The 2nd Annual Intrepid Awards | Best of 2025

Yes, we know. It’s September.We’re only slightly late with our Best of 2025 episode. But better late than never.Bobby Shortle and Nick Rocco Scalia return for the second annual Intrepid Awards, looking back at the movies, performances, directors, screenplays, cinematography, and scores that made 2025 such a memorable year in cinema.The episode begins with a look at the 2026 Oscars, including Conan O’Brien’s hosting, the In Memoriam tribute, the ceremony’s technical and audio problems, the introduction of the Best Casting Oscar, some questionable programming decisions, and the question of whether the Academy can make the Oscars feel relevant to a younger audience.Then, naturally, the real awards begin.Bobby and Nick hand out their own Intrepid Awards, discussing supporting performances, lead performances, screenplays, cinematography, score, and directing before getting to the main event: their personal Top 10 Films of 2025.And there is a lot to discuss.The guys dig into One Battle After Another, It Was Just an Accident, Sinners, Weapons, 28 Years Later, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, No Other Choice, Superman, Bring Her Back, Train Dreams, The Secret Agent, The Naked Gun, and plenty of other films that made an impression over the course of the year.Along the way, they talk about what makes a great performance, the importance of restraint and subtlety, the power of genre filmmaking, the value of taking creative risks, the relationship between personal experience and filmmaking, and why some of the year’s most ambitious movies worked—or didn’t.So yes, this episode is approximately nine months late.But 2025 was a hell of a year for movies, and we weren’t going to let it go by without giving it its due.In This Episode* The 2026 Oscars and Conan O’Brien’s hosting* The In Memoriam tribute* The ceremony’s technical and audio problems* The new Best Casting category* Oscar predictions, surprises, and speeches* The second annual Intrepid Awards* Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress* Best Actor and Best Actress* Screenplay, cinematography, and score* Directing and the year’s standout filmmakers* The performances that elevated their movies* The movies that surprised us* Our personal Top 10 films of 2025* Biggest disappointments and least favorites* What we’re watching next This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit intrepidfilmographers.substack.com