The Wait For It Podcast
Hosted by MrEricAlmighty and PhilTheFilipino, the guys discuss all things in Pop Culture. Stay tuned for new episodes, all you have to do is...WAIT FOR IT!
The Wait For It Podcast
2025 Letterbox'd Recap: A Year in Film
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A three-hour live bonus stream boiled down to the good stuff: we rank our 2025 movie slate, defend the wild choices, and celebrate the films that stayed in our heads long after the credits. Two hosts. 50+ fresh titles. A lot of laughter, a few rants, and a surprising amount of agreement where it counts.
• Goals hit and missed on Letterboxd totals
• What we skipped in theaters and why we regret it
• Rating philosophy: vibes vs structure
• Worst-of highlights and why they failed
• Minecraft, Lilo & Stitch, Five Nights fatigue
• Marvel check-in: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four
• Superman restores hope for DC with heart
• Animation surge: Chainsaw Man, Zootopia 2, Bad Guys 2
• K‑Pop Demon Hunters as a cultural flashpoint
• Predator double bill: animated triumph vs live-action dip
• Small wins: Roofman, Sacramento, Companion
• Festival-style faves: Eternity, Train Dreams, Sinners
• Quotable cinema: One Battle After Another mania
• What we’ll watch early 2026 and why
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Kicking Off The Live Bonus Stream
SPEAKER_00This is the Wait for It Podcast.
SPEAKER_01Yo, what is up, Twitch? Welcome back to the Wait For It Podcast stream. I am one half of the Wait for a podcast, Phil Barrera, aka Phil the Filipino.
SPEAKER_03And I'm your other co-host, Mr. Eric Almighty, and we are doing a bonus episode for the podcast, but live streaming it, so should be a good time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, as we did last year, we experimented with this idea where we did our letterbox list. We did it with my sister, Felyn. Uh shout out to her, but uh that episode was very long. Uh it took a long time to record, took a long time to edit. Uh, so we're cutting it down here a little bit. So um instead of about it was like what, Eric, roughly 150 movie rankings. Jesus, yeah. So this time it'll just be Eric and I. I still think it, you know, it'll probably still be a little bit of a longer stream and discussion, which is totally fine, but at least we cut it down just a little bit to make it a little bit more manageable.
Why This Year’s List Is Smaller
SPEAKER_01So excited to talk about all the films that we have seen this year, maybe some that we didn't get to that we hope to watch early in 2026. But very excited, Eric, for this evening's stream. Hopefully, we'll have some people pop in and pop out throughout the uh evening. And uh yeah, excited to to get into this. We I think we watched a lot of a lot more similar movies than we did maybe last year. Um, you watched you didn't quite get to the 50 limit, still watched a good amount. I did hit 50 literally late last night. Uh so I got to my yearly goal of 50 new films, and uh so I'm I'm happy I was able to continue that. And what I really learned is uh this year I got lazy, which is why I had to very much uh pack a lot in in the last couple of weeks.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I felt the same way. Uh I got to 42 total movies, and uh yeah, it was a challenge to get over the hump, but we got there.
Hitting Goals And Theater Habits
SPEAKER_03Uh a couple late movies in December I got to see in theaters. Uh in fact, I was at the uh the theaters quite a bit in December, which might have been a saving grace. Uh luckily I wasn't in your shoes where you actually had to buy movies that you weren't gonna go see to get your premium membership at the theater.
SPEAKER_01I saw Anaconda three times.
SPEAKER_04No, you did not buy three tickets. I know I heard two. You did not buy a third. No, because I saw it once, and then I bought two more to get the Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01But you know what? I got two credits today, and I use one of those to buy uh my ticket to um what's the one that I invited you to? The one that's not coming out. It came out this year.
SPEAKER_03Is this thing on?
SPEAKER_01Uh is this thing on, yeah, which for some reason didn't release anywhere near us in 2025, so I'll have to see it in January. Uh the actually the Monday we get back from Brick City. So I'm gonna take that day off and go to the movies.
SPEAKER_03You you make me sick, buddy. You make me sick.
SPEAKER_01Shout out to Anaconda. I got you, guys. Paul, I you know, Jack Black needs the money, so you know, why not um, you know, why not help him out? So hey finger cheese, thanks for uh happy new year to you as well. So uh yeah, three times. So it the the the record will show that I saw Anaconda three times.
SPEAKER_03No, I do not like that at all. Uh, but yeah, now a lot of movies that we saw, we're gonna go through it. It's gonna be a uh decent length, uh, but not nearly anything like you had last year, uh, with three of us trying to cram in 40 to 50 movies and very different, uh, in fact, Phil. I have seen, I don't know if you see this on your letterbox, uh, you should when you go to my list, but I have only seen 48%. Uh sorry, I have seen 50% of the movies that you have.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, that's right. Because you can check your the people you follow.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so if you go to their list, you can see that. So just to tell you the differences of what you're gonna see today, uh, that should give you pretty much everything you need to know about how this might go.
SPEAKER_01Let's take a look. I saw 59% of the movies that you saw. So, yeah. Um, yeah, almost 60%. So, yeah, we'll have some crossover and we'll also have some uh deviations, of course, uh depending on the film, uh, which is always gonna be uh lead to a fun conversation.
What We Missed And Plan To See
SPEAKER_01But uh yeah, Eric, figure we saw we start off talking about some movies that we didn't get to see. There are a couple films on uh on the on the list that I did not get to. I I think the one that's really gonna just haunt me. I mean, I'm I'm sure I'll be able to get to see it pretty soon on streaming, but you did get to see it, and we'll talk about it a little bit more later, is Rental Family. Uh, I love Brendan Fraser. It looked like a movie that's gonna be that was that would have been right up my alley. So looking forward to seeing that early 2026. And you know, we we've done this before. I'll probably still add it to this list. You know, it just obviously won't be a part of the episode for me. Uh, but rental family is one of those that definitely on the top of my list is as far as what I had missed out on. What about you? What what um what choices uh what films did you just not quite get to?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, was that the only one you missed out on?
SPEAKER_01Oh no, I figured we go back and forth, but uh I just wanted to start with uh with Rental Family.
SPEAKER_03Sure, okay. So uh so with the because you know I'm working on this graphic. I needed time, but that's real. That's fair. We could go one at a time, that's not a problem. Uh I'll go with the one that we both missed out on that isn't in theaters, but hopefully we'll get a limited release going into the beginning of next year. No other choice, uh, which is the uh movie that I think we were most anticipating going into December, and we just couldn't get to it. So that would be my choice.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no other choice will hopefully be available very, very soon. I did not get to see weapons. Um, I'll probably just uh man up and and watch that uh relatively soon. Um there was actually another Oh, Arco, which is an animated film that was making that has a lot of Oscar buzz as well. So hopefully a movie that we will get to see early on. Yeah, and you know, just something that I just never got to, uh, you know, because I haven't watched any of them. Maybe this is another late to the party uh candidate, which is all the mission possible films, didn't get to see that. Uh Hamnet is one that I heard a lot about as well, kind of like a modern telling of Hamlet. Um, and then some other films like Dangerous Animals, uh films that I thought will probably be a little be a fun watch, didn't get to those either. So um plenty of movies uh you know left on the uh on the cutting room floor for this episode on my end that I'm hoping to check out in uh again in in 2026. Nana's is one that we discussed over on Netflix. I didn't get to um Love Vince Vaughn. So uh yeah, I'm sure I'll get around to these, but just didn't quite make the list for me this year.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, a couple more from my end. I mean, I'm behind on the knives out trilogy anyway, because I didn't watch the last one.
Year-In-Review: Scores, Slumps, Surprises
SPEAKER_01Oh my gosh, so good.
SPEAKER_03Wake up Dead Man uh was on my list. If I could get to Glass Onion, that did not happen. Uh I heard really great things about movies like The Life of Chuck, uh sorry baby. Uh you're been a big advocate of next to normal. I did not get to that. Uh, but out of all of them, the one I hoped I'd get to that I didn't was F1. And if I'm being honest, I feel like I'm I'm just getting punished because we went to go see uh Top Gun Maverick late. So we saw it late to the party, and we punished ourselves because we didn't get to see that in a theater. So I kind of put it to the bottom of my list or my cue because I feel like it's just like I missed out on the theater experience, and it's this very similar movie. I don't know how you felt when we get to it on your list. I'm sure you'll express it.
SPEAKER_01F1 would have been a really good movie to see in theaters for sure. I think I'm finding that I like racing movies uh because I really enjoy Gran Turismo last year more than I thought that I would. Uh, and then of course, you know, Fast and the Furious, that's definitely about racing. So certainly not. Some some would say, so some would say when those movie when that next movie comes back, we're going back to the streets. Vin Diesel said so. That guy never lies.
SPEAKER_03No, never. Never.
SPEAKER_01Never lies. He's never not delivered on a promise.
SPEAKER_03Um, listen, no, we're not gonna we're not gonna do that today. Um, but yeah, no, I am almost done with everything we need for the episode. We're gonna uh put everything together for you guys a little bit cleaner. Uh I just maybe underestimated how long this was gonna take. So I've got about um I've got about seven more films, but they're they're all pretty similar towards the top, which is really interesting. That being said, Phil, while I'm finishing that up, can you kind of talk a little bit about just your recap of the year in general? Uh just how this this year went from going to the movies to seeing the films that you did from start to top. You watched 50 films, like recap the year if you can, uh, in just a couple sentences.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, uh, you know, watched 50 new films. However, as far as overall, all uh 68. So between the podcast and just movies that I had not seen yet, uh 68 altogether. So I definitely, like I said, I slacked this year. By the time in 2024, uh by by about mid-year, I was already, I believe, up to 25 or 30. And this year, I I was just not that. I slacked again. I just did not go to the movie theater uh when I should have. And my sister and I have actually already talked about this. Like if there's a movie that's coming out, whether it's a re-release or a film that we are interested in, we just need to go. So we just need to stop being lazy. And uh I I again that's that's literally what happened this year is I just got lazy as far as buying those tickets. Got to go see Jaws re-release in theaters, but missed out on stuff like um back to the future. Would have loved to see that in theaters. Also, wedding crashers randomly re-released in theaters, and Eric, we would have had a fucking ball if we had if we had gotten to go see wedding crashers uh in in theaters. I know I know finger cheese. I needed I needed either one more movie or one less. So I didn't I didn't hit a meme on either one on on my on my 68 films, so I missed out both those times. So yeah, I I I really think just being able to see Wedding Crashers again in theaters would have been a really fun experience. So more films I'm sure are gonna really re-release in 2026. So making it a point to just go. Uh, I would also like to go see um, you know, some of those uh some re-releases at like uh at like other theaters. Like if we're in Tampa and we get to go to Corey's fucking um sunrise, sunrise cinema, that that would be fun to go do. So um overall though, it was a really like solid year. I know I'm a lot more generous with my scores, Eric, but I definitely have more fours this year, I think, than I did the last year. I would have to go double check, but I had a lot of fun with movies this year. It was it was a good year.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think for me, I just I felt a little underwhelmed with how many movies had higher rankings. I I had a lot more lower tier films and a couple disappointments, but overall, there were just some really pleasant surprises that I don't think we were really expecting going into the year, especially in the animated space, which was a really, really good time. So I I I wonder how we're gonna react to a lot of our rankings because we we have very similar rankings, but then there are some extremely different ones, and that's what makes every year really interesting. But I think this one specifically we might we might have a little bit to talk about.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I looked at it last year, 2024, I had only 11 films ranked four or higher. This year I have 18. So again, just found a lot of a lot of fun movies, or you know, some of them devastatingly sad, but a lot of films that I very much enjoyed in 2025. And I found myself again being just more um more open and just more generous with my my scoring with with some of these films too. Um, and also there were some disappointments, some films that we'll talk about, like on the latter half of my list, uh, that I had at least medium to high expectations for, and they just fell short. And then there were those films that landed right there in the middle, like, yep, that's exactly what I thought it would be. So um, but overall, again, I I had a great year when it came to movies, had a really, really fun time. Also, for anybody watching, if you hear Shuri barking, uh the fireworks have begun. So hopefully she'll be good. Um, but yeah, if you hear her, it's because my fucking neighbors loved shooting off fireworks. So, yeah. Disclaimer.
SPEAKER_03Disclaimer. Okay. Uh, we are good to go, Phil. So this is gonna be our Letterbox
Worst Of The Year: Phil’s Bottom Eight
SPEAKER_032025 recap. Uh, let's go ahead and jump into your eight films. If you want to give a little blurb about each of them um as we are going through, we're gonna go to 43 with you, and then we're gonna pick up together one by one, talking about films 42 to number one. Uh, you guys are in for a hell of a ride.
SPEAKER_01Remember when Casey Kaysen would do like the top 100 on the radio show like over the week? And I'm dating myself for sure, but when they used to count down like the top hundred songs of the of the week on the radio, like that's what we're doing.
SPEAKER_03Crazy, crazy times. All right, Phil, why don't you uh take a moment to not only mention what movies are here, uh start mentioning uh a little bit about each one, uh, but yeah, go through all of the movies here and then go individually since I just put the image of them, and some people may not know what they are.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So the films listed here, uh we'll just go from top to uh so we'll go from right to uh right to left. Uh we have materialists, highest to lowest, how to train your dragon, the live action, Jurassic World Rebirth, Death of a Unicorn, Captain America Brave New World, All of You, and then a film called Drop. Uh these are amongst the worst of the worst for 2025 for me. Four of these are in a different category of bad for me than others. We'll start with Materialist, which is my least favorite film of the year. Uh, that's the movie directed by Celine Song, who we very much love because she directed Past Lives, uh crazy filmography for Celine Song, Past Lives, and then Materialists. Um, it has it stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Paige Pascal. It was kind of marketed as a rom-com, uh like a kind of a love triangle kind of thing. It is not. Uh, some of the people that I follow as far as like uh creators and everything like that gave this like a pretty high score, and I just do not understand it. Um, I saw it in theaters, and it's one of the first movies I saw early on in the year, and it was just a terrible experience. Uh, not a fan of Dakota Johnson in in this. Chris Evans and Paige Pascal. I mean, we're gonna, Eric, we've talked about it. Like a discussion has to be had about Chris Evans and his filmography because this is just not good. There's no chemistry, it's not funny. Uh, it's certainly not a rom-com. And uh they try to tackle some really, really deep themes that just do not land uh when it comes to this movie. Terrible, terrible. Um, highest to lowest is number 49. I watch this film, it's directed by Spike Lee, and I saw it on uh advertised on Apple TV. Uh Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, like Jeffrey What Wright. Come on, I'll check this out. What easily the worst movie I've ever seen, Denzel Denzel in. He's fine. He he is doing his thing. Jeffrey Wright, also pretty good, but story-wise, I don't know what you know about this movie, Eric, but it is a mess. It it goes from one narrative point to uh a pretty like straightforward narrative point to one that just is completely off the walls. Um to give you guys a little insight into this movie, Denzel Washington is kind of like a big name executive as far as a record label, and kind of the story looks like it's going to be about him re-establishing himself in the business and like becoming um like really, you know, um being uh re-established in like his success. And then Jeffrey Wright's son is kidnapped for ransom and the whole that's what the movie is about. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Eric like when that happened, I was like, what the fuck is that? You know the the Blink 182 meme where you're like, what the fuck? Like that's exactly it was it was narrative whiplash with this thing, and it's terrible. Uh I I really I wouldn't wish I don't I wouldn't wish you to watch this, Eric, but I wish you would so I can fucking talk to somebody about it because it's a fever dream. Uh bad, bad. I'm sure this is probably the first uh deviation for Eric and I as far as the the ranking of this. Number 48, the live action How to Train Your Dragon. Hated this movie. Uh I thought it was gray, I thought it was lifeless, uh, didn't really enjoy any of the um uh any of the performances as far as actors. Uh I guess the CGI and and the the dragons, I guess, looked fine. Um, but as the as somebody who um the live act the uh animated is one of my favorite animated films of all time, this didn't land uh whatsoever for me. Number 47. Look what they did to my boy. Look what they did to my boy. Jurassic World Rebirth. Uh, for those of you that may not know, Jurassic World is the Jurassic is my favorite franchise. It is uh everything to me, and um since the original Jurassic World, it has just gone downhill, man. And this is just the latest iteration of that. Scarlet Joy Hansen is terrible, Mahersha Ali is passable, Jonathan Bailey handsome, I guess that's fine, but the the story was was bad. I did enjoy the designs of some of the dinosaurs, uh, but the D-Rex, whatever the hell. I already forgot the name of like the weird mutant dinosaur, uh, terrible. Um they're they're already talking about bringing these three back, and I'm I don't know, man. I I think the Jurassic fan in me will force me to go see it in theaters day one, but I don't wanna. I'm not happy about it. So number 46 uh is a film called Death of the Unicorn, uh Death of a Unicorn, Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega. Uh Jenna Ortega as well. She is getting this kind of like reputation about the roles she's been accepting, and like I kind of get that. Like, people love her in Wednesday, loved her in Scream, of course, when she was still part of that franchise, but this was it's just really boring. Paul Rudd, it's the most unlikable he has ever been, which is crazy that you made Paul Rudd unlikable, didn't enjoy that. And overall, it's just kind of a a boring movie. It's a it's a swing and a miss for A24, it doesn't happen too often. Uh yeah, hey Falin, yeah, definitely disappointed in Death of a Unicorn. I thought it had a pretty interesting, weird premise, and I'm I'm always down with that, but nope, didn't enjoy uh Death of a Unicorn whatsoever. Uh here is the first Marvel film on the list, and it's Captain America, Brave New World. Uh, listen, we've we've kind of had some discussions about Anthony Mackey, and and listen, for him, for this being his first uh solo Captain America, quote unquote solo Captain America film, and they essentially just made it like a Red Hulk side quest. Uh, I do feel bad for him a little bit, but in my opinion, Anthony, I mean Anthony Mackey, very talented. I heard he's really good in Twisted Metal, uh, but he's just not a leading man. And um people are talking about you know, he didn't he's not getting a fair shot when it comes to uh what happens in the next Avengers movie. Um no spoilers there, but um he's just it just he he just doesn't have it when it comes to carrying uh a film and a franchise, unfortunately. Also, Danny Rumirez might be the worst actor alive. Number 44 uh is a rom-com, uh so they say. Called All of You. Uh it stars uh Imogin Poots and Brett Goldstein, who is of course Roy Kent uh from Ted Lasso Fame. And this is just these are two the best friends that like fall in love, but like they're both terrible, terrible people. The whole movie, they're just having an affair, and there's they don't really do a very good job of making either one of them likable. And it's just I just felt gross watching it. Like I didn't root for either one of them, and it did not hit me in the feels the way that I thought it would. Um so somebody in the comments said Roy Kent's past lives. Uh I wish, buddy, I wish it was like past lives, but it is not whatsoever. And then the last film uh cover solo is a film called Drop. Uh I still gave it a two and a half. I just realized I haven't been going over my scores, but two and a half for I'll I'll do that here in just a second. Uh two and a half for drop. Uh it was a fun time. Fun, stupid, silly time. Uh it was uh actually the first part of the movie I really, really enjoyed as far as like uh stress and tension, uh, but the ending totally wiped out quite a bit of that, so didn't uh enjoy that uh that ending, but it was still a fine time. So to recap, number 50 materialist, I have that at a one and a half. Highest to lowest, I gave a two at number 49. Uh how to train your dragon, I also gave a two at number 48. Jurassic World Rebirth 2, uh at number 47, Death of Unicorn, also a two. Captain America Brave New World, I believe, is a two and a half, as well as All of You and Drop. So two and a half for those three as well. Number 45, 44, and 43.
SPEAKER_03You did a really great job there. You did a really great job there, Phil. That was painful. That was painful as hell.
SPEAKER_01I'm glad I'm glad I don't ever have to talk about highest to lowest ever again. It's a fucking fever dream. If anything, let me send you at least a YouTube video to please watch. Because again, it's insane what happens in this movie. I don't I don't wanna. It's just so bad.
SPEAKER_03Uh I do not want to. Send you the kill count. You don't have to do that. You don't have to do that. Um, no, but yeah, uh uh definitely a crazy ass time. Uh a crazy ass time for sure. Um, let me see here. I think we yeah, we got everything we need, so let's go ahead and jump into our joint
Joint List Begins And Rating Philosophy
SPEAKER_03movies together. Now, this is where our lists are going to collide. I watched 42 films this year. And we have two films here. Uh, we have Eeny Meeny and a Minecraft movie. Uh, Phil, I'll take uh the burden off of you, give you a little bit of a break here since you just went over eight films in a row that we gave a very bad score to. I watched 42 movies this year, and I can gen genuinely say that a Minecraft movie was the worst one, but not by far. It really is a tie with the next one that's coming up, and they were both expected to be underwhelming. They were to me. This might have made a lot of money, but I just am not the audience for this. So it you save your comments, save your thoughts. If you like this, if you were shouting chicken jockey and throwing popcorn at people, go for it. You know, I'm glad you had a good time. This was like the Avengers Endgame for some of you Minecraft fans. Finally getting a movie, but the way y'all acted, it was like a finale. So I'm glad that people enjoyed this. There is an audience for it. I'm not the audience, and honestly, I wish we would stop getting movies like this one. They're bad for the industry, in my opinion, but they make money. So what the hell do I know? Phil, that was my worst movie of the year. And number 42. Uh, what was number 42 on your list? Uh, in any meanie. Uh, why don't you tell us about that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, number 42, Ennie Meanie, which was a two and a half for me. Uh, I'm a big fan of I like Samara Weaving, uh, and uh that's why I wanted to check this out. And you know what? This was a fine time. Uh, I I do she carries pretty hard in this movie. Uh everybody else in it is kind of dragging dragging things along. It's not the worst. Uh it's essentially Baby Driver, but Samara Weaving. Uh, that's literally the plot. Uh, it's almost exact, like a like a one-to-one uh comparison, uh, but just not as charming uh as Baby Driver, which is one of uh a film we very much enjoyed. The movie I took a flyer on, saw it on Hulu. I was like, you know what? I got some time and I'll check it out. But Samara Weaving, very good. Uh the movie overall, eh, not so much. It's fine. Two and a half. Our two and a halves are different than other people's.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Well, and I mean it would probably be good to explain mine just early on, but I know there'll be people joining throughout the stream, so maybe it's pointless. But listen, when I give a movie a two, uh, pretty much anything under a two and a half, I am telling you, I really did not enjoy. Like, I don't really see the value in that movie, I don't really see how people can fully enjoy it. And depending from two to all the way to zero, uh, you know, I don't know how you can enjoy that movie based off that leveling. Two and a halves is where we get into I didn't really enjoy that movie, but I can see some glimmer of why you enjoyed it, maybe. Threes, objectively, I am told I don't like these films, but in my opinion, I do lean on like, but there's so much I just didn't enjoy about the movie that this is never a movie I would put on again. Where a three and a half, I would put that movie on again. I'd probably watch a little bit of it. In fact, if it was on in the background, and a four is one I'd go out of my way to not only re-watch a second time like I would a three and a half, but I'd actually go a step further and I would give somebody uh like a viewing party of that. I'd bring a particular person or group of people to see that movie. Four and a half and fives are different levels of excellence, and that's pretty much where I'm at with my rankings. Uh, Phil, your rankings, uh, you go based off vibes, I believe.
SPEAKER_01I go off vibes. I'll give an extra. I will I am known to give a bump if the vibes are there. If I had a good time, I will give I'll give a half star bump. Uh the perfect example from last year is fucking trap. Like trap is one of the worst films ever, but it is so much fun. So that's that's kind of like how I do it. So I don't do that with every film, but if it's a bad movie, but I had a good time, maybe I'll give you a bump. So, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03And mine is is in the order of the rating I gave it. I don't know if Phil at some point you deviate. You typically do year to year, so who knows? We'll see. Who knows? We'll see. We'll see what happens. Uh, why don't we get into our next set of f films? Uh at 41, I have Lilo and Stitch. So we just talked about a Minecraft movie and how shit of a movie that is, and that we shouldn't be making movies like that. Yeah. Well, I watched it, and it's because a child wanted to watch it, and I was drug along. And that's what happened with the Minecraft movie, and that's what happened here. I did not enjoy this adaptation. Lilo and Stitch are the best things about this movie. You gotta get that right so it's not pure trash. Everything surrounding it, especially some core changes made that if by now you haven't heard, well, trust me, you don't want to hear them from me. I did not enjoy this experience at all. I'm not a huge fan of the live adaptations, but I found some enjoyment out of a couple of them. This was not one of them, and I really cannot wait for the day we stop seeing these in theaters. We won't, because like a Minecraft movie, they make money. So, Phil, that is mine at 41. You have Splitzville here at 41. Tell us about this one.
SPEAKER_01Look who's back, Dakota Johnson. And you know what? I gave this one a three, so I didn't totally hate it. Uh, but it's like up there for some people's like funniest movie of the year. And there definitely are some parts in here that are genuinely funny that I did chuckle, but all four of them, unlikable people. Again, that that kind of uh goes back to like what happened with all of you, like none of them were particularly likable, but I really enjoyed uh stylistically how this uh kind of how the story unfolded. But um, again, just not not very uh not not good people uh whatsoever in this. Uh if
Franchise Fatigue And Popcorn Saves
SPEAKER_01you if you if I if you told you if you told me in the year 2025 I'd see Dakota Johnson twice uh in in film, uh I probably wouldn't have believed you, but here we are. So uh yeah, splits fill. Um it was it's fine. Um, but I did not love it as much as other people do, and and people really enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, and uh because you forgot, it was my turn to forget. So we're gonna try to do a better job of scores. Maybe now that I've added a graphic, I will then next year in advance add scores to the graphic. We're learning, it's all good. I gave a Minecraft movie and Lilo Stanchin, my next film, uh, are the only films I gave a two out of five. I did not go below that this year. Phil, this is where your threes start, which means Eny Meanie was a two and a half. Splitzville, your first three of the year. Now that is correct. We're going to film 40. We have The Lost Bus and 28 Years Later.
SPEAKER_01One movie with no expectations and one with a ton of expectations.
SPEAKER_03I will uh I will I will go first. I really wanted to like 28 years later. I was never the biggest fan of 28 weeks later, which I saw first before 28 days later, and we recently saw that here on the podcast for our late to the party series. So I didn't see 28 Days Later until this year as well. I'm new to the franchise for the most part. I was semi-excited for this one, even though I was a little lukewarm to the original as I thought I would be upon seeing it for the first time. And when we walked into the theater, I was excited to check this out. When I walked out, I was kind of fuming. I didn't really enjoy what I saw. And it's crazy. A lot of people really, really enjoyed this movie, but it has caused some divisiveness. I don't think I'm in the minority as much as some people would lead you to believe. I did give it a two out of five. It may go up on a rewatch, and why do I say a rewatch? Well, I kind of still am interested to see the Bone Temple. I kind of want to see the next one because I do like some of the characters and performances in this. I wouldn't normally do that for a movie I give a two out of five for. That's a movie I kind of discard. So maybe that says something about my rating. Maybe I'm a little too harsh, but out of one viewing in the theaters, that's how I felt. I felt very disappointed for a franchise I was already a little lukewarm on. Phil, you watched a Matthew McConaughey movie, so shocked to see this not get five stars.
SPEAKER_01Alright, all right, all right. Yeah, this was uh one of those one of those uh Paul Greengrass films based on a true story. Uh so he did, you know, Captain Phillips, United 93 movies like that. Um, also a few of the Born movies. Uh so um The Lost Bus was a uh it was honestly a as far as getting the tension down and the stress and just being you know really in it with um not only Matthew McConaughey but also America Ferreira, they were both very good in this. And uh it's just one of those films you kind of put on and and you could easily do something else at the same time as well. Um still, again, gave it a three out of five. And uh, I think that if you're looking for uh you know one of those modern-day films, again, based on a true story, um, that uh of course tells you what happened with this really, really crazy wildfire that happened in California. Um, it's it's worth the watch, and you get some good information about the real life event at the end as well as you typically do with these greengrass movies. So um, yeah, an Apple TV film, uh straight to Apple TV film. Uh that was uh just fine.
SPEAKER_03At 39, we have two films.
SPEAKER_01There you are 28 years later.
SPEAKER_0328 years later again, and then we have Lost in Starlight. Uh, we'll continue to go through this back and forth. Lost in Starlight is a movie that I heard a lot of positive buzz about, wasn't a movie I was expecting to go out of my way and watch. At that point, I had movies in my queue from even this year that I would have preferred to see, but I said, you know what? The buzz is there. We love the director, animation-wise, it looks great and it's getting a ton of hype. So why don't I check this out? And I walked away from this movie feeling a little underwhelmed, which is why I gave it a two and a half out of five. I didn't really enjoy this. I tried to get myself to a three out of five, a movie that I could at least say I liked more than I didn't. But when it comes to these type of stories, Phil, and I know I'm gonna get I'm gonna get told, are you comparing it to your name? I am not, I truly am not when I'm going into this film. I just wanted to see something that I could enjoy when it comes to this romance genre, and I just didn't like this particular story. The two characters didn't really vibe with either of them and their backgrounds, so it just wasn't something that worked for me in a lot of different ways that usually it does. Phil, you are now here with 28 years later, uh now coming up, so pretty close in our rankings, but you were, I would say, way more positive with a higher score by a whole point.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and you you covered, you know, a lot of it. Uh, you know, when when a franchise has been on ice for so long, obviously the expectations are going to be very high. I this is I actually did
Remakes, Reboots, And Guilty Pleasures
SPEAKER_01think about like texting you today because the tickets for Bone Temple are on sale, but honestly, I might I might wait for a stream for that one uh because I do want to know what happens with that fucking wild ending and see where where where we go from there. It feels like you know we've invested the time in well, at least for two of them. I I've still haven't seen 28 weeks later. I've only seen um uh I've only seen the uh the first one. Hey vintage, um don't know what I missed, but you are who are got I'm Game of Thrones. Um yeah, so 20, I think I just like you, I think I'll watch Phone Temple, but I might not watch it in theaters. Um so yeah, so it's uh it was fine, uh, but I definitely was also left a little disappointed and also confused about what the fuck happened.
SPEAKER_03Alright, we've got film number 38. Uh we've got five nights at Freddy's 2 and Black Bag, which is uh an interesting combination here.
SPEAKER_01These are wild weekends. Some of these.
SPEAKER_03Some of these. At the bottom of my list this year, there are a ton of movies that a young child that I may or may not be related to, no, I am, it's my son. He told me we had to go see this movie, this movie, and this movie. Well, one of those was a Minecraft movie, one of those was Lilo and Stitch, and another one was Five Nights at Freddy's 2. After not enjoying the first one very much, but gaining an appreciation of the community at large when it comes to the gaming side of things. I was hopeful maybe now because I get some of the references, I'll enjoy it more. Maybe they'll learn from the mistakes of the first one and they'll implement changes to make it better. The crowd will tell you in my theater and many across the country that this movie was amazing. However, I have my critic brain on and I could not stop thinking, wow, this is still so painfully average. I gave this movie a two and a half out of five. I did not enjoy it, I really tried to, and I didn't hate it. This movie's out there for somebody, and if you're one of those people that like this franchise through hell in high water, then I'm really happy for you. I am not one of those people. Phil, you watched Black Bag, which I also heard had some divisiveness.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this was, and this is another one where a lot of people that I follow really, really enjoy. But it's it's just a mi not to be too on the nose, but it is a mixed bag. Uh when it comes to black bag, when it c because there is something here. There's there's like hints of something really, really great, but it's like sprinkled amongst a a lot of just meh. Uh in fact, really the the only scene that really stands out is one near the end, which I guess is fine because that's the climax. But um, yeah, Michael Fastbender, Kate Blanchett, you know, Tom Burke, Marissa Abela, like has a good Pierce Brosnan as well. Like it's got a good cast, uh, but it just did not hit like I was really hoping that it would. Uh, you know, we're a big fan of like the espionage uh world and and things like that, but uh I found it overall just kind of boring. Um, but again, it was still stylistically, and because there are bits and pieces of something really, really good in there, still gave it a three. But um, you know, I would be interested to see, Eric, if you ever checked it out to see if you know, maybe uh uh maybe I'm being a little bit too too harsh on it, or maybe I just missed the point, but yeah, it uh missed the mark a little bit for me.
SPEAKER_03Talking about too harsh here, I don't know, uh film number 37. Some thoughts on my end for you, but uh yeah, no, Captain America Brave New World. Uh argument can be made it's too high for me, and for you, Predator Badlands, uh, which you gave it three to. So, I mean, like ranking wise, like score-wise, not harsh, uh, per se, but uh ranking out of all the films you saw may be, especially considering fucking number 36 staring me in my fucking face. Um, yeah, boy. So, why don't we uh why don't we talk about these two very big franchises? Film number 37 of the year for me was Captain America Brave New World, and man, did this movie have some potential? There really was some left on the cutting room floor, and it's not a good movie. It is not a good movie. A two and a half out of five, in fact, could be generous, but I liked some elements enough to save it from that dreaded two and below score where I just couldn't recommend this movie. If you said you like this, that's fine. Now, if you're giving it a four or higher out of five, you might be crazy. Somebody might want to get you checked into an institution, but if you did like mildly enjoy this film, like it's a popcorn flick. I don't blame you. It was a good time, I guess. But yeah, no, most of the time I was finding a lot of things wrong with the movie from the way it looked like it was just pieced together so sloppily to the things that we complain about in Marvel in almost what it seems like every film that comes out. This was no different. This was supposed to be one of two films that potentially revitalized the franchise this year, and it did not do that. So, unfortunately, one of the biggest disappointments of the year and one of my lower scores in 2025. Phil, you watched Predator Badlands, gave it a three out of five, but uh again, much lower than where I put it. What did you think about this one?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so Predator Badlands came fresh off of us watching um what was it, Prey, as well as another predator film that will come up much later in this episode. Uh, so I was expecting a really, really gory uh action packed time. And yes, there is plenty
Marvel Check-In: Hope And Frustration
SPEAKER_01of action in Predator Badlands, but I don't want to see the Predator killing androids. Like I wanted to see him ripping people apart and hunting, you know, hunt hunting people like in prey, which was awesome. And that's not what happened here. However, I am invested in this franchise now, uh, and I will continue to watch them because uh, you know what? Cool design. Um, the L fanning thing didn't really work for me. That was pretty. Pretty irritating for the most part, but uh overall it was a solid sci-fi flick, and it got me uh invested in a new franchise, so that's a I think that's a win.
SPEAKER_03What a fucking still image to have what a movie night this would be. What a yeah, yeah, weird. Uh film number 36, guys, Jurassic World Rebirth on my end, and fucking Anaconda on your end. Uh, film Jurassic World, Jurassic Par has not always been my bag, but I will say that I've very much enjoyed them. And remember when the first Jurassic World came out, how people were very excited, it was Force Awakens-esque, and just like Star Wars and that trilogy, it went down the shitter. Now we're starting anew, and we're still kind of in the shitter for some reason, just a different kind of shit, and that's the way I would explain my experience with rebirth, is it feels familiar in almost all the worst ways of this franchise. I gave it a two and a half out of five. I didn't uh dismiss like I didn't dismissly hate this movie, uh but yeah, no, I just did not enjoy this very much. There was a couple of salvaging things that I could pull from in enjoyment of it, like again, Captain America Brave New World, kind of popcorn y film like that. But yeah, no, not for me. And man, I wonder when I'm gonna quit on this franchise. As I I'm starting to do with many of these that I'm just falling out of love with. Phil, you have to talk about Anaconda. I need 60 seconds anyway. I don't want to hear a fucking word you have to say, so enjoy.
SPEAKER_01Wow.
SPEAKER_04So so so aggressive.
SPEAKER_01Anaconda was fucking stupid, and it was over the top and super campy, and you know what? The the the story itself was pretty dumb, but did I have a good time? Fuck yeah, I did. I gave it a three out of five. Uh, Paul Rudd, Jack Black, uh, and and the the other the rest of the cast, really fun um cameos that uh, you know, you could probably guess what they are. I actually, uh, in case you missed it, I technically saw this movie three times because I had to I had to go ahead and in order to maintain my pre my platinum status for Cinemark, I had to buy two extra tickets to I bought two more tickets to Anakin. So I saw this movie three times this year, technically, and uh yeah, it was a fucking blast. Uh, do I want to see another one? Probably not, but it was a good time, and I will not apologize for that.
SPEAKER_03Fucking criminal man. Out of the many films we saw. Uh wow, another interesting movie night here. Elio. And now you see me, now you don't. Phil, you asked me about my opinion about Elio. Should you check it out? And I told you it's really not worth your time. When I went to go see Elio, I went in with a very open mind. I was thinking, you know what? We have to support original ideas and films like this. But when you hear about what led to this film and a lot of the cutting that was done around this story, around this premise, you find the end result to be a really sloppy movie that has some promise. I did give it a two and a half out of five for that reason, but I can't find myself recommending this to anybody just because we should support original work when you are looking at a company like Disney, a big uh you know, film like uh Pixar film from a company like this, you just need to expect more. And I expected a lot more from a film from Pixar from Disney and of the ilk that we normally expect out of the films coming out of that studio. So that is my thought on Elio. And Phil, for some reason, you fell for the trap a third time and saw now you see me, now you don't.
SPEAKER_01Hell yeah, I did sign me up for more magic, baby. Uh, first to to touch on what you said about Elio, it is uh uh one I considered adding to my list, but I forgot that I had canceled Disney Plus earlier in the year because I never used it, and I was like, well, I'm definitely not fucking signing back up for Disney Plus for Ilio. That's certainly not going to happen. But yeah, now you see me, now you don't. Uh we return uh with Jesse Eisenberg, um Woody Harrelson, DeFranco, Isla Fisher, and three characters we don't necessarily need. I mean, Ariana Greenblatt has to have the best fucking agent in Hollywood. She's in fucking everything, along with Justice Smith, uh, and then uh another new character played by uh Dominic Cassessa, who I believe is in the holdovers, but I haven't seen him in anything uh other than Now You See Me. Um there are too many characters in this now. Um, but again, another just just similar to Anaconda. Did I have a fun time? Absolutely. I did have to watch like a recap of the last Now You See Me movie because I I did not remember any of that happening. It was so long ago. Um, so it's interesting that this this uh series is still returning. I think it would have probably more success if it were a straight-to-streaming Netflix, Peacock, Amazon style movie. Um, you know, similar to like how they're doing it with like knives out, maybe make them a little bit more lambastic and fun and crazy, and then add more new people um or like rotate the cast out or something. I don't know. But still a fun time. Uh and I'll continue to see them again. Uh it's one of uh uh Felinn and I's kind of like guilty pleasure movies. Uh it's kind of like uh Fast and the Furious split with magic. Crazy,
Animated Highs And Lows
SPEAKER_01crazy tag. Justin Smith is it in he's terrible. He's so funny. He is Eric's favorite actor, though.
SPEAKER_03I honestly like the I wouldn't normally say it to their faces, but I might.
SPEAKER_01We work with Justin Smith at a convention, you're like, no, I'm not gonna do that one.
SPEAKER_03No, yeah, I'm not doing that. And I'm gonna tell him that, like, hey buddy, I can't. I cannot do it.
SPEAKER_01So I have a uh first question here. Uh, how dare you? Uh how dare you? Uh can you stop, please? That's enough.
SPEAKER_03Film number 34 for both of us, Fantastic Four, first new uh first new steps, and you also had one of them days. Phil, we both gave these threes. This is actually where my threes begin on my rankings for the 34th ranked film. I was not expecting to see the Fantastic Four here. And this is one of three big Marvel films that came out, and was probably the second most realistic one to really rejuvenize the MCU. When Captain America didn't do that, you kind of had to force yourself to believe that Thunderbolts will, and whatever you think about that movie, uh Fantastic Four had way more hype going into it, a stellar cast on the surface. But by the time we exited the movie, I just felt underwhelmed. There was more that I liked than I didn't, but ultimately it just wasn't something that gelled in the way I thought it would. I thought the setting would make me feel more comfortable and at home. It didn't, it felt a little off-putting at times. I thought that the cast would knock it out of the park. That wasn't necessarily the case in a lot of different areas, and ultimately, what this story was trying to do and juggle just didn't work in any way, shape, or form for me. As someone who is starting to very cleanly make a clean exit out of the MCU without any regrets, man, doomsday is the last thing standing in my way of just taking both feet out of the door and exiting the MCU forever. Man, I'm disappointed. I really wanted this to be just a saving grace, and it wasn't. Phil Fantastic Four will come up again for you. You saw one of them days, though. How was that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, one of them days is a whole lot of fun. Uh, it's it's very much in the same ilk of like a Friday film, so a lot of just crazy hijinks and just really silly, uh not unbelievable stuff that goes on. Kiki Palmer and Sizza are really, really good together. Sizza's character is incredibly frustrating, but um Kat Williams also makes an appearance in this thing, and it's just a fun time. Uh, it's a good movie, I think, to put on with friends, uh, to have a fun movie night and just kind of laugh at the craziness that's happening. Um uh it all takes place, if you can imagine, over the course of one day, and a lot of the stuff is pretty unbelievable, but it was a good time, and it definitely genuinely made me laugh.
SPEAKER_03It hurts me. Whoa! It hurts me. Also, I know crazy, crazy combination here. Uh, we have Wicked for Gorge for Good.
SPEAKER_01Let's get t-shirts. We need t-shirts for every one of these uh combinations, by the way.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and the gorge. Listen, when I started watching movies at the beginning of the year, did I expect Wicked for Good to fall out of the top 30 films I saw, ranking at number 33 out of 42 films I saw? No, I was not expecting that, even though I knew going into it, I had a weird visceral reaction to the first one in the most positive way for someone who's not a big fan of the musical, and specifically not a fan of the second half of that musical. Despite all of that, because I love the first one so much in theaters, that experience was unforgettable. I thought they might be able to pull it off and hit another home run. Maybe it's my fault for expecting that, and that diluted the film for me. But this movie does not look as good, does not feel as good, and does not sound as good. This music in this movie is nowhere near the first one. These are all things I expected if I really use my logistical brain based off my history with Wicked. But again, I was I had the blinders on. I loved the first Wicked in theaters, and I just had those blinders on too long. Where about halfway through the film, I was like, uh-oh, I don't think I'm enjoying it. However, I gave it a three out of five because there was enough to enjoy. Cynthia Revo, Ariana Grande can carry this entire franchise till the end of time if they had to, and I love them both. They were fantastic, it's nothing against them in their performances, but there was a lot about this movie that had stuff working against it already, and I just got blindsided by something I should have seen coming. Phil, you saw the gorge for some reason. Uh, I know you love hearing the wicked hate, so we're gonna save you from saying anything and how we can just talk about the fucking gorge. What?
SPEAKER_01I like this movie. I really enjoyed this movie. It did not get the half star bump for the good times, so I still gave it a three. But I really, really like this. This would be the first appearance of Miles Teller to give you guys a little bit of a teaser for what's coming later. Miles Teller, Anya Taylor Joy, Sigornia Weaver. It's just a really like fun, dumb science fiction film uh with a just enough of a mystery to make me uh to to have me buy in. And you know, I enjoyed this more than I thought that I would. And I would watch it again with someone who has not seen it, uh, as far as um just to see if they enjoyed it. So again, interesting premise. Uh the chemistry between Miles Teller and Anya Taylor Joy, I thought was there. And you know what? I again stupid sci-fi thriller. Sign me up. Let's start to like Apple TV. I didn't have to go to the theaters. I I probably would have been more upset if I paid to go see it, but since I watched it on Apple TV. So I technically did pay it. Um, but uh yeah, uh yeah, Filin's got it at number at number 34. It was a good time. Uh I I went into it expecting it not to be good at all, and it was above average for me. Yeah, we're gonna. Works for good t-shirts coming coming soon.
SPEAKER_03All right, well, uh Phil, I don't know how you're gonna handle this, so I'm just gonna I'm just gonna go there. No! I'm just gonna go there. Uh at film number 32, I've got the naked gun. Uh, Phil, you have Mickey 17, uh, which I'll be talking about very soon. Let's talk about the naked gun. I saw the naked gun today
Indies, Surprises, And Hidden Gems
SPEAKER_03as we're recording it, and all I kept hearing about the naked gun was how funny it was, and that we need comedies like this, and we don't have enough of them. Go support them, love them, enjoy them, don't take them too seriously. And I was like, yeah, that sounds like a great time. Let's put it on. About 30 minutes in. Not only was everything from the trailers, I also was like, Oh, like, I can I'm gonna chuckle throughout this movie, but I'm never gonna bellyache laugh. I'm never gonna find something absolutely fucking hilarious. This movie is full of that was cool, that was funny, uh, I get that. And after about an hour, I was like, Can this movie work in 2025? Apparently it does, apparently it does, but I'm not beating the allegations that I don't like to have fun with this one. I just genuinely had a mild time with this, where again it was a bunch of chuckles, a bunch of his, and a bunch of hmm, I wish this was more, and I feel like it was hyped to be a little bit more. You can't deny some of the chemistry with like Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson. So there is a lot to like, which is why I gave it a three out of five, but I really couldn't bring myself to give it much higher, even if there were fun cameos to talk about. Phil, you wanted to talk about the Dave Batista one, of course. So I'm glad that I saw it for that reason. But you saw Mickey 17. Before you get into that, what are your thoughts about me not loving the naked gun?
SPEAKER_01I mean, it's not like our scores are like I didn't give this a five, like the naked gun a five. Did you watch it alone by yourself or did you watch it? I did. You gotta stop watching comedies by yourself, you gotta watch it with you gotta stop watching comedies.
SPEAKER_03I well, listen, I I showed the other adult in this household a scene from airplane to give them an idea of what the comedy would be. Because when I said out loud, don't call me Shirley, I was I was met with, what is that from? So I showed her and she did not laugh. She looked at me in utter disgust. So I'm not in the household where people are gonna enjoy that type of comedy. I guess I don't I don't think I know enough people. Yeah, vintage saw uh threw it in the chat, saw it, everybody was laughing in the theater.
SPEAKER_01I think the naked gun is a I think that's a communal experience. I mean, I watched it by myself because I missed it in theaters, but I think a film like that is a communal experience, honestly.
SPEAKER_03Like I again, I just like maybe, maybe, but I don't know that I would have given this more than a three and a half, and I think a three and a half would have been generous.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and not to get ahead of myself, but you know, I didn't give it too much of a higher score than you. Sure, yeah.
SPEAKER_03So maybe that's what maybe that would have been the bump because of the vibe, but like again, I don't see myself laughing hard. And honestly, let's be real, Phil. I don't know that I could quote a lot from this movie. That that's the comedy I like is like stuff I can really quote, and like I don't know that this movie just didn't do that for me. Did you do you feel like now that I've watched the naked gun, you're gonna quote this? What give me give me two quotes that you're gonna come from this movie and and we're gonna do moving forward?
SPEAKER_01I'd probably have to watch it again, to be honest. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_03That yep, point point made. So uh Mickey 17, Phil. Uh man, uh, hate to see it, especially considering how we felt early on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Um, man, Bong Jun-ho, we love you. Uh, he has directed what, two or three of our some of our favorite films of all time, and we'll continue to support him and watch everything that he does. But this just did not hit for me. Uh, still gave it a three out of five. Uh, but as far as the kind of the mystery of it, uh the poor performances were still uh fine and uh and and even uh above average and and excellent to a certain degree for some of them. Uh it was a big year for um big name actress playing two different versions of themselves with Robert Pattinson and uh Michael B. Jordan. But um yeah, uh the the Mark Ruffalo character I think is definitely one that's kind of like a hit or miss too, as well as as far as how people felt. And um, I think with Bong Jun-ho, like we talked about this the other day, and what did I miss, Eric, when it came to our expectations for the Odyssey. The the expectations for Bong Jun-ho are so high that if he doesn't deliver a four or higher film for us, that's a disappointment. And that's what Mickey 17 was.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, no, 100%. Uh, you deleted all my episodes of Buffy. I had just finished the first season. No more Buffy, no Xander?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I I also uh I don't know. I just also really love to go back to um to go back to Naked Gun. I just thought Liam Neeson's delivery was was also really good to uh as far as the the legacy of that of that series goes, you know, with um with Leslie, uh with uh yeah, Leslie Nielsen.
SPEAKER_03So can't can't argue with that. Um film number 31, guys, is actually where we're gonna overlap on films that we've talked about uh just now with Mickey 17 for me, right around the place that Phil went, although yeah, we both gave it the same score. That was your final three on your list. You move into your three and a half with Lost in Starlight, so a little bit of a difference of opinion here. So I'll kick it off with Mickey 17. At the beginning of the year, and honestly, as far back as 2024, when we first heard a Robert Pattinson Bong Jun ho film was coming out about multiple Robert Pattinsons, like that was gonna be such a cool premise, it was gonna be a lot of fun, and I expected as much when I walked into the theater, I had a very positive mindset, despite some rumblings that this may not be one of his strongest films. And I am very happy with Robert Pattinson's performance and some of the supporting cast, but then there are other areas of the supporting cast, Mark Ruffalo specifically, is a like or hate type of character. You either love that portrayal, that character on that social commentary that's being given, or it's not your cup of tea. I think it fell on the side of not being my cup of tea, along with some things about the story, the direction, and honestly, at points feeling a little bit bored with what I was seeing. I was starting to look at my clock towards the end of the movie, and that's not a good sign when I'm looking at my watch and wondering what time it is, how much time has passed. I felt that way about Mickey 17 towards the end, and then I walked out feeling very lukewarm, giving it a three out of five, still liked more than I hated, but definitely a film that has its problems. Phil, you saw Lost in Starlight, which I did not enjoy, but a three and a half rating tells me you did.
SPEAKER_01I did, yeah. Um, really, really beautiful animation. I uh bought into uh the love story and also enjoyed um a lot of the music in it as well. Presentation uh was on point. I I think it didn't hit as it does have a 3.9 average, so people definitely very much enjoy this. I know filling in the chat really, really loved this movie. Um, but yeah, it's mostly about the ending. I think that really kind of dipped it to uh not quite four status for me. So when I watched it again, yeah, absolutely. But um it is it's hard to not compare everything, even though like we joke about it to a your name because the standard. Of that anime love story is the standard for us. So um, but still very much enjoyed it, would would would very much record uh recommend it. And I would watch it again, but yeah, yeah, I thought again, beautiful animation. Uh, enjoy the performances, and you know, I would be open to watching it again, maybe in sub as well.
SPEAKER_03Alright, guys, film number 30. Uh, we've got Ballerina from the John Wick series,
Streaming Wins And Apple TV Oddities
SPEAKER_03and we have The Bad Guys 2. Very interesting set of films here. I am still well within my threes, so Phil is uh gonna be climbing into his three and a halves here. For Ballerina, I came into the movie not expecting very much, but also hoping that it could kind of free itself from Keanu Reeves and the hold that John Wick has. But John Wick's name is all over this movie, despite John Wick not being in this movie very much. And what you end up having is a fun time at the theaters, but it's lacking a lot of substance that a franchise already doesn't have a lot of, if we're being honest. We don't go to the John Wick films for substance of our story, and it's just the fact that this movie doesn't have a lot going for it outside of some fun action scenes. I mean, again, you're never going to top Keanu Reeves in this franchise, and I think it was just really evident that any spin-offs that are gonna come are gonna just be fun little additions to the world until you get the real thing, kind of like an appetizer in a meal, and for that reason, I gave it a three out of five. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I also am never gonna look at this movie seriously as something I ever want to watch again. Phil, you just watched the bad guys this year for our late to the party series, and here is the bad guys too with a three and a half at number 30 for you. How did this go for you watching it?
SPEAKER_01Man, talk about an upgrade in almost every single aspect. Really enjoyed the bad guys, and I was I wasn't gonna watch the bad guys too, but I was like, you know what? I need to hit this list, and I need to I want to hit my goal, and there are worse films, I'm sure, that I could watch. Animation is great, characters still likable. The only one I wasn't the biggest fan of was uh Kitty Cat as far as Daniel Brooks and that with with with the performance. Daniel Brooks is incredible. She's amazing in Peacemaker, she was amazing in Orange's New Black, she's really great in mostly everything she does. Just did not enjoy her performance, and uh same thing kind of goes for Natasha Leon and you know uh uh the other the other character um uh who played the uh the pig character, I think that's probably Maria Bacalova. Um, and it was uh uh thanks for lurking, uh Vintage. Happy New Year to you as well, be safe. Um yeah, but as far as like the main cat, like the main characters, man, talk about again upgrade on almost every single level. I enjoyed the hell out of this. Glad we're getting more. They does it does come to the trope of adding more characters to the team at the end of the movie, that thing that happens. But you know what? Um, as far as the the actual character of Kitty Cat, I like that they she was actually a menacing character, like how they expanded on some of the stories from the first movie, and it was a good time. Uh set up set up the third one, and you know what? Now I'm gonna start seeing these in theaters. It was a good time.
SPEAKER_03All right, what a movie night at number 29. Uh we have plus a family trauma, maybe?
SPEAKER_01I don't know. I didn't see nothing.
SPEAKER_03Maybe uh so we have uh Nona's at uh number 29 for me. We have Thunderbolts at number 29 for you. For me, I don't really watch a lot of these films very often. This is the most three out of five movie that you're gonna find anywhere on Netflix or any streaming service that you check out, but as someone who could appreciate the heritage and all of the story and background, the true the true story stuff about the film Nona's. Plus, you add Vince Vaughn in there, and he's fun enough. He may not be what he was, but he's fun enough in this movie. I got a three out of five reigning because I enjoyed this film, despite the fact that it's such a simple plot, it just kind of trugs along until you get to the end. There's some laughs to be had, but it's nothing again, nothing you're going to be shouting off the rooftops about, about how funny it was, about how sweet it was, about how heart-wrenching it was. It just had all those little elements that work for a movie to get you from point A to point B. And I can appreciate that sometimes. For me, Nona's did that in this year of disappointments, highs and lows, and all the above. Phil Thunderbolts was a big movie for us this year. We didn't expect much out of it, but again, after Captain America, Thunderbolts was kind of right up on the docket for us to see what is Marvel made out of. You gave it a three and a half, so you must have enjoyed it enough, but it didn't quite hit the highs that Marvel has given us in the past.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and this actually is a movie that after the first time I saw it, I did give a three, but upon a second watch, I did bump it up to a three and a half. Uh, there were definitely characters in here that I was looking forward to revisiting. Uh, really love Wyatt Russell, becoming a big fan of him and his performances uh over the last few years. And honestly, this got a Florence Pugh bump. Uh the story itself, I think the movie overall is likely a three, but again, I just enjoy Florence Pugh so much, and she really deserves to be front and center when we're talking about the future of these MCU films. So why they're not going that route with you know an upcoming property is baffling. You have her right here along with a couple other people that would be really easy choices, and they're not going with Florence Pugh, doesn't make any sense to me. Who knows? We're still a year away from the movie. Maybe I can change. Uh, but she is excellent in this. Uh, she continues to show why she is uh one of the best in Hollywood right now and why she continues to get cast. Um, she's just incredibly likable across the board. Uh Sebastian Stan coming back, also, I really enjoyed. Julia Larry Dreyfus, that character has way overstayed their welcome. I have no idea why they continue to revisit that well. Um, but yeah, I enjoyed enough of Lewis Pullman and David Harbour. And you know what? I I hope we see these characters again in some way, shape, or form. Um I hope they don't get the Eternals treatment because this is much better than the Eternals. Although, Eric, I've been throwing around the idea of re-watching the Eternals on my end. I don't know if you've seen Kamal Nangiani has been doing a lot of press recently.
SPEAKER_04A lot.
Thunderbolts, Florence Pugh, And MCU Futures
SPEAKER_01He's been talking about the Eternals, and I'm just like, man, Kingo deserved another shot. I think that was one of the frustrating things about the Eternals, is that there are bits and pieces and a couple characters in there. Like, I'd love to see that character again, but pour it out for Kingo, man.
SPEAKER_03We'll Episode one of the reboot, man. I guess that's a crazy, crazy way to start that series if we do it. Uh, let's not talk about the uh the ifs and let's talk about the actual uh things that we saw. Now, these are very different. I saw Frankenstein on Netflix, and you saw Sacramento for Frankenstein. I went into this movie knowing it wasn't going to be something I would fall in love with. This isn't exactly a genre that I'm known to gravitate towards, and this is also a director in Guillermo del Toro that I'm not known to overly love, his storytelling and his design of the plot. But I will say set designs are something that he does really well. Performances are typically pretty strong in some of these films, and when you've got uh uh Oscar Isaac and you've got Jacob Alordi really pulling the weight in this film together, this movie is pretty good at times, but then there are other things from a character or I should say a casting perspective. I didn't love Christoph Waltz or Mia Goth in this, I felt that both of them were a tad bit miscast. And while this movie is beautiful to look at a lot of times, there are some moments that are you know CGI that will take you out of it, or maybe it just doesn't look as clean as other scenes. I wouldn't say dare to say sloppy, but I would say there are just some moments I was taken out of the film from it being this beautiful thing to look at, in addition to the fact that how many times can you tell a Frankenstein story? I understand a lot of people feel this is the most faithful or true to the adaptation that it's based off of, but yeah, I just did not love this the way that I think many other people did, and that's to be expected. A three out of five, I really did enjoy it at the end of the day. This is probably on the higher echelon of my threes, but it's just not a genre that's easy to get me into for a lot of the reasons I just mentioned. Phil, you saw Sacramento. I have no clue what this is about, but I remember seeing the poster.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it is a little indie comedy uh starring Michael Sarah and Michael Angerano. Um, it's also got Maya uh Earth Screen and Kristen Stewart, and it is a I had a lot of fun with this, and Eric, I think this is one of those movies where kind of like another film we're gonna talk about a little bit later, where there were bits and pieces of things that we would quote in this movie. Um, it's about a film uh where Michael Sarah and uh Michael and Gar and Garano's character, they were kind of like high school friends, and Michael Sarah's kind of cut out cut out his buddy, but they go on this road trip to Sacramento and kind of like hijinks ensue. Uh, I watched this the other day and I really, really enjoyed my time with it. Um, I think it is I thought it was really funny. I thought it had a lot of heart, and it has a pretty crazy uh climax where things kind of all kind of culminate, uh, where you're you're you're really stressed out about what is at what is happening. So not only is it funny, it also does uh I think a pretty good job talking about um uh some mental health issues too. And uh yeah, it was a surprise for me. I I I saw this on some other people's lists as well and wanted to check it out, saw it was on Hulu, and um yeah, I'm glad I watched it. It was a I I enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_03All right, film number 27. This is where Thunderbolts comes up for me, and this is where Roofman comes up for you. Thunderbolts was an experience that I wasn't expecting, but also was still slightly let down from. Like this movie really couldn't have done more if it tried because it's so Marvel coded in all of the things that we like and that we don't like about the MCU right now. But it was smack dab into the middle of the year with this new Avengers title looming over it. How important is this movie to the full MCU? How guardians of the galaxy was it gonna get when you see this ragtag group? Marvel is loving going back to that well, and it does work because the cast is so great. We love a lot of these characters that are returning, and Florence Pew is the gem that Marvel is just not taking advantage of enough. Ultimately, for me, with this movie, I didn't leave very impressed with anything that it offered new into the not only MCU but into film in general. Like, I don't know that there was anything special that this movie was doing, and also this movie very gray to look at, it was very bleak. Uh, the comedy kind of hit or miss, which is like Marvel's biggest problem, I think, right now. I fell on the latter half with a three out of five on this. I didn't dislike it, but it's a movie that I don't find myself wanting to watch a second time. And I think upon a second rewatch, maybe I bump it up to a three and a half, a movie that I'd be happy to put on in the background while I'm cleaning and check it out. But do I want to show this to a friend? Do I want to watch this multiple times? I just don't after seeing it once in theaters, and I think that is enough for me. You saw Roofman Phil, which is a movie I heard a lot of good things about it being funny. What did you give it the three and a half for?
SPEAKER_01It was really funny. Uh Channing Tatum is excellent in this. If you're not familiar with Roofman, it is based on a true story about a um uh essentially a robber who uh he was a former army ranger, and after he leaves uh the army, he is just having trouble finding work, so he has to resort to uh robbing. Essentially, he starts off with like the local some like McDonald's in the area, things like that. He does eventually get caught and go to jail, and then he escapes from jail and starts living inside of a Toys R Us. It kind of gets sets the stage for what happens here. Uh, while he has been hiding out in that Toys R Us, he uh falls in, you know, he starts to see uh this character played by Kirsten Dunst, who is also really good. I mean, it's been so great to see her over the last couple of years between this and then also Civil War, which we saw a couple of years ago. Um, and yeah, it was a really, really fun time. Like, Keith Stanfield is in this for a little bit too, and it's a movie with a lot of heart,
Comedy That Works In A Crowd
SPEAKER_01and uh Channing Tatum plays that really, really well. So it's nice to see a little bit of this Channing Tatum kind of renaissance and see him a little kind of reinvent himself uh a little bit as well, um, between uh, you know, coming back and the Deadphone Wolverine. Now he'll be involved, of course, with the adventures going forward. Um, I heard that good things about Blink twice from a year or two ago as well. So uh you know what Chatting Tatum is getting the opportunity to kind of flex his his acting chops. I think Channing Tatum has always been incredibly po uh incredibly talented, and I I would I would say he is the type of funny when you look at like the twin the jump street movies. He is the type of funny and then also a combination of like a really handsome, charming, good looking guy that I think Ryan Reynolds thinks he is. I think Channing Tatum should easily be slotted into that role, and hopefully that's the start of this.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, let's hope.
SPEAKER_01Let's hope that he gets the love he needs from uh Gambit and uh and and and Ryan Reynolds leave Rob McAlaney alone, you stay away from him.
SPEAKER_03Film number 26, what a combination! Paddington in Peru. Uh, this one was for you, and uh yeah, this one was for you, and then Avatar Fire and Ash for me. Uh wow. Uh, could you expect the biggest avatar fan, if you talk to Phil, being at number 26? And we're still in the three to five range. I really love the first avatar film. I've watched it multiple times. It's really the only avatar film that I've watched multiple times, which led me to really love Way of Water after such a long time between the first one and the second one. But I maybe should have watched Way of Water one more time before Fire and Ash so I can sell myself into the avatar world, really immerse myself into what I was buying into because I went into the third one excited and I walked out saying, Oh my god, I see all the complaints that everyone says it is. Is it the same story being rehashed over and over? It might be. Is it not really anything extraordinary other than the visuals? It might be, and I do think that we are starting to run out of steam on what we are doing here. This movie would ideally end a trilogy, but that's not what it's created to do. It's the back half of Way of Water, very clearly. If you listen to the interviews and what the script originally was, and on top of that, this movie isn't the end of a story, it's pretty much right in the middle of one. So I don't even know how good of a film it is in any aspect of being the third in a trilogy in the middle of a five-part story, when I just strip everything down and I say, Did I enjoy the movie from start to finish? The answer is yes, but there are a ton of butts in the middle of that that are hard to ignore, and I didn't have this issue with the first two avatars, so I'm deeply disappointed that I didn't love and adore this one, but maybe we are starting to see the trend, at least on my end, where these films aren't all that they're supposed to be, and we could be expecting a little bit more from a franchise that expects our dollars to get it to the two billion mark every time. You saw Paddington in Peru. We're not gonna talk about the Avatar hate. You hate Avatar, but you love Paddington, so talk about that. Be positive. Sure, sure. Can I just ask a question? Is Segordi Weaver still in Avatar? She is a child.
SPEAKER_01Oh, they're prequels? No, she's um she's still like sitting in a fucking box somewhere in a pod.
SPEAKER_04Do you want me to explain this to you?
SPEAKER_01Never mind.
SPEAKER_04Paddington in the guru.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_01I will watch Paddington films until the end of time. In fact, there is a live action, like stage play of Paddington going on, I think, on West End right now. I would tell I'll tell you this, Eric. If an animatronic Paddington hugged me, I think it would cure me. I think it would resolve me of all physical and mental ailments.
SPEAKER_03I think your defibrillator would just like pop out.
SPEAKER_04It just pops off, my back starts feeling better.
SPEAKER_01I think that might happen. Uh, because every time you get to see Paddington, it's like getting a hug. Uh, did this hit the highs of Paddington 1 and 2? No, not necessarily, but it was still a good time. I think they probably should have put more of a focus. Uh I would like to see Olivia Coleman featured a little bit more than Antonio Banderas and his uh villainess character, but uh still a very, very good time. And despite what some people think, Paddington is a top-tier franchise and should continue forever, unlike maybe Avatar.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I kind of set set ourselves up for that one, huh? Alright, guys, we're moving along pretty nicely. Film number 25. In fact, this is our first look at the roses on my end, which is an international feature episode we did on the Way Forward podcast this year. And Phil, this is where the Fantastic Four First Steps shows up again. Now for you, sitting at a three and a half. The roses is my first three and a half out of the year. So out of 25 films remaining, this is where the list really starts for films that I enjoyed. I saw the roses because we had this brought up multiple times in conversations and thought, hmm, maybe this will be a fun time, maybe we should check it out, and we did. Ultimately, this movie is just a lot of fun. Benedict Cumberbatch and the entire cast really are amazing, they're pretty great. There are some supporting characters I think are more loved than others, but when it comes down to the story and everything about the situation that's going on, I really enjoyed what I was seeing out of the roses, and I really enjoyed a lot of the banter between our main two leads. This is a film that I don't think is perfect, I wouldn't say it's amazing, but it had a lot of laughs in it, enough for me to want to watch this again, and I would likely see it a second time or have it on in the background gladly, finding myself sitting down watching some scenes and getting caught up into the film. I haven't been able to say that about a lot of movies so far from 2025, but almost midway through my list, we start to see that direction take place. Phil, you saw Fantastic Four, and again, out of three and a half, you liked it a little bit
Looney Tunes Return And Family Picks
SPEAKER_03more than I did.
SPEAKER_01I did, I did, and uh a lot more worked for it for me than it did with you. And I'm not too far off from the average, it's a 3.4. Um, so it's not like our scores are are wildly different, but um, I uh I do think I I What's happening here is uh again, you have an opportunity to place Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, uh even moss, uh Joseph Quinn to kind of front and center going forward, and you're not necessarily taking advantage of that. Um, I do I like the fact that they went back, you know, they were going back a little bit in time. There's this is like an alternate reality where superheroes are appreciated, the Fantastic Four specifically. So I enjoyed quite a bit of it. I enjoyed the aesthetic of the uh the 1960s backdrop, you know, retro futuristic vibe uh that's going on here. But yeah, we covered quite a bit about the uh the Fantastic Four when you discussed it, but I liked it. Uh I like it and excited for these characters to return. Hopefully, they do them justice.
SPEAKER_03Again, what a combination here at film number 24. Uh, movies that I I I could only imagine because I haven't seen yours are very different. I probably you haven't seen mine, yeah. So we can't really we're not the people to to tell you how similar or not they are. I have Demon Slayer Infinity Castle listed at number 24. You have Begonia, two very big films from this year. When it comes to the Demon Slayer franchise, I really had a lot of high hopes about what we would see with anime and film when we saw Moogantrain, and that movie really I thought was gonna set a chain reaction for other franchises to follow, but Demon Slayer hasn't followed that until this final arc, and now they're doing a three-part story to conclude it all. Does that work as a movie? I'm not a hundred percent sure. I gave it a three and a half because all the some of sums of its parts are really good. In fact, we get one of the most gripping, most devastating backstories for a show that gives us a ton of gripping and devastating backstories every single season. But we get a really great one here with one of our central characters, and for me, I love that so much that I look at this movie positively overall. But as a movie, it does have some structural concerns, and it does lead me to wonder how the next two are gonna pan out. At a three and a half out of five, I enjoyed it, but I am a little bit worried for the future, and I hope that they can really nail the next two and make me forget about some of the issues I had about the first one. Phil, you saw Begonia, which was a movie I badly wanted to see and did not get a chance to. This is one of the ones I forgot to mention earlier. What did you think about this?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, uh Emma Stone and Jesse Plemens are uh powerhouses. Um we have talked about our affinity for Jesse Plemens for quite a while. Uh how could that be profitable for Frito Le? Uh it's it's just he is outstanding in this, as well as uh his his co-star in this, which I think this is first feature film in Aiden Delvis. Um they wanted to cast somebody that was on the spectrum, and uh they they found Aiden, and he was very good in this as well. But uh carried by Emma Stone and Jesse Plummins didn't quite hit the heights that I really, really wanted it to. When you see the trailer, you expect uh, and uh, you know, with who is involved in the film, you I think you do expect something that's going to be next level, and it didn't quite reach those heights for me, mostly because of the ending, but the ride on the way to get there, uh what I very, very much enjoyed. Um, it's very dialogue heavy, so it's gotta it's gotta have two strong leads, and it's it's got that for sure.
SPEAKER_03We've got a return for the bad guys two here at number 23, and then Phil, you've got caught stealing here, both three and a halves for us. When it comes to the bad guys franchise, it's not one that I expected to be a big part of as a viewer, but I do have a little one who wanted to see this, and luckily, out of all the movies I saw this year, this might have been one of the better recommendations so far because there was a lot to enjoy here. Sure, are there some jokes, you know, especially in the farting department that are still not as funny as you think they would be? Sure, that's still present, especially from the first one. But I like a lot of the performances, some of the new characters, and of course, when we talk about DreamWorks, they're in their bag right now when it comes to animation. There's a lot to appreciate on that end. Does the plot get a little too over the top? And does it promise to go in even even crazier directions that I don't know if I'm on board for? Sure, it definitely does, but there is fun to be had here, and at a three of five three and a half out of five, that's exactly what I had here with the bad guys too. You saw Caught Stealing, a movie that I was lukewarm on ever wanting to see. What made you see this and why did you give it a three and a half?
SPEAKER_01Really quick, Eric. Uh, you said DreamWorks is in their bag right now. What movie did they uh release back in 2021?
SPEAKER_03Uh yeah, I believe a little film called Puss and Boost the Last Witch. Take a shot. Take a shot.
SPEAKER_01An hour and a half in. You're welcome. You're welcome. You're welcome. Uh I wanted to see Caught Stealing because our buddy Jay from Super Bracket Bros gave it a four. And I was like, oh, okay, you know what? I if if someone that we that we know whose opinion we respect gives a movie a four and above, we take notice. And you know what? I'm very glad I watched this. Very much enjoyed it. Um, the the supporting uh characters are a little hit or miss, but Austin Butler is outstanding in this. I would also say Regina King is very good too. Um, so yeah, again, carried by some really, really strong performances and a story that I did not expect. I I've seen this trailer a ton. You went to the theaters and you could not escape it, uh, which is probably one of the reasons why we're like, I'm not gonna see this when you're seeing too much of it. Uh, but I'm very glad I sat down and watched it. Really interesting story, um, a a solid underdog uh ending, and um, yeah, I would absolutely watch this again. Austin Butler, really good.
SPEAKER_03Now, I know I know how you're gonna react. So, so tell me who wanted to watch my movie.
SPEAKER_04Tell me, tell me, you know, so listen. Uh I have the movie sketch.
SPEAKER_03Oh my god, oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god, what is that? Um, so I have the movie sketch listed at number 22. You have the day the earth blew up at number 22. Let's go ahead here and uh take a look. Briar definitely didn't just wake up and rush here. Hey Briar, uh, no, you are fine, buddy. Uh, thank you for joining us. So the movie sketch is one that I think a lot of people missed out on. Technically, a 2024 film, I believe, but by the time it got released into theaters in a limited release, 2025, so it still counts in this list. The description for this movie is when a young girl sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life, chaotic, real, and on the loose. As the town descends into chaos, her family must reunite and stop the monsters they never meant to unleash. I literally have a child that this movie was made for. I was demanded
Predator Double Feature: Animated vs Live-Action
SPEAKER_03to see this movie, and again, it was a hit. We've had some really bad misses when it comes to movies led by children making you go see. This was not one of them. There is some fun to be had here. It's a movie that you gotta go into and not take very seriously. You don't really expect much out of it, and it might just surprise you in a couple different ways. That's why I gave Sketch a three and a half out of five, a movie that will be on in this household multiple times, and when it is on, I will find myself peeking at a couple different moments in the film that I personally enjoyed. Phil, you rave about your movie The Day the Earth Blew Up. Uh, not a movie I ended up seeing, but one I have not forgotten your recommendation of.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I'll be honest with you, if I saw this again, the there's a chance it could go up. Uh, this is one of those um one of those Looney Tunes films that we thought we you know kind of came out of nowhere. What did it? Oh, we Eric, we were going to see uh Neja in theaters, and we saw a trailer or a poster for this movie and a trailer, and we're like, I have never heard of that. I didn't even know they were still making Looney Tunes movies uh in an era where uh animated film I think is in a really, really healthy spot. Um, having a good Looney Tunes movie is great. I'm excited for the Acme film that's coming out, uh Acme Wily Coyote film that's coming out next year, uh, that we also thought would never see the light of day. This was just a good time. Uh Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, like it really brought me back. I think it was very nostalgic to see these characters, and the animation is beautiful, the voice acting performances are outstanding, and I I outwardly laughed a couple times when it comes to this. I think it'll be a great, really great family time. Um, and I think uh honestly everybody would really enjoy this, and um, I I'm again, I think I was just really happy to be watching the Looney Tunes in 2025. So, still highly recommended.
SPEAKER_03We are back with Paddington in Peru, and this is where the Running Man makes an appearance.
SPEAKER_04Welcome to the Running Man.
SPEAKER_03Phil's been waiting quite a little bit of time to do that. Um, you know, so I'll go first with my 21st film ranked here. I gave Paddington in Peru a three and a half, which might sound like a positive thing, but when we talk about Paddington and you know how much I love Paddington, one and two are really great, but Paddington 2, all-time classic, right? So, was I expecting that with a different director coming into Paddington 3? No, I wasn't, and maybe those tempered expectations helped in this case, where a lot of times it would make the movie suffer because I just went in wanting to see some more wholesomeness, and I at least got that with Paddington in Peru. Sure is the uh villainy in this movie, like all of them, arguably, a little over the top. Yeah, but I love the villains in this one. Antonio and Mendera specifically, over the topness. I enjoyed it, it was a good time. This movie somehow does manage to be maybe a little bit too long, but it doesn't ever overstay its welcome, and it has enough good grace behind it that I'm willing to forgive a couple little things. At a three and a half out of five, it's nowhere near a perfect movie, but I did enjoy my time with it, and it's one that I could definitely see coming on in the future. Phil, you saw The Running Man, a movie you tried to convince me to go see. Uh, you ranked it, I would say, pretty high compared to what I was expecting.
SPEAKER_01Glenn Powell, Josh Brolin, uh Michael Sarah again showing up on my list. Didn't expect to see Michael Sarah twice in uh in this in this year. But uh yeah, listen, you know, it's the Glenescence baby. Uh maybe it's cooled off just a little bit when it comes to Glenn Powell, but uh yeah, I enjoyed this. This was a remake of uh a film that I believe has Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original. I'm not 100% sure. Uh but uh yeah, this was a another again, another stupid dumb time. I think it tries a little bit too hard as far as trying to get its point across when it comes to uh some social issues, where another film that's very high in both of our lists did succeed there. Some of those things missed in the Running Man. Uh, but it uh overall, again, a really fun time. It's got some fun kills, got some really fun action sequences, and really, really uh good characters. It is, of course, carried by Glenn Powell and Josh Bro uh Brolin. Uh Coleman Domingo gets in there and kind of does his uh Hunger Games-esque style presentation when it comes to the Running Man and the and the game show, and that was really good as well. So, yeah, just again, a fun time, turn your brain off and uh enjoy the ride.
SPEAKER_03I guess that's how you could express your feelings about the next movie that you had, which is very different from mine. Phil, I know this was a movie we mentioned at the top that you really badly wanted to see, so I'll keep it pretty short and simple. Rental Family is a movie that when I saw the trailer, I knew I would immediately like. Yeah, sure, Brendan Fraser is just having a renaissance of a comeback, as he deserves, but it's something very different about going to see one of his films compared to the past. Obviously, he was such an enigmatic character at times. I mean, George of the Jungle, the Mummy. These are roles that I remember from my childhood in such a different light to films like The Whale and Now Rental Family, where there's so much empathy in his performances, it's hard not to view it as just purely genuine. And that oozes out of this film, even if the movie doesn't take a lot of chances and it doesn't necessarily expand into something that I haven't seen before. The premise alone and the performance from our main lead and solid supporting cast is more than enough to deserve a three and a half out of five. A movie that I would recommend to people and was close to being a four if it just gave a little bit more than I was expecting from a personal level. It missed the mark there, but still a very good time. You saw Naked Gun, it's the second time it's shown up. I enjoyed it a little bit less. Again, I don't have fun. You enjoyed this film a lot. You you just like told me I had to see it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but again, I think we'll we'll we'll circumvent the way you watch comedies in 2026. We'll figure this out together, buddy. Again, it's not like I gave this a high, like a crazy high score compared to you. Three and a half into three, it's not that big of a difference. Some of the jokes do uh you go on a little bit too long. Uh, but you know what? I'm just happy that we're getting some throwback 90s comedies. Uh, you know, I've talked about how I'm excited to see the scary movie reboot, all that stuff. Give me more silly movies, uh, just like you know, we talk about with silly wrestling. So we've already talked about it at length, uh, not too much more to add. Um, but Liam Neeson, criminally unused in the comedy space. Want to see more of it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. All right. This is the return of Predator Badlands on my end, and the first appearance of Predator two Predators. Listen, a lot of Predator talk happening. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. We don't know nothing about that, okay? We that's none of our business. Allegedly, allegedly, yeah. It's all all alleged. Um, so yeah, let's talk about the predator films that came out this year. Did you know it was two of them? Because uh, we damn sure wasn't weren't expecting that until we saw Prey. I went into Predator Badlands really excited after seeing Prey and then Predator
Nǎzhā 2 And Global Animation Momentum
SPEAKER_03Killer of Killers. As someone who's not a huge fan of this particular franchise, I've always appreciated it from afar, but now that I've gotten into it, I really expected something amazing. And while I didn't quite get that, I did get what I thought was a more than adequate fun time at the theater that had so much more potential to do more than it did. I don't know that I love the direction we took here of making this like a funny tag team group movie as much as other people did, but it didn't work very well. El Fanning is not my cup of tea in this. I don't think that's her fault. I think she played the character that was made, and that character is the one I have more of a problem with. I do love this young predator aspect that they brought to the table, and through those lenses, I thought this movie was a ton of fun and offers a lot of fun potential for the future. There's a lot of hope that this movie is giving me, but it didn't give me enough meat to chew on to give it much higher of a score than I did. A three and a half out of five, I did enjoy it more so than a lot of other films, but it was lacking in a lot of areas. And upon a second watch, I actually don't know if my score would go up or down. It's more likely leaning down, so I'm actually afraid to watch this a second time. Phil Predator Killer Killers, you liked way more than Badlands. So talk to us about that, and it won't be the uh the last time that we talk about that movie here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for me, Killer of Killers is is uh, you know, it's the one that's on the cusp of being a four, if not for, uh one specific character who just missed the mark for me. Um in talking to our buddy Ivan about Torres, uh, you know, I got a better understanding of him as well. But uh because Kenji and Ursa are such awesome characters, uh having him in there just kind of threw things off. The the humor as well from him didn't really hit as uh as much as I wanted it to. Uh, but animation-wise, man, like I just talked about how animation is in a great space. I I mentioned this before, like if some of these older franchises want to reboot, they need to consider going into the animated realm, man. This thing is fucking gorgeous. There is an amazing one-shot in act one of this film in the Viking Age, and it is so cool. The kills are great. This is again another reason I was really excited for Badlands to see some of these kills in in real life. And you know that you know I'm a little squeamish when it comes to some things, but I was hyped for Predator and what it was gonna bring to the table, especially after Prey. Uh again, beautiful film, would 100% watch it again. And you know what? I might might get over some of that nitpicky stuff on a second rewatch and up the score. Uh, but uh yeah, very much deserves to be in this spot, and and honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was a little higher if I were to watch it again.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and that's not a surprise to hear that I also enjoyed it more than Badlands, just slightly though. Uh at number 18 film, Neja 2 is the first appearance here, and I gotta ask, uh, this movie is our first foray into the fours. All the previous movies to this point have stayed at three and a half. You gave this a four, but I feel like it's bumped down quite a lot. Has this moved down uh upon like just like more movies entering the frame?
SPEAKER_01It did, it did. It's no reflection on Najon 2 at all because again, gave it a four out of five. Cannot wait to continue this franchise. Um, again, to keep with the same themes, beautiful animation, uh, really, really interesting characters, and it's a bummer that more people in the states have not seen it. I don't think they're doing a very good job of marking it, marketing it to uh to to the West. And they really need to figure that out because I think it has the opportunity to be bigger than it than it is, uh, but it just didn't and has not gotten there. Um, but yeah, it really again it came out in the beginning of the year. We saw it, what, January, February, something like that. So um it's it's just a reflection of how many uh again, this is the start of my fours, so a reflection of how many good films I saw this year. But uh Naja 2 definitely watch the first one and watch the second one. We will continue to be advocates for Naja.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and you know, a lot of times we find ourselves giving very similar ratings to movies, but then there's so many times where we are just so different because Phil gave 18 movies this year a four or higher. I did not give any more than nine, so it gives you a really big discrepancy on how we grade the movies and naja 2 being at 18, kind of a surprise, but again, not a bad score. Phil, I will go first with another three and a half movie. Predator Killer of Killers is a film that I really enjoyed in a lot of different ways. We saw Prey and we liked it. We saw Badlands and was a little let down. In the middle of those two viewings for me this year, cat getting caught up on prey and watching Badlands with some excitement. Killer of Killers was that one that felt like it was gonna be an appetizer, but I actually might enjoy the most out of the three if I was to have. Gun to my head, I would still probably give Prey the Edge, but Killer of Killers was so much fun in that animated format. It looked very good, and I liked the breakdown of the story with our three characters eventually conversing to the end and having that finale. That all really worked for me more so than not. It didn't always work. There were some issues and hiccups, and that's why it's only getting a three and a half out of five. But overall, I had a blast with this, and upon a second watch, I could see that score going up. Phil, we talked about why Najaw fell in your list, but for Najaw 2, it got a four out of five. So why don't we talk about some of the things that gave it that rating?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it continues to have uh kind of what I mentioned a moment ago, really, really great animation. Um, I do think the way to watch this is in sub. Uh, so hopefully that's not uh, you know, uh well, to be honest, I'm sure that is another one of the reasons it's not doing so super great in the West. It's not tied to like an original IP as far as like an anime or anything like that. So it's it's not gonna uh do that as as uh do as well over here. But yeah, it's getting it's got great characters, it's got a really interesting villain, it's funny, and uh, you know what, it's more than worth your time. So uh yeah, like I said, continuing to beat the drum for Naisha, and there will be more. Naishaw will return in Avengers Doomsday.
SPEAKER_04Crazy, crazy work.
The Roses: International Standout
SPEAKER_03All right, Phil, I've got the long walk here, and you have the roses returning. So before we get to the roses at a four, we're still in the three and a half ballpark for me. When I went to go see the long walk, I went in with extremely little expectations. I just kind of kept hearing that people loved some of the performances, Cooper Hoffman, David Johnson, and obviously there's a Mark Hamill cameo performance in there, right? He's in the movie a little bit, but people loved all of it, from what I could hear. So I kept thinking, Am I gonna go see this in theaters? And I finally by myself went to go check it out, which is not something I always do and get a chance to do. I'm glad I did because I overall enjoyed the movie, even if it starts stronger than the way that it ends. And I think depending on how you take that ending, the movie got a three and a half out of five for me, but I could see it being much higher for others. And if you're a fan of this type of story, like your Hunger Games-esque battle royale, then this is definitely the type of genre film for you. It's not something I always watch all the time or even lean towards, but the fact that I gave it a positive score means we're heading in the right direction, and it's something I might explore even more now that I'm being exposed to it this year more than others. Phil, you saw the roses with me to cover it on the podcast. We both loved it, but uh you liked it uh just a little bit more.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we won't say too much more because we do have a whole episode about it. If you want to check out our thoughts for the roses, but yeah, Olivia Coleman, Benedict Cumberbatch, uh Electric. I enjoyed the Andy Sandberg, Kate McKinnon stuff a little bit more than you, of course. But yeah, uh really, really uh fantastic performances from those two, uh, as well stylistically. Uh it's great as well. But yeah, check out our episode about the roses, really good film.
SPEAKER_03All right, film. We've got two films here. For me, it is Train Dreams, and for you, it is the threesome. This is your first time hearing of my rating for Train Dreams, and I've gotta say, the hype around train dreams from film critic circles and even my inner circle has been high. Everyone I know or that I follow is giving this movie four, four and a half, even fives, being in their top ten of the year for their films from 2025. And while I very much enjoyed it at the number 16 spot out of 42 films I saw this year, I ended up giving it a three and a half because it just didn't hit all the places I thought it would. I know what the story was going for, it is shot beautifully, and there are a lot of things working for the movie, but there were just a couple of things that I wanted a little bit more of, maybe better explained or better positioned in setup, and ultimately for a movie that's only about an hour 40, hour 45, it did feel like it was going on for quite a long time. For the ending that we got, I just thought there would be more of a payoff emotionally, and I just didn't feel that emotional tie that I guess everyone else did. But what I will say about this movie is that this is the type of movie I would have wondered what it would have been like on the bigger screen. It also sounds beautiful on top of the way it looks, so I wonder what a theater experience would have done. And if you could take a movie like this and it was in theaters, unfortunately, the reality is there'd probably only be three to five people in those theaters on most days. If you could just collect all of those people and guarantee them a spot at a theater to watch the film together, I think that type of communal experience for a movie like this would do absolute wonders to get my emotional levels where they needed to be for this. But it just wasn't when I saw it. Maybe upon a rewatch, which I am considering giving for this one one day in the future, will change that and we could possibly get to a four out of five. But on first watch exit, I'm gonna give it that three and a half out of five. A film I enjoyed and very much appreciated, but didn't quite resonate the way I thought it would, based off of what I had been hearing about it. Phil, before we get to your movie, uh, how did you feel about some of my expressed feelings about train dreams? Knowing that you gave it a much higher score.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'll kill you.
SPEAKER_03Oh, okay. Okay. All right, cool, cool. Well, uh that's fine. Build me a cabin.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, I'll I'll talk more about my thoughts, uh, of course, uh on in this film here a little bit later in the episode. But um, yeah, I'm still I'm so glad that you watched it. Uh, like you said, a lot of those cinematic parts that you're talking about definitely hit for me. Uh, and then those emotional beats definitely hit much harder for me than they did for you. But uh yeah, it is a um beautiful film. Definitely recommend everybody check it out. Uh the next film may not be for everybody that's on my list, which is a film called The Threesome. Had you heard of this movie at all, Eric? This is another one where a lot of influencers uh had had been mentioning it in their in their lists.
SPEAKER_03No, I think I might have heard of it like every now and then, and then it just kind of left my mind. So when I had to search the threesome movie, I hope you know how much trouble that put me in to get this image.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So this is one I also watched very recently, and this is one I'm a little bit of an outlier for because I did give it a four. The letterboxed average is a 3.2, and let me tell you, man, this is when we talk about the modern rom-com, uh, this is what I want. It is, it has those elements of like a standard, messy rom-com, but then like add in elements of like knocked up as far as what happens in this movie. I don't want to spoil what happens in this film. Um Zoe Deutsch is fantastic in this. Jonah Howard King is really annoying. Uh in a good in the best way possible, he plays Connor. And Ruby Cruz, who is somebody I'm not as familiar with, she is in the film Um The Bottoms or Bottoms, which is uh kind of a little bit of a cult classic. Maybe we should consider watching that in the future for a late to the party. Um, but yeah, the chemistry here between these three characters is is electric. And I was literally laughing out loud uh when I watching this movie by myself. It's really, really funny, and one that that really surprised me. I am I'm okay with being again a little bit higher on this film than than others because I think it was a really, really good and frustrating time. Uh frustrating in all of the really uh interesting and good ways when it comes to a romantic comedy. So
Train Dreams, Structure, And Stakes
SPEAKER_01really good. Don't be thrown off by that title. Uh surprising lack of threesome uh in the movie, actually.
SPEAKER_03Great. It's fucking challengers all over again, man.
SPEAKER_01It's fucking fucking challengers all over again. One of the uh one of the things did say, I think it was like um uh what did it say? It said like straight, uh straight challengers or something like that. So yeah.
SPEAKER_03Also, I'm gonna be honest.
SPEAKER_01That's what it said.
SPEAKER_03I didn't read the description for this, but based off that image, I thought that was a horror film. So the fact that it's a rom-com, yeah, um, very telling. So for this, this is actually two movies that we both wish we watched. Weapons on my end, F1 on your end, F1 out of four out of five, three and a half out of five still for weapons here. Now, when it came to weapons, I really thought that it was a movie that was gonna pass me by. I wasn't gonna check it out. I missed it in theaters, but I was always on streaming and I always found other things in my queue worth watching. Towards the end of 2025, though, I mustered up the strength to say maybe I'll like this movie. I'm gonna check it out. It was a little bit divisive when it came out, but you know what? Horror is very hit or miss for me, and I wonder if this is gonna do the job. And it didn't exactly land everywhere that I thought it would, which is sometimes the sign of a good film. In this case, I think it was more of a strength than a weakness with how it told its story and where we finally ended up. I would say on the surface, if you described this movie to me, I would have told you I wouldn't have vibed with it. But after watching it, at a three and a half out of five, I could tell you I did enjoy it, and I would consider another watch through of this where I could possibly enjoy the film a lot more to the point where it's a recommendation and maybe a film I show people. It's not quite there after a first watch though, which is why I gave it the score that I did, but I am very glad that I checked this out. Although I can very much admit this is not a movie for everyone. Phil, I know you wanted to see weapons, uh, so any thoughts on that before you talk about F1 for a little bit?
SPEAKER_01No, um, you know, I have to when it comes to horror, you know, obviously there's some things that I I just don't stomach well. So I just I I did get confirmation, you know, this is one I can see. There are just uh a couple of jump scares off the lookup on my trusty website. But other than that, uh, you know, one that I like I said, I I probably will watch in 2026. So between you and Falyn and other people in our circle and outside of that circle, uh heard nothing but positive things. So definitely want to check it out.
SPEAKER_03And uh Briar, yes, it did not deliver on all the ads of challengers.
SPEAKER_01No, it was uh it was a bait and switch there, buddy. It's still a good movie, though. Um yeah, F1. Long fucking movie, man. Two and a half hour film. Uh but uh I if you if you weren't here in the beginning of the stream, I I think I might like racing movies. Uh I I enjoyed the Gran Turismo film from last year a little bit more than I thought that I would. And then this uh, you know, F1 is in a like uh I mean I don't I know it's always been popular, but the way that it's popular now amongst like um just pop culture as well with all the with some of those racers um is is kind of interesting. It also it had me looking into buying the F1 game on Steam, Eric. I'm gonna be honest with you. The only thing I've reason I didn't get it is because it's made by EA and I gotta use that fucking EA launcher to play the game, and I've refused to do that on Steam or on PC. But uh listen, Brad Pitt, uh Damson Idris, uh as well, he is in uh I can't remember what we've what else we've seen him. I think he's he was in like a uh an episode of Black Mirror is what I re I recognized him from. Um really, really great. Javier Bertam uh is outstanding in this. We will uh um so he he had a really great um uh performance. And then also uh the chemistry between Brad Pitt and Carrie Condon was great. Uh something about that accent unlocked something in me. I don't know what happened uh there. I blacked out for about two hours. But really, really fun movie. It is a sports film, so you know what? It it it follows a lot of those tropes, but there was a point in this movie where something happens, and I literally like gasped. I like I like was very shocked when it happened. Um, really, really good time. Uh, of course, visually stunning, gorgeous sound design, excellent as well. And uh yeah, it's just a long movie. Um, could they have shortened it a little bit? Possibly, but um, you know what? We got what we got, and uh, I'm glad that I was able to check it out.
SPEAKER_03We're moving on to film number 14, and we've got companion for you and Zootopia 2 for me. Uh, companion will show up again here on my list a little bit higher. You gave it a four out of five, we're still at three and a half for me with Zootopia 2, which I know will come back on this list for you a little bit higher. Zootopia 2 is part of a franchise that I thought I'd never want to see again. When I saw the first Zootopia, I was like, that was a good time, a solid three and a half out of five. And while I gave the same score to Zootopia 2, I walked away from the second one, not only enjoying it a little bit more, maybe it's a 1A, 1B situation, but I'm actually excited to see what a third one could offer because I was pleasantly surprised at what the second one did. And I think that's really all this movie had to accomplish. We knew it was gonna look good, we knew we liked some of the character, some of the banter. I gotta say that Nick Wil, Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde is on his A game here as that character. Judy Hops is still fun, we get some new interesting characters to the fold. I really enjoyed a lot about this, it just didn't do everything that I thought it could do, like I felt with the first one. It almost feels like it's playing it safe in some areas when it comes to the story it's telling, although it is going out there to tell what could be an important story to tell. I think there were still some areas, some corners that are a little bit rougher that could have been smoothed out and a little bit cleaner of a story to tell. For me, though, it was a good time. I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to see another one, and it's a movie that I was pleasantly surprised from as a franchise. Again, I never thought I'd be invested in a second time. Phil, you saw Companion. How was that experience? Considering this is also a movie we saw in January where movies apparently go to die.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this is when all the films release that studios are just trying to get off their books. Companion does not fall in that category, it is a great time. Sophie Thatcher is outstanding. Jack Quaid is a piece of shit that you you're rooting against actively throughout the entire movie. Uh the they sh the only thing with this is they should not have fucking revealed what they revealed in the fucking trailers. Like, let people find out on their own, and I think that would have very like it would have led to I think a really great uh m uh moment in the theater. Um, but uh overall it's uh a movie that I would definitely watch again. It's funny, uh, it's got some good kills, and it's got some
Genre Swings: Horror, Heist, And Sports
SPEAKER_01uh good uh tense moments, and uh yeah, worth your time. I would revisit this world to be honest with you, but um yeah, uh one of those movies that came out beginning of the year that I certainly have not forgotten.
SPEAKER_03Talk about unforgettable at film number 13 for me, friendship, which will appear again, and for you, sorry baby, which I've heard quite a lot about. Another film that I did not get to see from your list. We saw friendship together, though, and at number 13, guys, I I know you either like Tim Robinson or you don't. That's what determines whether you like this movie or not. And I gave it a positive rating, I gave it a three and a half out of five because Tim Robinson for me works like 75% of the time, and I feel that rating reflects that. Paul Rudd is a fun addition. This movie is for some reason an A24 movie, so it's got all of those aspects on top of the nuttiness you can expect from a story with this actor involved. But again, it's one of those things that I think you either like or you hate. I really liked it, and I have been possibly coerced to watch it a second time to bump this up to a four. I could see a world where that happens and I enjoy it a little bit more because it's a movie that we've quoted a couple times this year, and that was not what I was expected. Uh that was not what I was expecting going into it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Tim Robinson, man. Um uh for for us, he he does it. Uh, it's got us wanting to watch uh Detroiters. I want to watch the Chair Factory over on HBO as well. So yeah, he is uh I think he's in his comedic bag right now. Uh in when all those uh I'm sure you've seen them, Eric, on social media when the extended cut of the scene of him in the garage at his drum set with um with the have you seen those delete scenes like uh yeah that that talk about jokes that go on too long.
SPEAKER_03Tim Robinson like is just like more perf is like perfect at it. More.
SPEAKER_01Uh honestly, we shouldn't learn all of that dialogue and just do it amongst ourselves. So uh yeah, we'll talk more about friendship on my end in just a moment. Uh sorry, baby is a film that is uh it is it when when it's um trying to be uh to hit you in the in the humorous side, it certainly does, but it makes you sit in some very uncomfortable themes and sit with um uh some themes when it comes to uh grief and acceptance and just really kind of rediscovering yourself that there's something really terrible happens to you. Um it's got really, really outstanding performances. Uh Ava Victor, who I was not familiar with before this film, um, is is great in this. And uh yeah, it is a movie that is meant to make you uncomfortable. It certainly did that, but also uh the conversations that are had and the moments that are shared between some of the characters are um very, very heartfelt. And uh yeah, glad I watched it. But it is a heavy film for sure.
SPEAKER_03Talking about heavy films, film number 12 for me, Marty Supreme, which I saw this month, uh right after Christmas Day. And for you, Phil, The Life of Chuck, which was a uh recent watch for you as well. When it came to Marty Supreme, Marty Supreme is a movie that you keep hearing about because of Timothy Chalamet. You keep hearing Timothy Chalamet, you keep hearing Timothy Chalamet talk about Marty Supreme. So you had to go see it. If you are a fan of his work, you are wanting to see what all the hype is about, and this A24 film was pretty good. Now, the comparison is gonna be Uncut Gems with ping pong, and unfortunately, that's kind of accurate, which is a little disappointing. And I did give this movie a three and a half out of five. It doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. In fact, I have a lot of positive reactions to the performances in this movie, but it just felt a little bit too intense, it felt a little bit too intense for what we were dealing with. I really did appreciate the soul mindset that a character can display where they're going for a goal at any cost, it's just the path we took from start to finish, all the curves and turns didn't all work for me. And again, it's not because the movie doesn't look good and the performances aren't great, it really just has to do with some of the hecticness and the choices in that hecticness that was made, where I didn't really vibe with it as much. And I started finding myself about two thirds of the way into the film wondering hey, when are we gonna get to that finish line? It's never a good sign, it was only momentarily though, to bring the score down. It didn't make me dislike the movie in any way, but I've got it listed at number 12 out of 42 films, so I did enjoy it, but I also Felt a little disappointed walking out of the theater. Phil, you did not get a chance to see this. Uh, what are your thoughts on my reaction to Marty Supreme? And are you gonna see it? Even though there is a scene you might have to look away from.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think I will still see it. I I did not have the energy to go see a two and a half hour movie post-Christmas in a theater. So I think I'll watch it within the comfort of my own home when I'm ready to do so. Um, because uh yeah, I've I've heard nothing but really great things. It's it's holding solid with a good score over on Letterboxd as well. You have good things to say about it. So yeah, it'll it'll definitely uh come across my screen eventually. Um, but yeah, I just did not have the uh even though I did watch F1, so I didn't I am kind of contradicting myself. So uh maybe uh well I did watch that at home though as well. So um yeah, it it it'll I'll watch it eventually for sure. So my pick uh here at number 12, again another four, which is Life of The Life of Chuck, which I did not know until very recently uh that this is based off of a short story by Stephen King that I'll probably be adding to my collection uh here very, very soon. Um but yeah, Tom Hiddleston and um a couple of other very notable people here, Karen Gillen, uh I always forget how to uh pronounce uh Chi Chiwite uh EGF4, I believe is how you pronounce his name in this as well. But of course, uh Tom Hiddleston is the star of this. Uh the way that they tell the story is very interesting. It is told in reverse order, um, which is which can be a narrative device that can be disastrous, or when it works, it works very well, and that's what happens here in the life of Chuck. I don't want to spoil anything about this film because I suggest you go out and watch it and experience it for yourself. Um, what I'll say is man, Tom Hiddleston can dance his ass off, and then then I'll leave it at that.
SPEAKER_03Film number 11. I did not expect this. I did not did not expect this. Uh, film number 11 for me was Dust Bunny, which we're gonna talk about here in a second. And Phil, for you, this is where Zootopia 2 turns back around and it comes onto the list just short of the top 10.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I Dust Bunny. Oh sorry, go ahead. Yeah, no, no, go for it. Yeah, we've done Zootopia 2. I won't I don't want to add too much, so I'll let you go a little bit longer. But yeah, uh Eric covered a lot of it. This definitely hit a lot of the uh emotional points uh that maybe didn't hit his hard for for Eric, but certainly for me, like you said, um Jason Bateman in his bag right now. Kihi Kwan, uh as far as the voice acting, was fine, maybe
Companion And January Releases That Hit
SPEAKER_01didn't necessarily match uh a character of a snake, but uh it was still a really, really good time. I was happy to see some of these characters return, and it just reminds me of that Spider-Man and Green Goblin meme where Green Goblin smacks Spider-Man in the back of the head. That's what I want to do to Moana 2, is just smack him on the back of the head and say, hey, this is how you do a fucking um uh uh sequel. Uh yes, Brian, good, good, good call out. Uh Zootopia 2 is now Disney's highest grossing film ever. So and you know what? Not surprising. It was it's uh popular all over the world, and this is a franchise that's gonna continue. Hopefully, Eric, we do not get franchise fatigue with Zootopia 3 in wherever that whenever that comes out.
SPEAKER_03We can only hope. We can only hope. Uh Zootopia 2, one of the biggest movies of the year. You know what wasn't one of the biggest movies of the year? Dust Bunny. I had to see this movie at an old rundown theater in town, which was not a great experience.
SPEAKER_01It was never kind of throwback, uh, a throwback moment.
SPEAKER_03No, it was it was crazy, and I really didn't enjoy the fact that I had to go see this in a rundown theater that I hadn't gone to since I was like way younger. This is also a movie that when it released, it didn't get much marketing, so I forgot it even came out, and I saw it on the tail end of its limited run. If you don't know about Dust Bunny, the description 10-year-old Aurora asked her hitman neighbor to kill the monster she believes ate her entire family. To protect her, he'll need to battle an onslaught of assassins while accepting the fact that some monsters are real. If that doesn't sound good, well, it's got Mads Mickelson on it, it's directed by Brian Fuller. They brought the Hannibal tag team back, and that's all I needed to hear when I saw the trailer and I heard of that combination. I will say, 30 minutes into this film, I was sure this was gonna maybe get a three barely. And then the movie just kind of takes some interesting twists, it almost finds a way to let it be itself, and it just embraces the audacity of this story, and it's a fun, fun time. The fact that it's ranked number 11 at a three and a half out of five over multiple films that I saw this year: Marty Supreme, Train Dreams, The Naked Gun, all of these films that I had to check out. Frankenstein is crazy. But I just walked out of the theater with such a smile on my face, and I really did laugh several times throughout the movie with that same smile being present. Sometimes you just watch a movie to have a good time. This is not the best looking movie. In fact, far from it, from the ones I just mentioned, but I really enjoyed it and I had to go with my heart on this one and rank it as high as I possibly could. Number 11 felt right for me out of the 42 films I saw this year. Phil, uh, we had yeah, it is supposed to be sharing my entire screen, Briar. It's okay. We uh we made do with the best we could do at the moment.
SPEAKER_01You know, it's interesting. Sigourney Weaver popped up a lot between both of our lists this year, dude.
SPEAKER_03She was hilarious in this one, yeah. And it's uh really great performances overall from the entire cast. It was just like again, such a fun time. Would I recommend f going out of your way to a theater to see it? No, but I would recommend checking it out if it does come to streaming or it's more accessible.
SPEAKER_01My favorite review here is Hannibal season four is everyone for those with eyes to see it.
unknown100%.
SPEAKER_01All right, all right.
SPEAKER_04Let's uh let's move on top 10. Our first one.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, take a shot. Double double tens, double tens for Superman here. Uh man, this is a movie. Superman is a movie that we saw twice in theaters, and I would not have guessed that I would have seen this movie once, even. I thought maybe I'll check it out, maybe I won't. So the fact that I saw it two times this year to just firm up my score, which was a three and a half out of five, but is my highest rated three and a half out of five, and my tenth highest rated film out of 42 on Letterboxd, it tells you that I really, really enjoyed this. It didn't quite hit the mark where it could get to that four territory, but it's very close, it's as close as you could possibly get because I enjoyed the film so much on both watches, and it's just got a lot of that heart that was promised by James Gunn and DC. It is not perfect, it has some flaws, and those could not be taken over on a second watch or forgiven. So I do have to stick with the score at a three and a half out of five, but I cannot express enough that I feel like I enjoyed this movie more than the score that's reflected. Phil, you saw this movie as well, but you gave it a four at your ten spot.
SPEAKER_01Just come on, Eric, just up it, just up it to a four. I know I can see it.
SPEAKER_03I don't want to, man.
SPEAKER_01I can see it in your eyes. I don't want it, man. Do it now. Your number nine movies in a four as well. Just do it. Come on, come on, I want you to do it. Come on, I'm not sure. I want you to do it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, listen.
SPEAKER_01I also saw Superman twice as well. Uh, this is a character in as far as the comic book films that I did not give a shit about. Uh, and this is the first time I've ever seen a Superman where I'm like, I fucking get it, man. David Corn Sweat is a superstar. Uh, he is great. Um, didn't totally buy into the Nicholas Holt, but uh, you know, he is uh he does pop up in Peacemaker as well. I'm starting to buy into him a little bit more excited to see him return for the next Superman film. Uh but yeah, also racial uh Brosnahan and an outstanding Lewis Elaine. So um, yeah, this was uh the first shot as far as James Gunn getting to launch his own DCU. Um, and uh we are off to the races, man. I'm excited for Supergirl. We talked about that uh kind of at length in other episodes as well. But yeah, uh this again walked out of the theater both times saying, Yeah, I get it when it comes to Superman now. It's a beautiful film, it's
Friendship: Tim Robinson’s Chaos Explained
SPEAKER_01a lot of fun. Uh it's got some uh some dumb uh comic book movie hijinks, and it made me uh it made me feel good as someone who again who has been like we've been waiting for Marvel to hit that high again here in the last few years, and Superman made me feel that way. So uh it was a good time and uh would definitely continue to watch it, and I would love to add like a uh even a like a steelbook copy of this to my collection for sure.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we feel very similarly on Superman. We did not feel very similarly on how to train your dragon. Uh but we've we were very close. Listen, we were very close on friendship. Uh, how to train your dragon is not something I was excited for getting a live action remake. And when I went to go see it, I didn't think I would respond very positively to it. There were some mixed reactions when it first came out, but it was leaning positive. We finally had a good live action adaptation, and I'm not gonna go fully to bat for this movie, but I gotta say, when I walked out of my first time theater experience with this, I thought, man, I would love to see that again in theaters, and I didn't quite get that chance, so I'm gonna stick with a four out of five score that I gave it walking out of the theater. I wonder how this would be viewed on a second watch through at home. Could it go down to a three and a half or could it stick at a four? I don't think this movie, because how like beat for beat it was to the animated one, can go much higher than this, but I just viewed this to be a very good adaptation that from its score to its characters, everything rang true to how I viewed how to train your dragon, which is already not like my highest franchise ever. Some people really hold that dear, and I think it's understandable that those people would have more heavier criticisms than I would about this movie. I just really enjoyed it. Did I expect it to crack the top 10? I did not. I think that says more about a lot of my experiences with the other movies, though, though, than how I felt about this one. It does creak in there, four out of five. I would recommend this to somebody who maybe hadn't seen the animated film. If you did see it, that's where it gets a little tricky, which is why it's my lowest rated four out of five that I've given this year. Phil, you saw Friendship as well, and it's a little bit higher. Uh, but I know you probably want to talk some more shit about how to train your dragon, so feel free.
SPEAKER_01If you haven't seen the animated how to train your dragon, and this is the first one you watch, I'll stab you. Don't, don't, don't watch the the I know, man.
SPEAKER_03That that test drive scene did it for me. Like it was around that time I was like, I'm having a good time at this movie. No, yeah, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_01No, nope, nope, nope. But we did both enjoy friendship, and uh we well, we both walked out of this. This is another movie that went up to a four. It was a three and a half when we walked out, and it was like we were like confused about it, and then as we started talking about it and quoting it more, and then the more stuff that came about came out, uh, you know, honestly, like Eric, like we talk about the the scenes that we quote all the time, but like the the scene where he walks through the the glass mirror, he just stands there and just goes, So how'd y'all meet like this?
SPEAKER_04I don't, I don't it just lives in my head rent-free, man. Oh god, it's just so good.
SPEAKER_03The subway scene, yeah, all of it.
SPEAKER_04It's so good. The subway scene is is outside. No, I I watch subway. I ordered a sandwich. The frog robbed me. You guys gotta watch it. You guys gotta watch it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's um it's outstanding. Like you said already, uh, Tim Robinson's humor is not for everybody, but I I think he's uh he is one of those uh we're in a little bit of a uh transition period when it comes to the type of comedy. You know, it's always it's always changing every few years, and Tim Robinson's at the forefront of that. And uh, I can't wait to see what he does next, man. I I love this movie.
SPEAKER_03We're gonna move on to film number eight here, where companion shows up again for me and first appearance for Wake Up Dead Man for the Knives Out trilogy, a trilogy that I've been a little bit behind on, so I'm excited to hear Phil's thought. You thought well enough of it to give it a four out of five. This is my second four out of five that I gave this year, and I gotta say, when it comes to companion, I don't know that on a second rewatch, I would give it a four. It might even be a three and a half because I've seen so many other good films. But this is where a film coming out in January, a month where movies are supposed to die, actually can be a benefit. It's one of the first movies I saw this year, and I reacted very positively to the campiness premise that was presented to me. If I see it again, will I like it as much? I am a little worried that maybe I won't. Maybe it was just a little bit of a high I was feeling at the beginning of the year. But from what I can remember, my experience walking out of the theater, this is a movie I feel like I would have a lot of fun with watching it for the next time when it's someone's first time. And Companion is just a film that I think can do that. It kind of really reinvented some different things of like the horror genre and the whole conversation around it. If you didn't see the trailers, the twist is pretty fun. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it is doing a lot of great stuff in this medium that again I'm not normally a big fan of in the first place. Companion, a four out of five for me, and my eighth highest movie ranked in 2025. Phil, you saw the knives out movie. Uh, did you see that in theaters or no?
SPEAKER_01No, we have we would have to go to the theater in St. Augustine, and we just didn't that's our drive. Yeah. So uh did not get a seat in theaters, but did watch it at home, me and my sister, and it was an absolute blast, man. I hope Daniel Craig plays Benoit Blanc until he uh, you know, I hope he never tires of that role. And he you can tell he is having a blast. Uh the being able to rotate casts and essentially, you know, uh make this uh murder mystery thing continue over and over again. Uh Glass Onion is still my favorite, um, but wait, but this one was was outstanding. It had Falin and I guessing until the very end. Uh the supporting cast is great. Josh Brolin puts in a great performance here, um, as well as uh as well as some of the others. But yeah, Daniel
Knives Out 3 And Comfort Mysteries
SPEAKER_01Craig, of course, is the star. Um, along with actually I'll give Josh O'Connor a shout out as well. He was very, very good in this. And uh yeah, they're just fun movies. Uh they're silly silly times, and the common the comedy and the humor always hits. And um, yeah, I cannot wait for whatever is next in this series. I will follow Benoit Blanc uh to the end of the earth. It's a great, great time.
SPEAKER_03For our next set of films, very different movies, uh, maybe. Maybe uh we have Warfare on my end at a four out of five, and then we have, I believe, your first four and a half with next to normal film. I don't know if you're ever gonna want to watch Warfare, but for those of you guys that like war movies, I think this movie is very, very special if you like war films. I personally like these type of things, even though the militarization of everything is a topic that can be very sensitive for people that have either been through it, know people that have gone through it, and for that reason, I gotta say, this movie is fairly triggering. But I know this is gonna sound crazy after all that. This has the most fun, like three-minute opener of any film I saw this year. The first three minutes of this movie were so much fun, and then everything goes to absolute shit for the rest of the run time. And if that may not sound like a good time, and that's okay if you don't want to check this out. But I think this gave me for a film that I was a little low on because it was directed with uh Alex Garland in mind, who had done Civil War, and I was a little let down by that film last year. This gave me everything I wanted from that style of filmmaking and some. So a four out of five is my ranking for this movie, and it ranks number seven out of the 42 that I saw this year. It that opening, though, I cannot get that out of my head. It was the most fun, and then the remaining runtime is probably the most devastation I felt in a film as well. Phil, you saw Next to Normal. What did you get?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I will say really quick to touch on Warfare. It is a movie that I I wanted to watch and I just did not get to it. So I do plan on checking it out uh in the beginning of next year. Both you and Falyn, as you see, had really, really great things to say about it. Um, so I want to check it out for sure. Next to Normal is something, it's probably the one that's highest on my list as far as what people have have really never heard of. It is a they re they redid this play um over it on uh on West End and it was re-released uh over on PBS. It's it was technically shot in 2024, but it released in 2025. You can watch it on PBS great performances uh with a simple donation of a minimum of five dollars, so go out and uh support PBS. Um Next to Normal is a show that will stick with me for a very, very long time. The performances specifically I want to shout out Jack Wolf, who is currently on Eric's on Broadway and Eric's favorite uh show, which is Hades Town, uh, but he is he is outstanding. Um uh and they're all great. Uh, there are some really, really special performances uh in this film slash play. Uh it is something though that I probably would only be able to watch once a year. Um, it is very heavy, it touches on some very, very hard subjects and um talking about uh misdiagnosis and grief and and and all of that, losing a child and everything. Um but the uh you know, of course, music is going to be very important when it comes to the to the musicals. Um, of course, you know, the the backbone of the Wave For podcast is of course built on musicals, so this has some really, really good songs, and everybody's voice in this is special. Um, so yeah, uh again, very, very heavy story, not gonna be for everyone, but uh again, it will sit with me for a very, very long time. And I'm actually like in the minor minority when it comes to the the ratings for this, because 60% of people that have given this a rating have given it a five out of five. It's got a 4.4 rating, so um, yeah, certainly worth the time. Uh, just uh viewer discretion advise is what I'll say.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, same thing could be said about warfare. I would never watch that movie in my life again. Just one time watch, guys. One time uh watch. Uh for number six. What a crazy fucking combination here. You got one battle after another for me, and we have eternity for you. Phil Eternity getting a four and a half out of five. I am still in my fours. I've only given two movies higher than a four score. One battle after another is a film that I wasn't gonna see. Everybody. Was hyping this one up. I've fallen for that trap before. This is a director I haven't had a chance to really get into his filmography. So I'm not the type of guy who will fall for the director name and the hype attached to it. But then it just kept growing. And it's Leonardo DiCaprio. And then you see the cast attached to it, and you hear about the performances and the way this film was shot and the crazy story and that it's funny. And guess what, guys? Everything you heard, true. That's easy. It's the easiest review I can give of this film. Everything you've heard about it in one way, shape, or another, is true. It's really just a matter of how much you enjoy all of the things you've heard about this film. When I took everything on my first watch, I gave it a four out of five, but I can't wait to watch this movie a
Top 10: Superman Reignites DC
SPEAKER_03second time, and I'd be shocked if it doesn't go up to a four and a half because I quote this movie too much for me not to watch it a second time. Thank you. And not for me to watch it a second time and not like it even more.
SPEAKER_04It's too good. It's too good, man. It's too good. A couple beers.
unknownA couple.
SPEAKER_04Couple what? It's a couple beers.
SPEAKER_03It's so fun. Um, but yeah, no, a movie that uh upon a second watch, I cannot wait to probably bump up that score. Uh, definitely not perfect. I don't think it'll get to a five because there are some minor nitpick things that I had that I think I'll think of less on my second watch through. But yeah, one of the top movies I saw this year, and much deservingly so, uh, which is where you have your film here, Phil. Uh, we will both be talking about these movies later on in opposite slots. So, what did you think about Eternity?
SPEAKER_01Oh my god. I'm so glad that we got to see this. This is one of those I would have been very upset if we missed it. Um, it's Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, Callum Turner, uh the the the the trio there, the chemistry, the the banter, the back and forth between Miles Teller and Callum Turner's characters uh between Larry and Luke. So good. What a what a really, really good, like cool and interesting premise when in in uh where everything is getting you know rebooted or remade, you see something like this come along with uh that that's just a really really fun time. It's a funny movie, um, and it has you kind of uh kind of guessing throughout the entire thing, and it's something that I cannot wait to watch again. So um, if you have not seen it, uh this is uh one of those that I I definitely would not miss. Um, because uh as far as you know, some of those other ones where we're saying not necessarily for everybody, I think everybody will enjoy this um bare minimum. And uh yeah, it's it's outstanding. I I can't wait to see it again and and talk to more people about it. Callum Turner, though. Handsome son of a bitch.
SPEAKER_03He's very handsome. Yeah, this movie was fireworks, just like what you could hear in Phil's background.
SPEAKER_01Happy New Year, guys.
SPEAKER_03Happy New Year's all right. Phil number five, Naja 2 and Train Dreams. Phil, both of these have already appeared in opposite places earlier on in the list. Naija 2, I cannot believe, is a movie that more people don't know about. Yes, this movie made over two billion dollars, it's one of the highest, if not the highest grossing movie of the entire year and in quite some time. But domestically, not enough people I think went to go out and see this. I think some of that has to do with a pretty low quality distribution of the dub, respectfully to the people that voiced that. But sub-wise, and those of us that heard about the hype when they went to go see it, I think is the way to go. And when this movie came out, this is a film I ended up seeing twice, both in those formats, and I really enjoyed my first time a little bit more from the sub perspective. Both times just locked in the fact that this is a movie at a four out of five that I enjoyed a lot because of the characters, the story, and the animation. There are holes in a lot of different places for a film like this, especially a film of this length in animated form. But I liked so much of it, and it gave me my biggest laugh of the fucking year based off of a meme. Because of that alone, I couldn't do anything other than say I really enjoyed this, and that's why it's reflected in my top five rankings for movies that I rated on Letterbox this year. Phil, Train Dreams is one you gave a very high score of a four and a half to, and you have been raving about since you saw it. So tell us a little bit about your experience with it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Train Dreams is one of my favorite films of the year, of course, as we see, as we are in our top five. Um, it is a uh movie where you really sit in the silence uh with that character, you sit in their grief, you sit in uh the way that they love the people around them and just kind of figure out uh what's going on in a uh world that's changing very, very quickly. Um, it did very much remind me of, and and this probably won't surprise you, Eric Gibb gave me very heavy Red Dead Redemption vibes, of course, uh minus uh, you know, all the crime and murder. Uh but uh yeah, it was um yeah, something that I will uh think about for a while, Joel Edgerton in this. Um man, it's something about the the storytelling here, and of course the way that it's shot, you talked about that earlier, um, really, really haunting in like the best possible way. So it's one of my favorite films of the year, and um, you know, this is not something I would necessarily put on all the time. Uh it's not that type of film, but it's a movie that I would like to go back again and one of those things that kind of reminded me as to um what really makes film art, and uh that that's why I have it rated so high. But um man, what a what a time. I really, really loved this movie.
SPEAKER_03Talking about movies we love, two of the best animated films back to back here at the number four spot. We have Chainsaw Man, the Rez Arc movie, and we have K-pop Demon Hunters at the number four spot for film. I'm still in the four out of five territory, which means to tell you something. A lot of the movies that I watched need to have a second viewing because I gave this movie a four out of five. The Chainsaw Man movie is so fucking good, and genuinely seeing it a second time, or I should say a third time, because I did see this twice, I should see it as many times as possible to give it a higher score because I think I'm just for some reason not giving this the four and a half that it deserves. I just don't know what it is. I love Chainsaw Man and I love this franchise, I love the way that this film was brought to life. I talked about the Demon Slayer movie and some of the issues that it had with Infinity Castle bringing it to movie format. It did so well with Moog and Train all those years ago. This reinvigorated my hope again that anime movies can become a real event at the cinema. And this arc was done so well from top to bottom. I've got to check this movie out again so I can just give it a higher score. For now, I've locked in a four out of five with room for that score to improve, and it was my fourth highest rated film this year out of everything I saw, which I couldn't imagine from a chainsaw movie, but I'm so excited from a chainsaw man movie that it did that. Phil, we'll talk about this again on your end, just like I'll talk about K-pop Demon Hunters a little bit later. You've got yours ranked at four, which at one point had your number one spot, right?
SPEAKER_01It did, yeah. Well, between that
One Battle After Another And Quotable Cinema
SPEAKER_01and my my current number one, I think it kind of went back and forth a little bit. So um there was a change, a pretty big change made earlier today in my top five, uh, which we'll talk about here in in just a moment. So uh so Eric will be happy that my my list does reflect score uh as far as four and a half, because my next three films are are uh are five out of five as far as scores go. So yeah, K-pop demon hunters, man. I mean I'm wearing a fucking derpy Christmas sweater right now, like talk about the the impact that that this movie has had on pop culture and what it will continue to have, and uh excited for the sequel and and seeing the you know the the girls and the voice actors and everybody uh front and center getting more opportunities because of this. Um boy, what a what a crazy fumble by Sony. Uh who knows what's gonna happen going forward. Um they're gonna have to release this second movie in theater. It's gonna be a cultural event when those come back. Um hopefully we get some sort of maybe little tidbit of them in between waiting between this movie and the second one. But I watched this the day that it came out. Eric, you know that I penned it the the moment I saw that trailer, and you were like K-pop team, like what a crazy title for a film. Uh absolutely beautiful animation, amazing performances. Uh, you know, that does stumble a little bit in terms of one specific character, uh, which uh prevented me from giving it a perfect score. Um but as far as like vibes and everything like that, that's a five out of five. It was literally the the top the six songs from this this movie dominated my top six as far as my Spotify wrapped. And um, yeah, what is what else is there to say about K-pop demon hunters that hasn't already been said? Shout out to those of you that listened to it and made it our most listen, our most streamed episode of the year as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and I gotta tell you, uh it is it is climbing into like top five all time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm pretty sure I put it in my my favorite animated films of all time. I'm pretty sure it's there.
SPEAKER_03No, no, I mean all time.
SPEAKER_01Oh, episode, yeah, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's it's starting to it's starting to climb into like top five all time on the podcast, which is uh kind of crazy. Uh, but yeah, no, I know you love this movie that much, and I would definitely say this is a this is probably gonna climb into the top top 10, top 20 for me. Uh, but I'll talk about K-pop demon hunters in just a little bit. We actually are gonna need to go back to Chainsaw Man for you at the number three spot, and this is where I ended up putting up Sinners, its first appearance for either of us, it will appear for both of us on this list. I gave it a four out of five. It is my last four out of five that I gave. Only two films beat this one out for Sinners specifically. I ended up watching this movie twice so I could lock in this four out of five score that I gave it because I wanted to know does it have the potential to be more? Was I being a little too hyper fixated on the things I found interesting and least interesting on my first viewing? All I really did on a second watch through was reinforce what I already knew. This is one of the best movies of the year, but I can also acknowledge that it just falls short because the second half of it, where this turn happens, and you all know what I'm talking about, what type of film this is, when it gets into that, I just didn't have as much investment or interest in that. And that speaks more to my interest in the medium and the genre, more so than anything. And despite that feeling, I still rank this as my number three highest rated film out of 42 movies I saw in 2025. That is very high praise. This movie needs it, and if you gave it a five out of five, I literally wouldn't argue with you in any way, shape, or form. You gave it lower than a three out of five, you're out of your damn mind. This is at the very least a fun watch, and at its highest peak, it could be considered a masterpiece in many people's eyes, and I wouldn't bat an eye at that. Phil, we're back to the Chainsaw Man movie for you, which you did give a five out of five, one of only three films that you did this year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, man, Chainsaw Man hit every single high that I wanted it to. Um, this is, you know, it's the first anime where in which I started reading ahead in the manga, so like I already knew what was going to happen. So my excitement level was through the roof, and my expectations, of course, were through the roof as well. I saw this twice in theaters uh on the biggest screen possible, and man, it is uh it's so damn good. Um the the of course continuing to have outstanding uh an outstanding voice cast, and then the animation for something like this, of course, has to be on point. And um, yeah, this is my the this is my show. You know, this is the one that I've pinged as as the one that I have resonated with the most in these characters. The Rezé Arc specifically is just so incredibly heartbreaking. And um, man, that that ending where you're just you just know what is about to happen, and uh um you know you you will just sit with it for a very, very long time. Enjoyed every single minute of it, walked out thinking it was a five out of five, saw it again, still gave it a five out of five. So um, yeah, loved everything about this, even though uh it does start off a little slow in the beginning. But once it picks up, boy, does that bitch pick up.
SPEAKER_03Yes, it does. Alright, let's pick it up, guys, and let's get to the end of our list here. First, we gotta get to number two. And number two for me was eternity. Number uh two for you, Phil, one battle after another. This is where we enter the highest scores that I have given any films this year. We did not get any five out of fives from me, but a four and a half out of five is damn near good enough to say it was a fantastic film, and one of my favorites of the years, Eternity, did just that. When we were talking about our favorite movies of the year just under 30 days ago, I told everyone, Well, my top spot's not gonna really change very much, so I feel really confident with where my listing is. I knew there were some movies in December I wanted to see towards the tail end of the year, but I didn't think any of them would contend. Eternity at a four and a half out of five definitely is in contention for that top spot, and upon a rewatch, I've gotta say it could take the number one spot at some point or another. I'm very nervous to see if that happens because I love my film at number one. This one though, on first viewing, takes the number two spot, and it's a movie that's led by a trio of a cast that is so strong, a premise that I really bought into. And from the performances to the way the movie looks to just the different twists and turns this movie takes, I really appreciated that this movie didn't play it safe when it could have. I could have easily given it just a four if it did that, or even bumped it down to a three and a half if those pissed me off. But I felt like the turns that we took, the twists that we had to
Top Five: Chainsaw Man And K-Pop Demon Hunters
SPEAKER_03take, all were worth it for the end result that we got. And I really deeply connected to this movie more than I thought I would. It's one of the only films I've had to fight back a tier or two at this year, and movies don't always do that for me. This one did. I was very, very surprised that this movie managed to capture my heart as much as it did. So I'm giving it a four and a half out of five, and it's my number two ranked movie this year. Phil, one battle after another is back, and it's your number two. Uh, yeah, not surprised.
SPEAKER_01Fiva La Revolution. Yeah, this moved around here earlier today when you told me to finalize my list. I moved this up uh into the number two spot and upped it to a five out of five. I have not watched it again since I saw that first time. Uh of course that you know with a five out of five, you definitely plan on doing so. Um, but yeah, you know, we kind of talked about it already. Hit all the hit all the notes. Uh Leo's is is outstanding. Um, of course, the the star uh being Benicio del Toro, uh, who is just man so damn good. And then just sitting in the uncomfortable, uh comf uncomfortable nature of Sean Penn and also Tiana Taylor at times as well. Um, man, what a what a powerhouse of a film uh from Paul Thomas Anderson, one of the best I've seen in a very, very long time. And um, yeah, I like we've done plenty of times here, we're gonna be quoting this thing for a while. We use a lot of the memes already that's already become part of our rotation. Um, so yeah, in terms of the pop culture impact it's left and also the impact it's left on cinema. Um, yeah, no surprise that it's on very high in a lot of people's lists.
SPEAKER_03Yep, and it should be no surprise if you know us or if you checked out our end of year awards, what our best movie of 2025 was. And the number one film on my end is K-pop Demon Hunters. Phil, for you, it is Sinners. We have both talked about each of these movies now with the roles reversed. When it comes to K-pop Demon Hunters, I've gotta say that it is a film that I really didn't see coming. Phil mentioned it at the top, he said K-pop demon hunters. I said, What? What you want me to watch what when the trailer came out, I did not think anything of this movie, and I really had it flying under my radar despite some internal excitement among my friend group. And then when the movie came out, I heard the buzz, I heard the feedback, and I still was like, Am I really gonna enjoy this that much? I've watched this movie more than three times this year, it's the only film that I've done that to, and each time I enjoyed it just a little bit more. Went from a four out of five to should I change that? Then it went up to a four and a half, and even then I was debating do I go higher? I can't quite go higher because the nitpicks that all of us I think have about the movie do exist, and it's unfortunate really, but they are at the end of the day just nitpicks, and whenever I watch this movie, I'm not focusing on those. I'm thinking of the music, I'm thinking of the characters, I'm thinking of the way this movie visually looks, and when all of that is encapsulated together when I have to pick a movie at my number one spot, this is the one, even if it's not the best made movie or the best plot or the best characters, any of that. I love all of this too much to not give it the number one spot it rightfully deserves. Film, I will not argue though, Sinners probably also does deserve this spot in many people's lists.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the the best film I saw all year. Um, where some of the things in the second half you didn't like as much, I enjoyed from from beginning to end. Um, of course, we've talked a lot about your people have talked a lot about what Michael B. Jordan did and and how Ryan Kugler directed this thing. Um, but yeah, we already talked about it again in our end of the year awards. But um you want to give a special shout out to uh Miles Caden, who this was his first film, and he delivered uh what may go down as one of the best first performances of all time. Um Haley Seinfeld is also outstanding in this, but uh yeah, man, it was a wild ride. And um, again, this is something I 100% need to add to my my physical media collection. Uh hopefully we can track down one of those steel books, but um boy, what a what a performance, what a uh what an experience as as well see being able to see that in the theater. Wish we would have been able to see it on a uh you know an even bigger screen. Don't know if this was an IMAX release or not, but um, yeah, one that's going to uh I'm going to remember for a very, very long time. And upon a rewatch, who knows where it's gonna sit in my all-time status for me. Uh loved every minute of it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and with that being said, guys, that is our 2025 Letterboxd recap. Uh, we really appreciate you guys watching and checking this out. Everybody that came through, Fullin. Thank you again for uh for your feedback. Uh great top 10, Phil, uh, is what she said to us. So that must be true. You know what we could do is we could go out of our way. And let's why don't we do this? We're gonna make a pivot. We're gonna judge Falyn's list really quick, who was part of the episode last year. Yeah, and I'll um I'll show it to everybody on screen because you shared that you finished out 2025 watching 60 films. You were able to reach your goal where at least half of them were horror films in uh 30 30 horror films in total for 2025, which is kind of crazy. Uh, but why don't we take a look? We'll take a look at your bottom 10 and your top 10.
SPEAKER_02Woof.
SPEAKER_03Uh okay. Uh bottom 10. Uh what the fuck is Strange Harvest?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, a lot of these have to be some of um some of although it looks like uh it looks like you might have you might have been positive on that.
SPEAKER_03Do you give that a three? You give that a three? Yeah, you might want to move that one. All right, so House of Eden was a one. Uh Tyler Perry's Duplicity was a one. 825 Forest Road was uh two until dawn.
SPEAKER_01Refresh it, Eric. She's updated it.
SPEAKER_03She's updated it good. There we go. Uh Opus was a two. Jurassic World Rebirth of two after the hunt was really bad. I heard after the hunt was not very good. Uh wow, she's in two of your bodies.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, considering how talented she is, like, that's crazy. Kind of crazy. Heads of state. Even I didn't watch that one.
SPEAKER_03Uh Death of a Unicorn, which apparently nobody liked, and then In Your Dreams, uh, at a two and a half. Okay. Alright. So let's go up to the top. And
The Final Two: Eternity And Sinners
SPEAKER_03let's take a look here at your top ten. Oh, you know what? That's pretty interesting. Frankenstein, uh, pretty, pretty, pretty expected. Uh, you give that a four out of five. Zootopia, four out of five. Companion, four out of five. Wicked four good. I'm so sorry. Four out of five. Uh train dreams, uh, four and a half. Okay. One battle after another, four and a half. Eternity, four and a half. K-pop demon hunters, four and a half, weapons, four and a half, and then sinners, your only five that you gave out this year. Pretty uh, pretty amazing stuff there. So, yeah. Flynn, uh, you were going crazy this year, but again, some of those movies, very questionable.
SPEAKER_01Well, she's got remember she has shutter. So, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Did she watch everything that was bad this year? Probably. She watched more bad movies than I did last.
SPEAKER_01Remember last year? My I my list was riddled with some shitters.
SPEAKER_03Phil and Faln love watching like terrible ass movies, though.
SPEAKER_01Like, because I'll give it a shot, man, because like like last year, here's the thing is I didn't have an Atlas of Madame Webb and Amelia Pereza or Borderlands. I didn't watch a movie that bad this year. All four of those films would still be worse than than uh Materialists, and I fucking hate Materialists.
SPEAKER_03I would say other than Jurassic World Rebirth, which was maybe Yeah, I would say other than Jurassic World Rebirth, that was expected. Um, any other movie that I saw that I gave under a three, I was expecting to at least like if it wasn't recommended by my child to go see. So again, that's your your Minecraft, Lilo Stitch, Five Nights at Freddy's 2. You know, I expected to maybe like Lost in Starlight 28 Years Later, um Elio. Those are the movies that I thought maybe would uh be a little bit better, but if I can see from a mile away a movie's gonna be bad, I just can't I can't waste, I can't waste that type of time. I can't do it, man.
SPEAKER_01Well, if we're sitting here next year, we already talked about this and what did I miss? And the Odyssey is not in our top three, it was a disappointment.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, it's gonna be a crazy 2026, guys. We cannot wait for you guys to be a part of this. If you missed uh some of the live stream, well, you could check that out on Twitch for the next couple days here. Uh, but you can also just check it out on our podcast because we're gonna release this episode here on the 2nd of January. So this upcoming Friday. So check it out. If you missed anything, we'll be releasing the video and audio versions of this. Uh Briar, you're in the chat. I will probably have this up on Patreon before then. So uh make sure to check that out as well. Uh, you said to be fair, Faln, uh, with the cast in after the hunt, it should have been good.
SPEAKER_01I agree with you. Andrew Andrew Garfield and um Julia Roberts, yeah, it definitely should have been good. Eric is a the biggest Julia Roberts fan ever now.
SPEAKER_03So he's gonna be very I cannot wait to watch Aaron Brockovich, man. We're gonna have such a good time.
SPEAKER_01All right, let's do my other list. Uh my the 68 films that I watched. Uh let's see. Let's actually just really quick see if there's any. It's pretty similar, except in my top 10 is Shaw Shank and Perfect Blue. Um, I have uh films you saw this year. I also have not changed, I have not updated some of these, so it's not in order as of right now. Um, because Life of Chuck and a couple other movies have not been moved into place. But um, the only difference in my top 10 is that it has Shaw Shank Redemption and Perfect Blue in it.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Interesting, really interesting stuff. But uh yeah, this uh this episode still managed even with one less person to uh to take this stream. Three hours. Yeah, almost three hours. Uh man, we gotta we gotta do something about that. But with all that being said, guys, uh this was a really great time. I really appreciate you guys uh that joined us live, and those of you guys that are checking the episode afterwards. Uh Phil, anything you want to say before we uh wrap things up? Uh and we now officially with this episode move into the new year.
SPEAKER_01No, thank you guys so much for for uh supporting this Twitch journey that we uh uh took on here in 2025. Looking to, of course, and continuing to improve the stream. Um, we are gonna be playing some more games together. I just bought Absalom, so very excited to play that uh with Eric. And um, yeah, it's been a lot of fun. Uh happy new year, everybody. Please be safe tonight if you go out. Um, and also we'll see you very soon at Brick City Anime Festival. It's gonna be a big show for us, so cannot wait. Um, we are closing 2025 out with a bang. Um, and uh we cannot wait to share with you guys what's next in 2026. But that's about it. Uh otherwise, I think we are good to go. I'm tired.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was really long. You know what? Fireworks-wise, though, it didn't it didn't turn out that bad. Yeah, it did still turn out as bad.
SPEAKER_01At least we like to think we did this earlier because in about an hour they're gonna go fucking nuts. So I can't wait for that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I can't wait for that. Um, but yeah, guys, thank you so much for joining. We appreciate you and big shout out again to all of our patrons that uh some of you uh were here in the chat. Uh Briar T3 Kato, Vintage Macaroni, Corey from the World's My Burrito, Nick Casbaro, the author of the Vidalarium series, and Botter from the Shortbox Podcast. Thank you guys all for your support. Whether you join the stream or you're supporting us on Patreon, all of that stuff means a lot. If you weren't a part of Patreon and you join the stream, we appreciate you too. Thank you guys all for any type of support that you give us. This is the end of our stream and our recording. My name is Mr. Eric Almighty, that is my co host, Phil the Filipino. And please don't forget, we release new episodes and stream every Wednesday for the podcast. And all you have to do is wait for it.
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