I didn’t see as many movies this past year as I usually do. That doesn’t stop me from being judgmental about what I did see. What follows is my rundown of the best and worst movies I saw this year. I am an unashamed movie nut. Each year I pontificate on the best and worst from only the movies I went to see. I’ve also included what I considered to be the worst movies of the year, because that’s almost more fun. You won’t find my movies on many critics’ top ten for the year because we go to the movies for different reasons. I go to be entertained, not to judge (despite what you’re seeing here). I’ve also chosen a quote from each of the top ten movies. As you can see I lean heavily towards action (and science fiction) but I think these films are a lot more mainstream than the out-of-touch film critics whose top tens are usually incomprehensible and barely entertaining. If nothing else the films below (except for the bottom two) were hugely enjoyable. Again, this is only one man’s opinion and reflects only the movies I saw this year.
#1 - Fight or Flight
I thought this would be another in the long line of airplane dramas but it was so much more. A wrongly disgraced former secret service agent is recruited by a shadowy intelligence agent to locate and secure a terrorist on a cross-Pacific flight. What follows is non-stop action and comedic violence (yes that’s a thing) as the plane turns out to host a planeload of assassins after both him and his quarry. This was the biggest surprise and best movie I saw this year.
Lucas Reyes: What the fuck is going on?
Isha: Good news, we're not dead ... bad news, we're
not done yet.
Lucas Reyes: Oh, fuck!
#2 – Novocain
Another huge surprise which took full advantage of the concept of a guy who could feel no pain at all. He sets out to save his lady love from bank robbers as his body is slowly attritted as he carves his way through the bad guys. Some great supporting characters add to the fun. Again, comedic violence done so well.
[a ball of spikes hits Nate in the back, then he
turns around]
Nate: What the fuck is that?
#3 - Sinners
It’s hard to believe they found a new way to shoot a vampire flick but this succeeds on so many levels. Michael B. stars in dual roles as a pair of twins in depression era Mississippi who defend their dance palace against both the clan and the undead.
Old Sammie: You know something? Maybe once a week, I wake up
paralyzed reliving that night. But before the sun went down, I think that was
the best day of my life. Was it like that for you?
Stack: No doubt about it. Last time I seen my brother.
Last time I seen the sun. And just for a few hours, we was free.
#4 - Caught Stealing
Going back to the late nineties with Austin
Butler playing a NYC bartender who accidentally ends up as the target of a wide
series of assassins. I especially loved the Hasidic Jewish pair as this film was
entertaining throughout.
Shmully: Pulling the trigger is the easiest thing in the
world.
Lipa: Sad world.
Shmully: Broken world.
#5 – Ballerina
I always wondered what John Wick did on that long
voyage to Africa to sacrifice his pinkie. It turns out he was in the Alps
helping a fellow assassin. That fellow assassin, ably played by Ana de Armas
who once again proves she can do anything. Great flick!
Quote
Eve: You are him. The one they call the Baba Yaga.
The students all talk about you. How do I get outta here?
John Wick: The front door is unlocked.
Eve: No. I mean... how do I start doing what you
do?
John Wick: Looks like you already have.
#6 - Predators Badlands
The best Predator movie since the original with the
interesting twist of making the predator the hero. He spends the movie with a
legless robot strapped to his back which provides a lot of comedic interplay.
Dek: You should be able to survive on your own.
Thia: I can survive on my own. But who would want
to survive on their own?
Dek: Tessa is your sister.
Thia: Sister. I guess she is. I have a sister. What
a lovely thought. I need to find her.
Dek: And legs.
Thia: Excuse me?
Dek: Find your sister. And legs.
Thia: Was that a joke?
This was scary on so many levels, mysteriously
disappearing children, terrifying unexplained deaths, and the most interesting witch
in cinema history. Her climatic comeuppance (see below) was so startling and
welcome, a perfect ending.
Narrator: This is a true story that happened in my
town. So this one Wednesday is like a normal day for the whole school, but
today was different. Every other class had all their kids, but Mrs. Gandy's
room was totally empty. And do you know why? Because the night before, at 2:17
in the morning, every kid woke up, got out of bed, walked downstairs, and into
the dark... and they never came back.
#8 – Superman
I didn’t think we needed a new Superman story but
the cast and story in this convinced me. The interplay between him and Lois
Clark was central to the story and made him someone you could truly root for. Nicholas
Hoult was perfect as Lex.
Guy Gardner: You wanna break a federally incarcerated
prisoner out of jail?
Lois Lane: Look, I think this is being done to keep him
from interfering with the Boravian invasion.
Guy Gardner: No, you look. I'm a Green Lantern, lady. That
means I took a vow not to get involved in politics.
Mr. Terrific: Oh, that's part of the vows?
Guy Gardner: It's implied. Yeah.
Mr. Terrific: An implied vow?
Hawkgirl: Every time there's something he doesn't want
to do, he says it's part of some vow.
Guy Gardner: Oh I swear to God, I am two seconds away from
forming a giant hammer and beating you both to death!
#9 - Sisu Road to Revenge
He’s baaack! This time the Russians make the mistake of antagonizing the silent hero and pay with a serious body count. There’s something just lovable and inevitable about him.
Igor Draganov: [to a captive Aatami] They say I lit the fire
in you... I will put it out. You are a mistake, an aberration. I will show you
that there are worse things than death.
#10 - Fackham Hall
I loved this curious mixture of Airplane and
Monty Python. The through comedic send up of the British class system was
perfect.
Prudence: So, finally, one of our children is to be wed
and shall soon fly the nest. I’m just delighted that our beloved home shall
remain in the family. I’m just delighted that after so many years of courting,
she’s finally found the right cousin. At least Poppy’s got our interests at
heart, unlike Rose.
Humphrey: Rose may yet marry.
Prudence: Oh, come on, Humphrey. Who’d want old Rose? She’s
23. A dried-up husk of a woman. Barren, desiccated. A wizened old walnut of a
spinster. Rose, darling, would you pass the milk?
Rose: Mama, Archibald is ghastly. It’s unfair to force
Poppy so. Why can’t she simply marry for love?
Prudence: Oh, how can you be so naive, child? Do you think
that I married your father out of love? Because I found him attractive? Liked
his personality? His micro penis? No, I married him out of duty. And we
couldn’t be happier.
Humphrey: But Mama’s right, my darling. This is about the
future of Fackham Hall. Of our family. We thought, having produced four sons,
that the Davenport line of succession was assured. What cursed luck to lose all
four of them. And in four completely separate incidents. I console myself
knowing that at least they died doing the thing they loved.
Rose: But does this not make you realize that such an
archaic system of succession, that only recognizes male heirs is, pardon my
French…
Honorable Mention –
Nobody
2
Hutch is back and killing those who threaten his family vacation.
A great spy flick with Remi Malek as a geeky analyst out to avenge his murdered wife.
The Worst Movies of 2025
Fountain of Youth
I was really looking forward to this adventure flick featuring some of my favorite actors with a great director, but it just doesn’t work. Not a bad movie but considering the monumental waste of talent, worst movie of the year.
Electric State
This was so bad that I couldn’t watch it. I gave up on it after several tries which I just don’t do, especially for sci fi. Usually. I made an exception in this case.
2025 Superlatives:
Best Comedy: Fackham Hall
Best Horror Movie: Weapons
Best Drama: Caught Stealing
Best Romance: Novocain
Best Action: Ballerina
Best Special Effects: Mission Impossible Final Reckoning
Best Scene of the Year: I couldn’t decide which was better so I’ll include both.
The scene in Sinners where you’re shown the dance floor through different generations, a great comment on America and race relations.
ABFA – Amazing Best Family
Athlete – my daughter
in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter
#3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel -
second granddaughter; Cantankerous
Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything,
poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high
school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside
Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in
Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends
along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions
once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite
Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR
- First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since
high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited
with after many years; Maine and
Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my
wife is the 3rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close
friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals
– female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife
accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high
school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the
Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex
and my wife and I; Soxfather – my
brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca –
wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my
son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom,
of course
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