Cate Blanchett

Top 10 Movies of 2025

2025 turned out to be a good year at the movies with some heavy-hitters topping my list. While my top ten may lack a couple of notable films such as Marty Supreme (which, while I quite enjoyed, never hit with me on an emotional level), it’s an eclectic group across multiple genres including drama, a spy thriller, science fiction, horror, and even a comedy sneaking onto the list. Other honorable mentions include Weapons, House of Dynamite, and Eephus. Now, on to our countdown…

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Black Bag

  • Title: Black Bag
  • IMDb: link

An evening with the Woodhouses would certainly be a memorable experience. More John le Carré than James Bond, Black Bag is a slow burn spy thriller that starts by introducing us to George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) who learns one of five intelligence officers is responsible for the leak of top-secret software called Severus. The suspects include Freddie (Tom Burke) and his girlfriend Clarissa (Marisa Abela), psychologist Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris) and her current fling James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), and George’s wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett).

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TÁR

  • Title: TÁR
  • IMDb: link

As writer/director Todd Field‘s film opens, we meet the formidable Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) at the height of her power. One of the greatest living composers, and the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Tár seems to have it all. However, as Field’s character study delves deeper in the conductor’s life we begin to see cracks in the veneer which will eventually lead to her downfall.

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The Top 10 Movies of 2014

The Top 10 Movies of 2014

Family, friendship, and the struggle to find oneself’s place in the world were the big themes on my list this year. Looking back the year might not have offered me the clear winner to top the list (I gave out no perfect score for any film this year), but it still offered a solid list of ten movies worth noting and celebrating. As always, I tried to see as much as possible but there are a few films, most notably Whiplash and Gone Girl, which eluded me. Others like Foxcatcher, Inherent Vice, and American Sniper won’t release in my home market in 2014 (and which I was unable to view and/or review before the publishing of this list) are also not included (although you might see a couple of them turn up in my mid-year list of Best Movies of 2015 So Far next year). Enough with what didn’t make the cut, here is my list of the Top Ten Movies of 2014.

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The Top Ten Movies of 2014 (so far)

The Top Ten Movies of 2014 (so far)

We’ve hit the halfway point of the year and, as has become the custom, that means it’s time to look back on the best movies of the year so far. This year’s list includes three animated films, two sequels, the return of a beloved television character, a latest (and in one case the last) from few big name directors, and a pair of small indie films topping the list of what has been a pretty damn good first-half of the year at the movies.

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