The Diggy Awards: January 2026
Welcome to The Diggys!, a review of the best-of-the-best from this month’s releases in a fun “awards show” format.
Remember, you can vote for your favorites as well!!!
Who will win the “Shovel” this month? Let this month’s Diggys begin!
ELIGIBLE FILMS (all the stuff I saw):
Primate, Is This Thing On?, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Mercy, No Other Choice, Send Help, Iron Lung, Arco
BEST PICTURE
The nominees are …
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
As Spike (Alfie Williams) is inducted into Jimmy Crystal's (Jack O’Connell) gang on the mainland, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) makes a discovery that could alter the world.
Arco
In 2075, a girl witnesses a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall from the sky. He comes from an idyllic future where time travel is possible. She shelters him and will do whatever it takes to help him return to his time.
No Other Choice
After being unemployed for several years, a man (Lee Byung-hun) devises a unique plan to secure a new job: eliminate his competition.
And the Diggy for Best Picture goes to:
No Other Choice
Park Chan-wook’s razor sharp dark comedy excels at just about everything it sets out to do. The acting is phenomenal. Its editing and cinematography seize your attention fast from start to end, not that you’ll need any help staying rapt. By the end, the film’s unbelievable premise seems not just plausible; it feels like the only logical outcome of capitalism’s often brutal dismissal of humanity.
BEST ACTOR
The nominees are …
Will Arnett
Is This Thing On?
Ralph Fiennes
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Lee Byung-hun
No Other Choice
And the Diggy for Best Actor goes to:
Lee Byung-hun
Much was made (and rightfully so) of Timothee Chalamet’s performance as Marty Mauser, a man pushed to the edge and willing to do anything to reach his goal. Lee Byung-hun portrays that dynamic just as well, and perhaps better. He’s got both the dogged tenacity of a Liam Neeson and the sympathetic draw of a Tom Hanks. It’s an unbeatable combination of talents meeting the perfect role.
BEST ACTRESS
The nominees are …
Laura Dern
Is This Thing On?
Rachel McAdams
Send Help
Son Ye-jin
No Other Choice
And the Diggy for Best Actress goes to:
Rachel McAdams
Is there anything Rachel McAdams can’t do? We’ve never seen her like this before. She transforms from an awkward, overworked employee who’s constantly getting stepped on into a savage CEO of the wild jungle who will stop at nothing to stay on top.
BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE
The nominees are …
Gia Hunter
Primate
So Yul Choi
No Other Choice
Alfie Williams
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
And the Diggy for Best Youth Performance goes to:
So Yul Choi
Spike’s refusal to join Jimmy’s gang is heartwrenching to watch, but the performance doesn’t quite meet the sky-high bar he set for himself in 28 Years Later. So Yul Choi brings a surprising, burning intensity to her role. She doesn’t say much, but she speaks volumes.
BEST MOMENT
Minor Spoilers Ahead!!!
The nominees are …
Ralph Fiennes dances to Iron Maiden
from 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Thunder and lightning cut shows how far away (yet still connected) husband and wife are
from No Other Choice
Troy Kotsur comes home to a thundering battle he can’t hear
from Primate
And the Diggy for Best Moment goes to:
Ralph Fiennes dances to Iron Maiden
As glorious as it was to discover Dr. Kelson is a major Duran Duran-head, the world’s collective heart skipped a beat when his hidden speakers started spitting out the opening chords of Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast” at Jimmy and his demented acolytes. Fiennes’s performance as Old Nick is dazzling, devilish (sorry), and delicious.