I decided to keep track of all of the films I watched for the first time in 2025. Apparently, there were 70, which is kind of crazy when you think about it. First, because these were just the films I watched for the first time ever, not any of the repeats.
I get into themes when I watch movies on repeat viewing. For example, my mind was chasing something from a screenwriting angle, and I was inexplicably drawn to re-watch everything Taylor Sheridan ever did. I also watched all the Mission Impossible films before the final one came out in May, and for some reason, watched a bunch of Marvel stuff in April. There are also films I watch every few months, particularly when I’m on planes. Stand By Me, A River Runs Through It, Back to the Future, and a few others joined me on my trip to Kazakhstan. This is all a long way of saying that if I watched 70 films for the first time, I figure I did that again with repeats. 140+ films in 365 days seems like a lot. That doesn’t include TV shows, either.
No matter. I enjoy it, and it’s literally my business, so it’s not that deep.
Anyway, I used to rate everything I’d seen on Twitter. I stopped doing that a while ago, deciding to just talk about stuff I loved, rather than trying to be a film critic. I’m going to stick to that policy here, and share films in two categories: Ones I personally rated 4.5 or 5 stars, and then other films I found notable for whatever reason.
TOP RATED FILMS (in alphabetical order)
28 Years Later
Alex Garland continues to amaze me as a writer. He takes great big swings with everything he does, and this one is no exception. It’s a meditation piece on the trauma of living in a zombie world. Not for everyone, but I loved it.
Anora
So well done from top to bottom. Bringing Sean Baker’s slice-of-life mentality to a more commercial venture could’ve gone wrong, but it elevated it. The end scene is still haunting.
Blue Moon
Only Richard Linklater could’ve made this movie. Ethan Hawke is brilliant as always, and as someone who works with a creative partner, not enough films have been made about this aspect of creation.
The Brutalist
My personal choice for Best Picture last year, even if it is essentially two films: An origin story about an immigrant and its immediate sequel, a story about unflinching vision in creation. The music is the thing that I remember most, though every bit was fantastic.
Deliver Me From Nowhere
When I saw this, I had never seen the anxiety of creation from trauma portrayed so well. Its critics say the film didn’t break new ground. I’d agree, but so what? Make something, do it well, let it be. This film did that, and then some.
Hamnet
… and then I saw Hamnet. Interesting to watch this against Deliver Me From Nowhere, as one is from the perspective of the creator, the other from that of the creator’s wife. Both are devastating in their way.
I’m Still Here
A poignant story to hit at this time in the history of the world. Has a lot to say, and does it without hitting you over the head. Very close with The Brutalist, in my opinion, for 2025’s Best Picture.
The Long Walk
A friend of mine caught an early screening of this and told me I had to watch. Boy, was she right. The trailers don’t do the film’s devastating brutality justice. An important film to watch, even as we continue to debate the role of the so-called alpha male in our society.
Marty Supreme
Reminiscent of Uncut Gems (with good reason, as they share a director) in that it has a lot of threads, but everything seems to flow easily from one scene to the next, and everything seems inevitable. Chalamet has never been better – and that is saying something. Kevin O’Leary nearly steals the show in his first acting role.
My Dead Friend Zoe
What a brilliant story about standing and facing your own trauma, and how you won’t ever get past it until you do.
Nickel Boys
The film is stunning for multiple reasons. Not the least of which is its unique first-person perspective. In the hands of a lesser director, even an inch less, it would have failed. But here, it makes the story sing. Beautiful.
One Battle After Another
I’m hit and miss with Paul Thomas Anderson. That’s because he takes big swings with everything he does. This one is a huge home run. Anxiety-provoking for sure. Great to see films with big, heavy, world-building first acts coming back. The oversimplification studios have done in recent years has made for some heavily compromised films. If this one wins Best Picture, I look forward to more like it.
Sentimental Value
We do seem to have a lot of great films about getting past your trauma this year, don’t we? This one’s a beautiful family story with some underrated cinematography as well. Fabulous performances from an amazing cast.
Sinners
I’m not sure what I can add here that hasn’t already been said. Michael B. Jordan has never been better (though I’m not sure if I can rank his performances as Smoke and Stack). The aesthetic is beautifully done, mixed with artistic shots and fantastic music.
Train Dreams
It’s got that Malick aesthetic of rooting your characters and camera work in nature, and letting them do their thing. But with just enough of a story to make it feel like a story. I love it when films get this balance right, which isn’t often. Feels like A River Runs Through It.
OTHER NOTABLE FILMS (in alphabetical order)
Anniversary
Fucking. Chilling. I don’t want to say more than this, because it’s a film that should be experienced knowing as little about it as possible. But please watch.
F1
I love it when Hollywood makes an original film, for this big a budget, this well. Brad Pitt has seldom been better, and it’s a blast.
Good Fortune
Keanu Reeves as a bumbling angel in a stoner-sensibility comedy from Aziz Ansari, which also stars Seth Rogen? I was sold just from that. I loved this film though; came out with a big smile on my face.
The Life of Chuck
Like Anniversary, I hesitate to talk about this one too much. But while Anniversary is poignant and scary, this one is poignant and life-affirming.
Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning
No action film franchise has been as consistently good as this one. Its ending (if it is the ending) is a little messier, a little overbloated, than most of the others. But also takes the scope higher than ever, and sticks the landing.
Rental Family
It’s nice to see Brendan Fraser doing more leading man roles, isn’t it? He always had the chops to be funny, goofy, and serious all at once. This film isn’t what I expected it to be from the trailers. It’s much better, with a lot to say.
Roofman
Speaking of films that aren’t what I expected from the trailers. Did you know Derek Cinafrance, he of slow-burn indie character meditations, directed this one? It’s so fun, sweet, and just enjoyable from top to bottom… and this is a movie about a criminal.
She Rides Shotgun
Taron Egerton surprises me every time I see him; I don’t know why he isn’t an A-list leading man. When I say that he is out-acted by Ana Sophia Heger, the newcomer who played his young daughter, that isn’t a diss to him, but a statement about how amazing she is in this film. It’s got that Sheridan, modern Western sensibility, if a little grittier, and a little more brutal.
