But being an optimist, I remain hopeful that the business will continue to thrive and flourish. My hopefulness is guided largely due to many of the types of films that found both critical praise and box-office glory in movie theaters in 2025: bold and stylish feature films that offered fresh perspectives and unexpected exhilarations that actually gave folks a compelling reason to leave the comfort of their homes. I believe this trend will continue and an even bigger year in film is on the horizon. So here is my opportunity to celebrate my favorite films of 2025, listed in alphabetical order:
With their fourth collaboration together, "Bugonia", Emma Stone and director, Yorgos Lanthimos have created an outlandishly twisted yet profoundly clever pitch black comedy about a ruthless CEO kidnapped by two men who believe she is an alien. Stone plays Michelle Fuller, the head of the pharmaceutical conglomerate, Auxolith who likes to believe that she's enlightened yet passively maintains the standard toxic workplace environment. She is taken hostage by Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his autistic cousin, Don (Aidan Delbis) with the sole purpose of getting her to admit that she's actually from another planet that is causing harm to Earth. Chained in their basement and routinely tortured, Teddy, a high-strung, conspiracy theorist, will not let up until he gets a confession. But as the days pass, Michelle, remaining cool and calm, begins to chip away at the confidence of their plan with Teddy becoming more unhinged and Don starting to question the situation they are in. Inspired by the 2003 South Korean film, "Save The Green Planet!" (which is expertly adapted by Will Tracy), Lanthimos uses mordant wit, uneasy quirkiness and shocking bursts of gory violence to propel his version of this story forward. The verbal dueling by Stone and Plemons, both doing peak work, is absolutely fascinating to watch. "Bugonia" has a lot to say, touching on environmental concerns, capitalism and big pharma to name the obvious ones, and brilliantly does it in a way that is provocative, oddly hilarious and very bleak.
"BLUE MOON"/"NOUVELLE VAGUE"
Richard Linklater managed to have made two great films released last year with both reflecting back on a couple of highly praised, creative talents: one at the very start of his prestigious career and the other in the unfortunate decline of the occupation he once thrived in.
"Eddington" is the latest from the king of "emotional horror", Ari Aster. The writer/director continues his vividly surreal exploration into family trauma and psychological deterioration. This story takes place in the fictional small town of Eddington, New Mexico during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The local sheriff, Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) doesn't believe in the lockdown or mask mandate, feeling that it violates his rights. But many in the town disagrees with him including the Mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) who insists he follow the guidelines. Frustrated, the sheriff decides to run for mayor against Ted who is up for re-election. But Joe's unstable wife (Emma Stone) is not happy with his abrupt decision. Then the film takes a progressively weirder shift into darker territory involving Black Lives Matter protests, cultism, conspiracy theories, sexual abuse and cold-blooded murder. This is a lot to take in and much of it is intended to be very divisive. Yet Aster is in full control of "Eddington", audaciously creating tension and discomfort in this drama that's inspired and messy. There is no denying that Aster is a challenging filmmaker, tackling harrowing, difficult subjects in his now trademark offbeat style, that is clearly an acquired taste. But his brutally dour cinema is thought provoking and captivating with "Eddington" another interesting addition to Aster's oeuvre.
I must admit I didn't think another cinematic rendering of Mary Shelley's gothic novel was really necessary. Yet in the masterful hands of Guillermo del Toro, "Frankenstein" is a dazzling visual spectacle, exquisitely presenting this illustrious horror tale in a manner that hasn't really been seen before. Told in two parts: first from the doctor's viewpoint and then from his creation's perspective. After his mother (Mia Goth) dies while giving birth to his younger brother when he was a child, Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) becomes a surgeon obsessed with trying to "cure" death through science. Expelled from college for attempting to reanimate corpses, Victor meets Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), a wealthy merchant who witnessed the trial. Harlander offers him unlimited funding and a private location to continue his experiments but under one condition which he would disclose at a later date. With the help of his brother, William (Felix Kammerer), Victor advances by assembling a "man" using body parts from dead soldiers. On the day of the trial, Harlander reveals the condition which Victor promptly refuses and the merchant accidently dies trying to stop the experiment. The creature (Jacob Elordi) is successfully brought to life. Frustrated by a lack of intellectual abilities and fearful of its incredible strength, the doctor tries to destroy his creation. Unable to die, the creature runs away, hiding out on a family's farm. The blind grandfather (David Bradley) befriends the monster, teaching it how to speak and read. And then the creature decides to track down his "father". The director had long professed his desire of making his version of "Frankenstein" and this dream project is a relatively faithful adaptation that is beautifully rendered (with stellar camerawork by Dan Laustsen and breathtaking production design by Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau), capably performed (with Goth also appearing as William's fiancé, Elizabeth who manages to comes between Frankenstein and his monster) and intoxicatingly entertaining.
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"Hedda Gabler" was a play written by Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen back in 1891. And while it received negative feedback at the time of it's initial stage production, this drama about an aristocratic woman feeling trapped in her marriage who manipulates those around her has gone on to be considered a theatrical masterpiece and one of the great dramatic roles in theater. This play has been adapted for the screen several times since then and the latest, "Hedda" from writer/director, Nia DaCosta strikingly reimagines Ibsen's play into a thrilling contemporary drama elevated by commanding performances from Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss. Set in 1950s England, the story opens with police interrogating Hedda Gabler Tesman (Thompson) following a shooting at her estate. We then flashback to the events leading up to this unfortunate mishap with Hedda preparing for a lavish party to help her new husband, George Tesman (Tom Bateman), a financially struggling academic hoping to secure a lucrative promotion from Professor Greenwood (Finbar Lynch). But Dr. Eileen Lovborg (Hoss) is also a rival for this position who has been invited to the party and, unbeknownst to George, is Hedda's former lover. While DaCosta's Hedda may still be a sly, bored newlywed who entered into a loveless marriage in pursuit of potential wealth but she is now a queer Black woman, still desperately holding a torch for her ex-lover and more than willing to destroy her if she can't have her. This creates fresh tension to this compelling drama with other notable changes include Thea (Imogen Poots), still a former classmate of Hedda's yet now a rival for Eileen's affections. "Hedda" is a vivid retelling that cleverly twists the emotional and psychological power struggles in this well-known classic with a modern sensibility that unexpectedly includes race, gender and sexuality.
For his first film after creatively splitting with his brother, Benny, Josh Safdie has taken us into the world of professional ping-pong with "Marty Supreme". Loosely based on the life of table tennis champion, Marty Reisman, Safdie and co-writer, Ronald Bronstein has concocted a frenzied, fictionalized account of his wild and outrageous exploits. In 1952 New York City, Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) has set himself a goal to become the greatest table tennis player in the world. Unwilling to let a lack of funds stop him from heading to England to compete in the British Open, Marty borrows the money from his uncle's shoe store where he works. Staying at the player's barracks is not suitable for him so Marty cons his way into a room at the Ritz London where he meets former Hollywood actress, Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow). He talks his way into an affair with her and despite Kay being married to Milton Rockwell (Kevin O'Leary from the tv show, "Shark Tank") a wealthy executive of a pen company, that doesn't stop Marty from going to him for sponsorship. After losing against Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi), a deaf Japanese player in the finals, Rockwell offers Marty a chance for a rematch during an exhibition in Tokyo before the World Championships. But Marty refuses the deal after learning he would be expected to throw the game. With propulsive energy and an offbeat, unpredictable storyline, "Marty Supreme" takes you on a weird ride filled with quirky, comedic moments and shocking violence. As an emotionally detached, bamboozling grifter, there doesn't seem to be much to admire about this wannabe table tennis champ. Yet through the fully committed performance by Chalamet, he's able to make Marty not only irresistibly charismatic but you even find yourself rooting for him to somehow succeed with his endless schemes. "Marty Supreme" is a riveting character study (with galvanic appearances by a diverse group of performers that includes Odessa A'zion, Fran Drescher, Tyler Okonma or better known as musician, Tyler the Creator, fashion designer, Isaac Mizrahi and film director, Abel Ferrara) with a heightened narrative structure that boldly defies expectations.
Since his breakthrough with "Boogie Nights" back in 1997, Paul Thomas Anderson has continued to prove that he's one of the best contemporary filmmakers working today. With his tenth feature film as a writer and director, "One Battle After Another", Anderson (loosely adapting another Thomas Pynchon novel, "Vineland") has masterfully created a dark comedic action-thriller involving a former revolutionary forced back into combative battle when he and his teenage daughter are pursued by a venomous military officer. The story begins with meeting the members of a far-left military group, the French 75 lead by lovers, "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (a dynamic Teyana Taylor). Their violent activities gains the attention of commanding officer, Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) who captures Perfidia and compromises her to provide him information about their group. A racist, race fetishist, Lockjaw also engages with her to abuse him sexually. Perfidia later gives birth to Bob's child but doesn't want to give up the thrill she gets fighting for revolution, abandoning him and their baby. Years later, Lockjaw, promoted to colonel, begins to track down the former members of the French 75 when Perfidia is forced to inform on them after being arrested again and goes into witness protection, eventually coming for Pat. After a warning, he's on the run with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), getting assistance from her karate instructor and community activist, Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio del Toro). Sprawling with ideas, Anderson has cleverly assembled his film in a way that doesn't seem like it would work together. We have the long-standing fight between equity and injustice, counterculture rebellion, breathtaking car chase sequences, white nationalism and some screwball comedy antics thrown in for good measure. But at the heart of this film is a father and daughter love story. As they fight to stay alive, Pat and Willa, whose relationship has been strained largely due to him being stoned all the time, manages to find a deeper, closer connection. "One Battle After Another" succeeds because PTA maintains his subversive indie spirit while still achieving a mass appeal entertainment.
On the surface, "Sinners" might appear to be just another horror movie. But writer/director, Ryan Coogler had far more audacious on his mind, using the genre to address social and political themes inventively with a commanding visual style. After spending some time in Chicago associating with the Mob, the identical twins, Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore (both impressively played by Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown in Mississippi with a plan. They are going to run their own business by opening a juke joint. They offer their young, musician cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton) a chance to perform there despite the warnings of his pastor father who rages about the sin of playing the blues. They track other friends to help including Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), Smoke's estranged wife and luring a local music legend, Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) to also perform. But during their raucous opening night, they are paid a visit by three strangers: an Irish-immigrant vampire named Remmick (Jack O'Connell) and a racist married couple (Peter Dreimanis, Lola Kirke) he turned. They are musicians and want to be let inside but are turned away, with a strong sense that there is something off about them. Still lurking around, Stack's former girlfriend, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), a White passing Black woman, goes out to investigate this group. She is bitten and after going back inside of the club, horrifying chaos and rampant bloodshed goes on through the night. Coogler explores in "Sinners" the long, complex history of racial oppression and the misappropriating of African-American artistry by viewing it through a vampiric theme and how music, particularly the blues, was used to help galvanize and heal through these dark times. But he never loses sight of this also being an entertainment, delivering blood-soaked frights and stirring musical numbers. With razor sharp imagery from cinematographer, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, a rousing musical score by Coogler's long-time collaborator, Ludwig Göransson and an excellent cast, "Sinners" is an innovative, groundbreaking horror drama that transcends through exceptional storytelling and authentic characterizations.
Based on the novella by Denis Johnson, "Train Dreams", from director, Clint Bentley, artfully recounts the story of a quiet, working man, who doesn't do anything particularly special and copes with several tragedies during his life, in a way that is intimate, haunting and deeply moving. Told through genial narration by actor, Will Patton, we meet Robert Grainier (a sublime Joel Edgerton) who takes up railroad construction and seasonal logging work in Washington state. After seeing a Chinese laborer killed by his co-workers for no clear reason, Robert continues to be haunted by this memory. He witnesses other disturbing and deadly situations while working on these jobs. An orphan and later adopted by a family, Robert lived his life largely in isolation. But that changed after meeting Gladys (Felicity Jones) at church. They soon marry, build their home and have a child. Robert's work keeps him away from his family for months at a time, creating some tension between him and Gladys, which leads to a distressing situation when a wildfire sweeps through the area. Bentley and co-writer, Greg Kwedar has taken Johnson's story and skillfully crafted a meditative and impassioned drama, poetically offering insight into the human condition. "Train Dreams" is a tremendously graceful and understated masterwork (enhanced by the luminous camerawork of Adolpho Veloso) that lingers with you long after viewing the film.
Honorable Mentions: "Black Bag", "Friendship", "Caught Stealing", "A House of Dynamite", "Is This Thing On?", "K-Pop Hunters", "Lurker", "The Mastermind", "Mickey 17", "No Other Choice", "Sentimental Value", "Superman", "Thunderbolts*", "Twinless", "Weapons", "Zootopia 2"
