Watching the Flyers can be A Lot and fortunately our writers here have time to fill in when the team isn’t playing with other interests. There were lots of great films and television shows in 2025 that were watched that we thought we could share with you all. What were some of your favorite watches of the year? Disagree with any of ours?
Jason P: I probably watched more television than movies in 2025, but I recently just got to viewing Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. This film is a near masterpiece in filmmaking and storytelling. A scathing satire and black comedy that has never felt more apt, which I’m sure was intentionally done so by PTA. You find yourself laughing more often than you think given the subject matter. Leonardo DiCaprio is literally at his best and I can’t see a scenario in which he isn’t favored to win yet another best acting Oscar.
HM: Sinners, The Phoenician Scheme, Superman, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Thunderbolts*, Predator: Killer of Killers, 28 Years Later, Weapons
I watch WAY too much TV for me to pick just one favorite, so I’m going to torture you with two picks. First up is one that made me laugh harder than I have in years from a TV show, The Studio. Perhaps it’s the cinephile in me and the approach they took to each unique episode. The show is a satirical look at Hollywood and making movies. Seth Rogen plays a new head studio executive and follows his often unfortunate situations he winds up in while trying not to let New Hollywood from swallowing up traditional filmmaking. I can’t recommend this enough. Next I’ll mention the best Star Wars production since its film successor Rogue One, Andor. The second and final season was the culmination of a fantastic season one. Andor’s journey from reluctant participant to a full-on believer, all the while capturing the true spirit of a rebellion was fantastically done. This show should be Exhibit A when convincing Disney that you can explore the SW universe and it not have to be all space wizards and laser swords.
HM: Alien: Earth, Severance, White Lotus, Pluribus, Platonic, The Bear, Hacks, Task, Adolescence, Common Side Effects, Paradise, IronHeart
Steve J: God, One Battle After Another was stunning. What a film. Since Jaypo took that stellar work from Paul Thomas Anderson, I’m going to take on two films that stood out to me.
The first one is Sinners. What a cool film this is. Ryan Coogler takes the vampire film down south and uses the horror trope to explore racism in the Depression-era South. Not enough tales from this era explore the perspective of black America. Michael B. Jordan pulls double duty in impressive fashion, playing his own brother in a way that doesn’t come off as cheesy, as this kind of stunt typically does. Sinners is a celebration of black (and immigrant) musical culture, culminating in one particular time-bending sequence that catches you off-guard but quickly delights you in just how unique it is. Coogler really found a new way to present the vampire film and it was undoubtedly one of the year’s highlights.
The other one is Thunderbolts*. Yeah, I know all the film snobs don’t want to hear me talk about an MCU film, but have you also considered shutting up? I really loved Thunderbolts*. Many of the post-Endgame MCU movies have suffered from a feeling of pointlessness/just being installments in a story. Thunderbolts* explores depression and how to move on with one’s life after experiencing a major loss. Florence Pugh really got to shine in this one,
HM: Sinners, Superman, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Thunderbolts*, Predator: Killer of Killers, Weapons
I’m going to pick three here. The first one is one that Jason and I wrote a whole dang piece on for BSH – Alien: Earth. Noah Hawley is such a unique visionary for the medium of television. Alien: Earth might be my favorite Alien property since 1986’s Aliens. The show is cool and creepy and explores the concepts of mortality and morality in often shocking fashion.
The second is a spinoff that I didn’t have initial high hopes for but really surprised me – The Paper. The first couple of episodes are okay – the show is still getting its bearings. But once it gets going and figures out what it wants to do with (most of) its ensemble cast, the show is very funny. The Paper might be a spinoff of The Office and carry its style and tone, but the show establishes itself and its own thing and I look forward to seeing where it goes.
Lastly, The Chair Company is some of the craziest shit I have ever seen on TV. Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin bring their signature style from I Think You Should Leave to HBO to INSANE results. The Chair Company might be the least predictable show I have ever seen on TV. It is not for everyone (maybe not even most people!) but I’m glad it exists and cannot even fathom where it goes from here.
HM: Severance, The Bear, Task, The Rehearsal, White Lotus, Pluribus, Andor, King of the Hill, Platonic
Jason M: Three things stood out for me this year. Two were Netflix “limited series” while the other was Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. The Springsteen flick dealing with his Nebraska era was true to the book by Warren Zanes while also digging a bit deeper into the psyche of a guy who was at the top of the hill and wasn’t sure where to go next. Of course the resulting Nebraska box set didn’t hurt either coming out at the same time. As for the Netflix stuff, The Beast In Me was strong for the tandem of Claire Danes (she of Homeland) and Matthew Rhys (The Americans). Seeing the two together was refreshing while the story didn’t seem to falter at all.
As for the other Netflix effort, Black Rabbit with Jason Bateman and Jude Law was a keeper. Again, this drama had its fair share of twists and turns (and flipping back and forth in time to flesh out the plot), but nothing too far-fetched. Last year it was Baby Reindeer, this year Black Rabbit. One can only wonder what the next great Netflix limited series will be called. Possum Stalker?
Matt: I, too, loved One Battle After Another and Sinners. They’re at the top of my list. But I’ll shout out a few of the smaller movies in my top 10: Train Dreams, the Clint Bentley film about the life of a logger, paralyzing sadness, and the passage of time based on a novella by one of my favorite authors, Denis Johnson. (If you like this movie, read the book! If you like the book, read the rest of his books!) Splitsville, an extremely funny relationship comedy with setpiece after setpiece starring Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, and the two filmmakers Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin. Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake), a Sundance-y micro-budget anthology film with four stories that all share a setting. And Vulcanizadora, the latest from one of my favorite vulgar auteurs, Joel Potrykus, about two men on a walking trip through the woods who’ve made a rather effed up promise to each other. It’s full of all the gnarliness and scumbummery that most of his movies are but with an added maturity about masculinity, parenthood, and life in general.
I also quite liked Sorry, Baby; Wake Up Dead Man; The Naked Gun; Eephus; and Materialists. Still need to see Sentimental Value, It Was Just An Accident, Marty Supreme, and The Mastermind. My TV hot take is that scripted TV is generally bad now and has been for years and I barely watch any TV. I watched 2025’s two Taskmaster seasons, The Rehearsal, The Chair Company, The Studio, and a bunch of reality TV. That’s about it!
Kyle: Seeing as two movies I loved (One Battle After Another & Sinners) were already written about, I’m gonna throw some shine elsewhere. One movie I really liked from this year is Dead Mail. It’s a small mystery/thriller/horror jawn that’s set in the 1980’s- and specifically in the underground worlds of the dead letter department of the post office, and a community of amateur synthesizer aficionados. It’s got great characters, really interesting world-building, and scratched the itch of seeing something unique and new. (Currently streaming on Shudder & AMC+)
Another movie I particularly enjoyed from this year was Weapons. (Warning: spoilers ahead) This one’s full of great performances from Austin Abrams, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan- who’s character and performance are instantly iconic. I really appreciated the structure of the story and how it unravels its mysteries. Also, it absolutely sticks the landing with its reveal– being simple in the why (she’s a witch, yo), and specific in the how (the bell and the hair and the stick and the water)- all while not getting mired in over-explaining itself. (Currently streaming on HBO Max)
Finally, the last movie I want to throw some shine on is 1987’s The Hidden. I’m including this one because I saw it for the first time this year, and because it fucking rules. It’s an 80s sci-fi thriller in the vein of John Carpenter’s The Thing and William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in LA. Normal people suddenly become violent criminals- robbing banks, stealing Ferrari’s, and killing anyone in their path (not to mention awesome car chases, an 80s metal soundtrack, and a possessed dog). The cast includes Kyle MacLachlan as an FBI agent in what feels like a proto-Dale Cooper role, as well as some “oh hey I’ve seen them before” actors: Michael Nouri (The OC), Chris Mulkey (Twin Peaks), and the legendary Lin Shaye (A Nightmare on Elm Street, There’s Something About Mary, the Insidious franchise). This one’s not streaming right now but you can rent it for $4 on various platforms and it’s more than worth it. C’mon, it’s $4.
