I saw 155 movies in the theater in 2025. Of those, I’d estimate about 20-25 were not 2025 releases (I don’t keep track of the release dates, just a list of what I’ve seen each week. For instance, around Oscar time, I catch up on a lot of the nominees). I’ve covered most of the movies below in the Movies I’ve Seen thread, so I’ll just add only little bits of teaser phrasing.
My Top 12 (not in any particular order).
She Rides Shotgun “gut punch ending that rivals Shoplifters”
East of Wall “Based on and acted by the true life characters”
A Little Prayer “A profound depiction of family love”
One Battle After Another “Definitely a movie for and of our time”
Frankenstein “Sumptuous gothic”
Sentimental Value “A movie about movies and the people who make them”
Sinners “Race and Vampires”
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You “Claustrophobic and harrowing depiction of motherhood”
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life “A Hallmark movie done right”
Hamnet “Another masterpiece and potential second Oscar for Chloé Zhao”
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain "“A beautiful depiction of a toddler’s life”
Weapons “A masterful mix of horror, mystery, and black humor”
For the “what about” questions, here are my next dozen “best of the rest”.
Guns & Moses “A sun baked noir about a crime fighting rabbi”
Anniversary “Another film of and for our time”
Is This Thing On “Great performances and heartfelt narrative”
Cloud “Mystery/suspense/yakuza/mental breakdown”
Bugonia “A Yorgos Lanthimos comedy/scifi/crime thriller”
Marty Supreme “Uncut Gems with a happier ending”
Sketch “A child’s drawings come to life. What could go wrong?”
Mickey 17 “Bong Joon Ho Sci-Fi film!”
Left Handed Girl "A child’s experiences in a Taipei “night market”
Dust Bunny “A children’s tale that is not at all suitable for children.”
Bad Shabbos “An unfortunate occurrence threatens the families Shabbos dinner”
The Life of Chuck “Worth it for the dance sequence alone”
The Shadows Edge “Jackie Chan!”
Finally, the dregs in my cup.
Riff Raff
In the Lost Lands
The Actor
Grand Tour
Run
Deathstalker