2025 in Rearview (Pages and Stages)

There were three goals I had rolling into 2025. Watch more movies, read more books, attend more live shows. It was my hope to keep myself distracted so the news of the real world didn’t drain my already weary soul. I succeeded. I watched more movies last year than I have in a long time. Books and performances on the other hand … Technically I did it. While I didn’t read as many books or go to as many concerts as I would like, I did more in both categories than in the year (years?) prior.

As with the movies, I ranked them in two separate lists for you to enjoy. Solely objective, completely opinionated, and set in wet concrete. With a solid enough argument, I could change my mind. Should you want details of any of my choices below, all you need to do is ask.

Watching Evil Dead: Unlocking the Radiant Artist Within (2025) 10/10

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (1980, revised in 2003) 9/10

Hip-Hop Is History by Questlove (2024) 8.5/10

UnClobber by Colby Martin (2016) 8.5/10

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams (2004) 8/10

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie (2025) 8/10

Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson (2024) 6.5/10

We Ate the Dark by Mallory Pearson (2024) 0.5/10

Georgia Warder / Andrew Rivers / Steve Hofstetter (Comedy) 10/10

Puddles Pity Party / Weird Al (Music) 10/10

Gabrielle Grace / Joseph (Music) 10/10

Adam Conover (Comedy) 10/10

Heather Shaw (Comedy) 9/10

Amos Gill (Comedy) 8.5/10

Nonpoint / POD / Seether (Music) 7/10

While this quantity is an improvement over the year prior, I do hope to exceed 2025’s productivity in this new year. My wife and I are reading Dungeon Crawler Carl together and I’m reading Baby Teeth when I’m home alone. Maybe next year I’ll have more to look back upon.

2025 in Rearview (For the Movies)

At the beginning of the year, my resolution was to watch more movies, read more books, and see more shows. It was a smashing (ish) success. On the cinematic side of things, I watched 74 new (or new to me) films – action, comedy, horror, documentary, and more. Some were great, others were weird, and a few were atrocities I would recommend no one ever watches. I don’t have time to review all of them; instead they are listed below in two parts. First up are the movies released in 2025 – not just new to me, but new to everyone. The second list belongs to older titles which (for one reason or another) I had yet to see. Both tabulations are ordered from my favorite to my least favorite.

If you think I’m wrong, good. Such a disagreement proves you and I have different tastes and opinions. Also, my calculations are purely unscientific and my ranking could change over time. This is a subjective snapshot of my current state of mind as I look back on the dumpster fire of the year that was. If you’re curious of my one to ten scale rating of any individual movie – just let me know. Enough of the trailers, please silence your cell phones, it’s time for the show.

Life of Chuck (2025)

Superman (2025)

The Great Flood (2025)

Weapons (2025)

Frankenstein (2025)

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Better Man (2025)

Love Hurts (2025)

The Thursday Murder Club (2025)

The Perfect Neighbor (2025)

Nobody 2 (2025)

John Candy: I Like Me (2025)

Death of a Unicorn (2025)

Being Eddie (2025)

You’re Cordially Invited (2025)

Sinners (2025)

The Thunderbolts* (2025)

Lilo & Stitch (2025)

Mickey 17 (2025)

One Shot With Ed Sheeran (2025)

Karate Kid Legends (2025)

Captain America New World Order (2025)

Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)

Novocaine (2025)

Roofman (2025)

K-Pop Demon Hunters (2025)

The Naked Gun (2025)

Freakier Friday (2025)

The Pickup (2025)

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)

Wolf Man (2025)

Megan 2 (2025)

One Battle After Another (2025)

Elio (2025)

Wicked For Good (2025)

Jay Kelly (2025)

Nosferatu (2025)

The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025)

G20 (2025)

The Wrong Paris (2025)

Bring Her Back (2025)

The Legend of Ochi (2025)

A House of Dynamite (2025)

Heads of State (2025)

Friendship (2025)

Back in Action (2025)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

The Accountant 2 (2025)

A Working Man (2025)

Straw (2025)

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Knives Out (2019)

Stay Human (2018)

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Will & Harper (2024)

My Old Ass (2024)

Abigail (2024)

Glass Onion a Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Jackpot (2024)

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Aquaman (2018)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Plane (2023)

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)

Talk to Me (2022)

Taken In Plain Sight (2024)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Mechanic Resurection (2016)

The Girl Who Got Away (2021)

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Blink Twice (2024)