17 Years of Oscar Completionism: What This Year's Films Say About Hollywood
For the last 17 years, I’ve made a habit of watching ALL of the Oscar-nominated movies across the main categories within a three-month period. I usually start watching some of the early buzz movies from December, then really get into it after the nomination announcements at the end of January, and finish them all before the awards ceremony in March. It’s now the 2nd of March, and I am done with this year’s batch of movies: let me share my reflections on them.
As people, we’re obsessed with pattern recognition, so I could not help but look for commonalities among the nominated movies and get a sense of the “zeitgeist” in movieland. What stood out for me: all the political discourse was from foreign movies, from Brazil and Iran. The American entries this year avoided almost any kind of political position. Regarding race discourse, which was previously ever-present, only Sinners had a strong point of view. All other movies, curiously, avoided politics this year and instead focused on the individual, particularly on child-parent relationships. Loss of a child, which is the most terrible thing a parent can imagine, appeared in several movies. Loss of a parent, or a very fractured parent-child relationship, appears in many. Giving birth also appears in multiple movies. Even romantic relationships were framed in the context of the family and parenthood. For the time being, woke Hollywood is over, for better or worse, and these movies explore the less controversial trials and tribulations we go through as individual families.
Was it a good year for films? There are a couple of movies I can imagine re-watching; this was not very common in previous years’ lineups. There were quite a few hard-to-watch movies. As a parent, I can, of course, empathize with the focus on parent-child relationships, and I don’t mind this topic being explored. I am curious whether next year’s entries will continue this depoliticization. I am hoping for more ambitious, big-budget filmmaking. I am surprised to see how many of my favorites were from outside the US, with better character actors, more drama, and yet more sense of humor than many of the American studio entries. For now, after the Oscar-heavy few months, I’ll go back to my backlog of genre films and lean into just enjoying great stories well told.
My reviews for each movie
Weapons (2025) ★★★ Weapons is a modern horror movie about child disappearances in small-town America. As a horror genre fan, I liked this film, but I expected to like it more. The first 20 or so minutes are very atmospheric and scary, but I was confused when some comedic scenes were inserted, and I remained pretty confused throughout. I did not really get what the film really wanted to be. Usually, I feel very uneasy about movies where kids are at risk, but this had pretty much no emotional impact on me. Still, it was a better movie in a year where I did not really care for many movies. I read a couple of reviews and opinions afterwards, and now I understand some of the more impressionistic elements, scenes, dreams, and visions, but for some reason, they did not add up to a cohesive story.
One Battle After Another (2025) ★★★★ PT Anderson’s latest film, starring Sean Penn and Leonardo DiCaprio, is about a somewhat post-apocalyptic family of freedom fighters. I have mixed experiences with director PT Anderson. I really liked Phantom Thread, but didn’t care for Licorice Pizza, and I can’t think of any of his movies I have seen that I’d love to re-watch. OK, maybe I’ll re-watch Inherent Vice at some point. I had no specific expectations for One Battle After Another, other than my older kids liking it, which gave me hope that I’d like it, too. Indeed, it is, for me, the best American movie of this line-up. First of all, Sean Penn is outstanding as Lockjaw. I regret getting an early glimpse of some of his late-movie makeup in a trailer. I really hope he gets the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this performance. I liked the story, I really liked some of the minor characters of the movie, and I was more or less on board with the Leonardo DiCaprio character. I will consider getting the 4k disc release next year, and I’m totally open to re-watching.
Sentimental Value (2025) ★★★½ A Scandinavian multi-generational family drama about inherited mistakes and fractured relationships. I liked it. It would have been easier to watch this movie if at least one of my kids had been around for some reassuring hugs! Anyway, good movie, but one of those where I just want to shout at the characters to do something or say something, not just look on in silence. Multi-generational mistakes, somewhat frustrating characters, but overall, the movie does have its own sentimental value.
Blue Moon (2025) ★★★★ Blue Moon is a biographical comedy-drama, telling the story of the last days of Lorenz Hart. Kind of an unexpected, slow gem of a movie from this year’s Oscars line-up. Ethan Hawke is really playing against type, and it works out great. I needed a whiskey right after.
Marty Supreme (2025) ★★★½ Marty Supreme is a sports comedy-drama film directed by Josh Safdie, about the title character Marty, a hopeful ping-pong champion. I couldn’t finish Uncut Gems from the Safdie brothers; the escalating self-sabotage was unwatchable for me. So I was relieved to get through Marty Supreme relatively intact. I actually started enjoying it after a while. The self-sabotage is still there, along with bad decisions and a deeply flawed personality. I wouldn’t call Marty likable, but the movie had a certain lightness that made it enjoyable despite the flawed character. Some scenes walked that perfect line between cringe and hilarity. This is a movie I can imagine re-watching, and it’s one of the few films I’m considering purchasing on 4K Blu-ray from this year’s Oscar lineup. Shot on film, like several other big movies this year. I’m kind of digging this trend.
Bugonia (2025) ★★½ Emma Stone stars in this dark comedy about corporate inhumanity and online conspiracies. Writing this review the next day, I do think I got slightly more out of the movie just thinking about it, but I’m still not into this film at all. First, I was slightly worried about dramatic overacting based on some of the marketing material and posters, but to my relief, Emma Stone was actually perfectly fine in the movie, so that’s a plus. On the negative side, I just didn’t care about any of the characters, so in the end, I didn’t care about the movie. I think its nihilistic attitude doesn’t add to the narrative, nor does it help us process thoughts about corporate inhumanity, online conspiracies, or the state of the world. Also, for something categorized as a “comedy,” I didn’t laugh once during this film. I was grossed out by the dramatically bloody scenes, but again, I didn’t care about the character affected by said dramatic event. This year, several Oscar-nominated movies were shot on film. In this case, I think it was a waste of about 100,000 meters of film stock. The movie is mostly set in a dark, dingy basement, and the high-resolution VistaVision format was used much more effectively in the varied, sometimes epic scenes of One Battle After Another. In terms of single-location chamber dramas, this year’s Blue Moon was so much better, moving from the bar to the table, the dress cabinet, and to the stairs, playing with the space and maintaining interest throughout.
Frankenstein (2025) ★★★ Guillermo del Toro’s retelling of the classic Frankenstein story. A couple of elements in this movie slightly reduced my enjoyment. One was Oscar Isaac’s acting; it felt too theatrical and didn’t feel real to me. The other issue was poor CGI, even in emotionally critical scenes. Overall, it was enjoyable, even at its two-and-a-half-hour length. I enjoyed the gothic atmosphere, I really liked the main character played by Jacob Elordi, and I liked the weirdness of Mia Goth as Elizabeth. I was slightly worried while watching on a flight that some of the surgeries on screen might be disturbing to other passengers around me. But nobody complained! I’d say the Creature character design was so strong, even iconic, that it kind of left the door open for a sequel.
It Was Just an Accident (2025) ★★★★½ The film follows a group of former Iranian political prisoners who face the question of whether to exact revenge on a man they believe may be their tormentor. I feel like foreign films are crushing this year at the Oscars. Both It Was Just an Accident and The Secret Agent were my favorites. This story is charged with political and social commentary, like The Secret Agent, and blends comedy and drama without friction between them. The other thing that stands out to me is that, unlike all the Hollywood work we saw this year, these two foreign films feature people who look like normal people, not the top 0.01% most handsome people in the population. Lots of strong character actors who look like real people but act with such force that they bring these complex roles to life. I liked the story in It Was Just an Accident, the characters, the humor, the drama, and at the same time, it helped me understand what’s going on in Iran right now, a tiny bit better.
Train Dreams (2025) ★★★★ The film recounts the 80 years of Robert Grainier’s life around Bonners Ferry, Idaho. I was a little wary of this movie. I expected heartbreak and sadness, and I got both, but it was worth it. There’s not a lot of dialogue in this film, just emotional depth: mostly pain, love, a little joy, and a lot of wonder. Joel Edgerton is amazing in a very understated performance as an itinerant logger in turn-of-the-20th-century America. Nature is constantly present in this movie, and it’s almost dreamlike in its beauty. But it all makes sense, with the characters existing so close to nature, being so much more part of it than we are in our times, for better or worse. I recommend watching it with your loved ones nearby.
The Secret Agent (2025) ★★★★★ A 2025 neo-noir historical political thriller from Brazil. This movie captivated me from the first scene. I’m still trying to process exactly what I’ve seen, but this potent mix of a political thriller, with Elmore Leonard-like characters and outstanding production design, really won me over. Every single character was strong; the story, dialogue, and performances were outstanding. Unlike several other movies in this year’s Oscar lineup, this one confidently balanced drama, tension, and humor. Did I feel satisfied with the story arc? Not entirely, but such is real life.
Song Sung Blue (2025) ★★★½ Song Sung Blue tells the story of Lightning and Thunder, a real-life couple who created the show “Lightning & Thunder: A Neil Diamond Experience.” I found the film charming and captivating. It’s one of those movies depicting downtrodden characters with love. I’d call it a feel-good movie, even though there’s serious drama, and I had to hold back tears a few times while watching it on the plane. I didn’t mind the Neil Diamond songs, although I’m more fond of his late-period albums with Rick Rubin.
Hamnet (2025) ★★★½ The story of William Shakespeare and his wife Anne, dealing with the death of their young son. Hamnet is a devastating, massively painful film to watch. I’d been putting off watching this movie; I expected it to be hard. It was actually much harder to endure than I anticipated. I’m still unsure if a movie needs to exist with this level of the worst possible human pain. I don’t think I regret watching it. The performances were amazing, the tragedy felt real, and I cried several times. But I’m still unsure if this needs to exist at all.
F1: The Movie (2025) ★★½ Apple’s crown jewel, a Jerry Bruckheimer Formula-1 action movie, starring none other than Brad Pitt himself. God-awful dialogue, endless product placements, and every five minutes somebody reciting exposition. I’m shocked at how this streaming pile ended up on the Oscars roster. It is so bad. Sooo bad. I enjoyed it.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (2025) ★★ Linda, a psychotherapist, is stretched to her limits while caring for her daughter. The film is a very cruel downward spiral into depression. The only things I liked about the movie were the title, Rose Byrne’s performance, and Conan O’Brien’s scenes. But I just could not watch this relentless downward spiral. I had to turn off the movie after about 40 minutes. I wonder if I would have walked out of the cinema; I think I would have. Movies (and novels) are empathy training devices. I now totally get post-partum depression, but I don’t want to experience it for two and a half hours. I might be too empathic.
Sinners (2025) ★★½ Sinners is a vampire horror-musical from Ryan Coogler. It’s brimming with self-importance, and I did not enjoy it. I did not appreciate the musical numbers, and I did not connect with the characters. It was a bit of a slog to get through. Props for getting a vampire flick into the Oscars, though.
