At the top of the year, there was a lot of optimism surrounding the 2025 film slate-in large part due to the high volume of celebrated filmmakers had new movies on the calendar. That sunny forecast at this time last year proved to be accurate. While I'm certainly not as high on the crop of films as other cinephiles out there, it would be hard to argue that 2025 was anything less than a dynamic year that produced quite a few titles that people got really excited about. Case in point: Look at how much more heat is surrounding awards season this year compared to last. People liked Anora and The Brutalist well enough, but the enthusiasm for those titles' pale in comparison to the positive chatter surrounding the likes of Sinners, Marty Supreme and the current runaway Best Picture frontrunner One Battle After Another right now.
Beyond the aforementioned awards contenders, there's plenty of other quality stuff to champion. Big screen comedy made a comeback with a strong class headlined by a pair of summer releases (Friendship, The Naked Gun) that are among the funniest movies to come out in recent memory. Movies like Weapons, Bring Her Back and Together followed in the footsteps of Sinners and solidified 2025 as a banner year for original horror. A24 beat the allegations they've lost their touch post-Everything Everywhere All at Once Best Picture win by trotting out one of the finest slates in their history. The Housemaid proved that perfectly calibrated trash thrillers can still be made in an era where Hollywood has seemingly lost its timeless recipes from the 80's and 90's. Rian Johnson extended the Knives Out franchise's winning streak to three and got liberated from his deal at Netflix, which practically guarantees that the fourth installment will land at another studio and receive the wide theatrical release it deserves. The Now You See Me franchise re-appeared after nearly a decade away and effortlessly slipped right back into its deliriously stupid rhythm. That all of these triumphs and the many other delights that cinema offered up over the past twelve months occurred during a year where basically everything else in the world was so scary, stupid or just plain awful made them that much more special.
Below, you'll find a plethora of fun stuff celebrating the 2025 cinematic year including a complete ranking of every movie I saw from worst to best, awards galore and some silly superlatives. Hope you enjoy.
Still Need to See:
100 Nights of Hero
Adulthood
Alpha
The Alto Knights
American Sweatshop
Anniversary
The Assessment
Atropia
Bad Shabbos
Baby Invasion
Ballad of a Small Player
The Baltimorons
Becoming Led Zeppelin
The Carpenter's Son
The Chronology of Water
Cleaner
Code 3
The Damned
Dead Man's Wire
Dead of Winter
Deathstalker
Demon City
Doin' It
Dust Bunny
East of Wall
Eden
Eephus
Eleanor the Great
Eric LaRue
Fackham Hall
Father Mother Sister Brother
Fixed
G20
Good Boy
Good News
Griffin in Summer
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Holland
The Home
I Don't Understand You
I Love You Forever
Ick
In the Lost Lands
Inheritance
It Ends
K.O.
Karate Kid: Legends
King Ivory
The Knife
Last Days
Left-Handed Girl
Locked
London Calling
Long Distance
Love, Brooklyn
The Luckiest Man in America
The Man in My Basement
Neighborhood Watch
Night Always Comes
Nonnas
Nuremberg
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
On Swift Horses
The Perfect Neighbor
The Plague
Plainclothes
Pillion
Ponyboi
Pools
Queen of the Ring
Queens of the Dead
Riff Raff
Rosemead
Sacramento
Sharp Corner
She Rides Shotgun
Sirat
Sister Midnight
Sisu: Road to Revenge
Song Sung Blue
Sovereign
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
Steve
Strange Harvest
Summer of 69
The Testament of Ann Lee
The Thing with Feathers
Trap House
The Ugly Stepsister
Urchin
The Voice of Hind Rajab
War of the Worlds
The Wedding Banquet
Wick is Pain
145.O'Dessa (D)
144.The Electric State (D)
143.Back in Action (D+)
142.Hurry Up Tomorrow (D+)
141.The Old Guard 2 (C-)
140.Shelby Oaks (C-)
139.Ella McCay (C-)
138.A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (C-)
137.You're Cordially Invited (C)
136.Snow White (C)
135.After the Hunt (C)
134.The Parenting (C)
133.Guns Up (C)
132.The Conjuring: Last Rites (C)
131.Borderline (C)
130.The Woman in the Yard (C)
129.Afterburn (C)
128.Kiss of the Spider Woman (C)
127.Shadow Force (C)
126.Maintenance Required (C)
125.Keeper (C)
124.Clown in a Cornfield (C)
123.A Minecraft Movie (C+)
122.The Amateur (C+)
121.Captain America: Brave New World (C+)
120.Final Destination: Bloodlines (C+)
119.Wolf Man (B-)
118.Dog Man (B-)
117.Sketch (B-)
116.Nouvelle Vague (B-)
115.Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (B-)
114.Black Bag (B-)
113.Rebuilding (B-)
112.My Dead Friend Zoe (B-)
111.The Accountant 2 (B-)
110.The Roses (B-)
109.Die My Love (B-)
108.The Strangers: Chapter 2 (B-)
107.The Pickup (B-)
106.M3GAN 2.0 (B-)
105.Relay (B-)
104.Dangerous Animals (B-)
103.Honey Don't! (B-)
102.Another Simple Favor (B-)
101.Regretting You (B-)
100.Hedda (B-)
99.The Smashing Machine (B-)
98.Presence (B-)
97.Hamnet (B-)
96.KPop Demon Hunters (B-)
95.A House of Dynamite (B-)
94.The Toxic Avenger (B-)
93.How to Train Your Dragon (B-)
92.I Know What You Did Last Summer (B-)
91.Death of a Unicorn (B-)
90.Play Dirty (B-)
89.Silent Night, Deadly Night (B-)
88.Eenie Meanie (B-)
87.Eddington (B-)
86.Him (B-)
85.Until Dawn (B-)
84.Opus (B-)
83.Happy Gilmore 2 (B-)
82.Heart Eyes (B)
81.A Working Man (B)
80.Predator: Killer of Killers (B)
79.Havoc (B)
78.Jurassic World Rebirth (B)
77.It Was Just an Accident (B)
76.Blue Moon (B)
75.Americana (B)
74.A Nice Indian Boy (B)
73.Hell of a Summer (B)
72.Christy (B)
71.Diablo (B)
70.The Phoenician Scheme (B)
69.The Ballad of Wallis Island (B)
68.Wicked: For Good (B)
67.Anaconda (B)
66.Last Breath (B)
65.Fight or Flight (B)
64.The Secret Agent (B)
63.The Surfer (B)
62.Elio (B)
61.If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You (B)
60.Bob Trevino Likes It (B)
59.Freaky Tales (B)
58.Ash (B)
57.The Bad Guys 2 (B)
56.Sentimental Value (B)
55.Zootopia 2 (B)
54.The Fantastic Four: First Steps (B)
53.Novocaine (B)
52.Drop (B)
51.Love Hurts (B)
50.Bone Lake (B)
49.Jay Kelly (B)
48.Is This Thing On? (B)
47.Mission-Impossible: The Final Reckoning (B)
46.Rental Family (B)
45.Lurker (B)
44.Oh, Hi! (B)
43.One of Them Days (B)
42.F1 (B)
41.Frankenstein (B)
40.Heads of State (B)
39.Roofman (B)
38.Predator: Badlands (B)
37.40 Acres (B)
36.One Battle After Another (B)
35.Mickey 17 (B)
34.Twinless (B)
33.The Life of Chuck (B+)
32.Eternity (B+)
31.Now You See Me: Now You Don't (B+)
30.Warfare (B+)
29.Caught Stealing (B+)
28.No Other Choice (B+)
27.Train Dreams (B+)
26.Good Fortune (B+)
25.The Threesome (B+)
24.Nobody 2 (B+)
23.Black Phone 2 (B+)
22.Splitsville (B+)
21.The Running Man (B+)
20.The Housemaid (B+)
19.Together (B+)
18.Sorry, Baby (B+)
17.28 Years Later (B+)
16.The Monkey (B+)
15.Ballerina (B+)
14.Thunderbolts* (B+)
13.Materialists (B+)
12.Wake Up Dead Man (B+)
11.Companion (B+)
10.Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (B+)
9.Bugonia (B+)
8.The Long Walk (A-)
7.The Naked Gun (A-)
6.Weapons (A-)
5.Superman (A-)
4.Bring Her Back (A-)
3.Marty Supreme (A)
2.Friendship (A)
1.Sinners (A)
Awards/Superlatives:
Best Picture: Sinners
Best Director: Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Best Actor: Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Best Actress: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You
Best Supporting Actor: Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Best Adapted Screenplay: Will Tracy, Bugonia
Best Animated Feature: Zootopia 2
Best Documentary Feature: Abstain
Best International Feature: No Other Choice
Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
Best Editing: Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Best Score: Ludwig Goransson, Sinners
Best Original Song: "I Lied to You" by Miles Caton, Sinners
Best Visual Effects: How to Train Your Dragon
Best Sound: Warfare
Best Directorial Debut: Andrew DeYoung, Friendship
Best Villain: Remmick (Jack O'Connell), Sinners
Worst Villain: The Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), Snow White
Best Performance in a Bad Movie: Jenna Ortega, Hurry Up Tomorrow
Worst Performance in a Good Movie: Mila Kunis, Wake Up Dead Man
Best Piece of Overacting: Rosamund Pike, Now You See Me, Now You Don't
Worst Piece of Overacting: Gal Gadot, Snow White
The 8th Annual "Carry a Movie on Your Back" Award Presented by Greg Jennings: Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love
Best Action Sequence: "Flamethrower Fight", Ballerina
Worst Action Sequence: "Boat/Car Chase", The Amateur
Best Blockbuster: Sinners
Worst Blockbuster: The Electric State
Finest Hidden Indie Gem: Splitsville
Most Insufferable Indie Trash: Abstain
Best Theater Experience (Presentation): Sinners
Worst Theater Experience (Presentation): Wicked: For Good (Standard 3D)
Best Theater Experience (Audience): Friendship (Boston Independent Film Festival screening at the Somerville Theatre)
Worst Theater Experience (Audience): Bone Lake
Sickest Double Feature That I Did: Together/Weapons
Saddest Double Feature That I Did: After the Hunt/Shelby Oaks
Best Needle Drop: (tie) "When Two Become One" by The Spice Girls in Together/The End Credit Song of The Housemaid
Best Drug Trip Ever Committed to Film: Friendship
Best Decent Horror Movie (aka "The Peak 7/10/B- Horror Movie Award): Until Dawn
Best Looking Meal That Didn't Get Consumed on Screen: Weapons
Best Surprise Cameo from an Oscar-Nominated Character Actor That Almost Made Me Stand Up and Cheer in a Roughly Third Full Theater Full of Old People: Jeffrey Wright in Wake Up Dead Man
The First Horror Movie I've Ever Been to In My Life Where Someone Screamed at Every Single Jump Scare (They Were Also Sitting Right Next to Me): Shelby Oaks
Most Underrated Movies:
1.Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
2.Materialists
3.The Threesome
4,Good Fortune
5.40 Acres
Most Overrated Movies:
1.Hamnet
2.Black Bag
3.Final Destination: Bloodlines
4.The Roses
5.The Accountant 2
Biggest Surprises:
1.The Long Walk
2.The Housemaid
3.Splitsville
4.Oh, Hi!
5.Anaconda
Biggest Letdowns:
1.Wolf Man
2.The Smashing Machine
3.The Old Guard 2
4.After the Hunt
5.A House of Dynamite
Top Performances:
1.Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme
2.Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
3.Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You
4.Amy Madigan, Weapons
5.Tim Robinson, Friendship
6.Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly
7.Delroy Lindo, Sinners
8.Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
9.Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love
10.Jesse Plemons, Bugonia
Top Breakthrough Performances:
1.Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby
2.Miles Caton, Sinners
3.Alfie Williams, 28 Years Later
4.Odessa A'Zion, Marty Supreme
5.Sora Wong, Bring Her Back
6.Kateem O'Connor, 40 Acres
7.Kevin O'Leary, Marty Supreme
8.Cary Christopher, Weapons
9.Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
10.Billy Bryk, Friendship/Hell of a Summer
Great Under-the-Radar Performance I Didn't List Above:
1.David Jonsson, The Long Walk
2.Amanda Seyfried, The Housemaid
3.Dylan O'Brien, Twinless
4.Edi Gathegi, Superman
5.Keanu Reeves, Good Fortune
6.Molly Gordon, Oh, Hi!
7.Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back
8.Liam Nesson, The Naked Gun
9.Austin Butler, Caught Stealing
10.Chris Evans, Honey Don't!
Top Acting Ensembles:
1.Sinners
2.The Long Walk
3.Superman
4.Bring Her Back
5.Weapons
6.Marty Supreme
7.Friendship
8.Bugonia
9.One Battle After Another
10.Thunderbolts*
Top Directorial Debuts:
1.Andrew DeYoung, Friendship
2.Drew Hancock, Companion
3.Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby
4.Michael Shanks, Together
5.Aziz Ansari, Good Fortune
6.R.T. Thorne, 40 Acres
7.Lawrence Lamont, One of Them Days
8.Alex Russell, Lurker
9.Jonathan Eusebio, Love Hurts
10.Tracie Laymon, Bob Trevino Likes It
Top Cinematography:
1.Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
2.Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams
3.Kira Kelly, Him
4.Anthony Dod Mantle, 28 Years Later
5.Par M. Ekberg, Black Phone 2
6.Richard Bluck, Ash
7.Radek Ladczuk, The Surfer
8.Steve Yedlin, Wake Up Dead Man
9.Evgenia Alexandrova, The Secret Agent
10.Sean Bobbitt, Hedda
Top Scores:
1.Ludwig Goransson, Sinners
2.Atticus Derrickson, Black Phone 2
3.Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneothrix Point Never), Marty Supreme
4.Flying Lotus, Ash
5.Young Fathers, 28 Years Later
6.Michael Giacchino, The Fantastic Four: First Steps
7.Son Lux, Thunderbolts*
8.David Wingo and Dabney Morris, Splitsville
9.John Murphy and David Fleming, Superman
10.Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia
Top Movies I Hope to See in 2026:
1.October
2.How to Rob a Bank
3.Onslaught
4.Resident Evil
5.28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
6.Wild Horse Nine
7.Street Fighter
8.Werwulf
9.The Furious
10.Send Help
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