January 30, 2026
It’s time to put a bow on my coverage of the 2025 year in film. Over the last twelve months, I’ve written about 95 new releases and as I finalize my top ten list, I have to say I think this was a fantastic year for movies. Sure, the mainstream media likes to write about the box-office being down from the years before the pandemic, and how streaming is killing movies, but that’s just not the case. A multi-billion dollar business can still be transformational and create incredible art every year, even if it is not as large as it was ten years ago. Even with all of the gloom and doom written about movies, I’m still excited about what the art form has to offer. For instance, I’ve already started my list of most anticipated 2026 new releases (which I will share soon) and the number of movies we have to look forward to is (once again) insane.
There’s a lot of bad news and bullshit in the world right now and it seems to get worse week to week. We are in desperate need of other things in our lives to distract us for a few hours, entertain us, and (let’s be honest) keep us from losing our goddamned minds. Whether it’s books, music, art, traveling, sports, television, or movies, we need to be reminded that there is still good in the world, and it’s still ok to enjoy ourselves.
With that, let’s dive into my ten favorite films of 2025. If you missed part one last week, you can read it here.
#10 – No Other Choice
One of the joys of my movie watching hobby has been discovering new directors. In 2022, I went to the Philadelphia Film Festival for the first time and saw Decision to Leave, directed by Park Chan-wook. I thought it was brilliant and it made my top ten list for that year. Director Park is one of the most respected filmmakers in the world and (along with Bong Joon-Ho), a leader in South Korean cinema. Over the last few years, I made my way through Park’s filmography, including Oldboy, his demented violent thriller for which he is probably best known. That movie was pretty good, but I prefer Decision to Leave and The Handmaiden from his catalogue. I was fortunate to catch his newest picture, No Other Choice, at a packed screening during last fall’s Philadelphia Film Festival, and it was another big hit with the crowd.
At the center of this dark comedy is Man-su, a veteran worker of a local paper company, who is unceremoniously fired after they are acquired by an American firm. He is devastated, not just because of his perilous financial situation, but he feels intense shame for the crisis he has created for his wife and two children. For several months, he works part-time jobs at retail outlets while looking for something in the paper industry, when he comes upon an ingenious idea. With such a competitive job market, what if he just got rid of the other candidates for the position he covets? How? Well, murder of course. See, I told you this was a dark comedy.
Director Park has created a biting satire of our capitalist society, along with a family drama with bits of suspense and comedy mixed in. Lee Byung-hun is outstanding as Man-su in a performance that has to balance the tragedy of someone who feels shame, and the comedic bumbling of someone who is obviously not a murderer trying to kill several people without getting caught. Son Ye-jin is also terrific as his supportive wife, until she starts to wonder what the heck he is up to.
Like Decision to Leave, what makes this film a must-see for me is the exquisite craftsmanship Park displays throughout the story. Just watch the way he moves the camera, especially his transitions from scene to scene. He can create tension among the characters in subtle manners and create moments that make you ask, “How did he do that?” He is also the best director at depicting the technology we use everyday (cell phones, tablets, computers) on screen in an elegant manner. Just an absolute master at work. No Other Choice is now playing in theaters and should be available to rent on demand in February.
#9 – Sirāt
If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, then you know that my writing can be a bit hyperbolic. With that in mind, one of my best moviegoing experiences of 2025 was the screening of Sirāt at the Philadelphia Film Festival last October. As the programming director got on stage to introduce the movie, he said that he didn’t want to share too much about the film, other than to say that we were about to watch an intense story with stunning craftwork and then advised the audience to “Buckle up.” After the screening, several of us were in line outside the theater for our next movie, trying to recover from what we just saw (most of us were speechless) and I saw the programming director walking by. I caught his eye and said, “When you said ‘Buckle up’, you weren’t kidding, were you?” He gave us a knowing smile.
When director Oliver Laxe’s film opens, we are in the middle of the Morocco desert. A group of individuals are setting up for a rave. They connect the speakers, start the music, and everyone starts dancing to the pulsating music. For the next several sequences, we see a father wandering around the crowd, handing out leaflets with details about his missing daughter. He has brought his teenage son along for this journey. They have no idea where she is, but heard that she might be attending a rave. Soon, they meet with a group of ravers who tell them about another event coming up in a few days. The father and son decide to follow the group, who reluctantly help them across the desert.
Sirāt would be best described as a psychological thriller. There are so many questions you will be asking yourself as you watch these people on this journey. Will they find the missing woman? What’s up with the group of ravers that the father and son are following? Can they trust them? Will something terrible happen? Don’t tell me something is going to happen to that boy’s poor dog! Will they ever reach their destination? Are they in hell?
Laxe, who also co-wrote the script, has created a tension-filled movie that will definitely make your palms sweat. The characters, the setting, the score, all reminded me of two other “journey into hell” films – Apocalypse Now and Sorcerer, two masterpieces in their own right. What made Sirāt such a memorable experience for me was the feeling of the entire audience sensing the tension building as the group faced challenge after challenge on their journey. There were several moments that created audible gasps from the crowd and when the woman next to me grabbed the arm of her boyfriend during one such scene, I almost grabbed her arm as a reflex. And you are correct in assuming that I didn’t know her.
The next day, I saw the couple at a screening for No Other Choice and she recognized me, “Oh, I remember you from Sirāt,” she said. “Have you recovered yet?” I asked. She didn’t hesitate. “Nope.” The guys behind me overheard the conversation and one of them said to his buddy, “I can’t believe you said you weren’t sure you could go to a movie today after seeing Sirāt yesterday.” The guy replied, “I saw It Was Just an Accident and Bugonia after Sirāt yesterday and I couldn’t stop thinking about Sirāt all night.” I replied, “Same, brother.” Yup, that’s why I love movies. Sirāt, which was nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars, will be released in theaters in early February and should be available to rent on demand later that month.
#8 – 28 Years Later
Every top ten needs a horror movie, right? Well, for this deranged list maker, you have multiple selections from this genre. The long awaited continuation of the “England gets plagued by infected zombie-like people” saga that began with 28 Days Later in 2002 made a triumphant return last year with 28 Years Later. Director Danny Boyle is back, along with screenwriter Alex Garland, to deliver a story that somehow brilliantly combines a horror story featuring plenty of blood and scares with a family drama about a boy’s journey to save his mother from her crippling illness.
Alfie Williams is terrific as the boy and Jodie Comer is (as always) wonderful as his caring mother. But my favorite performance is from Ralph Fiennes who has a small role as the mysterious doctor they travel to visit. He has a much larger role and is incredible in the just-released sequel to this film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which is an excellent continuation of this story. This series is not for the faint of heart, as the violence is pretty gory. When we saw the preview for The Bone Temple during the previews before Deliver Me From Nowhere a few months ago, my sister responded simply, “Nope.” If you want to read more of my thoughts on 28 Years Later, you can find them here. 28 Years Later is now available to stream on Netflix and the sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, is now playing in theaters.
#7 – Bugonia
Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons demonstrate once again why they are two of the more talented actors working today in a dark comedic thriller. They once again team up with Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) for Bugonia, the strange story of two men (Plemons and Aidan Delbis) convinced that they need to kidnap a high-powered executive (Stone) because she is an alien set to destroy the planet. You can usually count on Lanthimos directing a crazy film, but this is actually a remake of a Japanese movie from 2003. Still, the tone and mood of Bugonia fit his palate perfectly. If you liked Poor Things or any of this director’s other work, then you will probably vibe with his latest picture. I actually thought it was the most accessible of any of his films, up until the wild conclusion, which really worked for me. If you want to read more of my thoughts on Bugonia, you can find them here and stream the film now on Peacock.
#6 – Wake Up Dead Man
The year of Josh O’Connor continues with his starring role in Rian Johnson’s third entry in the Knives Out franchise, Wake Up Dead Man. Yes, Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, the detective with the delightful Southern drawl, to solve a murder at a small Catholic parish, but this is O’Connor’s movie. He stars as Father Jud, a man at a crossroads in this life, questioning his faith while also fighting accusations of murder.
I continue to be impressed with Johnson’s work on this series. Not only does he create stories with fun twists and turns that will keep you guessing, he assembles brilliant casts. When Wake Up Dead Man was released, some people lamented that some cast members like Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, and Cailee Spaeny were wasted with underwritten roles. I actually think that most actors look at these movies as fun projects and are eager to work on them, regardless of the part. And not every role needs to be front and center – you need supporting characters to complement those who have more prominent roles. In this case, that’s O’Connor, Craig, Josh Brolin and Glenn Close, who are all terrific. Johnson has created a durable franchise that will hopefully live on for years to come (preferably in theaters, not on Netflix, like the last two installments.) If you want to read more of my thoughts on Wake Up Dead Man, you can find them here and stream the film now on Netflix.
#5 – Weapons
Just a damned fun movie, created by a very talented writer-director. Zach Cregger followed up his excellent (and demented) debut Barbarian, with Weapons, released last summer. The marketing of the film set up an enticing premise. At 2:17 AM on a Wednesday night, all but one of the children in a teacher’s classroom disappeared and no one knows what happened to them. As the film opens, we are taken into the small town to see how everyone is dealing with the events of that night, and trying to figure out the baffling mystery. Cregger made a terrific choice in telling us the story from the vantage point of multiple characters, in a way that cleverly peels the layers of the story, slowly building suspense, minute by minute. This method of storytelling also makes Weapons a rewarding rewatch as you can further see how the characters and events are intertwined with each other. The creepy scares and great performances bring this story to life, led by Julia Garner and Josh Brolin, along with an Oscar-nominated batshit crazy performance from an unrecognizable Amy Madigan. Just truly elite filmmaking from one of the most exciting directors working today. If you want to read more of my thoughts on Weapons, you can find them here and stream the movie now on HBO Max.
#4 – Train Dreams
Stunningly beautiful. Let’s just start there. The filmmaking team of Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar co-wrote this adaptation of the novella Train Dreams, with Bentley handling directing duties. They teamed up last year for the terrific Sing Sing, with Kwedar directing that film. For Train Dreams, they recruited Joel Edgerton to star as Robert, a man living in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1900s. He lives a simple life, earning money during logging season, and one day he meets the love of his life. They marry and have a child and while it’s difficult leaving them each year to go where the logging work is, he knows it’s his responsibility as a family man. Robert dreams of a better life for his family while on the road and wonders if he will ever achieve it.
Edgerton, an actor you may not know by name, but will recognize, is very good as the reserved Robert, but the real star is the beautiful cinematography from Kwedar and his team. The depiction of this part of the country is just amazing and complements this beautiful story perfectly. I was disappointed that Train Dreams was acquired by Netflix out of Sundance as I knew I wouldn’t be able to see it in a theater. It still works great on the television at home, but be sure to put your phone down so you can immerse yourself in the film. Or, you can try to catch Train Dreams at your local theater in March. Since it was nominated for Best Picture, it will likely get a brief re-release ahead of the Oscars. I know I’m going to try to catch a screening at my local theater, because I want to experience this beautiful movie on the big screen. If you want to read more of my thoughts about Train Dreams, you can find them here, and stream the film now on Netflix.
#3 – Sentimental Value
One of the joys of moviegoing is when you can see a story that is grounded in the dynamics of personal relationships, depicted by incredibly talented actors. How talented? The four main performers in Sentimental Value were each nominated for acting Oscars, all of them first-time nominees. Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier crafted this wonderful story of two sisters who must deal with a visit by their estranged father, played by Stellan Skarsgård. He is a famous director, looking to get back to his glory days by making a new film. It’s partly based on his family life, and he’s written a part for Nora (Renate Reinsve), a talented stage actress. She’s not interested in working with her father, so he recruits famous American actress Rachel (Elle Fanning) to take the role. Nora commiserates with her sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas) as they deal with their father and the memories of their life growing up together.
One of my immediate thoughts after watching Sentimental Value late last year was, “Wow, it’s nice to watch a movie with characters that actually feel like real people.” And that’s a testament to Trier’s skills as a screenwriter and director in addition to the talented cast. There’s a reason the Academy recognized the film with eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best International Film. Don’t let the subtitles intimidate you – this movie is outstanding. If you want to read more of my thoughts on Sentimental Value, you can find them here and you can now rent the film on demand at home.
#2 – Sinners
Last April, I went to see Sinners in IMAX during its opening weekend. I was incredibly impressed with every aspect of the film. A few days later, I was talking to my son about it and told him I would go see it again if he wanted to, and as we sat down in the theater about a week later, he told me knew virtually nothing about what we were about to watch. That is the best way to see most movies these days – just understand who is involved and the general gist. He was equally impressed as we were leaving the theater and later that night, I logged it on Letterboxd with this review, “Second viewing. Stop the count and give it all the damn Oscars. I can’t imagine how we will see a better film this year. Just elite filmmaking all around from Coogler and the entire cast and crew.”
Now, a week after Sinners set the record for most Oscar nominations for a single film with 16, it would be a no-brainer to assume it would earn the top spot on my list, right? Not so fast. That distinction belongs to a movie that I saw several months later that I want to rewatch every time I see a clip or article online. But we’ll get to that in a minute.
Director Ryan Coogler crafted Sinners as a truly unique story that is (quite remarkably) a perfect combination of several genres. It’s a period piece drama about twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan in a dual performance that in most years would win him an Oscar) trying to build a business in their hometown. It’s a commentary about race relations in the 1920s American South. It has amazing musical numbers, one of which is the boldest take in any film of 2025. It has sexy romance among several of the characters. Oh yeah, it’s also a bloody vampire movie, at least in the second half.
Most times I tell people that I understand that if horror movies are not your thing, I get it. And there are some gnarly sequences in Sinners, especially in the final act. So if you are very squeamish, it might not be for you. But if you want to see what all of the fuss is about and watch a movie that will be remembered for decades to come, it’s a must watch. You can read more of my thoughts on Sinners here and stream the film now on HBO Max.
#1 – One Battle After Another
It’s the frontrunner for Best Picture after winning several awards over the last several months and since it’s directed by one of my favorite filmmakers, I couldn’t be happier. I had One Battle After Another on my watch list for several months, planning to see it on opening day in late September, just before I wrote about it for my blog. Then I got fucking COVID – first time ever, can you believe it? Unfortunately, I also had to cancel a trip to play my favorite golf course in Vermont that weekend. Once I was feeling better, my son and I went to check out the new film from Paul Thomas Anderson and when the credits rolled, which was accompanied by a perfect needle drop, I looked at him and said, “Well that was a masterpiece.” He agreed.
Just like Coogler did with Sinners, Anderson has brilliantly assembled all aspects of filmmaking into a display of true talent across all disciplines – script (written by him, loosely based on a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon), score, production design, action sequences, costumes, and casting. Every role is played to perfection, starting with Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary on the run with his teenaged daughter Willa, played by Chase Infinity, whose performance came “this close” to a Best Actress nomination. Her mom (Teana Taylor, a strong contender for Best Supporting Actress) disappeared when Willa was an infant after a bank robbery went wrong. She was arrested by military officer Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn in an unhinged performance), who is obsessed with her and also joining the Christmas Adventurers Club. Or, as my daughter referred to them when we watched the movie together a few weeks ago, “the white boy racist club.” When Lockjaw comes after Bob and Willa, they are assisted by supporters of their revolutionary group, including characters played by Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro, in terrific supporting performances.
On the surface, a story about a revolutionary single dad on the run with his teenaged daughter might seem like just another movie. But Anderson has crafted memorable characters, a compelling story that has equal parts drama, suspense, action, and comedy. The film was shot almost two years ago, yet the crux of the story feels like it was ripped from today’s newspaper headlines. If there was ever a movie about “today,” this is it.
Most importantly, at the center of One Battle is the story of a father and daughter. The chemistry between DiCaprio and Infinity is fantastic – it’s wonderful watching Leo migrating into roles geared towards someone of his age. DiCaprio is my favorite actor working today and I continue to believe we are taking him for granted. He just continues to turn out great performance after great performance, strategically picking directors and stories that are of interest to him. He doesn’t take a job for the paycheck – he wants to be part of bringing compelling stories to the big screen (in cinemas, not on television.)
Two years ago, I wrote about Leo’s performance in Killers of the Flower Moon, my favorite movie of that year, and how underrated he was in that role. It’s kind of funny because as I was finalizing my list for this year, I couldn’t help but think back to 2023 when Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer were really 1A and 1B for me. That’s the case again this year with Sinners and One Battle After Another. Two masterpieces from two of the greatest filmmakers of their generation, and ones that I will likely revisit again before the Oscar ceremony in March. If you’d like to read more of my thoughts on One Battle After Another, you can find them here and stream the film now on HBO Max.
That wraps up my coverage of the year in film, a truly wonderful one if you love movies. If you are interested in finding where to watch any of these selections at home, check out JustWatch.com. If you want to see them in a theater, I recommend Fandango to see where they are playing near you. Some of the newer releases are still in theaters, and all of the Best Picture nominees are typically back in theaters right before the ceremony, which is on March 15th.
All of the movies I write about are listed in my Film Index here, which includes a link to JustWatch to find where to stream them, as well as a link to the post where I wrote about it. Lastly, if you are a movie psycho like me (or just curious), you can find my list of 100 favorite films of 2025 on my Letterboxd account here. I’ll be back at the end of February with a detailed preview of the Oscars. Thanks for reading and if you would like to be notified about future posts, you can subscribe below.