We’ve reached the mid-point of 2025, aka only 1/8 completed of the Trump presidency so far! Back in the first quarter of the year, due to only a handful of films seen, I posted my Top 5, Bottom 5, and Best Performances list (which you can read here: https://jakobtalksfilm.wordpress.com/2025/03/26/the-films-of-2025-quarter-1-in-review-top-5-best-and-bottom-5-worst-best-performances/ ). Now, due to the year finally fleshing itself out (post-Cannes, halfway through the summer season), it’s becoming more clear what type of movie year this seems to be. By now, Anora was the favorite to win Best Picture, and what do you know? *checks notes* It did!

There are plenty of movies I chose not to review due to timing constraints, festival seasons, work and life, movies that I was late to catch up on, and honestly, sometimes just general interest. For instance, don’t expect a review for the new Brad Pitt blockbuster F1 because… I liked it! It was fun! Vroom! But there wasn’t much for me to say that would be worth reading. I had a lot of mixed thoughts on the new Celine Song film Materialists, a mind-bogglingly constructed rom-com-dram, but chose instead to use my time to review 28 Years Later, a film I felt deeply passionate about.

There are only but a few categories I can’t properly fill out quite yet and only a few films I have on this list that I’ve seen that have release dates this summer, but haven’t quite opened yet, but they’re here because I don’t want to search my brain to remember what my #6 in each category is to be a placeholder. I’ve set my lists! And here they are!

But wait! Here is a complete list of films I’ve seen this year alphabetically:

28 Years Later, The Accidental Getaway Driver, Another Simple Favor, Back in Action, The Ballad of Wallis Island, Black Bag, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Captain America: Brave New World, Companion, Drop, Eephus, The Electric State, Eternal You, F1, Final Destination: Bloodlines, The Friend, Friendship, The Gorge, Heart Eyes, Jazzy, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Ladies and Gentleman… 50 Years of SNL Music, A Little Prayer, Love Brooklyn, Love Me, Magazine Dreams, Materialists, Mickey 17, Millers in Marriage, Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning, Not Just A Goof, Paddington in Peru, The Phoenician Scheme, Ponyboi, Predator: Killer of Killers, Presence, Sinners, Snow White, Sorry Baby, Thunderbolts*, Warfare, The Wedding Banquet, Wolf Man

BEST PICTURE

“28 YEARS LATER”
“BLACK BAG”
“BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY”
“EEPHUS”
“FRIENDSHIP”
“A LITTLE PRAYER”
“THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”
“PONYBOI”
“SINNERS”
“SORRY, BABY”

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle – “28 YEARS LATER”
Steven Soderbergh- “BLACK BAG”
Carson Lund- “EEPUS”
Wes Anderson – “THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”
Ryan Coogler – “SINNERS”

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Michael B. Jordan – “SINNERS”
Jonathan Majors – “MAGAZINE DREAMS”
Robert Pattinson – “MICKEY 17”
David Strathairn – “A LITTLE PRAYER”
Alfie Williams – “28 YEARS LATER”

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Sophie Tatcher – “COMPANION”
Kelly Marie Tran – “THE WEDDING BANQUET”
Eva Victor – “SORRY BABY”
Naomi Watts – “THE FRIEND”
Renee Zellwegger – “BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY”

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Tom Burke – “BLACK BAG”
Miles Canton – “SINNERS”
Michael Cera – “THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”
Ralph Fiennes – “28 YEARS LATER”
Jack O’ Connell – “SINNERS”

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Naomie Ackie – “MICKEY 17”
Jodie Comer – “28 YEARS LATER”
Jane Levy – “A LITTLE PRAYER”
Wunmi Mosaku – “SINNERS”
Mia Threapleton – “THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“BLACK BAG”
“FRIENDSHIP”
“A LITTLE PRAYER”
“SINNERS”
“SORRY, BABY”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“28 YEARS LATER”
“BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY”
“PADDINGTON IN PERU”
“PONYBOI”
“THE WEDDING BANQUET”

BEST EDITING

“28 YEARS LATER”
“BLACK BAG”
“F1”
“SINNERS”
“WARFARE”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“28 YEARS LATER”
“BLACK BAG”
“EEPHUS”
“THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”
“SINNERS”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

“28 YEARS LATER”
“BLACK BAG”
“MICKEY 17”
“THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”
“SINNERS”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“BLACK BAG”
“MICKEY 17”
“THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”
“SINNERS”
“SNOW WHITE”

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

“28 YEARS LATER”
“THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”
“SINNERS”
“SNOW WHITE”
“WOLF MAN”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“F1”
“JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH”
“MICKEY 17”
“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING”
“THUNDERBOLTS*”

BEST STUNT OR CHOREOGRAPHY COORDINATION

“F1”
“MICKEY 17”
“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING”
“THUNDERBOLTS*”
“WARFARE”

BEST SOUND EDITING

“28 YEARS LATER”
“F1”
“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING”
“SINNERS”
“WARFARE”

BEST SOUND MIXING

“28 YEARS LATER”
“F1”
“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING”
“SINNERS”
“WARFARE”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

“28 YEARS LATER”
“F1”
“THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”
“SINNERS”
“THUNDERBOLTS*”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“28 YEARS LATER” – “Promised Land”
“THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND” – “Our Love”
“MATERIALISTS” – “My Baby (Got Nothing At All)”
“PADDINGTON IN PERU” – “Let’s Prepare For Paddington”
“SINNERS” – “I Lied To You”

BEST ANIMATED FILM

“PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… 50 YEARS OF SNL MUSIC”

Agree or disagree? Share your picks in the comments! Thank you for reading.