Sure, I’m a month late with this and we’d all like to put last year behind us where it belongs. However, I like closure and making my official favorites list gives me just that. It was a weird year and my list reflects that. I know that some critical darlings are missing… and I’m sorry… they might be a little overrated.
10 – Caught Stealing
Director Darren Aronofsky is known for making unique and challenging films, so I was concerned that his foray into a basic crime thriller would be too watered down for his style. And truly, Caught Stealing feels more like an American homage to Guy Ritchie, but thankfully all the pieces work great.
Austin Butler keeps proving that he’s capable of leading any film, and this film cements that. This movie dances around madcap characters, captivating tension, and the ugliness of a criminal underworld. I was between laughter, sadness, and anxiety the whole time and it made for quite the ride.
9 – Eddington
I didn’t want a covid-era movie, especially from a director that has made some of the most interesting horror films of the decade. Who in the world would want to revisit a time when the world was divided over social rules, and everyone hated their neighbor because of it?
Eddington removed that hesitation quickly by showing the insanity of the extremes on both sides. This very isolated town is the microcosm of how we treated each other and what that spite could create. It doesn’t hurt that Joaquin Phoenix, who plays the sheriff, always seems unhinged as it is. Once you get past the facepalm moments of reflected shame, there’s a wacky plot that keeps devolving more and more into madness. This isn’t for everyone, but it was for me.
8 – How to Train Your Dragon
I’m not going to lie to you, most of my list is just me being caught completely off guard by movies. I am one of the proud anti-remake crowd when it comes to everything that Disney has done with their original masterpieces. 2025 is the same year that Snow White was my 5th least favorite. Also, I love the How To Train Your Dragon animated trilogy. I consider it perfect. So, I wasn’t okay with Dreamworks continuing the greed cycle.
Magic was found in this remake. It’s the same movie, same characters, and a few additions, but the charm is still ever-present. These movies live or die based on the Toothless and John Newman’s score and this version kept both intact. This doesn’t necessarily replace the original classic animated film, but is a perfect reconstruction of it. If this was the only version kids have seen, they will feel all of the emotion, humor, and adventure of it. Thanks for warming my heart again, Toothless.
7 – The Naked Gun
Okay stop it, another remake? Yes, I’ve lost any hipster credibility and that should be clear now. However, this comedy is a welcoming oasis in the comedic desert we’ve been experiencing for almost 20 years.
It has been so long since a straight-forward comedy has managed to make me genuinely laugh, but The Naked Gun has restored my faith in the genre. I had stopped believing in the star power of Liam Neeson after 15 movies of action movie drivel, but his deadpan delivery makes him a perfect replacement for Leslie Nielsen. Years from now, I’ll still be thinking of the Snowman montage and I’ll still laugh about it.
6 – Hamnet
My list needed an Oscar hopeful. Hamnet is the kind of sleeper film that carries within it a very simple story but is decorated with the most lush setting, fantastic acting, and impactful ending that left me in tears.
Jessie Buckley is a shoe-in for Best Actress this year as her take on Agnes is just the best display of acting in any category this year. What I loved about this look at Shakespeare’s family life is that it isn’t about the fame and talent of William Shakespeare. It’s about the importance of prioritizing loved ones and the singular ways we deal with grief. I think of this as the period piece version of believing that the typical Instragram happy family has it all together, when truly everyone is fighting their own battle. This is a movie that begins with vibes, but has so much soul throughout.
5 – Weapons
Weapons is a unique horror experience. It got more promotion and hype than most in its genre. Also, in terms of tone, it’s hard to nail down exactly what Weapons wants you to feel. It’s thrilling, off-putting, mysterious, and hilarious.
Outside of Sinners, this will be the most memorably horror movie of the year based on its divisive ending, iconography, and being part of the hopeful rise of its director, Zach Cregger. We need more movies that present a high-concept mystery, fully flesh out the characters, and deliver an explanation that is out of left field and not built on common tropes. I may have preferred Cregger’s first film, Barbarian, but Weapons will only get better over time.
4 – F1
F1 was the movie of the summer and nearly of the year. It’s such a relief that this fun blockbuster experience outgrossed every superhero flick and made them look juvenile by quality comparison. It has all the vibes that people loved from Top Gun: Maverick. Joseph Kosinski knows how to craft a crowd pleaser and I don’t think he’s anywhere close to hitting his peak yet. Adding to all the great elements within F1, we have Hans Zimmer creating a thrilling score which has elements of Daft Punk and are the perfect backing for amazing footage.
Brad Pitt proves he’s still one of the last movie stars, and he’s backed up by a great ensemble. The races are thrilling, the camera work is absorbing, and the writing is top notch even for an all-too-familiar story.
3 – Bring Her Back
I’m not done with horror movies on this list yet. I love new voices in the horror-sphere as they typically bring their own ideas into the genre. The Philippou Brothers released Talk to Me a few years ago and they show their maturity with Bring Her Back. With most modern horror, there’s a deeper theme, that being of dealing with grief and regret. Their writing along with the stellar acting of Sally Hawkins really delivers an experience that feels resonant.
This is not for the faint of heart. In an effort to rectify a tragedy, Hawkins character is responsible for some moments that are very hard to watch. I put my hand up in front of the screen a couple of times, and that takes a lot. But I was emotionally and viscerally invested on what happened to these characters.
2 – The Ballad of Wallis Island
I can’t help but sneak in an indie comedy in my list every year. The Ballad of Wallis Island is sleepy, cheesy, and small in scale. Yet, it’s just so charming. This movie tells the story of a once-famous folk musician who gets invited to a remote island by one adoring fan for a concert. Though, he soon finds out that the other half of his now-defunct duo is also expected to perform.
Ballad is a human story through and through. In so many subtle ways, it speaks to the lack of closure in relationships, imposter syndrome, and the mindset of moving on while embracing the past. It doesn’t hurt that the original soundtrack feels plucked right out of the mid 2000s, when the duo was meant to be famous.
Honorable Mentions –
Marty Supreme, Final Destination Bloodlines, Train Dreams, Bugonia, The Ugly Stepsister, Sinners
1 – Together
Yes, I know. Of all the movies released in 2025, Together is my #1 choice? I didn’t see this coming either, but one of my first favorites of the year just couldn’t be surpassed. Allison Brie and Dave Franco star in this relationship tale about a couple who are exposed to a foreign substance and their bodies are soon magnetized to each other.
I was pulled into this movie instantly in all the right and wrong ways. For almost two hours, I forgot about the world outside because I was so concerned about what could happen to these two characters. Similar to Weapons, there is humor found within the horror, but the laughs weren’t as blatant. The humor came naturally, even if it was just to break the tension I was feeling for a minute. Together is escapism at it’s finest and most horrifying.
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