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Posted On: December 19th 2025, 01:00 pm
YEAR END MOVIE REVIEW. I haven’t seen all of the big movies of the year just yet (looking forward to No Other Choice and still need to see both of the Linklater films that came out), but so far here are my top favorites so far. What were your favorites?
1. The Secret Agent (Brazil) - The only masterpiece on this list. This one won’t be for everyone. It’s long, talky, requires attention, and it’s not one you can watch on your couch with one eye on your phone. But this movie transported me like no other movie has in years; transported me in time, to another country, into the lives of characters that that seem so real that it also seems impossible that they don’t exist. Which is much like how we sometimes imagine those we once knew from the past, and which is one of the themes of the movie. In an just world, this movie would win Best Picture and Wagner Moura would win Best Actor.
2. Frankenstein - Sweeping melodrama, gothic sets, heaving catharsis. Great modern myth telling. Guillermo del Toro continues to be a gift to us.
3. Train Dreams - A small, quiet, beautiful character drama. We need more movies like this.
4. One Battle After Another - A super fun satire that I thought was expertly crafted in its technical aspects and a lot of fun overall, but just not as self-aware as it should have been for how smart it was trying to be. I think it’ll win Best Picture, but, while I really enjoyed it, some critical flaws keep it lower on my list.
5. F1 - great popcorn fare 🍿 Who can ask for more than a fun time at the movies
1. The Secret Agent (Brazil) - The only masterpiece on this list. This one won’t be for everyone. It’s long, talky, requires attention, and it’s not one you can watch on your couch with one eye on your phone. But this movie transported me like no other movie has in years; transported me in time, to another country, into the lives of characters that that seem so real that it also seems impossible that they don’t exist. Which is much like how we sometimes imagine those we once knew from the past, and which is one of the themes of the movie. In an just world, this movie would win Best Picture and Wagner Moura would win Best Actor.
2. Frankenstein - Sweeping melodrama, gothic sets, heaving catharsis. Great modern myth telling. Guillermo del Toro continues to be a gift to us.
3. Train Dreams - A small, quiet, beautiful character drama. We need more movies like this.
4. One Battle After Another - A super fun satire that I thought was expertly crafted in its technical aspects and a lot of fun overall, but just not as self-aware as it should have been for how smart it was trying to be. I think it’ll win Best Picture, but, while I really enjoyed it, some critical flaws keep it lower on my list.
5. F1 - great popcorn fare 🍿 Who can ask for more than a fun time at the movies
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