This is one of those years where I’ve really looked forward to the critics’ association awards and the early award-show nominations. They’ve helped clarify the Oscar race for me, because it’s one of those years where it was difficult to assess the consensus on many films and many performances. Between the critics’ awards and the Critics Choice nominations (released last Friday), certain plotlines have developed: Rose Byrne is the early frontrunner for Best Actress, Benicio del Toro is likely a sure thing for Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress is anyone’s game, the Best Actor race is going to be fascinating, and One Battle After Another is the favorite for the top awards, with Sinners in second place. Well, the Golden Globe nominations were just released today. I’m only doing the major film awards here, but you can see the full list (including the TV noms) here.
Best Motion Picture, Drama
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Blue Moon”
“Bugonia”
“Marty Supreme”
“No Other Choice”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“One Battle After Another”Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language
“It Was Just an Accident”
“No Other Choice”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sirat”
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Die My Love”
Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”
Julia Roberts, “After The Hunt”
Tessa Thompson, “Hedda”
Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby”Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Joel Edgerton, “Train Dreams”
Oscar Isaac, “Frankenstein”
Dwayne Johnson, “The Smashing Machine”
Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”
Jeremy Allen White, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good”
Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”
Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another”
Amanda Seyfried, “The Testament of Ann Lee”
Emma Stone, “Bugonia”Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
George Clooney, “Jay Kelly”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
Lee Byung-Hun, “No Other Choice”
Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia”Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Emily Blunt, “The Smashing Machine”
Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good”
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Benicio Del Toro, “One Battle After Another”
Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”
Paul Mescal, “Hamnet”
Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”
Adam Sandler, “Jay Kelly”
Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”Best Director, Motion Picture
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”
Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein”
Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident”
Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Valueé
Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”
I am dying to see Sentimental Value, and considering how much I loved Joachim Trier’s last movie, I tend to believe that SV deserves all of the noms and maybe even all of the awards. I’m also dying to see The Secret Agent – I’m a huge Wagner Moura fan, and that film and his performance is being widely praised. One of the most interesting ideas is that Sean Penn and Benicio could both get nominated for supporting, and if that’s the case, is Benicio still the favorite? Because even though I’m no Sean Penn fan, he was amazing in OBAA.
What else? It’s interesting to see the surge for Train Dreams and Joel Edgerton. I love Amy Madigan’s nomination, and it would be so cool if she ended up with an Oscar nom for a horror film. What are the snubs here… I can’t see anything that jumps out, honestly? Clooney’s nom for Jay Kelly is a f–king joke though.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, OBAA poster.
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- Ryan Coogler attending the Sinners European Premiere at the Cineworld in Leicester Square, London, United Kingdom,Image: 988218962, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Cat Morley/Avalon
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- Emma Stone during the “Eddington” photocall at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2025 in Cannes, France.,Image: 1000223658, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel/Avalon
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- Actors (L-R) Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro attend the red carpet for ‘One Battle After Another’ fan event at Toreo Parque Central. on September 18, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico.,Image: 1038563995, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Carlos Tischler/Avalon
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- MIRACLE MILE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – OCTOBER 06: Guatemalan-American actor Oscar Isaac and Australian actor Jacob Elordi arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Frankenstein’ held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 6, 2025 in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1044004897, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 05: American actress and singer Elle Fanning wearing a Fendi Couture dress and Cartier jewelry arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Neon’s ‘Sentimental Value’ held at the DGA Theater Complex at The Directors Guild of America on November 5, 2025 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1050703625, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Elle Fanning, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 05: Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve wearing a Schiaparelli FW25 Couture gown, American actress and singer Elle Fanning wearing a Fendi Couture dress and Cartier jewelry, Norwegian actress Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard (Stellan Skarsgård) arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Neon’s ‘Sentimental Value’ held at the DGA Theater Complex at The Directors Guild of America on November 5, 2025 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1050705075, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Renate Reinsve, Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Stellan Skarsgard, Stellan Skarsgård, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- Mexico premiere of ‘Sinners’ at the Plaza Universidad Featuring: Wunmi Mosaku, Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld Where: Mexico City, Mexico When: 31 Mar 2025 Credit: Carlos Tischler/EyePix/INSTARimages
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- Celebrities arrive at the ‘One Battle After Another’ premiere at Odeon Leicester Square, London Featuring: Leonardo DiCaprio Where: London, London, United Kingdom When: 16 Sep 2025 Credit: Julie Edwards/Future Image/Cover Images **NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN GERMANY**
Sinners should win everything. It is a masterpiece. MBJ deserves recognition for playing TWO leading men in one movie, each with completely different personalities and mannerisms. He would have deserved it for playing just one of those characters.
I don’t know, I thought Sinners started well but kind of fell apart in the third act for me. I’m rooting for OBAA, although I’d like Ariana Grande to win for Wicked. I am really rooting for Rose Byrne although I know that people are saying Jessie Buckley has lead actress in the bag for Hamnet.
For me, Sinners did not live up to the hype around it. It was okay.
I agree with the assessment of MBJ’s performance — but I also agree that the movie was just meh for me. It had some amazing visual scenes, but overall the whole vampire thing fell flat for me.
I liked it, but I also haven’t watched it again.
I agree with you-Sinners should have nominations in every category. Imo, it is the most original, visually compelling movie in a long time. I am tired of the continual remakes, movies that focus on effects instead of plot. Watching Sinners was invigorating, the cast perfection, with scenes that i still mentally savor: the powerful time traveling music scene, the chilling Rocky Road to Dublin… Also that it was not a white-centric film was refreshing.
I loved watching the reaction videos of people bursting into tears at the dance scene in Sinners. Coogler went very, very deep in the recreation of the culture and the weight of its influence not just on America, but globally. Yet it was so intimate with its characters. The vampire part was ok but I saw it more for its symbolism so it wasn’t central for me. Can’t understand why it’s not under the musical category though… Music was a central character here.
Rose Byrne’s performance is really good but Jessie Buckley is a glowing force in Hamnet.
Happy to see the love for Sentimental Value and for Inga Ibsdottir Lilleas especially as her character carries and centers that film.
The argument over whether Sean Penn or Benecio Del Toro is the favorite for best supporting is blown away by Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value.
I really hope Stellan Skarsgard wins – he’s so good in everything.
I haven’t seen The Secret Agent yet, but I’m also a huge Wagner Moura fan. The film and his performance are being so well-reviewed, so I’m hoping for good things for him.
Did you see his episode for In the Criterion Closet? It was really wonderful.
I’m excited for this awards season. I haven’t seen a lot of these movies besides Sinners but there are quite a few that I actually want to see and not just so I can follow along at the Oscars. But I feel like I can confidently say MBJ deserves the GG and the Oscar for Sinnners.
Nothing for MAGA Sydney Sweeney. LOVE that for her.
lol same
Haven’t seen any of these but rooting for MBJ and Ryan Coogler to win everything this award season because they are the most talented listed and they should have won for Fruitvale Station!!!
Meh, they are not the most talented listed – not by a wide margin. IMO MBJ plays the same role in every movie and Sinners started well but then went off the rails in the third act.
Adam sandler YESSS Jacob elordi YESS I loved him in that miniseries! Haven’t seen Frankenstein yet! I want Ethan hawke to get a GG too! I also really liked sinners. The acting was sooo good from everyone
Adam Sandler really deserves a nomination. He is quite good in this role. I wanted a separate film of the history between his character and Laura Dern’s (Kaiser nemesis, I know) character. I was far more invested and interested in their scenes than in Clooney’s main character.
I’ve never been able to stand Adam Sandler’s comedies but he was terrific in Uncut Gems.
I laughed at Julia Roberts being nominated. That movie was baaaaad. She also has only one facial expression when in a drama – a sort of clenched jaw trying to be angry/serious face.
Did that Marty Supreme movie even come out yet? How is it nominated? Who saw it?
You can be nominated even if you have limited release. So even if it’s just in L.A. and New York for a few screenings, it counts.
It comes out in theaters on Christmas Eve but critics get advance screenings of films so their reviews are up the day before a film opens. They also see stuff that appears at film festivals months before theatrical releases.
Sean Penn deserves all the awards for his role on OBAA. Chase Infiniti was outstanding as well amongst an all-star cast.
I love that Joel Edgerton is even in the conversation – I have low key loved his work for years — I watch Kinky Boots every 3 or 4 months just for a feel good kick.
I thought benecio was good but he usually is and his part wasn’t that meaty. I thought Teyana was a caricature. Wunmi Mosaku, Miles Caton and Delroy Lindo were great and I hate seeing them not here.
Ariana Grande in the “supporting” category is the biggest pile of category fraud this year. She and Cynthia are both leads and she has more screen time out of the two. I gripe because if she wins the Oscar due to being in the less competitive category, and Cynthia misses out due to that stacked category this year, I will be so disappointed.