Another year, another round of NFR nominations. But this isn’t just any year for me: it’s my 10th year nominating films for the NFR, and to celebrate I wanted to do something a little different. Of the 249 films I’ve nominated over the last nine years, 51 have been inducted, which means 198 have become this blog’s perennial bridesmaids. So this year I’m choosing my nominees through a point system I’ve dubbed “The Horse’s Head’s Tournament of Losers Ballot 2026!”. I’ve taken each of my nominated films from the last nine years and assigned them points via a system so unnecessarily complex it would make you ask “Are you okay?” and “Seriously, are you okay? Do want to talk about it? Maybe go for a walk?” I’m fine, I promise. But I appreciate the concern.
Without further ado, my NFR Tournament of Losers Ballot 2026!
- Scarface (1983): 1423 points
- Aliens (1986): 1389 points
- Aladdin (1992): 1297 points
- Frozen (2013): 1153 points
- The Avengers (2012): 1075 points
- Fight Club (1999): 1013 points
- Spider-Man (2002): 986 points
- Avatar (2009): 964 points
- Gremlins (1984): 959 points
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001): 955 points
- The Sixth Sense (1999): 831 points
- Finding Nemo (2003): 830 points
- Poltergeist (1982): 824 points
- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997): 756 points
- Gladiator (2000): 741 points
- Beetlejuice (1988): 725 points
- Alice in Wonderland (1951): 642 points
- Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954): 591 points
- Skyfall (2012): 586 points
- One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961): 581 points
- Fatal Attraction (1987): 561 points
- The Great Escape (1963): 558 points
- Seven (1995): 554 points
- Edward Scissorhands (1990): 551 points
- Speed (1994): 542 points
- The Wolf Man (1941): 539 points
- The Usual Suspects (1995): 529 points
- The Jungle Book (1967): 523 points TIE
- Up (2009): 523 points TIE
- Mrs. Doubtfire (1993): 516 points
- Mean Girls (2004): 495 points
- Good Will Hunting (1997): 485 points
- The Seven Year Itch (1955): 481 points
- Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957): 460 points
- 300 (2007): 453 points
- The Elephant Man (1980): 451 points
- Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985): 446 points
- Footloose (1984): 441 points
- Space Jam (1996): 431 points
- Big (1988): 422 points
- Cast Away (2000): 417 points
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993): 414 points
- Song of the South (1946): 411 points
- Driving Miss Daisy (1989): 409 points
- Inglourious Basterds (2009): 408 points
- Boogie Nights (1997): 399 points
- Blue Velvet (1986): 393 points
Now you may be wondering, “Wait, 47? Didn’t you say you nominated 50?” Yes, I did. Thanks for paying attention; we should go for that walk. I swapped out the bottom three for a few ringers. Apologies to the trio of movies that made the Top 50 via the point system: Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Labyrinth (1986), and Anchorman (2004). I will prioritize these three on my 2027 ballot, though it would be funny if all three of them got inducted this year.
My first two ringer films are two personal favorites I nominate every year: “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (1963) and “Original Cast Album: Company” (1970). I wrote a whole post explaining how great they are. Shout out to “Mad World”, which was eight points shy of making the list on its own.
As for my 50th film, I’m picking a 2016 film that is freshly eligible for the NFR, and there was only one movie that I felt should get the nod: Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land”. As a tribute to the golden age of Hollywood musicals and with winning lead performances from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, this film has maintained…Wait, there was a mistake. “Moonlight”, you guys have been nominated for the NFR. This is not a joke. “Moonlight” is my 50th NFR nominee.
What can I say? I love topical humor.
The Horse's Head 