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 fantastic 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...
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 t alk about later). The story of Nosferatu is a one we've all seen a thousand times, 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 so wonderfully atmospheric and stunning to look at, and the final frame is still seared into my brain. 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 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 Gaudignino'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, and yet it's 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 at awards season) was reaching longingly towards his lover's naked back were so visceral, I could almost feel his skin. Just a phenomenal film.
A Real Pain found a beautiful balance between humour and heartache, with the most incredible supporting performance from Kieran Culkin (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 design 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 Antonia 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, 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's two scenes in particular which will stop me from watching the film again), and the time-jump ending didn't quite feel like a satisfying ending after everything that's gone before. But the film looked amazing, especially when you consider the film's budget (I loved the shots of the Carrara marble!), 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 more longer films will consider having them.
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 anniversary. I'd only 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 black comedy, Sci-Fi action, and Black-Mirror-esque dystopia, whilst also trying to hold to an underlying message about the objectification of women.
MARCH 2025
Films: Mickey 17, The Last Showgirl, Black Bag
Mickey 17 seems to be a film that everyone has forgotten about already, which seems like a bit of a shame. It was a very well-made film with some of the best creature design I've seen in a while, and I had a lot of fun watching it (my only real critique 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 really enjoyable, particularly a climactic dinner table scene which felt a bit like an old-school 'who-dunnit' reveal.
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 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 best music I've ever 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, and of course that one scene which transcended eras of time, music, and aspect ratios!
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 a little too slow 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.
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 re-treads the same plot beats and even some of the shot choices - 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. 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.
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 - aided by the fact that the audience around me was 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 The 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, but I love 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 1993 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 really been looking forward to. I'd adored Past Lives, and so I had high hoped 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.
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 out of the film, 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 just spent the entire 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 accidentally feel comical in the process. The soundtrack as 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.
OCTOBER 2025
Films: Frankenstein, After The Hunt, Roofman
Main review text - remember that I saw Frankenstein twice, missed LFF After the Hunt
NOVEMBER 2025
Films: Romy & Michele's High School Reunion, Bugonia, Die My Love, Wicked 2, The Ice Tower
Main review text
DECEMBER 2025
Films: Eleanor the Great, Avatar: Fire and Ash
Main review text
