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Like all of the years before, 2025 has been a year. The continuation of mega corporate consolidation, the fear of a total theatrical collapse, a never-ending deluge of dying icons, sequels, reboots, reshoots, and the over-capitalization of our society has made 2025 a year for the history books. But cinema has survived, no, thrived, in the face of tyranny and privatization. The movies are not going anywhere. Wouldn’t it be fun to take a walk down memory lane in the twilight hours of the year, and reminisce on all of the great art that was created (with the frame of reference being my very own, unbiased, and wholly factual top ten list).
10. HAMNET
Chloé Zhao has made a name for herself in Hollywood by directing some of the most genuinely human portraits—and Eternals. The marketing tricked us all into thinking Hamnet was going to be a story about the marriage between William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, which is part of the package, but moreover, this film is about his wife’s journey through tragic domesticity. The performances are incredible across the board, with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal at the top, all the way down to young Jacob Jupe. Hamnet toes the delicate line between traumatizing the audience with its raw depiction of grief while crafting a very authentic domestic drama. Shakespeare has not been this interesting since 1616.
9. BLUE MOON
No, Richard Linklater did not direct a new film about the Belgian wheat ale. His first of two 2025 releases centers on Ethan Hawke’s portrayal of the famed lyricist Lorenz Hart. I caught this on a whim in theaters, and I never stopped thinking about it. Hart and his partner Richard Rodgers were the biggest celebrities of their day in the 1940s, but I believe you would be hard-pressed to find someone who knows them today. The script from Robert Kaplow is brimming with hilarious, rapid-fire dialogue that pairs perfectly with Linklater’s naturalistic direction. Hawke is circulating in the Best Actor discussion, and I think this performance is more than deserving of all the praise, even in a year with such stiff competition.
8. WEAPONS
Zach Cregger stunned audiences across the globe with his debut horror/comedy Barbarian, and his worthy follow-up film Weapons delivers more of his unique genre blending. With such an incredible debut, most directors would have shot themselves in the foot and failed to deliver a memorable successor, but Cregger took the challenge to heart. When an entire classroom of children goes missing, a small town is thrown into turmoil. Without an obvious culprit, fingers are pointed at the schoolteacher played by Julia Garner. With a cast that also includes Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, and Benedict Wong, Weapons promises a lot of mysterious pieces to the puzzle, culminating in one of the most uproarious and satisfying climaxes of the year. Cregger truly knows how to direct edge-of-your-seat thrills punctuated with perfectly timed humor. Witnessing a horror spectacle such as this in a crowded theater is one of the most magical experiences one can have at the cinema.
7. NO OTHER CHOICE
You want to know who I think is the preeminent South Korean auteur? Look no further than Director Park Chan-wook. With a filmography that includes the historic Oldboy, the soul-crushing Joint Security Area, and the salacious Decision to Leave, No Other Choice is yet another instant classic to add to his body of work. Director Park aims for our thoroughly rigid capitalist society, and how paralyzing the structure that we have established can be. Man-soo is given the axe by his employer after twenty-five years of loyal service. As the head of his household, Man-soo is pushed to the brink of sanity as he struggles with unemployment and the ever-present need to be a provider. Director Park loves to interweave comedy throughout his films, and No Other Choice has some of the funniest sequences in his filmography. There is a palpable sense of desperation and dread looming over the narrative; all the while, the satirical edge of the film ensures nobody will miss the director’s intent.
6. RENTAL FAMILY
Hikari is a relatively new director on the scene from Osaka, Japan. Her second feature, Rental Family, casts a critical eye on the loneliness epidemic that is widespread across the globe, especially in Japan. Brendan Fraser’s renaissance is ongoing, and the man can do no wrong. Here, he is a single actor going on his seventh year living in Tokyo, where he takes odd jobs to survive. His most enduring gig was a toothpaste commercial, which he is constantly recognized for. When he is recruited to work for an organization that hires actors to fill specific roles in people’s lives, he is unsure if he is qualified. Through his interactions with the fatherless Mia, he discovers himself, his emotions, and a new meaning to life. This is one of the more affecting films of the year, and it will make your heart beat stronger than ever before.
5. WAKE UP DEAD MAN
Two sequels later, and Rian Johnson is continuing his legendary run of whodunnits. With Benoit Blanc returning with his overpowering, endearing accent, Wake Up Dead Man was almost guaranteed to be a hit. Johnson could’ve coasted on his laurels, but instead, he challenged himself by writing one of the most fascinating scripts of the year. By applying the Knives Out formula to organized religion, Johnson lets the 1% catch a break for once. Instead, he tackles both the hypocrisy of Christianity and also casts it in a comforting and enlightened way. This film does not pick a side, but lays out all of the facts in a clinical fashion to allow the viewer to come to their own conclusions. By positing a critical lens to view religion through and crafting an entire labyrinthine puzzle to digest it, Johnson nearly topped his original outing.
4. BUGONIA
Yorgos Lanthimos has made a name for himself by releasing some of the strangest and most disturbing moving pictures this side of the century. Bugonia follows what seems to be the overarching theme of 2025: a blend of paranoia and anxiety fueled by our corporate overlords. Emma Stone might appear to be a powerful female CEO, but Jesse Plemmons sees right through her supposed extraterrestrial skin. This film has a very incongruous score, with its powerful and sweeping orchestral tunes underlying the uncomfortable and disturbing truths displayed onscreen. Plemmons provides a very sweaty version of himself as he is flooded by contradictions and overwhelmed by his own decision-making; meanwhile, his cousin, played by Aidan Delbis, deserves the world. Bugonia is one of the best films of the year to talk about with others because of how disparate people’s conclusions are about what this film had to say.
3. EDDINGTON
One of the greatest moments to be alive is whenever a new Ari Aster film hits movie theaters. The man has made it his career philosophy to never make an easy film, nor should he. There aren’t many minds in the film world that can achieve the level of profound introspection and intellect that Aster infuses into his craft. Audiences chafed at Eddington for its supposed apolitical stance and the way it depicted both sides of the political aisle in America. However, there are those who failed to discern the message about contemporary, and I pity them. Aster layers his modern 148 Western with so many pertinent themes relating to misinformation, the dishonesty of politicians, and the simple truth that the internet is ruining all of our brains. I pray that Joaquin Phoenix continues to be Aster’s muse for as long as they shall live, and that any studio will continue to be brave enough to finance this madman’s visions.
2. SINNERS
In the throes of his Marvel captivity, Ryan Coogler had announced that he would be working on a vampire movie. Did any of us expect that film, Sinners, to be as groundbreaking as it is? I certainly did not. Michael B. Jordan is on double duty as twins Smoke and Stack, a couple of outlaws returning home for good. There are so many great characters, each brought to life by the grounded performances. By blending vampire cinema with Black history, music, and soul, Sinners has cemented itself as one of the strongest original outings of the decade and ensured its permanent abode in the canon. Coogler’s writing and direction are infused with immense depth and passion; it is a wonder to behold, especially in IMAX. Ludwig Göransson’s original score is exceptionally original, blending old-fashioned tunes with modern electronic elements. This is almost the perfect film of the year, but PTA just knocked on the door.
1. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
In 2025, there truly is one film to rule them all. One Battle After Another has only been out in the public sphere for three months, but its timelessness is already guaranteed. I cannot fathom a more perfect film that met its moment in time better than this. Leonardo DiCaprio’s helpless, stoner Bob is probably the most useless protagonist, but it is his intent that matters most. Paul Thomas Anderson has been working on this script for over fifteen years, and he shows us that the most revolutionary action can be to love. The French 75 can blow up banks and political offices and disturb immigration camps, but how lasting were any of those actions? The ability to stand up for yourself and what you believe in is paramount, but sometimes we think too big for our britches, and the most important revolution was right there in front of us the whole time. One Battle After Another is peak cinema from one of the most brilliant filmmakers in history. How does he keep getting away with this?
Honorable Mentions:
– PREDATOR: BADLANDS…Dan Trachtenberg is on a legendary sci-fi run. With three new Predator films in two years, his bountiful love for this franchise is blinding, and I hope he can spend the rest of his career playing in his favorite soapbox.
– MARTY SUPREME…Timothée Chalamet is that guy, almost to a fault. In his first solo outing, detached from his younger brother, Josh Safdie shows audiences why he is the cooler brother. A never-ending anxiety nightmare for 150 minutes straight—make sure you bring a change of clothes for when you’re done sweating.
– AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH…Big Jim has done it again, to no one’s surprise. The Avatar doubters must be the most losing-est group of losers ever known to man. Yes, this threequel gets repetitive, and the characters repeatedly make the same mistakes, but there is nothing remotely like Avatar in our current landscape. King James makes the most sincere, honest blockbusters, and his billions at the box office prove his worth.
Dishonorable Mentions:
– HURRY UP TOMORROW…Did anyone even care about The Weeknd’s movie? In it, he plays himself, that is, a selfish, egotistical, narcissist who is consumed by his pointless desires. This was the most brain-dead, insulting, and boring film I saw this year, and one of the worst “movies” I have ever had the displeasure of watching.
– JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH…Can you believe they are still pumping out Jurassic movies? For a franchise to reboot with a mediocre entry, make two sequels, and then attempt another soft reboot is befuddling. These movies have not been truly good since 1998. Let the dinos rest already.
– THE LOST CHAPTER: YUKI’S REVENGE…Technically, a short film or technically not a film at all, this “epilogue” to Kill Bill, made in collaboration with Fortnite, is an enormous joke. Quentin Tarantino loves to bemoan the state of the industry and place this unnecessary burden on himself for his tenth film, and then the man goes and does a Fortnite movie. Give me a break.
