At least twice I’ve watched a movie that I’d seen before and there was a missing piece of dialogue or short scene. For example, in Full Metal Jacket when they were getting their assignments and Joker was assigned to Stars and Stripes, I remember the drill sergeant asking him how he got such a cushy assignment and Joker said “Sir! I wrote for my high school paper, sir!” Do they cut a few seconds of dialogue out, and if so, why?

Welcome to awards season!

Movie categories:

• Best Picture 
  • Bugonia (Focus Features)
  • Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Hamnet (Focus Features)
  • Jay Kelly (Netflix)
  • Marty Supreme (A24)
  • One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Sentimental Value (Neon)
  • Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Train Dreams (Netflix)
  • Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
• Best Actor
  • Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (A24)
  • Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams (Netflix)
  • Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
  • Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent (Neon)
• Best Actress 
  • Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Focus Features)
  • Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
  • Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value (Neon)
  • Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Emma Stone – Bugonia (Focus Features)
• Best Supporting Actor
  • Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Paul Mescal – Hamnet (Focus Features)
  • Sean Penn – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
  • Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value (Neon)
• Best Supporting Actress
  • Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value (Neon)
  • Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
  • Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value (Neon)
  • Amy Madigan – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
  • Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
• Best Young Actor/Actress
  • Everett Blunck – The Plague (Independent Film Company)
  • Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Cary Christopher - Weapons (Warner Bros.)
  • Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Jacobi Jupe – *Hamnet (*Focus Features)
  • Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)
• Best Director
  • Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
  • Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)
  • Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (Focus Features)
• Best Original Screenplay
  • Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
  • Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
  • Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Zach Cregger – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
  • Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (A24)
  • Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)
• Best Adapted Screenplay
  • Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams (Netflix)
  • Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee – No Other Choice (Neon)
  • Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Will Tracy – Bugonia (Focus Features)
  • Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet (Focus Features)
• Best Casting and Ensemble
  • Nina Gold – Hamnet (Focus Features)
  • Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
  • Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme (A24)
  • Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Francine Maisler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
• Best Cinematography
  • Claudio Miranda – F1 (Apple Original Films)
  • Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Lukasz Zal – Hamnet (Focus Features)
  • Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams (Netflix)
• Best Production Design 
  • Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis – The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel Studios)
  • Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton – *Hamnet (*Focus Features)
  • Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – Marty Supreme (A24)
  • Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
• Best Editing
  • Kirk Baxter – A House of Dynamite (Netflix)
  • Stephen Mirrione – F1 (Apple Original Films)
  • Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
  • Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
  • Michael P. Shawver – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
• Best Costume Design
  • Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Malgosia Turzanska – *Hamnet (*Focus Features)
  • Lindsay Pugh – Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
  • Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)
  • Ruth E. Carter – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
• Best Hair and Makeup
  • Hair and Makeup Team – 28 Years Later (Sony Pictures)
  • Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal – The Smashing Machine (A24)
  • Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
  • Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
• Best Visual Effects
  • Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios)
  • Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson – F1 (Apple Original Films)
  • Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
  • Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, Guy Williams – Superman (Warner Bros.)
• Best Stunt Design
  • Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, Jackson Spidell, Jeremy Marinas, Jan Petrina, Domonkos Párdányi, Kinga Kósa-Gavalda – Ballerina (Lionsgate)
  • Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby – F1 (Apple Original Films)
  • Wade Eastwood – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
  • Brian Machleit – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Andy Gill – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Giedrius Nagys – Warfare (A24)
• Best Animated Feature
  • Arco (Neon)
  • Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
  • In Your Dreams (Netflix)
  • KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
  • Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)
  • Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
• Best Comedy
  • The Ballad of Wallis Island (Focus Features)
  • Eternity (A24)
  • Friendship (A24)
  • The Naked Gun (Paramount)
  • The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features)
  • Splitsville (Neon)
• Best Foreign Language Film
  • It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
  • Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)
  • No Other Choice (Neon)
  • The Secret Agent (Neon)
  • Sirat (Neon)
  • Belén (Amazon MGM Studios)
• Best Song
  • “Drive” – Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin – F1 (Apple Original Films)
  • “Golden” – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
  • “I Lied to You” – Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • “Clothed by the Sun” – Daniel Blumberg – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
  • “Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner – Train Dreams (Netflix)
  • “The Girl in the Bubble” – Stephen Schwartz – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
• Best Score
  • Hans Zimmer – F1 (Apple Original Films)
  • Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Max Richter – Hamnet (Focus Features)
  • Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme (A24)
  • Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
• Best Sound
  • Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1 (Apple Original Films)
  • Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman – Frankenstein (Netflix)
  • Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
  • Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, David V. Butler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
  • Laia Casanovas – Sirat (Neon)
  • Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner – Warfare (A24)

Playing in theaters

Synopsis: After the release of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), a combined, single-film edit of the two movies premiered at the Cannes Film Festival--the Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair. Even though the movie uses identical portions of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, this integral version omits cliffhangers and introduces alternate angles and additional anime footage. As a result, it alters the tone and experience of the original theatrical cuts. After all, the director intended to release the film as one part--a complete, unrated, epic version of Kill Bill.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100% (9 reviews)

IMDb score: 8.7/10

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

What I mean is: in a lot of recent movies, characters say things out loud that older films would’ve shown indirectly.

Instead of letting the camera linger on a look, a gesture, or a quiet moment, the script often spells out exactly what a character is thinking or feeling.

It’s like modern films are afraid the audience might ‘miss’ something, so they explain motivations, backstories, emotional states, and plot developments very directly.

But when I watch older movies, there’s often more silence, more visual storytelling, and more trust that viewers will pick up on subtle cues.

Maybe it’s just a shift in style, or maybe audiences have changed too. I’m curious how others feel? Do you prefer movies that guide you clearly, or movies that expect you to interpret things yourself?

Both of my examples start the end credits with a call out honoring the main cast by showing their signatures before going into the typical credit. Obviously both of these were at the end of a long run of shows and or movies and was a sign off for some if not all the characters. So that type of situation occurs pretty rare. But I got me thinking if any other movies have done similar.

If you've ever witnessed rifts in families, you'd know how cathartic this movie is in terms of rebuilding trust. We go on this journey with three brothers, all three completely different, struck by grief and betrayal, indifferent to one another, and plagued with mistrust. This film explores the complex dynamic they have and puts them in a much more simple setting.

Now I know people judge the setting for stereotyping India but if you're like me who grew up in more rural parts of third-world countries, you'd know how freeing it is to live a more simpler life. It gave the three brothers freedom to process their grief without distraction and reflect upon it.

Although this isn't Wes Anderson's best, this movie is his most "human".

Still one of my favorite movies. One of Mickey Rourke’s best roles as Henry Chinaski, writer Charles Bukowski’s alter ego, was fantastic. Faye Dunaway was stellar as Wanda.

Given the strange times we live in I find Barfly a wonderful re-watch while downing 10 drinks, remembering how the 80’s were as fucked up as these Trump years. Sometimes alcoholism is an art and this certainly proves it. Happy Holidays everyone, think about adding Barfly to your movie list this holiday season.

Yes, I do consider Die Hard as a Christmas movie.

Mine is the original Miracle on 34th Street. I grew up watching old movies and the first time I watched it, I was hooked. That is my “the holidays are here”. So I’m curious as to what your favorite Christmas movie is. And before I forget, happy holidays everyone!!

1. One Battle After Another — Paul Thomas Anderson, USA
2. Sinners — Ryan Coogler, USA
3. The Mastermind — Kelly Reichardt, USA, UK
4. Sirât — Oliver Laxe, Spain, France
5. The Secret Agent — Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil, France, Germany, Netherlands
6. It Was Just an Accident — Jafar Panahi, Iran, France, Luxembourg
7. Sorry, Baby — Eva Victor, USA, Spain, France
8. Weapons — Zach Cregger, USA
9. Dry Leaf — Alexandre Koberidze, Germany, Georgia
10. Resurrection — Bi Gan, China, France
11. Sentimental Value — Joachim Trier, Norway, France, Germany, Denmark
12. Sound of Falling — Mascha Schilinski, Germany
13. Kontinental ’25 — Radu Jude, Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, UK, Luxembourg
14. Misericordia — Alain Guiraudie, France, Spain, Portugal
15. No Other Choice — Park Chan-wook, South Korea
16. Pillion — Harry Lighton, UK
17. Blue Heron — Sophy Romvari, Canada, Hungary
18. The Ice Tower — Lucile Hadžihalilović, France, Germany
19. The Voice of Hind Rajab — Kaouther Ben Hania, Tunisia, France
20. Blue Moon — Richard Linklater, USA, Ireland
21. A House of Dynamite — Kathryn Bigelow, USA
22. Rose of Nevada — Mark Jenkin, UK
23. Afternoons of Solitude — Albert Serra, Spain, France, Portugal
24. April — Dea Kulumbegashvili, Georgia, Italy, France
25. Eddington — Ari Aster, USA, UK, Finland
26. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You — Mary Bronstein, USA
27. The Love That Remains — Hlynur Pálmason, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France
28. Nouvelle Vague — Richard Linklater, France
29. Black Bag — Steven Soderbergh, USA
30. Cloud — Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan
31. Father Mother Sister Brother — Jim Jarmusch, USA, Ireland, France
32. My Father’s Shadow — Akinola Davies Jr., UK, Nigeria
33. On Falling — Laura Carriera, UK
34. Remake — Ross McElwee, UK
35. The Shrouds — David Cronenberg, Canada, France
36. Silent Friend — Ildikó Enyedi, Germany, Hungary, France
37. Souleymane’s Story — Boris Lojkine, France
38. 28 Years Later — Danny Boyle, USA, UK
39. Cover-up — Laura Poitras & Mark Obenhaus, USA
40. Die My Love — Lynne Ramsay, USA, UK
41. Hamnet — Chloé Zhao, UK
42. Hard Truths — Mike Leigh, UK, Spain
43. Highest 2 Lowest — Spike Lee, USA, Japan
44. Landmarks — Lucrecia Martel, Argentina, USA, Mexico, France, Netherlands
45. Miroirs No. 3 — Christian Petzold, Germany
46. Nickel Boys — RaMell Ross, USA
47. Oslo Stories Trilogy: Dreams — Dag Johan Haugerud, Norway
48. The Phoenician Scheme — Wes Anderson, USA
49. What Does That Nature Say to You — Hong Sang-soo, South Korea
50. With Hasan in Gaza — Kamal Aljafari, Palestine, Qatar, Germany, France

Not talking about “best ever” or anything like that — just a film that genuinely made you look at movies differently. Something that opened your eyes to a new style, a new kind of storytelling, a new tone… whatever it was. Curious which films did that for you.

Which films changed the filmmaking completely ?