The most important movie of 2025 didn’t get enough attention.
Maybe they should have hired Timothée Chalamet, the star of the year’s best movie, to uncork his marketing madness on its behalf.
Either way, the actor and that film in question head this year’s list of genuine “must-see” movies. And it’s not even close.
Chalamet’s bravura turn in “A Complete Unknown” seemed primed for a Best Acting Oscar. Biopic? Check. Real-life legend? Check. Performance that required years of extensive training?
Check.
Yet the honors went to Cillian Murphy for “Oppenheimer.”
It’ll be even harder to deny Chalamet following his stunning work in “Marty Supreme.” The tale of a ping pong pro’s quest for greatness in the obscure sport doesn’t sound like cinematic catnip.
Just wait.
Director Josh Safdie (“Uncut Gems”) uses a true story as the framework for this delirious tale of a young man missing a moral compass. Chalamet is mesmerizing in scene after scene, and there’s so much imagination stuffed into Marty Mauser’s story it could fuel a dozen Hollywood films.
Take that, A.I.!
It’s hard to like Chalamet’s Marty, but it’s impossible to deny he powered the most entertaining film of the year…
The current, horrific rise in antisemitism will be studied for years. Future generations can watch “October 8” to see how a calamitous terror attack actually made matters worse.
Director Wendy Sachs crafts a sobering look at Jew hatred across western culture, with special attention paid to the halls of higher learning. “October 8” isn’t political, and that restraint is remarkable given the proclivities of the modern Democratic party.
It’s all the better for keeping partisanship off camera. This is a story everyone must watch and learn from, or we’ll get a second, harrowing round of “never again” regrets.
We may be there already…
The HBO series “Crashing” captured what it takes to become a stand-up comedian. It’s not for the faint of heart.
The male protagonist in “Is This Thing On?” doesn’t set out to become a comedian. He just needs someplace, anyplace, to vent about his impending divorce.
So when Will Arnett’s character finds himself at the Comedy Cellar’s open mic night, some unexpected magic happens.
The “comedy as therapy” approach works wonders for director Bradley Cooper’s latest, even if his supporting character in the story is its weakest element. This honest look at relationships, featuring yet another killer turn by Laura Dern, proves fresh and and insightful…
Rom-coms generate plenty of derisive reviews, and deservedly so. Even “hit” rom-coms have their flaws, like the daffy 2023 breakthrough “Anyone But You.”
So director Celine Song decided to ease up on the comedy for “Materialists,” a smart look at a love triangle that’s all too relevant to our times. A better than expected Dakota Johnson plays a high-end matchmaker torn between her old beau (Chris Evans) and a wealthy rival (Pedro Pascal).
What happens next is smart and satisfying, and while the rom-com tropes are familiar, the intellectual way Song approaches them is anything but…
Zach Cregger’s “Barbarian” offered a benign title along with something of a tease. The film was far from perfect, but this guy “gets” horror. Where has he been hiding? Turns out the comic actor-turned-auteur is merely a late bloomer, and his 2025 masterpiece “Weapons” proves it.
The tale of a town where all the children in a particular class go missing – save one – sets a delirious movie in motion. The stars are all aligned on Cregger’s behalf, including Julia Garner and Josh Brolin, but it’s the startling turn by Amy Madigan that sets this sucker ablaze.
We’ll say no more about her Aunt Gladys character for those who haven’t seen “Weapons” yet.
Cregger uses a non-traditional approach that not only clicks but makes the madness to follow even more explosive…
Ryan Coogler took a break from the MCU to reinvent the vampire movie.
“Sinners” casts Michael B. Jordan and Michael B. Jordan as brothers hellbent on starting a juke joint in 1930s-era south. That setup allows Coogler and co. to riff on racism, cultural stereotypes and the healing power of music.
Then, mid-way through, a vampire movie breaks out. And a great one, at that.
Coogler knows enough horror movie tropes to implode them while keeping the scares intact. Yes, the film’s ending is far from perfect, but everything up until that disappoint coda is so very good it doesn’t matter…
Hollywood refused to copy, clone or otherwise riff on 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick.” So it took that film’s director to handle the chore himself.
Yes, Joseph Kosinski’s “F1” isn’t about a brash fighter pilot seeking middle-age redemption against all odds. The film follows a brash driver seeking middle-age redemption against all odds.
If the formula ain’t broke, don’t even try fixing it.
Kosinski does nothing of the kind, leaning on Brad Pitt’s star power as the story’s NOS. Pitt’s character has a young rival (Damson Idris) a la “Maverick,” along with a love interest (Kerry Condon) who sparks his life off the track.
What follows is pure exhilaration, from the camera work that deposits us in the driver’s seat to the old-school populism touching every scene. Pitt’s character even prays at one point in the story.
It’s not as good as “Top Gun: Maverick,” but “F1” comes close enough to matter.