SMALLS OSCAR PICKS 2026

 Out of the Oscar nominations, here is who I would pick for each category. A *** indicates my pick for the corresponding category.

BEST ACTOR

Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another

***Timothy Chalamet - Marty Supreme 

Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon

Wagner Moura - The Secret Agent

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Benicio Del Toro - One Battle After Another

***Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein

Delroy Lindo - Sinners

Sean Penn - One Battle After Another

Stellan Skarsgard  - Sentimental Value

BEST ACTRESS

***Jessie Buckley - Hamnet

Rose Byrne - If I had Legs I'd Kick You

Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value

Emma Stone - Bugonia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value

***Amy Madigan - Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku - Sinners

Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Arco

Elio

KPop Demon Hunters

***Little Amelie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2

BEST CASTING

Nina Gold - Hamnet

Jennifer Venditti - Marty Supreme 

Cassandra Kulukundis - One Battle After Another

Gabriel Domingues - The Secret Agent

***Francine Maisler - Sinners 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dan Laustsen - Frankenstein

Darius Khondji - Marty Supreme

Michael Bauman - One Battle After Another

***Autumn Durald Arkapaw - Sinners

Adolpho Veloso - Train Dreams

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Deborah L. Scott - Avatar: Fire and Ash

***Kate Hawley - Frankenstein

Malgosia Turzanska - Hamnet

Miyako Bellizzi - Marty Supreme

Ruth E. Carter - Sinners

BEST DIRECTOR

Chloe Zhao - Hamnet

***Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another

Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler - Sinners

BEST EDITING

***Stephen Mirrione - F1

Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme

Andy Jurgensen - One Battle After Another

Olivier Bugge Coutte - Sentimental Value

Michael P. Shawver - Sinners

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

***Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey - Frankenstein

Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu - Kokuho

Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry - Sinners

Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein - The Smashing Machine

Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg - The Ugly Stepsister

BEST SCORE

Jerskin Fendrix - Bugonia

Alexandre Desplat - Frankenstein

Max Richter - Hamnet

Jonny Greenwood - One Battle After Another

***Ludwig Goransson - Sinners

BEST SONG 

Dear Me - from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

Golden - from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park

***I Lied to You - from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson

Sweet Dreams of Joy - from Viva Verdi!; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike

Train Dreams - from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave

BEST PICTURE

Bugonia

F1

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme 

***One Battle After Another (TIE)

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau - Frankenstein

Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton - Hamnet

Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis - Marty Supreme

Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino - One Battle After Another

***Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne - Sinners

BEST SOUND

***Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta - F1

Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern - Frankenstein

José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio and Tony Villaflor - One Battle After Another

Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor and Steve Boeddeker - Sinners

Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas and Yasmina Praderas - Sirat

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

***Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett - Avatar: Fire and Ash

Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington and Keith Dawson - F1

David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan and Neil Corbould - Jurassic World: Rebirth

Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen and Brandon K. McLaughlin - The Lost Bus

Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter and Donnie Dean - Sinners

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Will Tracy - Bugonia

Guillermo del Toro - Frankenstein

Chloé Zhao & Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet

***Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another

Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar - Train Dreams

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Robert Kaplow - Blue Moon

Jafar Panahi - It Was Just An Accident

Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme

***Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler - Sinners

SMALLS' BEST OF 2026

 2026 was a great year for film! Let's celebrate by taking a look at my nominations and wins for the year! The rules are there can only be up to 20 nominations in each category. Whenever you see a *, it indicates this film is one of the top in it's designated category/s.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

*Sinners

Warfare

*Fantastic Four: First Steps (WINNER)

*Wolf Man

*Train Dreams

*Wicked: For Good

*Marty Supreme

*Hamnet

*Frankenstein

*The Ugly Stepsister

*Until Dawn

Shelby Oaks

BEST SCREENPLAY

*One Battle After Another

*Sinners

*Marty Supreme

*Sentimental Value (WINNER)

Bring Her Back

*Weapons

*Frankenstein

*The Long Walk

*Train Dreams

Jay Kelly

Wake Up Dead Man

Hamnet

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Blue Moon

SCORE

*Sinners (WINNER)

Weapons

*One Battle After Another

Wolf Man

*Fantastic Four: First Steps

*Superman

*The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

Hamnet

*Train Dreams

*Frankenstein

*Tron: Ares

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Shelby Oaks

*Sinners (WINNER)

*One Battle After Another

Warfare

*Bring Her Back

*Wolf Man

*Fantastic Four: First Steps

*Superman

*28 Years Later

The Long Walk

*Frankenstein

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Hamnet

*Sentimental Value

Black Phone 2

Keeper

*Lurker

*Train Dreams

Jay Kelly

*Wake Up Dead Man

*Marty Supreme

*Tron: Ares

Until Dawn

Weapons

*F1

No Other Choice

EDITING

*Sinners (WINNER)

*One Battle After Another

Warfare

*Bring Her Back

*The Long Walk

*Frankenstein

*Train Dreams

Tron: Ares

*Weapons

*Marty Supreme

*Sentimental Value

*Wolf Man

Hamnet

*If I had Legs I'd Kick You 

*F1

No Other Choice

BEST ACTOR

*Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another

*Michael B. Jordan - Sinners

*Miles Caton - Sinners

*Josh Brolin - Weapons

Peter Dinklage - The Toxic Avenger

*Timothy Chalamet - Marty Supreme (WINNER)

*Joel Edgarton - Train Dreams

George Clooney - Jay Kelly

*Josh O'Connor - Wake Up Dead Man

Jesse Plemons - Bugonia

*Paul Mescal - Hamnet

*Cooper Hoffman - The Long Walk

*Alfie Williams - 28 Years Later

*David Jonsson - The Long Walk

*Christopher Abbott - Wolf Man

*Brad Pitt - F1

*Stellan Skarsgard - Sentimental Value

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 

Jack Quaid - Companion

*Sean Penn - One Battle After Another

*Benicio Del Toro - One Battle After Another

*Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein (WINNER)

William H. Macy - Train Dreams

*Conan O'Brien - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

*A$AP Rocky - If I had Legs I'd Kick You

Tyler the Creator - Marty Supreme

Kevin O'Leary - Marty Supreme

*Jack O'Connell - Sinners

Aidan Delbis - Bugonia

BEST ACTRESS

Sophie Thatcher - Companion

*Jessie Buckley - Hamnet (WINNER)

*Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value

*Ariana Grande - Wicked: For Good

*Julia Gardner - Weapons

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

*Amy Madigan - Weapons

*Emily Watson - Hamnet

*Hailee Steinfeld - Sinners

Andrene Ward-Hammond - Sinners

*Sally Hawkins - Bring Her Back

*Judy Greer - The Long Walk

*Chase Infiniti - One Battle After Another (WINNER)

Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value

Inga Ilbsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value

*Odessa A'Zion - Marty Supreme

*Glenn Close - Wake Up Dead Man

*Riley Keough - Jay Kelly

Rebecca Ferguson - A House of Dynamite

BEST DIRECTOR

**Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another (WINNER)

Guillermo Del Toro - Frankenstein

Chloe Zhao - Hamnet

Noah Baumbach - Jay Kelly

**Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme

*Mary Bronstein - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

*Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value

*Rian Johnson - Wake Up Dead Man

*Clint Bentley - Train Dreams

*Ryan Coogler - Sinners

Alex Garland, Ray Mendoza - Warfare

*Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou - Bring Her Back

Mike Flanagan - The Life of Chuck

*Zach Cregger - Weapons

*Francis Lawrence - The Long Walk

BEST SOUND DESIGN

*Wolf Man

*F1 (WINNER)

*Warfare

*If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

*Sinners

Weapons

*Marty Supreme

*Train Dreams

*One Battle After Another

28 Years Later

BEST CASTING

*Weapons

Hamnet

One Battle After Another

**Sinners (WINNER)

*The Life of Chuck

*The Long Walk

Sentimental Value

Jay Kelly

The Lost Bus

**Marty Supreme

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

*Hamnet

*Marty Supreme

*Sinners

*The Ugly Stepsister

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Train Dreams

Wicked: For Good

*Frankenstein (WINNER)

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

*The Ugly Stepsister

*Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

*Sinners

Wicked: For Good

*Hamnet

*Frankenstein (WINNER)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Tron: Ares

Avatar: Fire and Ash (WINNER)

The Lost Bus

BEST ANIMATED FILM

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (WINNER)

Zootopia 2

Little Amelie or The Character of Rain

BEST PICTURE

One Battle After Another (WINNER)

Marty Supreme 

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Warfare

Weapons

Wake Up Dead Man

Train Dreams

The Life of Chuck

Bring Her Back

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Jay Kelly

Companion

The Long Walk

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Loony Tunes Movie

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Friendship

Fantastic Four: First Steps

Thunderbolts

WORST FILMS OF 2025

26. Tron: Ares

25. Wicked: For Good

24. The Carpenter's Son

23. Love Hurts

22. Clown in a Cornfield

21. The Amateur

20. Jurassic World: Rebirth

19. The Woman in the Yard

18. Death of a Unicorn

17. Captain America: Brave New World

16. The Surfer

15. Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare

14. Until Dawn

13. M3GAN 2.0

12. Him

11. Opus

10. The Electric State

9. A Minecraft Movie

8. Five Nights at Freddy's 2

7. Bambi: The Reckoning

6. Hell House LLC lineage

5. Snow White

4. The Strangers: Chapter 2

3. Hurry Up Tomorrow

2. Happy Gilmore 2

1. War of the Worlds

MARKIPLER'S IRON LUNG IS A RARITY

Iron Lung is set in the far future where a catastrophic event known as “The Quiet Rapture” has caused all the known stars and habitable planets to mysteriously disappear, leaving only those who were on space stations or starships. With supplies dwindling and infrastructure crumbling, survivors search for any trace of natural resources they can use. Convict Simon (Markiplier) is sent on a suicide mission to explore an ocean of blood on a desolate moon in the hopes that he might find something, anything that could save the last remnants of humanity.  Alone on a rickety sub, he is told that if he survives he will earn his freedom. When his mission takes a turn for the worst, Simon will not only have to fight off his crumbling sanity but also the horrors that lurk underneath the bloody waves. 

The day has finally arrived. Beloved YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fishbach (listed only as Markiplier in the credits) releases his first ever theatrical movie. Mark not only stars in Iron Lung, he also directs, penns the screenplay by himself, is in charge of editing duties, and even self-financed the project (That means no production logos play before the film). Yes, this is a wildly ambitious film. Iron Lung is a rarity in that it is a genuine low-budget independent movie.

Mark as an actor is pretty good, considering he is working off of voices for the majority of the film. His acting isn’t unlike how he acts during his Let’s Plays, but he still does a convincing and emotional job. He competently carries the entirety of the  film on his back. No easy task, believe you me. Mark throws himself through the wringer, allowing himself to be tossed around like a rag doll, drowned in torrential rivers of blood, and even gets to play with some very gross practical prosthetics/effects (the CGI seldomly utilized is quite good as well). His effort and dedication do not go unnoticed.

Iron Lung is a wild and experimental sci-fi psychological survival horror movie. It’s not made for general audiences. Running at around two hours, the film is slowly paced and, while there’s a lot of lore and story included, there isn’t always much going on on-screen to keep audiences awake and engaged. The audio in my theater was pretty muted, so I had to strain to make sure I could hear what was being said (I’m assuming this was an issue with my theater and not the film, but I could be wrong). The strongest portions are the first and third act. The final minutes in particular are really gripping.

Iron Lung is effectively claustrophobic and tense for most of its run-time. You will feel like you were trapped aboard the “Iron Lung” with poor Simon by the time the end credits roll. Questions involving faith, science, the trustworthiness of those who orchestrated the mission, and Simon’s sanity are raised throughout. Most is explained by the end, but Iron Lung does a pretty good job at keeping audiences guessing right up till the end.

The score is done by Andrew Hulshult, who scored the new Doom games. It sounds very good and assists in upping the tension or adrenaline at certain moments.The cinematography by Philip Roy is crisp, clear, and more than competent. The sole set used is very cool, but the budgetary restraints can be evidenced in some parts (mainly the control panel and camera screen). The costume for Simon is very cool as well.

Iron Lung was a clear labor of love for all involved. While the final product likely won’t win any awards, long-time gamers and fans of Markiplier should find something to enjoy here. Iron Lung impresses and surprises more than it doesn’t. It’s also the rare good (very good, actually) video game movie. Good job, Mark. I’ll see you in the next review. BUH-BYE!!!!

4 STARS

SAM RAIMI SENDS HELP

 Linda Liddell (Rachel McAdams) is an unappreciated over-achiever and Suvivor (as in the tv show) enthusiast who works in strategy and planning. Promised a VP position by her former boss, she is heart-broken when his nepo baby dickhead son, Bradley (Dylan O’Brien), takes over and passes the job to one of his college buddies (a mini Patrick Bateman named Donovan, played by Xavier Samuel). When their private jet headed for a corporate meeting crashes into the ocean during a fierce storm, Linda and Bradley wash up on the same deserted island. They carry their ugly corporate politics from their previous lives onto the island, and a desperate fight for dominance ensues.

Sam Raimi returns to original films after mixed reactions to 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Raimi continues his signature taste for oddball dark humor, this time leaning fully into the comedy aspect of survival films. Send Help is a comedically cartoonish take on Cast Away or Survivor. A good portion of the movie feels like an extended take on the SpongeBob episode where SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward find themselves stranded on an island.

This film refuses to take itself seriously, despite there being a good deal of darkness and messed-up stuff going on, especially in the last 35 minutes. The cinematography is handled by Bill Pope. It’s competently done, but shines most during the first 20 minutes on the mainland. The score is composed by Danny Elfman and he does an impressive job as usual. There is a lot of CGI used throughout and all of it is ugly, bad, obvious, and overly cartoony. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien are entertaining in their respective roles. It’s appreciated neither are particularly likable by the end.

Those looking for horror are bound to be disappointed as this one is basically a straight-up dark comedy. Easter Eggs to look out for include the necklace from Evil Dead being worn by Linda during the first act and a sequence that hearkens back to Raimi’s beloved Deadites. Send Help isn’t quite the return to form or return to horror fans have been screaming for as Raimi’s main interest these days seems to be making goofy, darkly comedic, feature-length live-action cartoons. Despite my complaints, Send Help is still a wildly entertaining time at the theater.

3.5 STARS

THE MONKEY GOES APE

 IT’S NOT A TOY!

In The Monkey, a seemingly harmless wind-up monkey brings horrific death to those around him when he is played with. Twin brothers Hal and Bill (Theo James) are unexpectedly re-united with their old foe when they near middle age. Now, they must find a way to stop the monkey before everyone they know dies. 

The Monkey is a dark absurdist horror-comedy. It’s ultra-dark and ultra-silly. It’s like a different flavor of the Final Destination franchise. Most of the deaths are unrealistic (one person explodes into a red mist when hit with the single blast of a shotgun, ditto for another who gets electrocuted) and played for laughs. Tatiana Maslany leaves an impression as Lois, the woefully unequipped single mother of our protagonists. Colin O’Brien plays Peter, the son of Hal. He reminds of a young Kyle Gallner (I suppose one could also compare him to Douglas Smith, but that would just be mean). 

Theo James leads the film with ease, playing two VERY different characters with distinct personalities. There aren’t many camera tricks utilized, but you still believe him as both Bill and Hal (though Hal gets much more screen time, is the star of the movie, and might be the more likable of the twins). 

Christian Convery also impresses as Young Hal and Young Bill. It’s easy to buy Convery and James as the same characters at different ages, and each are very memorable and do excellent work. Convery is a lot of fun (I personally found his portrayal of Bill to be more entertaining), Theo James plays neurotic and freaked out incredibly well as Hal (James’ portrayal of Bill is more unhinged and wild than Convery’s, but it makes sense for the character), and James’ deep dulcet tones he affects for the role are very pleasing. 

Rohan Campbell (Corey Cunningham in Halloween Ends) is in a decent amount of the film as Thrasher, a drooling metal head adorned with a hilariously ugly and fake rocker mullet that perpetually covers his eyes (think 80s hair bands). Campbell is clearly having a blast turning his brain off, and he plays the role very well. That said, he isn’t given much to do and the role doesn’t ask a lot from him. Still great to see him on the big screen though. Campbell isn’t the only notable surprise appearance from a known actor. I won’t spoil any, but two in particular are a delight.

Despite The Monkey being a horror-comedy with a heavy emphasis on comedy, it’s not afraid to take time out to sprinkle in a little pathos and explore the relationship between Bill and Hal, or the relationship between Hal and Peter. It’s not much, but it’s enough. The extra effort to ground the increasingly ridiculous proceedings is appreciated.

Some are certain to experience the law of diminishing returns with The Monkey. I could see how exaggerated deaths might get less and less funny each time, and a good deal of the deaths utilize not-great CGI. There’s some dead air in-between the deaths and scenes featuring the titular monkey. There’s also a bit of a shoe-drop somewhere in the second act that changes the trajectory/course of the film. That said, if you’re on this weird, gory little flick’s wavelength, a great, bloody time is just about guaranteed. I know I had an absolute blast with The Monkey. You want my advice? Wind it up and see what happens.

4 STARS

2025 CATCH-UP: COMPANION FLIPS THE BREAK-UP FILM GENRE ON ITS EAR

 Josh brings his new gf Iris to a “little rustic cabin in the woods” (see: A luxurious and modern house) to party with his friends for the weekend. Their plans spiral violently out of control when, in an act of self-defense, Iris murders the host. This leads to a whole slew of revelations and a new goal: capture the escaped Iris before things get any worse. 

Not as much of a comedy as the trailers made it out to be. Companion is more of an ultra-dark and brutal breakup film about love, survival, and betrayal. There are multiple twists and turns, with each new revelation bringing our protagonists down darker paths.Sophie Thatcher leads the film well-enough as Iris, a likable and naive “emotional support robot…that also fucks”. 

Harvey Guillen makes his minor supporting role of Eli count (same goes double for Lukas Gage as his partner, Patrick). Megan Suri plays Kay, a ex-flame of Jack Quaid’s Josh, who is busy dating a shady rich Russian. It’s clear that Josh and her still kind-of have a thing for each other. Despite Kat’s tendency to bristle whenever Iris is around, she seems nice enough but even she is hiding darker layers. 

Jack Quaid starts out likable enough, but as things continue to spiral horrifically out of control his mask slips, revealing the monster underneath. Yeah, Jack Quaid knows how to play a damn good villain. Years before his starring role in 5cream he played Marvel in The Hunger Games, who would infamously murder Rue. So yeah, he’s been working at the villain thing for a while now, and this might be his most effective turn yet. 

The last 30 minutes are where Companion is at its peak. Don’t expect to feel uplifted or happy when this relatively short film ends: There is A LOT of murder, and those who survive might walk away with a newfound sense of purpose, but will likely always carry some amount of emotional scarring regardless. Companion is a smart, savvy, great film. It starts out as a ton of fun, but expect your smile to fade as events grow progressively more gruesome and fucked-up. Definitely a unique breakup film, as it has much more on its mind than a simple breakup.

4 STARS