Nate At The Movies

Best Supporting Actor

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

From his first moments on screen, Sean Penn’s Colonel Lockjaw was intimidating, insanely weird, and unexpectedly hilarious. Despite only sharing one scene with Leonardo DiCaprio in the whole of One Battle After Another, every character felt his presence in one way or another, and a lucky few got to witness his Oscar-worthy gimpy walk and his tight, unassuming shirt.

Best Supporting Actress

Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good

My most loyal readers will remember that I was absolutely obsessed with Ariana Grande’s Galinda/Glinda in Act 1, and my obsession with her continued into Act 2, but with an added appreciation for not only her dramatic turn, but the powerful, satisfying character arc of Glinda. Grande’s performance was impressive and dynamic, showcasing a wide range of emotions and anchoring a bunch of scenes in a way only future Oscar winners can.

Best Newcomer

Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

I have become quickly obsessed with Chase Infiniti, not just as a performer in One Battle After Another, but as a fashion icon as well (though that doesn’t matter for this award). Infiniti’s performance as Willa was incredibly impressive, delivering action and emotion expected from seasoned actors. It’s crazy that she’s getting Best Actress Oscar buzz in her first role, but it’s totally deserved. She’ll be getting plenty of work real soon, because she was electric.

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Timothée Chalamet was outstanding as the titular Marty, and his performance was easily the best of the year, not to mention a potential career-best as well. The role demanded so much, not just physically, but emotionally as well, and Chalamet met those demands in every scene. Even with a bunch of solid side characters, Chalamet made this a one-man show, and he is every bit deserving of his first Oscar (and Natey).

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

I side with just about everyone on this when I say that Jessie Buckley brought the house down. What a layered, tragic, emotionally heavy performance! I haven’t seen much of her career, but this has to be the pinnacle. I’ve cried in maybe three movies in my life, and she got me multiple times today. Transcendent, powerful, Oscar winner, easy.

Best Screenplay

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

You wouldn’t think Sinners was a horror movie after watching the first act without having seen the trailer beforehand, because Coogler spends so much time with the main ensemble, exploring their connections, motivations, and setting the scene for the horrors to follow. There was a surprising earnestness and heart to the opening hour, one that really endeared me to all of the characters and smartly didn’t bother with the vampires until the foundation had been laid. Coogler’s patience in the first half of the film paid off perfectly once the horror began to unfold.

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

From the jump, the sheer adrenaline and energy of this film was palpable, and PTA’s direction was expectedly uber-confident. He wasted no time bringing the viewer into the world of the French 75 and endearing us to them quickly as well. Between the extensive, impressive action sequences and the unrelenting tension and violence, One Battle After Another had my undivided attention for its entire runtime (a runtime that flew by, even at 2.5+ hours).

Best Cinematography

Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Train Dreams was patient, absolutely gorgeous, and so difficult to watch, in the best way. As an admirer of many National Parks, I’m aware that the American landscape is gorgeous, but rarely has it been so artfully and carefully shot. I rarely appreciate really intentional and engaging cinematography, but there were a number of shots in this film that struck a chord with me (I was especially partial to the wide shots of the men sitting on the trees talking in the first act).

Best Original Score

Michael Giacchino, The Fantastic 4: First Steps

Michael Giacchino perfectly punctuated this world with his score, and I think the score is one of his best. The theme was immediately iconic, speaking the same way that John Williams’ Superman theme does, and it nailed both the 50s/60s “Carousel of Progress” innovative energy and the whimsy of such a colorful world. Giacchino’s score oozed with personality, separating itself instantly from the music of every other Marvel film I’ve seen.

Best Original Song

“Golden” by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, KPop Demon Hunters

To be more specific, the Natey for Best Original Song can only go to a song that’s used in the narrative of the movie, be it in the background or diegetic. I’m tired of songs in the credits winning Oscars, so the Nateys are changing that, starting with “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters. This was the song of the summer, and one I’ve been singing and hearing in my classroom all school year long. The race for this award was close, but HUNTR/X just edged out the Saja Boys’ “Your Idol”, the two best songs from the best original musical of the year.

Best Animated Film

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Little Amélie captured the magic that I’m always looking for, and it’s the closest thing that I’ve gotten to one of the great Pixar or Studio Ghibli films in a few years. Everything, from plants and water to people, were vibrantly, unpredictably colored and made every scene and shot pop. Amélie’s story was incredibly engaging and surprisingly deep, and this movie served as one of the few examples of a “slice of life” story that I actually really connected to. This one’s special, and I hope it doesn’t become forgotten under the mound of franchises and CGI slop that us silly Americans seem to be cranking out like they’re going out of style.

Biggest Surprise

KPop Demon Hunters

The Natey for Biggest Surprise will always go to a new release, and there was no new release that I had less faith in that totally proved me wrong than KPop Demon Hunters. When I saw KPop Demon Hunters pop up in the popular movies on Letterboxd, I thought nothing of it, but then the positive and obsessed reviews started rolling in. As a film loyalist, I knew had to check it out, but I didn’t know I’d contribute to the pile of positive and obsessed reviews. It was also one of four 2025 releases that I watched twice in the year, which is quite the feat.

Best Theater Experience

Superman (AMC NorthPark 15, Dallas, TX)

Not only was Superman the first IMAX movie I had gone to since elementary school, but it was so cool to go to an opening night superhero movie with a packed auditorium of people who knew way more than I did about Superman and cheered for literally everything. I now get what the Marvel fans love so much about the MCU. Going to see Superman in IMAX was the most communal theater experience I’ve had in a long time, and it was awesome.

Best Old Favorite

Jurassic Park (1993)

The Natey for Best Old Favorite will go to the best movie that I saw in 2025 that didn’t release in 2025, and for this year, Jurassic Park takes home the award. From every angle, Jurassic Park was crafted perfectly, from the story to the terrors to the iconic score. I don’t think I’m sad that I hadn’t seen Jurassic Park until I was 24—I’m surprised it took so long for me to get to it. Never has a film entered my all-time favorites as quickly or confidently as Jurassic Park will, and it really sucks that none of the other films in the franchise seemingly hold a candle to it.

Best Adaptation Appreciation Film

The Princess Bride (1987)

For the uninitiated, I set a goal at the beginning of 2025 to read a book that had a film adaptation every month to get me into reading. That goal is known as Adaptation Appreciation, and it should come as no surprise that my first read of the year, William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, would also end up as the best read and watch of the year. The film was almost an exact replica of the magical and clever book, and I now have a great problem in deciding which version of this perfect story is better.

Best Picture

One Battle After Another

The first-ever race for the Natey for Best Picture was a tight one, but ultimately, One Battle After Another edged out hotshot newcomer Marty Supreme. I saw this film in theaters twice, an honor that only a few films received this year (Superman and Sinners did as well), and I had every reason to. From the performances—vote-getters like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Chase Infiniti—to the confident direction and cinematography to a captivating story and frantic score, just about everything about One Battle After Another blew me away.