#nine queens

When I say "the best," it’s mostly based on personal taste. This boils down to fresh concepts executed well, how effectively a story holds my attention, and how long it lingers after the credits roll. Sometimes, it’s as fickle as a movie perfectly matching what I was in the mood for. For better or worse, expectations can also cloud my judgment.

THE BEST OF 2025

This year’s new releases covered a lot of ground. My list includes the non-linear mystery-horror Weapons, the gothic vampire blockbuster Sinners, and the psychological thriller Lurker. I’ve also included Joachim Trier's poignant tragicomedy Sentimental Value; Eva Victor's sharp, indie black-comedy Sorry, Baby; and the South Korean disaster satire Good News. Rounding out the list are the political action-crime thriller One Battle After Another, the tense moral revenge-thriller It Was Just An Accident (this year's Palme d'Or winner), the charming musical comedy-drama The Ballad of Wallis Island, and the slow-burn heist drama The Mastermind.

Note that I have not seen The Secret Agent, Marty Supreme, or Hamnet as of this writing.

Honorable mentions: Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice, Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly, Yorgos Lanthimos's Bugonia, and Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague.

Fun, easy watches: Novocaine, The Naked Gun, Companion, Relay, F1, Roofman, and Oh, Hi!

Favorite performances: Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You; Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in Sentimental Value; Sean Penn in One Battle After Another; and Josh O'Connor in Wake Up Dead Man—new Hot Priest alert!

THE BEST WATCHES IN 2025 These are the films I discovered for the first time this year. While many are recent award-winners, others are older classics. From 2024, we have the Danish gothic horror The Girl with the Needle, the Iranian political thriller The Seed of the Sacred Fig, the powerful Brazilian political biopic I’m Still Here, and the luminous Indian drama All We Imagine as Light. I’ve also included the surrealist comedy Universal Language; Brady Corbet’s staggering epic The Brutalist; the magical animated journey Flow; and Caden Douglas's frenetic dark comedy Mother Father Sister Brother Frank. All the way back to 1984, we have Wim Wenders’ masterpiece Paris, Texas. Rounding out the selections are two films from Argentina: the wicked black-comedy anthology Wild Tales (2014) and the heist classic Nine Queens (2000).

nueve reinas — 2000

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951, dir. Albert Lewin): One of the most gorgeous technicolor films I've seen yet. The central romance is captivating, if marred by an undercurrent of misogyny, and Ava Gardner gives a leading lady performance for the ages. This is also one of the more artistic melodramas of the era, an underrated gem for sure.

Nine Queens (2000, dir. Fabián Bielinsky): I'm not a big fan of heist movies but this was pretty fun. The plot had a lot of twists and turns without ever losing me, it felt very expertly crafted.

Lone Star (1996, dir. John Sayles): This felt a bit like Giant updated for the 90s, with the blend of melodrama and racial politics, and I very much enjoyed it. I was especially impressed by how the flashbacks were filmed.

Wadjda (2012, dir. Haifaa al-Mansour): The story is fairly conventional and the tone of the film is mostly light but what really got to me was how it depicted a horrifying everyday reality for women living in Saudi Arabia without ever explicitly calling attention to it - because that's just what it's like!

Alice (1988, dir. Jan Švankmajer): Stop-motion animation already kind of freaks me out so this movie was a nightmare for me. A very creative, well crafted nightmare.

Rain Man (1988, dir. Barry Levinson): On the one hand, there are some cool shots, the music is really good and Tom Cruise's performance is excellent. On the other, Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of Raymond felt too close to caricature and it really dragged the whole movie down.

Come Drink with Me (1966, dir. King Hu): A lot of fun, if weirdly structured. The special effects were both pretty bad and an absolute delight.