Musings & Reviews

For my money, 2025 was an excellent year for cinema. In fact, I’d argue that this was the most complete year for movies since 2019, before the pandemic. To be clear, I don’t think there is such a thing as a bad year for movies, but I do think some years are overall better than others. There are always good movies to see, they just sometimes require a little more effort to find. If you’re only watching a handful of movies that release in the largest of multiplexes each year, of course I’d understand why you might think it was a bad year. But if you actually love movies as much as I do, moviegoing (long live movie theaters!) can be as wonderful and rewarding as anything else in life.

Below I will present my favorite films of 2025. Because this was such a strong year for me, I am structuring it a little bit differently than last year. I will have a top 15 ranked, and then 10 more honorable mentions presented alphabetically. I loved all of these films to varying degrees and fully recognize that rankings are ultimately arbitrary. This is merely a fun exercise to celebrate the year in movies. And what a year it was!

A few notes:

• Of course I haven’t seen every single film released in 2025, and there are many I am sad to have missed! But I like these lists to encapsulate my year in moviegoing. I’m sure there are plenty of 2025 films I will catch up with down the line.
• A film not being mentioned herein does’t necessarily mean I haven’t seen it or didn’t like it. There’s only so much time in the day, and although I reached triple digits once again it’s still never enough.
• This is purely my subjective list. You may not agree, and that’s okay! We all like what we like. I don’t need my opinion regurgitated back to me by others and you shouldn’t either. Differing opinions on art and entertainment is what makes the world go round.

Before we dive in, two other short lists…

My favorite “new to me” films I watched in 2025 (alphabetical):

My least favorite films of 2025:

5. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (Dir: Scott Cooper)
4. Snow White (Dir: Marc Webb)
3. Jurassic World: Rebirth (Dir: Gareth Edwards)
2. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (Dir: Christian Gudegast)
1. Him (Dir: Justin Tipping)

Honorable Mentions:

and now… My Favorite Films of 2025:

15. Eephus (Dir: Carson Lund)

On its face, Carson Lund’s Eephus is a simple hangout movie about a bunch of middle aged guys playing baseball. It just so happens that it is the last day the field these guys have played on for years will exist as it is soon to be demolished to make way for a new school. Baseball is a game of small moments. The moments that happen in between plays. The human moments. The social bonds. It is those moments that make Eephus so human and so lovely. The passing of time, the yearning for things lost, never knowing when it may be the last time you see that guy or catch that ball or drink that beer. This is a gorgeous, existential ode to America’s pastime, to friendship, and to guys being guys… in a non-toxic way. This is the best baseball movie since 2011’s Moneyball.

14. Hedda (Dir: Nia DaCosta)

Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler is one of the great plays, a theatrical masterwork that has been adapted and revived in myriad ways since it first premiered in 1891. Its most recent Broadway revival was in 2009, starring the great Mary-Louise Parker and Michael Cerveris. But Hedda (both the character and the play) has never quite been portrayed like this. Nia DaCosta (who received far too much flack for The Marvels, a perfectly enjoyable if slight superhero movie) reminds us of the immense promise she showed with her debut Little Woods. Working once again with the inimitable Tessa Thompson, DaCosta has crafted a scintillating and baroque adaptation of Ibsen’s classic. This film, so gorgeously curated (the costumes, production design, score, and cinematography are remarkable) is a delicious, highly intelligence melodrama. A sapphic delight of yearning and manipulation. Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss are intoxicating and magnetic.

13. Frankenstein (Dir: Guillermo Del Toro)

Mr. Del Toro has long been one of my favorite filmmakers and Frankenstein has long been one of my favorite stories, often adapted in so many brilliant, unique, and clever ways. This is a flawless marriage of artist and material. Frankenstein is lavish, romantic, gothic, and overflowing with humanity. It shows clear reverence for Mary Shelley’s original masterwork while also charting its own course and diving into rich thematic material that clearly rang deeply in Del Toro’s soul. His singular aesthetic, esoterica, and craftsmanship has rarely been on such immense display. This film is gorgeous in every way. Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth are excellent, but it is Jacob Elordi as the creature who is a revelation. His portrayal gives this film its immense feeling, a performance of physicality, vulnerability, and tenderness. An incredible tale of what it means to be misunderstood.

12. Avatar: Fire and Ash (Dir: James Cameron)

Never doubt James Cameron. If one thing is clear in Hollywood it is that. This 3rd film in his Avatar saga is, quite unexpectedly, my favorite thus far. Running an immense 3 hours and 17 minutes, I would have gladly watched another hour or two. Fire and Ash is a stunning spectacle of the highest order. It is soulful, enthralling, sexy, weird, and gorgeous. Its earnest melodrama has more in common with classical biblical epics and space operas than most modern blockbusters, and because of that I have come to care deeply about these characters. The Sully family. Payakan. Spider. Not to mention the film’s new major character, Varang, brilliantly played by Oona Chpalin, a new icon of cinematic female villainy. The film is filled with motifs of grief, parenthood, colonization, patriarchy, bigotry, and so much more. But it is an action film first and foremost, and the action is spectacular. In an age of studio slop, mandated and dull sequels, and bland, muddy visuals, these movies reign supreme as some of the finest large scale blockbusters. They remind us what this kind of cinema can be, how beautiful they can look, and how clean, simple storytelling is A-ok.

11. Nouvelle Vague (Dir: Richard Linklater) (in French with some English)

Richard Linklater is the king of the modern hangout movie. He has also made a career of experimentation, playing in so many different genres and sandboxes. Nouvelle Vague (french for New Wave) takes him back to 1959, in the thick of the French New Wave movement. And the film is in French, a language Linklater doesn’t even speak! Although this film is about the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, more than anything it is a classic Linklater hangout movie. It is light on its feet, quite funny, and an absolute joy to be with these characters. The re-creation of the time and place is immaculate, including in the film’s visual presentation. Academy ratio, cigarette burns and scratches on the film, and stunning black and white cinematography are transporting. Guillaume Marbeck is perfect as Godard but it is Zoey Deutsch as Jean Seberg that is the film’s heart and soul. Linklater treats his characters, the making of this iconic, massively influential film, and cinema itself with immense reverence. Intoxicating.

10. Train Dreams (Dir: Clint Bentley)

An American myth told with such intimacy. Elegiac, naturalistic cinematic poetry. The full breadth of the human experience, the nonstop march of time and grief, the wonder of nature gorgeously photographed. Joel Edgerton’s performance is so nuanced, so lived in, so full of humanity. William H. Macy and Kerry Condon lend such warm support. Bryce Dessner’s score is stunning. The narration, voiced by Will Patton, is remarkably thoughtful and vital to the film’s approach. Train Dreams is completely engulfing. This is perhaps the most a film has reminded me of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, a favorite of mine. There are also, of course, shades of Malick. A hint of A Ghost Story. But it very much finds its own voice, and it took my breath away for 102 mins.

9. Superman (Dir: James Gunn)

As far as I’m concerned, James Gunn’s Superman is the feel-good movie of 2025. It is joyous, earnest, and vigorously optimistic. Superman has long been my favorite superhero because of what he represents, the innate goodness in all of us and the belief that empathy and humanity can save the day far more than any superpower can. (Though superpowers do help too!) And James Gunn nails that in a profound way. 2025 was a tough year. Summer is hot, monotonous, incessant. This movie saved my summer. It helped me escape my depression as I saw it 11 (11!) times in cinemas. I will never forget that. For me, Summer 2025 was the summer of Superman. This film overflows with color, personality, and the perfect amount of delightful corniness. The action is spectacular and vibrant. David Corenswet is extraordinary, flawless as both Superman and Clark Kent. Rachel Brosnahan is every bit his match, finding a perfect balance of spitfire bravado and warmth. Nic Hoult is ideal as Lex Luthor, whiny, jealous, evil, sniveling. What a joy.

8. It Was Just an Accident (Dir: Jafar Panahi) (in Farsi)

Jafar Panahi is one of modern cinema’s great political agitators. His long and storied conflicts with the Iranian government are inspiring and maddening, and he continues to find new ways to weave his own troubles into his films. It Was Just an Accident is no different. This surprisingly funny and intense thriller centers former Iranian political prisoners who think they have found one of their former torturers. What unfolds is as blatantly political and as purely entertaining as anything Panahi has made. Its anti-authoritarian bent is powerful, vital. The ensemble, especially Mariam Afshari, are so in tune with each other. You feel their pain, their trauma, the follies of their current exploits. You cannot look away. The ending is haunting and unforgettable.

7. Sinners (Dir: Ryan Coogler)

Films rarely hit the zeitgeist in the way Sinners did and those that do are rarely as good as Sinners is. This is major cinema from an artistic duo that is clearly cementing themselves as one of the great director/actor pairings of our time. Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan are virtuosic. Sinners is a a miraculous blend of genres and tones, a bloody, bluesy, southern gothic period drama/musical/grindhouse hybrid that excels in performance, visual beauty, thrills, and its painful truths. It is as much about cultural appropriation and racism as it is a violent, badass vampire movie. The music, both score and soundtrack, is sensational. I was lucky enough to see the film projected on 70mm celluloid and it is one of my absolute favorite moviegoing experiences of the year.

6. Hamnet (Dir: Chloe Zhao)

If anyone is in the bag for a film about the healing power of theatre it is me. Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet is uniquely intimate, a gorgeous and overwhelming study in grief and parenthood. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are sensational, the camera so effectively framing their faces and the nature around them. It is impressionistic and tender, finding a tone that feels ethereal and mournful. The brothers Jupe are both excellent, and the use of them and the way it informs the film is one of the casting coups of the year. This is the rare case where I will freely admit that I think the film is better than the novel. The novel was lovely but left me cold, whereas this film had me sobbing. It is a gut punch, it is traumatic, and to my mind it completely earns it.

5. Black Bag (Dir: Steven Soderbergh)

Soderbergh’s Black Bag released relatively early on in the year and I didn’t stop thinking about it. Much like Linklater, Soderbergh has dipped his toes in countless genres, excelling in just about all of them. Black Bag is his take on the spy thriller, but it is not an action extravaganza. Ingeniously scripted by David Koepp, this is a movie about glances, moods, tone, and language. Scenes of two or three actors talking to each other are as deliciously intense as any set piece. Old fashioned in style and intent, the film examines our anxieties about trust and relationships. The entire ensemble is top notch, but Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett have such palpable chemistry that you hang on their every word. Sexy, stylish, whip smart, brisk. They so rarely make them like this anymore.

4. No Other Choice (Dir: Park Chan-wook) (in Korean)

Park Chan-wook reminds us that he is one of modern cinema’s masters with No Other Choice. Wild and seductively unpredictable, this is a complex and thrillingly plotted film that requires you to hold on and go for the ride. It is a blistering, darkly hilarious work of anti-capitalist satire. A rebuke of corporate culture, the rat race, private equity, AI, and so much more. The filmmaking is clever and stylish, using visual language and editing in Director Park’s signature fashion. It is ferociously entertaining, thematically rich, and distressingly socially relevant. It also manages to be ample in feeling and quite devastating. Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin are fantastic, making even the silliest moments feel vital.

3. One Battle After Another (Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson)

Paul Thomas Anderson has long been my favorite filmmaker, and One Battle After Another is one of his very best. It is a triumph. A rollicking, thrilling, masterfully crafted action thriller and an incendiary, woefully relevant American epic. Resistance, racism, white supremacy, violence. Rife with moral questions and no easy answers. Deliriously hilarious. The type of movie we will think about, discuss, and revisit for generations. The performances are uniformly brilliant, with great work from Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro, and Regina King. DiCaprio has never been funnier, creating a Lebowski-esque hapless stoner who is just trying to find his daughter. He may be the lead of the film, but newcomer Chase Infinity is the crux and she is extraordinary. The cinematography and Jonny Greenwood’s score are exemplary. This is a great filmmaker in complete control and at the top of his game. Viva la revolución. (Another film I saw in 70mm! Stunning.)

2. Sorry, Baby (Dir: Eva Victor)

Ever so often a debut film comes along that shakes me to my core, announcing a major new filmmaking talent. Enter Eva Victor, who annoyingly (I kid) wrote, directed, and stars in Sorry, Baby and is immaculate in all three roles. What I found so remarkable about this film is how, despite dealing with such a challenging and traumatic subject, it manages to be so delicate and wry. Set in the world of academia and exploring the complexities of the relationships that can form between students and between students and teachers (enter sexual assault,) nothing in Sorry, Baby is easy or pat. Victor’s deft directorial hand and smart, humanistic writing allow the characters to breathe, learn, grow. Its handling of the depression that can form from trauma is as thoughtful and genuine as I can recall. As an actor, Victor is so charming and natural. Naomie Ackie and Lucas Hedges are terrific as well, creating a tiny little community of support. A one scene appearance by John Carroll Lynch and the ending make for two of my absolute favorite moments of the year. What an achievement.

1. Sentimental Value (Dir: Joachim Trier) (in Norweigan with some English)

More often than not, families make for the best stories. The family at the center of Joachim Trier’s masterful Sentimental Value is dysfunctional, to say the least. They are also fascinating, flawed, and deeply relatable. Trier’s film is exquisite in its clarity and sophistication. It is a work of startling authenticity and deep feeling, so warm, wise, and funny. The film’s usage of a house as both a character and a framing device, accompanied by wistful narration, is epochal. Trier is a master of balancing tones and moments, allowing this story of family, art, film, connection, depression, and legacy to ascend. The four actors at the core of this story, Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgaard, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as father and daughters, and Elle Fanning as an American actress working with the family on a film, are all incredible. Complete, fully formed performances, filled with verisimilitude and ardor. In a great year for cinema, no other film made me feel so profoundly, made me smile so widely, left me so in awe of its balance and dexterity. Love, love, love.