Top Five Films Of The Year
By Kevin Hoskinson
Entertainment Editor | Pastrami Nation
All in all, 2025 was a great year for film. There were certainly some misfires, but for the most part, it was full of wonderful and interesting surprises. Despite the drama surrounding the studio, Warner Bros came out on top with one of the most successful slates in years. Both the MCU and DC Studios reinvigorated themselves and returned to basics, giving us films that set up the future of said companies. Netflix had a banner year, also giving us an animated film that ruled the summer and a new murder mystery in a series directed by Rian Johnson. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but you get it.
The year brought us some phenomenal films and since it’s the end of the year, it’s time to talk a bit about the ones that stood out the most. The ones that challenged us made us feel things and made us remember why we love movies so much. Here is my list of the top five movies of the year, with a few honorable mentions to start.
Honorable Mentions:
F1, Thunderbolts*, K-Pop Demon Hunters
5. The Life Of Chuck
This film, directed by Mike Flannagan and based on a Stephen King short story, can be summed up in a single theme: we all contain multitudes. It’s a powerful idea and one that celebrates the beauty in the non-spectacular. We all belong to something much bigger than ourselves, no matter how small we may feel in the world, and The Life of Chuck illustrates that beautifully. It follows the life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz as he experiences love, joy, and the heartbreaks that make us all human. The cast is wonderful, with Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mark Hammil stealing the show. It’s a deeply profound film that was criminally underseen, and I hope more people watch it in the future.
4. Marty Supreme
Set in the 1950s, Marty Supreme follows Marty Mouser (Timothee Chalamet) as he pursues his dreams of becoming a champion table-tennis player. Mostly. It is a lot more than that, but that’s the gist of it. Taking place shortly after WW2 and with Marty being a young Jewish man, it opens the story up to say a lot about post war sentiment and the pursuit of the American dream. Much like the pacing of the film, Marty is a freight train who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means taking down whatever is in his way. He’s a horrible protagonist and one that we often have a hard time getting behind, but the movie is hard to take your eyes off of, and you can’t help but wonder what is going to happen next. Chalamet is incredible in it, but the supporting cast is phenomenal. It’s not for everyone, but if you like a slice of life thrill ride, it might be for you.
3. Train Dreams
If Marty Supreme is about the pursuit of the American dream, Train Dreams is about living the American dream. It is a character study about a man coming up to modernity and coping with all of the changes around him. Joel Edgerton gives the best performance of his career, and Felicity Jones is next level. It’s a meditative film that often feels like a dream; it’s mythical while also feeling intimate. My bias might be showing, but it establishes The Pacific Northwest as a character, a place which also happens to be my home. The forests are ancient, and the trees share secrets, something you can feel in both the movie and in real life. It’s a wonderful film that is a rollercoaster of emotions and one we can all relate to to some extent.
2. One Battle After Another
Leonardo DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti shine in One Battle After Another, one of the most relevant and adrenaline-filled films to come out of Hollywood in a long time. It’s about Bob Ferguson, an ex-revolutionary who lives off-grid and attempts to live a normal life with his daughter, Willa, until his past catches up with him. His past comes in the form of the villainous Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), who will stop at nothing to destroy Bob and his daughter for reasons I don’t spoil here. Director Paul Thomas Anderson and cinematographer Michael Bauman give it a timeless feel, which will help it live on for years to come. It’s a comedic action thriller with a sharp political edge that features a cast at the top of their game. Everything about the film is amazing, but it doesn’t hold a torch to my number one pick…
1. Sinners
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is easily the best film of the year. It’s a southern gothic horror story anchored by some of the best performances of the year, specifically Michael B. Jordan as The Smokestack Twins and Miles Canton as Sammy. It’s a celebration of the blues as both a tradition and a culture. The cinematography by Autumn Durand Arkenpaw brings the Delta to life in ways we have never seen before, and the music by Ludwig Goransson will stick with you long after the movie is over. Oh yeah, and there’s vampires and a lot of blood. It’s fun. I didn’t have to see it four times in theaters to know it was a masterpiece; I knew it after my first experience watching it. It’s incredible!