We lost legends like David Lynch, Robert Redford and Rob Reiner. We endured the "chicken jockey" phenomenon. Sydney Sweeney successfully sold her own bathwater, but not so much her jeans (or her movies, for that matter). Hollywood had a rough year between wildfires and the existential threat of AI. KPOP Demon Hunters jumped from the Netflix dumping ground, to a theatrical success and the #1 Halloween costume this year. 2025 was a CRAZY year. So let's look back at what I consider some of the best (and worst) of what it had to offer with my annual movie superlatives list!
BEST ACTRESS - Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
All four of my main acting honorees this year each play mentally unwell characters - but Rose Byrne is the most relatable one. In the film, she plays a mom at the end of her rope; balancing caring for her daughter with a severe eating disorder, handling her intense patients as a therapist, and dealing with a large, gaping, dark hole that appears in the ceiling of her apartment. It's all adding up to drive her into madness. Much like The Babadook, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is a Kafka-esque psychological thriller that plays on the fears of motherhood, and Rose Byrne delivers an excellent performance, dragging us through her hell with her.
Runner-Up: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Uncle Buck was one of my favorite family films growing up, but in Weapons, Amy Madigan no longer plays Buck's blue collar girlfriend - she plays the bone-chilling Aunt Gladys, who, in my opinion, has now entered the pantheon of classic horror movie characters. It's best to go in blind with this one!
Honorable Mentions:
1. Sophie Thatcher, Companion
2. Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back
3. Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl
4. Emma Stone, Bugonia
5. Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love
BEST ACTOR - Jonathan Majors, Magazine Dreams
I was really torn on whether I should include this as my top performance of the year, considering Jonathan Majors' off-screen violent behaviors. It has literally cost him what would've been an incredible, long-lasting career, just as it was taking off. So Magazine Dreams, given a "soft," small release into theaters early this year, is now just a reminder of that wasted talent. He's unbelievable in this film. Playing a socially-awkward bodybuilder with dreams of "making it," his untreated mental illness begins to fester and get worse. A truly transformative, intense, committed, and tragic performance - undoubtedly I think he would've been Oscar-nominated had he not been canceled.
Runner-Up: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Certainly a film that will be receiving a TON of year-end awards, Paul Thomas Anderson did it again with his excellent ensemble cast of One Battle After Another. But Sean Penn stands out the most for me, playing Stephen J. Lockjaw, the alternately intimidating and hilariously pathetic villain of the film, whose inferiority complex is his prime motivator in taking down the protagonist, revolutionary Bob Ferguson (Leo DiCaprio).
Honorable Mentions:
1. Mark Hamill, The Life of Chuck
2. Daniel Day-Lewis, Anemone
3. Jesse Plemons, Bugonia
4. Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
5. Oscar Isaac, Frankenstein
BEST POSTER - The Actor
I'm giving a superlative to a movie I couldn't even finish... very few people watched The Actor, but I have to say, its poster is beautiful. Evoking the nighttime glow of a cinema marquee under a romantically large moon, if it weren't for the poster text on the front, I'd love to hang this up on my wall!
Runner-Up: Together
Honorable Mentions:
3. Shelby Oaks
5. Eddington
BEST MUSIC SCORE - Tron: Ares, Nine Inch Nails
Did we need another Tron movie? No. But do I welcome an excuse to listen to a new Nine Inch Nails album in an IMAX theater? Absolutely. If you look at the movie more as an album release party, it's a lot easier to get through! A propulsive '90-'00s techno dance rave vibe that fits alongside Daft Punk's preceding Tron: Legacy score beautifully.
Runner-Up: F1, Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer needs no introduction - he's one of the few film composers today who can sell out shows like a rock star. His score for the racing film F1 is yet another home run, shaping the entire mood of the film into a sleek, cool ride, just like the cars on display.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Predator: Badlands, Sarah Schachner & Benjamin Wallfisch
2. Sinners, Ludwig Göransson
3. Marty Supreme, Daniel Lopatin
4. Fantastic Four: First Steps, Michael Giacchino
5. One Battle After Another, Jonny Greenwood
BEST SONG / MUSICAL MOMENT - "I Lied to You," by Miles Canton from Sinners
Ryan Coogler's smash horror hit Sinners took the crime drama-turned-vampire story that we've seen in movies like From Dusk Till Dawn and made a unique piece of art that particularly celebrates the history of music. In the most memorable moment in the film, we see the protagonist Sammie play a blues song in one long take, as the camera floats around the many patrons of the juke joint - which then blends and morphs into a time-bending Black music celebration across generations. It's a transcendent moment that totally elevates it out of a basic genre film into something on a cosmic scale.
Runner-Up: "Golden" from KPOP Demon Hunters
The unlikeliest animated hit of the year, KPOP Demon Hunters' success is very much due to its excellent song production. Its showstopping final number, "Golden," became a viral success, and it, along with the rest of the soundtrack, are legitimate k-pop bangers.
Honorable Mentions:
1. "The Rocky Road to Dublin" from Sinners
2. "Joy" by Pocket Queen (Street Drummer) in The Life of Chuck
3. "Beautiful That Way" by Miley Cyrus from The Last Showgirl
4. "Play Me" by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson (orig. Neil Diamond) from Song Sung Blue
5. "No Good Deed" by Cynthia Erivo from Wicked: For Good
*Find linked a Spotify and YouTube playlist of the tracks listed above (plus more!) for your listening pleasure!
BEST ACTION SCENE - Biplane Fight, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning
Ostensibly Tom Cruise's goodbye to the Mission Impossible franchise, while Final Reckoning mostly failed as a story, it certainly doesn't skimp on the action scenes. The multi-layered biplane sequence, with Tom literally dangling and fighting on a plane in midair, is one of the most impressive stunts ever committed to film, and calls to mind the glory days of silent film daredevils like Buster Keaton, or kung fu legends like Jackie Chan, who helped create death-defying moments of awe for the pure sake of entertainment. Even though he's a problematic figure of Scientology, Cruise has entered the pantheon of great action stars.
Runner-Up: No legs? No Problem!, from Predator: Badlands
As a fan of director Dan Trachtenberg since his humble days as a YouTube reviewer, I've loved seeing his evolution up to single-handedly bringing the Predator franchise into original, fresh directions. In this film, the first with a predator in the protagonist role, he fights alongside an Android whose legs become severed - but that doesn't stop her from kicking ass!
Honorable Mentions:
1. Kitchen Fight, Novocaine
2. Mr. Terrific's "Circles," Superman
3. Submarine Mission, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning
4. Flamethrower Fight, Ballerina
5. Duck Boat, Nobody 2
BEST COSTUME - Aunt Gladys from Weapons
Runner-Up: Retro suits from Fantastic Four: First Steps
It ironically took four tries, but we finally have a GOOD Fantastic Four movie! And perhaps the best part was the retro-futuristic production and costume design. Harkening back to the original 1960s comic books, Marvel's First Family was dressed in STYLE for their introduction into the MCU.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Red Dress from Frankenstein
2. M3GAN "pop star" outfit from M3GAN 2.0
3. Wicked Witch from Wicked: For Good
4. Evil Queen in Snow White
5. "The Dude" from One Battle After Another
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Nickel Boys, Jomo Fray
Nickel Boys, based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is told entirely within the confines of a first-person camera, looking through the eyes of the main character. In what could have been a gimmick instead presents a hauntingly realistic portrayal of this Jim Crow-era reform school student's life. Simple shots of a balloon or ceiling fan evoke a lived experience, and every shot feels amazingly composed. One of the biggest Oscar snubs of last year, if you ask me (it released in theaters in January of this year though, so I'm counting it.).
Runner-Up: Presence, Steven Soderbergh
Ok... either this was a good year for first-person camera films, or maybe I'm just a sucker for a gimmick. Soderbergh's Presence is a haunted house story that's told from the perspective of the ghost. The result is this very eerie tone, with a character whose "rules" and sense of space we learn as it progresses. It puts the audience in the perspective of a voyeur, protector, and potential evildoer all at once.
Honorable Mentions:
1. One Battle After Another, Michael Bauman
2. The Legend of Ochi, Evan Prosofsky
3. Good Boy, Wade Grebnoel & Ben Leonberg
4. Nouvelle Vague, David Chambille
5. The Phoenician Scheme, Bruno Delbonnel
BEST MAKE-UP EFFECTS - Final Destination: Bloodlines
Runner-Up: Frankenstein
Honorable Mentions:
1. 28 Years Later
2. The Ugly Stepsister
3. Jimmy and Stiggs
4. Together
5. Bring Her Back
FUNNIEST MOVIE - The Naked Gun
Picking up the straight-faced mantle where Leslie Nielsen left off, Liam Neeson is hilariously deadpan in this legacy sequel to the beloved series of cop spoof films. This brand of silly, rapid-fire wordplay is sorely missing in today's cinematic line-up. Like during an interrogation:
"You've got quite the rap sheet. It says here you did twenty years of man's laughter. Must have been quite the joke.""You mean manslaughter?"Or when investigating a car crash: "Drunk, Frank?""A little, just to wake me up."
Runner-Up: Stolen Kingdom
While not a pure comedy, Stolen Kingdom was a brilliant, and hilarious documentary about the real life theft of "Buzzy," a defunct animatronic character left in storage at a Disneyland attraction, and all the kooky, delusional people involved in the Disney "black market".
Honorable Mentions:
1. Grand Theft Hamlet
2. The Day the Earth Blew Up
3. The Ballad of Wallis Island
4. Friendship
5. Fackham Hall
BEST TV SERIES - Adolescence, Miniseries (Netflix)
Miraculously becoming one of Netflix's most-watched shows ever, the intense, four-episode British miniseries Adolescence became a surprise success earlier this year. Each episode shows a different side to a heinous crime that occurred in unbroken takes that put you right in the situation. The acting is phenomenal, and it's an emotional journey that will leave you with so many thoughts about the state of the world right now, particularly the rise in "toxic" personalities that young men are gravitating toward in our culture. It's a chilling snapshot of our modern world, and it's as excellent a drama as you will ever see.
Runner-Up: The Rehearsal, Season 2 (HBO)
Nathan Fielder is one of the most audacious comedians in history. Whether it's reality shows like Nathan for You or fictional works like The Rehearsal, he's pushing the boundaries of television storytelling in the most wild, hilarious, genuinely thought-provoking ways. In season 2 of his HBO show The Rehearsal, focusing in on his desire to "rehearse" everything in life, he hones in on the seemingly random topic of airline safety protocols. But it goes to PLACES you'd never expect, in the most mind-blowing of ways. Delightful, absurd, hilarious, and mind-bogglingly brilliant - Nathan Fielder is one of my favorite humans.
Honorable Mentions:
1. The Studio, Season 1 (Apple TV+)
2. Pluribus, Season 1 (Apple TV+)
3. The Pitt, Season 1 (HBO)
4. Severance, Season 2 (Apple TV+)
5. Black Mirror, Season 7 (Netflix)
WORST MOVIE - Screamboat
While in spirit I appreciate the idea of the "public domain" - older works of art that are considered free for all to use - movies like this make me wish copyright lasted forever. A shameless stunt to try and capitalize on a "Mickey Mouse" horror movie after the Disney icon entered the public domain this year, Screamboat is an obnoxious, idiotic, low budget, boring, utterly useless film that exists for no other reason than to eke a quick buck out of those curious human opossums sniffing around cinematic trash cans against their better judgment.
Runner-Up: Juliet & Romeo
In a year that brought us the Oscar-nominated Hamnet, there was another Shakespeare tale that graced cinema screens for a very short window. But you won't see this musical version of Romeo and Juliet winning any awards. A bland and boring butchering of the Bard's best. Never was there a tale of more woe, than when I had to sit through this Glee-ified movie of Juliet & Romeo.
(Dis-)Honorable Mentions:
1. War of the Worlds
2. Freakier Friday
3. "Yuki's Revenge" (Kill Bill Fortnite short film)
4. Hell of a Summer
5. Dark Match
BEST "RETRO" DISCOVERY* - "A Trip Down Market Street" (1906)
*Needs to be at least 20 years old (2005), and a first-time watch this year.
I'm going very old school with this pick. This short silent film from the EARLY days, when movies were basically a brand new medium, is a true time capsule to another place. It's simply a camera attached to a trolley ambling down a street in San Francisco, but it's a mind-blowing piece of history that plays out before your eyes. The walks of life, the transportation, the buildings, the roads - it's like a window to a different world. Cool stuff.
Runner-Up: "Minnie the Moocher" (1932)
I used to play "Minnie the Moocher" in my middle school jazz band, so I had a lot of nostalgia checking out this old school Betty Boop cartoon. Introduced by jazz legend Cab Calloway, the short animated film is filled with weird, spooky, beautifully-exaggerated details that give off such a wild 1930s pre-code vibe.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Happiness (1998)
2. Gummo (1997)
3. The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
4. Juliet of the Spirits (1965)
5. The Big Parade (1925)
COOLEST LIVE EXPERIENCE - John Carpenter Concert at Knockdown Center, Queens, NY
I typically don't travel this far solely for a concert, but I had to for the ICON John Carpenter! I booked a hotel, ordered an Uber for the first time in my life, and traveled to one of the sketchiest concert venues I've ever attended, in Queens, NY. Standing room only, I had a very close spot but was standing for TWO HOURS before the concert even started! It was worth it though, to see the legend himself, director of some of my all-time favorites like Halloween and They Live, performing his scores live. An amazing experience that was worth all the trouble!
Runner-Up: The Fog and Ghost Ship on board the USS Salem in Quincy, MA
Halloween is a sacred time of year for me, especially thanks to the many cool horror movie events that happen. But this one was particularly awesome - getting to experience these two classic sea and boat-based movies aboard an actual battleship! There was a self-guided tour beforehand as well, and it was cool but claustrophobic navigating the labyrinthine passageways.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Final Weirdo Wednesday at the Luna in Lowell, MA
2. IFF Boston 2025, and becoming an official Chlotrudis film society member
3. Crispin Glover Live at Coolidge Corner Theater
4. Halloween Horror Marathon at Coolidge Corner, including Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3D
5. John Waters Live Event Q&A
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog! It takes me all year to put it together, but it's a labor of love, even if it's just for an audience of 1. Look forward to my official Top Ten Movies of 2025 list, and get those resolutions ready, because 2026 is just around the corner!
And if you want to read more of my reviews, check out my Letterboxd page, linked here!
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