As a side note, a few films that released this year and didn’t quite make the list but still deserved an honorable mention include “Wicked: For Good,” “Thunderbolts*,” “Arco,” and “Sinners,” all of which are good films that I enjoyed but didn’t quite top my list.
10. “Jay Kelly”
I originally checked out this comedy/drama flick ironically, since seeing George Clooney and Adam Sandler on the same poster made me chuckle somewhat. I was pleasantly surprised with a genuinely funny and surprisingly dramatic movie. It has problems, including a few scenes feeling artificial and trying to manipulate you into feeling bad for Clooney’s character, and the script feeling pretty standard, but I still had fun with this movie. It is the only 7/10 film that made my Top 10 this year.
9. “Superman”
One of the few universal truths of the world is that James Gunn makes really good superhero movies. I have never been a fan of Superman, but Gunn managed to take a superhero who I usually find boring and flat and makes him into a dynamic character. The whole movie is very entertaining for both diehard comic book fans and casual fans alike. The standouts of the film are Gunn’s signature writing and directing, which has all the same charm as his work on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, and the impeccable acting delivered by David Corenswet, who played Superman, and Nicholas Hoult, who played Lex Luthor. 8/10.
8. “F1”
I do not like sports films at all. When thinking about sports films I actually like, the only ones are actually dramas that have sports as background plots, such as “42” or “The Blind Side.” “F1” is probably the first sports movie I have seen, in which I enjoyed the sports part of the film. The racing scenes are well shot and directed and managed to get me, someone who does not know anything about any kind of sport, actually invested in what was happening on screen. This is helped by Brad Pitt’s acting, in what is, in my opinion, his best role yet. I have not seen “Fight Club,” though, so maybe I am full of crap. Anyways, 8/10 film.
7. “One Battle After Another”
This is the only film on my list that is actually a frontrunner for the Best Picture race this year. As someone who loves to hate-watch the Oscars every year, I always make an effort to watch every Best Picture nominee, and while “One Battle After Another” is not my favorite of the likely nominees, it is the one that is most likely to win and I am perfectly okay with that. This film’s greatest strength is its screenplay, which is among the tightest that I have ever seen. Additionally, the acting sells all of the drama. The cast is uniformly great, with particular standout performances from Teyana Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio. I am absolutely okay with this winning Best Picture this year. 8/10.
6. “The Long Walk”
I really, REALLY hate horror films, but I was surprised with how good this one was. That is mostly because, despite being marketed as horror, “The Long Walk” is more of a drama. If you cannot tell by this point, dramas are easily my favorite movie genre. Fans of “The Hunger Games” or “Squid Game” will really enjoy this film since it has a very similar vibe. Though, do not watch it if you do not do well with blood since there is a lot of that in this film. The movie is admittedly flawed, with some awkward dialogue and a somewhat weak script, but the movie makes up for that in excellent technical aspects. This is quality low-budget filmmaking. Lighting, editing, sound design, directing – all of it is impressive. 8/10.
5. “K-Pop Demon Hunters”
I honestly cannot believe that I still love this movie as much as I do. I reviewed it in the first physical copy of The Guidon in October, and I have honestly only grown to love it even more. The animation is fluid, the characters are likable, the story is creative and the songs are all bangers. I still have problems with it, like the lack of focus on some of the really enjoyable main cast and a few pacing issues, but that has not stopped me from loving this movie. There is another animated film that came out this year that I loved more, but since it is unlikely that will win Best Animated Feature, I really hope this does. In my first review, I gave it an 8/10, but I am honestly bumping that score up to a 9/10. PLEASE, watch it.
4. “The Phoenician Scheme”
I am honestly struggling to review this movie. Wes Anderson movies are always hard to talk about because they are all so weird. He has a unique directing style that I personally love, but one that leaves a lot of questions in your mind after the movie is over. I honestly do not know what to think about the movie after watching it, other than I think it was really great. The direction was the best part, and the set designs were spectacular. I was in awe with some of the sets in this film. This is not Anderson’s greatest work, but it is definitely one of his best. 9/10.
3. “Wake Up Dead Man”
Before I even watched this movie, I knew it was going to end up on this list. “Wake Up Dead Man” is the third installment in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” trilogy. The first film in the series, “Knives Out”, was a creative and tense murder mystery that I loved. The second film in the series, “Glass Onion,” was a creative and tense murder mystery that I loved. And, I feel the exact same way about “Wake Up Dead Man.” It is a creative and tense murder mystery that I love. It is honestly the best film in the trilogy, though they are all 9/10 films. I really cannot say too much about this movie; after all it is a murder mystery where the less you know going in, the better the movie is. Please just watch the full trilogy, as they are all amazing.
2. “Frankenstein”
I have always loved Guillermo del Toro as a director, but after watching his latest film, “Frankenstein,” along with watching his adaptation of “Pinocchio” for the first time earlier this year, he is quickly becoming one of my favorites. This movie is incredible and is definitely my favorite film that is a likely nominee for Best Picture. I have never seen or read any adaptation of the “Frankenstein” story before, not even the original novel or the famous 1931 film, but if they are all as good as this film, I need to read them and watch them immediately. The titular Victor Frankenstein is legitimately one of my new favorite film characters of all time, being a perfectly written villain protagonist. His monster, while not quite as engaging as a character, is still such a lovely and tragic soul brought to life by my favorite acting performance of the year, delivered by Jacob Elordi. Even though I think Frankenstein is a better-written character, Oscar Isaac’s delivery of said character is rather simple in comparison. It is great, it kind of needs to be in order to bring that character to life, but Elordi pours his heart and soul into this amazing performance. This film also has the best technical aspects of any movie I have seen this year, including some amazing makeup, which is something I almost never compliment in a film, as well as phenomenal set design and editing, two things that del Toro films are always good at. Of course, there is the directing, done by Guillermo del Toro himself, which obviously makes it amazing. You can bet I am rooting for this film to sweep at the Oscars. 9/10, please watch it.
1. “Lost in Starlight”
I initially checked out “Lost in Starlight” after a film reviewer I really like recommended it, describing it as a Korean animated film produced by Netflix that came out this year and was heavily overshadowed by “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” I went in expecting something cute but likely pretty corny, since it is a romance film, a genre I normally do not care for. After watching it, I was genuinely shocked. This is not only my favorite movie of 2025, but it is among my favorite animated films of all time. It is simultaneously a heartwarming and heart-wrenching film about a woman who spends all her life dreaming of going to Mars but being torn when she finds love on Earth. The direction, editing, pacing, script, sound design and voice acting are all amazing, but the crown jewel of this film is the animation. I have no qualms with saying that this is the best animation I have ever seen in a feature film, with every shot being gorgeous. Everything about this movie just comes together perfectly. I have not seen a movie where everything worked together this well since “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which if you did not know, is one of my favorite movies of all time. “Lost in Starlight” is an easy 10/10. More than anything else on this list, I really encourage you to watch it.
