Well, ladies and gentlemen, we did it. We finally made it to the end of another year.
One of my favorite pastimes is going to the theater and catching the latest films. I love getting immersed in the worlds that filmmakers build for us as audiences and later reflecting on what those films had to say. This year, I watched a lot of movies that I would consider to be 2025 releases – more than 70 to be exact – both on streaming and in theaters. I’ve seen some movies I’ve loved, some movies I was disappointed by, and some movies I absolutely hated. And plenty of these movies are the kind where I haven’t been able to stop talking about them since I saw them.
With this in mind, I wanted to do a review of the films I’ve seen this year and give you a listing of the top ten best movies that I’ve watched in 2025. As a note, I’m only counting films that were either first released in Amarillo theaters in 2025 or films that were first made available on streaming in Amarillo in 2025. I have to make this distinction because at this time of the year, several acclaimed films that are more independent in nature are not being carried by local theaters in lieu of blockbuster films. For that reason, some very well-regarded 2025 films are ones I haven’t even seen yet, thanks to the way our theaters choose to screen films.
While we’re on the topic, Cinemark and Cinergy really need to do better about carrying more independent and smaller films at our local theaters. There’s obviously an audience for them based on the number of people I’ve seen in our auditoriums for select films from independent studios like A24. Maybe that’s something they can strive for in 2026.
Back on topic, I also want to apologize for missing one last 2025 film that I intended to see but wasn’t able to – “Song Sung Blue” starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. I was planning on seeing it tonight, but ended up coming down with the flu. My apologies, and I’ll try to do better next year.
Also, as a final disclaimer, these films are not necessarily critically the best, nor will you agree with me on every pick. However, these are the films I personally enjoyed the most in 2025.
With that being said, let’s get right into it and start with a few honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
Nuremberg
A historical retelling about the trial of Nazi leaders, “Nuremberg” is led by an impressive performance by Russell Crowe and is probably one of the most important movies of the year. It’s important that films like “Nuremberg” continue to be made so that this dark moment in history is not lost to time.
Rental Family
Brendan Fraser’s return to awards contention, “Rental Family,” is a touching look at an odd business offering human connection in Japan.
Good Fortune
Aziz Ansari writes and directs this Keanu Reeves-led comedy about an angel sent to earth to stop texting-and-driving car wrecks, only to end up causing chaos in two people’s lives.
Weapons
A chilling horror flick from Zach Cregger, “Weapons” is entertaining and perfectly casts Josh Brolin as a father looking for answers and Julia Garner as a teacher trying to clear her name.
One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller, the film features a strong leading performance by Leonardo DiCaprio as a stoner, former revolutionary running from a military leader played by Sean Penn. The film is likely to be a key player at the Oscars next year.
Black Bag
An espionage movie pitting two married spies (played by Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett) against one another, this film from Steven Soderbergh was one of the best early releases in 2025.
Ballad of a Small Player
Arguably featuring the best cinematography of the year, and a solid leading performance from Colin Farrell, “Ballad of a Small Player” is stylish, but is unfortunately hampered by a meandering plot.
David
An animated film from Angel Studios about the early life of King David, this musical is lighthearted, fun, and likely to be a classic of the Christian film genre for years to come.
F1: The Movie
Brad Pitt stars in this sweeping epic auto racing film that features pulse-pounding sound and special effects and a certain swagger that only Pitt can pull off.
Now, let’s get on to the top 10.