January Film Notes

Some quick thoughts on movies I watched last month, followed by lists of my current favorite films and performances of the year so far...

an asterisk (*) indicates a first time viewing

Megadoc (2025)*

When the "making of" doc about your movie makes Shia LaBeouf seem like the relatively reasonable one, you know the movie production at the heart of the doc (2024's Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola) was off the rails.

A Better Tomorrow (1986)*

Every action scene is dope as hell. The melodrama in between those scenes is more up and dow though it tends to improve as the movie goes on.

Donnie Darko (2001)

Not sure if this is the last knowing gasp of nineties cinema or some sort of sign post for what was to come in the years after. Maybe it's a hinge point between the two? Either way, I remember seeing this in an NYC movie theater in October 2001, less than two months after the Twin Towers fell, and how it felt so completely of that moment. Still does.

Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)*

It's legitimately kind of funny that perhaps the most successful film franchise of all time is basically like: humans are scum and they deserve to die... except for this one Tarzan kid.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)*

The Bone Temple, indeed... ... ... ... Loved it, by the way.

The Rip (2026)*

Hey, if you're going to be one of the most famous duos in movies and put your reps on the line in a deal that gets your crew paid better if the movie does well (look it up), then it's a good thing if you've made a solid little action movie in the vein of something you could totally imagine playing on TNT on a Sunday afternoon back in the day.

Civil War (2024)

We had a perhaps morbid pull toward watching this film in the context of everything happening these days, especially as the civil conflict happening in Minnesota appears to be sliding more and more down the scale of "does this qualify as a civil war yet?" Anyway, it's still astoundingly good and bleakly realistic.

The Incredibles (2004)

Still a lot of fun, but the libertarian bent of Brad Bird's worldview certainly stands out more and more as time wears on.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

The look of this is absolutely stunning. Some of the atmospheric night shots had me wishing Pixar and CG animation more generally had never been allowed to achieve such massive domination.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

I used to be really down on Minghella's three picture run of period dramas because I thought they were trash gussied up by pretension. But watching this with more than twice as much life behind me as when this was originally out, I now appreciate that it's faux-pretension pulped out into satisfyingly trashy drama. So, maybe I need to revisit The English Patient and Cold Mountain soon, too?

No Other Choice (2025)*

There was a lot about this that I enjoyed or appreciated, but in the end, the wild jumps in tone and character just didn't fully work for me. I won't be surprised, though, if it clicks for me more on a subsequent viewing.

The Alabama Solution (2025)*

Decided to put this on after it received its Oscar nomination and I truly hope more people watch it and get outraged by the disgrace that is the carceral state in this country.

Far From Heaven (2002)

Still one of the most gorgeous movies of the century so far. And the way Haynes and the cast so delicately balance the tones, styles, and sensibilities of their time with those of the genre and period they're both depicting and emulating is so satisfyingly effective, it's hard to even make sense of how they pulled it off... Blowing autumn leaves are clearly the fourth lead or fifth of this movie, by the way.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

I really needed to watch something funny and this more than hit the mark. Has anyone ever given a better comedic reaction on camera than Cary Grant?

Peter Hujar's Day (2025)*

Sometimes the simplest of experiments pay off for their willingness to stick to their form and their very simplicity. Has there ever been a movie hung so thoroughly on a "good hang" premise as this little gem? Sure, nothing much happens, but that's kind of the point, and you end up just wanting to climb into the world of the movie and spend some time there, observing and listening.

Send Help (2026)*

Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien are both superb in an incredibly fun and refreshingly biting take on class, gender, and plenty more. Director Sam Raimi and his cast expertly escalate just about every conceivable type of tension in ways that keep the story unpredictable and which elevate the basic premise to probably the pinnacle of its potential. And speaking of Raimi, it's nice to see him back with something worthy of his skill and storytelling interests. Between this and The Bone Temple, 2026 is off to a better than expected start, at least in terms of movies – the rest of the world, not so much.

Also Seen:

Cure (1997)
Superman (2025)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Toy Story 4 (2019)

Current Favorite Films of 2025

Current Favorite Performances of 2025

an asterisk (*) indicates a new addition since last month

Best Lead Female Actor:
- Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby
- Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
- Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
- Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
- Alicia Vikander, The Assessment
- Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

Best Lead Male Actor:
- Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
- Joaquin Phoenix, Eddington
- Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
- Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
- Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
- Ben Whishaw, Peter Hujar's Day*

Best Supporting Female Actor:
- Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
- Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
- Amy Madigan, Weapons
- Rachel Brosnahan, Superman
- Felicity Jones, Train Dreams
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Marty Supreme

Best Supporting Male Actor:
- Delroy Lindo, Sinners
- Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
- Nicholas Hoult, Superman
- Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
- Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later
- Jacobi Jupe, Hamnet