Nevada's film critics choose best of 2025

2025 Top Film Works-Las Vegas Film Critics Society

Arriving later than many groups, Nevada’s film critics had more time to log in viewing opportunities—but as it turns out, 2025 features more consensus than usual. While my own votes (+) with the LVFCS don’t fully tally with the final list (*), we overlap on more than half.

Best Picture

Train Dreams

Frankenstein

Sinners

Marty Supreme

*+One Battle After Another

Best Actor

*Timothée Chalamet - Marty Supreme

Joel Edgerton - Train Dreams

Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another

Jesse Plemmons - Bugonia

+Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

(I would put Ethan Hawke in this mix for Blue Moon, but only five spots)

Best Actress

Emma Stone - Bugonia

*Amanda Seyfried - The Testament of Ann Lee

+Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Jesse Buckley - Hamnet

Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value

++(actually I like Cynthia Erivo singing and acting through green makeup in Wicked: For Good, but she missed the list)

Best Supporting Actor

Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein

Sean Penn - One Battle After Another

Benicio del Toro - One Battle After Another

*+Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Delroy Lindo – Sinners

Best Supporting Actress

*+Amy Madigan - Weapons

Ariana Grande - Wicked: For Good

Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value

Emily Blunt - The Smashing Machine

Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another

Best Director

Frankenstein

Sinners

*+One Battle After Another-Paul Thomas Anderson

Train Dreams

Marty Supreme

Best Screenplay (Original)

*+Sinners

Weapons

Marty Supreme

Sentimental Value

Sorry, Baby

Best Screenplay (Adapted)

Train Dreams

*+One Battle After Another

Frankenstein

Bugonia

No Other Choice

Best Cinematography

+Frankenstein

Sinners

One Battle After Another

*Train Dreams

F1: The Movie

Best Film Editing

One Battle After Another

Train Dreams

Marty Supreme

*+F1: The Movie

Sinners

Best Score

*+Sinners

Frankenstein

One Battle After Another

Tron: Ares

F1: The Movie

Best Song

*”Lied to You” – Sinners

“Train Dreams” - Train Dreams

+”Golden” - KPop Demon Hunters

“Clothed by the Sun” – The Testament of Ann Lee

“Drive” – F1: The Movie

(I should have voted for “Lied to You”)

Best Documentary

*+Perfect Neighbor

Come See Me in the Good Light

Alabama Solution

Cover Up

John Candy: I Like Me

Best Animated Film

*Zootopia 2

Arco

+KPop Demon Hunters

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle

In Your Dreams

Best International Film

Secret Agent

*Sentimental Value

No Other Choice

+Left-Handed Girl

It Was Just an Accident

(tough category, really good films)

Best Costume Design

*Frankenstein

Sinners

Hamnet

+Kiss of the Spider Woman

Wicked: For Good

Best Art Direction

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

*+Frankenstein

Marty Supreme

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Best Visual Effects

*Avatar: Fire and Ash

Superman

F1: The Movie

Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning

+Fantastic Four

Best Action Film

*Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning

Superman

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

Running Man

+Predator: Badlands

(not a bad choice, I just got tired of the franchise)

Best Comedy

*Eternity

Friendship

The Ballad of Wallace Island

+The Naked Gun

One of Them Days

(good choice but I laughed more in the stupid remake of a stupid film)

Best Horror / Sci-Fi

Frankenstein

Bring Her Back

*+Sinners

28 Years Later

The Long Walk

(outstanding year for horror films)

Best Family Film

How To Train Your Dragon

*KPop Demon Hunters

Zootopia 2

+The Legend of Ochi

Lilo & Stitch

(I liked KPop but since I voted for it as best animated, marked Ochi here)

Best Animal Performance

*+Indy – Good Boy

Hercules, the dog – Marty Supreme

Olga, the cat – Sorry, Baby

Bing, the Great Dane, The Friend

Richard and Baba – Penguin Lessons

(Indy ran away with this, but I also liked Tonic in Caught Stealing)

Best Ensemble

Sinners

*+One Battle After Another

Sentimental Value

Jay Kelly

Marty Supreme

Breakout Filmmaker

*Clint Bently, Train Dreams

Emille Blichfeldt, The Ugly Stepsister

+Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby

James Sweeney, Twinless

Drew Hancock, Companion

(actually, I have no objection to Bently for Train Dreams winning since I like it more than Sorry, Baby)

Best Stunts

*+Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

F1: The Movie

Predator: Badlands

Running Man

Male Youth in Film

Mason Thames – How To Train Your Dragon

+Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet

John Wren Phillips – Bring Her Back

Christian Convery – Frankenstein/ The Monkey

*Miles Caton – Sinners

(I think I voted Jupe on a coin toss—both he and Caton gave great performances)

Female Youth in Film

Maia Kealoha – Lilo & Stitch

*+Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl

Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family

Helena Zengel – The Legend of Ochi

Sora Wong – Bring Her Back

William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award

+Kathleen Kennedy

*Sigourney Weaver

Kathryn Bigalow

Delroy Lindo

Barbara Broccoli

(good group, hard choice)