Tag: Oscars

The Minnesota Movie Digest: Issue No. 192

The Minnesota Movie Digest, from the Minnesota Film Critics Association, showcases film reviews, essays, and interviews, highlighting latest releases and classic films. Stay updated with film critiques through their social media channels.

The Minnesota Movie Digest: Supergirl gets The Invite

Welcome to The Minnesota Movie Digest, the official newsletter from the Minnesota Film Critics Association (MNFCA)!

The MNFCA is a collective of individuals dedicated to celebrating and critically examining the art of film. In this recurring publication, we’ll share a selection of insightful film reviews, absorbing essays, and interviews with film professionals.

Each issue of The Minnesota Movie Digest features a diverse array of perspectives and content. Our members have shared their most recent work with us, covering the latest releases and revisiting classic films that dissect the craft of filmmaking. Explore the links below and get a front-row seat to critically examine the art of film.

Check out the MNFCA Members page to meet our all-star lineup.

And now… The Minnesota Movie Digest.

Joe Botten – The MN Movie Man

A nice mix this week! Two new releases get the full review treatment: Couture and the creature feature Kraken. And on the physical media side, there’s a fresh 4K review of Dust Bunny.

The MN Movie Man has also started rolling out his capsule reviews from the Tribeca Film Festival over on Instagram — including a look at the upcoming release of Hadestown: The Musical, filmed live in the UK. Be sure to follow the socials to catch these one-off mini reviews as they drop!

As always, be sure to follow The MN Movie Man on Instagram, Letterboxd, TikTok, Bluesky, and Facebook for weekly early looks at upcoming films, physical media updates, and other news between newsletters.

Dallas Fisher – Dallas Goes To The Movies

No new reviews from Dallas this week, but he did release an article ranking all the movie theaters in the Twin Cities, which you can read here!

Hunter Friesen – The Cinema Dispatch

At The Cinema Dispatch, Hunter reviewed The Invite. It can also be read at the Eden Prairie Local News.

He also appeared on the St. Paul Filmcast Podcast to talk about his ten favorite films of 2026 so far.

Jay Gabler – Duluth News Tribune

For The Tangential, Jay reviewed the documentary Peter Asher: Everywhere Man.

Jason Hemming – Cinema Recall

Chaz Kangas – Bring Me the News

Crippled Masters and Za Karate Explored – Severin’s recently remastered and re-released two martial arts classics: the truly one-of-a-kind ‘Crippled Masters’ and the ‘Za Karate’ trilogy that gave the world “Bronson Lee.”

Chaz Kangas spoke with martial arts cinema scholars Michael Worth and Frank Djeng about these classic films, their place in the genre and pop culture, and the process of restoring them to look better than ever!

Jakob Kolness – JakobTalksFilm

Over at JakobTalksFilm, things have been busy over the last few weeks with a big announcement dropping very soon, but I still have a handful of reviews over the past few weeks to share, including: Toy Story 5, Disclosure Day, Tuner, I Love Boosters, the Apple TV series Cape Fear, and, just in time, my final Emmy Awards Nomination Predictions!

Be sure to follow him on Twitter, BluSky, and Letterboxd!

Matthew Liedke – Liedke on Film

At his site, Liedke reviewed the new drama “Couture” starring Angelina Jolie, and the latest comic book-based flick “Supergirl.”

Ruth Maramis – FlixChatter

  • FlixChatter Review: MEMORIZU (2026) – A graceful slice-of-life Japanese drama about finding beauty in the mundane
  • FlixChatter Review: COUTURE (2026) – A tale of empathy and resilience during Fashion Week, starring Angelina Jolie in her most vulnerable role yet
  • FlixChatter Review: SUPERGIRL (2026) – Milly Alcock soars as DC’s superheroine, but the movie doesn’t fly quite as high

Connect with FlixChatter on Letterboxd and social media » X | Bluesky

Paul McGuire Grimes – Paul’s Trip to the Movies

It’s the end of June already! Why is summer flying by so fast? Happy Pride! Check out some of my reviews and videos:

Follow me across social media @PAULSMOVIETRIP, YouTube, and Patreon

Mark McPherson – Movies With Mark

Review for Supergirl.

Brian Orndorf – Blu-Ray.Com

Film Reviews:

Blu-ray/UHD Reviews:

Nicholas Palodichuk – St. Paul Filmcast

Keep your eyes peeled for the latest film critiques, reviews, and news from the Minnesota Film Critics Association! 🎬🍿

Follow Us On Social Media
Instagram: @mncritics
Twitter: @MNCritics

The Individual Top Tens of 2025

The recent MNFCA Awards delivered a composite consensus for what our members deemed the best films of the year. But how would things look if we broke it down to an individual level? Well, that’s exactly what we’ve done with this article!

Each member of the MNFCA was asked to submit their individual film lists. We encourage you to use these lists as a jumping-off point for discovering some great films that came out in 2025, and appreciate the great work that all of our members do!

Joe Botten – The MN Movie Man

  1. Train Dreams
  2. The Testament of Ann Lee
  3. Frankenstein
  4. Sinners
  5. Song Sung Blue
  6. Sentimental Value
  7. Sirât
  8. Weapons
  9. A Nice Indian Boy
  10. Friendship

Eli Brau – Cinephile Corner

  1. One Battle After Another
  2. The Phoenician Scheme
  3. Eddington
  4. Cloud
  5. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
  6. Marty Supreme
  7. Weapons
  8. Final Destination Bloodlines
  9. Wick Is Pain
  10. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Brian Eggert – Deep Focus Review

  1. One Battle After Another
  2. Marty Supreme
  3. Sentimental Value
  4. The Mastermind
  5. Mickey 17
  6. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
  7. The Long Walk
  8. Sinners
  9. The Shrounds
  10. The Life of Chuck

Dallas Fisher – Dallas Goes To The Movies

  1. Black Bag
  2. Train Dreams
  3. Warfare
  4. One Battle After Another
  5. Caught Stealing
  6. Freaky Tales
  7. Sinners
  8. The Life of Chuck
  9. Marty Supreme
  10. Twinless

Hunter Friesen – The Cinema Dispatch

  1. Hamnet
  2. April
  3. Marty Supreme
  4. Frankenstein
  5. Sentimental Value
  6. Train Dreams
  7. Resurrection
  8. Is This Thing On?
  9. No Other Choice
  10. Jay Kelly

Kyle Goethe – Goat Film Reviews

  1. The Long Walk
  2. One Battle After Another
  3. Friendship
  4. Sinners
  5. 28 Years Later
  6. The Testament of Ann Lee
  7. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
  8. It Was Just an Accident
  9. Bad Shabbos
  10. Marty Supreme

Barrett Goetz – The Screen Mash

  1. One Battle After Another
  2. Sinners
  3. Marty Supreme
  4. Weapons
  5. Frankenstein
  6. Train Dreams
  7. Hamnet
  8. It Was Just an Accident
  9. Zootopia 2
  10. Superman

Matt Hambidge – FandomWire

  1. Marty Supreme
  2. Sinners
  3. Black Bag
  4. Sentimental Value
  5. Is This Thing On?
  6. No Other Choice
  7. Sketch
  8. Splitsville
  9. It Was Just an Accident
  10. Weapons

Zach Hammill – Movie Friend

  1. One Battle After Another
  2. Friendship
  3. Sentimental Value
  4. Sinners
  5. Sorry, Baby
  6. Weapons
  7. Superman
  8. It Was Just an Accident
  9. Die My Love
  10. KPop Demon Hunters

Jason Hemming – Cinema Recall

  1. One Battle After Another
  2. Sentimental Value
  3. Weapons
  4. Bugonia
  5. The Naked Gun
  6. The Housemaid
  7. Eddington
  8. Nouvelle Vague
  9. The Toxic Avenger
  10. F1

Jakob Kolness – JakobTalksFilm

  1. One Battle After Another
  2. Marty Supreme
  3. Sentimental Value
  4. 28 Years Later
  5. The Secret Agent
  6. Sinners
  7. Hamnet
  8. Weapons
  9. Black Bag
  10. Blue Moon

Catherine Krummey – Veg Out Recipes

  1. Hamnet
  2. One Battle After Another
  3. Sinners
  4. Bob Trevino Likes It
  5. Sorry, Baby
  6. Come See Me in the Good Light
  7. All That’s Left of You
  8. One of Them Days
  9. Jay Kelly
  10. The Testament of Ann Lee

Tim Lammers – Forbes

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Erik Larson – Hamline Oracle

  1. No Other Choice
  2. It Was Just an Accident
  3. One Battle After Another
  4. Sentimental Value
  5. Rental Family
  6. KPop Demon Hunters
  7. Sinners
  8. Hamnet
  9. Superman
  10. Song Sung Blue

Brad Lenz – The Screen Mash

  1. Sinners
  2. It Was Just an Accident
  3. Twinless
  4. Train Dreams
  5. Weapons
  6. Sentimental Value
  7. Hamnet
  8. Marty Supreme
  9. Bring Her Back
  10. One Battle After Another

Matthew Liedke – Liedke on Film

  1. No Other Choice
  2. Bugonia
  3. Sentimental Value
  4. Blue Moon
  5. Frankenstein
  6. The Phoenician Scheme
  7. Wake Up Dead Man
  8. Rental Family
  9. Sorry, Baby
  10. Rosemead

Ruth Maramis – FlixChatter

  1. Hamnet
  2. Sentimental Value
  3. Train Dreams
  4. Frankenstein
  5. The Secret Agent
  6. One Battle After Another
  7. Black Bag
  8. Sinners
  9. Rental Family
  10. Checkpoint Zoo

Paul McGuire Grimes – Paul’s Trip to the Movies

  1. One Battle After Another
  2. Sinners
  3. The Life of Chuck
  4. Hamnet
  5. Weapons
  6. Marty Supreme
  7. Jay Kelly
  8. Wicked: For Good
  9. Train Dreams
  10. Is This Thing On?

Mark McPherson – Movies With Mark

  1. Resurrection
  2. The Secret Agent
  3. One Battle After Another
  4. Sinners
  5. Frankenstein
  6. Marty Supreme
  7. Sentimental Value
  8. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
  9. It Was Just an Accident
  10. The Long Walk

Brian Orndorf – Blu-Ray.Com

Unranked:

  • The Ugly Stepsister
  • If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
  • Predator: Killer of Killers
  • Sovereign
  • Highest 2 Lowest
  • A Little Prayer
  • Twinless
  • Rebuilding
  • The Rule of Jenny Pen
  • Roofman

Nicholas Palodichuk – St. Paul Filmcast

  1. Hamnet
  2. Sinners
  3. Marty Supreme
  4. Weapons
  5. One Battle After Another
  6. Frankenstein
  7. Train Dreams
  8. Sentimental Value
  9. Nouvelle Vague
  10. Eephus

Tyler Strandberg – Cinefied

  1. Jay Kelly
  2. Thunderbolts*
  3. Materialists
  4. Twinless
  5. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
  6. KPop Demon Hunter
  7. Hamnet
  8. Elio
  9. Frankenstein
  10. The Fantastic 4: First Steps

Keep your eyes peeled for the latest film critiques, reviews, and news from the Minnesota Film Critics Association! 🎬🍿

Follow Us On Social Media
Instagram: @mncritics
Twitter: @MNCritics

MNFCA Awards 2024 – Winners

The Minnesota Film Critics Association (MNFCA) is proud to announce the winners of their 2024 annual Film Awards. This year, The Brutalist claimed the top honor of Best Picture and received a total of five awards, the most of any nominated film.

Best Picture

  • WINNER: The Brutalist
  • Challengers
  • Conclave
  • Dune: Part Two
  • The Substance

Best Director

  • WINNER: Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
  • Sean Baker – Anora
  • Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
  • Luca Guadagnino – Challengers
  • Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

Best Actor

  • WINNER: Adrien Brody as László Tóth – The Brutalist
  • Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan – A Complete Unknown
  • Daniel Craig as William Lee – Queer
  • Colman Domingo as John “Divine G” Whitfield – Sing Sing
  • Ralph Fiennes as Thomas Cardinal Lawrence – Conclave

Best Actress

  • WINNER: Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle – The Substance
  • Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp – Wicked
  • Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Pansy – Hard Truths
  • Mikey Madison as Anora “Ani” Mikheeva – Anora
  • Zendaya as Tashi Duncan – Challengers

Best Supporting Actor

  • WINNER: Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren – The Brutalist
  • Yura Borisov as Igor – Anora
  • Kieran Culkin as Benji Kaplan – A Real Pain
  • Clarence Maclin as Himself – Sing Sing
  • Edward Norton as Pete Seeger – A Complete Unknown

Best Supporting Actress

  • WINNER: Zoe Saldaña as Rita Mora Castro – Emilia Pérez
  • Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland – Wicked
  • Felicity Jones as Erzsébet Tóth – The Brutalist
  • Margaret Qualley as Sue – The Substance
  • Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes – Conclave

Best Ensemble

  • WINNER: Conclave
  • Challengers
  • Dune: Part Two
  • Saturday Night
  • Sing Sing

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • WINNER: Conclave – Peter Straughan
  • Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
  • Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
  • Sing Sing – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
  • Wicked – Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox

Best Original Screenplay

  • WINNER: Challengers – Justin Kurtizkes
  • Anora – Sean Baker
  • The Brutalist – Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
  • A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
  • The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Best Film Editing

  • WINNER: Challengers
  • The Brutalist
  • Conclave
  • Dune: Part Two
  • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Best Cinematography

  • WINNER: The Brutalist
  • Challengers
  • Conclave
  • Dune: Part Two
  • Nosferatu

Best Music

  • WINNER: Challengers
  • The Brutalist
  • Conclave
  • Dune: Part Two
  • Wicked

Best Costume Design

  • WINNER: Wicked
  • Conclave
  • Dune: Part Two
  • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  • Nosferatu

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

  • WINNER: The Substance
  • A Different Man
  • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  • Nosferatu
  • Wicked

Best Production Design

  • WINNER: Dune: Part Two
  • The Brutalist
  • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  • Nosferatu
  • Wicked

Best Sound

  • WINNER: Dune: Part Two
  • Challengers
  • A Complete Unknown
  • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  • The Substance

Best Special Effects

  • WINNER: Dune: Part Two
  • Alien: Romulus
  • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  • Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
  • The Substance

Best Stunt Choreography

  • WINNER: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  • Deadpool & Wolverine
  • Dune: Part Two
  • The Fall Guy
  • Gladiator II

Best International Feature

  • WINNER: Flow – Belgium, France, Latvia
  • The Beast – France, Canada
  • Emilia Pérez – France
  • Evil Does Not Exist – Japan
  • The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Iran, Germany, France

Best Animated Feature

  • WINNER: The Wild Robot
  • Flow
  • Inside Out 2
  • Memoir of a Snail
  • Transformers One

Films with Multiple Nominations

NominationsFilm
12Dune: Part Two
10The Brutalist
9Challengers
Conclave
8The Substance
7Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Wicked
4Anora
Nosferatu
Sing Sing
3A Complete Unknown
2Emilia Pérez
Flow

Films with Multiple Wins

WinsFilm
5The Brutalist
3Challengers
Dune: Part Two
2Conclave
The Substance

MNFCA Predicts the Oscars

The Minnesota Film Critics Alliance announced their awards late last month, and now it’s the Academy’s turn.

Ahead of the Oscars broadcast tonight, several members of the MNFCA have predicted what movies will be victorious tonight. Many also shared which nominee they want to win.

Find out who is predicting what below.

Continue reading “MNFCA Predicts the Oscars”