Nope, you read that correctly, my top 2 films of the year, no hyperbole.
When I “think back” on horrible years for movies I usually only really thought of one in particular – 1963. Especially when it came to the 1963 Academy Awards when the Academy had to reward the “best of the worst” in the year of Tom Jones… an absolute embarrassing year of bad movies.
Now, about to turn 34 next month, I can say I have lived through just as bad, if not worse year for movies since 1963, and that is 2025.
Whoa, what a load of sh*t that came out this year and here we are going into the 2025 Academy Awards where they will be rewarding the “best of the worst” with the slop that came out this year. And if you want to argue or be a keyboard warrior in the comments, I truly don’t care. I have a platform here and you don’t so na-na-nah-boo boo, cry me a river. I will not be gaslit anymore this year that One Battle After Another or Sinners are good movies, they aren’t. Paul Thomas Anderson went from a masterpiece with Licorice Pizza to that and Sinners has such a giant plot hole that no one wants to address that all I can say is “ nice gowns, beautiful gowns.” Everything else feels like such “pick me’s” for awards that nothing stands out.
Except these two films which are easily the best two films of 2025.
Weapons and Friendship are easily the best two films of the year – both absolute original greats where they not only perfectly balance multiple genres in one but they are entertaining and great rewatches.
Zach Cregger coming off of Barbarian with a strong story, marketing campaign, and cast then becoming another hit for him and reintroducing the world to Academy Award Nominee Amy Madigan has been a fantastic journey. Seeing the public fall in love with a character like Aunt Gladys has been heartwarming and what a moment for Amy Madigan this has been, seeing her finally get her dues after 40 years post Oscar nomination of success that should have been. (I would like to shout out that if Karen Black had been alive to see Weapons…this role would have been hers and my God!!!)
Friendship was an absolutely hilarious good time that was so up Tim Robinson’s alley that it still shocks me he didn’t write or direct it, LIKE HOW?! The smart, dead pan, dry sarcastic humor in this movie alone makes it a comedic masterpiece, then you add in the comedic performances of Tim Robinson (who should be SWEEPING the Best Actor awards race this season and yet is nowhere to be found) and Kate Mara and you had this golden film written and directed by Andrew DeYoung. All these months later and I truly need to know how DeYoung pitched this movie because it just doesn’t “work” on paper, like you needed the right actors to pull this off. HOW DID HE PITCH THIS?!
No one purposefully goes out of their way to make a bad movie, making movies is hard and I know this first hand, as my first is almost done and I know there will be people who don’t like it and that’s fine. Me saying I think these movies are bad or good is just as okay as you thinking mine will be bad or good, glad you have an opinion and glad you saw the movie.
Just like I refuse to be on the Leigh payroll saying Vivian Leigh deserved to win both of her Oscars when I believe that woman couldn’t out act a paper bag, I refuse to be on the payroll of Anderson and Coogler amongst pretty much every other payroll this year.
It was a bad year for movies, and onto 2026.
