This entry takes us from 89 to 67 and exists almost entirely in the 3.5 star zone on my Letterboxd list. These movies were all okay. I’m not sure if any of them would ever get a rewatch, but I also didn’t hate them. If you loved any of these films I could fully see why, but they just weren’t for me.

As always I count 2025 releases as any movie that became available to the masses last year. So even if it had a 2023 festival release, I count it as 2025 if it got it’s theatrical release, even a limited one, last year.

Rental Legend: (F)andango, (G)oogle, (P)rime, (Y)outube, (A)pple. If the prices vary they’ll go in order from cheapest to most expensive. Otherwise it’s whatever order I felt like at the time. And these are subject to change of course.

89: Nobody 2 (Peacock or rent for 5.99 from Y/G/A/F)
These films are fun. I think the first one is better and has a better story but this one feels like it’s just for the fans of the original. So if you liked Nobody then you’ll probably like this one. This is the kind of story that’s easy to fall into. I ended up having to pause and continue the film a few hours later and I didn’t feel like that gap in time affected my enjoyment. This isn’t quite mindless action, but it’s mindless adjacent.
6.5 out of 11

88: Night of the Zoopocalypse (Prime or rent for 1.99 on Apple TV+)
Just like I said with Don’t Get Eaten (number 105), this movie could be a great entry into the world of zombie films if you think your young ones may not be ready for an actual zombie movie. I had fun with this but I believe the only way I’d rewatch it would be one day when I eventually have children. Oh, and this also is based on a Clive Barker story so there’s another entry point for kids if you think they’re too young for Hellraiser.
7 out of 11

87: Back In Action (Netflix)
Every year there’s a bunch of mindless action/crime comedies and this one of the better ones that came out. This has a fantastic cast with two proven comedic actors leading the way. Jamie Foxx and Cameroon Diaz are very funny and know how to handle movies like this. They bring a level of relatability to a situation that we will never find ourselves in. This is a great film if you just want dumb entertainment.
7 out of 11

86: Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (HBO Max or rent for 5.99 on G/A/F)
I was excited for this film. I loved the first Spinal Tap and the late Rob Reiner is a legendary director. They also got some great cameos in this which I won’t spoil because I forgot which ones here hinted at in the trailer. But this should have been a five star movie. It should have been a ten out of ten, but unfortunately when this movie it drags more than a zombie’s broken leg. There were a few scenes that had me so bored I kept glancing at my watch. But the rest of the movie kind of made up for those lulls.
7 out of 11

85: I Know What You Did Last Summer (Netflix or rent for 5.99 on Y/G/A/F/P)
These legacy sequels sure are hit or miss. Sometimes they’re great and sometimes they try a bit too hard and miss the point. This movie lives in both of those worlds. This was a lot of fun but the story just went South. I understand what they were trying to do but I feel like the way everything went didn’t pay homage to the original, it just slapped it in the face. But my disappointment aside, this was a good slasher.
7 out of 11

84: Until Dawn (Netflix or rent for 5.99 from Y/G/A/F/P)
I was nervous for this movie because it’s a video game adaptation and the batting average for those kinds of films isn’t great. I believe they’ve been better in recent history though and this one wasn’t bad. I have to be honest and say I’ve never played this game so I can’t say how accurate it is but I can say that as a time loop horror, it’s pretty good. Also justice for Abe (Belmont Cameli) who was probably the smartest character.
7 out of 11

83: A House of Dynamite (Netflix)
This should have been much better than it was. I loved The Hurt Locker which is probably Kathryn Bigelow’s biggest film so I had some moderate hopes for this one. I feel like Bigelow had just watched an Aaron Sorkin movie or maybe marathoned The West Wing because this really felt like an almost Avant Garde approach to Sorkin’s fast talking. This wasn’t bad but the style of jumping from one perspective to another in these chapters was a bit too jarring.
7 out of 11

82: R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead (Tubi)
Do you want to watch a feature length episode of Goosebumps, then this is for you. I’m not saying it as a bad thing. Just a way to manage your expectations. If you want a good family friendly movie for Halloween then this is the right one. This movie actually surprised me. When it wrapped up I had only predicted part of the ending and the other part left me impressed. There could be a sequel to this and I would understand why, but also if it stands alone, it’s still not a bad film for the season.
7 out of 11

81: Happy Gilmore 2 (Netflix)
My God this movie immediately had one of my least favorite tropes for a sequel. I won’t spoil it, even though it happens in the very beginning, but it’s so lazy. This film then had to spend the rest of the time earning my interest back and by the end, it did. Also the supporting cast was fantastic in this and I need more Bad Bunny in my life. Oh an Benny Safdie in this movie? And John Daly was hilarious. So this movie has a bunch going for it. But a lazy plot device kept it from being great.
7 out of 11

80: Borderline (Peacock, Prime, Xumo, Tubi, Pluto, Plex or rent for 4.99 from Y/G/A)
I think Samara Weaving needs way more love than she gets. I also think that Ray Nicholson is someone to watch out for. Jimmie Fails needs to do more in general because The Last Black Man in San Francisco was so good. So this movie has a good cast and it feels like the lovechild of P2 and You’re Next which are two great horrors. This was good, I may watch it again because I’m such a fan of Samara Weaving, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if I forgot I watched this and have to revisit it later.
7 out of 11

79: Heads of State (Prime or rent 3.99 to 5.99 from A/Y/G/F)
Fun fact: This year Idris Elba played the American president in A House of Dynamite and plays the UK Prime Minister in this film. As far as straight to streaming action comedies go, this was probably the best one this year. Idris Elba and John Cena are always entertaining. This movie is yet another example of why I believe that either Cena or Dave Bautista are the best wrestler turned actor. This has a great supporting cast including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Carla Gugino, Stephen Root, and Jack Quaid. So you can’t really go wrong with this. It’s just plain fun.
7 out of 11

78: Nuremberg (Rent for 19.99 from G/A/F/P)
This felt like Oscar bait. A November release that’s a historical drama about fighting the nazis? Come on, they wanted an Oscar for this. That being said that can’t take away from how good Russell Crowe is in this as Hermann Goring. And we got to see so much of him because this movie was kind of misnamed. It wasn’t about the trial as much as it was about Goring’s relationship with Dr. Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek). I knew that was going to be a focal point, but to have the trial as more of an afterthought feels wrong.
7 out of 11

77: Avatar: Fire and Ash (Still in theaters as of 1/7/25)
I just have to realize that while I’m not stoked for these movies, I will still always watch them. I enjoyed the third installment in this series but it could have been much cooler. This was basically Avatar: The Way of Water 2.0. It’s such a similar story that I was confused for a bit. Also one of the biggest events in the movie was spoiled in the trailer so when it happened I had no reaction to it. So this needed to separate itself from the second film but also not give everything away in the trailer.
7 out of 11

76: Cloud (Rent for 3.99 to 5.99 on P/A/F)
This Japanese thriller is an almost great movie. I feel like it loses some steam in the second act but an exciting third act brings it all together. This is one of those movies where no one is really in the right. Everyone shares a bit of the blame but, the good news is, that the main character is at least a little relatable. One of the main themes of the film is how some online heat can explode into violence and this film conveys that really well.
7.5 out of 11

75: Together (Hulu/Disney or rent for 5.99 from Y/G/A/F/P)
First off, I was disappointed that the Michael Shanks who directed this isn’t the same Michael Shanks from Stargate SG-1. So I don’t know what ever came of the lawsuit around this film so I’ll just move on assuming this film wasn’t stolen. Like all the other movies in part 3, this film was good but it could have been great. Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s real life relationship helped this film a lot because I really was rooting for Tim and Millie. I liked the cultish angle this film took but just like Keeper, I wish it had been a little spookier.
7.5 out of 11

74: Sisu: Road to Revenge (Rent for 19.99 from G/A/F/P)
These movies are ridiculous and I love them. This feels like it should have been based on a video game. This has a bit more of a story than the first (but of course when you’re killing nazis, do you really need a story) and the story does a lot to show why this sequel was a good idea. It fleshes out Aatami Korpi’s (Jorma Tommila) character so when he crosses paths with his old nemesis Yeagor Dragunov (Stephen Lang) it’s so satisfying. This is a great action film. The first is better, but this isn’t bad.
7.5 out of 11

73: Love Hurts (Prime or rent for 3.99 on Y/G/A/F)
This is one of the more decisive movies among my Letterboxd friends. The reviews range from five stars to one star and, of course, I fall right in the middle. This was fun and I’m a huge fan of the return of Ke Huy Quan and I loved Hamilton so Ariana DeBose is always on my radar (I loved her as the bullet). This is a harmless action comedy that was exciting to watch and has the bonus of having Marshawn Lynch in it.
7.5 out of 11

72: 40 Acres (Hulu/Disney)
The second Danielle Deadwyler film this year where she gets to costar alongside Michael Greyeyes, both of whom need more roles. This is an exciting post-apocalyptic thriller where the main characters are very easy to root for without coming across as tryhard. They make stupid decisions and some of them have a lot of growing to do, but the family is very likable. Also there’s a startling opening scene that shows us anything could happen so that kept me from assuming everyone had plot armor.
7.5 out of 11

71: The Home (Stars or rent for 5.99 on Y/G/A/F/P)
Pete Davidson in a horror? Sure, why not? Directed by James DeMonaco who did the first 3 Purge movies? Yeah, I was going to check this out. Pete Davidson is so disarming. He’s just generally a likable guy. I think if his character of Max was played by the wrong person, he would have been insufferable. This had an intriguing mystery to it and you know you can’t trust certain people but when the why comes to light it’s a very satisfying end.
7.5 out of 11

70: Jurassic World Rebirth (Peacock or rent for 5.99 from Y/F/G/A)
I wasn’t a fan of the first three Jurassic World movies. The first was okay, the second was garbage, and the third was only saved because of the original cast returning. But thankfully Chris Pratt is no where to be found in this one and that was one of the many saving graces. This film was a fun adventure movie. It may have been by the books and I never really felt any sense of danger for the main cast, but I still was glued to the screen. While it could have been a lot better, this is the best the series has been since JP3. Oh, and the big
7.5 out of 11

69 (heh): The Conjuring: Last Rights (HBO Max or rent for 6.99 on G/A/F)
I LOVE The Conjuring universe. But even my favorite horror franchises has some stinkers in it. But I’m glad this one wasn’t one of those. You know what to expect from a Conjuring movie. The real Warrens may have sucked but as far as I’m concerned Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are my Ed and Lorraine Warren now. This is a fitting end to the series, if it really is an end. I say that because this franchise makes money. But if it is the final film with them, it was a good send off.
7.5 out of 11

68: F1 (Apple TV+ or rent for 19.99 from Y/F/G)
I never watch Formula 1. I don’t enjoy racing. But I do love racing movies and my God di Joseph Kosinski direct and exciting one. It’s a familiar story that reminded me a bit of 2001s Driven, but better. The fact that this story was familiar and predictable only hurt it’s score a bit because the excitement kept me invested. The racing scenes were so much fun and I kept rooting for Sonny (Brad Pitt) and Joshua (Damson Idris).
7.5 out of 11

67: Caught Stealing (Netflix or rent for 5.99 from Y/G/A/F/P)
Every movie creator I knew was stoked to see this movie because it’s directed by Darren Aronofsky. But I have only seen one movie by him so I was ambivalent in regards to him. What sold me was the solid cast and they didn’t disappoint. This was an enjoyable crime comedy that took some dark turns that I was happy to see. This really drags in the second act but the third act brought me back.
7.5 out of 11