“One Battle After Another” and Eva Victor among this year’s Dorian Awards nomination leaders

by Cláudio Alves

Eva Victor's SORRY, BABY was one of GALECA's favorite films of 2025.

Multiple members of the Film Experience team are part of GALECA - The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, so it’s only logical that we should highlight the Dorian Awards. As a voter, I don’t want to be too harsh on the results, though there will always be reasons to complain, as these sorts of collective picks can never feel as special or idiosyncratic as an individual’s selection. Even so, rejoice, Sorry, Baby fans, for Eva Victor’s directorial debut is among the Film of the Year nominees, rubbing elbows with such awards season favorites as One Battle After Another – leading the pack with 9 mentions – and Sinners – settling at a still remarkable 8 nods. Indeed, the nonbinary director is this year’s most-nominated individual.

Come see the full list of Dorian Award nominees, plus plenty of added commentary, right after the jump…

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2025 in Review: 10 Best Screen Creatures

by Nathaniel R

The following list is dedicated to the unnamed squirrel Kal-el (David Corenswet) saves in Superman, a good-hearted hit that made for a respectable relaunch of the DCU under director/producer James Gunn. The squirrel's scant seconds of screentime proved a perfect blockbuster moment: broad but suprisingly non-generic, funny but heartwarming, and above all else memorable.

While cats (led by Flow) were ruling the movies a year ago, their eternal rivals for human affection came roaring back dominant in 2025 cinema. We've included three canines in the following "Best" list but there wasn't room for everyone so our apologies to funny showdogs Honey & Sterling (Fixed), sadly rehomed dogs Si-Two & Ri-Two (No Other Choice), and other creatures great and small. Leash on. Door open. Here we go...

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State of the Race: Guilds! Guilds!! Guilds!!!

by Cláudio Alves

With so many guild mentions, BUGONIA may be strutting toward some surprise Oscar nods.

The Oscar nominations are ever closer, and it’s time to start making final predictions. So far, these awards round-ups have focused on critics groups, but the guilds have spoken, and pundits must listen. After all, AMPAS voters are industry people. Not that these honors matter only as data points for accurate predictions. They represent celebration among artistic peers and, sometimes, there are even surprises that have nothing to do with the Oscar race and are all the sweeter because of it. So, without further ado, let’s run the gamut from the American Society of Cinematographers to the Visual Effects Society, going through such major plaudits as the DGA and PGA awards…

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Quick Retro Spotlight - Last Year's Film Bitch Award Medalists

by Nathaniel R

CHALLENGERS took the Best Kiss gold medal for its threesome turned twosome. Who will win for 2025 cinema?

As we gear up for both the 98th Oscars and the 26th (!) annual Film Bitch Awards, it surprised me (though it shouldn't have given my track record) that I had never posted the final page of 2024 (the "Scene" categories) which I had definitely completed a year ago. Since those awards are about to be supplanted by a current  "Best of the Year" party (beginning tonight with a bit of silliness!), I invite you, if you're so inclined, to think back on last year's cinema for however many minutes you so desire to check out the gold, silver, and bronze medal honors in several categories as well as the heretofore unseen choices for  the final scene categories like "best opening scene", "best musical sequence" and many more... Among the 42 categories in our annual awards jamboree, 64 films were honored with at least one citation. As I've said many times, it's pretty rare that even the best films of the year are THE BEST AT LITERALLY EVERYTHING the way the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would have you believe.

A few notes about the awards follow...

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Drag Race RuCap: “Q-Pop Girl Groups”

Like in the last couple of years, Nick Taylor and Cláudio Alves are following and recapping the new RuPaul’s Drag Race season…

You know what? Bless this MESS.

CLÁUDIO ALVES: After that promising premiere, Drag Race season 18 continues to prove itself an entertaining new addition to the franchise. Sure, some judging decisions at episode’s end left a little to be desired, but these girls are very fun, and the runway is an all-timer that had me cackling alone with my cats - Major Tom looked very confused, but he always looks confused. Were your fur babies similarly mystified by your reactions to “Q-Pop Girl Groups” or were you a very sedate watcher, bored into inexpression? I can’t imagine you could be that displeased by this hour, though one never knows. (I know, because we’ve discussed the episode on DMs and GroupChats, but please allow the subterfuge for this intro’s sake. You saw nothing, dear reader. Thank you.) 

NICK TAYLOR: I wasn’t with my cats when I watched this episode, though the host of my watch party has a lovely, skittish young cat who didn’t seem inordinately cautious while we were howling at the runways...

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