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Movies of 2025!

Familiar Touch

It’s already April and I’m finally getting to my favorite films viewed last year. 2025 was a great year for independent film. While many have said otherwise, I was able to create a Top 40 film list all earning 4 stars out of 5 or more! Films I swore would be in my Top 10 for the year ended up much lower because of the number of particularly strong films I saw. And I saw a lot of 2025 releases. To be clear, this list is films I have seen that were released in 2025, not films I saw in 2025. It appears I watched 108 films released in 2025. I may have missed a couple, but it’s nice to break 100 again. Perhaps the first time since the pandemic kept us indoors in 2020 and 2021.

There were only two big budget studio films in my Top 40, Fantastic Four: First Steps and Is This Thing On? Last year’s big Oscar winners didn’t fare all that well with me, with One Battle After Another hitting at #72 (and I actually enjoyed this film well enough), and Sinners at #86. The other big superhero flick, Superman came in at #87. Below are the films I ranked #31 – 40, with a few honorable mentions below.

Jazzy

#31) Jazzy – In Morissa Moltz’s sequel of sorts to her lovely debut narrative, The Unknown Country explores the passage from childhood to young adulthood, as Jazzy must deal with her best friend moving away. As in her previous films, Maltz melds narrative and documentary, and features a great cameo from her last film, Lily Gladstone.

#32) The Testament of Ann Lee – Mona Fastvold’s big swing scores a double, I guess, with her ambitious and massive telling of Ann Lee, the woman who founded the Shaker movement. The first half of this film was a bit scattered, and dragged, but once the family and movement left the UK for the colonies, things really took off. The music and choreography were outstanding, those extended sequences really pulling the viewer into the worship of the community. Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, and Christopher Abbot give strong performance. This is a unique and powerful story told by a bold new voice who co-wrote and produced The Brutalist.

Oceans are the Real Continents

#33) Oceans Are the Real Continents – Three stories focusing on residents of different generations living in the inland town of San Antonio, Cuba illustrate separation in this gorgeous and poignant debut feature from Italian writer/director Tommaso Santambrogio. Alex and Edith are a young couple in their 20’s both theatrical artists, who face a critical turning point when Edith receives the opportunity to go to Italy and has no intention of returning. Frank and Alain are childhood pals who dream of becoming famous ball players for the New York Yankees, living with their families in neighboring mansions despite the real threat of Frank’s family emigrating to the U.S. in the near future. Milagros is solitary woman in her later years still mourning the loss of her husband in the Angola War years in the past. The three stories all take place in the same town, but they rarely intersect, and even then only incidentally. Yet they tell the story of Cuba in a profoundly moving way, highlighted by the stunning black & white cinematography. Sound Design is also stunning with the wind morphing into the ocean tides, then once more into a burning car in a marvelous sequence. All the characters are played by non-actors, and do a stellar job; a tribute to this new director’s skills.

#34) The Secret Agent – There’s a lot to like about Kleber Mendonça Filho’s latest film, but there’s not enough to rank it higher on this list. Filho is an interesting and accomplished filmmaker, and his latest, a look back on a widower being persecuted by government officials for some unknown reason in a small Brazilian city highlights some of his strengths. However, the excessive running time, and the bizarre use of his over-the-top, cartoonish violence (something that really detracted from Bacarau as well) disrupted the tone and effectiveness of the film. Great performance from lead actor Wagner Moura, and the supporting, ensemble cast is one of the best of the year. Filho’s use of his home city is always fascinating. This film really used place so effectively. The fascinating reveal focusing on the young researcher looking at news archives was beautifully done.

#35) No Other Choice – A little too long, and while necessary, the first third of the film drags a little, but when things start popping, the film really leans into the absurdity, and that’s a good choice. The screenplay is taut, great to see Don McKellar involved. Superficially fun, but it has depth as it explores class divisions and the capitalist struggle to succeed. But then, that is director Park Chan-wook’s bread and butter, and he brings it to the fore beautifully with both humor and dread.

#36) Train Dreams – Gentle storytelling of a man’s long life, with moments of incredible beauty, alongside devastating loss and senseless violence. Clyde Edgerton is very strong as our subject, Robert, with lovely supporting roles from Kerry Condon and William H. Macy. Sadly, the film didn’t resonate as much with me as it should have given that it’s really my kind of film. When Kerry Condon’s character appeared, she injected such a beautiful, vibrant energy into the film I just kept hoping she would return. Cinemtography was beautiful, with the forest being such a huge part of the film. Nice racial and ecological themes running throughout. Director Clint Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar were the team responsible for 2024’s powerful Sing Sing, and they certainly do know how to tug the heartstrings.

Dead Mail

#37) Dead Mail – This was a surprise, and I wish it could have fought it’s way higher up my list! Taut, well-produced thriller with a low budget, but well-written and fascinating characters. Writer/directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy have created an original suspense/horror flick around the dead letter office at the post office, with a backdrop of synthesizer geeks. The cast is terrific, especially Tomas Boykin who plays a great protagonist unlike the usual fare, and when he disappears abruptly from the film his absence hits hard. Great tone throughout. Well worth a look!

#38) A Nice Indian Boy – Naveen is part of a nice, traditional Indian family, but as a gay man with a non-traditional sister, things don’t always run so smoohtly. When he brings his iancé Jay home to meet the parents, can they accept his white orphan boyfriend into the family? Director Roshan Sethi, working with a screenplay by Eric Randall, adapted from a play by Madhuri Shekar, amps up the family drama, the over-the-top hijinks of planning the perfect Indian wedding, Jay’s sweet patience, ad Naveen’s amusing neuroticism to create a fun-filled movie. Karan Soni and Konathan Groff are adorable and engaging as the trying-to-be-happy grooms-to-be.

#39) Familiar Touch – Kathleen Chalfant owns every scene in this gently exquisite film directed beautifully by Sarah Friedland. It tells a story about aging and memory that is both comforting and immutably sad. The sad history of the film revealed that David Lynch mainstay actress Grace Zabriske was developing this film with Friedland intending to play the lead, but her own growing dementia prevented her from playing the part. While Chalfant made the role seem effortless and powerful, I would have loved to see Zabriskie tackle the role.

September 5

#40) September 5 – Skirting the line between independent and Hollywood films (Paramount invested some into the production that was mostly funded independetly) Tim Fehlbaum tellsw a riveting story about journalism. The film is a straight-forward, well-made political thriller about the terrorists who took 11 Israeli participants at the Munich Olympics in 1972 hostage, and the live news coverage of these events by ABC. Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, and Ben Chaplin are all well-known, strong actors who bring the real life individuals to life. I was particularly pleased to see a terrific performance by Leonie Benesch (The Teachers’ Lounge) in a pivotal role.

Honorable Mentions: Suze, An Unfinished Film, Bob Trevino Likes It, I’m Still Here, Father Mother Sister Brother, Viet and Nam, Ponyboi, To Kill a Wolf, The Girl with the Needle, Invention, The Practice, D(e)AD

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Favorite Books Read in 2025 — #’s 1! (And a complete list)

Finally made it to the top of the list of my favorite books read in 2025, and I have to say, it was a strong batch! My #1 kind of came out of nowhere, as I wasn’t expecting it, and I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be my top book of the year. More on that later. First, here is a recap of the books I enjoyed in 2025.

#20 – Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
#19 – Regrets by Matt Charman
#18 – Mislaid by Neill Zink
#17 – On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
#16 – Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne
#15 – The Moonday Letters by Emmi Itäranta
#14 – We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida
#13 – To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage
#12 – After the Flood by Alexnadra Monag
#11 – Rental House by Weikie Wang
#10 – The Frequency of Living Things by Nick Fuller Googins
#09 – Semiosis by Sue Burke
#08 – The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger
#07 – The True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) – Rabih Alameddin
#06 – A Line You Have Traced by Rosin Dunnett
#05 – When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Regan Barhnhill
#04 – Room to Dream by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna
#03 – Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success by Miki Berenyi
#02 – Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haig

#1 – Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson (2025)

Run for the Hills is the third book/novel of Wilson’s that I have read, and he’s been on an upward trajectory since I read his 2011 novel, The Family Fang which was my #9 book read that year. Seven years later, he scored again, this time rising all the way up to the #2 slot with Nothing to See Here. Well this year he nabs the top spot for the first time, with another story about a quirky, non-traditional family that resonates strongly and hits all the right notes.

Kevin Wilson has created a unique and powerfully moving novel about family… family connected by blood, but also found. Charles Hill has had multiple families, each one with a partner, and raising a child, each one in serial succession, starting in Boston, then Tennessee, the Oklahoma, then Utah and finally California, none knowing about any of the others until the oldest, Reuben, loses his mother and hires a private detective to track down his long missing father. This leads him to Mad, his half-sister in Oklahoma and starts a quest for the disparate members of this disconnect family to find their father again.

With Mad, an organic farmer in Oklahoma, centering this lovely story, Wilson takes through a range of emotion, with a good dose of humor on a road trip that is unbelievable, and strongly rooted in what so many people struggle with every day… connection. A truly and unexpectedl beautiful and grounding tale.

And that’s my list. Next up — my favorite movies of 2025!

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Favorite Books Read in 2025 — #’s 3 & 2

Now we’re really cooking… honing in on my favorite books read in 2025. And #’s 3 and 2 were no slouches either! One I was expecting to be good, was worried that I wasn’t going to like, then ended up loving! The other was a total surprise! The former was a by an author whose work I am very familiar with and is among my favorites. The latter brings me back to my memoir by rock & roll women. Read on…

#3 – Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success by Miki Berenyi (2022)

I’ve been waiting for, but not really expecting to find, a rock ‘n roll memoir from another woman in the field that would match Tracey Thorn’s body of work. Imagine my surprise to find it in the form of Miki Berenyi, lead vocalist/songwriter/guitarist of the 90’s British band, Lush. Perhaps not as accomplished a writer as Thorn — Berenyi doesn’t weave in larger topics quite as elegantly — the memoir, Fingers Crossed deftly tells the story of being brought up in the 70’s by a pair of unconventional, divorced parents, a Hungarian father, and a Japanese mother, suffering emotional and physical abuse, and eventually becoming one of the driving forces of an unlikely band.

Fingers Crossed is packed with personal history, musings, the raw, hard facts about the music industry, and plenty about how tough it is for women, yet it moves along very quickly. Berenyi’s self-depracating, yet brash, delivery suits both the time and the atmosphere well, especially when put in the context of the hindsight of an adult. It was compelling reading about a performer, both personally and artistically, who I only knew from albums and videos from the 90’s, a period of time I lost a lot of interest in music. It made me go back to Lush’s music, and remembering how much I enjoyed it. Berenyi’s background makes for fascinating reading, and paints a very vivid picture ofd the British rock ‘n roll scene in the 90’s.

#2 – Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh (2025)

As I was reading Jennifer Haigh’s latest novel (took me just three days!), Rabbit Moon, I was worried that it would one of her first books that I didn’t like. There was something somewhat off-putting that it took me a while to identify. When I did, I began to absorb this fascinating and powerful novel in a very different way. Haigh has the amazing ability to create characters without any judgement. She presents all of her characters fully, with no apology for their flaws or their shortcomings. They, like their beauty, or their kindness, make up who they are. It’s an astounding ability, and makes my appreciation of this novel all the more for it.

Rabbit Moon is a tragic story, about a young woman whose life is irrevocably altered through a random action, but more broadly, it’s about how her life affected a handful of people profoundly. What Haigh does so beautifully is show this in ways that are evident and ways that are only hinted at. Utterly engrossing, and beautifully rewarding, Rabbit Moon may have just become my favorite of her expertly written novels.

Jennifer is local to Boston and we’re so privileged to have her here as a local. Her body of work is astounding, the storytelling so rich, her character so compelling. I look forward to every new work she creates, and I hope she’s a got a lot more stories to tell in that head of hers!

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Favorite Books Read in 2025 — #’s 5 & 4

As we hit myTop 5 books read in 2025, we’ve got a mix of novels and memoirs. My #5 book was a fun surprise, recommended to me by my sister-in-law, Dawn, it wasn’t a book I had heard of, and it was a unexpectedly lovely read. And my #4 book I read as a tribute to a highly-acclaimed, and beloved filmmaker who passed away early in the yeatr.

#5 – When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill (2022)

Kelly Barnhill’s novel, When Women Were Dragons explores the often soul-crushing struggles, all-encompassing suppressed rage, and all-too rare transcendent joy women have experience throughout human history. In an allegorical alternative history, Barnhill uses those struggles to give the rage and the joy a physical form. Alex Green is coming of age in the 1950’s, with a physically fragile, but emotionally rigid mother, an all-but absent father, a free-spirited unconventional aunt, and Beatrice, a passionate dervish of a young cousin. After a worldwide, some might say catastrophic, others might say euphoric, event in 1955, the world changes, despite the government and the press’ all-encompassing cover-up.

Alex and Beatrice endure challenges far beyond those of most children, but with a combination of science and an ancient legacy that stems from the ancient days of feminine power, they ultimately emerge triumphant in this imaginative and rewarding book.

#4 – Room to Dream by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna (2018)

In honor of the great director David Lynch’s passing recently, I decided to read his 2018 biography/memoir, Room to Dream. Knowing some of Lynch’s eccentricities, both gleaned from his incredible body of work, and the press he has received over the years, I was hoping for a fascinating and revealing account of his life. I was not disappointed.

The book is structured in an ingenious manner, with alternating chapters written by Lynch himself, and his biographer, Kristine McKenna. Starting with his childhood, and going through all of the man’s eclectic work in film, television, music, art and TM, McKenna accounts the details of his life, filled with quotes and stories from the many people who worked with him, then Lynch covers the same ground from his own recollections.

What becomes abundantly clear is that Lynch was a genius, a humanitarian, somewhat obsessive, a ladies man, and a true friend, who had little patience for the industry he worked in. Besides the extensive dives into the making of all his film and television work, the book explores his work producing and making music (most notably his deep partnership with Angelo Badalmenti), and his lifelong work creating art in many different mediums. The book explores his fascination and devotion to meditation and his work with the Maharashi as well.

While occasionally effusive in its praise of the man, it becomes clear through the many interviews with his hundreds of partners, colleagues, friends, wives and family that Lynch was a man that people loved being around, a charming, loyal, fascinating artist who received praise from those around him even if they were no longer part of his circle.

Filled with amazing photography, and a comprehensive listing of his film, music and artwork exhibitions, Room to Dream is a wonderful book for the Lynch devotee and the casual fan alike.

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Favorite Books Read in 2025 — #’s 7 & 6

Closing in on the Top 5 we have a couple of international novels that take place abroad. One is a literary novel with elements of time travel, the other is a mother son story set in war-torn Beirut with a wittily biting voice.

#7 – The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine (2025)

Acclaimed author Rabih Alameddine has written a caustically funny novel about a Lebanese man living in Beirut across six challenging decades, both personally and nationally, all while dealing with his beloved and hated mother. Nearing the age where many people retire, Raja, the solitary, orderly, “neighborhood homosexual” is still teaching his “brats” when an opportunity presents itself to take a three-month sabbatical in America — a journey that sends him on a journey throughout his life, recounting the personal and political upheaval he has endured.

Alameddine has a sarcastic humor that gets Raja through difficult times. His relationship with his mother is complex and fascinating, and it’s always illuminating to read LGBTQ+ stories from outside mainstream American culture.

#8 – A Line You Have Traced by Roisin Dunnett (2025)

Beautifully written speculative fiction about three women from different times whose connected lives come together in a unique way to change the course of the future as the world approaches an environmental collapse. Bea lives in Post World War I London living a quiet life in Jewish East London, confused by the sporadic, mysterious visits by an ‘angel.’ Kay hangs out with her friends in contemporary East London’s underground queer scene finding herself visited by time travelers. While years in the future, Ess, part of a group that is preparing for the end of human life on earth, becomes caught up in a plan to make a journey into the past to help save the present.

Roisin Dunnett’s debut novel is an intricately plotted portrait of three unique women and the unbelievable encounters they must make sense of. With deep roots in the exploration of personal history, it’s a unique and vibrant work.