MY 5 FAVORITE FILM EXPERIENCES OF 2025

The headline for this article isn’t entirely accurate. If it were, I would have included “Jaws” on this list as pound for pound, that was my favorite theatrical release of 2025 but given that Spielberg’s beloved great white adventure originally came out 50 years ago, it didn’t feel right to include it. The same could be said for “Back to the Future” and “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.”  These films are still well worth mentioning, though, because it speaks volumes to the current state of the industry that 3 of 2025’s best movies not only originally opened decades ago, but they did moderately good business at the box-office in 2025. Now, this certainly isn’t to suggest that there weren’t any decent new releases in 2025. There were several but it just felt like there were fewer of them and certainly, populist entertainment isn’t what it once was.

Before getting to the list, it should be noted that there are several noteworthy 2025 films that, for various reasons, I didn’t have an opportunity to see. Titles like “Hamnet,” “Sentimental Value,” “The Secret Agent, “The Lost Bus,”  “It Was Just An Accident, ”Nouvelle Vague,” “Blue Moon,”  “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” “Is This Thing On?,” “Fackham Hall,” “Warfare,” “The Shrouds,” and “No Other Choice,” immediately spring to mind.

At the end of the day, the following five 2025 releases (which are listed in alphabetical order) simply represent my favorite theatrical experiences of the year;

“EDDINGTON”
You can say what you will about writer/director Ari Aster (“Hereditary,” “Midsommar,” “Beau is Afraid”) but no one can accuse him of being predictable. His latest, “Eddington,” plays as a neo-western, and while this chaotic, tonal shifting-movie doesn’t shy away from holding a mirror up to a Covid-era America, perhaps its biggest accomplishment is that it takes no prisoners. This is to say that “Eddington” doesn’t necessarily choose one side of the great political divide but rather, mocks a plethora of characters on both sides of the political spectrum; Characters that are mostly worthy of mocking. While we’re on the topic of political divide, in the real world, there really are more than two sides, although in today’s increasingly aggressive climate, it’s often hard to see that. As for “Eddington,” this is an unwieldy beast of a movie…Sprawling, darkly funny, dramatic, unsettling, provocative, and even meandering at times, but even when it doesn’t quite hit the target, I so admire Aster’s swing. This movie was perceived as a bit of an oddity in 2025 and since it doesn’t take one side full tilt, it ended up pissing many viewers off.  It’s a “love it” or “hate it” kind of a film with very few opinions falling in between. I’m firmly in the “love it” camp. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, Aster is four for four.

“SINNERS”
With shades of Walter Hill’s underappreciated 80s gem “Crossroads” and the 90s Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino collaboration “From Dusk Till Dawn,” this latest effort from “Creed” director Ryan Coogler offers quite a bit to chew on. As stated in my review from earlier this year, “Sinners” is thrilling, violent, bloody, sexy, adult, and bleak, but in its own way, it’s also poignant and even hopeful. This movie brings several ideas to the table and leaves some things open to interpretation. There are themes of racism, culture, oppression, appropriation, legacy, and yes, even vampirism to be sure but Coogler and team display these ideas in rich and exciting ways that I wasn’t necessarily anticipating. What’s more, “Sinners” also has a musical side. At the very least, it celebrates the power of music. It also delves into the nature of art itself and how a storyteller’s life experiences inform their art.  To that point, Coogler has lived quite a life and we the viewers of his exciting work are all the luckier for it.

“SKETCH”
In a year filled with more superhero movies, more live action remakes of beloved animated properties, and a box-office juggernaut based on a video game, the underappreciated “Sketch” emerged as the best family film of the year. A colorful, creative, and surprisingly emotional look at grief, family, and the power of imagination. Parts of this film have a bit of an 80s Amblin movie vibe (in fact, “Sketch” almost plays like a feature length version of an  “Amazing Stories” episode) but for all of the youthful sense of adventure and wonderfully creative visual effects (I’ll take the imaginative beasties in this over the dinos in “Jurassic World: Rebirth”), it’s the human connection and the thoughtful, heartfelt core of this movie that really makes it work. Yes, this is a fantasy film but at its center is a family dealing with a traumatic real life situation in a way that’s not only honest but also relatable, particularly for those who’ve experienced loss in some way. I was immensely entertained by “Sketch” but more importantly, I was moved by it.

“TRAIN DREAMS”
This lyrical drama from writer/director Clint Bentley (“Jockey”) pays a dreamlike tribute to an average man living in an extraordinary time. The man in question is Robert Grainer    (exceptionally played by Joel Edgerton), a railroad worker looking to navigate an early 20th century American landscape. Not only must he adapt to a quickly-evolving industry but he must also tend to personal tragedies and heartache.  With a tone akin to the works of Terrence Malic, “Train Dreams” (which is based on the novella by Denis Johnson) is bolstered by outstanding performances (most notably Edgerton), breathtaking cinematography, and a stirring score. This is a film that is moving and subtle in equal measure and it is certainly among 2025’s best.

“WEAPONS”
After taking the horror world by storm with “Barbarian” a couple of years back, writer/director Zach Cregger aims his sights at something considerably more ambitious with “Weapons,” an engrossing, keeps-you-on-your-toes nonlinear mystery that almost plays like the horror equivalent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia.” With outstanding performances by the likes of Julia Garner and Josh Brolin as well as a career best turn by an eerily effective (and menacing) Amy Madigan, “Weapons” is so engaging, I was willing to overlook its flaws. In short, I completely enjoyed the ride. Bonus points for the poetic (and crowd-pleasing) fashion in which one of the film’s primary characters meets their fate in the final act. 2025 was a great year for horror and “Weapons” was near the top of that list.

OTHER 2025 RELEASES THAT ARE WORTH NOTING;
“28 Years Later,” “Bugonia,” “Chainsaws Were Singing,” “DJ Ahmet,” “F1,” “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” “Heart Eyes,” “Jay Kelly,” “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” “Keeper,” “Marty Supreme,” “Omaha,” “One Battle After Another,” “Predator: Killer of Killers,” “Spinal Tap II,” “The Life of Chuck,” “The Phoenician Scheme,” and “Twinless.”