I watched two-hundred and sixty movies this year. Here are my
top 20 and bottom 2 picks for
the year. This is based simply on the movies I watched this year, not on
what was released this year. It's a robust list this year as I was rewatching many movies I physically own.
Check out the previous year-end reviews.
I frequently forget to catalog the best scenes: in Hook when one of the Lost Boys sees through Peter Banning's wrinkles and discovers Pan, Field of Dreams when Shoeless Joe first appears on Ray's baseball field, when Vito shoots Don Fanucci in The Godfather Part II, so many scenes in the Wages of Fear, The Wild Robot when Birdbill learns to fly - that be my top scene of the year.
The Top 20 of 2025:
Up (2009)
Rent Up on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson & Tom McCarthy (story by), Bob Peterson & Pete Docter (screenplay by)
Directed by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson (co-director)
Starring: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
Retired
balloon salesman Carl Fredrickson travels to South America in his house
equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking young Wildnerness Explorer
Russell on the journey.
Verdict
Pixar
always crafts such engaging stories. While this is a grand adventure in
a floating house with a talking dog and rare bird, it's also about
love, loss, and memories. The script is sharp, building a story with
characters that have ambitions and constraints, which creates the
perfect circumstance to push them for a decision and overcome their
trepidation. That's the foundation for such an emotional moment as we're
connected to these characters. Pixar manages to create a movie that
completely entertains children, but has an added depth that will fully
grip adults as well.
Read the full review
Hundreds of Beavers (2022)
Written by: Mike Cheslik and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews
Directed by: Mike Cheslik
Starring: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Olivia Graves, Doug Mancheski
Rated: NR [PG]
Watch the trailer
Plot
In this slapstick comedy, a drunken applejack maker must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.
Verdict
This is a zany movie. It's part Buster Keaton, Looney Tunes, and a video game let's play. All of the comedy is visual gags with no dialog, and it's a movie outside of time as it looks nearly one hundred years old. That's part of what gives this so much charm, it does all of this so well. Because it's unlike nearly any other movie and so entertaining, you've got to check it out. It takes a wild risk and does such an amazing job that exceeds all expectations. I couldn't stop thinking about how creative this is. It's one thing to attempt this genre, it's another to do such an amazing job. It's rare I want to re-watch a movie immediately, but this is one of those exceptions.
Read the full review
The Wild Robot (2024)
Rent The Wild Robot on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Chris Sanders (screenplay), Peter Brown (book)
Directed by: Chris Sanders
Starring:
Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu,
Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Dee Bradley
Baker
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
After
a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an
uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the
island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.
Verdict
This
is one of the most touching and heartfelt movies I've ever seen.
Through a robot and a goose this explores parenthood, being
marginalized, belonging, and self sacrifice. A robot that needs a task
finds a goose that needs a guide, managing to rally a forest full of
animals to fight together. While the animals are fearful of the robot at
first, dire circumstances bring them together. The art style is
beautiful. This is a movie you could pause at any point and have an
amazing picture. Combined with the soundtrack, this movie is an amazing
experience with numerous strong scenes.
Read the full review
Tigerland (2000)
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Written by: Ross Klavan & Michael McGruther
Directed by:Joel Schumacher
Starring: Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins Jr., Tom Guiry, Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon, Cole Hauser, Tory Kittles
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A
group of recruits go through Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk,
Louisiana's infamous Tigerland, last stop before Vietnam for tens of
thousands of young men in 1971.
Verdict
Bozz
doesn't want to be at boot camp, drafted to fight in Vietnam. He also
strives to protect his platoon, but what he sees as everyone's best
interest differs from the brass. He's more than smart enough to be a
good soldier, but too smart for the army. He thinks for himself when his
platoon is trained to follow orders. This isn't anti-military, but it
is against drafting soldiers. We see men that are a danger for the
entire platoon and the need for soldiers over rides what's safe. Bozz
proves to be a leader even if he doesn't want the position. It's the
people that crave power that should make us wary.
Read the full review
Flow [Straume] (2024)
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Written by: Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža
Directed by:Gints Zilbalodis
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
After
its home is devastated by a great flood, a cat drifts on a boat with a
capybara, lemur, bird, and dog in search of dry land while surviving the
perils of a newly aquatic planet.
Verdict
What an amazing adventure. With no dialog this relies purely on visual
storytelling and it excelled beyond all expectations. I was riveted;
wondering about the flood and immensely concerned about the fate of
these animals. Numerous times I felt a knot in my stomach as the
situation became dire. While an animated movie about animals is usually a
kids' movie, this doesn't simplify the story to that level. It's just a
story about unlikely allies in a dangerous world. The questions it
doesn't answer only heighten the fascination with this world.
Read the full review
Apocalypse Now [Redux] (1979)
Written by: John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Herr (narration), Joseph Conrad (novella "Heart of Darkness", uncredited)
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper, Scott Glenn
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.
Verdict
It's an impressive piece of film making. Every choice is deliberate and the production design adds such depth in every scene. Tasked with eliminating a chaos agent, the journey itself is an exploration of madness. It doesn't feel dated, and it's clearly a well executed vision; a shining example of what a film can be and the themes it can explore.
Read the full review
Schindler's List (1993)
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Written by: Thomas Keneally (book), Steven Zaillian (screenplay)
Directed by:Steven Spielberg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In
German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar
Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after
witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Verdict
This
is such a touching movie. The quality and power of this movie is
recognizable from the very beginning. We see the Holocaust through one
man who initially seeks to profit from the war but ends up spending all
of his money to save as many people as possible. On paper Schindler was a
war profiteer, Nazi, and criminal. Between the lines he was so much
more. It's a difficult watch, but so few movies manage to transcend
entertainment and become history; a poignant tale of oppression,
defiance, and bravery
Read the full review
Titanic (1997)
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Written by: James Cameron
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bill Paxton
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
Verdict
This
not only mixes multiple genres, it does it so exquisitely. This movie
is an achievement; an epic statement displaying the power of film. It
brings history to life presenting the tale of the ill-fated Titanic by
showing us a romance that turns into an action movie as the ship begins
to sink. The pacing hides the length of the movie, you'd never realize
how long it is as there's not a moment where you'd check the time. This
movie excels in every facet. It's phenomenal.
Read the full review
The Man from Earth (2007)
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Written by: Jerome Bixby
Directed by:Richard Schenkman
Starring: David Lee Smith, Tony Todd, John Billingsley
Rated: NR [PG]
Watch the trailer
Plot
An
impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious
interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he
has a longer and stranger past than they can imagine.
Verdict
Few movies are so thought provoking. I saw this long ago, and I still
think about it on occasion. We know the quote that history is written by
the winners, and this explores this concept as friends chat one night.
History is only understood in retrospect as John explains his past and
current perspective. This is so grounded in the questions asked and the
reactions received. Could this story be true? The concept jumps off the
screen as I consider how it can apply to reality. History can only be
understood after it's already passed and been studied. The more time the
passes, the fewer people that can challenge the record. Without talking
to someone there at the time, how can we trust any account completely?
Read the full review
Being There (1979)
Rent Being There on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Jerzy Kosinski (novel, screenplay), Robert C. Jones (writer, uncredited)
Directed by:Hal Ashby
Starring: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas
Rated: PG [PG-13]
Watch the trailer
Plot
After
the death of his employer forces him out of the only home he's ever
known, a simpleminded, sheltered gardener becomes an unlikely trusted
advisor to a powerful tycoon and an insider in Washington politics.
Verdict
If
you're wearing the right suit, is there any room you can't enter? By
simply wearing an expensive suit Chance moves from gardening to
President. His simple answers are mistaken for profound or aloof because
surely no one so simple could have accidentally entered the elite
circle. The adage is that it's not what you know but who you know and
Chance certainly proves that. One side is how easy it is for Chance to
rise up the ranks, but the other side is how little it takes to fool
people. It's absurd, but a little too easy to believe.
Read the full review
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Written by: Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo (screenplay by), Mario Puzo (based on the novel by)
Directed by:Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Mariana Hill, Lee Strasberg
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In the 1920s Vito Corleone is introduced to a life of crime while in 1958 Michael Corleone expands his grip on the family crime syndicate.
Verdict
This is such a well made movie; every scene, each glance, the lighting; all of it creates an atmosphere as we watch Michael consolidate his power in the present and his father Vito begin his empire in the past. Vito gains power, influence, and friends. While Michael's empire expands, he only becomes more isolated. We watch his emotionless calculations as he charts a path to victory. You could call it the rise and fall, but Michael is successful with his empire, it just costs him his family.
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A Perfect World (1993)
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Written by: John Lee Hancock
Directed by:Clint Eastwood
Starring: Kevin Costner, T.J. Lowther, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, Bradley Whitford
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law.
Verdict
While
it's overly sentimental, it does such a great job with the odd couple
pairing. A boy with a strict mother is on the run with a criminal who
ends up being a father figure the boy never had. While Butch is the
typical charismatic criminal, he resolves to be the father he never had
to a boy that needs guidance. This isn't what you'd expect an escaped
convict to do, but it ends up being incredibly touching.
Read the full review
Groundhog Day (1993)
Written by: Danny Rubin (story by), Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis (screenplay by)
Directed by:Harold Ramis
Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.
Verdict
It's a classic that manages to probe comedy, morality, and religion. What would you do with all the time in the world? Phil goes through various stages of grief before finally unlocking the secret to life. That secret is kindness and caring. More than that, this movie knows exactly what to show. There's no way to credibly explain the why, so it smartly doesn't. We don't know how long Phil is in this loop, but based on the skills he's learned, it must have been quite a long time - decades if not centuries. Like Phil, we all selfishly wish for more time, but what Phil learns is how to best use that time.
Read the full review
Whiplash (2014)
Written by: Damien Chazelle
Directed by:Damien Chazelle
Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
An ambitious student set on becoming one of the greatest drummers collides with a professor determined to develop talent by pushing students beyond all reasonable measures.
Verdict
How far will you go to succeed? That's the question, and the movie grabs you from the beginning with an egotistical yet talented student and a ruthless teacher. In nearly every scene Andrew pushes himself further. His teacher pushes him beyond reason to make him great. The only thing that rivals the tempo of the music is the pacing of this movie. Both are relentless. It's a battle for power, control, and approval. Then we get to the final sequence, and that generates the question of who won? Did Andrew finally get his approval. Did Fletcher finally turn a student into a great musician? I'm not sure anyone succeeded. Based on the events in this movie, the idea that either of them would get what they want is pure fantasy.
Read the full review
District 9 (2009)
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Written by: Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
Directed by:Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, David James, Jason Cope
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In a future Earth in which aliens are isolated in a remote ghetto, a government agent finds himself banished there.
Verdict
To make an engaging sci-fi movie is a challenge, but District 9 manages
to also create a social commentary about humanity, segregation, and
discrimination. Aliens reach Earth but are perceived as weak and dumb.
They're relegated to a slum, treated like cattle instead of the sentient
beings they are. The movie reveals the humanity of the aliens as Wikus
spends time with them and begins to understand them in a fundamental way
that he never could before. These aliens are more advanced than humans
but were rejected based just on their appearance.
Read the full review
Let Me In (2010)
Written by: Matt Reeves (screenplay), John Ajvide Lindqvist (screenplay "Låt den rätte komma in", novel "Låt den rätte komma in")
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas, Dylan Minnette
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Abbey, a mysterious 12-year-old, moves next door to Owen, a social outcast viciously bullied at school. In his loneliness, Owen forms a bond with his new neighbor, but he can't help noticing that Abby is like no one he has ever met before.
Verdict
This lonely kid finally gets a friend, but that friend is a vampire. Would he rather be lonely or friends with a monster? That fear of being alone is stronger than what's logical and safe. What's so disarming, for Owen and the audience, is that this vampire looks like a lost little girl that also wants a friend. As the movie progresses, you can't help but think it's more than that. She needs someone to ferry her through the world. Watching this a second time only confirmed that, but there's so much happening off screen with the character. It's more of a drama than a horror movie. Vampirism is the drama and hurdle to this friendship that seems so innocent from Owen's perspective but much darker from Abby's.
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The Lives of Others [Das Leben der Anderen] (2006)
Written by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Directed by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring: Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.
Verdict
What an amazing movie that triumphs in small but significant reveals. Despite a totalitarian regime, there are still ways to rebel. The agent thought he was backing a worthwhile cause, but through petty retaliation and insight into a playwright's life he decides to help someone he's been tasked with condemning. He realizes the assignment is a ploy for vengeance, and the exposure to art moves him. As the movie states, hope always remains. That can't even begin to cover how amazing this movie is; a study on isolation, compassion, and oppression. The conclusion is absolutely amazing, as understated as the rest of the movie yet incredibly moving. This is in a class by itself, and it's unfortunate that subtitles will dissuade many.
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A Most Violent Year (2014)
Written by: J.C. Chandor
Directed by: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Christopher Abbott, Albert Brooks
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.
Verdict
It's an atypical story about an unlikely protagonist in the fuel oil business, but this movie is engaging from the beginning. Isaac shines in the role, but he's aided by a sharp script. It's one of those movies where everything works in conjunction to create a great movie. This looks at the American dream against the backdrop of a violent time in New York from a businessman that's made it and tangentially his employee with big dreams. Abel is successful but his claims that he did it the right way may not be accurate, though sometimes ambition causes you to take risks.
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The Lion King (1994)
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Written
by: Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton (screenplay
by), Barry Johnson, Andy Gaskill, Kevin Harkey, Tom Sito, Rick
Maki, Burny Mattinson, Lorna Cook, Gary Trousdale, Jorgen Klubien, Larry
Leker, Ed Gombert, Mark Kausler, Thom Enriquez, Jim Capobianco, Chris
Sanders, Joe Ranft, Francis Glebas (story by)
Directed by: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Starring:
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy
Irons, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane, Robert
Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin
Rated: G
Watch the trailer
Plot
Young lion cub Simba must embrace his role as the rightful king of his homeland and confront the usurper, his uncle Scar.
Verdict
It's such a great movie, laying the foundation for and then building to
several big story moments. It's not a revolutionary story, but it
creates these emotional scenes, translating a young cub's grief and
torment to the screen. We understand why Simba runs away. When Simba
must confront his past, it's triumphant, but then he must confront the
villain. The movie is full of these touching moments, capturing the
evolution of a character in such a short amount of time. There's a
reason this movie has remained relevant for so long. It's excellent.
Read the full review
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson (written for the screen by), Upton Sinclair (novel "Oil!")
Directed by:Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor, Ciarán Hinds, Paul F. Tompkins
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A story of family, religion, oil, and madness focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.
Verdict
It's a hallmark of film. This isn't just an engrossing story, superbly acted, with an unparalleled performance, it also possesses a depth that examines greed and faith. It's also a movie you could pause at any moment and have a striking photograph. This is a standard of film making. We watch a greedy man always wanting more, willing to say whatever it takes. He ends up rich, but he has no friends or family. That's contrasted with a young minister that's also seeking money. They trade insults over the years, but we wonder how much of their public persona is performance. How many people have they driven away with their refusal to compromise?
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Honorary Mention:
The Wages of Fear [Le salaire de la peur] (1953)
Rent The Wages of Fear on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter Van Eyck, Véra ClouzotWritten by: Georges Arnaud (from the novel by), Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jérôme Géronimi (adaptation)
Directed by: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Rated: NR [R]
Watch the trailer
Plot
In
a decrepit South American village, four men are hired to transport an
urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it
safe.
Verdict
Few
older movies manage to be so engrossing and intense. It's a suicide
mission and they know it, but the promise of a hefty payday does just
enough to mitigate the fear. The drive in incredible, keeping you on the
edge of your seat. One wrong bump could be the end of the journey. The
basis for this plight is a company that cares more about their business
than people. The company knows what they're asking of these guys, and
just because the guys agreed doesn't relieve the company of their moral
obligation. There's a reason the company sought people from a poor town,
desperate for a paycheck.
Read the full review
The Bottom 2 of 2025:
The Old Guard 2 (2025)
Written by: Greg Rucka and Sarah L. Walker (screenplay by), Greg Rucka (screen story by), Greg Rucka (based on the graphic novel series written by), Leandro Fernandez (based on the graphic novel series illustrated by)
Directed by:Victoria Mahoney
Starring: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Uma Thurman, Veronica Ngô
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Andy leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.
Verdict
The premise is flimsy. The entire movie is so mindless that I can't overcome my boredom. What's the point? I don't know if this even gives us a reason why the immortals are fighting. This was never good, but the ending just makes it worse. This movie doesn't get a conclusion. It stops mid-scene, hoping it will get a sequel. It doesn't matter, I won't be tricked again.
Read the full review
Honey Don't! (2025)
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Written by: Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke
Directed by:Ethan Coen
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A
dark comedy about small-town private investigator Honey O'Donahue, who
delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church.
Verdict
There's
no reason the movie should be this bad. There's nothing I liked about
this movie. While the dialog is overwritten and the characters are under
developed, the plot is the biggest disappointment. It initially
promises mystery and conspiracies and delivers nothing. Ethan Coen has
been involved in so many good movies, so I have to wonder how or why he
released this. The best thing about this movie is that at least it does end at some point.
Read the full review
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