2025

FILM

Halina Reijn-Babygirl

Stars: **

Verdict: Skip

Robert Eggers-Nosferatu

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

Brady Corbet-The Brutalist

Stars: ****1/2

Verdict: Watch

William Friedkin-Sorcerer

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

Darius Marder-Sound of Metal

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

Drew Hancock-Companion

Stars: ***

Verdict: Watch

Jon M. Chu-Wicked

Stars: **

Verdict: Skip

James Mangold-A Complete Unknown

Stars: **1/2

Verdict: Skip

Edward Berger-Conclave

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#10

Jacques Audiard-Emelia Perez

Stars: **

Verdict: Skip

#11

Walter Salles-I'm Still Here

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#12

Osgood Perkins-The Monkey

Stars: N/A (walk out)

Verdict: Skip

#13

Bernard MacMahon-Becoming Led Zeppelin

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#14

Coralie Fargeat-The Substance

Stars: **1/2

Verdict: Skip

#15

Denis Villeneuve-Dune: Part One

Stars: **1/2

Verdict: Skip

#16

Denis Villeneuve-Dune: Part Two

Stars: **

Verdict: Skip

#17

RaMell Ross-Nickel Boys

Stars: ***

Verdict: Watch

#18

Steven Soderbergh-Black Bag

Stars: ***

Verdict: Watch

#19

Wendy Sachs-October 8

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#20

Bong Joon Ho-Mickey 17

Stars: 1/2* (half of one star)

Verdict: Skip

#21

Whit Stillman-The Last Days of Disco

Stars: **

Verdict: Skip

#22

Peter Greenaway-The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

Stars: **

Verdict: Skip

#23

Seong-ho Jang-King of Kings

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#24

Michael Angarano-Sacramento

Stars: 1/2* (half of one star)

Verdict: Skip

#25

George P. Cosmatos-Cobra

Stars: *1/2

Verdict: Skip

#26

Karen Moncrieff-Blue Car

Stars: ***

Verdict: Watch

#27

Ryan Coogler-Sinners

Stars: ****1/2

Verdict: Watch

#28

Tim Moriarty & Christian Surtz-Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#29

David Bushell-Cheech and Chong's Last Movie

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#30

David Cronenberg-The Shrouds

Stars: Zero

Verdict: Skip

#31

Wes Anderson-The Phoenician Scheme

Stars: *

Verdict: Skip

#32

Andrew DeYoung-Friendship

Stars: 1/2* (one half of a star)

Verdict: Skip

#33

Walter Hill-Streets of Fire

Stars: ***

Verdict: Skip

#34

Mike Flanagan-The Life of Chuck

Stars: **1/2

Verdict: Skip

#35

Danny Boyle-28 Years Later

Stars: **

Verdict: Skip

#36

Bob Rafelson-Five Easy Pieces

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#37

James Gunn-Superman

Stars: **1/2

Verdict: Skip

#38

Ari Aster-Eddington

Stars: *

Verdict: Skip

#39

Celine Song-Materialists

Stars: ***

Verdict: Watch

#40

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson-I Know What You Did Last Summer

Stars: ***

Verdict: Watch

#41

Joseph Kosinski-F1: The Movie

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#42

Akiva Schaffer-The Naked Gun

Stars: Zero

Verdict: Skip

#43

Ethan Coen-Honey Don't!

Stars: Zero

Verdict: Skip

#44

Zach Cregger-Weapons

Stars: ****1/2

Verdict: Watch

#45

David Mackenzie-Relay

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#46

Darren Aronofsky-Caught Stealing

Stars: **1/2

Verdict: Skip

#47

James Sweeney-Twinless

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#48

Michael Angelo Covino-Splitsville

Stars: N/A (Walk out)

Verdict: Skip

#49

Alex Russell-Lurker

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#50

Allan Ungar-London Calling

Stars: Zero

Verdict: Skip

#51

Justin Tipping-Him

Stars: Zero

Verdict: Skip

#52

Paul Thomas Anderson-One Battle After Another

Stars: **1/2

Verdict: Skip

#53

Lars von Trier-Dancer in the Dark

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#54

Benny Safdie-The Smashing Machine

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#55

Uli Edel-Der Brader Meinhof Complex

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#56

Chris Stuckmann-Shelby Oaks

Stars: **

Verdict: Skip

#57

Kelly Reichardt-The Mastermind

Stars: *

Verdict: Skip

#58

Yorgos Lanthimos-Bugonia

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#60

John-Michael Powell-Violent Ends

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#61

Lynne Ramsay-Die My Love

Stars: **1/2

Verdict: Skip

#62

Robert Budreau-Born to Be Blue

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#63

Keith Gerchak & Marisa Guterman-Lost & Found in Cleveland

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#64

James Vanderbilt-Nuremberg

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#65

David Michod-Christy

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#66

Brian Kirk-Dead of Winter

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#67

Chloe Zhao-Hamnet

Stars: ****1/2

Verdict: Watch

#68

James L. Brooks-Ella McCay

Stars: -* (negative one star)

Verdict: Skip

#69

Marc Forster-A Man Called Otto

Stars: ***

Verdict: Watch

#70

Justin Kurzel-The Order

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#71

Stanley Kubrick-Killer's Kiss

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

#72

Phil Cunningham & Brent Dawes-David

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

#73

Josh Safdie-Marty Supreme

Stars: ****1/2

Verdict: Watch

#74

Mark Robson-The Harder They Fall

Stars: *****

Verdict: Watch

#75

Jon Favreau-Chef

Stars: ***1/2

Verdict: Watch

Literature

Erwin Lutzer-When a Good Man Falls

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read

Larry McMurtry-Lonesome Dove

Grade: A

Verdict: Read

John Eldredge-Wild At Heart

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read

David Fisher-Joey the Hitman: The autobiography of a Mafia Killer

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read

Rick Rubin-The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Grade: A

Verdict: Read

Bernie Sanders-Our Revolution

Grade: B

Verdict: Read

William G. Krejci-In The Cold, Cradled Ground

Grade: C+

Verdict: Read

Robert Greene-Mastery

Grade: A+

Verdict: Read

Bill Clegg-Portrait of an addict as a young man: A memoir

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read

#10

William Faulkner-The Sound and The Fury

Grade: B-

Verdict: Read

#11

Don E. Westlake-The Comedy is Finished

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read

#12

William Peter Blatty-The Exorcist

Grade: A-

Verdict: Read

#13

Thomas Harris-Red Dragon

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read

#14

Franz Kafka-The Metamorphosis

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read

#15

Jay Anson-The Amityville Horror

Grade: D

Verdict: Skip

#16

Edna Ferber-Giant

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read

#17

Mark Rudd-Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen

Grade: C+

Verdict: Read

In Summary

So far as films were concerned, this was a rather sour year. Between home and the theatre, I saw only one story worthy of five stars (The Harder They Fall). I went to the theatre 54 times (that is, I sat in the the theatre 54 times, often seeing back to back films in one trip), and regretted doing so more often than not.

I really don't know what has changed since the yesteryears of youth, when good films vastly outnumbered those which induced buyers remorse. Perhaps in these middling years (I'm 41), after having digested so many celluloid tales, I simply demand more. Or, another theory is that quality as a whole has sloped downwards from the previous plateau—where (for quite some time) it's been sitting stagnant.

On a recent time killing Siskel and Ebert binge, I watched their review for Kingpin. In it Gene Siskel remarked "I want to thank them (Farrelly Bros.) personally because we give—obviously—more negative reviews to pictures and we have, mostly, unhappy times when we go to the movies and we're just hungry for experiences like this." After 2025, I can whole-heartedly say, "Gene, I hear ya on that one."

2025 was by far and away more dudly than studly, including, but not limited to, two walkouts (The Monkey & Splitsville [I also should have walked out of The Shrouds, but stayed due to obstinate loyalty to Cronenberg]).

Splitsville and Ella McCay were not only the worst of the year, but earned serious consideration into entering the infamous bottom five. Shall they eventually puncture that realm of unfortunate regretables? Only time will tell. I am going to let the long term indigestion settle before reappraising their worthlessness.

And it wasn't as if they were the only ones that stunk. Ethan Coen further polluted his career with the fecal-filmed follow-up to Drive Away Dolls in Honey Dont!, the amazingly talented Darren Aronofsky should have just skipped the script on Caught Stealing, and, after Ella, Mr. Brooks needs to just hang it up. The Shrouds, The Phoenician Scheme, Sacramento, Mickey 17, Him, Friendship, and The Naked Gun all equally disgraced the silver screen with regrettable slices of time I shall never be able to retrieve.

No bones about it, this was a bad year.

Just above the garbage was a slew of one n' done's. Not exactly terrible, but nothing so captivating that it merited a second watch. These included Materialists, Relay, Black Bag, Dead of Winter, F1, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Companion, Nuremberg, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, and One Battle After Another.

*A side note on One Battle After Another-This was not a bad film. By any measure. It was just OK. And when held against PTA's predecessors like Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love, Hard Eight, & Phantom Thread, it was an entry that shouldn't even be worthy of comparison. Regardless, I expect it to smash at the Oscars. Hollywood is foaming at the mouth to immortalize this picture as this generations version of Gone With The Wind. And why is this? I must echo Bret Easton Ellis' assessment and succinctly state that it's because it drips with lefty adoration. That's it. Nothing more nothing less. Ho-hum performances and droll dialogue notwithstanding, they will champion this forgettable film as if it finally captures the heroics of a forgotten band of organized martyrs. When, in real life, the group by which Leo, Chase, Benicio, and Teyana were inspired by—The Weather Underground—were a domestic terrorist organization, whose unsuccessful aim of blowing up a USO dance at Fort Dix was (thank God) thwarted by their own stupidity (the only ones who perished were three of the Weathermen when the bombs were prematurely detonated at their townhouse in Greenwich Village). Despite this fact, in One Battle After Another, they are depicted as heroes, and I expect all who were involved to be crowned with jewels by the equally delusional come March 15th of 2026.*

The surprises of the year were Lurker, Twinless, Christy, and The Smashing Machine.

In a banner moment, Ari Aster finally escaped the negativeverse and received his first positive star(s) rating. Netting an astounding one star for his barely comprehensive entry Eddington (still rubbish).

The gems, few and far as they were, were Hamnet, The Brutalist, Weapons, Sinners, Bugonia, The Order, The Harder They Fall, Killer's Kiss, and Violent Ends.

As for the books, they were much the contrary, only receiving one skip.

I cracked 17 and one half titles this year (currently reading Crime & Punishment) and only regretted one experience (The Amityville Horror).

Even the literature I disagreed with provided me with intellectual stimuli and seemed to reward the brain more often at each conclusion that it left me with regret.

The gems were Mastery, The Creative Act, and Lonesome Dove.

The most challenging was my first foray into Fauklner in The Sound and The Fury. Getting a handle on Faulkner's prose was a bit of a struggle, but once I did I enjoyed it very much. 2025 also marked my first venture into Kafka and Dostevysky (to be continued).

The real surprise of the year was Bernie Sanders' Our Revolution.

Being an admittedly ardent Republican, I had to admit, that, as firmly as I stand in opposition to Bernie's love affair with Socialism, he does bring up some very good points. Points that any rationally minded individual—who wants what's best for the country (future and present)—would consider valid. Even more surprising to me was how similar his stances are with *gasp* Donald Trump's. The only difference I found in some of what he proposed was semantics. Either way, Bernie's passion is undeniable and I highly enjoyed (the second half, at least) of his book.

All in all 2025 was a year where, once the books have closed on it, and, despite more trash then treasure, I can by and large be proud of. There is no further proof needed beyond the numbers. 2025 was once again dedicated to the arts.

For that I am happy.

2025

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FILM

Literature

In Summary