January 2025 Roundup
Who doesn't love gray skies and snowy days everyday?
Hello!
It’s very cold out and Mike McCarthy is somehow my football coach. Thank goodness I have movies because I don’t think the McCarthy-led Steelers are going to bring me joy anytime soon.
Anyway, here is the stuff I watched from the past month.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, dir. Nia DaCosta (2026)
A-
I shed a tear toward the end of this movie. Nearly every time it could’ve pulled predictable franchise nonsense inside a strict three-act structure, Nia DaCosta lets the movie have a loose pacing and that excited me. I was kinda stunned that they made Spike into basically a tertiary character, or at times the third lead of the Ralph Fiennes-Jack O’Connell show. Both men are incredible and it’s again Fiennes’ best role since The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The movie was more nihilistic and more life-affirming than 28 Years Later. Even though it’s less visually expansive and daring than when Boyle was at the helm, DaCosta makes the movie her own. Special, special stuff.
The Rip, dir. Joe Carnahan (2026)
B
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon making movies together is one of the many spoils we have as modern-day cinephiles. By no means is The Rip going to reinvent the genre or be a career standout for Damon1 or Affleck. But the action is just propulsive enough to be a fun watch.
Mother of Flies, dir. John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser (2025)
B-
A Shudder horror movie that had some gnarly shit in it that got me going. But I feel like the movie took the easy way out too many times, both thematically, stylistically and structurally. Not awful by any stretch!
Primate, dir. Johannes Roberts (2025)
C+
I made a TikTok of this stupid horror movie that David Ellison, whose family now owns the American version of TikTok, would probably enjoy because he’s an evil moron.
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People We Meet on Vacation, dir. Brett Haley (2026)
C-
Sometimes charming, mostly unfunny. I know this is a smidge unfair to this film, but I can’t help but notice the obvious Netflix dialogue that’s made to keep people invested while they’re doing other stuff (ironic since I’m writing this as this movie is wrapping up lol). If this is what we’re gonna get with a merged Netflix-Warner Bros., god help us.
Mercy, dir. Timur Bekmambetov (2026)
F
As bad as you would expect from the trailer. Read more of my thoughts here.
“It should come as no surprise to anyone that police surveillance in the United States is so extensive that the American Civil Liberties Union has extensive pages on its website trying to inform citizens of their rights against this. And, since the start of the second Trump administration, the surveillance state has only grown and it’s starting to include artificial intelligence; “Moreover, technologies such as facial recognition and artificial intelligence (AI) will only continue to grow with almost no regulation as tools for policing and immigration enforcement,” writes Maurizio Guerrero in nonprofit news outlet Prism.
Mercy, the latest Dumpuary action movie starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, attempts to use the conventions of the cop drama and mystery genre and place them in a futuristic setting that’s grounded in our present-day anxieties of A.I. However, the film turns out to be nothing but an incompetently-made pro-A.I. copaganda picture that hides sinister undertones about how the surveillance state is good and is a few kinks away from making everyone “safe.”
Set on Aug. 14, 2029, in Los Angeles, the film follows Det. Chris Raven (Pratt), who has 90 minutes to prove his innocence in the case of his wife’s murder, to the Mercy Capital Court and presiding robot judge Maddox (Ferguson). All the while, Raven must find out who the real killer is and save the crime-ridden city from being destroyed.
The whole conceit of the movie, much like 2025’s War of the Worlds, hinges on a character trying to solve the life-or-death task at hand by sitting in front of a computer. For Pratt’s character, this becomes literal as he is strapped into the chair that will kill him if he doesn’t solve the case in time. Unfortunately, much like the Ice Cube-led sci-fi film, this doesn’t lead to any compelling scenes or visuals as the viewer is bombarded by an overwhelming amount of shallow focus, drab colors and crappy CG.”
When Harry Met Sally…, dir. Rob Riener (rip) (1989)
A
My girlfriend and I rewatched this partially because it was New Year’s Day and partially because of the recently deceased Rob Riener. While people will associate this more with the oeuvre of Nora Ephron, it’s part of a directorial run for Riener that remains unimpeachable: Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally..., Misery, A Few Good Men. It’s a movie that remains pure magic. Not much else you can say, really.
Marty Supreme, dir. Josh Safdie (2025)
A
Saw this sucker again and I also wrote an essay about the movie for Film Obsessive!
“When Timothée Chalamet walked up to the stage to receive the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards for his role as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, he was about to kick off the press tour for his next movie, Marty Supreme.
Chalamet ended the memorable speech by talking about his desire to be “one of the greats” and that he was “in pursuit of greatness.”
With Marty Supreme, which details a snippet of the life of the driven table tennis star Marty Mauser, now out in theaters, it’s clear in retrospect that that speech was part of one long brand awareness campaign for his next film. Chalamet, in the months and days leading up to the Christmas release of Marty Supreme, has gone full-court press in getting people to see a Josh Safdie film that shows how hard Timothée Chalamet works.
The press tour and build-up for Safdie’s newest movie have been well-documented and generated thinkpieces on the too-muchness of modern-day movie marketing and its efficacy. However, especially in the case of Marty Supreme, which features the young, monocultural moviestar and one of the biggest budgets A24 has ever given out for a film of theirs, it’s all in service of a hustle.”
Coming 2 America, dir. Craig Brewer (2021)
C+
Look, this sequel doesn’t even come close to the original, and much of this is deeply unfunny. But Eddie Murphy can still make me laugh, sue me.
Sorry, Baby, dir. Eva Victor (2025)
B+
Eva Victor is incredible at portraying someone who has been hollowed by a traumatic experience. It was genuinely unsettling. Plus, there were plenty of grad school moments and characters that I related to very much. Otherwise, the movie was typical Sundance fodder in my mind (whatever that silly phrase means).
Hamnet, dir. Chloe Zhao (2025)
B-
I’m not a Shakespeare guy or a parent, so this movie really fell flat for me. But even as a young person, this portrait of how our children influence us felt so underbaked. I know this is more Film Twitter jargon but this movie simply feels like giref porn and nothing else. Painfully fine.
The Souvenir, dir. Joanna Hogg (2019)
B
Joanna Hogg’s reflection of her time at film school feels distinct, yet I never felt any sense of actual examination of her craft and her own lived experience as a child who came from wealth. Tom Burke was stellar as he usually is, though.
The Souvenir: Part II, dir. Joanna Hogg (2021)
A-
Now we’re getting somewhere. I was obviously a sucker for Julie’s (Honor Swinton Byrne) student film, where she actually sifts through her experiences and traumas. Plus, I liked how The Souvenir: Part II becomes an investigation of sorts for Julie. I’ve only seen two of Hogg’s films, but I’m starting to gather that I like her movies more when they cut loose, which makes me excited to watch The Eternal Daughter.
Pale Rider, dir. Clint Eastwood (1985)
A-
If Clint Eastwood could make one more Western, that would be really swell. Pale Rider proves that Eastwood knows how to use the camera to create some of the best landscape portraits in all of cinema.
El Planeta, dir. Amalia Ulman (2021)
A-
What capitalism does to an mf.
The Empty Man, dir. David Prior (2020)
A
Upon further rewatch, I was a complete fool to ever hate The Empty Man. Like, this is next-level stupidity from me. Sincere apologies. Maybe the movie of the year for how much we all lost our minds in 2020.
Erin Brockovich, dir. Steven Soderbergh (2000)
A-
Julia Roberts’ performance won her an Academy Award and it’s generally referred to as her best. Roberts obviously has command of any room she walks into in this film, and it’s a little easier considering how insistent she has to be. But it’s how she toes the line of being unlikable and completely lovable that makes Erin Brockovich such a delight.
As for being a Soderbergh joint, it’s fine! I think he achieves greater technical and storytelling heights with movies like Ocean’s Eleven, Let Them All Talk, Black Bag and Logan Lucky. Still amazing, nonetheless.
Greenland, dir. Ric Roman Waugh (2020)
B
For being such a knock-off of Roland Emmerich movies (he will always remain the disaster movie GOAT even though his films typically stink), Greenland holds its own for a few reasons.
First, I genuinely believe in Gerard Butler as a compelling actor and movie star. When his character is supposed to be a deadbeat dad/husband, I fully believe every movement and every look of dread or sadness he displays.
Second, and this is more so because this movie was released in 2020, I bought the dread and the decisions everyone was trying to make in order to survive. Maybe that’s a silly form of criticism, but I would be lying if it didn’t affect me.
Red River, dir. Howard Hawks (1948)
A
I liked it when John Wayne went mad with power.
A Rainy Day in New York, dir. Woody Allen (2019)
F
Truly, Woody Allen’s worst movie. Nothing about this movie, from all of the controversy around it and all of the cast’s decision to be in it to the lighting and writing, is redeemable. Timothee Chalamet REALLY wants you to forget that he starred in this piece of shit.
Anything Else, dir. Woody Allen (2003)
D-
A very close second for the title of worst Woody Allen movie. You can really tell how Woody actually feels about young women by how he wrote Christina Ricci’s character in this. Forgive me for sounding like a Gen Z dork who doesn’t know any better, but, millennials, what exactly was appealing about Jason Biggs? I would genuinely love an answer.
Ratcatcher, dir. Lynne Ramsay (1999)
A
I was supposed to watch Lynne Ramsay’s debut feature in a film class a few years ago but I totally forgot to. I guess I’m making up for it now by saying it’s a truly stellar debut that gives us an unvarnished look at Glasgow. Ramsay’s whole oeuvre can be explained when the two kids are looking and picking at the girl’s scab. Ramsay wants to keep picking.
Black Panthers, dir. Agnes Varda (1968)
A
Varda and many in her French New Wave cohort actually understood what it meant to be filmmaking revolutionaries
Hubie Halloween, dir. Steven Brill (2020)
B
Adam Sandler will probably never get the credit he deserves for being the comedic genius that he is. But if he keeps making movies like Happy Gilmore 2 and Hubie Halloween for the rest of his days, I won’t complain.
No Other Land, dir. Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor (2024)
A
I don’t know what else to say that’s already been said. What we are witnessing is an evil, settler colonialist project that will ensure the deaths of so many innocent lives who just want to live in their home. If you can’t have any shred of empathy for what is going on in the Masafer Yatta, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Underwater, dir. William Eubank (2020)
B+
People who didn’t like this obvious subterranean Alien rip-off just can’t understand the beauty of the genre. James Cameron would’ve survived this with no problem.
Cloud Atlas, dir. Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer and Lilly Wachowski (2012)
A
Every time I thought the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer were going to settle into some conventional beat, they twist our expectations into something sentimental and wholly them. It’s one of the most ambitious blockbusters I’ve ever seen.
Morvern Callar, dir. Lynne Ramsay (2002)
A
Ramsay continues picking at the scab by going clubbing in Spain. Morvern Callar also feels perfectly at home in the “disassociated” canon. Samantha Morton, we should’ve appreciated you.
The Bob Emergency, dir. Jon Bois (2019)
A-
I love Jon Bois. Please watch Jon Bois.
Ghost in the Shell, dir. Mamoru Oshii (1995)
A-
As someone who is, quote unquote tapped in and doom-scrolling plenty (too online is another phrase for it), I definitely felt the dread of the online world in Ghost in the Shell. Additionally, the action was top notch for the genre and the ending should feel right at home with those who experience dissociative episodes.
Extraction, dir. Sam Hargrave (2020)
C
I watched this puppy with my dad. It’s a perfect dad-son movie and has some action that makes it bearable. But since it’s an action movie written by a Russo brother, there’s gonna be some obvious limitations in its story and general entertainment factor.
We Need to Talk About Kevin, dir. Lynne Ramsay (2011)
B-
Part of me thinks we need to talk about Kevin. I don’t know Tilda, there’s a chance you should’ve talked about Kevin. Also, Lynne, you reaaaallly don’t have to work with Ezra Miller again. Like, you have the choice.
Cléo from 5 to 7, dir. Agnes Varda (1962)
A
Agnes Varda might just be the forever queen of medium close-ups and insert shots. This will probably be my favorite movie of hers as I go on this year-long project.
Twixt, dir. Francis Ford Coppola (2011)
B-
Just for clarification, I watched the re-cut B’Twixt Now and Sunrise version of this film, which I believe takes out 10 minutes of the film and ends on Val Kilmer crying with Edgar Allan Poe (I’m not making this up).
Broadcast News, dir. James L. Brooks (1987)
A
In my infinite stupidity, I looked to grade this movie before it was done while sitting in the comfort of my couch. And yet, from the last 50 mins onward, I was completely entranced. The film is just perfectly calibrated for what it wants to be: middlebrow humanism. Truly excellent.
I mean, Damon has a movie that might win him Best Actor once and for all.