The Best Films of 2025
by Brandon Norwood
Happy New Year, ballbags! Before we get the ball rolling on 2026, we still have some unfinished business with 2025.
Please don't ask me about a specific movie. If it's not on here, then it's not here. This is a list of the 321 movies I've seen this year so fuck your feelings. Anyways, the movies on this list are all either in my collection, or I plan to pick up soon. Yes, honorable mentions too.
There will be no worst of list either. I don’t like punching down and putting focus on films that absolutely don’t need attention. Even movies I loathe, I understand people work hard on.
Honorable mentions: One of Them Days, The Accountant 2, Companion, Dog Man, Den of Thieves: Pantera, The Amateur, SLY LIVES!, Mickey 17, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, The Life of Chuck, Splitsville, Thunderbolts, Superman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, 28 Years Later, Predator: Killer of Killers, Predator: Badlands, Resurrection, The Secret Agent, Final Destination Bloodlines, Last Bullet aka Lost Bullet 3, The Long Walk, Warfare, The Naked Gun, Weapons, Together, Hedda, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Frankenstein, It Was Just an Accident, Sirat and Sorry, Baby.
Image courtesy of Mubi
12. My Father's Shadow - This South African film is powerful. Following two boys through one day with their father in Lagos, I'm glad that it's not explained that is it a memory piece or a dream. Either one of those reads is acceptable. Overlooked, this should be a bigger awards player. This is a haunting film that still sits with me. Truly, incredible.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate
11. Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair - Look, after waiting 23 years, Kill Bill finally got released as one movie as originally intended. It's on this list due to the wide release in 2025, and this is the first time I've seen it as one whole film. Yes, Tarantino is an idiot, but when he delivers, it is undeniable. More thoughts here.
Image courtesy of Focus Features
10. Hamnet - Chloe Zhao's adaptation of the same name is to me a movie is the definition of payoff. Everyone is very mixed on the first two acts of this film, but I greatly enjoyed watching Agnus and William fall in love. Watching their struggles in building their family while trying to stay true to who they are has heartbreaking results that to me are just as powerful as the film's last fifteen minutes.
Image courtesy of A24
9. Materialists - Another film that has a mixed reception. I relate to the core three characters in that you reach a certain age and you see the different paths that lie ahead. Alone or with a partner. You start to question whether you want love or comfort. And are both possible? Modern dating is a nightmare. I appreciate Cline Song's sophomore debut. There's shots in here that from a filmmaking perspective had me riveted while the movie itself on the verge of tears.
Image courtesy of Netflix
8. Wake Up Dead Man - The third Benoit Blanc mystery holds up well on rewatches. While it's not my favorite of the series thus far, this film's commentary on religion is strong. As always, the character work uses the theme of faith to give even more development to Benoit. Even more impressive is how Benoit takes a back seat to give Father Jud center stage with another knockout performance from Josh O’Connor. More thoughts here.
Image courtesy of Apple Films / Warner Brothers
7. F1 - The movie of summer 2025. I really do miss these big-budget meat-and-potatoes movies about underdogs coming back to show the world that they still got it—the second loudest movie of the year after Warfare. Add an all-star cast giving great performances as well as using new cameras to mounted onto the cars for them to do in-camera pans, Joseph Kosinski has become one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. Again, when executed well tropes work.
Image courtesy of Netflix
6. Train Dreams - Sometimes a life lived is more exciting than one not. Clint Bentley made the best Malick movie since The Tree of Life, following an unremarkable man who suffers tragedy after tragedy to end up forgotten by time. But ultimately, the people who are forgotten aren't any more deserving of being remembered than those who loom large. Joel Edgeton injects so much soul into a quiet, reserved man who wants nothing more than to live with his family in harmony. Even if the universe says otherwise.
Image courtesy of Focus Features
5. Black Bag - Steven Soderbergh dropped two movies in 2025. It kills that no one saw this excellent, deeply comedic (black humor so don’t expect anything gut busting) spy thriller centering around the marriage of two spies. Who betrayed who? Are they playing each other? Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett lead an all-star cast which seems like a whole marriage counseling therapy session in addition to some edge-of-your-seat, observe and report spy craft. Really blown away by how well from top to bottom.
Image courtesy of A24
4. Marty Supreme - The Safdies split each releasing their own A24 movie this year and wow. Marty Supreme is a knockout. The most expensive film produced by A24 yet, and you can see why. I liked it on my first watch, but seeing it again in 70mm, the entire movie clicked for me (in addition to the experience of the gorgeous print at Lincoln Square). Josh Safdie really is the master of making me root for a despicable protagonist making terrible choices. Legendary production designer Jack Fisk shows you here why there will never be another one like him. Recreating 1952 New York City with all the energy and grime that is still there today and Josh's previous two anxiety attacks Good Time and Uncut Gems. Never has ping pong been so beautifully shot and staged, Everone is talking about Timmy's performance and yes it's his best, but really Tyler (the Creator) Okonma blew me away as Wally in his debut performance in a feature film.
Image courtesy of Neon
3. No Other Choice - We got two excellent noirs. One from Brazil with The Secret Agent. And this one from Park Chan-wook. Starring Lee Byung-hun, this family man has his world rocked when he loses his job at a paper company. Watching this desperate man try to hold on to what he has is a scathing indictment of capitalism and corporate culture. The rat race is worldwide. Why this blew me away, apart from Park's next-level transitions and the Atmos sound design, is how it ends. If you're familiar with noir stories, you're expecting a certain type of ending that just never comes. I was blown away that everyone involved let this just happen. Darkly comedic in many ways, I'm itching to see this in a Dolby theater again.
Image courtesy of Warner Brothers
2. One Battle After Another - I'm amazed Warner Brothers gave Paul Thomas Anderson $140 million to make this loose adaptation of Vineland that feels so incredibly pertinent for our current political climate. The criticisms are valid. To all of my fellow black people, I hear you. But man, you really don't get movies like this anymore. Everything that has been said about this movie has already been said. I am a believer of the VistaVision format after seeing the film projected that way (also shot on VistaVision).
Image courtesy of Warner Brothers.
1. Sinners - Truly rare that a studio (again Warner Brothers) gives a big budget to a filmmaker who uses it to make a genre film on where you came from and where you're going. In addition to that, it shows the struggles of black people fighting evil on all sides. Whether it's vampires trying to suck our culture dry for their own enjoyment, trying to conform and appropriate it, or to destroy, as the Klan does exist and it currently runs our country. Just like One Battle, this became an event that had to be seen on film or ideally in IMAX 70mm. I absolutely cannot wait for Ryan to be finished with Black Panther and Marvel so just like Nolan, he can start doing big IMAX events that bring out not only us, but audiences in general. I appreciate this movie being sexy too. Yes, we black men love performing cunninglingus. Ryan you a real one.
Alright. What were your favorite films of 2025?