My 10 Favorite Films of 2025

As 2025 has come to a close and I look back at the 100 movies I’ve reviewed its time to look back and choose my 10 favorite films along with some honorable mentions.  As usual, these movies are in no particular order and aren’t necessarily based on my original rating.  Instead, these films just left the biggest impressions on me and proved to be memorable for one reason or another.  Some films are destined to be awards darlings; a handful are horror films simply because it’s my favorite genre and then there are just some films that took me by surprise. 

The Ugly Stepsister

Norwegian film director and screenwriter Emilie Blichfeldt debut film is impressive deconstruction of the Cinderella fairy tale powered by a knockout performance from its star, Lea Myren.  The visuals and costuming of the darkly comedic body horror tale are all top notch throughout but the thematic layers underneath all its gruesome ickiness are what really make this import stand out.

The Ugly Stepsister Review

Sinners

While I still hold that the basic plotting of Sinners is pretty much a redux of a From Dusk till Dawn you can’t deny the level of craftmanship behind and in front of the camera.  Boasting a deeper story than its pulpy predecessor and packed full of strong performances across the board, Ryan Coogler delivers a memorable film that’s exemplified by its time bending musical number that truly a transcendent moment.

Sinners Review

Bring Her Back

I was one of the few people who didn’t care for Danny and Michael Philippou’s debut film Talk to Me, so I wasn’t expecting much from their sophomore effort.  So, I was shocked at how much more refined and darkly elegant Bring Her Back turns out to be with its heavier emphasis on mood punctuated by moments of brutal horror.  The performances are all stellar, but Sally Hawkins keeps the whole thing together with an eccentric and crazed turn that deserves awards attention.

Bring Her Back Review

Weapons

I can say that I enjoyed most of Zach Cregger 2022’s Barbarian I did feel like it feel apart in the final act.  His Pulp Fictionesque construction of Weapons just stepped up his game as the varying points of view keeps the audience off balance as the central mystery is revealed.  By the time the reveal occurs, the film has dug its claws into audience which carries them through its darkly funny, kinetic and memorable final act

Weapons Review

The Long Walk

Stephen King’s 1979 novel The Long Walk has always been a personal favorite of mine, so the cinematic adaptation had some high expectations to meet.  Francis Lawrence, with a script from JT Mollner, delivers one of the best King adaptations in recent memory that captures the heart and soul of his stories with its heartfelt sentimentally paired with unrelenting horrors.  This tale lacks the supernatural elements of his other works with its simplistic plot playing out like a twisted version of Stand By Me and The Running Man powered by excellent turns from its central duo of Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson.

The Long Walk Review

One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson’s thematically packed epic is the kind of cinematic journey that grabs you from the start and rarely lets up.  At its base, its simplistic story of Leonardo DiCaprio’s burnt-out revolutionary trying to protect and save his daughter from an increasingly chaotic world is instantly relatable and timely.  There’s plenty to dissect about the story’s narrative that makes the film feel like the right film at the right time with its deconstruction of extremism carried by excellent turns from its collection of A list talent. 

One Battle After Another Review

Better Man

This is one of the more random surprises of the year, a musical biopic about an artist that I’m not terribly familiar with could have been a paint by the numbers snooze fest.  Its central gimmick of having the main character be a CGI monkey was enough of a hook to make it a curiosity but the approach to the story which didn’t pull any punches proved to be incredibly engaging and heartfelt making it a memorable experience that very few people saw. 

Better Man Review

Frankenstein

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein is an elegant, visually stunning endeavor that finds the emotional center of the story.  Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth deliver nuanced turns that give the film a level of refinement that goes hand in hand with its gothic ascetics.  Elordi, in particular, makes for a soulful monster who is searching for meaning in his creation from an uncaring, careless “father” in the form of Oscar Isaac’s Victor. 

Frankenstein Review

Bugonia

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s 4th collaboration together continues their explorations of their avant guard cinematic taste.  This remake of the 2003 South Korean film, Save the Green Planet!, is an actor’s movie with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons being utterly captivating every second they are onscreen.  The plot keeps the audience guessing until the end with Lanthimos playing his cards very close to the vest, which results in a rather electric finale. 

Bugonia Review

Hamnet

Chloé Zhao meditation on love and loss is restrained but engrossing from its opening shot to its close.  Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are excellent together, but this film is a showcase for Buckley impressive depth of talent that just makes you feel every emotional peak and heartbreaking valley throughout with an undeniable sense of veracity. 

Hamnet Review

Honorable Mentions

Eternity

An old-fashioned throwback that takes an inventive conceit to hook you in and have the cast keep you engaged the rest of the way.  The central trio of Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner are all clearly having fun but it’s Olsen who makes this whole thing work. 

Eternity Review

Good Boy

This is one of the most inventive films of the year, a three-year passion project by director Ben Leonberg.  The possession storyline is fairly basic once you break it down but using the dog’s POV is a stroke of genius as it creates a distinctive experience that has you connecting with nearly every moment of fear and empathy from the dog accomplished through a series of painstakingly well-placed shots. 

Good Boy Review

Superman

James Gunn’s first live action film in the new DC Universe had a lot of work to do and it succeeds in setting up the new world and his general approach.  Lighter, funnier and larger in scope, Gunn’s film offers up plenty to like including David Corenswet’s likeable take on Superman.  Corenswet’s Superman does get lost a bit in his own film but that doesn’t prove to be a big enough misstep from this being one of the more enjoyable comic book movies of the year.

Superman Review

28 Years Later

Danny Boyle revives the franchise he started 18 years after the last entry which subverts expectations by delivering a coming-of-age story as opposed to a direct continuation or redux of the original story.  Boyle’s film is still visceral and energetic in a way that’s gripping especially during some well-constructed set pieces. 

28 Years Later Review

Final Destination: Bloodlines

The sixth entry in any horror franchise isn’t usually going to give the series a boost in the arm the way this revival does.  This series has always been rather tongue in cheek with this entry fully embracing the absurdity of the increasingly complicated deaths with gleefully gory results.  It also gives legendary horror icon, Tony Todd, a wonderful moment that serves as fitting send off before his death a few months later.  

Final Destination: Bloodlines Review

Black Bag

One of two Steven Soderbergh’s films in 2025, Black Bag, is a sleek and smart spy thriller that leans more on the battle of wits as opposed to outsized action.  Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are perfectly matched onscreen with both feeding off each other’s energy to create a singular sort of chemistry that propels this underappreciated film. 

Black Bag Review

MOVIE REVIEW: THE LONG WALK

 

Teens participate in a grueling high-stakes contest where they must continuously walk or be shot by a member of their military escort.

Director: Francis Lawrence

Cast: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, Mark Hamill

Release Date: September 12, 2025

Genre: Horror

Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, suicide, pervasive language, and sexual references.

Runtime: 1h 48m

Review:

Francis Lawrence's adaptation of Stephen King's The Long Walk is a bleak trek into a dystopian landscape that manages to capture the humanity at the heart of the story thanks to excellent turns from Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson.  Lawrence takes a rather interesting approach to the subject matter by using a Stand By Me aesthetic, bathed in sepia tones to illicit a nostalgic feeling that's initially disarming.  This allows the audience to get to know the cast of characters before the stark reality of the game is put on graphic display.  There's no supernatural power at play here just the barebones simplicity of walk or die with warnings building up moments of tension throughout.  As the film goes on, it starts to feel more like a horrific war movie as we witness characters get killed off, often with an unflinching focus, in steady succession.  The script is filled with thoughtful dialogue as the characters discuss a variety of topics that leave its ultimate meaning open to multiple interpretations about death, rebellion and perseverance against unwinnable odds.  There are moments of poetic beauty amid all the brutal horrors that unfold which speaks to the effectiveness of the direction and performances by its cast.  Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson are given the lion's share of the focus as the central characters tasked with carrying the story.  There's very little actual action going on besides just walking so this serves as a wonderful showcase for both performers as they bring tangible sense of humanity to their characters that feels instantly authentic.  They ultimately elevate the film above simple terror porn by making these characters live and breathe which makes their trek engaging and painfully tragic.  Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer and Tut Nyuot all get their moments to shine in supporting roles with Wang and Nyuot being instantly likable.  Plummer's antagonistic but disturbed Barkovitch is fascinating enough that you are left wishing he'd been given a bit more screentime.  Mark Hamill is given the thankless role of The Major which doesn't require much outside of delivering orders in an imposing, gravelly voice.  The character serves as more of an idea than anything as he's written as generally as possible leaving him more of an enigma than anything.  In the end, The Long Walk gives you plenty to appreciate with it proving to be a top tier King adaptation that manages to capture his sense of character and ultimately our humanity even in the most extreme situations.   

A