SCOTT'S Top 10 Films of 2025

What a fantastic year for film. As a big fan of horror this has been an incredible year for the genre, superheroes have taken a step up with the best comic book films I've seen from both Marvel and DC in recent years with. Unfortunately being on the other side of the pond than most major studios means that a lot of the films that schedule themselves for the annual oscar-buzz don't make it to UK cinemas by the end of the year or when they do they're right around Christmas making it hard for myself to cram them all in before the new year as I post this. This unfortunately means that I will not have seen films such as Hamnet, Sentimental Value and a whole heap of others that I'm sure may have just flew under my radar. Also keep in mind that this is purely personal taste rather than looking from any objective stance.

MY HONOURABLE MENTIONS

"Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" would feel unfair to rank since its a 22 year old rerelease but it definitley bumps the experience up a notch in pacing, acting and emotion and should be hailed as the definitive way to watch the film.

"Friendship" is not only a24s funniest film yet but one of the funniest of the year. You don't have to be a Tim Robinson fan to appreciate it but it definitley helps the experience.

"Companion" was knocked off at the last minute as my number 10. A very well paced dark comedy thriller with great performances and a really fun concept and script.

"Redux Redux" is an incredible low budget sci-fi thriller involving a woman hopping from universe to universe hunting down the man that killed her daughter. It's currently doing the rounds at various film festivals so if the rare opportunity comes up, definitley give it a watch.

"Superman" is one of the funnest superhero films of the last decade and great way to revitalise DCs filmography for the exciting next step.

10) a real pain

To honour their late grandmother, Jewish-American cousins David and Benji set off on a journey through Poland. Along the way old family tensions rise as they form friendships with a tour group.

There's very few characters that can simultaneously fill you with a balance of love and stress with every scene they're in. Keiran Culkin won the Oscar for supporting actor for this film but I find it hard to call him supporting as I fully find him to be the heart and soul of the whole film. Jesse Eisenberg has created a very beautifully told film that does an incredible job of exploring those love-hate relationships you can have with close friends and family, shot beautifully with a tour-guide backdrop across Poland. It's subtle indie tone is balances the beauty of the wider world whilst taking time to focus more existential details for a very human story.

9) tummy monster

When tattoo artist "Tales" gets a last minute booking from a huge pop-star known as "Tummy", his request for a selfie results in a dangerously escalating game.

I can't stress enough the importance of the indie scene in filmmaking and this incredible micro-budget Scottish feature film is the perfect reason that independent festivals and the like really need an audience. I was lucky enough to see this screened at the Spirit of Independence Film Festival in Sheffield and really hope it gets a wider release being my favourite of the festival. With a shoestring budget, a cast of just 3 actors and a single location "Tummy Monster" director Ciaran Lyons utilises everything at his disposal to pull out incredible performances from Lorn Macdonald and Orlando Norman as the primary conflict in a very strong script.

8) nosferatu

in 1830s Transylvania, estate agent Thomas meets with potential client Count Orlok. Whilst away his wife Ellens mental state deteriorates, plagued by an evil force that leads her to visions and a feeling of dread.

Being quite a big fan of the silent era of horror films as well as Robert Eggers, this film was one of my most anticipated and also one of the first released in the UK this year. Following a portfolio of incredible period horrors, Eggers managed to pay tribute and capture a lot of the magic that the original had whilst completely turning it into something new. The soundscape of this film when watched at the cinema was perfectly designed and layered to feel like you were surrounded by whispers making the titular character really feel omnipresent when focusing on other characters. Speaking of the titular character, admittedly I was worried about this casting at first. It felt like it could have been the kind typecasting off the back of 'IT' that made me slightly concerned it could have been sculpted around the popularity of Pennywise. Despite my worries, Bill Skarsgard is one of those actors who I've loved watching develop lately. Although he has such a distinctive face, he always manages to dissapear into completely different roles to the point that I now can't wait to see what directions he goes in the future. On top of that we have some incredible performances from a very eccentric Willem Dafoe to a more grounded Nicholas Hoult. The standout however is Lily Rose Depp who portrays a descent into madness which starts off subtle before becoming more animalistic displaying a huge spectrum of depth.

7) weapons

When an entire class of children all mysteriously vanish overnight at exactly 2:17AM, the parents, teachers, police force and entire community is left to wonder who or what could cause the disappearances.

Something simple that works so well about Kreggers second film is the use of it's non linear structure and it's stellar cast. By jumping into a bunch of different perspectives, you really get a sense of how the whole town is feeling, widening the scope of the atmosphere. This makes the different interactions a very interesting watch as you see the levels of distrust between characters. Two incredible standouts and polar opposites are Julia Garner and Josh Brolin so it's very exciting to see how they interact throughout the film

6) one battle after another

After 16 years, an out of practice ex-revolutionary has to get back in the game and team up with his old team to save his daughter from kidnappers who also happen to be an old enemy.

There are only a handful of directors where you’d find it impossible to find the dud in their filmography. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of those directors so it’s no surprise to see once again he’s at the top of his game with an incredible cast and a very well directed film. Leonardo DiCaprio as always smashes it out the park and plays one of my favourite roles I’ve seen him in. He does a great job of playing the incompetent parts of his character in a way that manages to be hilarious without it ever feeling like it gets in the way of the narrative. The same can be said about Sean Penn in his villainous role as well as Benecio Del Toro who manages to steal every scene he's in. Another stand out was Chase Infiniti who gives an incredible feature debut and manages to really hold her own in an already stacked cast.

5) sinners

WWI veterans and ex Chicago-mob twins "Smoke" and "Stack" return to their hometown and open up a juke joint for the black community but their attempt to build a new life becomes a battle against supernatural evil and deep-seated racism.

This is a film that when I finished I couldn't wait to watch again. I would probably say that this is my favourite Coogler film to date, if not neck and neck with Fruitvale Station. There was a great strength to the writing that slowly grows more expansive with it's themes that paired with the cinematography had the most memorable musical moment from any film this year. Michael B. Jordan does and incredible job of juggling two similar roles but always making them feel different but the heart of the story comes through Miles Caton who gives an incredible debut.

4) wake up dead man

When a small town church becomes the crime scene of an "impossible murder", it's up to Benoir Blanc to challenge his and the residents faith in order to discover who or what is behind the acts.

Rian Johnson's "Knives Out" series has always been a very enjoyable watch as he plays around with the mystery genre, Adding so many twists and turns. In his experiments with the genre I always find that the how and why are equal, if not more important than the who-did-it. Wake Up Dead Man utilises it's space better than any other in it's trilogy walking a perfect line with the way it handles faith. By discussing it through agnostic Benoir Blanc and a religious opposition from Friar Jud, it allows faith to be a key part of the story without ever feeling like it's trying to make an argument for or against religion. As always with these films the list of suspects are always a great watch but the stand out performance definitely goes to Josh O'Conner on this one.

3) THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE

in 1919 Copenhagen, Karoline finds herself unemployed and pregnant. Fearing the difficulty of raising her child in poverty she befriends Dagmar, who runs an secret adoption agency who form an unlikely bond before a darker truth is discovered.

This is one of those films that I can't recommend to many people but it's an incredible piece of work with a lot to take from. There are a lot of hurdles for most audiences when it comes to getting through a 2 hour black and white, Dutch-Swedish-Polish period piece based on a true and very dark and very disturbing story. It has one of the most harrowing scenes I've seen and feels like a film that should be studied for its amazing social commentary of its setting. It handles the story like with a haunting cautionary feeling with sometimes a fairytale-like atmosphere. The black and white cinematography does an incredible job of enhancing the setting and making it feel timeless. This is the first film I’ve seen of Magnus Von Horn and it has me very curious to check out the rest of his filmography and excites me to see what he does next.

2) MARTY SUPREME

Arrogant and ambitious Marty Mauser has a dream of becoming the world champion and face of ping pong. In order to secure the funds to make it to the championships he'll put everything on the line.

Josh Safdie's latest has all the fingerprints of the Safdie brothers best work with a solid cause and effect akin to Uncut Gems and Good Time with a script that feels inspired by Aaron Sorkin. Timothee Chalamet gives a career best as the titular Marty and he's incredible to watch. Even at his most stressful there's still something likeable in his portrayal. While it's a great character study this is compiled of an incredible ensemble, while not the hugest actors there are some truly incredible characters. While its always best to go in knowing very little one thing important to note is that this is not a ping pong film in the same way that The Social Network is not a Facebook film so fear not if the sport doesn't excite you. Absolutely everything else in this tightly written drama of desperation will.

1) BRING HER BACK

In the wake of a terrible tragedy, Piper and Billy are adopted into a secluded foster home only to undercover the terrifying truth about their new guardians true intentions.

In 2022, The Phillipou Brothers surprised me with one of my favourite horrors of that year with ’Talk To Me’. This year they took everything great about that film and doubled down to create one of my personal favourite horror films of all time. ‘Bring Her Back’ has an unsettling atmosphere that manages to balance psychological horror alongside the supernatural managing to create something dark and surreal that always feels grounded enough that you get a window into all of the characters as they all go through grief in different ways. The decision to cast Sally Hawkins in this role is a stroke of genius, utilising her charisma and motherly warmth before fully turning everything you love about her into a red flag. This is not only my favourite role of hers but one of my favourite performances I’ve seen all year. Despite being the first time I’ve seen Billy Barrat, Sora Wong or Jonah Wren Phillips on the screen it’s impossible not to give them the deserved credit for the complex performances they give. This is a film absolutely not for the faint-hearted and definitely the most stressed I’ve felt after a trip to the cinema (which I weirdly see as nothing but a compliment) but if you like horror that breaks conventions and is about more than just using cheap jump scares, this is one of the best places to start.