TOP 10 OF 2025

After 2023, I wasn't sure what the future of my role in "film criticism" would look like or if it would look like anything at all. After the dissolution of my YouTube channel that year and trying to find my footing so far as how often I would go long in writing about films here it all felt a little forced. So, I let what happen happen organically and it has become that of trying to designate at least one film a month that I plan on writing more in depth about. Sometimes nothing sparks the need one month, other times there are multiple films in the same month and many times it simply comes down to not having enough time to go long on every film I'd like to. Would I have liked to write a full review for Sinners? Of course. Did I ever get around to it? No. The further I got from my viewing experience with no chance of a second screening in sight the less I felt like I could do the film justice. I still log everything on Letterboxd which tells me I have seen 217 films this year with my count for films actually released in 2025 likely being about half that which would be down from the 172 I saw last year. Given my wife and I welcomed our fourth child back in January I knew my weekly theater visits wouldn't necessarily be "weekly" and that our home viewing time might either be severely impacted or see an increase. Turns out all I wanted to do while the baby slept on me was watch comfort movies and documentaries, so that didn't help much when it came to catching up on the early theatrical releases I missed during their initial runs. That said, I still saw about fifty movies in theaters this year, caught up with plenty on streaming and via screeners as well as all the original Netflix, Prime, and Hulu films that went straight to those services. Not my best showing, but I still believe I saw enough to make an informed decision when it comes to what are some of the best and, of course, what are my favorites of the year. I expect 2026 will look very similar to this year but also know it could look very different given the direction one or two things decide to go in life. That is for the future to decide though, for now...here are my ten favorite films of 2025:

International Trailer for OBLIVION

We thought we might have to wait until Sunday for the revealing of the Oblivion trailer, but it looks as if an international trailer has hit the web already. Directed by Tron: Legacy helmer Joseph Kosinski and starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Zoe Bell, and Melissa Leo the first look at the futuristic sci-fi film is certainly nothing short of gorgeous. Though it follows the well worn pattern of engaging its audience with a perception of the future and then wrapping its main plot devices in mystery I am still hooked. The plot sounds interesting though I'm hoping it doesn't pale in comparison to the wonderful visual style they have designed for the film. It also seems a little lazy they have decided to go with the name Jack for our main character. This is the second "Jack" Cruise will be playing in a row. I have high hopes for his Jack Reacher in a few weeks, but am much more excited to see how this one turns out. Universal has Oblivion scheduled for an April 19, 2013 release but it will hit IMAX theaters exclusively the week before on April 12.