Film Feature: Chad’s Top 20 Films of 2025

What a sneaky good, but not great, movie year. 2025 was full of major blockbuster disappointments (Mickey 17, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Tron: Ares, The Running Man, Wicked For Good) and a few five-star masterpieces. But there was a plethora of three-and-a-half to four-star fare, some good and some great, that made moviegoing a memorable experience. The honorable mentions will be many this year, but here’s my ranked list of the twenty best films of 2025:

20. FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES

The sixth film in a series is rarely, if ever, as good as, if not better, than all previous installments. Bloodlines refreshed the ‘90s horror franchise in inventive new ways, killing off a plethora of death-cheaters. 

19. THE NAKED GUN

Pure comedies can still be good, and still make money! The reboot of The Naked Gun had some of the funniest lines of the year, and produced the rare pleasure of joining in raucous laughter with a moviegoing audience. Continue reading “Film Feature: Chad’s Top 20 Films of 2025”

Film Review: “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”

O’Connor shines as Knives Out goes to church

Father Jud (Josh O’Connor) and Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) inspect the mystery in ‘Wake Up Dead Man.’

They should release a new Knives Out movie every two years…in perpetuity. The casts, the characters, the Agatha Christie whodunnit plots, and Daniel Craig’s disarmingly charming and wise detective, Benoit Blanc, are all batting .1000 across three films and I just can’t get enough. Even Glass Onion, the second Knives Out film and widely considered the weaker of the first two films (now the weakest of the three), is still a hilarious and engaging mystery. The Knives Out film series is written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper; Star Wars: The Last Jedi), who has an incredible knack for creating an interacting web of distinct characters, twisted murders, and sharp dialogue. Wake Up Dead Man, the latest in the series, continues with all the beloved characteristics that made the original a hit, while adding previously unexplored depth. Featuring a standout performance by Josh O’Connor (Challengers), Wake Up Dead Man is the most dramatic Knives Out story yet and a thrillingly fun watch. Continue reading “Film Review: “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery””