THE 2025 SHADOW ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS!!!!!

I know! The time has come! Get dressed in your best! Jump in the limo! Do not over drink! It is the most important awards show of the year! Voted by the wisest voting block...ME!

If you disagree with the awards...too bad..I am very wise.

So here come the awards..for film...books..and music!

The Shadow Award For Worst Performance Of The Year

DAVE FRANCO in Regretting You

I almost think it was not Franco's fault. It was just poor casting. He was stiff as a board in this film.

He had no chemistry with Willa Fitzgerald his wife. He had no chemistry with Allison Williams for the rest of the movie. He seemed like he was almost scared in this role. It was just odd.

The Shadow Award For Best Actor Of The Year 2025

JOSH BROLIN

Three really good performances:

In the dreadful movie Weapons he was one of the few bright spots as a frustrated father.

In the just better than okay remake The Running Man, Josh is great as the crooked producer of the show.

In Wake Up Deadman he is fantastic and often hilarious as Jefferson Wicks, the leader of the church.

These three performances earned him The Shadow Award For Best Actor in 2025

The Shadow Award or Best Actress Of The Year 2025

SYDNEY SWEENEY

I love how people will criticize her without actually seeing her films. Jealous of her looks I imagine, or think she just relies on her looks to get roles. Trust me, I have seen over a thousand films in the last 10 years. I have seen many beautiful female actresses and good looking men who disappear after one or two films. You have to have some talent, there is too much competition for roles.

The interesting thing about her is, she is not just a pretty face before she became big she produced films with her own money including the hit Anyone But You and Voyeur. In her spare time she rebuilds car engines on classic cars. So...no dummy. So stop being sexist.

You can also see her acting improves with the more roles she takes.

In Americana she plays a stutterer who wants to move to Nashville to become a singer. Getting there is the problem.

In Christy she is marvelous and not recognizable playing the first famous female boxer Christy Martin. 

In The Housemaid, she is a fighter yet scared to fight after what happened to her in the past. Quiet and stiff as an ex-prisoner she plays Millie Calloway spot on.

Three very good, and different performances in 2025.

Earning Sydney Sweeney The Shadow Award For The Best Actress Of The Year Award for 2025

Best Comeback Of The Year

Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe, Oh where have you gone?! You forget how great he was in the early 2000's in movie such as Gladiator; A Beautiful Mind; or even The Nice Guys. This year he is sooooo good as Nazi Leader Hermann Goering in Nuremberg. It's a shame the decision was made to falsely connect that time in history with the present day, which made no sense and clearly kneeled to appease Hollywood. The film would have been fine without that ending, it was a wonderful film. Still, Russell Crowe was fantastic in this role.

The Shadow Award For Come Back Of The year Goes To Russell Crowe.

The Shadow Award For "I Don't Get The Love Award"

The Secret Agent

This film is a cluttered mess at almost 3 hours...and I will never get my 3 hours back. This takes place in Brazil 1971. Too many stories. Too many loose ends. Poorly edited. Jumps in time leaving the viewer confused. A beginning that starts wonderful but has nothing to do with the film.Yet it gets Oscar love?

It's not good. 

The Shadow Award For "I Don't Get The Love Award" The Secret Agent!

The Shadow Award For Funniest Film Of The Year

THE NAKED GUN 2025

Yes the film seemed somewhat long, yet I laughed a lot.

Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. and Pam Anderson as Beth Davenport were both all in on the silliness of this film.

Plus they had great chemistry, and wonderful comic timing. Very Funny.

The Shadow Award For Funniest Film Of The Year Naked Gun 2025!

The Shadow Award For The Best Love Story Of The Year

JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE

Yes the title was a little bit false, however it is still a sweet love story.

Directed by Laura Piani, the film tells the story of Agathe Robinson played sweetly by Camille Rutherford, who gets invited to a Jane Austen writers workshop. There is where she meets Oliver played by Charlie Anson. The rest, they say is history.

The Shadow Award For The Best Love Story Is Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

The Shadow Award For Best Tear Jerker 

THIS SCENE IN WICKED FOR GOOD

I mean..it is no contest. This scene also made me feel bad for Glinda, I mean she is now left in the dust, she lost both her friends, she is probably lonely. 

The Shadow Award For Best Tear Jerker is Wicked For Good.

The Shadow Award For The Best Scene

THE HOUSEMAID

Without spoilers....

I need a fucking sandwich to the gravy boat scene above. Its classic. That's all.

The Shadow Award For The Best Scene Is The Housemaid!

The Shadow Award For Best Action Film

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE THE FINAL RECKONING

I mean the airplane scene. The submarine scene. I could go on...but no movie comes close.

The Shadow Award For The Best Action Film Is Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning

The Shadow Award for The Best Newcomer

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ANA SOPHIE HAGER

Ana was amaaaaaazing  as Polly Huff in She Rides Shotgun. She steals the film!

The Shadow Award For Best Newcomer Goes To Ana Sophie Hager!

The Shadow Awards For Which Albums I Have Overplayed In 2025

Barbara from Old Dominion

So good, with an Umbrella of songs dealing with growing older. Highlighted by Miss You Man: Man Or The Song; and Making Good Time.

The Art Of Loving from Olivia Dean

The Art Of Loving by Olivia Dean is such a chill groove highlighted by So Easy; Man I Need; and The Art Of Loving.

Evangeline Vs The Machine

The album can't be explained it is so different. What is it? 8 songs intertwined by music, There is no break between songs. The songs are almost haunting. Then throw in a tour he did where he plays the whole album with his band, a choir, a brass section, and a string section! I saw Evangeline vs the machine live and it was amazing to watch. Then, he came to IMAX with a film of the concert. Then he released  the album Evangeline Vs The Machine live, which came from the IMAX film, and this version is even better then the first album.Yes it is an odd album and it takes a bit to get used to this Non-genre album, as he explained ...it is art. The highlight for me was the song Evangeline. 

The Shadow Award For The Best Book I Have Read In 2025

ATMOSPHERE

Taylor Jenkins Reid is at the top now.

This book takes place in the 80s, we follow two female astronauts Joan and Vanessa. However it is bigger than these two,it is about space; god;life and self. Reid tells great stories, by keeping things in 3rd person, and playing with time. Once she grabs you, she always finishes strong. There is a reason why she just signed a 40 million dollar book deal.

The Shadow Award For The Best Book Of 2025 Atmosphere

Well The Shadow Awards are now done for the year. You can go home now, take off the tux or the gown.

We have Oscar Predictions coming up!!!

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

My Ranking Of Films I Watched In Theaters In February!

 Seven. That is the number of films I have watched while trying not to fall asleep in the theaters in February...and I will rank them for you from best to worst...

7

MIDWINTER BREAK

This film follows a longtime married couple as they take a trip to Amsterdam. Secrets and feelings then spill out which makes the trip life changing.

Directed by Folly Findlay. with great actors Ciaran Hinds (Gerry) and Lesley Manville (Stella), This was a disappointment. I wanted it to be like Before Sunrise, but for an older married couple, and that is how it was marketed. Unfortunately I felt bad for Gerry, and did not care for Stella, and nothing really happens except for two people who mope around.

6

SCREAM 7

Its not a bad movie; better than I thought it would be. Just...it is almost funny that the teens in the film all look 25. There are a lot of plot holes. The big reveal at the end, I right away thought that it is impossible that they did that muscle work...no spoilers. It was okay.

5

SOLO MIO

Kevin James is Matt Taylor, a jilted groom who is left at the altar at his destination wedding in Italy. There is where he meets many travelers and locals who point him to a new life.

Directed by Charles and Daniel Kinnane, it comes across very "Hallmarky" which is fun and fine. The co stars/ the wacky "friends" he meets are all a fun addition to the story line. Problems: The love interest between Matt and Gia, played wonderfully by Nicole Grimaudo, I did not feel the chemistry. The second problem was a film at only 1 hour and 36 minutes and it still felt long.

A nice twist at the end, helps the film and it is definitely worth a watch.

4

MAN ON THE RUN

I was lucky enough to see a screening of this before it hit Amazon Prime.

I really liked it, sadly I wanted to love it. I like the music of Wings so I was all in. 

The film just covers so much ground and time, that it never really digs into details:

-The writing process of great songs and the meaning of songs like My Love; Silly Love Songs; Band On The Run.

-Linda, and how she dealt with the backlash

- The ever rotating band members and their thoughts on leaving.

- The drug bust in Japan, was there pressure to let him go?

-Was there any conversations between him and other Beatles about Wings?

I am not saying it was bad, it was interesting. The film did not really dig deep, I wanted more detail.

3

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING

Directed by John Patton Ford, the film follows Beckett Redfellow (Glen Powell), he feels he has to kill relatives that are on the list above him to put himself first in line for a big inheritance.

The film starts strong but becomes almost a film noir at the end and is almost sad.

Great supporting roles by Margaret Qualley and Jessica Henwick. Worth a look but did not hit the landing.

2

GOOD LUCK HAVE FUN DON'T DIE

Directed by Gore Verbinski, with some fantastic performances by Sam Rockwell; Juno Temple; Haley Lu Richardson; and Michael Pena.

Sam Rockwell is a man from the future who recruits a band of misfits to save the earth from...well virtual reality and phones and the bad people who run them.

I really enjoyed this film, there is a main plot  and a bunch of smaller stories revolving around the band of misfits and how they got there. It is just that, the film has a back end that gets way too loose making the whole film seem meaningless, like a never ending circle. This knocked it down a couple notches for me. Still I understood the idea and the look at society and where it could end up.

1

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

You cannot go in thinking you are going to see a film based on the classic book by Emily Bronte, it is not. It is a film just using the characters Cathy and Heathcliff. The film weaves in and out of the book, using parts but expanding on other parts.

If you go knowing it is not a retelling of the book, which I did, it's pretty much a good story of two hard headed people who sadly can't get out of their own way,

It's a sad story but I enjoyed it, it worked. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are serviceable in their roles, keeping me watching. Real quick, a wonderful performance by Charlotte Mellington as the young Cathy.

Well, it was a weak month of February, but there are my rankings and now you know what is next!!!!!!

The Shadow Awards!!!

From the shadows as always thanks for your time!!

From The Shadows: My Top Ten Films Of 2025...Number 1

I have come to my number 1 film of 2025!

However, first, let's look at all my number 1 films from the years past:

2014...Wild

2015...The Martian (Looking back I should have gone with The Grand Budapest Hotel, which is better with time).

2016...The Edge Of Seventeen

2017...The Big Sick

2018.. Green Book

2019...Knives Out

Decade..Brooklyn

2020...News Of The World

2021..Coda

2022..Top Gun Maverick

2023..Poor Things

2024..Daddio

Lets look at my top ten films from last year!...

10   Ghostlight

 9    Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare

 8    Inside Out 2

 7   White Bird

 6   Touch

 5   Wicked Pt 1

 4   Anora

 3  Young Woman And The Sea

 2  My Old Ass

 1  Daddio

I think every film in this list is perfectly placed, I would not make any changes.

Now here is a refresher of this year's top films so far.....

10  The Housemaid

 9   Train Dreams

 8   Zootopia 2

 7   How To Train A Dragon 2025

 6   Wicked For Good

 5   Marty Supreme

 4   Is This Thing On

 3   Wake Up Blind Man

 2  She Rides Shotgun 

Well before I give you number one..here are some runner ups:

Sinners

Americana

One Battle After Another

Frankenstein

Bone Lake

Jurassic World Rebirth

Bugonia

Caught Stealing

Relay

You can't go wrong with watching any of the above films!!

So, finally, I have come to my number one film of 2026!

1

CHRISTY

Yes the film that lost a ton of money, however I don't care. DADDIO from last year, I still say is the best film from last year and did not make much money on the big screen. I really don't care.When I originally reviewed this film it was not even my number one film of the month. Then I watched again, and again I could not take my eyes off this trainwreck of a story. 

 Marketed wrong, like Rocky is a love story with some boxing. Christy is a story about manipulation and abuse with some boxing.  

The true story of Christy Martin and her rise as the first famous female boxer, and the manager who abuses her.

Fantastic performances by Sydney Sweeney (almost unrecognizable) and Ben Foster. This film had me tearing up at the end. Do not let the press stop you from seeing this.Again it's a true story, an underdog in life, with enough attitude to rise above her situation. Please seek it out and watch it.

My Number 1 Film of 2025...Christy

And there you have it....

Stay tuned for the Shadow Awards; My February movies ranked; and my Oscar pics.

From the Shadow, as always thanks for your time as always.

MY TOP TEN FILMS OF 2025.....4-3-and 2!!!

 Back to 2025 , the year of "That film was better than okay".

Again this is far from an Oscar list, this is my top ten films that kept me locked in and entertained.

So...now we come to 4....3....2!!

4

IS THIS THING ON?

A late arrival in 2025! Directed by Bradley Cooper. 

This film follows a relationship that is broken between Alex played by Will Arnett and Tess played by Laura Dern. It's honest. Sometimes it's hard to watch. Sometimes hilarious.Sometimes awkward. There are also moments that Cooper does well as a director, he lets the camera just sit on moments and no words needed. LOOOOVE! 

There are also some really good small performances by Bradley Cooper; Andra Day (That Andra Day); Sean Hayes; and Ciaran Hines. All helped to make this film work.

A simple idea for a film, a couple is going through a breakup. Alex becomes a pretty good standup comedian, while Tess seems to be trying to find her footing.

Is it perfect. No...Peyton Manning?...The ending? It missed the landing kinda. Still I really like this film, I was all in. How did this not get recognition from the Academy but The Secret Agent did?

My number 4 film of 2025.....Is This Thing On?

3

WAKE UP DEAD MAN

I was lucky enough to see a screening of this film in the theater before it went to Netflix.

Is it better than Knives Out? No

Is it better than Glass Onion? Yes

Directed and written again by Rian Johnson, Blanc gets called to help solve a crime at a small town church.

The plot is kinda, well odd. However the ODD gets help from fantastic performances:

Josh Brolin as Jefferson Wicks

Josh O'Connor as Jud Duplenticy

Glenn Close is fantastic as Martha Delacroix

The performances help keep the viewer locked in.

A wonderful addition to the Knives Out mystery films.

My number 3 film of 2025....Wake Up Dead Man

2

SHE RIDES SHOTGUN

Directed by Nick Rowland written by Ben Collins; Jordan Harper;  and Luke Piotrowski.

What a great story.

You may notice as you see my top 10 list some movies moved ahead of other films from earlier in the month. I just get a second look and think WOW...and move it ahead. You will see that when you see my number 1 film of 2025. However this film She Rides Shotgun ...from the first time I saw it, the film stayed at my number 2 spot and never moved.

A man gets out of prison and picks his daughter up from school and takes her away. Is he a bad guy?

Oh...who are the bad guys?

This is a run from the law/ bad guys movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

A fantastic performance by Ana Sophia Heger as the little girl Polly. 

Taron Egerton is so dirty and great as the father Nathan.

Rob Yang and John Carroll Lynch with fantastic supporting roles.

Well anyway, father and daughter are running from the law and maybe some others....

Just exciting and tense...just wish for a better ending. It's almost like they did not know how to finish this film. 

Still one of my favorites, that stayed with me long after the film was over.

My number 2 film for 2025....She Rides Shotgun

And now we come to number 1!!!

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.