By Mark Pukalo
Some near misses, a couple handfuls of over-rated and disappointing films, several harmless streamers and a few pleasant surprises fall into the biggest category of my very thorough look at the year in movies for 2025.
Medium Honorable Mention is the home for 85 films that either just missed being recommended or had just enough to make them worthy of a longer look. It spans probably from Companion (below), Weapons and The Testament of Ann Lee at the top to charitable picks like Kinda Pregnant, My Secret Santa and Father, Mother, Sister, Brother - among others.
If you follow Letterbox, these are 2.5s out of 5 - some of them closer to 2.35s and others nearer to 2.99s.
I am being too mean to a few films and too nice to others. This was a difficult year for putting films in order from 80-120. Many seem at the same level, but in different ways. You might put a few of these films in your top 25. To each his or her own.
The most disappointing films for me this year included Julia Roberts in "After the Hunt," Margaret Qualley in "Honey Don't," the disjointed Bruce Springsteen biopic "Deliver Me From Nowhere," the pretentious "The Life of Chuck," Glen Powell in "The Running Man" and Ayo Edebiri in "Opus." I didn't have lofty expectations for "Wicked: For Good," so I can't say it was disappointing.
The pleasant surprises were the slasher film "Heart Eyes," Sydney Sweeney in both "Americana" and "Christy." Meanwhile. Daisy Ridley did a good job with a poor man's version of Diehard named "Cleaner."
The near misses? We could say "Weapons" had a chance to be good and did not deliver a clear message. "American Sweatshop" also had a very interesting premise, but the story did not go anywhere.
At least 16 films made for streaming kept my attention enough to make this category, led by "Happy Gilmore 2," "Nonnas," and "The Wrong Paris." None of them pissed me off and they all gave me a little entertainment without going to the theater.
It was a big bold beautiful journey in film during 2025, and I am halfway there. Still to come is a separate blog on the best documentaries, the high honorable mention list and the top 25.
But, first? Go to your happy place and check out this list. Those with stars next to them are on the edge or within the top 100 films of the year.
Medium Honorable Mention (85)
*The Amateur - A preposterous, yet entertaining, spy drama as a CIA geek (Rami Malek) tries to avenge the murder of his wife against forces from all sides.
American Sweatshop - An interesting concept and an attractive lead actress (Lili Reinhart), but this film ends up disappointing. A young woman working at an internet monitoring service is horrified by a video she sees and is compelled to investigate.
Anaconda - Jack Black and Paul Rudd have fun trying to put together a sequel to the snake horror film by the same name. There's a lot going on in this one and most of it is funny, including a cameo from Ice Cube.
After the Hunt - A professor is accused of sexual impropriety with a star student and the question becomes who is telling the truth. The acting is good from Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield. The script has too many holes and the storyline is not unique.
A House of Dynamite - Director Kathryn Bigelow's new film is a non-linear examination of what could go on if a single missile is launched at the United States and the culprit is not known. It is compelling. Just not deep enough.
*Americana - An offbeat tale in a small South Dakota community where a rare Lakota Ghost shirt is stolen and put up for sale. The characters and the twists brought it close to High Honorable Mention, led by Sydney Sweeney (right).
Audrey's Children - Natalie Dormer shines as Dr. Audrey Evans, who fought to provide groundbreaking cancer treatments for children and develop the Ronald McDonald House for the families of cancer patients. It's an emotional story, but not quite as good as last year's "Joy."
A Minecraft Movie - The story, based on the video game, takes a while to get going. However, it provides a few laughs and is mildly entertaining.
A Nice Indian Boy - The young son in a traditional Indian family struggles with his place as a gay man. It's a decent story, although it does not reach a higher level.
Another Simple Favor - The sequel to "A Simple Favor" brings Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively back together. The script was a bit illogical the first half of the comedy/mystery/drama. It recovered a bit in the final half hour.
Back in Action - Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx, retired super agents, are drawn back into service years after becoming parents. It's fun and the kids are great.
The Bad Guys 2 - Sequel to the fun original finds our likeable criminal troop recently out of prison, but framed for a heist soon after. It gets better as the movie goes on.
Be'len - The triumphant story of a lawyer in Argentina who worked to free a woman wrongfully convicted of infanticide, The events, which led to abortion becoming legal in the country, are better than the acting and the film's flow.
Between Borders - Based on a true story about an Armenian family who is forced to leave their home due to ethnic cleansing and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Eventually they try for asylum in the United States. It's a well-told story.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey - A fantasy love story for two people who do not believe they deserve it. If you take it as literal, it is very hokey. If you just watch without expectations the two great actors (Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie, left) make it watchable.
Boys Go To Jupiter - Offbeat, inventive animated film with several themes. It mainly centers on a lower-middle class youth (Billy 5000) trying to get ahead in a futuristic world. There are a few laughs, but it is a little unfocused. That's fine and I love the Rozebud character.
Brick - Interesting mystery thriller as a couple must work with neighbors to find a way out of their apartments, which have been covered by an impenetrable wall. It held my attention throughout.
Bride Hard - Took a little time to get rolling, but Rebel Wilson provided enough laughs to make it entertaining. She plays a secret agent, who foils a robbery attempt at her friend's wedding.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy - Harmless, but uninspiring chapter in the story of the under-rated British girl. In this one, she is starting over after the death of her husband.
Captain America: Brave New World - If you compare it to some of the Marvel movies lately (Morbius, Madame Web, The Marvels) it is pretty good. It just doesn't entertain enough to approach the Avengers films or the previous Captain Americas.
Champagne Problems - Cookie-cutter Netflix romantic comedy about a young executive (Minka Kelly), sent to France to acquire a champagne brand, who falls for the son of owner. There is a very funny scene with a German man defending Hans Gruber. LOL.
Christy - Sydney Sweeney stars as the champion boxer Christy Martin, who was caught in a controlling relationship with her manager. It is educational, entertaining and better constructed than anticipated.
*Cleaner - An imperfect thriller that pays homage to "Diehard" as Daisy Ridley tries to save her brother and get the bad guys. Ridley is very good as a military veteran, window cleaner and bad-ass hero.
Code 3 - A comedic drama about life as a paramedic with Rainn Wilson in the lead and Lil Rel Howery supporting. It is a reasonable watch.
*Companion - Josh (Jack Quaid) brings his life-like robot (Sophie Thatcher) on a retreat with friends and the plan he had does not work. Thatcher is great as the "companion" and there are some neat things, but it just doesn't quite get to a higher level.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera - Follow up has Gerard Butler joining the bad guys to try and steal some valuable jewels. The film, with holes in the script, is entertaining enough.
Dog Man - It's a cute cartoon, good enough to sneak into this category. I did get a kick out of the reporter girl constantly hitting the police chief in the face with her microphone.
Drop - A mother (Meghann Fahy) is threatened by anonymous messages to kill the first date since her abusive husband died. The second half of the film was much better than the first.
Eden - Ron Howard film based on a true story about a group of outsiders that settle on a remote island, but can't seem to get along. One of Sydney Sweeney's best efforts.
Eleanor the Great - June Squibb joins a Holocaust survivor support group by mistake and takes on the identity of her recently-diseased friend. Some of the emotional scenes late in the movie save it from a lower classification.
Elio - Likeable animated feature about a young science fan who is plunged into an adventure with alien lifeforms he must find a way to understand. It's sweet.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Superhero MCU film that starts out a bit hokey, but ultimately becomes more entertaining by the final half hour. Not dazzling enough to be higher.
Father, Mother, Sister, Brother - Three somewhat boring stories strung together without a connection. The first is not interesting until the final few minutes, the second is a waste and the third is okay with two interesting actors. The final section saves it from a lower spot.
Fight or Flight - One critic described it as "Bullet Train" on a plane and that fits. It was entertaining, but the script kind of developed some holes in the final act. I think Josh Hartnett and Charithra Chandran could pull off a decent sequel, though.
Good Boy - Dark horror film about a dog trying to save his chronically-ill master from evil spirits at a secluded cabin. The way they shot the 73-minute film was interesting and Indy (the dog) is great.
Good Fortune - Keanu Reeves plays a discount angel - who normally helps people avoid accidents while texting and driving - trying to help a man going through a tough time. There are some laughs and it gets much better in the final third.
Guns Up - A former policeman, looking to make more money, joins a credible crime organization and is caught in between when a sinister leader takes over. Kevin James and Christina Ricci add spice to the sort of comedy/drama that is preposterous, but fun enough.
G 20 - Terrorists take over an international summit and President Sutton (Viola Davis) uses her skills to try and save everyone. It's entertaining for a streaming film.
*Hallow Road - Psychological thriller about a couple who get a late-night call from their frantic teenage daughter after she got into a car accident on a deserted road. The couple's trip to help their daughter takes many strange turns and ends with a mystery.
*Happy Gilmore 2 - Sequel to the Adam Sandler classic is very entertaining overall, but loses a little spark in the last 30-40 minutes. Loved the cameos by real pro golfers, though, and Margaret Qualley has a great hip turn.
Havoc - A detective going through internal troubles (Tom Hardy) tries to uncover a mystery after a drug deal gone wrong. It's sort of a mess of uninteresting violence until some semblance of a plot near the end.
Heads of State - Action thriller with John Cena (President) and Idris Alba (English Prime Minister) teaming up to save the world from terrorists and a rogue vice president. It's entertaining enough. Priyanka Chopra always makes things better, too.
*Heart Eyes - The "Heart Eyes Killer" is at it again on Valentine's Day and couples are in trouble in this comedy/slasher film. I ain't saying "what's up man?" to a guy in a mask from now on.
Honey Don't - Barely makes this category because I love Margaret Qualley. Qualley's detective character Honey O'Donohue (left) would be intriguing if she had a good script to work with. Very disappointing film, and the ending is abrupt.
The Housemaid - The first 1:15-plus was pretty strange and sometimes laughably bad, but the final 45 of this thriller with Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney was actually satisfying.
How to Train Your Dragon - A likeable story based on the 2010 cartoon by the same name as a young Viking befriends a lost dragon and the two help save both species.
I Love You Forever - I appreciate the effort by director Cazzie David (Larry's daughter). The toxic boyfriend is too obvious from the beginning, though. Sofia Black-D'Elia's character was too smart to stay in the relationship and make it a totally believable story.
Invention - Odd little film about a young woman dealing with issues after her doctor turned conspiracy theorist father dies. Callie Hernandez is good as the daughter navigating through her father's weird business partners. It gets a little too offbeat or else it would have been better as a 71-minute film.
In Your Dreams - Sweet animated feature about two siblings' journey into dreams to try and repair their parents relationship.
I Wish You All The Best - A non-binary high school student (Corey Fogelmanis) is thrown out of the house by his staunchly-religious parents when he comes out. Ben seeks refuge with his sister (Alexandra Daddario) and her family, going on a journey of self-discovery.
Kill the Jockey - An alcoholic, yet talented jockey in hock to a mafia head suffers a major accident that sends him on a different journey for this wacky comedy that works in a weird way.
Kinda Pregnant - I got a kick out of this Amy Schumer film about a woman who fakes a pregnancy for attention. There's a few hilarious scenes that get it into this category, much higher than most critics.
KPop Demon Hunters - Likeable cartoon featuring a girl band (right) that fights against demons. Rumi is a very good character as she tries to lead everyone out of the darkness.
La Dolce Villa - Harmless Netflix drama about a father (Scott Foley) who visits his daughter (Maia Reficco) in a small Italian town where she is trying to find a home. Hope we see Reficco more often.
The Legend of Ochi - A young Ukrainian girl goes on a journey with an injured baby Ochi, a mystical creature that has terrorized the small village. It is also a family drama that ends with a few tears and sneaks into this category.
The Life List - Sofia Carson shines as a young woman who pursues life-long dreams after her mother dies and leaves a message. It's both predictable and likeable.
*The Life of Chuck - There were some good things in this non-linear story about life in general. But this falls in the category for me of a film that thinks it is smarter than it is. Didn't hate it. I was just underwhelmed and a little annoyed by the narration.
Madea's Destination Wedding - Have not watched a lot of this series. However, I found it quite humorous as the clan travels to the Bahamas for Tiffany's wedding.
*Magazine Dreams - A sometimes vague and other times interesting character study of an ambitious bodybuilder (Jonathan Majors) with social deficiencies. There's enough here to make it worth a watch, but it fails to give a clear message in the final 15-20 minutes.
The Map That Leads Me To You - Pretty good Prime original film about a young woman on vacation in Europe who finds the love of her life, but there are complications.
My Secret Santa - Harmless Netflix holiday film with Taylor (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Matthew (Ryan Eggold) meeting cute and falling in love at a ski resort. It gets very hokey and awkward at the end after Taylor is unmasked as Santa Claus, but it's still likeable enough.
M3GAN 2.0 - I don't care that it didn't have enough horror for that fan group. It just got too unfocused as the film went on. There were a few laughs from snarky Megan (left) and it was somewhat entertaining. Don't think some of the best things in the trailer were in the film, though.
Nobody 2 - The first hour of the sequel is pretty disjointed and going nowhere interesting. Bob Odenkirk, as a sort of freelance secret agent with skills, makes it work in a fun final half hour.
Nonnas - Vince Vaughn plays a down-on-his-luck man who decides to buy a restaurant with his brother after their mother dies and hires a group of old ladies to run the show. It's mildly amusing.
Novocaine - Nate (Jack Quaid), a man who cannot feel pain, goes all out to rescue the girl of his dreams. Much more humor was expected.
Opus - A feature writer (Ayo Edebiri) travels to a compound where a music icon controls a cult-like community. Ayo tries and John Malkovich is stylishly creepy as the pop star, but more was needed before the reveal at the end.
The Pick Up - Entertaining heist drama on Prime, starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer. It's illogical at times, but that's par for the course on these kinds of films.
Picture This - A harmless rom-com on Prime with the beautiful Simone Ashley playing the lead girl, who is told by guru that she will find a soulmate at her sister's wedding.
Plainclothes - Tense thriller about an undercover cop, who works in a unit to arrest lewd men at the mall. He is drawn to one of the targets and becomes obsessed, sending is life into mental turmoil. It's uniqueness gets it into this category.
The Running Man - Director Edgar Wright's remake of the 1987 film about a man (Glen Powell) who joins a contest that awards him if he can survive assassins for 30 days. The outline of the story is better than the execution.
Snow White - Rachel Zegler always commands your attention and this rehash of the Disney classic is not an exception. It was slightly better than my very low expectations and the music was average.
Sovereign - A father and son define themselves as sovereign citizens, a group of anti government extremists, and go on the run. Great acting from Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay. I wasn't wild about the script.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues - The sequel to the iconic comedy film has plenty of laughs along the way, but is far below the classic original. Elton John and Paul McCartney appear.
*Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere - The story of the period in Bruce Springsteen's career before he released the album "Nebraska." Jeremy Allen White provides a Golden Globes nomination-worthy performance as The Boss, but this movie does not have enough depth and speeds up way too much at the end. It was poorly directed in my opinion.
Straw - A single mother (Taraji Henson) going through a very tough time faces a series of unlucky events during a single day that put her in an impossible situation. However, an understanding police woman helps her survive in this passable Tyler Perry film.
Swiped - The unauthorized story about Whitney Wolfe, who helped found Tinder and - after being harassed out of the company - created Bumble. Lilly James as Wolfe makes it watchable.
*The Testament of Ann Lee - Historic take on Ann Lee, who founded the Shakers religious sect in the 18th century around New England. Amanda Seyfried is outstanding in the lead, but the film did not grab me as I expected. It's still a powerful work.
Tron: Ares - The Ares program sends agents from digital world on a specific mission and they meet their match. It's entertaining to a point with Jared Leto and the great Greta Lee, but it doesn't quite reach a higher level for this kind of cartoonish action film.
Valiant One - Decent war story about a group on a mission to South Korea, which experiences a storm as they leave and crash lands in North Korea. Ending could have been better, but it is a good watch overall.
*Weapons - Film had a big buildup. In my opinion, it did not deliver much in the end. The story of a mystical force drawing children out of their houses over night, causing grief and blame, was not nearly as deep as I expected. But it was still worth a watch.
*Wicked: For Good - The sequel to last year's Wicked is not better or worse. It did not deserve a Best Picture nomination. The story and the production are average. It is grand, though.
Wish You Were Here - Julia Stiles directs the unique love story as Charlotte finds love, loses it, finds it and loses it again. It's Death and Love together, with a nice performance from Isabelle Fuhrman.
Words of War - The story of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered on Putin's birthday after writing on the atrocities in Chechnya. As an educational film it is good, but it fails as a dramatic movie.
The Wrong Paris - Predictable, cliched, Netflix rom-com takeoff on a Bachelor Show. However, it is likeable because the adorable Miranda Cosgrove makes it so.
You're Cordially Invited - Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon go to war after their family weddings are double-booked at a remote island. It's predictable and still fun.
