This was a heavy year. Beyond the collective grief of watching our communities be ravaged by real-life villains that felt ripped from a Spielberg or Glazer film, it was also a year of enormous personal change. I got married, settled into a new job, and had the quiet, slightly dizzying realization that by the time I sit down to write my 2026 year-in-review, I’ll be a dad. Woah.

When the world feels loud, painful and unsteady, it can be hard to know what to hold onto, or where to focus your attention. Lucky for me, and maybe for you too, there’s almost always a movie for that. This year’s films reminded me of the value of lighter moments, of the permission to sit with the overwhelming ones, and of how strange and meaningful it is to be alive at the same time. More than most years, these movies didn’t feel prophetic or forward-looking. They felt present, like reflections of the exact moment we’re living through rather than warnings about where we might be headed.

I saw 106 new releases in 2025. Presented with their own prestigious individualized award, my Top 30 along with some (dis)honorable mentions:

The Please-Just-Make-It-Stop Award:

Captain America: Brave New World, Wicked: For Good, Jurassic World Rebirth & Fantastic 4: First Steps

Look, I am not naive to the age-old Hollywood mantra of "one for them, one for me” but the auteurs that are making the ones for “them” have completely lost the capacity to make ones for “me” - literally me. Make something I want to see, damnit! Each of these movies required an amount of computer power that would make Al Gore and our Ozone layer have a meltdown. That being said, it is likely my fault because I saw all 4 of these in theaters on opening weekend. Judge me. I deserve it.

The Thank-You-Sir-May-I-Have-Another Award:

Relay, Fight or Flight, She Rides Shotgun & Novocaine

These exist on the same plane as previous award recipients, but , unlike those, these four accept what they are: straightforward and unserious fun. Each stars a fun face for an action flick and they look straight into the screen and tell you to shut your brain off and enjoy. Happy to and thanks for the permission, Josh Hartnett!

The Time-To-Make-Amends Award:

The Smashing Machine & Honey Don’t!

When my brother and I fight, no one cares. When our finest sibling filmaking duos decide to pursue some solo projects, we all suffer. The Coen’s have had a profound impact on me with their work. The solo tour, including this year’s Honey Don’t! misses the mark in such a specific way that it tickles the part of my brain that longs for quick, witty dialogue, stupidly lovable characters, and sexual transgressions. It’s also proof that sometimes I’d rather have none of it than whatever the hell this is. My relationship to the Safdie brothers isn’t as important, but I wish they’d bury the hatchet. In both cases, it kills me to see such nice Jewish boys in disarray!

The Truest-Interpretation-Of-Shakespeare Award:

Grand Theft Hamlet & Hamnet

First off - books are for squares. My Shakespeare interest and consumption begins and ends at the moving pictures. In one, a few lonely folks during the COVID-19 pandemic put on a full reenactment of Hamlet in the video game world of Grand Theft Auto. It’s quite the exploration of loneliness and humanity during a very difficult time. The other, Hamnet, puts Shakespeare fanfic to the big screen and elicits award worthy performances from Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley.