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SAG Awards 2025: 'Conclave' crashes the party

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SAG Awards 2025: 'Conclave' crashes the party

Do you want to be an actor? Listening to Screen Actors Guild Awards host Kristen Bell singing that question to the tune of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” it seemed like the only reasonable response was a hearty “hell yes,” even with all the talk of failure and embarrassment and the possibility that Colin Farrell might give you COVID if you win an award.

You know what would be more alarming than catching a contagious disease from a charming Irishman? “Conclave” winning best picture at the Academy Awards. And yet it’s a very real possibility after the crowd-pleasing papal potboiler won the SAG Awards’ ensemble prize Sunday night.

Oscar voting is closed, with the ceremony being just seven days away. So nothing that tonight’s movie winners said from the stage will have any impact on the 97th Oscars, nor will the playing of Diane Warren’s nominated power ballad “The Journey” during the in memoriam segment.

But the SAG Awards are, for the most part, a reliable precursor to the Academy Awards. How trustworthy will they be this year? Let’s take a look.

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CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
Winner: “Conclave”

The past: The winner of this award went on to take the best picture Oscar 15 of 29 years, making it easily the SAG Awards’ least trustworthy Oscar precursor. (The ensemble prize wasn’t awarded in 1994, the SAG Awards’ first year.) Perhaps worth noting: The past three winners — “CODA,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Oppenheimer” — have also won the Oscar.

Will history repeat itself? After taking this ensemble honor and the best picture prize last weekend at the British Academy Film Awards, “Conclave” is very much in the running for the best picture Oscar. It has long been held up as the movie that could prevail with the Oscars’ preferential ballot, a ranked choice vote that rewards movies that are well-liked — or at least, not disliked.

Still, it’s worth pointing out that “Anora” won the top prizes this year from the producers, directors and writers guilds. Only one film has won those three honors and lost best picture — “Brokeback Mountain.”

“Anora” remains the favorite.

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FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Winner: Demi Moore, “The Substance”

The past: SAG and the academy have matched 21 of 30 years. Notable recent exceptions: Frances McDormand winning her third Oscar for “Nomadland” after Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) won SAG, Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) denying 2019 SAG winner Glenn Close (“The Wife”) her first Oscar and, just last year, Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) winning her second Oscar over SAG winner Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”).

Will history repeat itself? Did you see that standing ovation? Moore began her comeback narrative at the Golden Globes when she gave a speech — one that she had memorized — that was both gracious and inspiring. She wrapped it up, beaming, “I do belong.” But then Madison took the honors at the British Film Academy Awards and, yesterday, the Spirit Awards. And with “Anora” winning top prizes at the directors and producers guild awards, it was easy to believe that the momentum in this race had shifted to the film’s terrific lead. It’s still a toss-up. But Moore is genuinely loved in the industry. People are rooting for her. All season long, it’s been easy to see why.

MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Winner: Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”

The past: This category has been the most reliable indicator of Oscar victory, with SAG and the academy matching 24 of 30 times. There are exceptions, though, such as when Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar for “The Father,” prevailing over SAG winner Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”).

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Will history repeat itself: Chalamet won’t turn 30 until the end of the year. If he won the Oscar for “A Complete Unknown,” he’d be the youngest to take the lead actor trophy. Who currently holds that distinction? None other than Adrien Brody, nominated for “The Brutalist,” who won for “The Pianist” in 2003, 22 days before his 30th birthday.

One thing is certain: Chalamet now holds the record as being the youngest to win SAG’s lead actor prize, taking that badge from Nicolas Cage, who was 32 when he prevailed for “Leaving Las Vegas” in 1996.

The SAG Awards, voted on by a broad membership of 125,000 members, skew more populist than the Oscars, so I think Brody remains the favorite. But now it’s competitive. Brody’s film, “The Brutalist,” earned 10 nominations, while “A Complete Unknown” scored eight. Both have their camps. But as much as the Oscars love rewarding a good biopic turn, Brody delivers a serious, deeply emotional performance in a movie that feels weighty. And he’s old(er).

FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Winner: Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”

The past: The SAG award winner has gone on to take the Oscar 22 of 29 times, including last year, when Da’Vine Joy Randolph won for “The Holdovers,” one of countless prizes she won that season. (Kate Winslet took this category in 2009 for “The Reader” but was nominated for — and won — the Oscar for lead actress for that performance.)

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Will history repeat itself? Let me answer by asking another question: Is there an award that Saldaña has not won this season? She’s so good in “Emilia Pérez” that none of the movie’s controversies, including the offensive social media posts of her nominated co-star Karla Sofía Gascón, can keep her from winning. “Why should she be penalized for something she had nothing to do with?” one Oscar voter told me last week. Obviously, it was a rhetorical question as Saldaña’s triumphs have continued unabated. She’ll add an Oscar to her haul next week.

MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Winner: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”

The past: The SAG winner has gone on to win the Oscar 21 times in 30 years, including the last 11, the longest streak of any category.

Will history repeat itself? This category has become a snooze since 2016, the year Idris Elba won for “Beasts of No Nation” after not being nominated at the Oscars. Mark Rylance ended up winning the Oscar for “Bridge of Spies,” beating sentimental choice Sylvester Stallone, nominated for the “Rocky” reboot “Creed.” We haven’t had a competitive race since then, with the likes of Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”), Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”) sweeping the season — just like Culkin this year.

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Movie Reviews

Primate

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Primate
Every horror fan deserves the occasional (decent) fix, andin the midst of one of the bleakest movie months of the year, Primatedelivers. There’s nothing terribly original about Johannes Roberts’ rabidchimpanzee tale, but that’s kind of the …
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Tom Cherones, director and producer of ‘Seinfeld,’ dies at 86

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Tom Cherones, director and producer of ‘Seinfeld,’ dies at 86

Television director and producer Tom Cherones, best known for his work on the first five seasons of the Emmy-winning series “Seinfeld,” has died. He was 86.

He died Jan. 5 at his home in Florence, Ore., according to a statement from his family.

He directed some of the most iconic episodes of “Seinfeld,” including “The Chinese Restaurant,” “The Parking Garage” and “The Contest.” The first episode he directed was the show’s second-ever episode, “The Stake Out.” The director ultimately helmed over 80 episodes of the show.

“I think they liked the way I ran the set,” Cherones said of why he was chosen to direct so many “Seinfeld” episodes in an interview with the Television Academy Foundation. “I shot the show a little different … I just shot it in a way that I thought made it look better than the average show.”

Cherones left the show at the behest of its star Jerry Seinfeld.

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“Jerry asked me to [leave], he was tired of the same thing I guess,” he told the Television Academy Foundation. “We changed writers almost every season and finally he just wanted somebody else, another presence to try to keep it fresh. He always said from the beginning that when this thing isn’t working anymore we’re going to stop.”

Cherones received six Emmy nominations for his work on “Seinfeld,” winning his sole Emmy for his production work in 1993.

“Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander mourned Cherones death in an Instagram post on Friday.

“Tom directed nearly half the ‘Seinfeld’ episodes. He created the visual style and tone and how to capture the magical interplay of our cast,” Alexander wrote.

“His generosity also enabled me to become a member of the Directors Guild and he was a wonderful mentor. He was a good guy and a wonderful director and teacher. Generations of our fans have and will continue to enjoy his work. Thanks for everything, Tom. Rest well. My love to your family and friends.”

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After leaving “Seinfeld,” Cherones would go on to direct 23 episodes of the second season of the Ellen DeGeneres sitcom “Ellen.” He also directed several episodes of the ‘90s NBC sitcoms “Caroline in the City” and “NewsRadio” and stand-alone episodes of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Boston Common” and “Desperate Housewives.”

Cherones was born Sept. 11, 1939, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of New Mexico in 1961. After a four-year stint in the U.S. Navy, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Alabama in 1967.

He worked at a PBS affiliate station in Pittsburgh, including aiding in the production of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Cherones moved to L.A. in 1975 and found production work on such series as “General Hospital” and “Welcome Back, Kotter,” and with several of the major Hollywood production studios.

Later in life, Cherones returned to the University of Alabama to teach production classes from 2002 to 2014.

Cherones is survived by his wife Carol E. Richards, his daughter Susan Cherones Lee, son Scott Cherones and two grandchildren, Jessa and Thomas Cherones.

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1986 Movie Reviews – Black Moon Rising | The Nerdy

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1986 Movie Reviews – Black Moon Rising | The Nerdy
by Sean P. Aune | January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 10:30 am EST

Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1986 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.

We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.

Yes, we’re insane, but 1986 was that great of a year for film.

The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1986 so that it is their true 40th anniversary. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.

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This time around, it’s Jan. 10, 1986, and we’re off to see Black Moon Rising.

Black Moon Rising

What was the obsession in the 1980s with super vehicles?

Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) is hired to steal a computer tape with evidence against a company on it. While being pursued, he tucks it in the parachute of a prototype vehicle called the Black Moon. While trying to retrieve it, the car is stolen by Nina (Linda Hamilton), a car thief working for a car theft ring. Both of them want out of their lives, and it looks like the Black Moon could be their ticket out.

Blue Thunder in the movies, Airwolf and Knight Rider on TV, the 1980s loved an impractical ‘super’ vehicle. In this case, the car plays a very minor role up until the final action set piece, and the story is far more about the characters and their motivations.

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The movie is silly as you would expect it to be, but it is never a bad watch. It’s just not anything particularly memorable.

1986 Movie Reviews will continue on Jan. 17, 2026, with The Adventures of the American Rabbit, The Adventures of Mark Twain, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Iron Eagle, The Longshot, and Troll.


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