March 2025 Roundup
March quite simply had way too much going on in it.
Hello!
I hope you are doing well this month. Spring is nearly in full swing. We still have March Madness going on, and for all the golf fans out there, the Masters is right around the corner.
For the movie fans, March has been a strange time. We experienced the major Anora sweep and Adrien Brody giving the longest speech in Oscars history. But since then, we have experienced some box office bombs and terrible weekends. Still, we have plenty of blockbusters coming up and that’ll eventually rid us of all the hand-wringing about box office concerns and “Are Movies Dead?” discourse.
I had the privilege of going down to Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest, getting a first look at some of the films that are coming up this spring. Speaking of which, I will be doing an audio episode about some of the best movies of the year so far. You get to hear my “beautiful” voice soon enough.
Alright, let’s get to it.
Friendship, dir. Andrew DeYoung (2024)
A-
I’ve been a major Tim Robinson fan for some time now. The former SNL writer quite simply has some of the funniest and cringe-inducing sketches in recent memory. Just take a look at this one, or this one, or this one! So much funny stuff. Thankfully, Robinson’s theatrical debut, Friendship, knows precisely what makes him funny. Thankfully, I had a chance to watch this at South by Southwest and review it for Film Obsessive!
Mickey 17, dir. Bong Joon-ho (2025)
B+
Set aside the impossible task of trying to follow up a Best Picture winner like Parasite, I came away a little perplexed by Mickey 17. It’s almost a case of having seen this movie before from Bong, especially when it comes to fascism and capitalism’s inextricable connection to each other. But still, Robert Pattinson is one of our great movie stars. No question about that. I expand on it more in this lovely article at Trill Mag.
After Yang, dir. Kogonada (2021)
A
Holy crap. Kogonada might be one of my guys now. Along with one of the best intros of any film this decade, Kogonada creates an incredible world; the colors, the settings, the feelings. It all felt like a science fiction world that I wanted to learn all about even though it has plenty of similarities to our own. I also didn’t expect After Yang to become a story about reliving one’s memories and obsessing over watching something. Kogonada, known for his plethora of video essays on cinema history, clearly uses memory as a new cinematic foreground. I find it so exciting and I can’t wait for his new film, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which stars Colin Farrell (the star of After Yang) and Margot Robbie.
Mad God, dir. Phil Tippett (2021)
A
Man, how do I even begin with this film? The 30-year-old brainchild of stop-motion master Phil Tippett, Mad God serves as the ultimate bleak retelling of a post-apocalyptic civilization. Indebted to classic cinematic works like Metropolis, the film doesn’t shy away from how humanity has fallen and how we may not specifically be too far away from it. Destroyed ruins are piled on top of each other like a nightmare version of the city of Babylon. Tippett, similar to Hayao Miyazaki’s magnificently hand-drawn film from this decade, The Boy and the Heron, clearly displays how Mad God is a true labor of love. The details in the stop-motion creatures could only’ve come from the mind of a man who dreams and has visions of monsters. In a month where we had to see an overload of AI slop that poses as the work of Miyazaki, movies like Mad God prove how humanity should not lose sight of its creative abilities. Just take a look at a picture of this monster from the film.
These details may only be on screen for mere moments. But as Miyazaki stated in a 2016 documentary, “It was worth it.” Mad God is no different.
Deep Water, dir. Adrian Lyne (2022)
C
From such a sexually charged director like Adrian Lyne, I felt his latest film, Deep Water, was so toned down. For being a movie set in Louisiana, I don’t understand why the film wasn’t more of a schlocky and (literally and figuratively) sweaty experience. Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas have the chemistry of two rocks sitting still.
Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive, dir. Wayne Wang (1989)
B
I honestly struggled to relate to this film. Well, that might not be the best way to describe it, considering this black comedy is about living in Hong Kong, somewhere I, to my knowledge, have never been to. Wayne Wang’s film received controversy at the time for having an X rating, but I never felt that Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive was transgressive. Maybe that’s because I’m somebody living through the 2020s, but the movie never resonated for me despite some truly thrilling sequences and a deeply funny chase sequence.
This is My Life, dir. Nora Ephron (1992)
C+
Since my girlfriend and I completed a Nancy Meyers filmography run, it would only be a matter of time before we got to Nora Ephron. It’s fascinating that Ephron has a much wider-ranging and stranger directorial collection of films. We’re both kind of dreading when we have to watch Michael, a film where John Travolta claims to be an angel. Woof. As for This is My Life, there are plenty of elements that I feel like I should like, with much more off-beat humor that feels straight out of New York City. But the dynamic between the stand-up comedian mother (Julie Kavner) and her oldest daughter (Samantha Mathis) never feels natural or as developed as I wanted to.
Ephron and her co-writer and sister, Delia Ephron, create some sharp left turns, but they never always land for me. That said, I loved Gaby Hoffman as the younger sister. She had a spark that made the film watchable at times. It’s just a shame that I didn’t like this movie more.
Sleepless in Seattle, dir. Nora Ephron (1993)
A-
Now THIS is the Nora Ephron I was looking for. Sleepless in Seattle gets lumped in with When Harry Met Sally… and You’ve Got Mail and it’s not hard to see why. I know this is cliche, but Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are magnificent in this movie. The movie really got interesting once I realized that Sam (Hanks) and Annie (Ryan) were really never going to see each other. The true magic of Sleepless in Seattle, along with some humorous writing from Ephron, comes from how the movie is just beginning when it ends. Many movies, especially romcoms, can claim to do that. But it takes Ephron’s deft writing and structure to make that really seep into the audience’s soul. Loved this.
American Sniper, dir. Clint Eastwood (2014)
B
Not a totally terrible showing from Clint Eastwood or Bradley Cooper. But holy shit was that baby fake.
I mean, look at that shit! Come on Clint.
Phantom Thread, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (2017)
A
Here’s my initial review of Phantom Thread. Perfect movie. Fucking chic.
Grand Theft Hamlet, dir. Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls (2024)
A-
You truly never can kill art. I was honestly kind of stunned that a film about struggling actors trying to put on a rendition of Hamlet inside “Grand Theft Auto” impacted me as much as it did.
The Accountant, dir. Gavin O’Connor (2016)
C+
I wanted this movie to be better. Ok well, that’s obviously from the grade that I gave it. But I imagined the first Ben Affleck-Gavin O’Connor collaboration would be something along the lines of a Den of Thieves. But this was a little wide-ranging and a little too serious to have the fun and excitement of a Den of Thieves.
The Accountant 2, dir. Gavin O’Connor (2025)
C
Just as mid as the first one. Bernthal and Affleck’s chemistry saves the film from complete mediocrity, but no amount of computer children can make the whole undertaking compelling. If they make the third film with just Affleck and Bernthal, then it will be the greatest action movie ever.
Here was the headline I came up with for the review: The Accountant 2 Is as Much Fun as Filing Taxes. I thought it was pretty clever.
A Simple Favor, dir. Paul Feig (2018)
B
It wasn't that simple! But I wasn't prepared for how schlocky and gleefully trashy this is. Quite fun!
Another Simple Favor, dir. Paul Feig (2025)
C
I kicked off my time at South by Southwest with the follow-up to the 2018 I was genuinely surprised by. Unfortunately, the sequel was a massive disappointment. Shocker. I don't know how good the theatrical experience is with this one considering it was such streaming fodder. Another Simple Favor feels so unbelievably toned down as nothing lands as funny or shocking or downright weird like the 2018 film. Shame. At least it wasn’t simple!
Last Breath, dir. Alex Parkinson (2025)
B
Disappointed this wasn’t about the Future song. Pretty excited about how well-directed this so-so script was. I love underwater cinematography! I would be interested to see what director Alex Parkinson does next, because there were truly cinematic moments in a film that otherwise could’ve been cheap slop.
“Sr.”, dir. Chris Smith (2022)
B+
The documentary about Robert Downey Sr. and Robert Downey Jr. at the end of the former’s life was unsurprisingly tugging at heartstrings. Although there is plenty of your standard documentary fare of a legendary artist, I loved that Downey Jr. and Downey Sr. were basically trying to create their own version of the documentary inside the documentary. It definitely got my juices going, even as there were plenty of contemplative moments about one’s life at the time of their death. A fascinating work.
The Color Purple, dir. Steven Spielberg (1985)
B
It’s probably a tired claim to say that Steven Spielberg, one of the great cinematic legends, may not have been the director to tell an intimate and, at times epic story about Black women. Spielberg’s trademark sentimentality, which works so well in sci-fi suburban parables like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, may not totally land when Celie Harris (Whoopi Goldberg) has to face hardship after hardship. Spielberg just doesn’t have the personality and history to paint a fully empathetic portrait. Instead, it’s a film full of sympathy for all the bad stuff that happens to Celie. Plus, plenty of Black men are quite stereotyped in the film. That all being said, few filmmakers can match the true level of awe and happiness of the ending like Spielberg can. Helps to have a score from the late, great Quincy Jones.
In Front of Your Face, dir. Hong Sang-soo (2021)
A-
I continue on my journey to just constantly enjoy Hong Sang-soo’s films. But I honestly like it the least among the three I’ve seen (even though I’ve all given them A-’s). I feel like the reason for this comes from how In Front of Your Face feels much more tense, where I find Hong’s other two films I’ve seen — By the Stream and The Novelist’s Film — feel more low-key meditations about art. That might be where my interests lie with Hong.
Ambulance, dir. Michael Bay (2022)
A-
I regret watching this on the plane. I really should’ve experienced this movie in theaters because it really is one of Michael Bay’s best. Ambulance, a heist movie involving you guessed it, an ambulance, feels like a film made by a man who is fully aware of what moviegoers think of him and just saying, “Fuck it. This is who I am, this movie is what I am.” Bay is an artist who is in complete control of his style and form, and that’s one of the best compliments you can give someone. And I get that it can be cool and trendy to “reclaim” Michael Bay and I’m more open to falling in love with action movies with simple plots and creative flourishes. But along with it being thrilling, Ambulance displays Bay’s experimentation with his own style—more insane editing, more drone shots, more! And I find that invigorating. I’m not ashamed to say I truly loved this.
We Are Storror, dir. Michael Bay (2025)
A-
What will one do for art? Why will they do it? And what happens when artistic motivations change? These are the questions Michael Bay and a parkour group of all people look to answer. A movie that’s less about how cool and awesome this parkour group is and more about how they can’t do these death-defying stunts forever and what exactly parkour is. The stunts, especially the failed ones, send shivers down my spine. These guys are basically British Jackass. This movie needs to be shown in IMAX! Check out more of my stupid musings and more in my column on this film!
The Makings of Curtis Mayfield, dir. H.E.R. (2025)
C
My last film at South by Southwest was a little bit of a stinker. I really found this to be as standard and uninsightful as possible. But I definitely related on a profound level to Dr. Dre, thinking a Curtis Mayfield lyric said one thing but in reality was something entirely different, and he hadn't realized this for years.
Moonfall, dir. Roland Emmerich (2022)
C-
This is an ultimate guilty pleasure movie and another example of why these grades truly don’t mean much in my own experience and enjoyment of a film. By any measure, Moonfall, directed by a so-called “master of disaster” in Roland Emmerich, is a bad movie. Horrible dialogue that’s just there for exposition and nothing else, ridiculous, conspiracy-riddled storylines that feel quite milquetoast and enough bland visuals that wouldn’t even fall in the “it’s so bad it’s good.”
But the sheer badness of Moonfall turned out to mainly be a delight for me, especially while I sat on a plane ride. All of the criticism I levied at the film could be said about any of Emmerich’s films, including 2012, The Day After Tomorrow and, yes, even Independence Day. At some point, the ridiculousness becomes the appeal. And while I’ll never rank this movie highly, I will probably watch it again in the future over films that I rank higher like Blonde and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Empire of the Sun, dir. Steven Spielberg (1987)
A-
Am I crazy for thinking that this is better than over half of Spielberg's other films? I felt there was a level of understatement that made the classic Spielberg sentimentality moments in the film all the more powerful. Plus, Christian Bale and John Malkovich are unbelievable in this movie. Bale, in particular, who was 13 years old when Empire of the Sun came out, gave one of the finer child performances I have ever seen. I feel like this is a tired statement, but this film is undoubtedly one of the most underrated in Spielberg’s whole filmography. I mean, this scene nearly brings tears to my eyes.
Old Guy, dir. Simon West (2024)
C-
Here for Cooper Hoffman and not much else. For all of the talented actors in it — Hoffman, Christoph Waltz and Lucy Liu — this feels like the biggest nothing burger of a film.
Do The Right Thing, dir. Spike Lee (1989)
A
I had to watch this one for class. It’s as simmering as I remember it the first time. There is quite literally nothing like Spike Lee’s American masterpiece. No filmmaker has such control and understanding as to how to cinematically translate the real-world power structures of racism and capitalism to a country that still doesn't have a clue. This movie belongs in the canon of the great films about America and it will be staying there for decades and hopefully centuries to come.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, dir. Anthony Fabian (2022)
B+
She went to Paris! This was such a nice and charming British drama about Lesley Manville. Delighted is an understatement.
Black Bag, dir. Steven Soderbergh (2025)
A-
This had me smirking and hooting and hollering the whole time. Certifiably rules. Steven Soderbergh just knows how to make a sexy 90-minute thriller. What makes Black Bag super duper fun is the spy organization he and screenwriter David Koepp decide to focus on is one where it’s a bunch of spies who all have sex with each other. So even with all the espionage and intrigue in the geopolitical sphere, the more interesting drama comes from who in this British spy and intelligence organization is sleeping with whom. This makes the marriage between Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett’s characters so mysterious and engaging. Neither of them knows if they’re being entirely truthful with the other, so the film becomes such a delightful and sensual mystery. I really want to work there. It truly would never be boring.
Novocaine, dir. Dan Berk, Robert Olsen (2025)
C
Lots of blood and guts and Jack Quaid is mostly charming as a punching bag and leading man. But there’s just some gloss to this movie that I can’t get over. It’s a meh from me!
In the Lost Lands, dir. Paul W.S. Anderson (2025)
B-
I can’t decide whether or not this is the greatest movie ever or the dumbest movie ever. Either way, nothing like it at the cinema today. Through his excessive use of CGI and heavy metal, post-apocalyptic settings, Paul W.S. Anderson (the other director named Paul Anderson) is one-of-a-kind. I mean, who would make a wasteland version of Earth with elements from Westerns, fantasy, science fiction and medieval times?
Some of the images Anderson crafted in his latest film are nothing like the slop we see from the likes of Marvel and other big studios these days. There are beautiful close-ups and vast landscape shots that let the film world wash over us. That being said, I’m not sure Anderson understands subtleties. Don’t get me wrong, I love when a movie just totally ignores any form of subtext like in Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. But at least Coppola goes for it and never restricts himself from saying the most bizarre and hilarious shit you’ll see. Anderson feels more restrained in the heavy metal and deathly serious dramatic elements of his stories. I wish Anderson got more ridiculous!
More critical viewers would see the ending as a rushed and botched mess where there’s very little character resolution. But I, being the soft critic that I am, found it to be this whole refutation of getting what the audience thinks it wants. The witch Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich) says she will give wishes to anyone, but rarely do they turn out the way the wisher understands them. And she states all her magic is just an illusion and is only real because other people think it’s real. Plus, the whole film could reasonably be seen from the perspective of bounty hunter/lone snake gunman/werewolf1 Boyce (Dave Bautista), so it may not be exactly what happened.
OK, this all might be a stretch and I have spent way more time on a new post-apocalyptic movie nobody has heard of (I watched this in an empty theater after all). But I truly think In the Lost Lands offers a path forward for cinema, allowing the aesthetics and feelings of a picture to guide the viewer forward instead of simple narratives. Also, having a place called Skull River where Dave Bautista turns into a werewolf is fucking metal.
Citizenfour, dir. Laura Poitras (2014)
A-
A strange movie to watch in 2025. Let me explain (like I do with the rest of this newsletter lol). For those not aware, Citizenfour documents the days leading up to Edward Snowden's infamous leaking of classified documents that revealed the existence of global surveillance programs. It’s still an issue for members of our government today. Additionally, many have started to question the efficacy and diplomatic implications of leaks from folks like Julian Assange, making watching the film undoubtedly more complicated. Is Snowden a hero? Is he a traitor? Are we sure this is even the right question to ask?
Citizenfour doesn’t answer these questions, but the documentary that captures the precious moments before Snowden’s life changes forever can feel quite revealing. With much of Citizenfour taking place in the Hong Kong hotel room where the film’s director Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald met with Snowden, you can see how Snowden views the NSA’s actions in the name of homeland security.
Your thoughts on Snowden will no doubt define how you experience this film, but Poitras brings multiple levels of nuance to the content of the film, defining what information means and who controls it in our modern Internet age.
The Electric State, dir. Joe Russo, Anthony Russo (2025)
D-
Devoid of any emotion, joy, wonder, intriguing world-building, introspection and magic that makes Steven Spielberg's movies work so well. Such a phoned-in movie in all regards. Still somehow more competent than Captain America: Brave New World.
Baby Invasion, dir. Harmony Korine (2024)
B+
I already discussed this in my audio episode, which you should listen to here! But all I will say is that they’re might be no better director at portraying our modern hell.
A Night of Knowing Nothing, dir. Payal Kapadia (2021)
A-
I was introduced to Payal Kapadia through her lovely 2024 film, All We Imagine as Light. I wrote about it in my Best 50 Films of the year. But I found her documentary from a few years earlier to be much more fascinating. Both of Kapadia’s feature films document the oppressive regime of Narendra Modi in India, but she uses A Night of Knowing Nothing to explicitly tie cinema to discussions of Hindu nationalism and the caste system. The film doesn’t follow many of the conventions of what Americans now perceive as documentary, but the whole experience feels like an act of restoration; of understanding a new perspective and a new chance for re-contextualization. I would definitely recommend it.
Jurassic World Dominion, dir. Colin Trevorrow (2022)
D
Bad! I don’t know why I make myself watch all the Jurassic Park/World films to be ready for the new one coming out this summer. As stupid as Fallen Kingdom, just with way more nostalgia thumping and stupid locusts. Give me more dinosaurs! And big ones at that! I want a raptor, mixed with a T-rex that can fly. Why are we trying to create some scientific mumbo jumbo to talk about locusts? We’re about to get our seventh movie in this franchise, let’s get ridiculous.
The Alto Knights, dir. Barry Levinson (2025)
D+
This movie is a total disgrace. It should’ve been trashier. My review for Film Obsessive.
Angel Face, dir. Otto Preminger (1953)
B+
With one of the funnier endings in cinema history, I wish I could give more love to the transgressive cinema of Otto Preminger, who with Angel Face wrapped up his so-called noir era. But similar to Anatomy of a Murder, I can’t fully shower him with acclaim. I’m just not there with him and I don’t really know how to explain it. I still have Laura and The Man with the Golden Arm to watch, so that may very well change.
Holland, dir. Mimi Cave (2025)
C
Nope! Every actor, especially Matthew Macfadyen, feels checked out except for Nicole Kidman. But even she can’t save one of the shittier scripts of the year.
To Die For, dir. Gus Van Sant (1995)
A
Now here’s a film where Nicole Kidman absolutely rules, along with the rest of the cast! What I enjoyed deeply about To Die For was how well each of these great actors had an understanding of their characters’ inner lives. Joaquin Phoenix was especially good at being a vulnerable young teen, but also revealing parts of himself that would seem like he’s a total monster. It’s an impressive film about appearances and is a perfect distillation of all the ills of our true crime obsession.
Bananas, dir. Woody Allen (1971)
B+
My journey through Woody Allen’s filmography continues with Bananas. After watching Allen’s first two feature films, you can tell how his filmmaking talent is improving. This 1971 gonzo comedy on American interventions in Latin America features plenty of great gags, but a relatively lightweight story and an outdated look at Hispanic folks. I can’t wait for Annie Hall.
Always, dir. Steven Spielberg (1989)
C
Only Richard Dreyfuss' ghost can prevent forest fires. Unconscionable how boring this was coming from Steven Spielberg.
The Verdict, dir. Sidney Lumet (1982)
A
Watching this movie at the Coolidge Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of the delightful Rewatchables Film Festival makes me never wanna watch a movie on a computer ever again. Fucking masterwork. Paul Newman should’ve won the Oscar for this movie.
Good Will Hunting, dir. Gus Van Sant (1997)
B+
Like with The Verdict, being in a crowd full of Bostonians and watching this puppy on the big screen was more than worth the price of admission ($15). While the movie has its cliches, I can’t say they weren’t emotionally affecting. My MVP on my second watch of Good Will Hunting was definitely Ben Affleck. I feel like I might need to write an essay on the brilliance of Affleck. A career retrospective would be super fun to do.
Eating Raoul, dir. Paul Bartel (1982)
B+
An insane amount of rape scenes that are played of as comedy and a straight-up scene of cannibalism. One of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen?
Crash, dir. David Cronenberg (1996)
A
Definitely doesn’t reach the heights of Cronenberg’s best film, Videodrome. But I can’t say I wasn’t on board for Cronenberg making a full-on horny mood picture with car crashes.
That’ll be all for today.
Cheers! (And don’t make AI art)
I swear I’m making none of this up.