2025 Blitz's Backlot Awards
The only awards that actually matter.
I am beyond thrilled to kick off 2025 on Blitz’s Backlot by handing out my awards for the year’s best and worst films, actors, actresses, directors, and more.
Awards season is undoubtedly a contentious time in our little film community, so this is my attempt to add even more spark to the always burning fire.
I have mixed feeling towards the Oscars, Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and numerous other honors out there because storytelling is meant to be a subjective endeavor. For every person in love with a film there is going to be someone out there who hates it. It is just the nature of the game. That said, there is something very special about taking time to appreciate the performers, writers, and directors who had a profound impact on the year. For better or for worse, it makes for an entertaining and provocative discourse that we love here at Blitz’s Backlot.
Thank you for reading Blitz’s Backlot! A newsletter for movie and tv junkies featuring discussions, reviews, and recommendations about the latest in entertainment.
I want to start out with the most important award, my personal top-10. This is not the most important because my opinion is any more valuable than yours, it’s most important because it embodies the spirit of film critique… everyone is going to interpret art differently. Therefore, we should celebrate what means the most to us! This is me encouraging you to make your own top-10 list and post it in the comments. The discourse around these lists is always the most entertaining anyways.
It was a diverse range of films that made it into my top-10 this year! I have blockbusters, animation, dramas, comedies, and even romcoms on this list. Each one of these movies spoke to me in a unique and impactful way and I am very satisfied with the wide range of genres I was able to appreciate over the year.
Dune: Part Two
The only film of 2024 that I gave a perfect 10 out of 10 score to! Denis Villeneuve achieved something remarkably special with Dune: Part Two. The score, writing, set design, performances, and costumes all came together to create a cinematic model for blockbuster filmmaking that will be used for generations to come. Villeneuve is worthy of all praise and establishes himself as one of the best directors alive today.
Within the first 15 minutes of the film, I immediately knew that this was no ordinary movie. The scene where Paul and Jessica are hiding from the Harkonnen warriors in the desert and we feel and hear their dead bodies thumping one-by-one to the ground was so intense that it transported you directly to Arrakis. It is a scene that should win Dune: Part Two every award there is for sound design! It was a highlight for me.
The film then settles in as we meet the Fremen, headlined by the extremely talented and laugh-out-loud funny Stilgar, brilliantly played by Javier Bardem. The religious conflict between his sect and Chani's sect was not only extremely important to the plot, but also added another level of complexity to an already extremely captivating story. It just worked so well.
The best moment of Dune: Part Two for me was undoubtedly the worm-riding scene. This was already immensely emotional as we felt the necessity for Paul to be accepted as the Lisan al Gaib. The score, visual effects, and the contrast between the Paul's quiet focused mind and the loud, disruptive sandworm took that emotion to another level and had me tearing up. It was an incredibly moving moment.
The final act was so gripping. It just flew by. The fight scenes felt immense, but also intimate and emotional. In fact, that is a theme throughout this film. The final confrontation with Austin Butler's Feyd-Rautha and the sacrifice Paul and Chani's relationship must take is as equally exhilarating as it is heartbreaking. This sacrifice is a departure from the novel, and I got to say I like it better than the original text. What a performance by Chalamet and Zendaya, by the way.
Part 1 is that much better now that Part 2 is here, and this legendary novel finally has a worthy motion-picture counterpart.
Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)
Sebastian Stan’s performance as a young Donald Trump is so convincing and so strong that it makes sitting through this film almost as unbearable as his first 4 years in office.
I found it almost scary how much Sebastian Stan looked, sounded, and acted like Trump. He transports you back in time. All the little mannerisms, facial expressions, and vocal affects were spot on. The ability to craft such an overwhelming transformation is genuinely remarkable and worthy of all honors.
This was a career defining performance for Sebastian Stan. He establishes himself as a bonified Hollywood A-lister.
Mikey Madison (Anora)
Madison bursts on the scene and delivers a timeless performance in Anora that will be talked about forever. She masterfully crafts a character that is full of life and depth.
Anora is a character that encapsulates beautiful despair and makes you laugh, cry, and speculate up until the film’s final moment. This is all credit to Mikey Madison, who proves that not only is she widely talented, but is also daring and adventurous when it comes to her roles.
Yura Borisov (Anora)
Borisov is the first Russian actor to be nominated for a performance category in over 40 years and rightfully so! He delivered my favorite performance of the entire year due to his subtle yet hilarious portrayal of a bodyguard.
Anora as a whole works so well because it faultlessly blends comedy and drama. The comedy flows through Borisov’s character. Without him, the film does not achieve what it sets out to.
Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)
Conclave is an intense, gripping thriller that keeps you on your toes and has twists and turns no one sees coming. Despite all that excitement, Rossellini is still a scene stealer!
Her character’s presence initially hides in the background of the Conclave as the boisterous cardinals attempt to convince each other of their papacy. But when she proves to be holding essential information for the cause, Rossellini’s character dominates the screen due to her fierce, blunt demeanor. This performance casts a massive shadow over the rest of the film’s biggest stars and is as much powerful as it is captivating.
Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two)
First and foremost, the Oscars snubbing Villeneuve of a Best Director nomination is beyond comprehension. It is all the proof you need to not take any of these award shows too seriously!
Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two expertly adapts one of the most important science fiction texts of all time and somehow makes it even better. His achievement in direction created one of the best cinematic experiences of all-time and will be highly influential for science fiction filmmaking of the future.
Villeneuve has the special ability to emit a sense of vastness while also making the audience feel close and intimately tied to the action. It is truly a one of a kind talent and it is on display throughout Dune: Part Two.
Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot)
A film that has themes and lessons so universal adults and kids alike will fall in love with it is only as effective as it is because of Kris Bowers’ beautiful score.
Bowers elicits so much emotion out of the film’s characters that they almost feel synonymous with one another. It is not everyday that a score becomes an actual character in a film and Bowers is able to achieve that that in The Wild Robot.
Here
I was beyond excited for this Robert Zemeckis reunion with Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and, unfortunately, left feeling pretty disappointed. Here is quirky and has some very charming moments, but suffers from a rather mundane plot, underdeveloped characters, and pretty dodgy de-aging technology.
With many of the scenes taking place back by the window and couch that you can see in the image above, some pretty pivotal moments are not captured up close. This creates the illusion that we, the audience, are merely flies on the wall in this ever-changing room. An interesting stylistic choice, sure, but one that often removes a necessary amount of emotion from the on-going story.
Emilia Pérez
A minimizing and shallow story that uses artsy techniques, colors, and cinematography to mask its ill-conceived plot and misrepresentation of the queer experience.
I struggle to understand how The Academy can celebrate such a superficial musical that doesn't even have good songs. It is a shame that this film is nominated so many times at the expense of movies like Dune: Part Two, Challengers, and The Apprentice. Come on Academy… do better!
Additional Reading
What I am watching, listening, reading, and playing this week.
Philadelphia
An incredibly moving story with two generational performances. The pre-trial scene when the entire Beckett family is gathered around to show support for Andrew is beyond powerful. It is a moment that everyone in the world could use a rewatch of in today’s climate.
Severance (Season 2)
The best show on television right now is back for season 2! If you are not watching Severance, you are missing out on a generational story that will go down in history as one of the best all-time. Get refining!
GNX
Since his Super Bowl halftime performance, I haven’t been able to get enough of Kendrick Lamar’s GNX. It is an album that listens like a story with a tremendous amount of symbolism and meaning.
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Brandon Sanderson is one of the best fantasy/sci-fi writers today and you will absolutely adore his writing in Tress of the Emerald Sea. I was new to his work and this book will open up a massive range of series, standalone novels, and novellas to enjoy in the same universe.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
The best Indiana Jones story of the last few decades comes in video game form. The Great Circle features a captivating story full of the same emotion and action the original Indiana Jones films executed so well. I have been loving this single-player experience!
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