We’re almost done! This installment finishes up the 4 star movies and get’s us about halfway through my 4.5 star movies. Like I’ve said in the past few blogs, I try to like movies. I’m easy that way. I don’t want to pick them apart and pretend to be some critic. I mean, I am a critic, but not the stuffy kind who forgets movies can be fun. This blog takes us from number 43 to 21.
But as always I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Did you like these films? Did you hate them? Constructive criticism is always appreciated. I’ve disagreed with some of my best friends about some of these movies. Hell, one of my closest friends at work hated my movie of the year. So tell me your thoughts.
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.
43: Weapons (HBO Max or rent for 6.99 from G/A/F)
So director Zach Cregger directed two comedies back in the 2000s and then in 2022 went: “You know what? What if I wrote and directed a batshit crazy horror?” So he released Barbarian and three years later we got this. Weapons was a trip and any lull it may have had in its storytelling was made up for by one of the most cuckoo bananas movie ending I’ve seen in a while. I laughed so hard that it made me realize that this movie never really took itself too seriously. It’s not one big joke, but it’s tongue-in-cheek enough that the wacky ending doesn’t seem out of place. This was a ton of fun and all the fanfare was deserved.
42: The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix)
I’ve been wanting to read this book for a long time but kept putting it off, but I couldn’t skip this movie. I mean, look at that cast! Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, and Naomi Ackie? Good Lord. Not only does it have a great ensemble, but it’s an intriguing story as well. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel as far as mysteries go, but the talented in front of the camera as well as the talent of director Chris Columbus, made this well worth a watch. It’s funny without being campy and serious enough that it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a murder mystery.
41: The Ugly (Not available to stream as of 1/10/26)
A truly unique and heartbreaking Korean drama/mystery film that follows a young man who’s father is being featured in a documentary for his skill of making dojang (or a personal seal/signature stamp) while also being blind. But while the documentary is being made, some information comes to light regarding his long lost mother and he begins to investigate what happened to her. This was a great film and though I kind of saw where it was going, the how and why were still heartbreaking and tragic to see unfold. This film asks a lot of hard questions and it’s a great watch if you want something deep.
40: The Toxic Avenger (Disney+ or Amazon/Roku with Screambox. Rent 5.99 to 9.99 A/G/F)
In true Troma fashion, this is an over-the-top and bloody but I feel like it held back a bit. It sure wanted to make sure know that Troma was behind it, but I get the feeling that this was meant for a wider release so they pulled back. Even then, this was a fun film. I do wish it was Peter Dinklage behind the makeup, but all we get is a voiceover from him. The main cast including Jacob Tremblay, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon fill out the rest of the film nicely and we get a familiar but unique telling of Toxie’s story.
39: Bugonia (Peacock or rent for 9.99 on Y/G/A/F)
Before this I had only seen two Yorgos Lanthimos movies and I loved one and hated the other. So I went into this a bit hesitantly. The cast was great, but the cast of Kinds of Kindness was great too and that movie missed the mark. But Bugonia was something special and it’s all thanks to the cast. This story would have been way too weird if it wasn’t for the talent of Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, and the fantastic Aidan Delbis. In fact, I think Aidan Delbis should not just get an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor, he should win.
38. Lesbian Space Princess (Roku/Amazon with Fandor add on or rent for 3.99 G/A/F)
This movie could have gone either way. It was either going to be a fun and unique and slightly raunchy animated movie, or complete tryhard garbage. I’m happy to announce it was the former. This was funny and a bit on the nose but it was so forward about it’s themes that it made it hilarious. The vocal cast isn’t stuffed with celebrities how have no business being there, they’re all Australian and New Zealand actors like Shabana Azeez, Gemma Chua-Tran, and Kweek Kong. Also the bad guys, the Straight Whites Males, were voiced by Auntie Donna’s Zach, Mark, and Broden. Check out the trailer, if it looks funny, give it a shot.
37: The Roses (Hulu/Disney+ or rent for 5.99 from F/Y/G/A/P)
I was actually going to skip this movie. It just didn’t speak to me. I love the cast but the trailer left me cold. But I ended up watching a lot of movies while my wife was/still is in the hospital so I thought I ‘d give it a shot. I’m so glad I saw it. I had a blast with this one. This is a reimagining of War of the Roses but it stood apart in all the right ways. Even when they’re battling I couldn’t really pick a side. I liked both Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. By the end the movie’s message comes through and it’s a great complex story that has a satisfying ending.
36: Splitsville (rent for 5.99 from F/G/A/Y/P)
I don’t know what got me to watch this. At the time I wasn’t a Dakota Johnson fan and I felt like the movie might be too much for my secondhand embarrassment. But I saw it and it was hilarious. In fact it had my favorite fight scene of the year. It was so realistic for two normal ass dudes having a donnybrook and it really stood out as a highlight of the movie. This film was zany in the sense of the paths the story took but it all wound up with a satisfying end that felt earned. This was funny, romantic, and a blast.
35: Death of a Unicorn (HBO Max or rent from 4.99 to 19.99 from G/F/A/P)
This movie is so divisive. Among my Letterboxd friends this ranges from one to five stars and the overall score is a 2.7 with a bell curve peaking at three. Now that that technical talk is out of the way, I truly believe this movie is the perfect homage to Jurassic Park, there were certain scenes that were taken straight from the first JP movie and you can tell it was out of respect instead of straight stealing. This film is goofy and bloody and a lot of fun.
34: Materialists (HBO Max or rent for 4.99 to 5.99 from G/A/F)
This was the year I started to appreciate Dakota Johnson. I never liked her before. I thought she was a weak actress who had the emotional range of a early 2000s YA protagonist. But this year showed me where she belongs. In these indie romcoms. I gave this movie a chance because it was directed by Celine Song who did Past Lives which is one of the best movies from 2023. This was mostly predictable but it was also cute and entertaining and choosing between Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal does seem like an impossible choice.
33: Bob Trevino Likes It (Hulu/Disney+ or rent for 5.99 from G/A/F/P/Y)
I knew this movie was going to be a gut punch. We have Barbie Ferreira as an insecure young woman just seeking her asshole father’s approval when she accidently stumbles across a man with her fathers name online. The two form a friendship and can this Bob Trevino be the man her father could never be? So John Leguizamo is so good in this and you really grow to love the relationship between Bob and Lily (Barbie Ferreira). This movie is an emotional coming of age tale that is worth your time.
32: Song Sung Blue (Still in select theaters as of 1/10/26)
So we get a biopic of a Neil Diamond tribute group before a Neil Diamond biopic? You know what? I don’t mind. This was a great story and even though it took liberties, as far as I can tell, it kept the heart of the story in place. The music in this is great and there’s no one else who could have played the roles besides Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. This is a great movie about a guy and his daughter and a woman and her two kids of get together and for a close knit family. Be warned, this is a tear jerker but there’s great messages here.
31: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (Peacock or rent for 5.99 from Y/G/F/A)
I watched Downton Abbey until they killed my top two characters in the same season. But when I heard this movie was coming out I wanted to catch up because it truly was the end of an era. But I didn’t have the time so I figured I watch it anyway. And you know what? I didn’t really miss out. They do a small recap in the beginning but otherwise you can really pick up on the story from context clues. This was a very fitting finale for a much beloved show and I think Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) got a great ending, though I wish it was tweaked just a tad.
30: Black Bag (Prime or rent for 3.99 from F/G/A/Y)
This was the second Steven Soderbergh movie this year and the most entertaining of the two. While Presence (#91) wasn’t bad, this was a great sexy spy thriller. The chemistry between Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) and George (Michael Fassbender) was so good I could feel their desire through the screen. I don’t use the word sexy much to describe films but that really is the best word for it. It’s intense, and expertly paced. In fact if I don’t read a Black Bag inspired smutty romance novel this year, I’ll be very disappointed.
29: Mickey 17 (HBO Max or rent for 3.99 for G/A/F)
Multiplicity and Avatar but add Mark Ruffalo as a space Donald Trump like dictator? Yes please. This was a wild movie and I would expect nothing less from the legendary Bong Joon Ho (Parasite/Snow Piercer). This felt like a graphic novel on the silver screen and Robert Pattinson was great as all the different versions of Mickey. This movie is equal parts a fun sci-fi action/comedy and also a movie that has a message. Remember, all media is political. If you don’t like that, don’t consume it.
28: Freakier Friday (Disney+ or rent from 5.99 to 29.99 from A/F/P/Y/G)
I didn’t have high hopes for this movie. I thought it was going to be, at the very most, a three star stupid movie. But somehow writer Jordan Weiss and director Nisha Ganatra pulled it off. Also, Lindsay Lohan is back. Between this and her Netflix romcoms she has found her new niche. The only thing that really kept this from being great is a few storylines that really went nowhere. As much as it was good to see Chad Michael Murray again, his storyline was pointless and needed some fine tuning. But this was a great generational story and though it was familiar, it was fun. Also Jamie Lee Curtis is always great
27: The Long Walk (Starz or rent for 5.99 from P/G/F/A)
I never read the Stephen King Bachman book this was based on so I can’t tell you how accurate it is. What I can tell you is that this is a very isolating and dark post apocalyptic thriller. Mark Hamill is great as The Major and the main group of kids are very likable so when most of them eventually die (not a spoiler, it’s part of the plot), it really is a gut punch. You spend the movie getting to know them and there’s this sense of dread that you know only one can survive. So this kind of went where I predicted it would go, but I didn’t mind because this film was about the journey, not the destination.
26: Marty Supreme (Still in theaters as of 1/10/26)
I was clearly in the minority with this one. I didn’t really care to see it. I didn’t think it looked bad. I just had no interest. But so many of my movie creator friends were loving it and it was making such waves that I had to see it. I’m so very glad I did. I’m not a Safdie brothers fan. I have nothing against them. Their movies just never interested me because of how they’re dark movies about bad people. But somehow Timothee Chalamet made me root for this asshole named Marty. He makes bad decision after bad decision and I was still on his side. And Penn Jillette playing a racist hillbilly? I never thought I’d see that.
25: Heart Eyes (Netflix or 5.99 from G/A/F/P)
I love the director Josh Ruben. I’m a huge fan of his from his work on Dropout TV. So when I found out he was directing a slasher costarring Mason Gooding? I had to be there. This was a very well done horror/comedy/romance. It’s funny but it was still a serious slasher. The jokes and the romance story did nothing to take away from this being everything I wanted it to be as far as a callback to the old days of Michael and Jason. If you like slashers and you like horror comedies, then check this out.
24: Elio (Disney+ or rent for 5.99 from F/A/G/P/Y)
This was a charming Disney film even though it still proves that Disney is made up of cowards. Elio was supposed to be a queer coded character then the candy-ass higher ups said nope, we can’t show little queer children that their stories matter. But I’m happy to report that this is at least a good family movie about finding yourself and how parents and guardians need to try and understand their children’s likes and needs. This was fun but it could have been great.
23: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
I’m not all caught up with the Wallace & Gromit movies and I have to say that I didn’t see the first movie featuring the evil penguin. But I didn’t think that would matter much and you know what? It didn’t. Sure I probably missed a reference or something but I loved this film. It was a great way to start the year. The UK got this in December of 2024 but America got it in January (which is why I count it at 2025). You already know if you’re a fan of this series and if you’re not, that’s fine. But if you’re new to it or you’ve liked it in the past, you have to watch this.
22: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Rent for 5.99 F/P/G/A/Y)
This movie was made for me. I know it was. Someone was sitting in Hollywood thinking that Billiam is a big softy who loves romance and thinks Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie are great. This film is a magical look at how our past experiences shape us but also how we’re not stuck being a certain way just because our path led us to where we are. We can make a choice to choose happiness and this movie will show you that. It’s whimsical and beautiful but if you wanted something a bit more artsy then maybe it’s not for you. But for the rest of you, give it a shot.
21: Sentimental Value (Rent for 14.99 from P/F/G/A/Y)
I’ve heard so much about Renate Reinsve. I had no interest in The Worst Person in the World but I knew she had talent. I could tell from even the trailer. So when this movie came along, and you threw in Stellan Skarsgard, I knew it was a winner. This is a slow burn film that I actually felt a little bored watching at times. I was thinking this was going to be a 3.5 star film at most but, when it started to come together, I saw the vision and I was blown away. By the time the credits ran I was a fan and the score jumped from 3.5 to 4.5. If it didn’t drag in the middle it would have been a perfect 5 star film.
