[Above: Nosferatu dir. Robert Eggers. DOP Jarin Blaschke.]
Back in the summer, when we were deep into 'blockbuster season', I remember leaving my local Odeon and telling my usual cinema-buddies (my fiancé Edward Harvey and my regular collaborator Tommy Draper) that I was going to struggle to make a top ten list this year. Well, flash forward six months to me writing this blog post now, and I can honestly say that I was very, very wrong. 2025 was such a strong year for films that some awards season-favourites, like The Brutalist, Conclave, and A Complete Unknown almost didn't make it into my top 15!
I went to the cinema a LOT this year, and there were a few good titles I saw on streaming which I want to give a shout-out to as well, so let's dive straight into my mini reviews...
[Above: Queer dir. Luca Gaudagnino. DOP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom.]
JANUARY 2025
Films: Nosferatu, We Live In Time, The Stuff, Queer, A Real Pain, Babygirl, A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist
The cinema trips started with a bang, as the first film I saw ended up being my favourite of the year (alongside Sinners, which I'll talk about later). The plot of Nosferatu is one we've all seen a thousand times, so it all felt a bit too familiar, and yes I was a little confused by the fact that this was an American-made film, set in Germany, but with most actors speaking RP English... however, this snowy gothic tale was wonderfully atmospheric and stunning to look at, and the final frame is still seared into my brain, so I can almost forgive the rest. The film - and particularly its cinematography - was criminally ignored during Awards Season.
We Live In Time was a much smaller, lighter film, and I watched it predominantly for the cast. I felt like Andrew Garfield was a bit underused after the first act, and the fact that Florence Pugh's character had not one but two world-class careers stopped their story from being as relatable as it should've been, but I enjoyed the film enough to buy a copy as soon as it had its physical release.
I saw The Stuff at a Cult Film Club screening at Derby Quad, hosted by Edward's organisation Enigmatic Retro Rewind. As with many of the films they screen, I expected this to be 'so bad it's good', and I will say that the fake adverts for the titular Stuff within the film were very funny. However, there was such a sudden and gross use of racism in the final act of the film, I have no intention of recommending it to anyone.
After my so-so response to Challengers, I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy Luca Gaudagnino's latest film, but Queer ended up taking my breath away. It's a little too long, and the last couple of scenes head into a David Lynch (RIP!) level of weird... yet it's somehow one of the most honest depictions of the human experience I've seen in recent memory. The close-up shots where Daniel Craig (also snubbed during Awards Season) is reaching longingly towards his lover's naked back were so visceral, I could almost feel his skin. Just a phenomenal film.
A Real Pain juggles humour and heartache beautifully, with the most incredible supporting performance from Kieran Culkin (it was great to see Will Sharpe in the film, too!). Although I found some of the dialogue to be a bit on-the-nose, this was balanced out by the use of a respectful quietness when the characters visited a real concentration camp, captured on film for the first time ever.
Babygirl was a film that I was a little disappointed by, which I'm loath to say, as I always want to support the work of my fellow female directors. Some of the cinematography and set dressing choices lacked tact, as did the use of 'Dancing On My Own' in a scene where Nicole Kidman is literally stood in a corner watching her love interest with another woman, and I just felt disengaged from the two central characters. I did, however, find Antonio Banderas to be very strong in his supporting role.
I was always going to enjoy A Complete Unknown for its soundtrack and the era its set in; the actors also carried it well. I felt as though the story played second fiddle to the musical numbers, which made it a tad forgettable, but overall the film was elevated by its stronger moments, such as the final, heart-breaking scene with a wordless performance from Scoot McNairy.
And finally in January, I saw The Brutalist. It wasn't always the easiest watch (there are two scenes in particular which will stop me from watching the film again), and the time-jump ending didn't quite feel satisfying after everything that had gone before. But the film looked amazing (I loved the shots of the Carrara marble!), especially when you consider the restricted budget, and the performances were exceptional too. I also really liked the use of an interval, as I was able to use the time to chat to my fellow audience members about what they thought of the film - in addition to using the bathroom - so I hope that other longer films will consider having them in the future.
[Above: Saturday Night dir. Jason Reitman. DOP Eric Steelberg.]
FEBRUARY 2025
Films: Saturday Night, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Companion
After the rush to catch all the epic, awards-season-contending films in January, watching Saturday Night at the start of February felt like I was taking a welcome breather! The film was never going to blow up a storm, but I had such a good time watching it, laughing at all the behind-the-scenes antics and settling into the cosiness of the era.
Next up, I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on a big screen for the first time, as it was back in cinemas for its 20th anniversary. I'd seen the film a few months previously, as research material when I was writing Lacuna, but I was still happy to watch it again. Eternal Sunshine still holds up after twenty years and, in my opinion, contains one of the strongest screenplays ever written.
It was going to be hard for any film to follow Eternal Sunshine, and unfortunately my next cinema trip was to see Companion. It wasn't a bad film by any means, and I liked all of the cast, but I just felt as though the plot struggled to find enough of a genre balance between dark comedy, Sci-Fi action, and Black-Mirror-esque dystopia, whilst also trying to hold to an underlying message about the objectification of women.
[Above: The Last Showgirl dir. Gia Coppola. DOP Autumn Durald Arkapaw.]
MARCH 2025
Films: Mickey 17, The Last Showgirl, Black Bag
Mickey 17 seems to be a film that everyone has forgotten about already, which is a shame. It was very well-made, with some of the best creature design I've seen in a while, and I had a lot of fun watching it - my only major gripe being the inclusion of a strange, sudden dream sequence within the film's epilogue. Perhaps the main problem is that this was Bong Joon Ho's follow-up to Parasite, a modern classic which was a game-changer for World cinema, and people were expecting him to immediately reach those same heights again straight away - which isn't exactly fair. Hopefully Mickey 17 will grow in popularity over time.
I went to see The Last Showgirl at Derby Quad partly because my own film, the short A Different Place, was screening ahead of it as part of a two-week cinema run - so that was rather exciting! But I likely would have gone to see The Last Showgirl regardless. I loved the setting, giving us a glimpse behind the curtain at a dying area of showbusiness, and Pamela Anderson did a great job in the lead role. I just had a few issues with the script, again with the dialogue in particular, and I feel as though Gia Coppola is still finding her feet as a director - but then again, this was one of her first feature films, and so I expect her work is only going to grow in strength.
After cancelling my ticket once due to my workload, I rescheduled and went to see Black Bag towards the end of March. Steven Soderbergh is a very reliable director (he also released Presence this year, which I heard good things about), and Black Bag had a wonderfully watchable cast - even if their characters were a bit too cold to be lovable, aside from Marisa Abela's Clarissa who brought some much-needed energy to the proceedings. Overall this was a slick, stylish, bitchy ride which was enjoyable to watch, particularly a climactic dinner table scene which felt a bit like an old-school 'who-dunnit' reveal.
[Above: Sinners dir. Ryan Coogler. DOP Autumn Durald Arkapaw.]
APRIL 2025
Films: Death of a Unicorn, Empire Records, Sinners
A24's Death of a Unicorn had been on my radar for a while, and I'd kept an ear out for updates throughout its pre-production, so it was one of my most anticipated films of 2025. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. Whilst I really appreciated the 1980s fantasy nods, such as its Legend-inspired poster design, the film descended into a series of action beats without enough satisfying character decisions to tie them together. As with Companion, I believe that Death of a Unicorn struggled with its genre, not knowing which elements to push hard enough, and although the comedy elements were funny, the best jokes had already been shared in the trailers.
Next up, another anniversary screening: Empire Records. I probably don't need to review that one, as it's become a sort of offbeat classic and I can never get tired of it. I saw the film quite late in the evening, after a long working day, and yet I still had a great time. It made me miss the 90s (although it doesn't take much to make me miss the 90s!).
And then... Sinners happened. Wow. I nearly didn't go and see it, I can't remember why, but I'm so glad I took a punt and bought a ticket. Although I ranked it the same as Nosferatu, so they're both my joint number one films of the year, I cannot fault Sinners' originality in the way that I did with Eggers' film. Sinners also has some of the greatest music I've heard in a cinema, and if it doesn't win in that category at next year's OSCARs, I think that will be my villain origin story. I did have a couple of minor gripes, like the fact that the colour grade was bit intense for my personal tastes, and there were some moments which I felt were heavy-handed, like the use of a cutaway to a grave when someone was talking about a deceased family member... but urgh, I honestly want to tell myself to shut up at this point! Ignore my criticisms, the film is brilliant. I particularly loved the casting choices, the way the script takes the time to make you care about all the characters before the action starts, and, of course, that one scene which transcended eras of time, music, and aspect ratios! Oh, and the climax is unexpected but delightfully satisfying.
[Above: The Phoenician Scheme dir. Wes Anderson. DOP Bruno Delbonnel.]
MAY 2025
Film: The Phoenician Scheme
I only saw one film in May - Wes Anderson's latest, The Phoenician Scheme, which I was sadly a bit disappointed by. I always love the humour in Wes Anderson's films (the basketball scene and the use of Michael Cera in this film were definite highlights), and I'll often defend his work when people describe it as style over substance, but this one just felt too slow, cold, and detached for me, like we were watching a series of well-composed images rather than enough of an engaging narrative with characters we care about. I saw The Darjeeling Limited for the first time on Disney Plus a few months later, and the difference was palpable. Overall, I still love his work and I didn't hate The Phoenician Scheme, it just didn't connect with me like his other films did.
[Above: How To Train Your Dragon dir. Dean DeBlois. DOP Bill Pope.]
JUNE 2025
Films: Lollipop, How To Train Your Dragon, Hot Milk
Thanks to my local BFI NETWORK hub, I was invited to a screening of Lollipop after a roundtable with director Daisy-May Hudson, who was completely lovely to talk to. Lollipop mostly features non-actors, with lived experience of the subject matter, which could've been seen as a risk but gave the film a great sense of authenticity, and the cast were brilliant, particularly the child actors and breakout star Posy Sterling. Lollipop tackled hard subjects but with a constant sense of warmth that softened the grit and left you believing in the goodness of people.
Next, something totally different - the live action remake of How To Train Your Dragon. People have questioned whether this film needed to exist, as the remake treads the same plot beats and even uses a few of the same shot choices as the original. But it does introduce the story to a new audience who might not choose to watch animated films, and its great to see them enjoying it. I think that some of the humour possibly worked better in animated form, but the visual spectacle of the final act definitely worked well here, particularly when watched on a large screen.
The last film I saw this month was Hot Milk, which was another film I watched for the cast without knowing much about the story beforehand. The actors were great, and it was wonderful to see Fiona Shaw in a big-screen role for a change, but as with some of the other titles on this list, sadly Hot Milk left me feeling a bit cold and disconnected overall, and the intentionally unresolved ending was just frustrating.
[Above: The Legend of Ochi dir. Isaiah Saxon. DOP Evan Prosofsky.]
AUGUST 2025
Films: The Naked Gun, The Legend of Ochi, King Kong, Materialists
I didn't go to the cinema in July, but very much made up for it in August! First up, I went to see The Naked Gun; I loved the Naked Gun films when I was a kid, and even without the iconic presence of Leslie Nielsen, I had a great time watching this reboot - aided by the fact that the audience around me was genuinely howling at the jokes! There was one weird skit involving a snow man which went on for far too long, but otherwise this film provided the exact kind of silly entertainment I wanted it to deliver.
As with Death of a Unicorn, I had been anticipating the release of The Legend of Ochi for a while; the release had been delayed a couple of times, and some cinemas had even shown the film in Spring, but I had to wait until August for it to come to my local Odeon. Again, the film didn't quite live up to my own personal hype, mostly because I found the film to be lacking an emotional core - and I would've liked to have seen more of the 'fish out of water' dynamic of the Ochi trying to exist within the human world, akin to ET, Gremlins, and the other films which inspired this - but I liked the setting and the visuals, particularly the practical creature effects.
Towards the end of August, after my annual visit to Cromford Comic Con, I ended a perfect day by watching the original 1933 King Kong at Derby Quad. This was another film I hadn't seen on the big screen before, and it really did elevate the experience, even if the odd scene - such as Bruce Cabot's "Hey, I guess I love you" speech - feels a bit dated and cringey now! I'm still genuinely impressed by the visual techniques used in the film.
The last film of the month was another one I'd been really looking forward to. I'd adored Past Lives, and so I had high hopes for Materialists. However, while Past Lives grips you with its honest, personal, intimate feel, Materialists - perhaps intentionally - pushes its audience away, with its use of shallow characters and clinically clean lighting choices. The dialogue is equally calculated, rather than feeling authentic, with Dakota Johnson's Lucy comparing dating to Maths so many times, it starts to feel almost farcical. There's more I could say, but I don't want to be too harsh because I think Celine Song is a real talent and I'm very excited to see what she does next.
[Above: The Life of Chuck dir. Mike Flanagan. DOP Eben Bolter.]
SEPTEMBER 2025
Films: Caught Stealing, The Life of Chuck, The Roses, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, The Severed Sun
When I first started watching Caught Stealing, I thought that it would easily be one of my films of the year. It was so sharp, sexy and gripping, again set within an era that I love (the production design was amazing!), and Matt Smith gave a scene-stealing supporting performance. But then the story takes a sudden turn, with a decision that completely pulls the heart and the emotional drive out of it, and as a result my enjoyment dropped for the rest of the film. Caught Stealing is also tied with Hot Milk for 'most frustrating ending of the year'.
The main problem with The Life of Chuck is actually a big compliment: the first act is too good! There's an epic setup with an intriguing and highly tense mystery, whereas the pay-off ends up being rather simple by comparison. The best performances are also in the first act, from Chiwetel Ejiofor's temporarily-leading role, to the single-scene appearances from David Dastmalchian, Harvey Guillén, and Matthew Lillard, all of whom I would've liked to have seen more of. Even if the rest of the film doesn't quite meet the heights of the opening, it's still a worthwhile watch which leaves you thinking deeply about life and all the people that touch yours.
Half way through September, I went to see The Roses, which was a special trip as I went with my Mum, for a change, to Belper's historical Ritz Cinema. I did enjoy The Roses (Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are always reliable!), but I just found the tonal shifts to be a little too jagged, and Kate McKinnon's character really annoyed me (through no fault of her performance). I was also disappointed that pretty much the entire third act had been shown in the trailer, so we watched the film knowing exactly what was coming.
I was a bit cautious about seeing A Big Bold Beautiful Journey because, from the trailer, it looked as though it might be quite similar to a film I'm writing called The Barn. However, I needn't have worried. There are visual similarities, and a couple of thematic moments which are comparable, but otherwise they are very different beasts. As for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey itself, although it has a lot of heart, it just missed the mark for me, with characters entering fantastical worlds without any realistic sense of hesitation, and overly theatrical moments which are trying to be painterly, but just end up feeling comical. The soundtrack is also incredibly on-the-nose, for example when the lead character goes to open a door and the song that's playing literally contains lyrics about, you've guessed it, opening doors...
The last film I saw this month was another one hosted by BFI NETWORK: The Severed Sun. Anyone who is able to make a feature film so independently, with very limited funding, is worthy of praise, and although The Severed Sun didn't quite disguise its low-budget foundation, and indie horrors aren't my personal cup of tea, I'm still so impressed by what they were able to achieve.
[Above: Frankenstein dir. Guillermo del Toro. DOP Dan Laustsen.]
OCTOBER 2025
Films: Frankenstein, After The Hunt, Roofman
The next cinema trip was actually one of my highlights of 2025, so I'll probably talk about it more in my end of year blog post; thanks to Directors UK, I got to see Frankenstein ahead of its release, in a cinema within Battersea Power Station, with Guillermo del Toro in attendance, and Alfonso Cuarón was there to ask the questions during the Q&A, AND I got to meet Guillermo in person afterwards!
As for the film itself, I loved it so much that I actually saw it twice in cinemas; I later took Edward to see it at Derby Quad, appropriately on Hallowe'en. It's a big, bold film with an adventurous spirit, and in terms of visuals and thematic touches, it is peak del Toro. I had a few minor gripes, like the idea of 'Victor is the real monster' being a bit over-sold, and I wasn't a fan of the only female character being part of a 'love square', which seemed to be her key purpose in the plot... but what I do like is the cultural impact the film has had since its release. If you look at all the fan art that is popping up on Instagram, it would be fair to call THIS the film of the year.
I was offered the chance to see After The Hunt at BFI London Film Festival, however I had to turn it down due to work commitments, so I went to see it at my local Odeon a few days later. After The Hunt was the second Luca Gaudagnino film I saw this year, and although it didn't quite reach the bar set by Queer, it still made my top 20. There has been a lot of criticism of After The Hunt, which I think is fair as there were a few flaws (I'm not even sure whether or not Gaudagnino was the right person to tell this story), however I was totally sold on the performances. During one particularly tense scene with an argument between Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield in a hallway, my heart was in my mouth. And Michael Stuhlbarg stole the show with his character's few passive-aggressive appearances, sitting on the side-line of the narrative but always knowing more than he let on.
The other film I saw in October was Roofman, which narrowly missed out on being in my top 20 films of the year. It lacked a bit of the bite of Derek Cianfrance's earlier work, and was borderline saccharine at times, but it was a very watchable film with the added bonus of making me nostalgic for the days when I could still visit Toys R Us! It was great to see Juno Temple in a small roll, as well.
[Above: Die My Love dir. Lynne Ramsay. DOP Seamus McGarvey.]
NOVEMBER 2025
Films: Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Bugonia, Die My Love, Wicked: For Good, The Ice Tower
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion is an odd film to include on this list, but I saw it at Derby Quad as part of another Cult Film Club screening, and I went to support Edward and his collaborator Johann Chipol. I hadn't actually seen the film before, and it was very silly but really fun too, so I had a great night. (It was also the day after I'd seen Frankenstein for a second time, which meant spending two days in a row at Derby Quad!)
Next up: Bugonia, which I enjoyed a lot more than Kinds of Kindness, but perhaps not as much as some of Yorgos Lanthimos' other films, mainly because there weren't really any likeable characters for us to root for. That's not to say that the actors didn't do a great job, though; Jesse Plemons delivered an epic and complicated monologue about space travel and conspiracy theories as easily as most people consume soup (someone please give the man an OSCAR!), and it was great to see authentic casting in the form of Aidan Delbis' Don. The film also looked great (I'm pretty sure Robbie Ryan is still my favourite DOP, aside from the ones I've worked with of course), and the ending went just as batsh*t as I'd hoped it would, so that was very satisfying!
The following week, I went to see Die My Love, which was an uncomfortable watch but one which I cherished too. The film's attractive cinematography and hauntingly isolated setting somehow didn't feel at odds with the raw, intimate, often near-feral behaviour of the characters - my only frustration is that sometimes their actions felt a little tropey. Nevertheless, Lynne Ramsay is a reliable tour-de-force, and I hope she finally gets paid her dues come awards season. The soundtrack was great too.
I had enjoyed the first Wicked film more than I expected, and so I felt a little flat when seeing its sequel, Wicked: For Good. I didn't mind the darker tonal shift, but it felt slightly at odds with the characters established in the first film (so we had characters suddenly becoming evil without enough provocation, and others making jokes or simply shrugging things off after the death of someone they were supposed to care about), and there weren't as many moments for Jon M. Chu's clever directing choices to shine through.
With the weather turning a bit colder towards the end of November, I saw what was technically my first Christmas film of the year - The Ice Tower. It was a very slow and sparse film, intentionally desolate as a frozen river, but I was completely enchanted by it, particularly the clever in-camera switches between model sets and real actors, and the symbolism of Jeanne climbing the stairs to Cristina's darkened, gothic apartment in the final act of the film. It reminded me of Boris' offices in The Red Shoes, or the scenes with the baron in the tower in Moulin Rouge!.
[Above: Avatar: Fire and Ash dir. James Cameron. DOP Russell Carpenter.]
DECEMBER 2025
Films: Eleanor the Great, Avatar: Fire and Ash
I was curious to see what Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut would be like, and Eleanor The Great touched me on a personal level because June Squibb is the same age as my Grandma; it was incredible to see someone her age carrying a film so wonderfully. It's not a perfect film (any plot revolving around a central lie always frustrates me, because it's too easy for you to predict what's coming next... there will be a big blow up when the truth is revealed, everyone will fall out and then make up again, etc...) but it is a charming one. For the second time this year, Chiwetel Ejiofor showed us what a phenomenal actor he is, even if his roll was a bit smaller here than in The Life of Chuck, and I'm a fan of Erin Kellyman too. I really think she's one to watch.
And FINALLY, for the last film of the year, I saw Avatar: Fire and Ash, and of course I saw it on the biggest local screen I could! As with the other films in the series, this was a visual spectacle and a true technical achievement (there were a few times when I forgot I was watching CGI), whereas I wasn't quite as sold on the storyline or the dialogue, and I think parts of it could've been trimmed down a bit - especially as Avatar didn't take a leaf out of The Brutalist's book and add an interval!! Some of the film's symbolism also made me feel uncomfortable in a way I can't quite put my finger on, particularly with the final scene. However I will say that I thought the addition of Oona Chaplin's Varang was a successful one, as she was a very effective and engaging villain - and the final 45 minutes of the film was just pure action and excitement, which is sometimes all what you want from a cinema trip.
[Above: Picnic at Hanging Rock dir. Peter Weir. DOP Russell Boyd.]
The Ones That Got Away
With THAT many cinema trips listed above, it's hard to believe I actually missed any films this year - but there were quite a few.
The one I regretted missing most was the anniversary re-release of Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock, because I've never seen it before and I knew it would look great on a big screen, but it just didn't play anywhere close to me. The nearest screening was in Leicester, but that requires a couple of train journeys, and I just couldn't find time in my schedule to take the trip.
For a similar reason, I also didn't see The Shrouds, It Was Just An Accident, and Blue Moon. All three screened close to me, but only in limited windows and I wasn't able to catch them in time, which I'm quite sad about.
I was invited to see Thunderbolts, but didn't go as I've got the same 'Superhero fatigue' as a lot of other people, although it sounds like the film was actually very good and I might've enjoyed it. I was also invited to see Eddington and Honey Don't, but I still felt too burned by Beau is Afraid and Drive Away Dolls, respectively, so decided to give those ones a miss.
Two more films I was invited to, which looked great but I couldn't make the screenings due to my workload, were The Long Walk and The Running Man. I particularly regret missing The Running Man; I even had a ticket booked, but had to cancel it closer to the time.
There's also a couple of films that went under my radar until it was too late, such as The Ballad of Wallis Island, which looked a lot of fun, and One Battle After Another, which looks like it's going to win all the trophies come awards season, so I'll need to catch up on that one soon. And I regret not seeing I Swear as well - I'm not sure why and how I missed that one.
Lastly, I considered going to see the combined Kill Bill release earlier this month, as I did really like parts one and two the first time around - but the runtime just put me off, even with the interval, and it also came out during the pre-Christmas rush when I didn't have much availability. I'll just have to buy it on blu-ray and watch it on a smaller screen. Sorry, Tarantino!!
[Above: Dying for Sex dir. Shannon Murphy & Chris Teague. DOPs Brian Lannin, Chris Teague & Danny Vecchione.]
Best of the Rest
Just quickly, as I know this blog post is getting rather long, I want to acknowledge that I saw a couple of great films outside of cinemas this year. I watched Conclave via a private screener link as part ofmy BAFTA Connect membership, which was of course a great film - I just didn't feel like it quite stuck the landing, as the drama, backstabbing, and shock reveals seemed to get more and more farfetched as the story went on. I also had a Mubi subscription for the first half of the year (left over from my time at NFTS), and some of the best films I saw this year - Girl With The Needle and Bird - were both watched on there, although I think they technically counted as being 2024 releases. I also enjoyed Nightbitch on Disney Plus, which had slightly too many plot threads, but is something that many women over a certain age can relate to, and it's a shame the film was so slept on when it was released.
In the world of TV, there were a few high points (Black Mirror was pretty much back on form, particularly with the first episode of the new series, and the latest seasons of Wednesday and Stranger Things - so far - have been very entertaining) and some disappointments (I really hoped the final series of The Handmaid's Tale would be a bit better after years of build-up, although there were some strong moments and one death that choked me up). I also caught up on some brilliant older series I've been meaning to watch for a while, like The White Lotus (we binged the first series over two days!), Landscapers, I May Destroy You, and X-Men '97.
But the absolute best series I saw this year was Dying for Sex on Disney Plus, directed by Shannon Murphy. I loved her debut film Babyteeth, it's been included on many moodboards and sizzle reels since I first saw it, and her latest offering did not disappoint. The series is sharply funny and devastating - but in a deeply human, life-affirming way - in equal measures, with scenes that felt thematically and tonally similar to my latest work, Lacuna. So yeah, I thought it was great, and I thoroughly recommend it!
*
So, overall, a great year for cinema, even if it took me a while to appreciate it fully. My top films of the year were Nosferatu, Sinners, Frankenstein, The Ice Tower, Queer, A Real Pain, The Life of Chuck, Bugonia, Die My Love, and if I'm honest, The Naked Gun! The biggest disappointments (although none of them truly terrible), were Babygirl, The Phoenician Scheme, Hot Milk, Death of a Unicorn, Red Sonja (which I watched during a movie night at Tommy's), and probably Materialists, but only because of how highly I'd rated Past Lives.
And on the subject of disappointments, did you spot how many of the films on my list were directed by women? Out of 41 cinema trips this year, only 8 of the films had female directors. 8! That's less than 20 percent. I realised how low the numbers were looking about half way through the year, and I wondered if it was just down to the choices I had been making - but no, the number of female directors has generally, and significantly, gone down a lot this year, so even though it had felt as though the industry was moving in the right direction, it now appears to be going backwards again. I don't know what the reason is for this, but it is very worrying, and I hope things will improve in 2026.
Looking ahead to my intended cinema trips in 2026, overall I am feeling optimistic that it's going to be a good year for films. I'm excited about Hamnet, Sentimental Value, Mother Mary, Dune: Part Three, The Odyssey, Nouvelle Vague, Wuthering Heights (even if the historical inaccuracies make me a bit twitchy, as an ex-costume designer!), Pillion, hopefully Dust Bunny if it screens in the UK, and many others. Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to fit in and afford all the cinema trips I have planned for January!
