I didn't want to make a whole big thing of it, and originally intended on making this into a top 15 list, but I felt like including a few more things, as this was a pretty mid-heavy year for movies -- not a lot of easy top fives, but loads that belong in the teens and twenties. So just like last year, I won't be flashing images in this one, and the write-ups are going to be very brief. Hopefully it's an easy read.
Also, as usual, this is an opinion list, so don't get all mad when you don't see the thing you like on it, or as high as you'd want it. Take that frustration and all of your opinions and make your own list, type that list up, and put it in the comments section. Don't walk away angry, we're here to celebrate movies, after all. So enjoy yourself, and enjoy how different our opinions are, life is way more fun with variety.
No more filler text, let's get on with it.
40. Ballad Of A Small Player, d. Edward Berger
I definitely wasn't the only person a little disappointed with this movie at first, but I fully came around on it by the time it ended and find it to be one of the more fascinating misfires of the year. Overall an interesting experience.
39. Materialists, d. Celine Song
Another movie that I've mostly not heard great things about, but that I found very memorable. And maybe I'm crazy, but I really enjoyed Dakota Johnson in this one.
38. Nouvelle Vague, d. Richard Linklater
The better of the two Linklater movies released in 2025, I enjoyed the period filmmaking here, and even though I'm not a huge fan of Jean-Luc Godard, I still found this very enjoyable all the way through.
37. Eephus, d. Carson Lund
As far as baseball movies go, this is one of the better ones as far as I'm concerned. It's funny, subtle, sweet, melancholy, and appeals a lot to someone who's always had a soft spot for the sport.
36. The Plague, d. Charlie Polinger
Definitely one of the more upsetting movies of the year and not likely one I'll be watching again anytime soon. But it's a very effective psychological drama and Kayo Martin gives a terrific performance.
35. The Long Walk, d. Francis Lawrence
A very performance-centric survival thriller, and one of the better Stephen King movies that has come out for quite a while. Cooper Hoffman and Davis Jonsson are both very good in this one.
34. Sister Midnight, d. Karan Kandhari
A screwy, dark, and twisted domestic comedy that borders on horror from time to time, and 100% hinges on a hilariously unhinged performance by Radhika Apte. One of the more entertaining leads in a movie this year.
33. Song Sung Blue, d. Craig Brewer
Is this movie very cliche? Yes. It's also sentimental and cheesy, too, but that means very little to me when I'm watching it. I was completely sucked into this story and totally loved Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in this. Very popcorn-y and lovely.
32. Reflection In A Dead Diamond, d. Helene Cattet & Bruno Forzani
Probably one of the least accessible movies that will appear on this list, this is the kind of film that most appeals to fans of a very specific throwback genre of mystery spy movies. But it totally worked for me.
31. The Ugly Stepsister, d. Emilie Blichfeldt
I'm loving watching body horror make such a strong showing these past couple years, and this is among the better showing in the genre. Lea Myren is great, and the visuals are even better.
30. One Battle After Another, d. Paul Thomas Anderson
PTA is one of the greatest filmmakers of our (or any) time, but this is still one of his weaker efforts in my eyes. Still, a fun movie with some very strong performances, particularly by Sean Penn.
29. Familiar Touch, d. Sarah Friedland
A quietly devastating movie about old age and the horrible effects it has on the body and mind. This isn't just a miserable experience though, so don't go into it expecting The Father. Extra note, Kathleen Chalfant gives one of the best performances of the year.
28. Sentimental Value, d. Joachim Trier
A victim of its own success, I went into this movie unfairly expecting a masterpiece, and walked away liking it slightly less than Trier's previous film 'The Worst Person In The World'. Still, this is a great drama, I loved the cast, and it never overplayed its hand with overly showy emotions.
27. The Surfer, d. Lorcan Finnegan
I love a proper throwback movie, and this movie is drenched in a '70s atmosphere without feeling gimmicky. Cage is committed, as he often is, carrying you through a type of story you've seen plenty of times. But this one worked very well for me.
26. It Was Just An Accident, d. Jafar Panahi
A movie that's crept into my mind quite a lot since I saw it a couple months back, but not one I found immediately as satisfying as I had hoped. Basically, this one grows on you, and whenever I think back on it, it grows a little more in my estimation every time.
25. Together, d. Michael Shanks
It takes a lot to get me to like Dave Franco in a movie, but this one succeeded in that unenviable task. Once again, body horror rears its ugly-but-still-beautiful head, and I am very pleased by it. Solid screenplay, fun acting, good weird and creepy visuals/moments.
24. Cloud, d. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Not the horror/thriller I expected, but instead was much more entertaining and mysterious. Kurosawa always delivers, and while this isn't his best movie, I was totally sucked in and particularly enjoyed the final act.
23. F1, d. Joseph Kosinski
The best theatrical movie event of the year, F1 getting nominated for the Best Picture Oscar this year is something I both loved seeing and found equally hilarious. This is a very straightforward movie that doesn't break any new ground, it just delivers exactly what you'd want and does so in spades.
22. Hard Truths, d. Mike Leigh
Some people are gonna argue this is a 2024 movie, but it came out in the States in 2025, so it's going here. That being said, this features one of the best performances of the year by Marianne Jean-Baptiste. She's such a miser, and is absolutely captivating (albeit awful) to watch.
21. The Baltimorons, d. Jay Duplass
This one really surprised me. A very heartfelt and genuine comedy about two very different, wayward people who bond over the course of a long and bizarre Christmas Eve. It's funny, sweet, sad, and an overall great offbeat Christmas movie.
20. Black Bag, d. Steven Soderbergh
One of the better movies Soderbergh has done in quite a long time, I really loved this slick little spy thriller. It wasn't anything fancy, but had a great cool style, and all culminated in a satisfying finale.
19. Wake Up Dead Man, d. Rian Johnson
While not quite on par with the first Knives Out, I still think this is a step in the right direction for the series, and a vast improvement over Glass Onion. Josh O'Connor absolutely steals this movie from Daniel Craig, and I love the way it tackled religious themes, particularly in how they interact with O'Connor's character.
18. Broken Rage, d. Takeshi Kitano
This is a super short, super weird little movie that I wish more people were aware of. I wouldn't want to spoil it, but if you aren't enjoying this movie right out the gate give it a little time, because the way this movie transforms as it goes along is something special, and I kinda loved it.
17. Splitsville, d. Michael Angelo Covino
A wonderful follow-up to The Climb, this is a very bizarre rom-com, and one that doesn't seem at all interested in formulas or rules. It's at times almost trippy, and is totally unafraid of doing straight up bonkers nonsense, including one of the funniest fight scenes I've ever seen in a movie.
16. Jay Kelly, d. Noah Baumbach
An unfairly overlooked movie often deemed "Oscar-bait", I really found myself sucked in by Jay Kelly. It's always great seeing George Clooney play to his strengths, and Adam Sandler gives a wonderfully subdued supporting performance. Sure, I'm a sucker for movies about movies, but that doesn't mean it isn't still very good.
15. Bugonia, d. Yorgos Lanthimos
I've not seen the movie this was based on, but if I wasn't already aware of that movie existing, I never would've guessed this wasn't a Lanthimos original. Plemons, Stone, and newcomer Aidan Delbis are all great here (seeing Stavros Halkias in an Oscar-nominated movie is genuinely surreal), and I love the sickly art direction. This is a weird one.
14. Twinless, d. James Sweeney
This is another movie that I think benefits from going into it cold, so I won't spoil anything here. I loved the performances (Dylan O'Brien in particular does an excellent job), there's a sincerity to it that's endearing, and the directions it goes are definitely unexpected and pack the whole movie with a ton of added depth.
13. Marty Supreme, d. Josh Safdie
Much like the Safdie brothers' previous movies, but arguably much more palatable. Timothee Chalamet, as much as I don't particularly care for him, delivers one of the top performances of the year, and I suspect him to rightfully win the Oscar for this one. It would be well-earned.
12. Hamnet, d. Chloe Zhao
This is a tough one. This is the most emotional, overwrought, dramatic, and acting-y movie of the year, and I don't think it's even close. But it's very, very good. Jessie Buckley will win the Oscar, and she'll deserve it. It's a beautiful movie, a tragic one, and one I'll likely not forget any time soon.
11. Train Dreams, d. Clint Bentley
An unassuming movie about the life of an unassuming man, and an excellent example of why voice-over narration doesn't have to be seen as a cheap device. This is a gorgeous looking movie, and tells a deeply emotional story that has stuck with me over the months since I've seen it. I won't likely watch it too many times, but I won't need to thanks to how beautifully it's become painted in my memory.
10. The Mastermind, d. Kelly Reichardt
A movie I haven't seen show up on too many "best of" lists this year, and I really don't understand why. Maybe over time this will be seen as one of the highlights of the year, but regardless of all that, I find this one very entertaining in its specific and subtle way. And as could be expected, Josh O'Connor is terrific here.
9. Bring Her Back, d. Danny & Michael Philippou
From the pair who brought us Talk To Me, which is a contender for my favorite horror movie of the 2020s, Bring Her Back ticks a lot of the same boxes, but this time with Sally Hawkins giving arguably the best performance of her career. This movie is dark, sad, terrifying, and never tries to hide its intentions behind metaphor, as so many other modern horror movies love to do. It's a miserable, dark, and powerful movie, and one of the best of the year.
8. Weapons, d. Zach Cregger
I'm giving this movie the edge over Bring Her Back because I think it's going to be more rewatchable, and because I find the screenplay and editing of this movie to be some of the best this year. Amy Madigan gives a killer supporting performance, but the entire cast is incredible. It's dark, disturbing, mysterious, and also funny at the right times. I enjoyed this one immensely.
7. The Naked Gun, d. Akiva Schaffer
I know, it's a dumb comedy AND it's a legacy sequel. But I also don't care, because I laughed more during this movie than I have in such an incredibly long time, and I can't deny myself. This is the funniest movie of the decade so far, I enjoyed it the entire way through, and I would be lying to myself if I didn't put it in my top 10. So here it goes.
6. Friendship, d. Andrew DeYoung
Just because The Naked Gun is a funnier movie doesn't mean this isn't one I could call "better". It's such an awkward movie, and one that is impossible to imagine without Tim Robinson, whose show 'I Think You Should Leave' has quickly become one of my favorites. It's a painful movie, embarrassing, hilarious, very dark, and full of twists and turns. Even the ending comes with a strange twist that will stick with you. Also, let's not forget how perfect Paul Rudd is in this one.
5. The Ballad Of Wallis Island, d. James Griffiths
This one kinda blew me away. I knew Tim Key from British comedy (mainly his series of Taskmaster, one of the best shows ever made), but I had no clue he was so capable of dramatic acting. Carey Mulligan is great in this one, too, I fell in love with the setting, and became totally engrossed and emotionally invested in these characters over the course of the movie. It's a lovely, sweet movie, and more people need to watch it.
4. Caught Stealing, d. Darren Aronofsky
The first good movie Aronofsky has made in like 15 years, Caught Stealing feels like a throwback to the kind of thriller that I never realized I missed. I love the grubby New York setting, the memorable supporting cast, and the balance of drama and comedy. This movie also singlehandedly made me rethink my opinion on Austin Butler, who I didn't particularly like before this.
3. Rental Family, d. Hikari
Another lovely surprise, Rental Family was the kind of sweet, sincere movie a lot of people would dismiss as trite and sentimental, but I bought in and loved it unabashedly. Brendan Fraser is perfect casting, but the performances by veteran actor Akira Emoto (who should have been in the Oscar conversation), and newcomer Shannon Mahina Gorman are just as perfect here. In fact, Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto are also great, let's not exclude any of the main cast from the praise. I loved this, it stirred all sorts of emotions up in me, and I wish it had gotten at least a little more love upon its release.
2. No Other Choice, d. Park Chan-wook
One of the best directors of the 21st century, Park hasn't done anything this good since probably Oldboy. This is a dark, funny, psychotic movie that gives us one of my favorite performances of the year with Lee Byung-hun. I can't dismiss how funny and pathetic this character is, but also how well it highlights the desperation necessitated by modern life and the lengths people will go to acquire and maintain wealth and success. It's a great satire, and one I really didn't expect to leave such a long lasting impression on me.
1. Sinners, d. Ryan Coogler
I tried to resist it, I tried to dismiss it, I tried to be a naysayer, a contrarian, a philistine; but I simply can't do it any longer, Sinners is the only movie I could possibly put at #1 on this list. I rewatched it not long ago, and by the time it ended I was totally willing to put it back on again the next day. In spite of not having seen the movie after its theatrical release for over half a year, I remembered more about it than I could remember about movies I had watched less than a week ago. This is the kind of iconic genre film that doesn't come around often, and I'm so happy I was able to accept it as being the modern masterpiece that it is. Everything about this movie works to the degree where I can honestly say the only issue I have with it is that gross saliva scene that lasts all of 10 seconds. It broke the all-time record for most Oscar nominations a movie has ever received, and it did this while being a vampire movie largely centered around blues music. What a crazy world we live in -- and for once, I don't mean that in a bad way.
Thanks for reading.
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