Kyle Amato is a film writer for Boston Hassle based in Somerville. A voting member of GALECA, his work can also be found in his newsletter, Projects, and his podcast, Hawke Cast.
2025 was a year of turgid slop, though I’m loath to employ such an overused word. Hollywood filmmaking only got worse, the Marvel Cinematic Universe writhed in its death throes, sequels flopped, sequels soared, and somehow a live action Lilo & Stitch made one billion dollars. Despite the constant psychic harm, there were still good films to find if you knew where to look. Below are my top twenty films of 2025, plus my bottom ten and a couple other superlatives. I’m always hard pressed to go long on these – I want the films to speak for themselves. Better yet, I’ve linked to a few interviews with directors that I was lucky enough to do this year. Let’s hear from them!
20. Marty Supreme (dir. Josh Safdie)
So stressful you just have to laugh. He’s not even THAT good at table tennis! A genuine thrill to watch Gwyneth Paltrow in a film again.
19. Avatar: Fire and Ash (dir. James Cameron)
Best viewed on a sickeningly large IMAX screen, where you’re strapped in like a rollercoaster. The tale of Spider will be told for generations.
18. Boys Go to Jupiter (dir. Julian Glander)
Bubbly, one of a kind, playful, future late summer classic.
17. Griffin in Summer dir. Nicholas Colia
Possibly the best little gay boy ever seen on film?
16. Splitsville (dir. Michael Angelo Covino)
The funniest fish-based humor of the year. Is the farce back?
15. Final Destination: Bloodlines (dir. Zach Lipovsky & Adam Stein)
Everything you’d want from a Final Destination film and more. Genuinely stunning how gnarly these kills are, even for this franchise. Divine cruelty.
14. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (dir. Christian Gudegast)
FUCK NATO!!!!!!!!!!!!
13. Presence (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
It’s beside the point, and I don’t mean to pull focus from Lucy Liu’s stellar and somewhat evil performance in this haunted family drama, but it definitely takes place in Newton, right?
12. The Shrouds (dir. David Cronenberg)
Achingly beautiful story of a man who cannot understand why no one wants to watch his wife’s corpse slowly decay in her own grave.
11. Caught by the Tides (dir. Jia Zhangke)
The revolution begins at school.
9. No Other Choice (dir. Park Chan-Wook)
They’re not doing enough to advertise this as the pitch black pathetic man comedy it really is. Wait until you meet A-ra.
8. Secret Mall Apartment (dir. Jeremy Workman)
Not only is it a heartwarming, expansive look at one of the neatest “crimes” of the century, it’s also a look at the life of a lovely artist who believes in spreading creative joy in a way that isn’t self-serving or obnoxious.
7. Roofman (dir. Derek Cianfrance)
Now this had the opposite problem from No Other Choice – advertised as a zany comedy about Channing Tatum sneaking around Toys ‘r’ Us when it’s actually a heartbreaking story of precarity, lies, and love.
6. Sorry, Baby (dir. Eva Victor)
Never before have I empathized with a grad student. ASMR – John Carrol Lynch talks you down from a panic attack.
5. The Secret Agent (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
An immersive experience, an expansion of Mendonça’s Recife love letter documentary Pictures of Ghosts, which should be required viewing for anyone looking to understand the history of Brazil. Much more of a hangout film than the title might have you believe.
4. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (dir. Mary Bronstein)
I don’t know why everyone found this so stressful – I was laughing non-stop! Every situation is so hostile and punitive. Whenever our harried lead answers the phone, someone is screaming at her. This is really how it feels every single day!
What cinema exists to champion. Gorgeously shot, hilarious, genuine love letter to baseball’s many flaws. Cannot wait to see what Lund and crew do next.
2. Peter Hujar’s Day (dir. Ira Sachs)
The world in a day. Gripping, engrossing, a portal into a time long gone. Whishaw and Hall understand how to perform better than almost anyone.
1. One Battle After Another (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
What’s left to say other than sublime? Setpiece after setpiece beyond anything I’d ever dreamed PTA could build. He can really do anything. Can we just give Benicio the Oscar now?
Bottom Ten of 2025
Due to my insatiable curiosity and masochism, I could not turn a blind eye to what were clearly stupid pieces of crap with nothing to offer. Below, in descending order, but all equally terrible, are my picks for the worst films of 2025.
Captain America: Brave New World (dir. Julius Onah)
Worthless, nonsensical, plodding, looked like garbage. Why was the film about a Black Captain America actually a sequel to The Incredible Hulk (2008)?
Death of a Unicorn (dir. Alex Scharfman– WHO????)
Only saw this to kill time before a late night screening at Cinema Salem. Confused of purpose and tone, lazy half-jokes, no real plot to speak of. Does Jenna Ortega only like starring in clear turds?
A Working Man (dir. David Ayer)
What worked so splendidly in The Beekeeper is offputting, evil, and racist here. The climax, for whatever reason, takes place in Luigi’s Mansion.
Another Simple Favor (dir. Paul Feig)
Blake looks like a moron. They couldn’t get her to comb her hair for this one? Boring, predictable, looks like an Old Navy commercial. Streaming turd. Are you sensing a theme here?
I Know What You Did Last Summer (dir. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson)
Wanted to be camp, was just bizarre. Felt like it was still being shot as it was projected on our screen. Sorry to Hollywood luminaries Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr., but this legacy sequel may have been a bit much for them.
Mountainhead (dir. Jesse Armstrong)
Made me like Succession less.
Fixed (dir. Genndy Tartakovsky)
Oh wow, Genndy Tartakovsky’s dream project that he’s been trying to get made for over a decade! Must be worth the wait! Oh, it’s just dog sex puns? Oh no! Anyway, Primal returns next week!
Tron: Ares (dir. Joachim Rønning)
Need I say more?
Flight Risk dir. Mel Gibson
To be clear – we did NOT pay to see this. We snuck in after Presence, like any sane adult. We were hoping for some sicko shit, like Dragged Across Concrete, but were instead treated to an impossibly boring anti-drama with a script ‘punched up’ by Gibson himself. Kind of fun Topher Grace role.
Absolute nightmare. Should never have happened. Free Rachel Zegler. Gal Gadot should never be seen or heard from again. The dwarves scared me like when a dog is scared of someone wearing a dog mask. We are all going to die.
Overlooked – Caught Stealing (dir. Darren Aronofsky)
Worthy of more attention! Fun, violent, snappy, with a movie star mode performance from Austin Butler. Why didn’t anyone see this? It’s not the best movie ever, but it’s a blast! Aronofsky… almost forgiven for The Whale. But not quite!
Special Award for Healing Humanity – Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (dir. Matt Johnson)
A miracle. Canadian excellence. If you’ve never seen the show, there’s time to catch up before the film’s wide release in February. Can’t believe this got made. No one tell Universal what happens in this movie. We don’t need lawyers to find out about this one.
