Movie Fantasy League 2025 - End of Season Update

Another movie fantasy league in the books and another Jord victory is upon us! At least this year, we closed the gap a bit. Jord picked two of the three highest scoring movies available in One Battle After Another and Hamnet, and that combination alone would have been good enough to net 4th place! The only other pickers that stood a chance were the other two that also pick Paul Thomas Anderson’s Best Picture winner OBAA, and while Max had Zootopia 2 and Big Brett had Frankenstein to go with their thoroughbred, they couldn’t keep pace with Jord’s 3-7 picks either, as Jord’s It Was Just an Accident and the Secret Agent both landed in the top 15 as well. Hats off to E, who got the closest of any of us without picking OBAA! To everyone else, better luck next year! Thanks so much for playing. I don’t know that I’ve pointed this out in prior updates, but of the 56 movies selected, the #2 scoring movie of the year, Sinners wasn’t one of them! Even the best have room to improve for next year, it seems.

J (Jord) — 4637 points (162 box office pts, 4020 awards pts, 455 critical performance pts)

• One Battle After Another — $30 = 2477 points (117 box office pts, 2260 awards pts, 100 critical performance pts)

• The Smashing Machine — $20 = 96 points (11 box office pts, 60 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Hamnet — $20 = 1059 points (24 box office pts, 985 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• It Was Just an Accident — $15 = 371 points (1 box office pts, 270 awards pts, 100 critical performance pts)

• The Secret Agent — $5 = 484 points (4 box office pts, 380 awards pts, 100 critical performance pts)

• Sisu 2 — $3 = 44 points (4 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Arco — $3 = 106 points (1 box office pts, 65 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• The Man with the Bag — $3 = 0 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 0 critical performance pts)

Max — 3828 points (783 box office pts, 2735 awards pts, 310 critical performance pts)

• One Battle After Another — $30 = 2477 points (117 box office pts, 2260 awards pts, 100 critical performance pts)

• Zootopia 2 — $25 = 752 points (597 box office pts, 115 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Nuremberg — $10 = 69 points (14 box office pts, 30 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Die My Love — $8 = 90 points (5 box office pts, 45 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• If I Had Legs I'd Kick You — $8 = 321 points (1 box office pts, 280 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• The Running Man — $8 = 67 points (47 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• A Private Life — $5 = 31 points (1 box office pts, 5 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Anemone — $5 = 21 points (1 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

BigBrett — 3801 points (281 box office pts, 3225 awards pts, 295 critical performance pts)

• One Battle After Another — $30 = 2477 points (117 box office pts, 2260 awards pts, 100 critical performance pts)

• Frankenstein — $25 = 940 points (0 box office pts, 900 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• The Smashing Machine — $20 = 96 points (11 box office pts, 60 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Predator: Badlands — $10 = 191 points (151 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Anemone — $5 = 21 points (1 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• A Private Life — $5 = 31 points (1 box office pts, 5 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Caught Stealing — $3 = 25 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Trap House — $2 = 20 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

E (ecrhodes) — 3500 points (204 box office pts, 2890 awards pts, 406 critical performance pts)

• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere — $25 = 97 points (22 box office pts, 55 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Frankenstein — $25 = 940 points (0 box office pts, 900 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Hamnet — $20 = 1059 points (24 box office pts, 985 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• F1 — $8 = 365 points (0 box office pts, 340 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• K-Pop: Demon Hunters — $8 = 390 points (0 box office pts, 350 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Black Phone 2 — $5 = 182 points (157 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• The Testament of Ann Lee — $5 = 122 points (2 box office pts, 80 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Weapons — $3 = 345 points (0 box office pts, 295 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

Zach (runningwolf) — 3142 points (175 box office pts, 2545 awards pts, 422 critical performance pts)

• Hamnet — $20 = 1059 points (24 box office pts, 985 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• Marty Supreme — $20 = 895 points (135 box office pts, 710 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• The Smashing Machine — $20 = 96 points (11 box office pts, 60 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• It Was Just an Accident — $15 = 371 points (1 box office pts, 270 awards pts, 100 critical performance pts)

• Is This Thing On? — $15 = 66 points (6 box office pts, 20 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• The Secret Agent — $5 = 484 points (4 box office pts, 380 awards pts, 100 critical performance pts)

• Sound of Falling — $3 = 130 points (0 box office pts, 30 awards pts, 100 critical performance pts)

• Eternity — $2 = 41 points (16 box office pts, 5 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

Austo — 2602 points (1349 box office pts, 1185 awards pts, 68 critical performance pts)

• Wicked: For Good — $45 = 737 points (492 box office pts, 225 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Avatar: Fire and Ash — $30 = 853 points (633 box office pts, 195 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — $10 = 222 points (222 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 0 critical performance pts)

• K-Pop Demon Hunters — $8 = 390 points (0 box office pts, 350 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Weapons — $3 = 345 points (0 box office pts, 295 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• Shelby Oaks — $2 = 14 points (4 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 10 critical performance pts)

• The Conjuring: Last Rites — $1 = 20 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Silent Night, Deadly Night — $1 = 21 points (1 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

Daddy — 2202 points (1147 box office pts, 475 awards pts, 80 critical performance pts)

• Wicked: For Good — $45 = 737 points (492 box office pts, 225 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Avatar: Fire and Ash — $30 = 853 points (633 box office pts, 195 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• KPop Demon Hunters — $8 = 390 points (0 box office pts, 350 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie — $5 = 52 points (42 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 10 critical performance pts)

• 28 Years Later — $5 = 55 points (0 box office pts, 15 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• The Long Walk — $3 = 60 points (0 box office pts, 20 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Steve — $3 = 35 points (0 box office pts, 10 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Atropia — $1 = 20 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

St Shuffles — 1964 points (658 box office pts, 1235 awards pts, 71 critical performance pts)

• Wicked: For Good — $45 = 737 points (492 box office pts, 225 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere — $25 = 97 points (22 box office pts, 55 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Predator: Badlands — $10 = 191 points (151 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• K-Pop: Demon Hunters — $8 = 390 points (0 box office pts, 350 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Superman — $5 = 40 points (0 box office pts, 15 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Weapons — $3 = 345 points (0 box office pts, 295 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• The Perfect Neighbor — $2 = 150 points (0 box office pts, 100 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• Shelby Oaks — $2 = 14 points (4 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 10 critical performance pts)

Jetty — 1946 points (732 box office pts, 1005 awards pts, 209 critical performance pts)

• Wicked: For Good — $45 = 737 points (492 box office pts, 225 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Bugonia — $25 = 447 points (17 box office pts, 390 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — $10 = 222 points (222 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 0 critical performance pts)

• Goodbye June — $8 = 25 points (0 box office pts, 5 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• K-Pop: Demon Hunters — $8 = 390 points (0 box office pts, 350 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• One of Them Days — $2 = 80 points (0 box office pts, 40 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• The Conjuring: Last Rites — $1 = 20 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• All of You — $1 = 25 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

Katie Late to the Party Picks — 1712 points (1257 box office pts, 610 awards pts, 0 critical performance pts)

• Zootopia 2 — $25 = 752 points (597 box office pts, 115 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere — $25 = 97 points (22 box office pts, 55 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Wake Up, Dead Man — $10 = 76 points (1 box office pts, 25 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• Five Nights at Freddy’s — $10 = 222 points (222 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 0 critical performance pts)

• Predator: Badlands — $10 = 191 points (151 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Die My Love — $8 = 90 points (5 box office pts, 45 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• The Housemaid — $5 = 226 points (201 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Regretting You — $3 = 58 points (58 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 0 critical performance pts)

Ruthless — 1701 points (86 box office pts, 1335 awards pts, 280 critical performance pts)

• Jay Kelly — $30 = 180 points (0 box office pts, 155 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere — $25 = 97 points (22 box office pts, 55 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Hamnet — $20 = 1059 points (24 box office pts, 985 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• Song Sung Blue — $10 = 174 points (49 box office pts, 100 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• The History of Sound — $5 = 25 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• Jurassic World Rebirth — $3 = 40 points (0 box office pts, 20 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Arco — $3 = 106 points (1 box office pts, 65 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• The Roses — $3 = 20 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

Heather Huffs Great Picks — 1257 points (827 box office pts, 345 awards pts, 85 critical performance pts)

• Wicked: For Good — $45 = 737 points (492 box office pts, 225 awards pts, 20 critical performance pts)

• Nuremberg — $10 = 69 points (14 box office pts, 30 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• 28 Years Later — $5 = 55 points (0 box office pts, 15 awards pts, 40 critical performance pts)

• Black Bag — $5 = 60 points (0 box office pts, 10 awards pts, 50 critical performance pts)

• The Housemaid — $5 = 226 points (201 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• A Minecraft Movie — $5 = 10 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 10 critical performance pts)

• Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning — $5 = 90 points (0 box office pts, 65 awards pts, 25 critical performance pts)

• The Woman in Cabin 10 — $1 = 10 points (0 box office pts, 0 awards pts, 10 critical performance pts)

Wuthering Heights

I know that this is probably a ‘bad take’ if you ask most people, but I really enjoyed the film. When reading a lot of the issues that watchers had, I did not have much issue. The biggest issue I saw was the soundtrack, but in a weird way I think it fit really well. Also, I thought the acting was really good and the story intriguing (I never read the book, so maybe thats why I am okay with it). Overall, I thought it was a good movie and I do think it is going to be a movie we look back on and it has a strong cult following of lovers, and I will be one of them.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 8.0

~ZEJ 8.0

Code 3

“Can you find a movie to put on while we do a puzzle?” That was the original question that led me to Code 3, and it turned into no puzzle for me. I thought this is a movie with a lot of star power and no one is talking about it. It is talked about so little there isn't a meta score on it! I thought it was a fun and interesting look into paramedics. I am also currently watching ‘The Pitt’ and this reminded me a lot of it with a comedy and 4th wall aspect. I think it is well worth a watch if you are looking for something to throw on!

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 7.5

~ZEJ 7.5

Oh, Hi!

I don’t know if this deserves an 8 in a film sense, but I am telling everyone about it! It has stuck with me since it finished with making me laugh and just a somewhat insane idea for the film. I think it's a great fun date night movie that you can just throw on, eat some popcorn, and just have a good time. I will never stop recommending this film to people and if you don’t think its an 8 sorry, but not sorry!

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 8.0

~ZEJ 8.0

Sorry, Baby

A24 film that popped up on HBO and needing to fill up a Sunday, so I gave it a watch. I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this one, and emotionally took me out of the rest of the day. An extremely heavy film with a lot of dark humor that is filmed beautifully and scored great. Anyone who is trying to watch the best films of the year, this needs to be on there!

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 9.25

~ZEJ 9.25

Black Phone 2

Honestly, I hated the first film, so why I chose to watch this I can’t really answer. Overall, I do think it is better than the first and the story is far enough away from ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ than I thought it would be, but I am not looking forward to the 10 more of these films that are inevitably coming. The only reason I would watch them is if it could be filmed the same way as this! Cinematography - 9.5 and story - 4.5 and there is your 7!

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 7.0

~ZEJ 7.0

Sew Torn

Sometimes when you are scrolling through your phone, you run into some interesting things. I found this movie and was really intrigued, and glad I gave it a chance. A really fun and interesting way to tell a story. I really have nothing to compare it too with both its uniqueness, story telling, and really high tier action with just thread and a sewing machine. I really wish more people would watch this so it can get the credit it deserves!

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 8.25

~ZEJ 8.25

ZEJ Oscars Votes

It’s Oscars weekend, and it’s time to unveil the ZEJ team’s Oscars vote results! Check out each category below, ordered by ranked choice voting. First place votes are in parenthesis with the initial of that voter for each category.

Whereas last year we had just a single unanimous vote, this year, the ZEJ team is more in sync, with 10 of the 22 categories being unanimous, and there may have been a couple more, but with Jord’s girl’s high school basketball team winning the state tournament this year, he did miss a few movies as a result, so wasn’t able to vote on those movies. Price of being a champion, I suppose!

The ZEJ team had the most love for Hamnet with 4 wins (Best Picture, Best Actress, Directing, and Adapted Screenplay), and Sinners with 4 wins (Best Cinematography, Original Score, Original Screenplay, and Casting), followed by Frankenstein with 3 wins (Production Design, Makeup and Hairstyle, and Costume Design) and One Battle After Another with 2 wins (Supporting Actor and Film Editing).

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Best Picture

1. Hamnet (Z, E)

2. One Battle After Another (J)

3. Sinners

4. Bugonia

5. Train Dreams

6. Marty Supreme

7. Sentimental Value

8. Frankenstein

9. The Secret Agent

10. F1

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Best Actor

1. Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme (Z, J)

2. Michael B. Jordan, Sinners (E)

3. Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

4. Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

5. Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

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Best Actress

1. Jessie Buckley, Hamnet (Z, E, J)

2. Emma Stone, Bugonia

3. Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

4. Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

5. Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

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Supporting Actor

1. Sean Penn, One Battle After Another (Z, E, J)

2. Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another

3. Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

4. Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

5. Delroy Lindo, Sinners

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Supporting Actress

1. Amy Madigan, Weapons (Z, E)

2. Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another (J)

3. Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

4. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

5. Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

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Best Animated Feature Film

1. Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Z, E)

2. KPop Demon Hunters (J)

3. Elio

4. Arco

5. Zootopia 2

---

Best Cinematography

1. Sinners (E, J)

2. One Battle after Another (Z)

3. Train Dreams

4. Frankenstein

5. Marty Supreme

---

Best Costume Design

1. Frankenstein (E, J)

2. Hamnet (Z)

3. Sinners

4. Marty Supreme

5. Avatar: Fire and Ash

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Best Directing

1. Chloé Zhao, Hamnet (Z, E)

2. Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle after Another

3. Ryan Coogler, Sinners (J)

4. Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

5. Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

---

Best Film Editing

1. One Battle after Another (Z, E, J)

2. Sinners

3. Marty Supreme

4. Train Dreams

5. F1

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Best International Feature Film - (Jord barred from this category, for only seeing 3/5 films)

1. It Was Just an Accident (Z, E)

2. Sentimental Value (J)

3. Sirāt

4. The Secret Agent

5. The Voice of Hind Rajab

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Best Makeup and Hairstyling

1. Frankenstein (E, J)

2. The Ugly Stepsister

3. Kokuho (Z)

4. The Smashing Machine

5. Sinners

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Best Music (Original Score)

1. Ludwig Göransson, Sinners (Z, E)

2. Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia (J)

3. Max Richter, Hamnet

4. Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein

5. Jonny Greenwood, One Battle after Another

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Best Music (Original Song)

1. “Golden”, KPop Demon Hunters (Z, E, J)

2. “I Lied To You”, Sinners

3. “Train Dreams”, Train Dreams

4. “Dear Me”, Diane Warren: Relentless

5. “Sweet Dreams Of Joy”, Viva Verdi!

---

Best Production Design

1. Frankenstein (Z, E, J)

2. Hamnet

3. Sinners

4. Marty Supreme

5. Avatar: Fire and Ash

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Best Animated Short Film

1. Retirement Plan (Z, E)

2. Butterfly

3. The Girl Who Cried Pearls

4. The Three Sisters

5. Forevergreen

---

Best Live Action Short Film

1. Two People Exchanging Saliva (Z, E, J)

2. Jane Austen's Period Drama

3. A Friend of Dorothy

4. The Singers

5. Butcher's Stain

---

Best Sound

1. Sirāt (Z)

2. F1 (E)

3. Sinners (J)

4. One Battle after Another

5. Frankenstein

---

Best Visual Effects

1. F1 (Z, E)

2. Avatar: Fire and Ash

3. Sinners (J)

4. Jurassic World Rebirth

5. The Lost Bus

---

Best Adapted Screenplays

1. Hamnet (Z, E, J)

2. One Battle after Another

3. Bugonia

4. Train Dreams

5. Frankenstein

---

Best Original Screenplays

1. Sinners (Z, E, J)

2. It Was Just an Accident

3. Marty Supreme

4. Blue Moon

5. Sentimental Value

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Best Casting

1. Sinners (Z, E, J)

2. One Battle after Another

3. Hamnet

4. Marty Supreme

5. The Secret Agent

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Google lists this as as a Comedy/Drama, which is doing the viewer such a disservice, as there’s hardly a laugh to be found in this film, and so extremely stress inducing that by the end of it you feel like maybe Google is playing a prank on you? But in their defense the producers submitted it to the Golden Globes as a comedy as well, so maybe its on them. Conan O’Brien as the anti-comedic relief role is a stroke of genius casting choice though. Anyway, yes, Rose Byrne is fantastic in this, but I really can’t recommend this movie in any way, as it’s just so bleak, unless you’re nervous about having kids and want to be talked out of it, then this is exactly the movie you should watch.

-Z

In some ways, this is definitely a horror movie, which I was not expecting after Rose Byrne won the Golden Globe for actress in a comedy or musical… Her acting was excellent though, a well-deserved best actor Oscar nomination. The anxiety-inducing pacing and noise was very challenging here - I did not enjoy the experience of watching this movie and felt a lot of dread as it kept going. If this is a representation of what being a parent is like, despite the fact that there is clearly some exaggeration, the message is quite bleak. I loved the challenged expectations of having Conan O’Brien in a serious role. For what it is trying to do, I think it works really well, but the challenge of it all leaves me hesitant to recommend it widely.

-E

Z 8.0
E 7.75
J n/a

ZEJ 7.88

Sentimental Value

Sentimental Value is a very sound movie in all categories - directing, acting, cinematography, writing, etc. It’s creative and unique. But the movie arched in such a way that it seemed to be headed towards more catharses than we got, and that felt like somewhat of a letdown. Subversive, but also disappointing. E said to this point that maybe that’s more true to life, and that’s probably true, but that knowledge still doesn’t help my enjoyment of this movie. Stellan Skarsgard is amazing as always, but I thought Renate Reinsve was the standout. While I have higher rated movies this year that didn’t receive Best Picture noms, this is definitely more worthy than F1, The Secret Agent or Frankenstein. Definitely worth a watch.

-Z

A very solid film that definitely feels deserving of its best picture nomination. The acting is exceptional. The story was much more complex than what the trailer seemed to depict. I really enjoyed the family home acting as a character of sorts throughout the movie. There were several peeks back through time scattered throughout, and I honestly think there could have been more of that to really help us understand the characters. While I don’t think it overly wowed any of the ZEJ team, I’m glad we were able to see this in theaters and would recommend it!

-E

This is a weird movie to review. It is objectively good but not a lot happens either. Then I look back on it and try to decide what I didn’t like about it and I have nothing. The acting was really good, the cinematography was really good, and you realize there is a reason it is nominated for quite a bit of Oscars. I think my biggest issue is that it is a bit slow and just not a story that I really liked. I would guess this is going to win the foreign film Oscar, meaning you need to watch it.

-J

Z 8.5
E 8.5
J 8.75

~ZEJ 8.5

Sirât

I’d never heard of the concept of Islamic concept of Sirāt (the bridge over which every person must cross in order to enter heaven) prior to this movie, and the little explainer for it at the beginning of the film I kind of ignored until the end of the movie, but the movie can’t be understood without viewing it through that lens. If you’re of any form of faith, that lens will probably improve your appreciation of this film. If you’re not, that lens will probably decrease your appreciation of it. Regardless, when this movie began to go into the metaphorical phase, it became a worse movie, but did become a lot more tense. The soundtrack and sound design is absolutely peak though, and my vote for best sound, for which it was nominated.

-Z

The word that comes to mind here is “visceral.” What an experience! Incredible soundtrack. Otherworldly visuals. But such a bleak, gut punch of a plot that left me feeling pretty down afterwards. I know there are some layers to the plot here and certainly it is meant to be more metaphorical, but I’m just not sure I fully get it. The nomination for sound though, absolutely deserved!

-E

Z 8.5
E 8.25
J n/a

~ZEJ 8.38

The Ugly Stepsister

I told our friend Austin T, after we watched The Ugly Stepsister that I had no notes, and a few days removed, I still have very little. That isn’t to say it’s a masterpiece, because one could say some elements are derivative, the scope is limited, and the ending did feel a little haphazard. But there are many more good things to say about it than bad. The modern synthy soundtrack was amazing, the creative fairy-tale revamping was really clever, and the body horror was truly gut-wrenching at points. Had the Academy not nominated it for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, we probably would never watched this, so very glad they did, and for recognizing horror the horror genre in back-to-back years. As E says, if you’re not queasy, big recommend.

-Z

Similar to The Substance in its fun-yet-gory body horror aspects, I really enjoyed this! A creative, fresh take on the Cinderella story with strong acting and such a cool spooky vibe. My main gripe is the ending - it felt like a bit of an incomplete thought and I was needing a bit more closure to feel satisfied. If you can steel your stomach through a few brutal scenes, this is a great watch that left me thinking about it for days afterward. I wish it had gotten more of a theatrical release in the US so it could have gotten more attention here!

-E

Z 8.5
E 8.5
J n/a

~ZEJ 8.5

The Lost Bus

Wow. Jord’s point’s about Jurassic World: Rebirth is even more poignant with the Lost Bus. The Academy will just nominate anything in the Best Visual Effects category, won’t they? The Lost Bus feels like a made for TV movie, and features some of the worst acting I’ve seen for an Oscar nominated movie since… Jurassic World: Rebirth, in a movie that includes Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey and Oscar nominated America Ferrera. Whomever greenlit this film needs to rethink their choices in life, as it was truly a disaster. And yet, the true story aspect of it somehow gives the critical reviews for it somehow just below average (64 Metacritic currently). And call me a hater, but the visual effects weren’t worthy of being in the same category as Avatar, not by a long shot.

-Z

Oof. This was just so bad. The writing was truly terrible in many parts. The plot became so overly dramatic it was comical instead of the tense thriller this movie thinks it is. I do not understand how this was turned into a movie and how on earth Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera signed on. I can only imagine that the positive reviews are coming from people who lived through this wildfire (or one like it) and are appreciating seeing the representation on the screen. A tough one to get through. How did enough people watch this for it to get an Oscar nomination?

-E

Z 5.5
E 4.0
J n/a

~ZEJ 4.75

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Ugh. On the one hand, Avatar: Fire and Ash is a better movie than the second Avatar. On the other hand, it’s a complete rehash of the second. The same characters, the same conflict. Like what?! What are you doing to us, James Cameron? The only human protagonist in the last two movies is Spider, whose acting is often just one-note and wrong, and James Cameron has decided to make him the focal point of the entire conflict. I left this movie torn, as I love the Avatar universe, the visuals are still insanely impressive, and this movie had better dialogue and script than the prior, but it’s so repetitive and long that you also want to pull your hair out.

-Z

Z and I put this off as long as possible, but it became clear we needed to venture to the theater 2 months after its release to see it in time for the Oscars. And it was just as disappointing as I figured it would be. This feels more like a cash-grab follow-up than what we are meant to believe is a carefully planned part of a 5-movie series. The plot is far too similar to Avatar 2, it could have easily been an hour shorter, and there were some pretty cringey writing moments. The visuals are still great though, and watching in 3D did save the score a bit. I just have a hard time imagining this series will turn things around in the next two movies.

-E

Z 7.75
E 7.25
J n/a

~ZEJ 7.5

Kokuho

E and I weren’t really sure what to expect from Kokuho, a 3-hour Japanese film that had 4 total critical reviews upon it’s release in the United States, but it’s Makeup and Hairstyling nomination spurred us to take advantage of it coming to theaters, and so glad it did, as it was awesome! Telling the story of a modern kabuki actor, which is an ancient form of Japanese theater, it both is educational of the beauty and skill of kabuki as well as an epic story of the journey of this actor’s life. The only sticking point is the length, as this could have certainly been cut down 30-45 minutes, and had it been, I think it would have been a lock for an international nomination. If subtitles don’t scare you, Kokuho is a must watch!

-Z

A surprisingly captivating story despite the length (which is my biggest complaint). I didn't know much about the Kabuki theater tradition and found that this did a great job getting everyone up to speed without too much over explanation. The acting was very very solid. Would have loved to see this get an international picture nomination, but I'm glad the makeup & hairstyling nomination led Z & I to the theater for this one!

-E

Z 8.5
E 8.5
J n/a

~ZEJ 8.5

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

While the animated nominations are a weaker group this year, I think Little Amélie or the Character of Rain is the strongest. It’s hard to root against K-Pop Demon Hunters for how fun that is, but Little Amélie is a better movie, with much stronger writing, and a beautiful story. The characters are thoughtfully crafted, and Amélie’s attitude and spunk is infectious. I particularly loved the grandmother as well. The animation is very good and yet another celebration of French animation! Worth a watch, no doubt.

-Z

What a delightful animated movie! Beautiful design. The story is funny but also touching without being too cheesy. I rarely say this, but with such a short run time, this could have been expanded a bit to explore more of the characters and the world here. Kind of surprisingly, this gets my vote for best animated film of the year!

-E

Z 8.5
E 8.25
J n/a

~ZEJ 8.38

Song Sung Blue

Musical biopics have become ZEJ’s most dreaded to watch genre, and while Song Sung Blue isn’t a traditional superstar musician biopic, we still lumped it in that category, and put off this watch for a long time. And to E and I’s surprise, we enjoyed Song Sung Blue quite a bit. The lesson? Never doubt Hugh Jackman. While it’s not a perfect movie, and has some pacing and storytelling issues, it has a lot of heart, good dialogue, and the way the love story between Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson’s characters unfolds is so adorable that you can’t help but get swept up in it. Always love when a movie surpasses your expectations. I can also confirm Kate Hudson is completely deserving of her nomination in this, she’s amazing in it.

-Z

The previews for this mostly left me rolling my eyes, so I did not have much hope when we learned we had to watch this for Kate Hudson's acting nomination. But despite the feel-good energy that comes with a Christmas Day release, this was a solid story that wasn't as over the top as I feared. The plot is a little too convenient and coincidental at times for this to rise above an 8 for me, but I do have to admit that I'm glad I had a reason to watch it!

-E

Z 8.0
E 7.75
J n/a

~ZEJ 7.88

Jurassic World: Rebirth

E and I’s dino journey is finally over. And it couldn’t come fast enough. While we finally got rid of the tired Chris Pratt and company cast, and get to see some fresh faces, they’re given just as questionable a script as the last two movies, and while they do their best with it, many scenes feel phoned in. This is certainly the worst movie I’ve ever seen Mahershala Ali in, as up until now, he’s had a fairly impeccable track record for picking high quality movies. While Rebirth gets some things right, namely narrowing the prevalence of dinosaurs to a small geographical region, the things it gets wrong are an absolute abyss. The film has this premise that people are getting tired of dinosaurs, and with that in mind leads us to this island where there are hybridized and deformed dinos, and oh wow, aren’t these abominations much cooler to see in action than real dinosaurs?! No, they aren’t. You’ve turned this from Jurassic Park to Alien. What are you doing? Who is making these decisions? And yet, despite the poor reviews, this movie made nearly a billion dollars, so there will be no accountability in the near future I’m afraid.

-Z

At last, we come to the movie that gave Z & I a reason to rewatch this series. And while the visual effects were…fine, I don’t think they were really enough to earn an Oscar nomination. The plot feels like a “rebirth” in terms of bringing in new characters with a storyline that does feel new, but it has a myriad of issues that do not make me hopeful for the inevitable new trilogy of films this might be starting. So many of the characters just do and say the most confusing and unnecessary things. The dinosaurs also become true monsters here, and I’m not sure how I feel about that progression.

-E

I don't know, Academy. I don’t see how this deserves a nomination. All in all I know it is a visual award and the dinosaurs were looking as good as ever, but doesn’t there have to be standards on the movie itself? I mean, Z and E will have to confirm but all they are trying to do is take iconic parts from the original and throw it in this film. I know its 2026 and original concepts are out the door, but I was frustrated with that and the ‘Netflix Action Movie’ aspects that this film is filled with. I don’t think this needs to be watched and dread the trailer for the newest one that will probably come out in a few years.

-J

Z 6.25
E 6.0
J 6.5

ZEJ 6.25

Jurassic World: Dominion

And it gets worse. The only thing holding Dominion up from being a sub-5 rating is the fact that they somehow convinced Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill to join this hot pile of garbage, and for all of their too little screentime, they were fantastic. But the plot and logic of this film is an absolute mess. They introduce some cool new dinos but it’s by this film that you realize the excessive hyper aggressiveness of every single dino they encounter gets grating. Never more so is this obvious than when they run into therizinosaurus, which is a herbivore, but you’d never know that from the film, as it acts like any other carnivore. But logic left this franchise a few movies back I’m afraid. One more to go…

-Z

This feels like rock bottom for the Jurassic franchise. While the reappearance of the original Jurassic trio definitely adds something here (and helps my rating a bit), this movie felt very unsatisfying and confusing. The Mission: Impossible-esque rescue mission feels a bit cheap. There are a lot of pieces to the plot and none of them are really answering the question that the movie feels like it is trying to answer - how can dinosaurs and humans coexist? And at this point, really, after 6 movies, we should know the answer: they cannot.

-E

Z 6.0
E 5.75
J n/a

~ZEJ 5.88

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Despite my love for Jurassic Park, I intentionally skipped this movie after seeing its reviews upon release, and therefore are entering uncharted territory. Seeing the first half of this movie, I kind of worried I had made a mistake, as it’s about as good and fun as Jurassic World, but the second half is so bad that it’s not even laughable. It’s just sad. 2018 was before the advent of large language models, but the plot and dialogue feel like that’s how it was written. Up until this point, we’ve had fun with this franchise watch, but with two movies to go, have we hit rock bottom or can it get worse?

-Z

In the first new-to-us Jurassic movie, we definitely take a step back in terms of logic and writing. Parts of this movie felt downright bad. The villainous characters are so cartoon-like, I’m not sure if we are meant to take them seriously or not. I will say, the first half of the movie is much stronger than the second, and the movie overall was still a fun watching experience, but it is sad to see the franchise start to really take a turn for the worse here.

-E

Z 6.0
E 6.25
J n/a

~ZEJ 6.13