A Year in Film: My Favorite Movies of 2025

Every December, the internet is flooded with “Best of the Year” lists. Critics rank the artistic masterpieces, the Oscar contenders, and the cinematic achievements. But that’s not how we actually experience movies. We don’t just watch them for their technical prowess; we watch them to bond with our kids, to celebrate milestones, or just to decompress after a long week.

This year, I watched 93 films. Some were masterpieces, some were disasters, but the ones that stuck with me weren’t always the “best”—they were the ones that hit the right note at the right time. Whether it was sharing a laugh with my daughter, celebrating a career move, or hitting a major podcast goal, these are the movies that defined my 2025.

Here is my favorite watch from every month of the year.

I started the year by introducing my daughter to the awkward, tater-tot-loving world of Preston, Idaho. You never know if a comedy from the mid-2000s will land with today’s teens, but she absolutely loved it. It was a massive parenting win to realize we share a similar sense of humor. In fact, she loved it so much that she convinced the whole family to dress as the cast for Halloween this year. Gosh!

It is rare for a horror movie to get genuine critical push during awards season, so I made a point to catch this one while the hype was fresh. I’m glad I did. It is a stylish, visceral experience that proves the genre can still surprise us. It was a nice change of pace to be part of the cultural conversation for a new release rather than digging through the archives.

Sometimes you just need to shuffle your library and land on a hidden gem. Cemetery Man (or Dellamorte Dellamore) is a beautifully weird zombie flick that never gets the attention it deserves. It was a random re-watch, but it reminded me how much fun this movie is. Rupert Everett fighting the undead in a cemetery? Sign me up!

April was a slow month for movies—I only watched three total—but quality definitely beat quantity. This was a viewing for the podcast, and watching Verhoeven’s masterpiece again confirmed that it checks every single box I love about movies. It’s violent, satirical, smart, and relentlessly entertaining. I’d buy that for a dollar!

Check out our review here

This is a beloved tradition in our house. Every year, when school is finally out, my wife and I sit down to watch Linklater’s high school classic. It captures that specific feeling of freedom—when the bell rings and the summer stretches out in front of you—better than any film ever made.

With my daughter out for the evening, my son had the freedom to pick a movie to watch. He picked this adaptation of Hatchet, and it was a great throwback survival flick to watch together. It wasn’t about the cinematic quality; it was about hanging out with my son and watching a kid try to survive in the Yukon.

I landed a new job in administration this month (assistant principal), so naturally, I had to watch Jim Belushi clean up a high school. It was purely a nostalgia watch to celebrate the career move, but it hit the spot perfectly. Sometimes life imitates art, though hopefully with less vandalism and violence in my case. It has been a great move that has rejuvinated my career as a wind things down over the next decade. Go Ducks!

Check out our review here

This viewing marked a major milestone: the 200th episode of our podcast! We decided to cover PCU, a movie that captures a very specific slice of 90s college culture. It’s scrappy, funny, and was the perfect movie to celebrate our own longevity.

I loved Zach Cregger’s Barbarian, so I was already hyped for his new film, but I admit the memes got me. I kept seeing the “children running” memes everywhere and had to see what it was all about. I went in blind and found it even more fun than I anticipated. Cregger is two-for-two in my book.

I’ve been trying to gently nudge my son into watching more horror movies, and October was the perfect excuse. We sat down for the found-footage grandfather of them all. Watching him experience that ending for the first time (even if we had to explain what it meant) was a major win. I’m so happy that he finished this film.

November was chaotic, and my wife and I just needed to turn our brains off. We threw on Date Night because we knew it was funny, reliable, and required zero mental energy. It was exactly what we needed: a few laughs and some quiet time together amidst the holiday rush.

I’ve been waiting to share this one with my daughter, and we finally made the time. She loved it—specifically Kat’s attitude and her 90s wardrobe. The ultimate seal of approval? She started making TikTok edits of the movie showcasing what she enjoyed about it.

What about you? What was the one movie that defined a specific month for you this year? Let me know in the comments!