A24’s ‘Sorry, Baby’ Eva Victor (left) and Naomi Ackie (Right)
10. ‘The Shrouds’
David Cronenberg’s follow up to ‘Crimes of the Future’ flew under the radar after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. It follows a businessman that owns “Gravetech”, a futuristic type of tombstone, trying to find out the truth surrounding his wife’s illness following her death. ‘The Shrouds’ is one of Cronenberg’s less gruesome movies but is an extremely haunting vision of life, death, and what falls between. In short, it feels like his most personal. Vincent Cassel (serving as a clear stand-in for Cronenberg himself) quietly delivers one of his best performances to date while Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce give their usual best in supporting roles.
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9. ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’
Although it is somewhat messy and all over the place, ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ is hard not to appreciate the commitment and love Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie show towards filmmaking. There are stunts and set-pieces that have quite literally never been seen in the Cinema before, and will probably never be seen ever again, because of Cruise’s lunacy and ability to pull off such insane feats (which is crazy enough in his 60s) It’s a satisfying end to one of the greatest action franchises of all time, one that was meant to be seen on the big, silver screen.
8. ‘Superman’
James Gunn may have saved DC and the superhero movie genre from a self-imposed free fall with ‘Superman’. For a movie that acts as a reboot of a dead universe, it doesn’t get mugged down by the typical cliches of origin stories that tend to hold them back from soaring to great heights. The pacing is quick and snappy throughout the two hour runtime, with no scenes that drag on nor takeaway from the story. ‘Superman’ is filled with so much hope, so much joy, and so much purpose, easily making it the best comic book movie of the decade (and best looking, for that matter).
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7. ‘Friendship’
Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd team up for the funniest movie of the year, one that is extremely heartbreaking at the same time. Written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, ‘Friendship’ is an extremely relevant take on the idea of male loneliness in the 2020s. Through Robinson’s awkwardness and overall screen presence, DeYoung is able to navigate his way through these ideas without missing a beat, mixing a great deal of comedy with what I would call, horror. If ‘Friendship’ is a sign of what elevated comedies can be in this day and age, then audiences are in for one hell of a ride.
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6. ‘The Phoenician Scheme’
Wes Anderson has been somewhat underrated in the 2020s. ‘Asteroid City’ is one of the best of the decade, and while ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ may not be as personal and deep, it sure is one of the most intricate and stylized. Once again working with an all-star cast (Michael Cera should be a regular) led by Benicio Del Toro, Anderson’s comedy truly shines throughout, as does his usual themes surrounding family. Still proving to be the auteur he was twenty years ago, Anderson’s next feature will most definitely be a must-watch.
5. ‘Sorry, Baby’
Released in New York and LA just a few weeks ago, Eva Victor’s stunning directorial debut premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year (winning the screenwriting prize) before going to Cannes. Funny and tragic at the same time, Victor does an astounding job of balancing the tone in the film she directed, wrote, and plays the lead in, with an exceptional supporting cast consisting of more well-known faces like Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, and John Carroll Lynch. With ‘Sorry, Baby’ going wide, there is no reason to not see this indie movie and give it the love it deserves.
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4. ‘Black Bag’
Steven Soderbergh’s second theatrical release of the year (‘Presence’) proves that he is still a very capable director, especially when it comes to genre movies. ‘Black Bag’ is a slick, sexy spy-thriller that follows a married couple’s trust issue amidst a scandal at the agency they work at. Michael Fassbender delivers a performance that goes hand-and-hand with his previous work in ‘The Killer’ (which could be double-billed with this), and Cate Blanchett is lights out as his counterpart. David Koepp’s tight script paired does more than what mini-series try to do for six episodes in an hour and a half, especially when Soderbergh is operating at a whole other level in the director’s chair.
3. ‘Sinners’
Ryan Coogler’s groundbreaking, monumental original that bends genre as we know it managed to captivate audiences nationwide to a degree we haven’t seen in a while. Impeccable action, horror, and musical sequences combine with top notch cinematography for a ride through the Mississippi Delta in the early 1930s. Michael B. Jordan is a stand out in what may be his greatest role since ‘Black Panther’, while the supporting cast (especially Jack O’Connell) are each given their moments to shine. ‘Sinners’ proves that vampires are alive and well in the year 2025, and if this is what an original film can look like in this day and age, then why are we putting so much money behind remakes and sequels?
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2. ‘Eddington’
Ari Aster made another divisive movie. How shocking. Operating at a whole other level in this Covid Western set in May of 2020, Aster pulls no punches while commenting on the craziest, most deranged year of the 21st century (so far). Some may call it indulgent, others may call it opportunistic, but ‘Eddington’ is really just a portrait of America – both then and now. We’ve traded in common courtesy for absolute bitterness. People don’t know how to communicate with each other anymore, technology is rotting the brains of the youth, seniors, and everyone in between, and there’s no way to win a war against unstoppable machines. Maybe everyone just needs to be more kind.
1. ‘28 Years Later’
A beautiful, heartbreaking movie about an apocalyptic world and the love we find within it. With quite possibly Alex Garland’s best script of his career, he and Danny Boyle seem to bring out the best in one another each time they collaborate (hopefully they get to make the third film to complete the trilogy). While the whole cast is incredible, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes deliver two of the most powerful performances of the year (which will be ignored by the Oscars). It’s rare to get a zombie-like movie with such heart, beauty, and bloodshed.
By Aidan Reidy
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I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
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Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
