Every year, I pride myself for reading 100 books and watching about 50-75 movies. This year I’ve watched 80 movies; these are my 10 favourite movies I’ve watched in 2025.
Unfortunately, there are not many 2025 releases that have made this list even though I’ve watched many of them. Since some of these movies constitute as rewatch (while others are never before seen) I’ve organized this movie list from most recent to oldest release to mark the distinction. At the very end, I’ll share 5 quick honourable mentions and my final observations on my movie tastes.
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1. How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
Directed by Dean DeBlois
I’ve actually never seen the original animated version of How to Train Your Dragon but I’m so glad that I watched the live action version. The story follows Hiccup (played by Mason Thames) – a 16-year-old Viking who hasn’t yet slain a dragon and who’s feeling the pressure to live up his father’s legacy (his father is played by Gerard Butler.) During a dragon raid, Hiccup shoots down a rare dragon, a Night Fury, and from there an unlikely bond is formed between the two. This movie was so heartwarming, I laughed, I cried even, and I was shouting at the TV because of how invested I was. Toothless, the Night Fury dragon is one of my new favourite animated characters as he reminds me so much of Stitch from Lilo & Stitch. Which is not surprising because I just discovered Dean DeBlois is the same director that brought us Lilo & Stitch, how crazy is that!
2. Sinners (2025)
Directed by Ryan Coogler
First of all, I want to say that Sinners was phenomenal. It’s rare at times to watch a movie that tackles so many issues all at once while successfully genre bending and grounding itself in historical events. War veteran twin brothers Smoke & Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown in 1930s Mississippi to turn a new leaf and establish a juke joint for their local community. They do so by using the mob money they stole in Chicago and by roping in old friends to contribute to their new venture. The twin brothers get their younger cousin Sammie (played by Miles Caton) to sing and play the guitar at their joint despite his pastor father objections. However, everything seems to transpire in their favour on opening night until they are visited by Klan members that have been turned into demonic vampires. The bloodsucking allegory is not lost on the audience thanks to the movie’s amazing storytelling – from the distinct different character motivations presented, to the time period explored, and the southern gothic genre employed. A story that highlights family, redemption, musical pursuit, the birth of the blues, resilience, culture appropriation, liberation, and many more. This movie kept me at the edge of my seat at every turn. I left the cinema moved, transformed, and awed.
3. Conclave (2024)
Directed by Edward Berger
Conclave is aesthetically pleasing, quietly suspenseful, and deeply moving. The Pope dies and Cardinal Lawrence (played by the brilliant Ralph Fiennes) is tasked to aid in appointing the new pope in the papal conclave. Sequestered in the Vatican, viewers become a fly on the wall conspiring alongside the cardinals.
4. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (2024) [Jane Austen a gâché ma vie]
Directed by Laura Piani
It is no secret that I enjoy movies about writers. Correction, I love movies about writers. Is it self-indulgent? Sure, but who cares. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, however, was incredibly well-crafted. I also watched the movie in its original French (Jane Austen a gâché ma vie) and this is exactly why I love knowing different languages. It had been a while since I’ve seen a flawed but endearing female writer character that isn’t overly sexualized or messy in a male lens sort of way. And maybe this is thanks to the director.
In this movie, we follow Agathe Robinson (played by Camille Rutherford) who’s an aspiring novelist who works in a Parisian bookstore. Her story gets accepted in a Jane Austen inspired writer’s residency but while there Agathe finds herself in romance not too unlike a Jane Austen heroine.
5. Sanctuary (2022)
Directed by Zachary Wigon
The way Sanctuary nested, not nestled, itself in my head for a whole month and would not leave me for a single moment. Thrilling, comedic, and heartfelt – I truly believe the less you know the better. I love puzzles and this movie was a giant puzzle. This movie cemented Margaret Qualley as a talented actress to me and it introduced me to Christopher Abbott, a new favourite actor. Now, whenever I see either of them in a movie, I’m watching it no questions asked. These two have phenomenal chemistry in this movie. All I will say is this: this movie trails the powerplay between two characters confined to a hotel room. Also, the set is so lush and colourful so you’re never bored even if you’re confined to singular space, kind of like Conclave.
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Directed by Wes Anderson
I’m not sure if I’ve ever watched The Grand Budapest Hotel in the past or I’ve just always simply been aware of the movie without really knowing anything about it. The Grand Budapest Hotel is run by an exceptional concierge M. Gustave (played by Ralph Fiennes – yes, here he is again) who takes in a young lobby-boy that will become both his friend and protégé (played by Tony Revolori.) Actually, there are a lot of famous cast members in this movie but I’ll let you see for yourself as they pop up. All of this to say, this was another comedic, heartfelt, as well as absurd and tense movie set during the world wars – and as a bonus there’s an element of an art heist, which you all know I’m sucker for. Also, what I found interesting is that this is based on a Stefan Zweig story.
This is also the second hotel movie on this list as Sanctuary was one as well although the topics and time period are completely different.
7. Stuck in Love (2012)
Directed by Josh Boone
As promised, Stuck in Love is the next writer-centric movie on this list. I’ve for sure either seen this or completely missed this in my teens. I usually pride myself in watching all of the writing movies out there. This one is about writing, love, family, and second chances. We follow a father-writer who is stuck in love, unable to recover from his divorce. However, his two teenage children (played by Lilly Collins and Nat Wolff) destined to be writers themselves struggle once they too are in love. I’m not going to lie; this movie made me nostalgic for the early 2010s when technology wasn’t as advanced and when writer movies were all the rave. There was a magical quality to writers and their lives as they also became a persona and sort of celebrity figure in their own right without the public forgetting that writing is what they are famous for. I don’t even think the general public cares about writers like they used to. I am beyond nostalgic for the writer movies of the 2000s-2010s but that’s a topic for another day. Go watch this movie, it is so tender.
8. Midnight in Paris (2011)
Directed by Woody Allen
This leads to our next writer movie, Midnight in Paris. This one was definitely a rewatch.Okay, okay this movie hits close to home. As most of you know, I long to live my writer’s life in Paris. This movie might have been partially to blame all of those years ago. We follow a screenwriter Gil (played by Owen Wilson) who visits Paris with his fiancée (played by the beautiful Rachel McAdams) and her family. Gil dreams of a romantic life writing in Paris and every day at midnight we watch as he is transported to 1920s Paris, arguably one of the best time periods for writers and painters and even American writer-expats like Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and Gertrude Stein, which Gil gets to meet them all. This is definitely a movie for the dreamers out there.
9. Secretary (2002)
Directed by Steven Shainberg
I realized that although I like a bit of everything, I’m pretty consistent in my tastes. I do believe if you enjoy Sanctuary, you will enjoy Secretary, and vice versa. This is a sadomasochistic relationship between secretary, a recently released young woman from the mental hospital (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her lawyer boss (played by the magnetic James Spader.)
10. Prozac Nation (2001)
Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg
Prozac Nation is the final writer-themed movie and also a rewatch. However, this one is actually based on a real writer Elizabeth Wurtzel and her memoir by the same title. We follow Elizabeth Wurtzel (played by Christina Ricci), a talented young writer who earned a scholarship at Yale. Although a promising young talent, Elizabeth is struggling and spiralling. She’s depressed, drugged up, and caught up in her family’s divorce. At the time, this was said to be the mental health memoir that captured the working-class disenchanted American youth, hence its poignant title, Prozac Nation.
5 Quick Honorable Mentions
Death of a Unicorn (2025) 4.5⭐️
Wicked For Good (2025) 4.5⭐️
Dracula: A Love Tale (2025) 4.5⭐️
The Assessment (2024) 5⭐️
Memento (2000) 5⭐️
What I’ve learned about my taste throughout these movies:
I love movies that are confined to a singular space and closely observing character dynamics through the intensity of the relationships and the nature of the confinement.
I also like characters that are truly messy – bonus points if they are depressed, lonely, horny writers that are in search for their place in the world and are dealing with crippling self-doubt.
What can I say? I love seeing myself represented. And I never get tired of it.
I love works with outcast characters that eventually find a few good people once they embrace their differences like How to Train Your Dragon and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
I love works that are historical, genre-bending, and daring like Sinners.
Also, these movie lists remind me that I love French movies and should make an effort to watch more of them.
Although I didn’t get into the honourable mentions, these movies are heavily focused on the theme of morality (good vs. evil), whether in a modern, gothic, sci-fi, or fantasy setting. I am also reminded that I love retellings and reimaginings such as Wicked and Dracula (which we’ve seen time and time again in my previous movie and book lists.)
As always, stories have the power to change and transform us and, in response, the world. Please feel free to share the best movies you’ve watched in the last year or even your all-time favourites! 🎬
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