By Jackson TOYON

It’s July, moviegoers – roughly the halfway point of the year! I usually write to bring this community reviews for the most recent films in theaters – and we’ve had some excellent ones this year – but today, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the filmography of last year and share my personal list of the top 10 films of 2025. Most of these are well-known, but a few are ones you may have missed and are definitely worth a watch now that they’ve all made their way to streaming platforms. As this is a subjective list, some entries may be slightly colored by my preferences or the cinematic experience I had seeing them in a theater – but I will endeavor to write my justification for why I have chosen them as I talk about each.

10. No Other Choice. Man-su, a happy father and proud veteran worker at a paper making company, is living his best life when it suddenly comes crashing down. Laid off after his company is bought out and unable to find another paper making job, the prospect of selling the house he grew up in drives him to drastic measures. If he can’t be the most qualified applicant to his desired employer on his own, he’ll just have to prune a few “branches” until he is. A Korean film by director Park Chan-wook, “No Other Choice” is a biting, darkly comedic satire about late-stage capitalism, the absurdity of the corporate rat race and the crisis of modern identity. The humor, symbolism and stylish editing make this well-constructed film one of my favorites from last year.

9. Bugonia. Conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz and his cousin Don are convinced that an alien race is secretly hiding on our planet and subjugating humanity, and they have a plan to stop it – it merely involves kidnapping Michelle Fuller, the high-powered CEO of pharmaceutical corporation Auxolith. Believing her to be a member of their species, their gambit is to hold her for ransom and coerce the aliens to abandon Earth. Another black comedy satire, this thriller is the latest film by Yorgos Lanthimos and a subject of one of my reviews last year. For its strangeness, off-kilter score and impressive acting performances, “Bugonia” claims a well-earned spot on this list.

8. Frankenstein. This adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic monster story is an absolute love letter to both director Guillermo del Toro’s love of the source material and the art of technical handmade craft in filmmaking. Incredible creature makeup, delightful practical effects, amazing costumes and stunning sets prove that even in the rapidly accelerating age of AI, the best stories and the best art always come from the passionate minds and hands of dedicated humans.

7. Avatar: Fire and Ash. This is the third entry in James Cameron’s epic “Avatar” franchise but despite having a similar plot to the last one, this film is an absolute spectacle to behold. At 3 hours and 17 minutes long, you might expect it to drag, but walking out of the theater had me and many others feeling as though we had just exited a 2-hour movie – it doesn’t waste a minute of its time. While its story is nothing particularly special, it is a cinematic experience that deserves to be witnessed on a big screen with a good sound system – the kind of film that reminds us why we go to the movies.

6. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The latest installment in Rian Johnson’s whodunnit trilogy serves as a return to form after the highly entertaining (if slightly underwhelming) sequel “Glass Onion.” Returning to a more gothic setting, “Wake Up Dead Man” boasts a stellar use of an ensemble cast, wickedly funny humor, a marked improvement in cinematography and perhaps the most narratively interesting mystery out of the three films. Rian Johnson could make 10 of these movies, and I think I’d still find myself asking for more.

5. Marty Supreme. This stressful film centers around table tennis player Marty Mauser, telling a loose, dramatized account of the life real table tennis star Marty Reisman. If you loved the unrelenting pressure of director Josh Safdie’s other recent work, “Uncut Gems,” then you’ll find a familiar story to enjoy here as we watch Marty continuously make the worst choices for himself. Every actor is firing on all cylinders in this film and for its intensity, I rank this one in the top five.

4. Rental Family. Struggling American actor Phillip Vanderploeg desperately searches for better work as he lives his life in Japan until he finds a peculiar job that brings more meaning to his life than he ever imagined. If you’ve been following Brendan Fraser’s resurgence onto the acting scene in recent years (like I have) you’ll be happy to know that he’s been doing some great work – and this tender tearjerker of a film is one that I was disappointed to see getting no acknowledgement at the Academy Awards.

3. Hamnet. “Hamnet” explores the story of how Shakespeare’s legendary tragedy came to be, primarily from the perspective of William’s wife Agnes. When heart-wrenching catastrophe strikes the young family, husband and wife deal with the fallout in different ways. It contains not only superb performances from both of its leads but also just about the most impressive acting performance I’ve witnessed from a child actor – period. As one of the most emotional films I’ve seen in years, you’ll want to bring the tissues for this one.

2. Sinners. Sitting in very close contention for the number one spot, we have Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.” In 1930s Mississippi, twin brothers Smoke and Stack are hosting a get-together at a blues juke joint when a pack of bloodthirsty vampires arrive to crash the party. What appears to be a vampire-slaying action movie on the surface actually runs far deeper thematically than one would expect and boasts an absolutely killer soundtrack with brilliant choreography, earning its place sitting proudly near the top of my list.

1. One Battle After Another. Washed-up ex-revolutionary Bob Ferguson and his daughter Willa are living in relative peace off the grid until an old enemy, a corrupt military official, resurfaces after 16 years. It’s difficult to ask for a film that has it all, but Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film manages it – with stakes, action, humor, a great soundtrack, excellent cinematography and positively unforgettable performances. It is of little surprise to most that this won Best Picture earlier this year, and it remains my favorite film of 2025.

2025 was a great year for film and so far, 2026 is shaping up to be another one to get excited about!