Top Fifteen Films of 2025

1).  One Battle After Another  (2025) R  In One Battle After Another, a notorious enemy named Steve Lockjaw (Sean Penn) has resurfaced after 16 years, broken into Bob’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) home, and kidnapped his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). Bob, a civil rights activist, must team up with an anti-government group to locate and rescue his daughter from an alt-right white supremacist group. It's not often that a September movie rises to the top of the Oscar ranks, but Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another manages to do just that. This film combines the laid-back hippiness vibe of The Big Lebowski with the political satire of Dr. Strangelove, while featuring a villain reminiscent of those in '80s and '90s action films—although this character might be the funniest bad guy ever portrayed on screen. One Battle After Another is (I hesitate to tell you this because some of you may want to stay away) the fastest two-hour and forty-minute film you will ever see. The film is a joy to watch and keeps surprising you with both bouts of violence and humor that keep you off-kilter (in a good way), which keeps coming. This is a fast-moving and witty look at America and its political system, but it’s done in such a way that it’s brilliantly executed, and I suspect many won’t realize what hit them until the end. It is going to be fascinating to see if Leo gets an Oscar nod, because it’s such a brilliantly understated performance, one that few actors could do. This is one of those performances that is so expertly crafted that you almost underestimate how good Leo is in the role. Sean Penn is hilarious as the ultra-rigid Colonel, who has a huge flaw (which I won’t reveal) and feels that his place in the history of the world is set in stone. Teyana Taylor as Perfidia is a force of nature as Bob’s partner and the leader of the revolutionary group. Her performance and the essence of her character are brilliantly captured in a scene where she fiercely fires an AK-47 while heavily pregnant. Perfidia is all about the cause, and it consumes her entirely. While she loves Bob, her passion for the revolution takes precedence over everything else. I could go on and on about every performance in this film, but I would be remiss without mentioning how much fun it is to watch Benicio Del Toro as a partner in crime whose character is every bit as cool and laid-back as Leo’s Bob is a bag of nerves. The hero of the story isn’t Bob but his daughter Willa, played with poise and style by Chase Infiniti. Infiniti portrays Willa as a young woman who has had to live with the legacy of a mother who was a radical and a father who has spent most of her years as a paranoid pothead, but has instilled in her a willingness to survive and the guts not to back down. One Battle After Another is a film that puts its foot on the gas from almost the first frame and doesn’t let off until its hilarious and satisfying end. I had a blast watching this film, and it’s not very often that the hype matches the worthiness of a movie. Please see this in a theater with an audience on the largest screen you can find; it will be worth the price of admission. Any film that pays homage to one of my favorite films, Bullitt, is a film that I want to see again as soon as possible. And you will too. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  One Battle After Another Website 

2).   Marty Supreme   (2025)  R   Marty Supreme is about Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a man in 1950s New York City who believes he is the world’s best ping-pong player. Marty is out to prove it and is willing to take on anybody to show he is the best. Timothée Chalamet gives a mesmerizing performance as a man who is convinced that table tennis is the next big sport to take the world by storm, and that he is the man to bring the sport the glory and attention it deserves. Because Marty believes he deserves it too. Marty is a character that you love to hate, but in the end, you also want him to succeed, in spite of himself. To say Marty is full of himself would be putting it mildly, as he is convinced he is not only great but that he deserves a lot more admiration and attention than he is getting. Chalamet gives us a man who has no humanity but is still, at his heart, has a humanity about him, that is there, you just have to dig a bit to find it, and Chalamet and filmmaker Josh Safdie allow us to see it, even if it is just a glance or two. This is a film that asks you to hold on to the coattails of Marty and hold on tight, because he is going to give you a ride that doesn’t seem to slow down or stop for anyone or anything. It’s a thrilling performance in a movie that makes you want to go to the theater. Marty Supreme is a ride that you won’t forget; you may need some oxygen by the end, and you will think back in wonder at what Mr. Chalamet and Mr. Safdie have created. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Marty Supreme Website  

3).   Sinners  (2025)  R  In Sinners, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) are trying to leave their troubled past behind and return to their hometown to open a dance hall. They soon discover that their hometown has changed, and a great evil is waiting to welcome them back. Back in 2013, filmmaker Ryan Coogler hit us right between the eyes with the outstanding Fruitvale Station, starring an up-and-coming young actor named Michael B. Jordan. Since then, Coogler has given us Creed and the two Black Panther films. In what is his most original and best film to date, we now get a vampire thriller that has roots in everything from legendary blues singers, prohibition, and Jim Crow to even Irish folk music. With a huge nod to Robert Rodriquez and Quentin Tarantino’s 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn, the film follows twins Smoke and Stack, played by the brilliant Michael B. Jordan, as they come back from spending time in Chicago, where they may have stolen a whole lot of money and booze from the mob.They are back to open a blues joint with some locals’ help. Along the way, they gather a cast of characters to make their endeavor a success, including a local blue legend in Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), their cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton in his feature film debut), a budding blues singer/guitarist, and a couple of former flames of the twins in Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), a love of Stacks that ended badly, and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), Smoke’s one true love. Both relationships with the twins have history and baggage that hangs over the two couples like a huge dark cloud. Coogler spends the first hour giving us a clear understanding of the history that follows each of the characters, giving us insight into how they function in this world of gambling, song, stolen whiskey, and even religion. The film’s second half is the opening of the juke joint, which is a rousing success, until a trio of white musicians want to join the party, and the twins tell them to find somewhere else to party. However, we already know that these musicians aren’t there to make music but are to turn everyone they can into vampires, and it’s up to the twins and a few of their friends to stop them. Coogler uses this backdrop to tackle everything from lost love to race in America while making an entertaining and bloody horror film where the odds of the twins and their friends surviving the night look pretty grim. Sinners is a film that explores the strength of family, religion, and music and how the monsters that show up in the middle of the night might be worse than you ever thought. The action sequences are fast, bloody, and sometimes humorous, as the body count keeps rising.  Something has to be said about the performance of Miles Caton as Sammie. His singing and blues guitar playing is joyful, brilliant and moving. When he plays and sings, he commands the screen and you can't take your eyes off of him. Don’t be afraid of the two-hour and seventeen-minute run length, as the film moves at such a fast pace and instantly puts you in the middle of the Twins world that you will be sorry that the film has ended as soon as it does. So grab a beer, sit down to listen to some great blues music, and maybe get up to dance a bit. But here’s a bit of advice: if anyone asks if they can come in to join you, maybe see if they like garlic or have trouble with holy water. Just a suggestion that might come in handy. Catch it on the biggest screen you can, and stay through all the credits, as there are a couple of bonus scenes worth staying for, including a tremendous cameo. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sinners Website  

4).  Sentimental Value  (2025) R  In Sentimental Value, after the death of their mother Sissel, estranged sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve), an actress, and Agnes Borg (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), a housewife and mother, are compelled to confront their distant father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård). Gustav, a once-famous but now almost forgotten film director who abandoned the family when the girls were still young, now wishes to produce a play based on his mother. He wants Nora to take on the lead role, something she vowed never to do. A lot of films that are made about actors, directors, and filmmakers feel just like that: actors portraying actors. I just reviewed a film that felt like that in Jay Kelly, where I knew it was George Clooney portraying a character. Then you get films like Sentimental Value, where the characters feel real, and while acting and filmmaking are part of the plot, they’re not what the film is about. Instead, Sentimental Value is about broken promises, childhood heartache, and making your profession more important than that of your family. Sentimental Value is about love, finding your passion, and how just because a house is called a home, it isn’t necessarily a home to everyone. This is a powerful film that follows four people on a journey to explore the past, how it affects them now, and if they can find and possibly handle the answers that they are searching for. Led by Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård, the cast is brilliant, offering performances that are incredibly rich in depth and impressively revealing the pain and grief the past has dealt them and how it has driven each person to a breaking point. Sentimental Value is one of the best films of the year, moving, painful, and at times inspiring. Exactly what kind of film both Gustav and Nora would be proud to make.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sentimental Value Website

5).  It Was Just an Accident  (2025)  PG-13   It Was Just an Accident is about Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi), who, after hitting a dog by accident with his car, encounters a man from his past, a past that quickly catches up with him. It Was Just an Accident is one of the best films of the year, and if politics doesn’t get in the way, it should be nominated for all the awards. The film is from Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi and deals with the aftermath of a group of friends who all met while being imprisoned by a brutal government. Panahi knows the subject matter well, having been thrown in jail charged with propaganda against the Iranian government. I won’t give away too much about this film, which is part thriller, part mystery, and has a bit of surprising comedy. It’s a film about justice, revenge, and how people’s lives are drastically changed by a system that continually puts its foot on the necks of those who even mildly resist. It Was Just an Accident is a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end and is one of those films you will continue to talk about for months. This is a movie from a filmmaker who is at the top of his game and knows how to push every button to create a film that will hit you to your core.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  It Was Just an Accident Website 

6).  Train Dreams  (2025)  PG-13  Train Dreams follows Robert (Joel Edgerton), a man who drifts from job to job in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest until he meets Gladys (Felicity Jones), whom he quickly loses his heart to and marries. Robert immerses himself in his work on the land and explores nature's wonders, all while navigating the challenges of love and loss. Train Dreams needs to be seen in theaters as the scenery is not only crucial to the story but is one of the main characters. Joel Edgerton does a masterful job playing a man who didn’t want much in life, other than to be out in the woods, until he met Gladys, and then all he wanted was to share his life and his woods with her. This is a film with intense highs and lows, some of which Robert never recovers from. He is a man who wonders if his work is worth being away from his family and if what he is doing is hurting the very fabric of the place he deeply loves. Train Dreams is a haunting film that gets under your skin, so much so that you think you can smell the trees and feel the sawdust alongside Robert as he works to fell tree after tree. The supporting cast is outstanding, with Felicity Jones playing Gladys, a woman who saw Robert and knew he was the one; Alfred Hsing as a man who works alongside Robert; and William H. Macy as a demolition man who tells nonstop stories and gives advice at a moment's notice. Train Dreams is a moving and incredibly beautiful film that, like Robert’s dreams, will stay with you for a long time. My Rating: Full Price  Train Dreams Website 

7).  Weapons  (2025) R  Weapons begins one morning, when at 2:17 am, every child except one from Mrs. Gandy’s class woke up and left their homes, never to be seen again. What happened to the seventeen children, and how can a community discover their fate? Weapons is a horror film that is equally disturbing and funny. I was expecting far more scares (and there are still plenty), but I wasn’t expecting the humor, which took me for a ride. I saw the film with a packed audience, and one moment they were laughing and in the next they were shrieking from fear. I can’t give away too much of the plot because the reveals are so well thought out and brilliant that I don’t want to spoil it for you. From the first moments when we see the kids in the dead of night leaving their homes and running with their arms out behind them while George Harrison’s song “Beware of Darkness’ is playing, to the hectic and shocking ending, this is a masterful tale of horror, suspense, intrigue about a group of people in a small town trying to make sense of a mystery they can’t cope with. The film features remarkable performances, particularly from Josh Brolin, who portrays a father grappling with the disappearance of his son, and Julia Garner, who plays the troubled teacher of the classroom attended by the 17 missing students. Weapons is an exhilarating ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly anticipating each reveal and shocked by the unexpected twists. It is a strong contender for horror film of the year and is a movie that will spark discussions not just in the parking lot, but for years to come.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Weapons Website 

8).  Blue Moon  (2025)  R Blue Moon tells the story of songwriter Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke), who was at the top of the Broadway world alongside his writing partner, Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott). However, Rogers has left Hart to work on his new hit musical, Oklahoma!. Heartbroken and longing for a woman he secretly loves, Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), Hart decides to attend the afterparty for Oklahoma! in an attempt to drown his sorrows. It’s going to be a night that few will forget. Ethan Hawke gives the performance of a lifetime as Lorenz Hart, who is described at the beginning of the movie as “the saddest man I ever knew.” Hawke portrays one of our greatest lyricist of all time as a man who has no hope with two of the most important people in his life, his former song-writing partner, Richard Rogers (played by Andrew Scott) and a college student, Elizabeth (played by Margaret Qualley), who Lorenz is madly in love with, even though she is over 25 years his junior. Hawke, who is sporting a horrible comb-over (Hawke shaved the top of his head for the role), and through camera and movie magic, has shrunken his height from 5’10 to a little under 5 feet tall for Hart’s appearance. It is a remarkable and commanding performance of a man who has burned too many personal and creative bridges and continues to believe, against all hope, that he has a chance with Elizabeth. It’s a moving performance that makes us root for a man who won’t win any battles, except one of wits. Margaret Qualley is perfect as the beautiful and smart Elizabeth, who sees Hart only as a friend and a way to get into the Broadway world. I loved Bobby Cannavale as the bartender who sees Lorenz not only as a good customer but also as a friend. Who wants to stop Hart from drinking but knows he will always give in to a man he can’t resist. The film is an hour and forty minutes long, but it makes sure we wait, like Hart, for the moments between Elizabeth and Lorenz until the last third of the film. It’s like watching a man who we know is about to be killed by a firing squad, but he thinks he is about to be pardoned. Hawke is a wonder to watch as he is in every scene as Hart weaves his way through story after story, while also figuring out a way to get drinks he shouldn’t be getting. Blue Moon is a film that you are dazzled by a performance of an actor who is playing a man who makes words become songs we will never forget, just as we will never forget this performance that Ethan Hawke has given us. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Blue Moon Website 

9).  The Life of Chuck  (2024) R  The Life of Chuck explores the life and adventures of Charles Krantz, a man who is experiencing the end of his life while being celebrated by his friends and family. The Life of Chuck is one of those films that’s hard to review because its structure is complicated, and I don’t want to give away any of the surprises (and there are a few). One clue to this film is that it is based on a Stephen King novella, although more in the vein of The Shawshank Redemption or Stand by Me, rather than horror films like The Shining or It. The film is told in three parts and unfolds in reverse to tell us the story of Chuck. I will warn you that the first part is a little off-the-wall strange, and while Chuck makes an appearance, that part of the film is about two exes (Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan) who are trying to cope with a world gone off the rails and find support in re-connecting. Part two is about Chuck as an adult (played by ever-charismatic Tom Hiddleston), and part three is about Chuck as a teen (played by Jacob Tremblay) and as a kid (played by the adorable Benjamin Pajak). Along the way, there are some fantastic performances by Carl Lumbly, Mia Sara, and Mark Hamill (which I think is so good it could get him an Oscar nod). While not a musical, the film features some incredible and exciting dance numbers, with Hiddleston performing a thrilling and moving dance alongside the delightful Annalise Basso. The Life of Chuck is a film that slowly reveals its secrets, and while it throws you into a world that doesn’t make much sense at first, it becomes a joyful and life-affirming film that makes you feel glad you experienced the life of a man named Chuck.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again   The Life of Chuck Website

10).  Black Bag  (2025) R  In Black Bag, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) and her husband, George (Michael Fassbender), have a perfect marriage. Except for the fact that they are both intelligence agents that can’t talk about their jobs. When Kathryn is suspected of betraying her nation, George faces the ultimate test: loyalty to his loving wife or his country. Steven Soderbergh gives us a spy caper that lets two extraordinary actors perform at their finest. Black Bag is not your ordinary spy film, full of action sequences, but a film filled with smaller moments that are clever and exquisitely done, keeping you guessing on just who is guilty and who is innocent. It’s a game of cat and mouse, reminiscent of the great spy novels of Le Carre and Herron. Blanchett and Fassbender work together so well on screen that you believe that these two spies could save the world just by their charisma and wit. Black Bag is a polished, almost silky smooth spy caper where you don’t know who to trust or who to even suspect; you just know that George will figure it out. The only question is whether George’s love for his wife means that he will have to betray his country. The great thing about Black Bag is that you will find out in the end and thoroughly enjoy the mystery all along the way to that end. Black Bag is one of the best spy films of the past ten years, and anyone who loves watching a spy film that isn’t easy to figure out will love this film as much as I did.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again Black Bag Website

11).  A Little Prayer  (2023)   R   A Little Prayer is about Bill (David Strathairn) and his wife Venida (Celia Weston), who live and work in Winston-Salem. His son David (Will Pullen) works at Bill’s business and lives out back with his wife Tammy (Jane Levy). Bill is concerned that his son is drinking too much, and then learns that David is having an affair with a co-worker. Can Bill help mend the troubled marriage between David and Tammy? A Little Prayer is anchored by the subtle and moving performances of David Strathairn and Jane Levy. Strathairn as the father who struggles to keep his family together, while Levy as the put-upon wife of David, who puts on a brave and positive face, but inside is being destroyed little by little. Strathaim plays Bill as a man who has made mistakes in the past and is trying his best to make amends by being the peacemaker in the family. Unfortunately, his family keeps falling apart, tearing itself from the inside, and there isn’t much that Bill can do. All Bill can do is what he thinks is best, even if it means that things might get even worse. Levy is moving as the woman who always puts on a show of being happy when we see her in moments alone, where the pain and hurt are evident on her face or in her actions, such as wandering off into the backyard alone or being awake in bed while her drunk husband sleeps it off next to her. A Little Prayer is a film about people who have scars that have never healed. These wounds won’t mend until drastic changes are made, and not everyone is capable of making those changes.  My Rating: Full Price  A Little Prayer Website

12).  Come See Me in the Good Light  (2025)  TV-MA   Come See Me in the Good Light is a documentary that spends a year following Colorado’s Poet Laureate, Andrea Gibson, and their partner, Megan Falley, during Gibson’s fight against cancer. It’s hard to say that a documentary about someone fighting terminal cancer is uplifting, but this remarkable film is. At the heart of the film is a love story, not only between two people who seemed destined to find each other, but also about loving life. Andrea Gibson is a magical person you just want to be around. That magic is evident when she is on stage performing her poems or when she is alone with Megan, just talking about everything from cancer results to laughing about silly phone messages. Gibson has learned to live every day as if it’s her last, and her life story is one of ups/downs and self-doubt about who Andrea was and her place in the world. Come See Me in the Good Light is a documentary full of passion, love, and tears. Mostly though, it is about how to live a life full of love.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Come See Me in the Good Light Website

13).  No Other Choice  (2025)  R  In No Other Choice, Man-su (Lee Brung-hun) is doing well as a long-time employee of a paper company, living with his wife and child in a beautiful home. When his company is bought by a competitor, Man-us loses his job and is about to lose his house when he comes up for another job. His only problem is that there are some men who are more qualified than he is for the job. His solution: eliminate them. This is a very dark comedy where every scene is carefully crafted to have an impact, whether immediately or later on in the film. One moment you are laughing about a man who is trying to decide what flower pot to throw down on a person to kill them, and then another moment when you realize that this person is intent on actually killing someone. Lee Brung-hun is masterful at showing such a wide range of emotions, giving us a hero we have to quickly decide whether to root for or want to see fail. Director Park Chan-wook gives a film that shows the desperation of the times, how reason and humanity can go by the wayside just to keep up with what the next household has. The question at the end of the film is, Are you happy with the outcome? It’s a question that Park Chan-wook would love to hear your answer to. My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  No Other Choice Website

14).  If I Had Legs I'd Kick You  (2025)  R   If I Had Legs I Kick Youfocuses on Linda (Rose Byrne), who is increasingly troubled by the burden of all that life has dumped on her. Between her sick daughter, a house that is falling apart, a husband who is always away, and a very hostile relationship with her therapist, Linda is barely holding on. At the center of the film is a gutsy and magical performance by Rose Byrne, about a character that you want to root for but can’t always because she keeps pushing the boundaries of common sense, while we wait for her world to finally crash down around her. This isn’t a film for everyone, as Linda keeps putting herself in situations that you think are not only bad ideas but could get her in major trouble. Linda is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown with a husband who manages her life from a phone, a daughter who she has to monitor 24 hours a day because of an illness and a therapist who treats her like she isn’t worth his time (kudos to Conan O’Brien for a taking a role that not only isn’t funny but is our right hate-able). Byrne skillfully portrays Linda, a character who, in the hands of less talented actors, could easily become unlikable or a caricature. Instead, she makes Linda someone we want to root for and care about, hoping she receives the help—both physical and emotional—she needs before she collapses under the weight of responsibility, guilt, and motherhood. If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is a fantastic film that combines suspense, black comedy, and heart to tell a story about a woman who is trying to jump through all the hoops and keep in the air all the balls that life has given her but it’s just too much effort to do both simultaneously and Linda in her heart knows it. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Website  

15).   The Perfect Neighbor  (2025) R  The Perfect Neighbor is a documentary that tells the story of a minor disagreement between neighbors in Florida that escalated to repeated calls to the police and a horrifying, fatal turn that shocked a neighborhood and a nation. This is a film where you are a fly on the wall as this story unfolds because all the footage is from the perspective of the police body cams as they answer calls to the neighborhood. We see the constant buildup to the incident as the sheriff’s department interviews an older woman who is the source of the calls, complaining about the neighborhood kids going onto her property and harassing her. However, this isn’t your normal Fox Cops show; this is a horror film that we see unfold to us over months that lead up to the killing of a mother who was trying to confront a woman who had constantly called the police on both the adults and the children in the neighborhood. What makes this documentary different is that there isn’t a voice-over, only a day and time stamp. We see this sad story play out, knowing that something bad is going to happen, and there isn’t anything that can be done to stop it. It’s a harrowing watch that builds the tension as tempers rise on each call. Unlike the Cop episodes that we all watched on Saturday night, which tended to make instant heroes out of every cop they profiled, in this documentary, the police aren’t vindicated, nor are they at fault. It’s up to you, the viewer, to decide if the incident that happened was justified, brought on by a law, or if it was a criminal act. This is a film that will stick with you for a long time, and some images will haunt me. The Perfect Neighbor is a brilliant piece of filmmaking that is terrifying, moving, and brings about feelings of both anger and frustration. It is a powerful film that will inspire and infuriate.  My Rating: Full Price    The Perfect Neighbor Website

Honorable Mention:  Hamnet, Predators, 28 Years Later The Long Walk, Sorry, Baby, Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk, Deaf President Now!, Warfare, Left-Handed Girl, The Voice of Hind Rajab, Splitsville, 2000 Meters to Andriivka, Twinless,  Cover-Up, The Baltimorons,  Natchez, Secret Mall Apartment