If I had to pick one word to describe 2025 \u2014 just in general, not at the movies \u2014 it\u2019d be \u201cuncertain.\u201d Not \u201cambiguous\u201d or an equivalent synonym, given that there\u2019s plenty of clearly awful things going on each day, but the kind of uncertainty that pairs well with a sense of foreboding dread. We\u2019re stuck in a bleak comedy of fatal errors, with the sentiment of the moment ultimately summed up accurately by \u201cWell, that\u2019d be funny if it weren\u2019t so damn sad.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This uncertainty is getting worse, too: you can feel it in every AI-generated clip or image clogging up one\u2019s timeline or front page (or the front page of the NYT<\/em> website), and the requisite jobs and\/or learned skills that would have been needed to achieve the same result are being replaced by robotic prompting. I\u2019m sure that, when the bubble pops, we\u2019ll be grateful that the S&P 500 bet so much on a tech that seems to be mostly useful for making shitposts and deepfakes. No, AI\u2019s contribution is that it exponentially increased the already-exhausting amount of bullshit in online spaces, leading to more malaise. The day one can\u2019t go to World Star Hip-Hop and find themselves a fight comp unmolested by the image-generating bastard children of SmarterChild is when people might pack up and decide to go outside again.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was nice to see James Cameron come out with both barrels against this trend in a short video that played before my screening of Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/em>, where he acknowledged that it takes a legion of actors, artists, animators, and more to bring his feline fantasies to life*. Most developments in the tech space have an antisocial feel about them now \u2014 the end product is, after all, usually designed to be used in the comfort of one\u2019s own home \u2014 and his repudiation of AI emphasized the collaborative and communal nature of filmmaking. The same can be said for the experience of watching a movie in a theater, or attending a local film festival, or just watching random clips from Jack Ryan: Shadow Agent <\/em>on the muted TV at the bar. One engages with the audience as much as they do the film itself, and it\u2019s terrifying to imagine what Netflix might do to the theatrical landscape in favor of reducing the refined craft of a near century-and-a-half into indistinguishable flashes and noise to be ignored while one scrolls through TikTok. What one person sees as entertainment nirvana \u2014 the ability to generate their own tailor-made content from a string of words \u2014 is another\u2019s proof that Forster was on to something with \u201cThe Machine Stops.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a lot to say that I dread the day when I can no longer have experiences like the ones I had at the cinema in 2025. Most of these selections \u2014 my favorite movies of the year \u2014 were enhanced by the crowds I saw them with. From Hamnet<\/em>, which had the stuffiest critics at TIFF sobbing; to the finale of Sinners<\/em>, where, when Michael B. Jordan began ripping through Klansmen with a BAR and tommy gun, my audience broke out into the kind of applause I hadn\u2019t heard since Get Out<\/em> all the way until the credits; to the exhilarating experience of watching F1 <\/em>with a loved one (I\u2019m sure other people reacted, too, but I couldn\u2019t hear them over the IMAX sound system): all of these movies would still be good had I only watched them at home, but they were made meaningful by seeing them with others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fostering and contributing to communities \u2014 be they family, friends, fellow enthusiasts, nerds, or volunteers \u2014 is really the only way to soothe one\u2019s soul in precarious times. So, I\u2019d like to extend a sincere thank you to my fellow writers at Vanyaland <\/em>for all they do, and to you for reading what I\u2019ve written in the past year. I\u2019m excited for \u201826, despite all evidence suggesting that I shouldn\u2019t be, and part of that excitement comes from being able to share with you in the joy that this art form can bring. So, to wrap things up: if you can see one of these features in a theater, go out and check it out; if you want to stream one, invite a friend over. Put the laundry away \u2014 if you keep folding, the dorks win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As always, here\u2019s our Honor Roll:<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the Hunt, Anemone<\/a>, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Black Bag<\/a>, Bring Her Back<\/a>, Caught Stealing<\/a>, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Eternity<\/a>, The Fantastic Four: First Steps<\/a>, Final Destination: Bloodlines<\/a>, Freaky Tales<\/a>, Is This Thing On, Keeper<\/a>, The Legend of Ochi<\/a>, The Mastermind,<\/a> A Minecraft Movie<\/a>, The Monkey<\/a>, The Naked Gun<\/a>, Nobody 2<\/a>, One Battle After Another<\/a>, Opus<\/a>, Pee-Wee as Himself<\/a>, The Phoenician Scheme, Presence<\/a>, Roofman<\/a>, The Running Man,<\/a> Serious People<\/a>, SLY LIVES!<\/a>, The Smashing Machine<\/a>, Superman<\/a>, Together<\/a>, Warfare <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And here are my favorite movies of 2025, with accompanying superlatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBest Feature-Length Oscar Hammerstein Slam: <\/strong>Blue Moon<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n