 |
 |
 |
Happy New Year, everyone. Now that we are now officially in the midst of awards season (with the Critics Choice Awards down and the Golden Globes next on the list), it seems a fitting time for a look back at some of 2025’s more intrigiung releases. Not all of these films are currently available on home video, but that’s sure to change over the next couple of months. Stay tuned.
There’s a lot of hype about Marty Supreme, the Timothee Chalamet ping pong movie directed by Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems), but I can’t say I liked it. It was a non-stop frenetic ride with an unlikable character and a “I’m getting nominated for an Oscar” vibe all over it. No subtlety here. It was good to see Gwyneth Paltrow back on the big screen, but if you’re going to put Sandra Bernhard in your film, maybe use her for more than a minute and a half.
Then there’s Hamnet, the story of how William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) found inspiration from his young son’s death to write Hamlet. It contains a fierce and heartbreaking performance from Jesse Buckley as his wife Agnes. She carries the film. (And is considered a favorite for the Best Actress Oscar). I just wish I could have understood what they were saying most of the time. There was a lot of mumbling going on.
Weapons was the surprise horror hit of the summer and had a genius marketing campaign from New Line Cinema. Other studios should take note. Please stop putting the entire movie in the trailer. Build the mystery. Weapons had a compelling ad that told you that 17 children disappeared from their homes in the middle of the night. That’s it. The “why” is why we all went to see it. We wanted to know more. A fine cast led by Julia Garner (Ozark), Josh Brolin, and Amy Madigan made this a dark and terrifying ride.
I very much enjoyed It Was Just an Accident, a film by Iranian director Jafar Panahi that is equally disturbing and funny. An auto mechanic thinks a stranger was his torturer when he was imprisoned for political reasons. His evidence: the noise from the man’s prosthetic leg dragging on the floor, a sound he recalls from his captivity. He kidnaps the man and starts to bury him alive, but seeks help from other former prisoners in identifying him. Except for one, none of them can say with certainty it’s their tormentor, since they were always blindfolded. They then must decide what to do with him. There are many comedic parts to the story despite the grimness of the subject matter. And depending on your point of view, the ending is either chilling or hopeful. I highly recommend it.
The hardly seen but very clever thriller Relay is another recommendation. Riz Ahmed stars as Ash, a man who acts as an intermediary between whistleblowers and companies who have something to hide. He only communicates via a relay service for the deaf to conceal his identity. He is contacted by Sarah (Lily James), who has documents proving wrongdoing but now wants to return them due to intimidation from her former employers. Sam Worthington, as one of her trackers, fulfills his villainous role to the max, and Ahmed delivers a quiet yet thoughtful performance. And who doesn’t love a twist you didn’t see coming?
Sinners was another surprise hit of 2025. Michael B. Jordan stars as twin brothers who open a juke joint in 1932 Mississippi and encounter the KKK, blues music, and vampires. The fine supporting cast features Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, and a mesmerizing Wunmi Mosaku. Hopefully, Jordan is remembered at Oscar time. And keep watching after the credits.
If you like beautiful cinematography, a simple story, and tender performances, then Train Dreams might be for you. Based on a novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams quietly sneaks up on you with its’ portrait of the life of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger with a wife and young daughter. William H. Macy, Felicity Jones, and Kerry Condon are the supporting cast who seem to be just living their parts. There’s no “look at me” acting being done here. A special shoutout to Will Patton’s narration also. Don’t miss this one.
The Housemaid starring Amanda Seyfried and media punching bag Sydney Sweeney is turning into a sleeper hit. In my day, we would call this domestic thriller good trash, in a positive way. The story is bonkers, but the cast is committed and it works. And it proves Sweeney can carry a film. In Nuremberg we got Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring, Hitler’s second-in-command, and Rami Malek as the U.S. Army psychiatrist assigned to observe him before the titular war crime trials. If you don’t see the parallels between then and now, you’re not paying attention. Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall, and Richard E. Grant also star. Worth watching.
In a previous article I wrote positively about One Battle After Another, Caught Stealing, and Roofman, so if you haven’t yet, check them out. Horror films have made a huge comeback with Bring Her Back, 28 Years Later, and Frankenstein helping the genre along. Superman came roaring back rebooted and loved all the same. Another reboot, The Naked Gun gave us a game Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson carrying the lovable idiot franchise commendably. Keke Palmer and SZA had great chemistry and brought their comedy chops trying to make the rent money in One of Them Days. Now let’s see what 2026 has in store.