Nitawa

(watched in 2025 not released)

Oh, 2025… what a fucking year that was, huh? I think we can all say that this one was one for the books, and we’re glad it’s over. Well, I can, but I guess I won’t speak for everyone.

I watched a lot of movies this year. 100 of them in fact. Some of them were really good! Some of them made me want to hunt and find the director personally to give them a piece of my mind. But– that’s the risk you take when you entrust 1 to maybe (god forbid) 3 hours of your time to someone you’ve never met. Kinda like a date, with less pressure.

And because you care so much about what I think about those (I know you do because I checked), I have decided to round up my top 5 and bottom 5 of allllll the movies I decided to give a shot this year.

I would try to explain my “grading scale,” but honestly, the scale is really… vibes? How did I feel? How did my emotions move? You know, like therapy. I guess the most solid part of this whole thing is that every film on these two lists are something that I watched personally for the first time in the year of 2025.

So, without further ado, let’s get started! Grab some popcorn and get comfortable because there are some doooozys here. All the reviews here can also be found on my Letterboxd, and you can follow me there to keep up with the movies I’m watching. 2026, we might shoot for 125.

We’ll start with the Best ones.

top 5 best of 2025 (in no order):

1. Mickey 17 (2025, bong joon ho)

Okay, I know I just said these are in no particular order but holy shit this movie was literally the best thing I experienced, like, all year. I watched this one pretty early on in the year, and to this day in December, I get butterflies every time I think about it. I don’t even really know where to start with it.

First off, the CAST! WOW! Toni Collette is an automatic yes, please from me always; I think she is such an amazing actress, and she can save even the worst of movies for me (see: Hereditary). Rob Pattinson did a surprisingly great performance compared to the opinion I already had.

Outside of those two, the rest of the cast had great chemistry with each other and really kept the story going. As a certified hater of most romantic subplots, this one might’ve changed the game for me. Polyam science-based self-cest sounds crazy on paper, but is actually kind of sexy in action.

I won’t get into the story too much because I don’t want this post to really be full of spoilers, but just trust me when I say it’s amazing and heart-wrenching and triumphant. Pretty much everything you could ever want or ask for from a sci-fi adventure. I didn’t read the book before I saw the film, but I’m definitely interested in reading it now to see how the two compare!

Letterboxd Review:

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2. friendship (2024, Andrew deyoung)

Dude, talk about funny. I spent a good portion of my TV watching this year catching up on Tim Robinson’s endeavors, and have been enlightened. I’m legitimately convinced he might be the funniest person alive right now.

I had some worries that Paul Rudd wasn’t going to be able to keep up with Tim’s cringy, chaotic timing and delivery, but I was very much humbled. Their chemistry in this movie was crazy, and they really played off of each other well. All of the big joke scenes had me folded over laughing. Robinson has an insane sense of delivery and timing and has absolutely mastered the concept of “never let them know your next move.” The jokes really flow and it’s an eay watch to fully pay attention to or to have on in the background for a few laughs while you do something else.

I recently watched I Love You, Man (Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, 2009), and I feel like this movie does what that movie is trying to do, but MUCH better. Granted, I feel like some of that is because of the time difference between the two, but the difference in quality really stands out.

I would watch this movie a million times over and it is definitely going into the timeless comedy film rotation.

Letterboxd Review:

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3. Superman (2025, James gunn)

This one surprises me every time I think about it. I have been an adamant Superman hater as long as I can remember, but this movie finally made me see what all the hullabaloo was about.

In my movie and TV watching of 2025, I realized I’m a really big James Gunn fan, and I think he was absolutely the perfect choice to do this movie. A lot of my previous issues with the other Superman iterations I have seen is that other directors have really struggled with getting across the idea that, at his core, Superman really is just a regular guy, regardless of the superpowers he has. Gunn really humanizes Superman in a way that I was finally able to really connect to.

Nicholas Hoult played a super rad, ultra-evil Lex Luthor that was both funny and a little scary. Really excited to see what else he has in store for us since it seems like his career is really taking off lately.

The colors and camera shots in this movie are to die for, and it made really good use of the CGI. I never really had a moment here, as I do with a lot of modern stuff, where I sometimes feel like I’m being suffocated by computer graphics and can’t really connect with the environment because it all just feels so FAKE.

All that to say, if you haven’t seen this one, it is definitely a must-watch in my books, especially if you’re a superhero fan.

Letterboxd Review:

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4. The day the earth blew up (2024, peter browngardt)

WE DID IT JOE!!!!!

Holyyyyy fucking shit. I still get a little teary-eyed about this one. Who would have thought in 2025 that we would get a feature-length, 90-minute, fully hand-drawn Looney Tunes adventure? On the big screen at that? I could legit cry. And I did when I watched this because my dumb-ass waited too long and didn’t get to watch this on the silver screen.

Despite that, this was still a super amazing ride to take on a whim one night at home. I was glued to the TV for the whole thing. Like, literally everything you could want in an animated movie, you got. Beautiful art, amazing color-work, mixed media animation, the list could go on and on and on.

On top of all of that, the story was fun! A little bit of drama, a little bit of heartwarming family love, a little bit of romance. I mean who doesn’t wanna see Porky and Petunia be in love. I sure do.

I’m pretty sure I’ve watched this one about three times now, and I will watch it one million more times. And you should too, if only to prove to these dumb-ass execs that the people yearn for hand-drawn movies.

Letterboxd Review:

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5. Demolition MAn (1993, MArco brambilla)

A serious case of late to the party happened here. This is one of those movies that was (in my opinion and probably a lot of others) so ahead of its time it almost made my head spin. I’m probably exaggerating a bit here, but this movie was so fun.

Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone star in the greatest action figure fight of all time for two whimsical hours. It’s vulgar, it’s wacky, and it was not what I was expecting at all when I popped this one on. A futuristic, star-studded, action comedy that touches on some kinda heavy topics but manages to keep ’em lighthearted and still able to tug on your heartstrings a little by the end of it all. Lowkey… It’s 1984, but if you smoke weed and love Taco Bell.

The acting was great, the costuming was FLYYY AS FUCKKK. Everyone looked so hot in this movie, I can’t even lie. And the sets… don’t even get me started. I know I’m glazing this movie a little bit, but it really has had my jaw on the floor with how much they were able to do with it.

I can’t get into much without spoiling this one either, but take it from me, if you haven’t seen this one yet (like I somehow managed to do) you will NOT be disappointed. Big recommendation for your next group movie night.

Letterboxd Review:

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bottom 5 worst of 2025 (also in no order):

1. The home (2025, james demonaco)

Now, girl… Pete Davidson in particular owes me money for this one. Like, a serious bag. Let me help you understand. I spent… fifty. FIFTY DOLLARS. $50. FIVE SETS OF TEN BONES. To see this sloppy, stupid, ridiculous waste of time at the movie theater.

For some context, I watch a lot of bad movies for FUN. But in order for a bad movie to be fun, it has to follow a certain formula. I have to feel like you were, I don’t know, trying. The only thing this movie seemed to be trying to do was hurt me. In every way it could, actually.

This literally was the most convoluted, unfulfilling, irritating film I had to sit through all fucking year. And that’s crazy because it’s only an hour and thirty minutes long. I’m already not a huge fan of Pete Davidson since he has about as much life in him as a fish left on a dock too long. But, being as though 70% of this movie is just the camera in his face, you would think he’d put a little more effort into his role.

If you feel like watching Get Out, but with old people, no real payoff, and extra gore, then go for it. If you want something that’s watchable, watch literally anything else.

Letterboxd Review:

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2. the little things (2021, john lee hancock)

Oof. Where do I begin? I really need to stop watching movies for the actors, cause I always get burned when I do. Like, bar Jared Leto, cause I’m already mostly aware of what I’m getting with him after experiencing both Suicide Squad and Morbius. But imagine this poor girl’s surprise when the rest of the movie was some bullshit, even though Denzel Washington and Rami Malek were on the scene.

The Equalizer and Elliot Alderson pretty much reprise those exact roles, except worse and damn near unwatchable. I begrudgingly trudged through this one. It’s already an exercise in patience to watch a mystery movie, especially a slow-burning film noir like this one advertises itself to be. The problem is, that it doesn’t slow burn into a raging fire; it slowly burns into the embers on a log after dumping an ice-cold bucket of water on it.

Between everyone mumbling, Denzel chewing the shit out of the inside of his cheek for the entire runtime, and there being absolutely no payoff after the convoluted twists and turns they managed to pull out of thin air, I don’t really know which part of this movie really makes it insufferable.

As a true lover of a so-bad-its-good; this one is just bad. Don’t recommend wasting your time here unless you need some boring background noise.

Letterboxd Review:

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3. HIM (2025, justin tipping)

Okay, guys, the Illuminati isn’t fucking cool anymore. Especially when you’re making them the villain in your bumbling, fumbling mess of a movie. If you can even call it that. Literally the only thing I can call this is a mess.

Similar to the first entry in this worst of list, I spent an inconceivable amount of money (SEVENTY DOLLARS!!!) to take myself to the movies and hopefully enjoy a film. Instead, I was harassed and assaulted by a half-assed teenage athlete’s fever-dream, complete with all the blood, guts, and crazy battles you could fathom. The story is weak, the acting is just okay, and there’s really nothing here that I can even give positive notes on. Cool camera shots and good music and effects, I guess.

And honestly, that’s not my ultimate problem with the film. If that were what it had been advertised as, I’d be more than okay. But they advertised it as a new addition to the Jordan Peele cinematic universe, plastered his name all over the trailers and posters to get asses in the seats, and then fumbled the bag so hard I damn near walked out of the theater. I’ve noticed a trend in movies lately that advertise themselves as having something to say, and then not saying jack-shit.

Not every movie needs to be an ode to the events of the current day. Not every movie needs to be a mouthpiece for some underlying issue. But all I ask is that you don’t dangle the carrot in front of my face just for me to realize it’s a squeaky toy.

Letterboxd Review:

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4. Weapons (2025, zach cregger)

See the first line of the last entry. Jesus fucking Christ.

This one hurt even more than the last one cause I watched it late. Spent a month watching everyone glaze the fuck out of it, calling it the scariest thing they’d ever seen. And I should have known better because these are the same people who did the same thing with Hereditary and MID-sommar. From the moment the title card dropped on this thing I knew I was in for a ride I was NOT going to enjoy.

But alas, I soldiered through. And boyyyyy. What the fuck? It pains me to know that the bare minimum of horror-slop will always garner some sort of fan-base. I’m so BORED of this weak-ass “It’s a cult!” story-line that keeps getting run into the ground and every time it gets done it is worse than the last. Like, THREE of the 5 movies on this worst of list are essentially… the same thing.

I literally just want one of these to make it MAKE SENSE. And if you aren’t going to make it make sense, at least make it enjoyable. There were so many stupid plot-holes and questions that kept me from ever being able to immerse myself in the world of this film. Everyone in the story was so brain-dead and written just enough to send the story in a very specific direction for a very specific ending. It makes you think that it’s making you think while actually doing all the work for you.

I’m too old to be having slop served to me on a silicone spoon.

Letterboxd Review:

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5. Ambulance (2022, Michael bay)

We made it to the end. Last, and probably least, is this beast of a… movie? Close enough, I guess. This here is the final boss of Netflix action gruel. When I turned this movie on, I was unaware of the fact that it was a Michael Bay movie until the end credits rolled. But the moment I saw his name flash across the screen, all I could muster was “that tracks…” I don’t think I initially expected much of anything from this one, really, since I honestly only turned it on because I saw Wale was in it.

This movie is like willingly watching a blender turn. Its fast, you have no idea what’s going on, it’s loud, and honestly, you just can’t wait to get it over with once it gets started. The dialogue is coming at 80 miles an hour, and the characters are all saying so many words without saying a GOD DAMN THING. Jake Gyllenhaal’s character is on some sort of drug (not mentioned in the film, but judging by the way his character was acting, that had to be the only logical answer), which somehow meant that his script then had to be comprised of about 80% worth of the word “fuck”. Yahya Abdul is his brother for some reason? And the female main character is literally a non-factor. Wale did try his best, though, props to him.

Now, I might be biased because action movies are definitely not my go-to or favorite genre by any means. But god do I wonder who likes these types of movies enough for them to keep giving Michael Bay money to do more.

Questions that need answers.

Letterboxd Review:

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