Back on Blogger because that SubStack was becoming a cesspool. Anyway, I'm emailing everyone who was on my list prior. If you don't want to receive these please let me know.
Throughout the year you can track me on Letterboxd. Here's my 2025 Watched Films list. Details for my Top 10 below.
Five Honorables:
The Ballad of Wallis Island - This was on my radar due to Carey Mulligan and my love for music-oriented films like "Once". I was pleasantly surprised how genuine and hilarious it was and Tim Key steals the show with a wry and poignant performance.
Sorry Baby - Absolutely devastating, uplifting, and darkly hilarious all at once. One of the most underrated of the year for sure.
One Battle After Another - Saw this one in theaters after the initial build-up and was a bit underwhelmed. Still a very good move with fantastic acting, laugh-out-loud hilarity, and tense dramatic buildups. Benicio Del Toro owns it.
Wake Up Dead Man - Saw this in cinemas the way it was meant to. The films takes a bit to get going, but once it does it's very engrossing. Not my favorite of the trilogy - I'm that one person who adores the second film- but Ryan needs to keep making these; just not for Netflix.
Elio - From Letterbox: "I wholly understand and empathize personally with Elio's love for science and the unknown. Losing a parent is hard and it's easy to want to look further beyond for understanding and hope. Sci-fi is about looking at ourselves from a different lens and the film captures this perfectly. It never gets too sentimental or too reliant on jokes to sell a scene. It's honest, earnest, and the best Pixar has been in over a decade." I stand by this one. Easily the most moved I've been watching one of their films in a long time, and more people need to watch it.
The Ten
10. Marty Supreme - You know a Safdie brother made it when you're white-knuckling the arm of your chair during every single scene. Timothée Chalemet is revelatory here.
9. Mickey 17 - Bong Joon-ho went a little weirder here than newcomers were probably expecting after Parasite but I absolutely enjoyed the bonkers take on this futuristic tale. It's been nearly a year since I saw it but I can still picture several scenes in this one as if I just had. While he wasn't the only actor to play more than one character on screen this year, Pattinson still gave his all creating unique, engaging personalities.
8. Zootopia 2 - There's so much fun to be had with Nick and Judy and this sequel proves they can be just as fun, original, and engaging. Just a really good time seeing this, and I can't wait for the next one.
7. Weapons - Saying much of anything will spoil this movie. If you like horror, thrillers or just well-made, thought-provoking cinema, then watch this. Once you've seen it -or if you already have- text me and we can chat about what it meant to you.
6. The Life of Chuck - From Letterboxd: "This is my jam. Romanticizing science as faith, love and possibility. Flanagan shows he is truly masterful at adapting anything King. Hamill was perfect. Hiddleston says almost nothing, but is still a presence fully felt. Beautiful." As is clear, this movie is tailor-made for me. I love films that just sit in your brain and make you think about everything.
5. Eephus - This is one you live in. You hang out with it. Chat with it. Lost yourself in it. This is exactly what it's like to play a game of baseball with a group of folks you kinda know; a perfect game if you will.
4. The Ugly Stepsister - From Letterboxd: "A magnificently malicious take on the classic with equal parts dark humor and body horror." I couldn't have said it better than myself. I recoiled more than a few times during this one, and that's why I absolutely loved it.
3. Reflection in a Dead Diamond - From Letterboxd: "Deconstruction of pulp aesthetic by fetishizing genre film through critical metaphor integrating elements of Italian Giallo and French New Wave cinema blended within a high octane Bond thriller barreling through an empathetic thought puzzle lensed by means of plastic memory voyeurism, comic book flair, and moviemaking magic." That's it. A perfect blend of what I love about film.
2. Sinners - I saw this one twice in theaters, and was floored both times. Since seeing Fruitvale Station back in 2013 I knew two things: Michael B. Jordan is a presence that will be felt, and Ryan Coogler is a generational talent who will change the game. This remained true through Creed and Black Panther, but everything culminates with Sinners. There's few words to describe the intensity, the passion, the love, the anger, the feelings, the music, the anticipation, the pay-off, the revelation. It's absolutely indelible filmmaking, and objectively the best movie of the year.
1. Superman - I had written a review for this last year, but lost it. Honestly, there's nothing I could write that would explain why this is #1. The end of this movie brought tears of joy and hope. Donner, Reeve, and my father would be proud of this one.
Look up.
I didn't get to watch everything I wanted to in 2025 yet, so check back on the list or hit me up to chat on movies and more. Hopefully this jumpstarts my writing again. If anyone knows of a good way to do this blog thing with email subs and such without spending tons of money let me know.
As always enjoy,
- The Catalyst
Movies: Letterboxd
Music: Bandcamp