My Top 20 Movies of 2025

A decade or so ago I was doing gigantic elaborate awards every year here that showcased my favorite movies, my favorite performances, and on and on and on... then the last decade happened and I'm lucky I can even get out of bed anymore y'all. Who has that kind of stamina anymore? Not I. Not I! So yes these things -- The Golden Trousers, as I've been calling them since 2007 -- have considerably narrowed. Tis what its. But I do feel proud that both last year and this year I'm at least getting these locked in before I dive head-long into fresh Sundance stuff, which basically marks the start of the next year of movies. (Apologies to the first three weeks of January releases every single year but you know what you did.) I'm doing Sundance virtually again this year but that still means that I'll be mostly off-line while I do that, so it's likely there'll be no MNPP for you starting this Wednesday, lasting about a week. And so it's best I get this done immediately, before that happens! Otherwise who knows, it could be months knowing me. So let us brush off these 2025 concerns as I head into the future, with one last glance back toward the past with 20 of '25s gifts and wonders....

My 20 Favorite Movies of 2025

20 -- SIRAT

19 -- AFTER THE HUNT

-- Read my review here! -- 

18 -- LURKER

-- Read my review here! -- 

17 -- PETER HUJAR'S DAY

-- Read my review here! -- 

16 -- WAKE UP DEAD MAN

15 -- THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME

-- Read my review here! -- 

14 -- BLACK BAG

-- Read my review here! -- 

13 -- DUST BUNNY

-- Read my review here! -- 

12 -- THE SECRET AGENT

11 -- MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART 1

10 -- SENTIMENTAL VALUE

9 -- GRIFFIN IN SUMMER

-- Read my review here! -- 

8 -- BUGONIA

-- Read my review here! -- 

7-- THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE

6 -- THE HISTORY OF SOUND

-- Read my review here! -- 

5 -- NO OTHER CHOICE

-- Read my review here! -- 

4 -- PILLION

-- Read my review here! -- 

3 -- PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF

-- Read my review here! -- 

2 -- MARTY SUPREME

-- Read my review here! -- 

1 -- ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

-- Read my review here! -- 

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I have like 20 runners-up but fuck it, 

I'm done. Goodbye forever, 2025! 

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)

Prosecutor Nusret: Ignore Naci. He's just 

a handful of bees, as my mother would say. 

All noise and no action.

I have such a vivid memory of watching this film at the New York Film Festival in the fall of 2011 -- you know how some images imprint themselves onto your brain? It's not just a specific image out of this gorgeous stream of images that director Nuri Bilge Ceylan assembled here, either -- it's a flow of images, of cars moving down dirt roads across distant hills and fields in the night-time, with the screen and the audience I was watching the film with itself included in the memory. It was as if we'd all be lifted and transported to this place where we hovered over on the next hill over, watching this drama unfold in the distance. 

It was a magical experience, one of those "this is why we go to a movie theater" religion of cinema things, and that's why we're wishing the great Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan a happy birthday today. Go watch his movies! All of the ones I've seen since have had the same sort of magical transportative quality to them. 

Wagner Moura Break

[censored]

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Challengers 2: Doubles or Nothing

Our tennis pallies briefly reunited at the Dior show in Paris earlier today so naturally we're dreaming of a Challengers sequel now -- where do you think Patrick and Art and Tashi ended up after that legendary final shot? (You're all going to say "in bed" aren't you?)

Good Morning, Sir Muck

I don't know if Industry will be kind enough to give us some Kit Harington flesh to greet every Monday morning with, but we're certainly going to seize onto it every time it does -- see also last week's bath-n-butt-stavaganza. Especially on a morning where I had to wade through knee-high slop to get to my desk after this weeken'd big snowstorm. Hope everyone dug themselves out good and proper and are feeling toasty -- on that last note I can help you with more gifs from this hysterically sleazy scene (THAT EDIT AT THE END, OH MY GOD) after the jump...

François Arnaud Take Us Away

Well I ended last week by sharing one of those Men's Health workout videos of Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams while being too lazy to gif the entire thing, so we might as well keep the theme rolling and do the same for his co-hunk François Arnaud today! François knows which side his bread's buttered on so he wore that same slutty gray Under Armour top from the show for it, bless him. Anyway I'm being lazy this time around and not giffing this video up because my office is closing early, and this is my goodbye to you for the weekend. Everybody in the path of the supposed big storm -- stay safe! I plan on barricading myself indoors with all my Sundance screeners and you know probably also this video of François uhh several times...

I Still Want Your Sex

THR has a great big piece today on Gregg Araki's return to filmmaking after a decade, I Want Your Sex which is premiering at Sundance this weekend -- the film stars Olivia Wilde as a provocative L.A.-based artist and Cooper Hoffman as her young assistant slash sexual conquest, and it'll surely be a button-pusher. I know I am feeling my button pushed by the photo down below of a Cooper & half-naked Mason Gooding hang-out! Anyway I'm trying to not be too bitter that I'm not able to see this since I'm only covering Sundance virtually this year and not in person, but... oh let's say I am not succeeding at that and leave it at that. So let's just enjoy this first batch of photos after the jump...

Le't s All Go to the Fairy Land

One of the most influential pieces of queer art ever made, James Bidgood's 1971 experimental bulge fantasia Pink Narcissus is getting a long long long awaited physical media upgrade! The film is hitting blu-ray on February 24th and you can pre-order it right here. And no I don't know why right now Amazon is listing this as a DVD -- it is definitely a blu-ray. I'm also not sure why it's not a 4K release, since the film was remastered in 4K when I saw it at MoMA last year, but I imagine they have to weigh the costs of these things and surreal movies about thrusting matador crotches weirdly have a somewhat limited audience. No I don't get why either. But I'm still planning on upgrading my ancient DVD. Of course Bidgood wasn't known to be the film's director for decades -- it was released anonymously. But one look at his book of photography will clear up any confusion. Here's the film's 4K restoration trailer: 

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

My first instinct upon seeing this photo of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms star Peter Claffey (well okay it was technically my second instinct, but we won't go into my first instinct here in mixed company) was to set it aside for my annual post of hot guys smoking that I post every May to celebrate the anniversary of when I quit smoking. But then, staring at all six foot five of the man there, I realized it'd be cruel not to post this photo for us all to appreciate immediately. It also allows me to ask if any of you watched the show's premiere, and what you thought? Even though I thought the last season of Game of Thrones was such a mixed bag I was ready to leave Westeros behind forever (Martin's refusal to finish his goddamned books hasn't helped) but I did find myself pulled back in by House of the Dragon, and right off the bat I liked KotSK as well. I guess I remain a Westeros nerd after all. But I found Claffey to be a real charmer, there was some great hot homo-tension between him and actor Daniel Inges, and most of all it certainly didn't hurt that this brick wall of ginger ass greeted us so early in the proceedings: 

Rub Dylan O'Brien For Good Luck

Well that's the brief that for this Thursday -- I've gotta run myself to a screening, and I think the above photo of Mr. Dylan O'Brien and the below trailer will give you a good clue what movie I'm seeing. Whee super duper excited for this one! Sam Raimi locked back in sicko mode -- it's been too, too long. More on that in the coming week (ir's in theaters on January 30th) though -- for now just feel free to distract yourselves a little longer from the dreaded real world outdoors by looking at the rest of the photos from the set the one up top comes from. Right here. It's worth that click. Bye!

My What Big Ping Pong Balls You Have

Hot off its however-many-Oscar-nominations-it-got this morning comes word from A24 that they're expanding Marty Supreme onto IMAX screens come January 30th! That'd be fun! You can check for tickets at this link. I probably won't go unless it gets extended since this will be right in the thick of Sundance for me next week (I will be covering the virtual side of the fest since I am too poor to go to Utah this year) but you should see it if you can. Just picture Timmy's little ass getting spanked in glorious IMAX y'all! The mind boggles. Here is my review of Marty Supreme -- I remain a surprised-as-anybody fan of the movie, having loathed Safdie's Uncut Gems. All of that blather aside the reason I'm really doing the post is that I love love love that poster seen above that they created specifically for this IMAX release -- it's very mid-80s looking, which makes sense given the movie's New-Wave-banger inflected soundtrack. I want a copy of the poster! Want want want! If they're giving them away in theaters I might have to find /make the time... 

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?