Well, it’s that time of year again. I’m going to change things up a bit here, though. Usually I do small write-ups covering every movie from the given year. But now that just seems like too much now. So I’m going to knock it down to the top 50. Maybe that’s still too much, and next year I’ll cut it in half. We’ll see. But that’s 2025’s Matt’s problem. For this year, I’ll have two sets of 20 movies, followed by the top 10. So let’s get to it!
The Boy and the Heron is definitely a weird one, but a good weird. Lots of the classic Miyazaki traits, thought-provoking, mature themes that are still accessible for younger audiences, gorgeous animation. You name it. The man simply doesn’t miss. I truly don’t get the poor critics reviews for Wish (review). The story is engaging (if, admittedly, unoriginal), elevated by a small change to what you might normally expect. Good characters, especially Chris Pine as the villain, and a handful of good songs. Should have been a hit all around. The Color Purple has a couple of knockout performances in Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson to go along with some dynamite musical numbers.
Flora and Son is a delightful movie that not enough people have seen. Eve Hewson shines as a mother trying to connect to her son through music. As if you need another reason to get Apple TV+, but this is one more anyway. Glenn Howerton in BlackBerry. The man has gone 16 seasons on Always Sunny with next to no recognition. It’s awesome to finally see him get some much-deserved praise for his role here.
Dumb Money may oversimplify its story a bit too much, but it’s a fun time watching the little guy win for once. Extraction 2 is everything good about its predecessor, but better. Even manages to one-up the awesome one-take with a bigger and more bad-ass one of its own. I loved Anyone But You (review). Glen Powell can do anything, and is one of the most naturally charismatic actors working today. Sydney Sweeney can’t quite keep up, especially in the more “romcom tropey” moments, but she holds her own enough. A solid type of romantic comedy we could use more of.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (review) is the best in the YA series. Tom Blythe and Rachel Zegler are great in the lead roles, taking charge of an intense and enthralling plot. Cleans up some of the bigger issues I had with the book. How much you like Bottoms will correlate almost exactly to how funny you find it. It fires off jokes faster than maybe any other movie this year. I found it funny, but not quite hysterical, save for a few moments. Rachel Sennott Ayo Edebiri both get an A+ here, two of the better comedic actors we have.
The Zone of Interest uses its sound design and score in one of the most haunting ways any movie ever has. A unique, devastating look at one of the worst horrors the world has ever seen. On a lighter note, You Are So Not Invited to my Bat Mitzvah is finally a good Netflix movie from Adam Sandler. Predictable like most coming-of-age stories are, but Sunny Sandler is a joy to watch, managing to make the story still feel fresh. All of Us Strangers takes a different approach to examining love and grief. That fantastical approach might not work for everyone, but there’s no denying the power of several of its moments.
Infinity Pool eventually kind of beats you over the head with its social commentary, but by the time that happens you’ve either bought in or you haven’t. And if you bought in, it’s likely largely due to Mia Goth’s twisted performance. “It’s not for everyone” can be said for any movie, but it especially applies here. Shortcomings is Randall Park’s feature directorial debut, so I’m already partial to liking this. The characters don’t completely work, but Justin Min and Sherry Cola do enough as the leads to keep this thing afloat. Doesn’t always get its message across, but overall a good mix of comedy, humor, and heart.
There is no reason for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves to be as good and as fun as it was. One of the more welcome surprises this year. Action, adventure, heist, humor, it ventures into a ton of different genres and it all mostly works. Would love to see this become a series. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (review) could have been great, but a couple big swings and misses put a stop to that, namely one of the worst villains in the MCU. But even with that, there is still plenty of the same old charms of the Guardians crew, this time mixed in with a deeply emotional, darker-than-we’re-used-to story. Even with some very real third act problems, Scream 6 (review) still manages to be yet another worthy entry into what, for my money, is the best horror franchise out there. It features a couple of the best set pieces we’ve seen from the franchise.
If you like the Scream movies, you have to see Thanksgiving. It’s not as good as the best in that series, but it’s in the same mold. A classic slasher setup, with just enough realism mixed with the more over-the-top aspects. Closes the door on its story while keeping open the possibility of future installments. Tetris (review) is yet another entry in 2023’s obsession with business-focused true stories. While it (like all movies like this) takes liberties with the true facts, it gets the idea right, and it’s an absolutely wild story. A really fun movie. Taron Egerton is great, as we’ve come to expect from him.
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