2025 Endy Awards Nominations

These are the 2025 Endy Awards, wherein I pretend to give out maneki-neko statues to the best movies, performances, etc of this year in film. Awards for many other years can be found in the Rankings & Awards Index. Eligibility is determined by imdb date and by whether or not I’ve seen the movie in question. Films are presented in alphabetical order, and the winners will be announced on Oscar night. As always, the winners and nominees are subject to change as I watch more movies. And the Endy nomination goes to. . .


Best Picture:

1. Blue Fight
2. CITY the Animation
3. Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
4. The Mastermind
5. Nouvelle Vague
6. One Battle After Another
7. Resurrection
8. Rewrite
9. Shifty
10. Sinners

Best Director:

1. Ishidate Taichi, et al, CITY the Animation
2. Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
3. Bi Gan, Resurrection
4. Matsui Daigo, Rewrite
5. Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best Actor:

1. Kinoshita Danhi, Blue Fight
2. Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
3. Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Bullet Train Explosion
4. Joaquin Phoenix, Eddington
5. Josh O’Connor, The Mastermind
6. Oizumi Yo, Muromachi Outsiders
7. Guillaume Marbeck, Nouvelle Vague
8. Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
9. Ben Whishaw, Peter Hujar’s Day
10. Ayano Go, Sham
11. Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
12. Bao Beier, The Sixth Robber
13. Kamal Haasan, Thug Life

Best Actress:

1. Ranice Tay, Amoeba
2. Gwei Lun-mei, Dear Stranger
3. Emma Mackey, Ella McCay
4. Zhang Zifeng, Girl on Edge
5. Wen Qi, Girls on Wire
6. Liu Haocun, Girls on Wire
7. Miyazaki Yu, Glass Heart
8. Margaret Qualley, Honey Don’t
9. Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
10. Matilda Lutz, Red Sonja
11. Ikeda Elaiza, Rewrite
12. Shibasaki Ko, Sham
13. Hedwig Tam, Smashing Frank

Supporting Actor:

1. Andrew Scott, Blue Moon
2. Wang Yanhui, Deep in the Mountains
3. Marko Zaror, Diablo
4. Albert Brooks, Ella McCay
5. Andy Lau, A Gilded Game
6. Aubrey Dullin, Nouvelle Vague
7. Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
8. Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
9. Peter Shinkoda, Prisoner of War
10. Robert Sheehan, Red Sonja
11. Delroy Lindo, Sinners
12. Yuen Biao, The Sixth Robber
13. Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later

Supporting Actress:

1. Margaret Qualley, Blue Moon
2. Non, Bullet Train Explosion
3. Alana De La Rossa, Diablo
4. Ni Ni, Dongji Rescue
5. Ma Yili, Girl on Edge
6. Seohyun, Holy Night: Demon Hunters
7. Zhuang Dafei, Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
8. Zoey Deutsch, Nouvelle Vague
9. Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
10. Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
11. Shu Qi, Resurrection
12. Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
13. Hailie Steinfeld, Sinners


Original Screenplay:

1. Deep in the Mountains
2. Fool Time
3. Resurrection
4. Sinners
5. A Useful Ghost

Adapted Screenplay:

1. CITY the Animation
2. Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
3. Muromachi Outsiders
4. One Battle After Another
5. Rewrite

English Language Film:

1. In the Lost Lands (Paul WS Anderson)
2. The Mastermind (Kelly Reichardt)
3. One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4. Shifty (Adam Curtis)
5. Sinners (Ryan Coogler)

Non-English Language Film:

1. CITY the Animation (Ishidate Taichi, et al)
2. Resurrection (Bi Gan)
3. Rewrite (Matsui Daigo)
4. Nouvelle Vague (Richard Linklater)
5. Blue Fight (Miike Takashi)

Non-Fiction Feature Film:

1. Fool Time (Jon Bois)
2. Pee-wee as Himself (Matt Wolf)
3. Scorigami (Jon Bois)
4. Shifty (Adam Curtis)
5. WTO/99 (Ian Bell)

Animated Feature Film:

1. CITY the Animation (Ishidate Taichi, et al)
2. Predator: Killer of Killers (Dan Trachtenberg)
3. Ordinary Life (Mizushiri Yoriko)

Unseen Film:

1. Father Mother Sister Brother (Jim Jarmusch)
2. Girl (Shu Qi)
3. Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes)
4. Retro (Karthik Subbaraj)
5. What Does that Nature Say to You (Hong Sangsoo)


Film Editing:

1. CITY the Animation
2. Resurrection
3. Shifty
4. Sinners
5. WTO/99

Cinematography:

1. Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
2. The Mastermind
3. Nouvelle Vague
4. Resurrection
5. Sinners

Art Direction:

1. The Mastermind
2. Muromachi Outsiders
3. One Battle After Another
4. Resurrection
5. Sinners

Costume Design:

1. In the Lost Lands
2. The Mastermind
3. One Battle After Another
4. Red Sonja
5. Sinners

Make-Up and Hair:

1. Blue Fight
2. In the Lost Lands
3. Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
4. Resurrection
5. Sinners


Music:

1. Ella McCay
2. Glass Heart
3. The Mastermind
4. Nouvelle Vague
5. One Battle After Another
6. Resurrection
7. Sinners

Choreography:

1. Blue Fight
2. Diablo
3. Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
4. Muromachi Outsiders
5. The Sixth Robber

Sound:

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash
2. Glass Heart
3. Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
4. Resurrection
5. Sinners

Sound Editing:

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash
2. Bullet Train Explosion
3. Dongji Rescue
4. Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
5. Sinners

Visual Effects:

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash
2. Bullet Train Explosion
3. Dongji Rescue
4. Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
5. Resurrection

The Best Older Movies I Saw in 2025 (For the First Time)

An annual tradition here at The End, this is a look at my favorite film discoveries of the year, any movie more than a few years old that I saw for the first time this year. Previous years include: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021,  2020,  2019,  2018,  2017,  2016,  2015,  2014,  2013,  2012,  2011,  2010,  2009,  2008,  2007, and 2006. I watched somewhere around 240 films this year, but only a sixth or so of them qualified for this list. Here are 30 of my favorites.

1. Girl Students’ Dormitory (Shi Shujun, 1983)
2. Seventh Code (Kurosawa Kiyoshi, 2013)
3. Angel’s Egg (Oshii Mamoru, 1985)
4. Scenes of City Life (Yuan Muzhi, 1935)
5. The Bullet Train (Sato Junya, 1975)
6. Killer Constable (Kuei Chi-hung, 1980)
7. The Cat (Lam Nai-choi, 1992)
8. Love Hotel (Somai Shinji, 1985)
9. Bright Future (Kurosawa Kiyoshi, 2002)
10. Blood on Wolf Mountain (Fei Mu, 1936)


11. Evil Cat (Dennis Yu, 1987)
12. Serpent’s Path (Kurosawa Kiyoshi, 1998)
13. The Red Spectacles (Oshii Mamoru, 1987)
14. Three Days of the Condor (Sydney Pollack, 1975)
15. License to Live (Kurosawa Kiyoshi, 1998)
16. Long Promised Road (Brent Wilson, 2021)
17. National Customs (Zhu Shilin & Luo Mingyou, 1935)
18. The Man Who Invented Christmas (Bharat Nalluri, 2017)
19. Queen of Triads (Venus Keung, 2021)
20. I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times (Don Was, 1995)


21. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky, 2012)
22. Confucius (Fei Mu, 1940)
23. Female Special Police Officer (Zhang Zhen, 2022)
23. 42 (Brian Helgeland, 2013)
24. Final Destination 3 (James Wong, 2006)
25. Enter the Girl Dragon (Ram Gopal Varma, 2022)
26. Conan the Barbarian (Marcus Nispel, 2011)
27. David Lynch: The Art Life (Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Rick Barnes, & Jon Nguyen, 2016)
29. Scrooge (Ronald Neame, 1970)
30. The Hours (Stephen Daldry, 2002)

Books of 2025

These are the books I finished reading in 2025.

1. McTeague: A Story of San Francisco – Frank Norris
2. Northanger Abbey – Jane Austin
3. A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway
4. Cuba Libre – Elmore Leonard
5. Nicholas Nickleby – Charles Dickens
6. Gardens of the Moon – Steven Erikson
7. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
8. A Heart Divided (Legends of the Condor Heroes #4) – Louis Cha
9. Algorithm of the Night – AS Hamrah
10. Who Wrote the Bible? – Richard Elliott Friedman
11. Repertory Movie Theaters of New York City – Ben Davis
12. The Secret Origins of the Bible – Tim Callahan
13. Brian Wilson & the Beach Boys: How Deep Is the Ocean? – Paul Williams
14. Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles’ Solo Years, 1970-1980 – Robert Rodriguez

These are the books I read but did not finish in 2025.

1. The Dying Grass – William T. Vollman
2. The Plum in the Golden Vase #1 – The Gathering – David Tod Roy (Translator)
3. Dream of the Red Chamber #1 – The Golden Days – Cao Xueqin
4. The Confidence-Man – Herman Melville
5. Your Name Here – Helen DeWitt & Ilya Gridneff
6. The Path to Power – Robert Caro
7. Pale Fire – Vladimir Nabokov
8. The Great Game – Peter Hopkirk
9. The Decameron – Giovanni Boccaccio
10. Winesburg, Ohio – Sherwood Anderson
11. Deadhouse Gates – Steven Erikson
12. The Broken Seals (Outlaws of the March #1) – Luo Guanzhong
13. James Joyce – Richard Ellman
14. In Dreams Begin Responsibilities – Jonathan Rosenbaum
15. The Novel: An Alternative History 1600-1800 – Steven Moore
16. Shadow Ticket – Thomas Pynchon
17. The Olde Curiosity Shop – Charles Dickens
18. The Eye of the World – Robert Jordan
19. Dickens – Peter Ackroyd
20. The Book of J – Harold Bloom
21. The Victorian State of Mind – Walter E. Houghton

    This Week in Rankings

    Since the last update, I wrapped up my festival coverage for the year with reviews of Matsui Daigo’s Rewrite (my favorite film of the year so far), Miike Takashi’s Sham, Honeko Akebane’s Bodyguards, and Holy Night: Demon Hunters from the Fantasia Film Festival, Amoeba from the Toronto Film Festival, and Dear Stranger from Busan. Most of the rest of my reviews of new movies were for films with limited theatrical runs or which went straight-to-video, including Dongji Rescue, Prisoner of War, Affinity and Diablo, and Red Sonja (at Seattle Screen Scene). Reviews of older movies consist of Linda, Linda, Linda, and Evil Cat and The Cat. I also wrote about three Japanese TV series: Baby Assassins Everyday!, Glass Heart and CITY the Animation. Additionally, I served on the Best International Short Film jury at the San Diego Asian Film Festival, which was pretty wild.

    You can get all those reviews and much much more by subscribing to The Chinese Cinema today for the low price of only $1/month or $10/year.

    These are the movies I’ve watched and rewatched over the last few months, and where they place on my year-by-year rankings.

    It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Bill Melendez) – 1, 1966
    Three Days of the Condor (Sydney Pollack) – 15, 1975
    Reds (Warren Beatty) – 3, 1981
    Red Sonja (Richard Fleischer) – 58, 1985
    Evil Cat (Dennis Yu) – 52, 1987

    The Cat (Lam Nai-choi) – 26, 1992
    Cure (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 4, 1997
    Pulse (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 11, 2001
    Gosford Park (Robert Altman) – 15, 2001
    Bright Future (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 18, 2002
    28 Days Later (Danny Boyle) – 50, 2002

    Linda Linda Linda (Yamashita Nobuhiro) – 1, 2005
    Runnin’ Down a Dream (Peter Bogdanovich) – 24, 2007
    28 Weeks Later (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo) – 76, 2007
    Moneyball (Bennett Miller) – 21, 2011
    Conan the Barbarian (Marcus Nispel) – 55, 2011

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chobsky) – 73, 2012
    Seventh Code (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 8, 2013
    Creepy (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 35, 2016
    Downton Abbey (Michael Engler) – 103, 2019
    Baby Assassins (Sakamoto Yugo) – 13, 2021
    Downton Abbey: A New Era (Simon Curtis) – 96, 2022

    Baby Assassins: 2 Babies (Sakamoto Yugo) – 4, 2023
    Baby Assassins Everyday! (Sakamoto Yugo) – 4, 2024
    Baby Assassins: Nice Days (Sakamoto Yugo) – 9, 2024
    Cloud (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 18, 2024

    CITY the Animation (Ishidate Taishi) – 2, 2025
    Fool Time (Jon Bois) – 10, 2025
    Red Sonja (MJ Bassett) – 11, 2025
    Amoeba (Tan Siyou) – 18, 2025
    Ordinary Life (Mizushiri Yoriko) – 19, 2025
    Water Sports (Whammy Alcazaran) – 20, 2025

    Glass Heart (Goto Kotaro and Kakimoto Kensaku) – 21, 2025
    Dongji Rescue (Guan Hu & Fei Zhenxiang) – 24, 2025
    Through Your Eyes (Nelson Yeo) – 25, 025
    Diablo (Ernesto Díaz Espinoza) – 26, 2025
    A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow) – 27, 2025

    Scorigami (Jon Bois) – 29, 2025
    Ali (Adnan Al Rajeev) – 31, 2025
    28 Years Later (Danny Boyle) – 32, 2025
    Weapons (Zach Cregger) – 33, 2025
    Ballerina (Len Wiseman) – 34, 2025
    Prisoner of War (Louis Mandylor) – 36, 2025
    Mr. Scorsese (Rebecca Miller) – 42, 2025

    A Very Straight Neck (Sora Neo) – 49, 2025
    Dear Stranger (Mariko Tetsuya) – 51, 2025
    A South-Facing Window (Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir) – 52, 2025
    Correct Me If I’m Wrong (Zhou Hao) – 54, 2025

    John Candy: I Like Me (Colin Hanks) – 55, 2025
    Thunderbolts* (Jake Schrier) – 56, 2025
    Affinity (Brandon Slagle) – 62, 2025
    The Red Banca (Nena Jane Achacoso) – 63, 2025

    This Week in Rankings

    Since the last update, festival season dominated my schedule, with coverage of Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival over at The Chinese Cinema and Fantasia and Cannes at InReview Online. I also put together a video introduction for a Tsui Hark retrospective that played at The Cinematheque in Vancouver.

    At The Chinese Cinema, I’ve reviewed Scenes of City Life and Street Angel, Bullet Train and Bullet Train Explosion, Girl Students’ Dormitory, The Old Woman with the Knife, All the Wrong Clues (…For the Right Solution), 11 Rebels, and Ghost Killer.

    Also, since it’s apparently quarter-century list season, I counted down the top Chinese Language and Non-Chinese Language films of the 2000s so far.

    You can get all those reviews and much much more by subscribing to The Chinese Cinema today for the low price of only $1/month or $10/year.

    These are the movies I’ve watched and rewatched over the last few months, and where they place on my year-by-year rankings.

    Scenes of City Life (Yuan Muzhi) – 4, 1935
    Street Angel (Yuan Muzhi) – 4, 1937
    Casablanca (Michael Curtiz) – 1, 1942
    Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly) – 1, 1952

    Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean) – 6, 1962
    The Bullet Train (Sato Jun’ya) – 11, 1975
    All the Wrong Clues (…For the Right Solution) (Tsui Hark) – 32, 1981
    Girl Students’ Dormitory (Shi Shujun) – 5, 1983

    Love Hotel (Somai Shinji) – 16, 1985
    Working Class (Tsui Hark) – 23, 1985
    Bull Durham (Ron Shelton) – 1, 1988
    The Naked Gun (David Zucker) – 20, 1988
    Glory (Edward Zwick) – 17, 1989

    Love Letter (Iwai Shunji) – 13, 1995
    The Chinese Feast (Tsui Hark) – 41, 1995
    I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times (Don Was) – 51, 1995
    Carrotblanca (Douglas McCarthy, Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone) – 108, 1995
    Mission: Impossible (Brian De Palma) – 20, 1996

    Serpent’s Path (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 23, 1998
    License to Live (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 27, 1998
    Mission: Impossible 2 (John Woo) – 24, 2000
    Final Destination (James Wong) – 42, 2000
    Final Destination 2 (David R. Ellis) – 45, 2003

    Beautiful Dreamer (David Leaf) – 66, 2004
    Final Destination 3 (James Wong) – 43, 2006
    Mission: Impossible 3 (JJ Abrams) – 48, 2006
    Tom Waits: Under Review (Unknown) – 60, 2006
    The Simpsons Movie (David Silverman) – 50, 2007

    The Final Destination (David R. Ellis) – 81, 2009
    Hugo (Martin Scorsese) – 19, 2011
    Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird) – 20, 2011
    Final Destination 5 (Steven Quale) – 59, 2011
    42 (Brian Helgeland) – 73, 2013

    Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Christopher McQuarrie) – 92, 2015
    Rogue One (Gareth Edwards) – 23, 2016
    Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Christopher McQuarrie) – 132, 2018
    Long Promised Road (Brent Wilson) – 35, 2021
    Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (Christopher McQuarrie) – 73, 2023

    She Taught Me Serendipity (Ohku Akiko) – 5, 2024
    11 Rebels (Shiraishi Kazuya) – 10, 2024
    The Gesuidouz (Ugana Kenichi) – 18, 2024
    Ghost Killer (Sonomura Kensuke) – 25, 2024
    See You Tomorrow (Michimoto Saki) – 39, 2024

    Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (Ishikawa Junichi) – 42, 2024
    Possession Street (Jack Lai) – 48, 2024
    Serpent’s Path (Kurosawa Kiyoshi) – 54, 2024
    Striking Rescue (Cheng Siyu) – 64, 2024

    Rewrite (Matsui Daigo) – 1, 2025
    Shifty (Adam Curtis) – 2, 2025
    Sinners (Ryan Coogler) – 3, 2025
    Muromachi Outsiders (Irie Yu) – 7, 2025
    Bullet Train Explosion (Higuchi Shinji) – 8, 2025

    Deep in the Mountains (Li Yongyi) – 9, 2025
    Superman (James Gunn) – 10, 2025
    Girl on Edge (Zhou Jinghao) – 11, 2025
    Thug Life (Mani Ratnam) – 12, 2025
    The Phoenician Scheme (Wes Anderson) – 13, 2025

    Sham (Miike Takashi) – 14, 2025
    Pee Wee as Himself (Matt Wolf) – 15, 2025
    Predator: Killer of Killers (Dan Trachtenberg) – 16, 2025
    Girls on Wire (Vivian Qu) – 17, 2025
    A Useful Ghost (Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke) – 18, 2025

    Fantastic Four: First Steps (Matt Shakman) – 19, 2025
    Informant (Kim Seok) – 22, 2025
    Happy Gilmore 2 (Kyle Newacheck) – 24, 2025
    Billy Joel: And So It Goes (Jessica Levin & Susan Lacy) – 25, 2025
    Holy Night: Demon Hunters (Lim Daehee) – 26, 2025

    Becoming Led Zeppelin (Bernard MacMahon) – 27, 2025
    Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Christopher McQuarrie) – 28, 2025
    Smashing Frank (Trevor Choi) – 29, 2025
    Final Destination: Bloodlines (Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein) – 30, 2025
    The Stone (Arak Amornsupasiri and Vuthipong Sukhanindr) – 31, 2025
    Behind the Shadows (Jonathan Li and Chou Man You) – 32, 2025

    Lost Bullet 3 (Guillaume Pierret) – 34, 2025
    The Old Woman with the Knife (Min Kyudong) – 35, 2025
    So Beautiful, Wonderful, and Lovely (Okawara Megumi) – 36, 2025
    The Old Way (Fan Xiang) – 37, 2025
    Another Simple Favor (Paul Feig) – 38, 2025
    Captain America: Brave New World (Julius Onah) – 39, 2025

    This Week in Rankings

    Since the last update, 2024 ended and I listed my favorite books of the year as well as my favorite older movies I saw for the first time. I also handed out the Endy Awards for the year.

    I dusted off Seattle Screen Scene in order to review Paul WS Anderson’s In the Lost Lands. Over at InReview Online I reviewed a couple of films for the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Miike Takashi’s Blazing Fists and Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance), Rendez-vous with French Cinema (Rithy Panh’s Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot), and First Look ’25 (Yamanaka Yoko’s Desert of Namibia).

    At The Chinese Cinema, I continued to explore the emergent iQIYI cinema with a look at seven films starring Raquel Xu Dongdong (The Raquel Report) and two starring Muqi Miya (The MIYA Memo), as well as two adaptations of Louis Cha’s Condor Heroes series (More Condors, More Heroes). The latter of those coincided with the release of Tsui Hark’s theatrical adaptation, Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants.

    Speaking of legendary filmmakers, I also reviewed Kitano Takeshi’s Broken Rage, Kuei Chih-hung’s Killer Constable, Donnie Yen’s The Prosecutor, and Ram Gopal Varma’s Enter the Girl Dragon, and saw a martial arts triple feature at the now-homeless Grand Illusion Cinema which included films by Chang Cheh and Lau Kar-leung. Finally, I started what I hope will be an extended exploration of Shanghai Cinema with a pair of Li Li-li movies: Fei Mu’s Blood on Wolf Mountain and National Customs, the final film made by actress Ruan Lingyu.

    You can get all those reviews and much much more by subscribing to The Chinese Cinema today for the low price of only $1/month or $10/year.

    These are the movies I’ve watched and rewatched over the last few months, and where they place on my year-by-year rankings.

    National Customs (Zhu Shilin & Luo Mingyou) – 13, 1935
    Blood on Wolf Mountain (Fei Mu) – 8, 1936
    The Old Mill (Wilfred Jackson & Graham Heid) – 6, 1937
    Confucius (Fei Mu) – 21, 940
    Citizen Kane (Orson Welles) – 1, 1941

    Bugs and Thugs (Friz Freleng) – 34, 1954
    Funny Face (Stanley Donen) – 1, 1957
    The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola) – 3, 1972
    Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah) – 7, 1973
    Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse) – 11, 1973

    The Brave Archer (Chang Cheh) – 24, 1977
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (Lau Kar-leung) – 2, 1978
    Crippled Avengers (Chang Cheh) – 7, 1978
    Killer Constable (Kuei Chih-hung) – 9, 1980
    The Clones of Bruce Lee (Joseph Kong Hung & Nam Ki-nam) – 42, 1980
    Revenge of the Ninja (Sam Firstenberg) – 47, 1983

    Silverado (Lawrence Kasdan) – 23, 1985
    Blue Velvet (David Lynch) – 6, 1986
    Die Hard (John McTiernan) – 8, 1988
    Young Guns (Christopher Cain) – 55, 1988
    Cocktail (Roger Donaldson) – 69, 1988
    Wild at Heart (David Lynch) – 11, 1990

    Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai) – 1, 1994
    Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants (David Mamet) – 25, 1996
    The Rock (Michael Bay) – 31, 1996
    Fat Choi Spirit (Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai) – 6, 2002

    The Hours (Stephen Daldry) – 47, 2002
    The Stepford Wives (Franz Oz) – 62, 2004
    David Lynch: The Art Life (Jon Nguyen, Rick Barnes, & Olivia Neergaard-Holm) – 148, 2016
    Ash is Purest White (Jia Zhangke) – 1, 2018
    The Dead Don’t Die (Jim Jarmusch) – 23, 2019

    Miss Agent (Zeng Li) – 61, 2020
    Queen of Triads (Venus Keung & Wong Jing) – 39, 2021
    The Sniper (Chris Huo) – 46, 2021
    The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Dragon Tamer (Zhu Lingfeng & Yu Diao) – 81, 2021
    Enter the Girl Dragon (Ram Gopal Varma) – 62, 2022

    Lynch/Oz (Alexandre O. Philippe) – 65, 2022
    Female Special Police Officer (Zhang Zhen) – 71, 2022
    Queen of Triads 2 (Venus Keung & Wong Jing) – 87, 2022
    Queen of Triads 3 (Kam Ka-wai) – 87, 2023

    Broken Rage (Kitano Takeshi) – 7, 2024
    Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot (Rithy Panh) – 22, 2024
    Desert of Namibia (Yamanaka Yoko) – 27, 2024
    The Last Dance (Anselm Chan) – 46, 2024
    The Prosecutor (Donnie Yen) – 55, 2024

    Wild Agent 2: Peach Assassination (Huang He) – 57, 2024
    The Art of the Calendar (Kier-La Janisse) – 58, 2024
    Shell Girl (Wang Xia) – 61, 2024
    Sniper 2 (Shen Zhaoqing) – 65, 2024
    Cunk on Life (Al Campbell) – 67, 2024

    Blazing Fists (Miike Takashi) – 1, 2025
    Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (Tsui Hark) – 2, 2025
    In the Lost Lands (Paul WS Anderson) – 3, 2025
    Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (Christian Gudegast) – 4, 2025
    The Legend of Condor Hero: What is love (Lin Zhenzhao) – 5, 2025
    We Beat the Dream Team (Michael Tolajian) – 6, 2025

    Predictions for the 97th Annual Academy Awards

    These are my Oscar predictions. I’m probably going to live-tweet the Endy Award winners during the ceremony again this year. Nominees listed in whatever order the page I copied them from had them, predicted winners are in bold. Guaranteed to get 16-18 correct, no more, no less.

    BEST PICTURE

    Anora
    The Brutalist
    A Complete Unknown
    Conclave
    Dune: Part Two
    Emilia Pérez
    I’m Still Here
    Nickel Boys
    The Substance
    Wicked

    BEST DIRECTOR

    Anora, Sean Baker
    The Brutalist, Brady Corbet
    A Complete Unknown, James Mangold
    Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard
    The Substance, Coralie Fargeat

    BEST ACTOR

    Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
    Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
    Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
    Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
    Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

    BEST ACTRESS

    Demi Moore, The Substance
    Mikey Madison, Anora
    Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
    Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
    Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

    Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
    Yura Borisov, Anora
    Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
    Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
    Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

    Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
    Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
    Ariana Grande, Wicked
    Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
    Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

    BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

    Anora
    The Brutalist
    A Real Pain
    September 5
    The Substance

    BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

    Conclave
    A Complete Unknown
    Emilia Pérez
    Nickel Boys
    Sing Sing

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

    The Brutalist
    Dune: Part Two
    Emilia Pérez
    Maria
    Nosferatu

    BEST FILM EDITING

    Conclave
    Anora
    The Brutalist
    Emilia Pérez
    Wicked

    BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

    Dune: Part Two
    Alien: Romulus
    Better Man
    Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
    Wicked

    BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

    Wicked
    The Brutalist
    Conclave
    Dune: Part Two
    Nosferatu

    BEST COSTUME DESIGN

    Wicked
    A Complete Unknown
    Conclave
    Gladiator II
    Nosferatu

    BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

    The Substance
    A Different Man
    Emilia Pérez
    Nosferatu
    Wicked

    BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

    The Brutalist
    Conclave
    Emilia Pérez
    Wicked
    The Wild Robot

    BEST ORIGINAL SONG

    “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
    “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight
    “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing
    “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez
    “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late

    BEST SOUND

    A Complete Unknown
    Dune: Part Two
    Emilia Pérez
    Wicked
    The Wild Robot

    BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

    Flow
    Inside Out 2
    Memoir of a Snail
    Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
    The Wild Robot

    BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

    No Other Land
    Black Box Diaries
    Porcelain War
    Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
    Sugarcane

    BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

    I’m Still Here
    The Girl With the Needle
    Emilia Pérez
    The Seed of the Sacred Fig
    Flow

    BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Incident
    Death by Numbers
    I Am Ready, Warden
    Instruments of a Beating Heart
    The Only Girl in the Orchestra

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

    Anuja
    A Lien
    I’m Not a Robot
    The Last Ranger
    The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

    BEST ANIMATED SHORT

    Yuck!
    Beautiful Men
    In the Shadow of the Cypress
    Magic Candies
    Wander to Wonder

     

    2024 Endy Awards

    These are the 2024 Endy Awards, wherein I pretend to give out maneki-neko statues to the best movies, performances, etc of this year in film. Awards for many other years can be found in the Rankings & Awards Index. Eligibility is determined by imdb date and by whether or not I’ve seen the movie in question. Films are presented in alphabetical order, and the winners are bolded. As always, the winners and nominees are subject to change as I watch more movies. And the Endy goes to. . .


    Best Picture:

    1. Baby Assassins: Nice Days
    2. Broken Rage
    3. Eephus
    4. Furiosa
    5. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    6. Juror #2
    7. Megalopolis
    8. The Shadow Strays
    9. A Traveler’s Needs
    10. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

    Best Director:

    1. George Miller, Furiosa
    2. Kevin Costner, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    3. Clint Eastwood, Juror #2
    4. Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis
    5. Soi Cheang, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

    Best Actor:

    1. Eddie Peng, Black Dog
    2. Kitano Takeshi, Broken Rage
    3. Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
    4. Kwon Haehyo, By the Stream
    5. Yoshioko Mutsuo, Chime
    6. Suda Masaki, Cloud
    7. Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
    8. Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
    9. Ryan Gosling, The Fall Guy
    10. Justice Smith, I Saw the TV Glow
    11. Nicholas Hoult, Juror #2
    12. Adam Driver, Megalopolis
    13. Josh Hartnett, Trap

    Best Actress:

    1. Mikey Madison, Anora
    2. Akari Takaishi, Baby Assassins: Nice Days
    3. Izawa Saori, Baby Assassins: Nice Days
    4. Kim Minhee, By the Stream
    5. Zhao Tao, Caught by the Tides
    6. Zendaya, Challengers
    7. Sylvia Chang, Daughter’s Daughter
    8. Margaret Qualley, Drive-Away Dolls
    9. Anya Taylor-Joy, Furiosa
    10. Sienna Miller, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    11. Brigette Lundy-Paine, I Saw the TV Glow
    12. Aurora Ribero, The Shadow Strays
    13. Isabelle Huppert, A Traveler’s Needs

    Supporting Actor:

    1. David Jonsson, Alien: Romulus
    2. Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
    3. Mike Faist, Challengers
    4. Philip Ng, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
    5. Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
    6. Sergio Castellitto, Conclave
    7. Stanley Tucci, Conclave
    8. Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa
    9. Sam Worthington, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    10. Louis Koo, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

    Supporting Actress:

    1. Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
    2. Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
    3. Charlee Fraser, Furiosa
    4. Jena Malone, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    5. Toni Collette, Juror #2
    6. Aubrey Plaza, Megalopolis
    7. Yang Mi, Nothing Can’t Be Undone By a Hotpot
    8. Yuen Qiu, Second Life
    9. Hana Malasan, The Shadow Strays
    10. Lee Hyeyoung, A Traveler’s Needs


    Original Screenplay:

    1. Eephus
    2. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    3. Juror #2
    4. Megalopolis
    5. A Traveler’s Needs

    Adapted Screenplay:

    1. Baby Assassins: Nice Days
    2. Furiosa
    3. The Killer
    4. Look Back
    5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

    English Language Film:

    1. Eephus (Carson Lund)
    2. Furiosa (George Miller)
    3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One (Kevin Costner)
    4. Juror #2 (Clint Eastwood)
    5. Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola)

    Non-English Language Film:

    1. Baby Assassins: Nice Days (Sakamoto Yugo)
    2. Broken Rage (Kitano Takeshi)
    3. The Shadow Strays (Timo Tjahjanto)
    4. A Traveler’s Needs (Hong Sangsoo)
    5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Soi Cheang)

    Non-Fiction Feature Film:

    1. Dahomey (Mati Diop)
    2. The Kadarius Toney Fan Club (Jon Bois)
    3. Made in England (David Hinton)
    4. Reform! (Jon Bois)
    5. The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel (Jenny Nicholson)

    Animated Feature Film:

    1. The Colors Within (Yamada Naoko)
    2. Look Back (Oshiyama Kiyotaka)
    3. Vengeance Most Fowl (Merlin Crossingham & Nick Park)

    Unseen Film:

    1. Amar Singh Chamkila (Imtiaz Ali)
    2. Ghost Killer (Sonomura Kensuke)
    3. Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes)
    4. Malaikottai Vaaliban (Lijo Jose Pellissery)
    5. The Shrouds (David Cronenberg)


    Film Editing:

    1. Caught by the Tides
    2. Furiosa
    3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    4. Megalopolis
    5. The Shadow Strays

    Cinematography:

    1. Black Dog
    2. Escape from the 21st Century
    3. Furiosa
    4. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    5. The Shadow Strays

    Art Direction:

    1. Furiosa
    2. Here
    3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    4. Megalopolis
    5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

    Costume Design:

    1. Dead Talents Society
    2. Furiosa
    3. Here
    4. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    5. Megalopolis

    Make-Up and Hair:

    1. Dead Talents Society
    2. Furiosa
    3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    4. The Shadow Strays
    5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In


    Original Score:

    1. Challengers
    2. The Colors Within
    3. I Saw the TV Glow

    Adapted Score:

    1. Black Dog
    2. A Complete Unknown
    3. The Fall Guy

    Choreography:

    1. Baby Assassins: Nice Days
    2. The Bodyguard
    3. Second Life
    4. The Shadow Strays
    5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

    Sound:

    1. Caught by the Tides
    2. Challengers
    3. Chime
    4. Eephus
    5. I Saw the TV Glow

    Sound Editing:

    1. Furiosa
    2. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One
    3. One More Shot
    4. The Shadow Strays
    5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

    Visual Effects:

    1. Dead Talents Society
    2. Escape from the 21st Century
    3. Furiosa
    4. Megalopolis
    5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

    The Best Older Movies I Saw in 2024 (For the First Time)

    An annual tradition here at The End, this is a look at my favorite film discoveries of the year, any movie more than a few years old that I saw for the first time this year. Previous years include: 2023, 2022, 2021,  2020,  2019,  2018,  2017,  2016,  2015,  2014,  2013,  2012,  2011,  2010,  2009,  2008,  2007, and 2006. I watched just over 230 films this year, but only a fifth or so of them qualified for this list. Here are 40 of my favorites.

    1. The Heike Story (Yamada Naoko, 2021)
    2. Beijing Watermelon (Obayashi Nobuhiko, 1989)
    3. Moving (Somai Shinji, 1993)
    4. Typhoon Club (Somai Shinji, 1985)
    5. Les sièges de l’Alcazar (Luc Moullet, 1989)
    6. Golden Eighties (Chantal Akerman, 1986)
    7. Visible Secret (Ann Hui, 2001)
    8. Ode to the Goose (Zhang Lü, 2018)
    9. Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (Somai Shinji, 1981)
    10. Mermaid Legend (Ikeda Toshiharu, 1984)


    11. A Quiet Dream (Zhang Lü, 2016)
    12. The Little Girl Who Conquered Time (Obayashi Nobuhiko, 1983)
    13. Veteran (Ryoo Seungwan, 2015)
    14. July Rhapsody (Ann Hui, 2002)
    15. The Fall of Ako Castle (Fukasaku Kinji, 1978)
    16. Gyeongju (Zhang Lü, 2014)
    17. The Night Comes for Us (Timo Tjahjanto, 2018)
    18. Fukuowa (Zhang Lü, 2019)
    19. Chu Lien (Lai Cheng-ying, 1979)
    20. The Intern (Nancy Meyers, 2015)

    21. Beach of the War Gods (Jimmy Wang Yu, 1973)
    22. Harry in Your Pocket (Bruce Geller, 1973)
    23. Fantasy Mission Force (Kevin Chu Yen-Ping, 1983)
    24. August in the Water (Ishii Gakuryu, 1995)
    25. Topkapi (Jules Dassin, 1964)
    26. Ocean’s Twelve (Steven Soderbergh, 2004)
    27. The World of Suzie Wong (Richard Quine, 1960)
    28. The Italian Job (Peter Collinson, 1969)
    29. The Taming of the Shrew (Franco Zeffirelli, 1967)
    30. Yanagawa (Zhang Lü, 2021)

    31. When Cinema Reflects the Times: Hou Hsiao-hsien & Edward Yang (Kore-eda Hirokazu, 1993)
    32. Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004)
    33. Lover on the Wave (Chen Kun-hou, 1978)
    34. Let the Wind Carry Me (Kwan Pung-Leung & Chiang Hsiu-Chiung, 2009)
    35. Ocean’s Thirteen (Steven Soderbergh, 2007)
    36. Shaolin Drunkard (Yuen Woo-ping, 1983)
    37. The Raid (Tsui Hark & Ching Siu-tung, 1991)
    38. Red Eye (Wes Craven, 2005)
    39. Cloud of Romance (Chen Hung-lieh, 1977)
    40. Once a Thief (John Woo, 1996)

    Books of 2024

    These are the books I finished reading this year.

    1. The Last Samurai – Helen DeWitt
    2. Against the Day – Thomas Pynchon
    3. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
    4. The Novel: An Alternate History – Steven Moore
    5. The Life of Tu Fu – Eliot Weinberger
    6. Reading Genesis – Marilynne Robinson
    7. 84 Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff
    8. The Shakespeare Wars – Ron Rosenbaum
    9. Either/Or – Elif Batuman
    10. Quantum Criminals – Alex Pappademas
    11. The Secret History – Donna Tartt
    12. Will in the World – Stephen Greenblatt
    13. Unspooled – Rob Drew
    14. The Arabian Nights: A Companion – Robert Irwin
    15. A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 – James Shapiro
    16. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street – Helene Hanff
    17. The Church of Baseball – Ron Shelton
    18. There Was Nothing You Could Do – Steven Hyden
    19. Blood Sweat & Chrome – Kyle Buchanon
    20. Long Road – Steven Hyden
    21. When the Clock Broke – John Ganz
    22. God Only Knows – David Leaf

    And these are the books I read but did not finish in 2024.

    1. The Path to Power – Robert Caro
    2. Remembrance of Things Past – Marcel Proust
    3. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
    4. Paradise Lost – John Milton
    5. Winesburg, Ohio – Sherwood Anderson
    6. The Tale of the Heike – Royall Tyler (trans.)
    7. Orientalism – Edward Said
    8. The Valmiki Ramayana – trans. Bibek Debroy
    9. Mariners, Renegades, and Castaways – CLR James
    10. James – Percival Everett
    11. The Penguin Classics Book – Henry Eliot
    12. Rabbit, Run – John Updike
    13. Count Magnus & Other Ghost Stories — M.R. James
    14. Reckless Daughter – David Yaffe