Top 25 Films of 2025 (So Far)
Onto Fall Festival Season!
The end of June means one thing & one thing only around here - taking inventory on the best films released in the first half of the year!
I have watched 135 films so far in 2025 & 75 films that were 2025 releases.
As always, my goal is to help make sure you spend your time watching the new releases that are worth your time!
So how has this year has stacked up so far?
It has honestly been par for the course with what you would anticipate from the first 6 months of the movie calendar year. A few really high highs, some really low lows, and lots of mediocre stuff in between.
Not to worry though! This has a tendency of happening each year as the Oscar contending movies don’t get released until the fall festivals later in the year.
Speaking of festivals, this top 25 list does not include the films I have already seen at festivals & are scheduled to be released later in the year. This list only includes the films that have already been theatrically or digitally released to the public.
Although I must admit, a few films I saw back at Sundance earlier this year would have made this list, had they been eligible.
Enough talk! Let’s get to the movies!
25. Deep Cover (Directed by Tom Kingsley)
Plot - “An improv teacher and two of her students infiltrate the London underworld by impersonating dangerous criminals.”
Noteworthy Cast - Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, & Nick Mohammed
My thoughts - For a straight to streaming comedy, this was surprisingly good. Somehow the ridiculousness of it all plus the cast’s chemistry gives you a really fun & silly movie.
Glad to once again see Bryce Dallas Howard & Orlando Bloom in something that isn’t slop!
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Streaming on Prime Video
24. On Swift Horses (Directed by Daniel Minahan)
Plot - “Muriel and her husband Lee are about to begin a bright new life, which is upended by the arrival of Lee's brother. Muriel embarks on a secret life, gambling on racehorses and discovering a love she never thought possible.”
Noteworthy Cast- Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, & Diego Calva
My thoughts - It is the slowest of slow burns & the pacing is no doubt going to be an issue for most, but I found the whole thing achingly beautiful. It so perfectly encapsulates the struggles of a lost soul & how they navigate the many paths towards living their life authentically.
Both Julius and Muriel want the same thing but go about it in completely different way. Julius decides to live his life on the fringes of society so that he can be his true self, yet in doing so he can never plant roots and have meaningful stability or safety. Meanwhile, Muriel so clearly prioritizes stability and safety that she uses a conventional relationship to get her those things, even though she is doing nothing but hurting herself and her husband in the process.
The film shines in the brief moments where Julius and Muriel get to communicate their feelings on the path the other has chosen. In most instances, this happens without a sing word being spoken. It is almost as if they are two sides of the same coin. Each admires things about the other, yet they also remain completely terrified of living life the way the other has chosen to.
Still not fully sold on Jacob Elordi as an actor, but I could not be more convinced that Daisy Edgar-Jones will be on the big screen for a long long time!
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Available for rent on VOD
23. One of Them Days (Directed by Lawrence Lamont)
Plot - “When her boyfriend takes her rent money, Alyssa and her roommate race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.”
Noteworthy Cast - Keke Palmer & SZA
My thoughts - Some great gags, a reminder of how remarkably talented Keke Palmer is, and a really excellent original story.
Can’t take those for granted these days!
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on Netflix
22. Hell of a Summer (Directed by Billy Bryk & Finn Wolfhard)
Plot - “The counselors of a summer camp are terrorized by a masked killer.”
Noteworthy Cast - Finn Wolfhard, Fred Hechinger, & Billy Bryk
My thoughts - You would never guess that the directorial debut from a 22 year old and 25 year old would be this assured. A loving homage to the camp slasher genre. It may not add anything particularly new to the genre, but it is a modern take that Gen Z & horror fans alike will enjoy.
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Available for rent/purchase on VOD
21. Deaf President Now! (Directed by Nyle DiMarco & Davis Guggenheim)
Plot - “The story of the great civil rights movement most people have never heard about. During eight tumultuous days in 1988 at the world's only Deaf university, four students must find a way to lead a revolution and change the course of history.”
My thoughts - I knew legitimately nothing about this event or much of the history surrounding deaf culture, so this played really well for me & was fascinating to learn about.
The whole film is much more cinematic than you would think a documentary about this would end up being. Their is a chairman of the board that is almost like a villain straight out of a Disney movie! Then there is a new (at least to me) look at Alexander Graham Bell that is so dark, it will make you squirm.
Loved how the documentary plays with the sound throughout the film.
Pretty solid doc!
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on Apple TV+
20. Armand (Directed by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel)
Plot - “When Elisabeth gets called to a parent-teacher conference, she's presented with scathing allegations that trigger a tangled web of accusations between parents and faculty.”
Noteworthy Cast - Renate Reinsve
My thoughts - An absolute masterclass in how to reveal information throughout a film. The slow trickle of information gives you just enough to chew on while also ensuring you aren’t handed all of the intricacies in the first 15 minutes. It all quietly builds until the final act of the film when it all comes together. In fact, it builds up so nicely that you could argue the conclusion/climax feels a bit sudden.
Renate Reinsve gives a jaw dropping performance as Elizabeth. I still think that her performance in “The Worst Person in the World” is one of the best performances of the decade, yet her performance in Armand may be even greater than that. The physicality in this performance is unlike anything I’ve ever seen from her.
There is one scene in particular where she looses her marbles in a stretch of laughter that feels like it lasts for five minutes straight. Someday, this will inevitably be included on a reel showcasing her life’s work.
She’s going to be around for a long time & I can’t wait for future generations to discover “Armand” when they watch through her filmography decades down the road.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on AMC+ or available for rent/purchase on VOD
19. The Phoenician Scheme (Directed by Wes Anderson)
Plot - “Wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.”
Noteworthy Cast - Benicio del Toro, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Cera, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, and Jeffrey Wright
My thoughts - The more I see of Wes Anderson’s filmography, the more I realize that he doesn’t really have any huge misses. Sure, there is still a wide range of quality throughout his works - you’ve got the certified masterpieces all the way to the films that don’t fully work. Heck, even the ones that don’t fully work for me aren’t even bad films per se, they are simply mediocre & find themselves in the bottom tier of his overall filmography.
It feels weird to criticize someone whose worst movies are simply mediocre, but the Phoenician Scheme has me wondering if it should in fact be a criticism of Wes. Bad films in your filmography mean you are taking swings, trying new things, and risks are being taken. Sure, occasionally Wes will still find that lightning in a bottle magic to make something special, but when he doesn’t the films just feel really redundant.
Would swinging and missing on something new would be better than settling for the same thing time and time again?
This is all a windup to say the Phoenician Scheme is a totally fine movie. Nothing more nothing less. Most of his films since Grand Budapest Hotel have been lesser Wes films in my book (minus my beloved Asteroid City) & this one is no different.
Plenty of hilarious gags throughout along with that signature Wes Anderson flair. Mia Threapleton & Michael Cera are perfect additions to his usual acting crew. Hope we see more of Mia going forward. She has such a demanding & striking presence, not all that different from her mom.
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Currently in theaters
18. The Wedding Banquet (Directed by Andrew Ahn)
Plot - “Hoping to stay in the country, a gay man proposes a green card marriage to a female friend in exchange for paying for her IVF treatment. However, things soon get complicated when his grandmother surprises them with plans for an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.”
Noteworthy Cast - Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, and Kelly Marie Tran
My thoughts - The biggest thing working against the film is that the couples don’t have very believable chemistry. For the film to truly work, you can’t have better chemistry between friends than you do between people in a 5+ year relationship.
Once Youn Yuh-jung shows up though, everything changes for the better. There are a lot of noisy moments with the whole friend group throughout the film, but it’s the quiet one-on-one moments where the script and Andrew Ahn‘s patient direction really shine.
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Available for rent/purchase on VOD
17. Inheritance (Directed by Neil Burger)
Plot - “When Maya learns that her father was once a spy, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an international conspiracy. In her quest for answers, she must travel the globe, mastering her father's skills and unraveling the mysteries of his past.”
Noteworthy Cast - Phoebe Dynevor & Rhys Ifans
My thoughts - A really great examination of parental relationships. What do we owe our parents? How far should we go for them? How much disappointment from them is okay to withstand & put up with? You go so much of your life chasing their love & approval that you don’t even realize you are enabling their manipulation. It makes you think that they hold all the leverage in the relationship.
When you are younger, they almost certainly do, but at some point comes a glorious day when you wake up to the fact that you not only have leverage, but possibly even more than they do. That realization though comes with the reminder of how it felt being on the other side & you’ve got to make a conscious decision around how you are going to wield it. It’s a scary moment, but a beautiful one as well.
All that to say, it kind of caught me off guard just how much I loved “Inheritance”. The thriller aspects aren’t the most engaging, but the familial drama, tension, and character study at the heart of the film make it more than worth seeking out.
The movie being shot on an iPhone seems to be the only thing that people are talking about, which seems weird since films like “Tangerine” & “High Flying Bird” did the same thing years ago. Anyways, there should be more talk about how they actually filmed on location & how Phoebe Dynevor is a star in the making.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on AMC+ or available for rent/purchase on VOD
16. Thunderbolts (Directed by Jake Schreier)
Plot - “Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes embark on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.”
Noteworthy Cast - Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, & Wyatt Russell
My thoughts - This marks the first Marvel movie I have actually enjoyed since 2019. A breath of fresh air for not only the MCU, but also superhero movies.
Loved the tonal shift of this film, especially the change of pace from the typical MCU third act structure. This one had some serious weight to it. It felt like group therapy in the best way possible. Much prefer these stories be rooted in real world issues than just “Battle giant CGI monster or evil man”. I get they are still comic book movies at the end of the day, but I think a bit of both are necessary for these films to have a lasting place in the culture.
Never in a million years expected to like this as much as I did.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Available on VOD starting July 1st
15. Heart Eyes (Directed by Josh Ruben)
Plot - “A masked maniac with glowing, red eyes returns every Valentine's Day to slaughter unsuspecting couples.”
Noteworthy Cast - Olivia Holt & Mason Gooding
My thoughts - Committing so hard to the cheesiness of a 2000s rom coms in a slasher movie is just genius.
I was expecting a rom com inside of a slasher, but what a treat to get a slasher inside of a rom com.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on Netflix
14. Mickey 17 (Directed by Bong Joon Ho)
Plot - “A disposable employee is sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.”
Noteworthy Cast - Robert Pattison, Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Steven Yeun
My thoughts - We all know that Bong Joon Ho isn’t the most subtle filmmaker out there & Mickey 17 is no different, but boy is it fun. Pattinson is excellent & Ruffalo is a riot.
There are no shortage of ideas to take away from the film, even if he does once again opt for a sledgehammer to hit the nail. There is the angle of how corporations or governments don’t see those it oversees as actually humans (and quite literally expendable). There are angles of environmentalism & colonialism. There is the angle of fascism. But one of my favorite (more subtle) angles is just how romantic of a film it is. The idea of having someone out there who loves every version of you, even the versions you wish you could strangle is really unique. Makes me think about how well this will play on a rewatch. There is so much baked in and happening that you probably can’t even appreciate it all on the first watch.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on HBO Max
13. Friendship (Directed by Andrew DeYoung)
Plot - “Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, but his attempts to make an adult male friend soon threatens to ruin both of their lives.”
Noteworthy Cast - Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, & Kate Mara
My thoughts - There is nothing quite like sitting in a packed theater & laughing for an hour & a half. If you are a fan of “I Think You Should Leave” or his comedic style, this was made for you.
Andrew DeYoung so perfectly understands the brilliance of Robinson’s comedic timing/line delivery & you can tell throughout that this part was quite literally written for him. He has always been so good at making even a normal sentence hilarious.
Paul Rudd also gives a great supporting performance, but Kate Mara was the silent MVP for me. Never knew she had comedy in her like that!
Who says they don’t make good comedies anymore?
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Available for rent/purchase on VOD
12. Bridget Jones: Made About the Boy (Directed by Michael Morris)
Plot - “Bridget Jones finally has some luck in her life; she has a great job as a screenwriter, her family and a new boyfriend; the fact that he is over twenty years younger than her isn't the only thing that is causing problems.”
Noteworthy Cast - Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Isla Fisher, Nico Parker, and Leo Woodall
My thoughts - As someone who isn’t really a fan of the first film, I never in a million years expected for this to be as good as it was. Sat down expecting another eye rolling romance movie & boy I couldn’t have been more wrong.
A sincere & poignant examination of grief & how to move on from tragedy wrapped inside the fun that one expects from a Bridget Jones movie.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on Peacock
11. The Shrouds (Directed by David Cronenberg)
Plot - Karsh, an innovative businessman and grieving widower, builds a device to connect with the dead inside a burial shroud.”
Noteworthy Cast - Vincent Cassel, Guy Pearce, and Diane Kruger
My thoughts - There is a coldness in “The Shrouds” that is pretty hard to shake. Whether it is the stilted dialogue, the intentionally stiff performances, or the subject matter itself - Cronenberg seems quite okay with keeping the audience at a distance. So far of a distance that it feels like football field away at times. Which is hilarious for a director who has made a career at keeping the audience an arms length away from his work.
Despite this absurdity from one of the most absurd filmmakers to ever walk the planet, I still found the whole thing ultimately endearing & even sweet? Just think about how many films you have seen about a spouse grieving the loss of a loved one. Now how many have you seen with the spouse grieving the physical body of a loved one? Probably none. It’s something so singular that only Cronenberg could relate to following the passing of his wife & his relationship with the body that has been well documented throughout his filmography.
Sure, you can easily articulate the emotional connection you develop with a loved one or the intermingling of two souls knit together. But what about your relationship to their physical body? The thing that you have held and hugged and kissed and had next to you for decades. What happens when that one day just suddenly disappears along with the person inhabiting it.
The idea itself feels almost as cold as the wrapper the film comes in.
The Shrouds is ultimately a great example for me that film is best consumed when you truly understand a filmmakers whole body of work & don’t just consume one film in a vacuum. Certainly not some revolutionary idea, just one I have personally been feeling lately.
It’s really cool to read the juxtaposition of reviews from those who have clearly never seen a Cronenberg film to those who have spent much of their lives consuming his art. That’s not to say that one can only consume art from those whom you have seen their previous works, it’s just to say that you often have a deeper affinity & connection to the later works.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - On VOD starting July 8th
10. F1 The Movie (Directed by Joseph Kosinsksi)
Plot - “A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a younger driver.”
Noteworthy Cast - Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, and Damson Idris
My thoughts - Do you ever think about how lucky we are to be alive at the exact moment in history that both IMAX & Kerry Condon exist?
Just a fun time at the movies. Stuffed my face full of popcorn for two hours as I bopped my head up and down to the pulsating Zimmer score. No other way I would rather spend an evening!
Is it formulaic? Sure. Is it corny at times? Sure. But who cares that it has flaws when it’s this fun.
Long live the summer blockbuster!!
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently in theaters
9. 28 Years Later (Directed by Danny Boyle)
Plot - “A group of survivors of the rage virus live on a small island. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors.”
Noteworthy Cast - Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, & Jack O’Connell
My thoughts - 28 Years Later has the zombie elements that you come to expect from the franchise, but this one is a character driven story first. It’s an art house film with sincere ideas on death, isolation, & how society processes it (that just happens to exist inside of a zombie movie). Not a zombie movie that tries to force a human story onto the edges.
The most emotionally powerful film of the franchise & easily my favorite. I know those are probably fighting words for those who have a deep relationship with the original film, but that’s not me :)
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently in theaters
8. The Life of Chuck (Directed by Mike Flanagan)
Plot - “Charles "Chuck" Krantz experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.”
Noteworthy Cast - Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Nick Offerman, Mia Sara, & Jacob Tremblay
My thoughts - Probably 99% of movies on a wavelength similar to “The Life of Chuck” would cause me to roll my eyes at how saccharine they are. Yet, there is something miraculous about how the “Life of Chuck” actually earns the right to wear its heart on its sleeve.
I almost can’t even explain it. It’s so authentic, tender, and earnest that you easily move past just how cheesy it may be. It grabs hold of you and takes you on the wild journey of this thing called life - the highs, the lows, the moments where you stop to dance, the waiting, and even the end destination. It will make you feel the warmth of a long embrace from a loved one & may even remind you of the beauty of life.
It’s flawed, yet remarkably effective.
There is a dance sequence in act #2 will easily go down as one of my favorite scenes of the year.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently in theaters
7. The Ballad of Wallis Island (Directed by James Griffiths)
Plot - “Old tensions resurface when former bandmates who were former lovers reunite for a private show at the island home of an eccentric millionaire.”
Noteworthy Cast - Carey Mulligan
My thoughts - Incredibly sweet and tender. It has a warmth about it that you couldn’t escape, even if you wanted to. Characters you instantly care about & a script that makes you smile.
There is so much bad in the world that sometimes an escape is the most important service a movie can provide. Sitting down to spend 100 minutes rooted in this world was beyond delightful.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on Peacock
6. Presence (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)
Plot - “A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.”
Noteworthy Cast - Lucy Liu & Julia Fox
My thoughts - Shot completely from the perspective of a ghost, I went into the film thinking it would be a horror film, but it ends up playing more like a family drama (in the best way possible).
I think many have missed how the whole movie is essentially about control. So many characters are obsessed with it & trying to seize it in different ways (as most humans do).
Those themes would work in most family dramas, but when the audience is seeing things through the eyes of a ghost roaming the house, it just makes it even more laughable how much control that we as humans think we have vs. how much we actually have. Oh you think you have control? Guess what? There is a presence that could literally end you at any time standing right behind you.
It’s obvious that’s why Soderbergh wanted to tell this story in this way & I’ve got to say, it really works.
I also love that we actually never see the presence itself. It allows us as the audience to make it whatever we want. As a religious person, I kept thinking about watching all of this essentially through the eyes of God. Which really puts into perspective the wrangling for control that’s always happening between characters and how little control we actually have. But the movie works because you can make the presence whatever you want & it still plays - ghost, spirit of someone who passed away, demon, guardian angel, etc. They all work & add layers to what Soderbergh is doing here.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on Hulu
5. Warefare (Directed by Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland)
Plot - “A surveillance mission goes wrong for a platoon of American Navy SEALs in insurgent territory in Iraq.”
Noteworthy Cast - Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Kit Connor, Cosmo Jarvis, Noah Centineo
My thoughts - There are certain movies where the filmmaking team behind the movie is almost just as interesting to me as the movie itself. Warfare is certainly one of those – you have a first-time director who served in the military (Mendoza) paired with one of the best screenwriters/directors of the last decade (Garland) who also happens to be staunchly anti-war.
What is so cool about this team all coming together to make this movie for different reasons & from differing views is that the film really works for each of their individual goals. It works as a way for those involved to remember the details of that day, but it also works as a portrait for why war shouldn’t be a first resort – both for the invading nation and the nation being invaded.
Since both directors are approaching it from such technical angles, it is a film much more focused on the “what” of war than the “why”, which seems to have many people flustered (just like they got flustered of Civil War). The irony about people saying this is military propaganda is that if you truly portray the “what” of war accurately, honestly, and without narrative compromise (like done in Warfare) you get a pretty good picture of why war shouldn’t exist. That is exactly what Warfare is doing. Anyone who says this glamorizes war hasn’t actually seen the movie. Anyone who says this makes the military out to be heroes hasn’t seen the moments where they try to use the translators as bait. The answer shouldn’t be no depiction, it should be proper depiction. Which is exactly what Warfare does.
One of the best moments of the film is when Will Poulter’s character is confronted inside the local house the US military took over. A screaming mother aggressively yells “Why” over and over. There is never an answer given because there isn’t one. At least not a good one. The pointlessness of the whole conflict is on display throughout the whole film in small moments like that. After the soldiers leave, we are left with the family & what remains of their house, their neighborhood, and their city. Maybe if the film were a short 30 second Tik Tok clip our society would actually have the attention span to get what the film is about instead of yelling propaganda because someone told them to.
Rating - 4/5
How to watch - Currently available on VOD
4. Black Bag (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)
Plot - “When his beloved wife, Kathryn, is suspected of betraying the nation, intelligence agent George Woodhouse faces the ultimate test -- loyalty to his marriage or his country.”
Noteworthy Cast - Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Pierce Brosnan, Rege-Jean Page, & Naomie Harris
My thoughts - The kind of film where you leave the theater buzzing with excitement. Give me a taut, sexy thriller from Soderberg every year!
Can’t think of a better date night movie - there is a little bit there for everyone & no one will leave satisfied. As always, some great performances by Michael Fassbender & Cate Blanchett, but it was up and comer Marisa Abela that stole the show for me.
Rating - 4/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on Peacock
3. Materialists (Directed by Celine Song)
Plot - “A young New York City matchmaker's lucrative business gets complicated as she finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.”
Noteworthy Cast - Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, & Chris Evans
My thoughts - Materialists is a throwback in a lot of ways to the great romance films of yesteryear, yet still remarkably relevant to our time & acutely aware of the pitfalls of the modern dating scene. It’s commercial with the central romance yet wicked smart in how it comments on checklist dating culture. The best of both worlds.
The star of the show is once again Song’s script. There are few people who can bring to life such authentic & lived in characters who you truly get to know the ins & outs of in under two hours. The characters even take conflict head on & work through their problems with dialogue throughout instead of resolving things off screen or in their head. It’s a rarity these days for anything in this genre to be so rich.
My favorite thing about Song’s directing style is how patient she is & how much restraint she shows. There are plenty scenes to point out, but my favorite example in this film would be a long hallway shot as two characters go into the bedroom & the camera slowly zooms in on a cellphone left in the hallway. Also love the wide shot in the scene before this one as two characters have dinner together & the camera slowly pushes in closer as the conversation becomes more intimate between the characters.
Song smartly uses matchmaking as a stand in for the dating apps and algorithms that shape modern dating. People are refined to metrics that can be filtered and boxes to be checked. The person themselves doesn’t even matter as much as how many boxes they check.
For more of my thoughts on Materialists, check out my full review.
Rating - 4/5
How to watch - Currently in theaters
2. Sorry, Baby (Directed by Eva Victor)
Plot - “Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on - for everyone around her, at least.”
Noteworthy Cast - Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, and Lucas Hedges
My thoughts - What Eva Victor accomplishes in her directorial debut is nothing short of a movie miracle. Her voice as a writer is so singular & fresh. Her handle of tone will make veteran filmmakers jealous. Her human first approach to filmmaking so intricately highlights moments big & small where we forget the humanity of those around us. Her lively screenplay feels authentically human in the best way possible. Heck, she even finds the perfect balance tonal balance between tragedy & comedy.
There are lots of things that Eva Victor does remarkably well throughout her assured directorial debut. Most importantly though, she makes you contemplate what kind of person you are & what kind of person you ultimately want to be in this scary world.
Rating - 4/5
Future of the film - Currently in theaters
1. Sinners (Directed by Ryan Coogler)
Plot - “Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their Mississippi hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.”
Noteworthy Cast - Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, & Wunmi Mosaku
My thoughts - The film feels alive. It feels sexy. There is blues music that will rattle your bones. There is violence. There is Irish music that makes you want to get up and dance. There is temptation. There is longing. There is a sequence that makes you want to stand up and clap. There is the allure of the other side. There is culture. There is blood. There is a sex scene that will make you blush. There is a score that will leave you speechless. There is brotherly love. There is rekindled love. There is lost love. There is young love. There is community. There is family. It is gritty. It is bold. It is soulful. Oh and did I mention, there are even vampires!
There is just about everything here.
It’s remarkably deep & fully realized, yet at the same time is still SO much fun.
This is why we go to the cinema!
Rating - 4.5/5
How to watch - Available on HBO Max on July 4th
That is all for now! I have a strong feeling there will be even more to celebrate in the back half of the year since 20 of my 25 most anticipated films of 2025 are yet to be released this year.
Lots to get excited about! Fall festival season is right around the corner : )
What was your favorite new release film of 2025 so far? Let me know in the comments below.
Until next time, enjoy some great films!
Aaron Nolan
Sinners is definitely highly recommended
I don’t know that it belongs on any best-of list, but I thought A WORKING MAN was leaps and bounds better than THE BEEKEEPER. I love that MANDY is having such influence on mainstream cinema and wish they’d leaned more into the weirdness throughout the movie.