This is the 13th year of my annual awards and, on the whole, this was probably the best year during that time. In fact, there are at least three of those years when any one of the top six films below would have taken top spot.
Eligible films are those that were released in the UK for the first time in 2025 whether that is in the cinemas, TV or on the ever increasing numbers of streaming / video on demand services. I saw a total of 377 films this year and, despite the quality at the top being so high, my average score out of 10 was 5.84 as compared to 6.35 last year. As always, there are a few that potentially could have featured below that I did not manage to squeeze in, such as The Regulars, Game and Good Fortune.
All mentions of the film Christy are for the Irish drama, not the boxing movie from the USA.
MOST OVERRATED
Mickey 17, Bugonia, Die My Love, Good Boy, Life of Chuck, The Smashing Machine, The Phoenician Scheme and Highest 2 Lowest are all films that received generally good reviews but I did not care for them. 28 Years Later, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and to a lesser extent, Hedda were ones I generally liked but were way overpraised, and that also applies to my runner up. The winner, though, was also a critical favourite that I found very troublesome.
Runner Up: One Battle After Another
Winner: Pillion
MOST UNDERRATED
Honourable mentions: Flight Risk, Gazer, September 5 and The Lost Bus.
Runner Up: 2073
Winner: Alto Knights
MOST OVERLOOKED
This award is reserved for a film that was released but received little or no attention, whether good or bad.
Honourable mentions: Odyssey, The Inheritance and She Walks in Darkness.
Runner Up: Good One
Winner: Millers in Marriage
BEST SEQUEL/REMAKE/REBOOT
Honourable mentions: 28 Years Later, The Naked Gun, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, The Family Plan 2 and Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues
10: The Running Man
9: An Invitation to Murder: A Death in Cairo
8: Ice Road: Vengeance
7: Jurassic World: Rebirth
6: Nobody 2
5: Final Destination: Bloodlines
4: The Accountant 2
3: Bridget Jones : Mad About the Boy
Runner Up: Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning
Winner: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
BEST PURE POPCORN MOVIE
Honourable mentions: Final Destination: Bloodlines, F1 and Play Dirty
Runner Up: Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning
Winner: Drop
BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE
Honourable mentions: A Merry Little Ex-Mas, Christmas Above the Clouds and Silent Night Deadly Night
Runner Up: Goodbye June
Winner: Jingle Bell Heist
BEST SCORE
Honourable mentions: Matthew Carter (Gazer), Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist), Bryce Dessner (Train Dreams), Tony Doogan (Relay), Paul Leonard-Morgan (Inheritance), Anne Dudley & Peter James Millson (Signs of Life) and Volker Bertelmann (A House of Dynamite)
5: Ludwig Goransson (Sinners)
4: Bobby Krlic (Anemone)
3: Blanck Mass (She Rides Shotgun)
Runner Up: David Holmes (Black Bag)
Winner: The The (Odyssey)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Honourable Mention: Antidote and Kenny Dalglish
5: The Librarians
4: Grenfell Uncovered
3: Close Up
Runner Up: Stand or Fall: The Remarkable Rise of Brighton and Hove Albion
Winner: Ocean with David Attenborough
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Honourable Mentions: Colm Hogan (Christy), Barry Ackroyd (A House of Dynamite), Ben Fordesman (Anemone), Matheus Bastos (Gazer), Clarissa Cappellani (Brides), Korsshan Schlauer (Odyssey) and Sverre Sørdal (Sister Midnight).
10: Ava Berkofsky (One of Them Days)
9: Claudio Miranda (F1)
8: Michael Bauman (One Battle After Another)
7: David J. Thompson (Warfare)
6: Elliot Millson (Signs of Life)
5: Steven Soderbergh (Black Bag)
4: Jackson Hunt (Inheritance)
3: Steven Soderbergh (Presence)
Runner Up: Adolpho Veloso (Train Dreams)
Winner: Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners)
BEST BRITISH OR IRISH FILM
Honourable Mentions: Ocean with David Attenborough, Brides, Grenfell Uncovered, Urchin, The Choral, Steve, Bridget Jones : Mad About the Boy and Mr Burton
10: Christy
9: Protein
8: The Last Swim
7: Signs of Life
6: Hallow Road
5: Lollipop
4: I Swear
3: The Ballad of Wallis Island
Runner Up: Hard Truths
Winner: On Falling
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Honourable Mentions: Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), Asif Kapadia (2073), India Donaldson (Good One), François Ozon and Philippe Piazzo (When Autumn Falls), Rian Johnson (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery), Zach Creggar (Weapons), Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza (Warfare), Mohammad Rasoulof (Seed of the Sacred Fig) and Daisy-May Hudson (Lollipop)
10: Sasha Nathwani and Helen Simmons (Last Swim)
9: Petra Biondina Volpe (Late Shift)
8: Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)
7: Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)
6: Noah Oppenheim (A House of Dynamite)
5: Edward Burns (Millers in Marriage)
4: Laura Carreira (On Falling)
3: David Koepp (Black Bag)
Runner Up: Mike Leigh (Hard Truths)
Winner: Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum and Alex David (September 5)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Honourable Mentions: Daniel Auteuil and Steven Mitz (An Ordinary Case), James Vanderbilt (Nuremberg), Max Porter (Steve), Jeff Pope (The Penguin Lessons), Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright (The Running Man) and Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer & Abi Morgan (Bridget Jones : Mad About the Boy)
10: Tony Burke and Mike Oughton (Protein)
9: Shane Black (Play Dirty)
8: Brad Ingelsby and Paul Greengrass (The Lost Bus)
7: Brendan Canty and Alan O’Gorman (Christy)
6: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar (Train Dreams)
5: Charlie Huston (Caught Stealing)
4: Kirk Jones (I Swear)
3: Robdert Kaplow (Blue Moon)
Runner Up: Dolores Fonzi, Laura Paredes, Agustina San Martín and Nicolás Britos (Belén)
Winner: Tom Basden and Tim Key (The Ballad of Wallis Island)
THE JARED LETO AWARD FOR WORST ACTOR
Having skipped Tron: Ares, Mr Leto missed his chance to reclaim his award but there are plenty of awful alternatives
Dishonourable Mentions: Ben Kingsley (William Tell), Brett Goldstein (All of You), John Malkovich (Opus) and Michael Bolton (The Fabulous Four)
3: Michael Maloney (Ride the Snake)
Runner Up: Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye (Hurry Up Tomorrow)
Loser: Tyler Perry (Madea’s Destination Wedding)
WORST ACTRESS
Dishonourable Mentions: Caprice Bourret (A Scottish Christmas Secret) and Anjelica Huston (From the World of John Wick: Ballerina)
3: Teyana Taylor (Tyler Perry’s Straw)
Runner Up: Glenn Close (Back in Action)
Loser: Nicola Peltz (Lola)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Most years I have said that it is the best actress category that has the greatest depth, but this year it is the supporting actress category that takes that honour. The top three were hard to split and all of the top 10 are truly outstanding.
Honourable Mentions: Kerry Godliman (Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues), Gwyneth Paltrow (Marty Supreme), Andrea Riseborough (Goodbye June), Erin Kellyman (Eleanor The Great), Minnie Driver (Millers in Marriage), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Eternity), Julie Kavner (Ella McCay), Emma Willis (Christy), Ludivine Sagnier (When Autumn Falls), Megan Northam (Urchin), Hala Rajab (Ghost Trail), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), Idil Ahmed (Lollipop), Alana Haim (The Mastermind), Stacy Martin (The Brutalist), Michele Austin (Hard Truths), Cailee Spaeny (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery) and Amy Madigan (Weapons).
20: Laura Paredes (Belén)
19: Lydia Fleming (Last Swim)
18: Emily Watson (Steve)
17: Cara Cullen (Christy)
16: Elsa Houben (Young Mothers)
15: Lesley Manville (Mr Burton)
14: Kate Wharton (The Lost Bus)
13: Tracey Ullman (Steve)
12: Kerry Condon (Train Dreams)
11: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)
10: Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)
9: Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Mr Burton)
8: Kezia Burrows (Protein)
7: Wardi Eilabouni (Palestine 36)
6: Ashlie Atkinson (The Lost Bus)
5: Amelie Davies (Chicken Town)
4: Samantha Morton (Anemone)
3: Leonie Benesch (September 5)
Runner Up: Hailee Steinfeld (Sinners)
Winner: Marisa Abela (Black Bag)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Honourable Mentions: Chris Addison (Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues), Albert Brooks (Ella McCay), Jay Lycurgo (Steve), Patrick Kennedy (Blue Moon), Jeremy Strong (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere), Diarmuid Noyes (Christy), Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly), Michael Shannon (Nuremberg), Stephen Graham (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere), Abel Ferrara (Marty Supreme), Teng-Hui Huang (The Left Handed Girl), Tawfeek Barhom (Ghost Trail), Matt Smith (Caught Stealing), Danny McCarthy (Good One), Lucas Hedges (Sorry, Baby), Josh Brolin (Weapons and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery), Tuwaine Barrett (Hard Truths) and John Lithgow (The Rule of Jenny Pen)
20: Jason Isaacs (Words of War)
19: Jason Watkins (Dragonfly)
18: Ed Norton (A Complete Unknown)
17: Hugh Grant (Bridget Jones : Mad About the Boy )
16: Johnny Flynn (Goodbye June)
15: Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)
14: Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)
13: Jason Clarke (A House of Dynamite)
12: Ben Chaplin (September 5)
11: Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
10: Richard E. Grant (Nuremberg)
9: Dave Bautista (The Last Showgirl)
8: Pierce Brosnan (Black Bag)
7: Yul Vazquez (The Lost Bus)
6: Tom Burke (Black Bag)
5: Delroy Lindo (Sinners)
4: William H Macy (Train Dreams)
3: Peter Mullan (I Swear)
Runner Up: John Carroll Lynch (Sorry, Baby)
Winner: Andrew Scott (Blue Moon)
BEST ACTRESS
This category was virtually settled early in the year when I saw the winning performance. A special mention needs to go to Leonie Benesch though, as she came so close to winning both acting categories.
Honourable Mentions: Laure Calamy (It’s Raining Men), Polly Maberly (Odyssey), Ghjuvanna Benedetti (The Kingdom), Kate Winslet (Goodbye June), Lily James (Relay), June Squibb (Eleanor The Great), Stacy Martin (Islands), Brenda Blethyn (Dragonfly), Thomasin McKenzie (Fackham Hall), Hiam Abbass (Palestine 36), Andrea Riseborough (Dragonfly), Ebada Hassan (Brides), Emma Mackey (Ella McCay) and Carey Mulligan (The Ballad of Wallis Island).
30: Kirsten Dunst (Roofman)
29: Mirja Turestedt (Unmoored)
28: Emma Thompson (Dead of Winter)
27: Maxine Peake (Words of War)
26: Emily Fairn (The Choral)
25: America Ferrera (The Lost Bus)
24: Ana Sophia Heger (She Rides Shotgun)
23: Cate Blanchett (Black Bag)
22: Jasmine Shangreaux (Jazzy)
21: Phoebe Dynevor (Inheritance)
20: Mariam Afshari (It Was Just an Accident)
19: Morgane Polanski (The Partisan)
18: Radhika Apte (Sister Midnight)
17: Tessa Van Den Broek (Julie Keeps Quiet)
16: Maxine Peake (I Swear)
15: Sarah-Jane Potts (Signs of Life)
14: Rebecca Ferguson (A House of Dynamite)
13: Deba Hekmat (Last Swim)
12: Dolores Fonzi (Belén)
11: Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)
10: Posy Sterling (Lollipop)
9: Ariella Mastroianni (Gazer)
8: Lily Collias (Good One)
7: Renata Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
6: Shahana Goswami (Santosh)
5: Keke Palmer (One of Them Days)
4: Saffiyah Ingar (Brides)
3: Joana Santos (On Falling)
Runner Up: Leonie Benesch (Late Shift)
Winner: Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths)
BEST ACTOR
After a couple of years getting close to winning, one of the most charismatic and talented actors currently working bags the top prize.
Honourable Mentions: James Le Gros (Good One), Josh O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery), Daniel Craig (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery), Edward Burns (Millers in Marriage), Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere), Ralph Fiennes (The Choral), Jesse Plemons (Bugonia), Steve Coogan (The Penguin Lessons), Gabriel Basso (A House of Dynamite), Channing Tatum (Roofman), Glen Powell (The Running Man), Luke McQuillan (Amongst the Wolves), Matthew Rhys (Hallow Road) and David Ganly (Signs of Life)
30: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
29: Danny Power (Christy)
28: Brad Pitt (F1)
27: Vahid Mobasseri (It Was Just an Accident)
26: Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)
25: Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
24: Eddie Marsan (All The Devils Are Here)
23: Austin Butler (Caught Stealing)
22: Robert Aramayo (I Swear)
21: Tim Key (The Ballad of Wallis Island)
20: Riz Ahmed (Relay)
19: Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
18: Josh O’Connor (The Mastermind)
17: John Magaro (September 5)
16: Matthew McConaughey (The Lost Bus)
15: Michael Fassbender (Black Bag)
14: George Clooney (Jay Kelly)
13: Joaquin Phoenix (Eddington)
12: Timothy Spall (Goodbye June)
11: Daniel Auteuil (An Ordinary Case)
10: Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)
9: Jason Isaacs (The Salt Path)
8: Robert De Niro (Alto Knights)
7: Tim Roth (Tornado)
6: Sam Riley (Islands)
5: Daniel Day-Lewis (Anemone)
4: Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
3: Toby Jones (Mr Burton)
Runner Up: Frank Dillane (Urchin)
Winner: Cillian Murphy (Steve)
BEST DIRECTOR
This was the hardest choice that I have had to make since I started these awards, and, in the end, I decided that I would have my second ever tie and first three way one. I found it impossible to choose between Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s stunning technical achievement, Paul Greengrass’ marshalling of practical effects to produce and edge of your seat thrills and Steven Soderbergh’s precise, slick espionage story.
Honourable Mentions: Gerard Johnson (Odyssey), Sasha Nathwani (Last Swim), Dolores Fonzi (Belén), Kelly Reichardt (The Mastermind), Shane Black (Play Dirty), Karan Kandhari (Sister Midnight), David MacKenzie (Relay), Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne (Young Mothers), Annemarie Jacir (Palestine 36), Brian Kirk (Dead of Winter), Babak Anvari (Hallow Road), Sandhya Suri (Santosh) and Tony Burke (Protein).
30: Shih-Ching Tsou (The Left Handed Girl)
29: François Ozon (When Autumn Falls)
28: Steven Soderbergh (Presence)
27: Christopher Landon (Drop)
26: Edward Burns (Millers in Marriage)
25: Rian Johnson (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)
24: Clint Bentley (Train Dreams)
23: Darren Aronofsky (Caught Stealing)
22: Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)
21: Nadia Fell (Brides)
20: Neil Burger (Inheritance)
19: Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
18: Richard Linklater (Blue Moon)
17: Ryan J. Sloan (Gazer)
16: Zach Creggar (Weapons)
15: Mike Leigh (Hard Truths)
14: Joseph Millson (Signs of Life)
13: Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
12: Asif Kapadia (2073)
11: Mohammad Rasoulof (Seed of the Sacred Fig)
10: Lawrence Lamont (One of Them Days )
9: Laura Carreira (On Falling)
8: Petra Biondina Volpe (Late Shift)
7: Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
6: Tim Fehlbaum (September 5)
5: Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)
4: Kathryn Bigelow (A House of Dynamite) 3:
Joint Winner: Paul Greengrass (The Lost Bus)
Joint Winner: Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza (Warfare)
Joint Winner: Steven Soderbergh (Black Bag)
WORST FILM
Dishonourable Mentions: Tyler Perry’s Duplicity, The Electric State, In the Lost Lands, Lola
HIM, Hurry Up Tomorrow, Royal-ish, My Fault : London, Ruth and Boaz and My Oxford Year.
Runner Up: The Reluctant Royal
Loser: Madea’s Destination Wedding
BEST FILM
50: Palestine 36
49: The Left Handed Girl
48: When Autumn Falls
47: Urchin
46: Blue Moon
45: I’m Still Here
44: Julie Keeps Quiet
43: Inheritance
42: Close Up
41: Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning
40: Brides
39: Drop
38: Christy
37: Stand or Fall: The Remarkable Rise of Brighton and Hove Albion
36: Relay
35: Ocean with David Attenborough
34: Protein
33: Good One
32: Sister Midnight
31: Gazer
30: Last Swim
29: Signs of Life
28: Hallow Road
27: Train Dreams
26: Weapons
25: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
24: Lollipop
23: Belén
22: Sorry, Baby
21: The Brutalist
20: Alto Knights
19: I Swear
18: The Ballad of Wallis Island
17: Caught Stealing
16: Sinners
15: Millers in Marriage
14: 2073
13: Santosh
12: Hard Truths
11: Sentimental Value
10: One of Them Days
9: Seed of the Sacred Fig
8: It Was Just an Accident
7: On Falling
6: Late Shift
5: A House of Dynamite
4: The Lost Bus
3: Warfare
Runner Up: September 5
Winner: Black Bag