Days on Lake Trinity: Doc Short.
Extremist: Live Action Short.



LONDON FILM CRITICS AND TFF




The London Film Critics Circle has named their nominees for film excellence.  Here's how TFF #52 faired:

Hamnet (8): Film of the Year, British/Irish Film of the Year, Director of the Year, Screenwriter of the Year, Actress of the Year, British/Irish Performer of the Year, Young British/Irish Performer of the Year (X 2).

The Mastermind (4): Film of the Year, Actor of the Year, British/Irish Performer of the Year, Technical Achievement: Music.

Sentimental Value (4): Film of the Year, Foreign Film of the Year, Actress of the Year, Supporting Actress of the Year.

Pillion (3): British/Irish Film of the Year, Supporting Actor of the Year, Breakthrough Filmmaker.

The Secret Agent (2): Foreign Film of the Year, Actor of the Year.

Urchin (2): Breakthrough Performer of the Year, Breakthrough Filmmaker.

Single nominations for:

It was Just an Accident: Foreign Film of the Year.
Cover-Up: Documentary of the Year.
One to One: John and Yoko: Documentary of the Year (*TFF 51)
Riefenstahl: Documentary of the Year (*TFF 51)
Bugonia: British/Irish Film of the Year
Blue Moon: Actor of the Year.
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You: Actress of the Year.
Frankenstein: Supporting actor of the Year.




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Monday, December 15, 2025

MTFB Oscar Take: Second Predictions for International, Documentary and Animated Features and Casting / New York Film Critics Online Announce 2025 Nominees / Visitations

MTFB OSCAR TAKE: SECOND PREDICTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL, DOCUMENTARY AND ANIMATED FEATURES AND CASTING



BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE




1) Sentimental Value (Norway) (1)
2) It Was Just an Accident (France) (2)
3) The Secret Agent (Brazil) (3)
4) No Other Choice (South Korea) (4)
5) Sirat (Spain) (NR)

Others: The Voice of hind Rajab, Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan) and 2000 Meters to Andriivka.


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE


1) The Perfect Neighbor (1)
2) 2000 Meters to Andriivka (2)
3) Apocalypse in the Tropics (TFF #51) (3)
4) Cover-Up (5)
5) The Alabama Solution (4)

Others: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, Orwell: 2+2=5,  and Come See Me in the Good Light.


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1) K-Pop Demon Hunters (1)
2) Zootopia 2 (3)
3) Arco (2)
4) Little Amelie or the Character of Rain (NR)
5) Elio (4)

Others: In Your Dreams, The Magnificent Life, Scarlet.


BEST CASTING




1) Sinners (2)
2) One Battle After Another (1)
3) Marty Supreme (3)
4) Hamnet (5)
5) Wicked: For Good (4)

Others: Jay Kelly, Wake Up Dead Man and Nouvelle Vague.

 NEW YORK CRITICS ONLINE ANNOUNCE 2025 NOMINEES




13 Telluride #52 films earned 41 nominations this past week from The New York Film Critics Online.  Hamnet and Sentimental lead the way for TFF films with each film grabbing 10 nominations.  Here's the list:

Hamnet (10): Best Picture, Direction, Screenplay, Actress, Supporting Actor (X2), Ensemble, Use of Music, Cinematography and Breakthrough Performance.

Sentimental Value (10): Best Picture, Direction, Screenplay, Actress, Supporting Actress (X2), Supporting Actor, Ensemble, Breakthrough Performance and International Feature.

It was Just an Accident (4): Best Picture, Direction, Ensemble and International Feature.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (3): Best Picture, Screenplay and Actress.

Bugonia (3): Best Screenplay, Actress and Actor.

The Secret Agent (2): Best Actor and International Feature.

Frankenstein (2): Best Supporting Actor and Cinematography.

Pillion (2): Best Supporting Actor and Debut Director.

Blue Moon (1): Best Actor.

Jay Kelly (1): Best Supporting Actor.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (1): Best Use of Music.

Urchin (1): Best Debut Director.

Cover-Up (1): Best Documentary.


VISITATIONS










EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

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MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

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Thursday, December 11, 2025

MTFB Oscar Take: Supporting Acting and Screenplays #4

MTFB OSCAR TAKE: SUPPORTING ACTING AND SCREENPLAYS #4


Here are the updated predictions for the Supporting Acting and Screenplay categories.  TFF #52 films and performers are in Bold.  A film's previous ranking is to the right of the title in parentheses.


SUPPRORTING ACTRESS




1) Teyana Taylor/One Battle After Another (2)
2) Ariana Grande/Wicked: For Good (1)
3) Amy Madigan/Weapons (3)
4) Elle Fanning/Sentimental Value (4)
5) Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas/Sentimental Value (5)

Others: Regina Hall/One Battle After Another, Wunmi Mosaku/Sinners and Gwyneth Paltrow/Marty Supreme.


SUPPORTING ACTOR


1) Stellan Skarsgard/Sentimental Value (1)
2) Sean Penn/One Battle After Another (2)
3) Paul Mescal/Hamnet 
4) Benicio del Toro/One Battle After Another (5)
5) Jacob Elordi/Frankenstein (NR) 

Others: Adam Sandler/Jay Kelly, DelRoy Lindo/Sinners and William H. Macy/Train Dreams.


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY




1) Sinners (1)
2) Sentimental Value (2)
3) Marty Supreme (NR)
4) It Was Just an Accident (5)
5) Jay Kelly (4)

Others: The Secret Agent, Weapons and The House of Dynamite.


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY


1) Hamnet (1)
2) One Battle After Another (2)
3) Bugonia (3)
4) Train Dreams (4)
5) Frankenstein (NR)

Others: Wake Up Dead Man, No Other Choice and Nuremburg.



EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

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Monday, December 8, 2025

MTFB Oscar Take: Best Picture, Direction and Lead Acting / More of the Deluge: Golden Globes, L.A. Film Critics, Critic's Choice and The American Film Institute / La Grazia Trailer

MTFB OSCAR TAKE:  BEST PICTURE, DIRECTION AND LEAD ACTING #4



BEST PICTURE




1) One Battle After Another (1)
2) Hamnet (2)
3) Sinners (3)
4) Marty Supreme (5)
5) Sentimental Value (4)
6) Frankenstein (7)
7) It Was Just an Accident (8)
8) Jay Kelly (9)
9) Wicked: For Good (6)
10) Train Dreams (10)


Others: Avatar: Fire and Ice, Bugonia and The Secret Agent.
 
Notes: Wicked: for Good takes a substantial drop.  The Frankenstein charge continues.


BEST DIRECTION

1) Paul Thomas Anderson/OBAA (1)
2) Chloe Zhao/Hamnet (2)
3) Ryan Coogler/Sinners (3)
4) Jafar Panahi/It Was Just an Accident (4)
5) Joachim Trier/Sentimental Value (5)

Others: Josh Safdie/Marty Supreme, Guillermo del Toro/Frankenstein and Park Chan-wook/No Other Choice.



BEST ACTRESS




1) Jesse Buckley/Hamnet (1)
2) Rene Reinsve/Sentimental Value (2)
3) Cynthia Enviro/Wicked: For Good (3)
4) Amanda Seyfried/The Testament of Ann Lee (5)
4) Emma Stone/Bugonia (4)

Others: Chase Infiniti/OBAA, Rose Byrne/If I Had Legs I'd Kick You and Kate Hudson/Song Sung Blue.


BEST ACTOR

1) Timothee Chalamet/Marty Supreme (1)
2) Leonardo DiCaprio/OBAA (2)
3) Walter Moura/The Secret Agent (3)
4) Ethan Hawke/Blue Moon (5)
5) Michael B. Jordan/Sinners (4)

Others: Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), George Clooney/Jay Kelly and  Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.


MORE OF THE DELUGE

Critics and Film Organizations continued these past few days with their lists of "Best Ofs" and/or nominations. 


GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS




The Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning.  TFF #52 films did well earning a collective 36 nominations.  One Battle After Another led all films with nine nominations..  Here's the rundown of TFF #52 nominees:

Sentimental Value (8): Best Picture/Drama, Non-English Language Film, Actress/Drama, Supporting Actress X 2, Supporting actor, Direction, Screenplay.

Hamnet (6): Best Picture/Drama, Actress/Drama. Supporting Actor, Director, Screenplay and Score.

Frankenstein (5): best Picture/Drama, Actor/Drama, Supporting Actor, Director, Score.

It Was Just an Accident (4): Best Picture/Drama, Non-English Language Film, Director, Screenplay.

The Secret Agent (3): Best Picture/Drama, Non-English Language Film, Actor/Drama

Bugonia (3): Best Picture/Musical or Comedy, Actress/Musical or Comedy, Actor Musical or Comedy.

Blue Moon (2): Best Picture/Musical or Comedy, Actor/Musical or Comedy.

Jay Kelly (2): Best Actor/Musical or Comedy, Supporting Actor.

Springsteen; Deliver Me from Nowhere (1): Best Actor/Musical or Comedy.

If I had Legs Id' Kick You (1): Best Actress/Musical or Comedy.

Nouvelle Vague (1): Best Picture/Musical or Comedy.



LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS

The L.A. Film Critics' Association named their best films in a number of categories.  Six TFF #52 films earned Best Of or Runner-up Status.  They were:

The Secret Agent: Best Film/Runner-up, Best Non English-Language Film, Lead Performance/Runner-up.

Blue Moon: Best Lead Performance, Supporting actor/Runner-up.

Sentimental Value: Best Supporting Performance, Supporting Performance/Runner-up.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You: Best Lead Performance.

It Was Just an Accident; Best Screenplay.

Frankenstein; Production Design/Runner-up.


CRITICS' CHOICE NOMINATIONS




Sinners lead all films with 17 total CCA nominations followed by One Battle After Another with 14.  TFF#52 films held their own though with both Hamnet and Frankenstein grabbing 11 nominations (the third highest total). TFF #52 films earned a total of 41 nominations.

Here's the TFF #52 breakdown:

HAMNET (Focus Features) – 11
Best Picture
Best Actress – Jessie Buckley
Best Supporting Actor – Paul Mescal
Best Young Actor / Actress – Jacobi Jupe
Best Director – Chloé Zhao
Best Adapted Screenplay – Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
Best Casting and Ensemble – Nina Gold
Best Cinematography – Łukasz Żal
Best Production Design – Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton
Best Costume Design – Malgosia Turzanska
Best Score – Max Richter

FRANKENSTEIN (Netflix) – 11
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor – Jacob Elordi
Best Director – Guillermo del Toro
Best Adapted Screenplay – Guillermo del Toro
Best Cinematography – Dan Laustsen
Best Production Design – Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau
Best Costume Design – Kate Hawley
Best Hair and Makeup – Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey
Best Visual Effects – Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell
Best Score – Alexandre Desplat
Best Sound – Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman

SENTIMENTAL VALUE (Neon) – 7
Best Picture
Best Actress – Renate Reinsve
Best Supporting Actor – Stellan Skarsgård
Best Supporting Actress – Elle Fanning
Best Supporting Actress – Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
Best Director – Joachim Trier
Best Original Screenplay – Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier

JAY KELLY (Netflix) – 4
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor – Adam Sandler
Best Original Screenplay – Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer
Best Casting and Ensemble – Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold

BUGONIA (Focus Features) – 3
Best Picture
Best Actress – Emma Stone
Best Adapted Screenplay – Will Tracy

THE SECRET AGENT (Neon) – 2
Best Actor – Wagner Moura
Best Foreign Language Film

BLUE MOON (Sony Pictures Classics) – 1
Best Actor – Ethan Hawke

IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU (A24) – 1
Best Actress – Rose Byrne

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (Neon) – 1
Best Foreign Language Film



AMERICAN FILM INSTUTUTE TOP TEN FILMS (PLUS)




From the American Film Institute's Top Ten list plus one more superlative (TFF #52 films in Bold):


AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
BUGONIA
FRANKENSTEIN
HAMNET
JAY KELLY
MARTY SUPREME
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SINNERS
TRAIN DREAMS
WICKED: FOR GOOD

AFI SPECIAL AWARD

IT WAS JUST AN ACCCIDENT




LA GRAZIA TRAILER 






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Thursday, December 4, 2025

MTFB Oscar Update: First Predix for the Final Five Feature Categories . The Deluge Begins: New York Film Critics Circle, Gotham Awards, National Board of Review

 MTFB OSCAR UPDATE: FIRST PREDIX FOR FINAL FIVE FEATURE CATEGORIES

Today we add final five feature categories with initial predictions for Production Design, Makeup/Hair, Costumes, Sound and Visual Effects.  All TFF #52 films are in Bold.    Here they are:


PRODUCTION DESIGN




1) Frankenstein
2) Hamnet
3) Wicked: For Good
4) Sinners
5) Avatar: Fire and Ash

Others: Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another and The Phoenician Scheme.


COSTUME DESIGN

1) Wicked: For Good
2) Frankenstein
3) Sinners
4) Hamnet
5) Kiss of the Spiderwoman

Others: One Battle After Another, Hedda and Marty Supreme.


MAKEUP AND HAIR


1) Frankenstein
2) Wicked: For Good
3) The Smashing Machine
4) Sinners
5) Weapons

Others: 28 Years Later, Bugonia and One Battle After Another.


SOUND DESIGN

1) F1
2) Sinners
3) Wicked: For Good
4) One Battle After Another
5) Avatar: Fire and Ash

Others: Frankenstein, Sinners, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere..


VISUAL EFFECTS

1) Avatar: Fire and Ash
2) F1
3) Wicked: For Good
4) Superman
5) Frankenstein

Others: Sinners, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and The Fantastic Four.


Sooo...at this point, if the nominations were announced tomorrow, MTFB is currently predicting the following :

Hamnet (11): Best Picture, Direction, Actress, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Score, Production Design and Costumes.

Sentimental Value (8): Best Picture, Direction, Actress, Two in Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor Original Screenplay, and International Feature.

Frankenstein (7): Best Picture, Cinematography, Score, Production Design, Costumes, Makeup/Hair and Visual Effects.

It Was Just an Accident (4): Best Picture, Direction, Original Screenplay and International Feature.

Jay Kelly (3): Best Picture, Supporting Actor and Original Screenplay.

Bugonia (2): Best Actress and Adapted Screenplay.

The Secret Agent (2): Best Actor and International Feature.

Single nominations for:

Blue Moon: Best Actor.
Cover-Up: Best Documentary.
and from TFF #51: Apocalypse in the Tropics: Best Documentary.

That's 10 TFF films nominated and a total of  40 nominations.


THE DELUGE BEGINS

Pre-nomination Oscar precursors bean to weigh in with force the past few days.  TFF films were faring moderately well.




New York Film Critics Circle: TFF films awarded were:

Best Direction: Jafar Pahani/It Was Just an Accident.
Best International Film: The Secret Agent.
Best actress: Rose Byrne/If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.
Best Actor: Walter Moura/The Secret Agent.

The Gotham Awards and TFF films:




Best Direction: Jafar Panahi/It Was Just an Accident
Best International Feature: It Was Just an Accident.
Best Original Screenplay: It Was Just an Accident.
Pillion: Best Adapted Screenplay.

National Board of Review:




Best Actress: Rose Byrne/If I had Legs I'd Kick You.
Best Supporting Actress: Inga Idsbotter Lileaas/Sentimental Value.
Best International Film: It Was Just an Accident.
Best Documentary: Cover-Up.
 From NBR's Top Films list: Frankenstein, Jay Kelly.
From NBR's Top Five International Films: The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value.
From NBR's Top Ten Independent Films: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, The Mastermind, Urchin.


Finally, The Golden Globe nominations will be announced on Monday.  I'll have that then.


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Monday, December 1, 2025

MTFB Oscar Update: First Predix for Four Categories / Cover-Up Trailer / Visitations: Buckley, Mescal, White and More

MTFB OSCAR UPDATE: FIRST PREDIX FOR FOUR CATEGORIES

Today we add four more categories with initial predictions for Cinematography, Editing, Score and Song.  All TFF #52 films are in Bold.    Here they are:

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY




1) Hamnet
2) One Battle after Another
3) Sinners
4) Frankenstein
5) Train Dreams

Others: F1, One Battle After Another and Wicked: For Good.


BEST EDITING

1) One Battle After Another
2) Sinners
3) Hamnet
4) F1
5) Marty Supreme

Others: Sentimental Value, Avatar: Fire and Ash and The House of Dynamite.


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE




1) Sinners
2) One Battle After Another
3) Hamnet
4) Frankenstein
5) Marty Supreme

Others: Jay Kelly, Bugonia and Hedda.


ORIGINAL SONG

1) Golden/K Pop Demon Hunters
2) I Lied to You/Sinners
3) Dear Me/Diane Warren: Relentless
4) The Girl in the Bubble/Wicked: For Good
5) Last Time (I Seen the Sun)/Sinners

Others: No Place Like Here/Wicked: For Good, Drive/F1 and Clothed by the Sun/The Last Testament of Ann Lee.


TRAILER: COVER-UP

From YouTube:





VISITATIONS: BUCKLEY, MESCAL, WHITE AND MORE









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Thursday, November 27, 2025

Quick Post for Thanksgiving Day: MTFB First Oscar Nomination Predictions for Four Categories

QUICK POST FOR THANKSGIVING DAY: MTFB FIRST OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS FOR FOUR CATEGORIES


Welcome to MTFB  and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  Today we have a short post due to the holiday.  But and important post it is as I begin to expand the breadth of MTFB's Oscar predictions.  Todo so I'm adding first predictions for four categories including the newly added category of Best Casting.  Additionally, we'll take a first shot at Best International Film, Best Documentary and Best Animated Film.  As always TFF #52 (and #51) are indicated in Bold.  Here we go!


BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM




1) Sentimental Value (Norway)
2) It Was Just an Accident (France)
3) The Secret Agent (Brazil)
4) No Other Choice (South Korea)
5) The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)

Others: The President's Cake (Iraq), Sirat (Spain) and Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan).


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE




1) The Perfect Neighbor
2) 2000 Meters to Andriivka
3) Apocalypse in the Tropics (TFF #51)
4) The Alabama Solution
5) Cover-Up

Others: Orwell: 2+2=5, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk and The Librarians.


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1) K-Pop Demon Hunters
2) Arco
3) Zootopia 2
4) Elio
5) In Your Dreams

Others: Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, The Magnificent Life, Scarlet.


BEST CASTING

1) One Battle After Another
2) Sinners
3) Marty Supreme
4) Wicked: For Good
5) Hamnet

Others: Jay Kelly, Wake Up Dead Man and Train Dreams.

MTFB returns Monday with first predictions in four other categories.





EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

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Monday, November 24, 2025

MTFB Oscar take: Supporting Acting and Screenplays / Cover-up Trailer and Interview / 1.5 Mill

MTFB OSCAR TAKE: UPDATING SUPPORTING ACTING AND SCREENPLAYS

Before we head into the predictions for Oscar categories that haven't appeared in MTFB thus far this season; here are the updated predictions for the Supporting Acting and Screenplay categories.  TFF #52 films and performers are in Bold.  A film's previous ranking is to the right of the title in parentheses.


SUPPRORTING ACTRESS


1) Ariana Grande/Wicked: For Good (2)
2) Teyana Taylor/One Battle After Another (1)
3) Amy Madigan/Weapons (4)
4) Elle Fanning/Sentimental Value (3)
5) Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas/Sentimental Value (5)

Others: Regina Hall/One Battle After Another, Gwyneth Paltrow/Marty Supreme and Odessa A'Zion/Marty Supreme.


SUPPORTING ACTOR




1) Stellan Skarsgard/Sentimental Value (1)
2) Sean Penn/One Battle After Another (2)
3) Paul Mescal/Hamnet (3)
4) Adam Sandler/Jay Kelly (4)
5) Benicio del Toro/One Battle After Another (5)

Others: Jacob Elordi/Frankenstein, DelRoy Lindo/Sinners and Jeremy Strong/Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY


1) Sinners (1)
2) Sentimental Value (2)
3) Marty Supreme (3)
4) Jay Kelly (4)
5) It Was Just an Accident (5)

Others: Is This Thing On?, The Secret Agent and Weapons.


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY




1) Hamnet (1)
2) One Battle After Another (2)
3) Bugonia (4)
4) Train Dreams (5
5) Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (3)

Others: Frankenstein, No Other Choice and Wicked: For Good.


COVER-UP TRAILER AND INTERVIEW

Here's the official trailer for Laura Poitras' documentary about reporter Seymour Hersh.  from Netflix via YouTube:



Additionally, an interview from Variety with Poitras and co-director and Mark Obenhaus.



1.5 MILL

I have usually been pretty diligent about noticing viewership milestones but in the craziness of the last three months I overlooked that MTFB had passed a fairly significant one.  according to the view tracker MTFB passed One and a half million views somewhere around Halloween.


As of this morning I have posted 2401 times.  2402 if you count this one.  That means an average of 634 views per post.  

The most viewed post is from Jan. 4, 2018.  It's about Film Guilds and the Oscar season and an interview from Variety with Saoirse Ronan and Greta Gerwig on Lady Bird. Over 2,750 views.

As always, thanks to all of you who follow my obsession.



EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

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