177: Top 10 Films of 2025

Alex and Nick list their favorite films of 2025. The guys discuss all the foreign, indie, and mainstream films that worked for them, a few bigger movies that did not, probable Oscar nominees, and so much more.

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Hey, everyone. Welcome to. What are you watching? I'm Alex Witt. Throw it. I'm joined by my best man, Nick Doerr. So how are you doing there, Bob Ferguson of the French 75. Yes, yes. Life. Yeah, man. Life, life. Listen, man, I am a drug and alcohol lover. I fried my brain last 30 years. God. What a great time. What a great day to be alive here. What are you watching to talk about? We're a year in review. A movie year that Nicholas Doe stole just a few months ago. Said not. You did not say definitively, but you said I think 2025 is the worst movie year of my life. You announced that on the podcast after months of saying it's me and my my gender. When I hear stuff like that, I always say, just tell me that on December 31st. If you tell me that on December 31st and hey, it's legit. But I still think we got a year, or rather a few months of good movies left. But knowing that you said that, you know, a few months ago, how do you feel now? Do you think it turned out all right? Like so for me, I'm going to talk about ten movies that are not a phrase you and I have used a lot this year is it was good for 2025. Yes. Meaning like it passed the time. At some point this year it passed the 2.5 hours and it was fine. Whatever it might get, you know, nine Oscar nominations, but it's not going to make my top ten. Every movie personally that I'm listening to, listening today is a good movie. I think it's a good movie for any time period. And I and if I'm walking away with at least ten of those of any given year, I'm satisfied. I don't know. But by that measure, you are correct, because when I look at my top ten and then I look at some of my, honorable mentions, and then when I look at the ones that didn't make the cut on any list, there are a couple movies that even down all the way there that I'm like, that actually kind of burns that that's not in. And exactly, it was still a year where it's like, damn it, I wish I could also include that in the top ten. And that's, you know, it's we I had that problem. It sounds like you had that problem. So it's nice that it wasn't like I mean, we've done or I've definitely done some in the past on my blog where I was kind of struggling to get to ten and I went, maybe it'll be more. I don't know, amusing if I to include eight because I only saw eight movies I like this year, but I didn't have to do that this year. So, you know, here we go, here we go. Yes. So I will, I will, I will retract, I will say it is not the worst year, movie year of my life. Well, we can, we can, we can bring it down to me, man. We can. Okay, a mag year, but we're going to do a mag year. But we're going to talk about some good movies today. We're not just going to do our top ten, we're going to do those first and get them in-depth to the movies we love the most in 2025. But I suspect, and I think you could probably generally confirm, if there's going to be a few big movies from this year that are not going to make either of our lists. And we are. Yeah, give them their proper time, which may just be a few seconds, but we will give them their proper time at the end of after rather the top ten. Just to kind of explain, you know, why they weren't here. I think this is going to be really funny, because now that I just had set myself up for like, Nick thinks this is like one of the worst movie years of his entire life. And then I'm going to start talking about some of these movies and how emotionally they affected me. And exactly because this is true. Like there are some movies that are going to come up today like that you were there for and, that I was I've never been emotionally moved in this way. So I'm just going to eat my words, as I always do on this pad by the end. So and then there's the Jesus Christ. All right. A fun prompt that we kind of, accidentally fell into, but I love doing it. How many do you think we're going to have in common? You were usually very good at predicting this. You're good at looking at. But because we haven't shared our lists with each other, we just know based on, you know, being very good friends and podcasting year, you know, over the years together. So I have a general idea, but, it's like an overunder thing. Oh, no, you go first. You go first. Okay. I'm actually going to go with a pretty high number here. Oh. All right. Seven in common, seven in common. That's a great seven. That's a big number. I know that's a big number. I am going to take the under on that I was okay I was going to be real conservative and say four but with your number. Well now maybe that's not fair because based off your number I would say five, but I'll go. All right. I'll say five. I think five, but also maybe four. Maybe it'll be ten. I highly doubt it. No, there's no no there's no there's, there's two that I know that I, I'm actually like I know that I'm not going to have in mind that I know you have in yours. So yeah. So it's a bit but and at least one outlier that I think will because there's also, there's two in mind that I don't think at all you're going to have on yours. So that have a few those two. That's fun. Which is exciting though because I'm actually if I was to actually like make like a top ten of yours. Not in the order, but I feel like if, like if we were like on like the dating game or something and someone like list Alex's top ten, I'm like, oh man, I think going home together. Yeah, yeah. We'd pick each other. Absolutely. Another fucking great analogy. Just another terrific example. I don't know if that's actually an analogy. I mean it's it's, it's, it's more of an analogy than it is anything else. People know what I'm trying to say. Oh, yes. No, I know what you mean. Like, if I guess not the order, but like, what would next ten films be? That'd be really funny. But then we'd be here for a long, and then we. And then we would just ruin our entire list by doing that. Yeah. Nick's going to go first, and then we we obviously keep we withhold. So for instance, when Christie comes up on your list, I'll hold back to where it is on my placement. But also actually I'm going to say, you know, joking around how I'm making all these jokes. Sometimes we both do it like it's a, it's a bit to like, say a false title for like number one, like something ridiculous. I actually have some titles on here that you. I think you're going to think I'm joking and I'm not. I'm just going to say right now, oh, every time. Yes. Every time I reveal a title, I will be absolutely, absolutely sincere because I was looking at this and going, he's either going to be like, what the really? Or just, you know, kind of pleasantly surprised, I think. I think I don't know. Well, the one thing you do surprises me at, oh, Jesus Christ, wow, I think I got I think, I think, I think I'll have one on here that you will be pleasantly happy with that it's on. Okay. Yes. Well golly gee. Oh, mommy. All right. Let's go with number ten or top 10 to 2025. I'm excited. 2025. Oh wait. First off before. Well I'm going to I'm going to edge this. Oh shit. Okay. So it's I have to say something because this is what I was going to bring up earlier, was that, as someone that complained about this being the worst movie of their entire lives for the first nine months of this year, I barely saw any of these movies in theaters. Well, yeah, that's. Yeah, you did a real hard transition to like, and that was joining, you know, no free ads, but you joined AMC, a list which I've been encouraging all my movie friends to do because two and a half visits, or rather, if you go see avatar three in 3D once that entire month is paid for. So it's yeah, for me, I have that and the Alamo one. So that means I have to go to, you know, visit each theater or each chain twice a month, which is not hard for me. For movie visits, a month is nothing. But if I miss one, like, it's fine, like I catch it up the next month and I'll do like five. You know, dude, I was clocking in 3 or 4 a week. I was, I was getting Max on the list. That's awesome, I love that. So from the months of September till now, your boy has just been going to the theater, crushing the crushing, tape crushing, crushing it. So, so I believe that. I mean, there's always you've you've obviously seen all of the movies because that's that's how you roll. Yeah. I can't help it. There are very, very few outliers that are here on this list of movies that I just truly have not seen, and that's all due to the past four months. So good. So yes. So I wanted to say that. So AMC let's go though. You know what they gotta start doing. They gotta start, putting, alcoholic beverages on their rewards points. That's why I go to Alamo. That's why I have Alamo. Yeah. So fucking bone temple last night at Alamo, that movie rocked, love. Awesome. We every was sold out. Everybody had a great time, my man. My top ten of 2026. Oh, Jesus. Who knows? Well, we got to wait a year for that one. But the way you heard it here okay. All right. Back to top 10 to 2025. Nick dose number ten. Hit me. All right, all right. So this is, this is, I will start off by saying that this list of mine is a very, very personal list. So is mine. So this is a lot about just these were, moments. These were feelings. These were, people that I was here with. And so this top ten spot goes to you. Oh. Cause when I came to surprise visit you on your birthday, we went to go see Spike Lee's highest to lowest. Wow. And, And at the time, it was my favorite movie of the year because I had seen, like, three. There was nothing else. There was something else. But I remember the experience that you and I had in the theater, us being so, like, high literally on that movie when we walked out talking about it, doing the pod on it right afterwards. I just remember having like the fondest, like, memories of that movie tied into that whole entire trip. So yeah, I like have that movie in my like heart. In terms of that time that I surprised Alex, that we went out and did a bunch of really cool stuff with Ali, met up with Fong, and like, that whole entire trip is encapsulated into this movie. So yeah. And also the movie I really, really liked, and I know it did not do very well, like people did not really jump on that train for like the way that we did, but we really did, enjoy that movie. Oh, I love this. I mean, I love the reasoning too. I have a few on my list. I mean, that's what a list is for. It is not for like, doing a top ten and going, hey, I'm just going to put like the most famous movies of the year at the top because they were the most popular. I think one of the most popular movies of this year is going to rank very highly on both of our lists, and that's because it's a good movie. But then other stuff, it should be personal, you know? So I love that, and I love seeing it with you too. And one thing I'm going to kind of tease, like after our top ten were when we're talking about other movies of the year, I'm going to kind of explain that I never want to use this forum, this podcast, to shit on a movie that everyone is enjoying. Yeah, but I will always use this podcast to promote a movie that the masses are shitting on. I have no problem doing that. And we didn't even know dude. Like we went and salt in the theater because most people saw this when it hit Apple. That's when people, like a lot of people do not go to the theater. And we walked out and we were like, fuck, man, that was good. Like, I'm bopping around to pay the payback by James Brown. Like, it's just I mean, we liked it. It was very it's very, very spike Lee. And then reviews start to come out. Social media starts to come out and this is when I feel really old, because what I'm seeing over and over and over in social media is, well, the score never stops in the movie. Like, what's up with that? Like, the camera never stops moving. And I'm going, have you seen like, do the right thing? Have you seen he Got Game like that? Fair. The camera doesn't stop moving a lot. The score never stops. But that's not a problem of highest to lowest. That's spike Lee. That is his style. So, yeah, it it just seemed like a lot of people hadn't seen a spike Lee movie or hadn't like. I mean, he does that. An inside man, a movie of his. A lot of people like you just got the score, like blaring over simple conversation. So the the reception of that one really, really baffled me. But yeah, I had a hell of a fun time with it, and it was a great homage to Chris Iowa, one of the best of all time filmmakers. Yeah, and that's a big thing. You know, talking about these lists is like, what was your experience with this movie? And like, how did you see this, guys? I mean, I feel like that's still like a lot of things that like one of things that we champion the most on this pod is it's not about whether the movie is the best movie ever made. It's why do you love it? What is it about this movie that makes you feel something? And so that's why when I was looking at this list, so many of these movies are like that. When I just think about movies in 2025, that immediately jumps out in my head as a memory and like a moment and I'm like, oh my God, I love that. And and you could say that about like a movie that would be absolute dog shit. And they'd be like, oh, you like that movie? You like, yeah, but you don't understand. Like, I was here, I was doing this, this was going on. And, you know, all of that stuff matters. We we are just a week, but we as humans are just filters. We take it all in and it means something to us. Yeah. Tarantino was recently on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast and did his top 20 films of the century so far, and they were kind of on a whim. And he didn't say anything remotely controversial during that podcast episode at oh, not that one. Nothing about. Yeah, no, I'm joking. That's where he did say it. Oh, he didn't say that one. Oh yeah. That was, that was the oh wow. That was I mean, you know, we all learned a different side of him. Anyway, his list is batshit. But if you're looking at that list, you're going that's absolutely from the mind of Quentin Tarantino. And that's what I want to see represented. So that's great. And your number ten was a film based on cinema from Japan. And my number ten is going right to South Korea. Park Chan wook. No other choice. Oh, wow. I really enjoyed this movie. I really, really enjoyed it. I every single movie on my list, I've seen at least twice. That was a go for me because this one in particular, like this, is his 10th film, and what he's been saying to the press is this is the movie he's always wanted to make, like, this is the one. He's he started making films this his entire career is in this century, all ten films. This is I mean, yeah, I used to know the hardcore park. This is a dude who made Oldboy, right? Yeah. This is the guy who made The Handmaiden. What a film. The handmaiden who? And I was not ready for a different side of him. And that was decision to leave from 2022, which I hate. That movie kind of confused me when I first saw it. No, I love it. I watch it a few times a year and no other choice. It's just it's so layered. There's so much going on. It's literally about a guy killing the competition of this big, like, paper corporate job that he wants paper and the first, you know, quote unquote murder set piece is so brilliantly sloppy. There is I mean, at one point you have three characters lined up in a row, literally the way they're standing. And they all have wildly different motivations and they're all screaming because music is blaring. It was just it was one of the great set pieces of the year. And I saw this one for the second time last week, and it was like, yeah, that's making the top ten to me. I really, really like it. This was the this was my hardest one to leave out. Hey, that's that's fair. I'm just glad you liked it. Oh my God, I loved it. That was actually the hardest thing was not including this, that this this was by far the hardest choice of of the whole entire top ten list was not included. Yeah, this is masterful fucking filmmaking. I mean, the and it might even I mean, I know I it's this to you. I, was talking to a couple other people might be my favorite cinematography of the entire year. The cinematography and editing. Like, it's so it's just so South Korean because the camera will move or you'll do these things, but the editing, the way he he will literally, like, superimpose an image on, like a face on top of something. Yes. As a way to show that this is what this character's thinking about. And we just don't really that that is not part of the narrative language of American film really anymore. And he is doing this wildly experimental shit, but never like you don't even have time to think about it, because it just keeps moving like it's 2.5 hours and it flies by like it. Yeah, lies. And just and just like little things like that one scene where he's, in the beginning when he's in the interview and it's just like the sunlight, son is just, like, glaring on him and just like these. Yeah, like these little kind of choices. And, you know, it's just like, you don't just see fun. This is what this is. That was the biggest thing. Like, this was fun filmmaking. You had the tone of this movie that, you know, a lot of people don't really quite get. I mean, it is absolutely a satire. It is comedy. But the the camera is having so much fun, even when scenes are happening that might actually not be all that fun, you know, like like there's a playfulness that's going on within the cinematography that if you're just kind of paying attention to that, you're like, this is just fucking genius filmmaking. And it never, ever betrays, the story. So you're never actually seeing something that's just done to be cool, right? Like, or you know, even when you get that one cool shot, like, what he's drinking and he's got, like, the shot glass in there. Oh, it's stylish, it's all this. But at the same time, it's blurring everything for him. And so there's these all these intentions behind it, but it's still like, that would be really cool if we did something like that. Like. So I just really appreciated seeing a film that was like taking some real, real, like, choices and chances that wasn't afraid if this would be accepted by American audiences. Yeah. And it was, I think for the most part it was. We'll see. You know, we are recording this. I always love when we do our top ten of the year before the Oscar nominations. We're recording this a few days before the nomination, so I hope this gets, an international feature film is going to be really stacked, but I just won't even slide in for picture. But, you know, it would be. It would be great. It's, you know, I, I liked it a whole lot. And it's drawn some comparisons to parasite. I liked it much more than that film. I'll just you know, I'll say that. But I think it's I think it's one of the most well-made movies of the entire year, hands down. Yeah, well, that's a good, you know, thing to put on it in and of itself. All right, number nine, all right, here we go. Number nine. So this was a movie that I saw the way that, you know, everyone should see a movie, you know, just on your laptop. But of course, I absolutely loved it. And it was a movie that I was I was like, I every time I thought about not including this in my top ten, I couldn't do it. I was just like, no, this movie fucking was awesome for so many reasons. And I'll never forget the ending because I was literally shocked. It jumped me out of my chair. We're talking about your boy Steven Soderbergh presence. Yes. Nice. Nice, I love it. I didn't know where you going with that. Oh, it made the list so cool. Yeah, I mean, I love I like this movie a lot too. You know what's funny? This was my was my recommendation. And our top ten of 2024 episodes. Yep. So that's how long it's been because, well, because it came out in January of like 2025. So you had just seen it and you're like, I think I saw one of my favorite movies of this. It's going to be of this year. Yeah. And yeah, I mean, again, you talk about like a director taking some chances. These are all individual scenes that all just happened in one take, and it was all from the point of view of a ghost, which I don't know if anyone has ever done. Like, I've never I haven't seen every movie ever made, but I don't know if anyone has ever done that. Where the entire time the camera's from the point of view of a ghost, and every single shot is one take. And then or every, every single scene is one take. And then when that scene ends, cut to black for a little bit and then boom. And it's just, you know, and then in editing you literally just put the best takes together. I mean, it's more than that. But it was, I thought, so simple and so masterfully done. That's exactly right. And there were things that were happening, like the way that like, the ghosts would move certain things. Oh yeah. Where it was just sort of like, I honestly don't really know how it is. I know it's not CGI like, that's like, that's practical effects, but I don't know how you're doing that. And and then just like it's a very, very simple story of just this family that's they're just not really, they're not really together. They don't they haven't really quite kind of figured out, like, their dynamics. And they're kind of losing each other. There's a lot of, like, the husband goes outside to make a phone call on the porch, and then, like, the next night, the wife goes outside to make a phone call on the porch. You know, it's stuff like that. There's a lot of communicating, but not with each other. And then you just get that ending. And I don't want to see what happens because no, no, it is wild. It is. It's so unexpected. And that's what made me jump out of my chair. And I was like, yo, this movie fucking rocks. So number nine presents, baby. I actually teased the ending on our live stream for last year's Oscars because I don't remember who it was, but a commenter right away was like, Alex, what did you think of presents? And I said, oh, really? Got me. And they were like, how about that end? And you looked at me like, we're live. And you go, really? It was that good? And I went, I swear, man, it's it's simple, but like, I really liked it. And that's on it. That's on a platform. I think it's on to Hulu maybe, but definitely check that one out if you can people, because it's good. Good. I'm so glad it made the list. Genuinely had no idea where you were going. I thought you might be going to my number nine, which I believe might be another film you also watch on your laptop. This is the type of movie we talk about constantly on this podcast, the type of indie thriller that does not exist anymore, but it does exist. You just have to go digging for them. I'm talking about a film. Likely not a lot of people have heard of. It's called lurker. One word lurker, directed by Alex Russell. Fuck it got nominated for a few Indie Spirit Awards. That's how I heard of it. And I really tried to make my way through those. And I paid for all the rentals for him. And I'm like, you know, all right, I'll. I'll give you the money and I'm going to watch him. I went to see a few in the theater. This is one I rented online. Holy shit. This is not an obsessed fan movie, which we've all seen. This is. It's more of a guy who's obsessed with fame movie, but not like he doesn't want to be the most famous person in the world. It's just this guy who let this, this LA kid who latches on to this up and coming young musician and you don't really know why you're like, is it does he want to like, is he in love with him like you're going through that? Does he just want to be famous? He's this lurker, this lature and this kid, Theodore Perelman. Sorry, I'm probably saying that wrong. Theodore Perelman this is one of the best portrayals of a psychopath I have seen in ages. And not every psychopath has to kill people. That's not. That's not that. You know, not everyone with a psychopathic brain is a murderer. Far from it. This guy is not inherently violent, but he completely lacks all empathy. He has a massively inflated sense of self. He's charming. What he needs to be shut down when isolated, impulsive, irresponsible. I'm not just describing Nick here. Fantastic movie like I, I did not. This is the type of thing where I'm, you know, noticing him like there's 13 minutes left in the movie, including credits. And I have no idea how you're going to stick this landing. And it does all with words and performance. That's it. Lurker. Loved it. Love this movie. I loved it so much that it's my number eight. So oh, Taylor's set it up. Oh, look at that. He's lurking right behind me folks. Yep. Yeah, I did there. But oh dude, I didn't I, I hoped it would sneak in. I didn't know if it would, you know, get prominent placement, but just the even when it started I went, oh God, this is going to be one of these movies. Like a bunch of annoying kids on social media and like a bad musician and just a bunch of hangers on. But it gets way more dangerous than that, and it's way smarter than that. I liked it a lot. And, you know, and in the movie did some things that I had to always kind of question, but then the movie found a way to resolve for me. Like, I remember thinking that there was like a point where, you know, I was like, well, why is this guy really bringing in this guy? Doesn't really make a lot of sense. It feels very convenient. And that is the word that you and I really, really despise when it comes to storytelling. But but then as the movie went on, I go, oh, wait, this guy like this, he's he's sloppy. He he he he he is very much into anyone that makes him feel good about him. So he's bringing in all sorts. He brings in this friend. That's what the one time where I was like, okay, so so this ultimately is about like, you know, this other guy that I was like, okay, this isn't convenience. This is just who this guy is. And he makes bad decisions as well. And so this movie is really a it's a I agree with everything that you said. But when you talk about like in terms of writing and the execution of putting your characters in situations where by the start of this scene it's one thing and you're like, I don't really know what's going to happen here. And then it goes into some places that are so you can't really define it. You're left. But but they, they are absolutely. Every scene ends with an exclamation point where you are forced to deal with what just happened, and it's up to you how you really want to interpret it, how you want to feel about it. But there is no way by like scene by scene, you are not feeling something going on with this story and everything in it. I absolutely love this movie. I agree, this is the type of movie that we champion the most on this part, because this is the type of movie that just doesn't get made. It is very European to me in a lot of ways. And just in terms of that of like, here is we're going to present you some things that are pretty uncomfortable and we're not really going to spoon feed you as to why or what, but it's up to you to kind of feel out what this is. And I remember, like, I'm not going to I don't want to ruin it. But it goes to that last ending right there when we're seeing what Theodore's character is put together and you're you're you're just thinking yourself, surely this is the end for this guy, right? And then and then you see something, and then I start in mid watching of it being like, wait a second, this is kind of good. And and and it, it it, it makes you question everything you think about this guy in terms of everything and good or bad, right or wrong. And you're like I don't know. Does the end justify the means? I don't know, like what what what are we talking about? And so for a movie to leave you with all of these types of questions and feelings is, this is what I ask for from movies. So fuck yes, lurker. This movie fucking rocks us. Yes. And it's not. It doesn't rock because it costs, you know, hundreds of millions to make, dozens and millions to make. It's very, very small, very indie. But yeah, more than once, more than a few times I was coming up to things in my head trying to figure it out, going, well, where could it possibly go on for? Yeah. Or like the yeah. How is this going to resolve? And then this is not a movie where there are clearly defined characters of morality. Not at all. You might find yourself agreeing with this total. Oh, who I'm deeming a psychopath. Yeah. Like, well, he's kind of making a good point. It was just so good. It's really good. It really is. And and it's like the choices that they're making are so bold and, like, completely like. Is he desperate? Is he panicking? Like, where is this behavior coming from? It's fucking wild and it's awesome. I cannot recommend that. I don't think there's one movie I recommend more on our list to our, our listeners than lurker. Yeah you might I it might I don't know where it is. It's not on a major streaming. It's not on a major streaming service. It might be on shudder which is exclusively for like indie, you know, scarier films. Which I don't have, but you can definitely rent this. And I would really encourage people to do that. It's it's just smart and nasty, but also fun. Yeah. Yes. You said so. That was your number eight. Now we go to my number eight. So you said that lurker kind of had a European influence. Well, I am going straight to Europe with sentimental value. Yankee triggers, sentimental value. Yo, Kim Yong Kim, it's it's just so Norwegian. It's so beautiful and real. This was the only movie on my list today that I had only seen once. And you can either buy it for $20 or rent it for 15, like on Apple. So I just did that. I went, you know what, I really want to see this again. And I was so glad I did because it's it's just such a really poignant family drama that despite its title, its title, I figured would be used kind of. I mean, it's used earnestly in the movie, but this is not an overtly sentimental movie yet. It kind of is in all the sentimentality, and it is so hard earned. And it just like all great films, really, really solid films, are so much better and so much more revealing on a second viewing, because there are passage of passages of dialog and camera movements and things that are that are described in this movie that when you see it a second time, you're like, oh yeah, that is that okay, that's here, that's here. It also has maybe my favorite like two minutes of any movie this year, which are two completely independent events. But it starts with Stellan Skarsgard giving his grandchild a gift that I would that I would never dare reveal here. But it is a joke for free. So good. And I was laughing. I never recovered from that joke because it's like an hour into the movie. Movie's about two hours and ten minutes. I would just start laughing 40 minutes later because it popped into my head and I went, I can't believe it's just so simple and so smart. But right after that gift giving, he goes outside of the house with his somewhat estranged daughter, played by Renata Reiner, who just gave an outstanding performance in The Worst Person in the world, Trier's previous film, and this movie. And they're just having a cigaret together, but they're not saying anything. And there's a lot. It's last for about 30s and the music's going, and it's just these looks of like, I put whatever you want on to it. I think the whole movie is kind of right there, and it's beautiful, like it's this is not, this is basically like if he was leaving violence out of it and Bergman was still around, he would make this like, no question. This is no question. Like, there's no nasty, you know, how Bergman could get like, well, I'm just going to say there's this there's not even the nastiest. Yeah. This gets this is real, but it doesn't have that acid that Bergman could have. But it's still like. I mean, Fanny Alexander has portions that do have that acid, but it it reminded me of that. It's just it's a very honest family drama of, you know, this was kind of a year of parents and their children, fathers and sons, fathers and daughters. And this is a lot about a relationship with a father and his two daughters, or lack thereof. Loved it. This was, I need to see this again. And and that really that it's the only reason why this isn't on my list is because I didn't get the full experience. Number one, this was a ridiculous. Was that, everyone around me wouldn't stop, like, talking. Yeah, like, they were like, I don't understand how, like, everyone, I it was as if, like, they didn't know how to read and and and someone was telling them what everyone was saying. So it was just this chatter man. Maybe that's so I'm like, I'm like, there's these moments where I'm falling into this movie, and then something would take me out and I'm like this. I remember I like went up to the I went to go to the bathroom, I went to go get a coffee and I go, this is literally the absolute worst movie for exactly what's happening right now. These tiny little distractions. Because this is a movie that you're exactly supposed to fall into. Like, you need to, like, be in these moments with these because it's very quiet and it's everything that you were saying. So I left that movie being like was the worst way to see this movie. So I need to see it again, because I think if I see it again, I think it would make my list because I really liked it. Yeah, yeah, it I mean, yeah, it's based on, you know, theater experiences this or that. It it all depends it that can definitely happen. But it's also a movie that is emotional and like is drawing you in. So I actually enjoyed having the space to watch it at home, which I did yesterday. And I took three hours with it like it's two hours and ten minutes, but it is not in English, the majority of it. So I kept rewatched because like on a first watch, I mean, same with no other choice. On a first watch, I have to be concentrating on the subtitles. I have to be reading those because that's what I want to catch first. But then you can miss a lot of nuance in the faces. The two things I talked about with sentimental value have nothing to do with dialog the giving of the gifts, and then the outside smoking, looking at each other. So that's I go back the second time and I'm like, all right, I definitely have this story. I don't need to pay attention if I miss, like, one little sentence, you know, going by quickly, that's fine. I can I can just rewind it. So that's what I was doing a lot yesterday and really makes me take it in and got that that I mean, she has she's amazing. Most expressive eyes. It is just it is fantastic. She doesn't even like shift her face or anything. It's just it's just her eyes are so big. I yeah, really liked it and would recommend to you when it is out, you know, on a streaming service, just giving it another spin and being like, yeah, now that I gave it its fair attention, it's good. Well, no, I mean, I think that's the only actual screener that I'm going to be able to get that I can actually be of use because everything else, yeah, everything else they got nominated, I was like, well, I've seen it. I don't need to see it again. Yeah. The the Sags did not do right by this movie, but that's because they typically favor English and American movies. But I, I'm thinking this is going to get some Oscar nominees. This didn't get it. I think so too, which was silly. You could be looking at three kind of easily three acting. So we'll, you know, we'll see. It's and I was going to say just Elle Fanning is always to me, just like I, I enjoy watching her. I could I could watch her watch paint dry. She's fucking fantastic, man. She's so good in everything she has done. She has chosen her career very well. So's Dakota. I just don't see Elle is in way more than movies you and I watch. Like starting with somewhere, then going to The Neon Demon and I rewatched that with the commentary, which she does with Refn. It's a Refn and Elle commentary use is great, and you could tell she had like, so much fun making it. And yeah, her choices. I, she plays like you could almost say a version of herself in the movie, but it's so elevated. It's so much more than that. I really liked her. And. And it's just it. Oh, man. Yeah, it. Beautiful. All right, number seven. Number seven. This is a movie that I don't think is going to be on your list. But maybe I'm wrong. I don't think it is. This was a movie that is just this is. I love this director, Kelly Reichardt. I don't know what it is about you, but you just. I could I can just swim in your absolute slowest movies of all time, and I will have a good time. And that's that's what this is, the mastermind. This movie. I was always excited to see Kelly Reichardt. I've never seen the Kelly Reichardt movie on the big screen, so I was very excited to see that because her her cinematography is just, she can just really, really make you feel the world of where this movie takes place. Like if you watch certain women and you watch the mastermind, whatever city town they're in, like, you feel like you've grown up there, like, you know, it's so intimately and I don't know how you do that. I don't know how you actually. And she's done it in like, Wendy and Lucy as well. Like, it's sort of like, how do you just shoot these and, and these are very, very simple setups. But yet you, you know, these things. And I have to really say with the mastermind, the thing that I personally love the most about it was every single prop, every single, like production design element reminded me of my, like, childhood home in Rochester, the way that my, like, family had that home set up, like they bought that house in the 60s and they never changed anything. So like the hoses outside that were wrapped up like these tiny little things, that and the fences, like everything that was being portrayed in this movie. I'm like, am I just like, transported back to, like, my childhood right now? It was the like the chairs were the exact same chairs. They had nutcrackers. They're really all this shit. Like I was like, you just like, I don't know how you found everything that I've forgotten subconsciously in my childhood about, like, what I grew up, like, sitting on or, like, writing on or things like that is all in this movie. So I just really, really enjoyed getting a little bit blast from the past on a personal level. But then I don't even know how you kind of like, describe the plot. This is a guy who thinks he can knock off, you know, stores and banks or whatever. He thinks he can get away with it. He thinks he can get away with these crimes, and he's not, you know, the title, contrary to what the title might lead you to believe, he is not that. No, not at all. And then when the end actually happens and it's a very, very, simple again, that's that's what Kelly does is it's a, it's a simple idea, with with, with but but but but a mean one like, like what he ends up doing and how he ends up doing it and then what ends up happening to him, I was like, it's a perfect ending. It's a perfect fucking ending. So I really, really like this movie. But I understand that this is not a movie for everyone. Kelly Reichardt is not a director for everybody. I know very, very few people that actually share my Kelly Reichardt sentiment. I know you, you don't you you don't. Well, like it, but this is what I was going to say is I wonder if and this has come up a bit with Aaron Sorkin's directing career and frankly, David Mamet's. I wonder if, you know, if not having seen everything is because, like you, you I mean, there are some she's done that are extremely slow like Meek's Cutoff and First Cow are her slowest and you haven't seen those. And so I would love to know your thought when you see that. But but if someone's like, seen all of her movies, it might be like, yeah, I mean, I like this one and this one, but then this one was just like drag out slow and Meek's Cutoff got a big push. And I think that movie rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. And they're like, this is not this is slower than hell. But they didn't know what they were getting into. And so that's my argument for you with Mamet all the time, because I still don't think you've seen a movie. He's directed, and I don't think you'll get it to me. Well, well, it's not so much about his directing style. It's his writing, I know, but I still the movies that I championed on this pod. Oh, are the ones that he's directed. And I'm like, I know you haven't seen any of these, and some of these are really good. All right, well, I'll take that challenge, but I'll give you also Kelly Reichardt, because I did see the one that she did previous to this, the one Michelle Williams I forgot showing up and showing up and I was not as big on that one. So that that. Yes. Yeah. So I understand it exactly. That's where I am like, old Joy. It wasn't her first. Her first was River of grass, which not a lot of people have seen. Old Joy just has this one scene that I don't even want to say what it is, but it is so awkward intentionally. It is so fucking awkward. And you're like, what is going to happen here? Like, the whole movie has been building up to this point, and that's what you walk away from. But it's really slow. Like Wendy and Lucy, I really like Meek's Cutoff. Yes, very, very slow. Night moves is her most conventional movie like that. That's not really that slow of a movie. It's just like this, you know, eco terrorism thing that we're going to blow up a dam or something like that. Certain women is very slow, but if you respond well to that one, you're probably going to like her slower stuff, man. First cow from 2019. That was one that, like, made a bunch of top ten lists. Might have gotten a few, like indie Spirit Awards. That did not work for me at all. The Indie Spirit nominations, I mean. So it just depends, you know? But ultimately, when I look at a director's career, I'm like, if there's more movies on it that I like to not, there's no movie that she's made. I've seen all of her films. Did I hate I hated any of her stuff, but I kind of liked it. There's someone like her. I mean, she edits her own movies. This tone is entirely hers. That's what I like about it is it says here I'm like, hey, she fucking owns it like that. Yes, I mean, she owns it. You can't blame this on anyone. These are movies that she has total control over. Like, this is her decision and I absolutely appreciate that. Absolutely. My dad loves her too. He loves her movies. Yeah. And that's what exactly what it is. It's that even in the like, showing up, which I wasn't necessarily a big fan of, but the fact that it's still this, this is her. This is her style. And she's not going to change it for anybody because this is the art she wants to make. So you have to respect that. Yeah. Very good. Oh, I got another, someone else here sticks to their filmmaking guns. I'm I under I'm not doing this on purpose, but I think the first three and this one that I've got a bed or not the most well seen movies. This one in particular. I'm just going to jump right into it. It's called cloud and it's directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It's from Japan. This is the type of thing right now. It's in a bit of, well, it's whole release in America has been this weird limbo that happens to 1 or 2 films that I love every year. Like this thing. Did the festival circuit in late 2024, barely released in American theaters in summer 2025, certainly never came out around me anywhere. And now, today, for the past few months, and as of this recording, it's just sitting there on the Criterion Channel. So if you have that, you can just watch it. You can click play, watch it. This is another one I'm so glad I watched twice. This is basically a two part film. The first part is very patient, very careful setups. Over the course of months, we're watching this guy who also exhibits some psychopathic behavior just in the way, not having any empathy. And he's a reseller. Like he'll go on Japan's version of like eBay. He'll go in under, buy a shitload of goods from this poor person who like, he's gutting them basically financially, and then he'll go try to flip that for profit online. This is, you know, very shady. And we watch him doing this patiently. You're like, where's this going? And the second part basically the second half hour is this like realistic, glorious operatic shootout that's messy, that takes these pauses. It flares up and and then there's the very, very end, which baffled me on first viewing. And then when I rewatch it, I was like, Holy shit, there's just so many roads you can go down. Like, I loved it. And this is a guy who's been making movies for a while. I haven't seen too much of his work, but, you know, cure if people have seen that pulse. But now, cloud, I mean, just seek this thing out, I loved it. This was a lot of fun. I had a really good time with this one. You okay? So you at least you watch it. Okay. I'm glad. I'm glad. Yeah, I, I actually, I actually appreciated the first half more. I was I'm hearing that from a lot of people, which is really interesting. Yeah, but but there's so many things to like about like the second half and, it's again, it's, it's, it's just it's just really good filmmaking overall. And like even just like down to the production design, like I love like that house. Oh, there's something so weird about it, dude. Ali came into the room at one point cause I was just walking in. I pause it and I went, you're really gonna like this? And she turned the corner and looked at the TV, and it was just that house, like the interior of it. And she goes, whoa, I love this. Like the, the very, the, you know, deliberate colors. The monotone colors. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Like the production design. Another thing about no other choice too, it just nails all those quote unquote smaller aspects of production. And one thing I really liked about it, it kind of reminded me a little bit of Repo Man and a little bit of a cool way is that I love that all of these boxes that he gets from all these places, they're all the same. Oh, yeah. Like, because all you need to know is that these are just the goods like that. Like, and they, they all fill up. But he stacks them up in his apartment. He stacks up in the new house, he stacks within the cars. They're all the same box. I just, I like that because, like, you just understand that it doesn't matter if that's really how real life would go. If you're reselling things, you're probably going to get like, you know, shitty boxes. But these are all like, pristine perfect. Like cardboard boxes. Yeah. And you just know, like, what's in there. I so I don't know, little things like that. I really enjoyed about the movie and, Yeah, the guy, he was such a nice cold like. And and, Yeah, you're like, damn. Like, how did he get to this point? But again, not, murderous. It's not, he's not. No, it's not like that. But and this is another one very much like lurker like no other choice. A few kids cannot go out and make that like it is. It's got a lot of stuff involved. It's got some visual effects, a lot of visual effects. Lurker and things like cloud. I'm like, with cloud, if you had a decent apartment, a kind of a cool house in the woods and then access to like an abandoned factory, you could make this movie like there's nothing in it that is absolutely crazy in terms of visual effects. It's all a very simple story. Even the the sound effects of the gunshots were so realistic. Oh, yeah, it's just like this pop. It actually sounds like a real gun, not like a movie gun. And, it just seemed, again, I'm not I'm not saying it's a simple film at all. It's very complex. It's just really well-written and well done and not something that they spent a gazillion dollars making. Not at all. And one of the my favorite pieces of it. And this is something that it's tough to get to work, but it does. But it's the assistant, the Oh Sam character. Oh yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. It's just this guy that you know, he's seemingly, you know, like, you know, just, you know, he just wants to have a job. He's just like, I just wanna be your assistant. And then but then it's like, the thing is, it's like what that movie basically does is like, well, to what degree do you need an assistant? Yeah, exactly. That's what I mean when you go back and rewatch it, as soon as he comes into the movie, you're like, all right, I'm just paying attention to this guy now, like, I. I'm watching you, man. I yeah, I love all that. It never does. Where you think it's going to go? Yeah. It's just I mean, yeah, you talk about morality like watch No other choice and cloud and you walk away with the sense of, like, these are not American movies because they don't give a shit about villains. Heroes. Who wins? Who loses? It's just, what if these people actually existed? Watch this. Yeah, I yeah, I very much enjoyed my time with cloud as a writer. And it's really good pick too. Awesome. I I've realized that I am wrong, I am dead wrong on our list. We are going to have I think I think we're going to end up with the very similar top four maybe, but I think I'm wrong in terms of how many we're going to get. Right? Yeah, I think I'm going to hold strong to four. I mean, I officially wrote out five, but I think we'll see because we because we we are we officially we only have lurker as a, as our common one. Well yeah we're at we're only at six. So hit me with your six and you're never going to have my my six on your list whatsoever. Because this was another movie. Oh I materialists do you have material that's on your list? Oh well here he goes folks. Should interior list a surprisingly, got a lot of steam for being a low key controversial movie. Kind of like it got hit with the controversy. The controversy, the like having a licorice pizza where I went this like, we're you're attacking this movie. I thought it was a very sort of honest at times and very sort of real take currently on what dating has become in America in certain cities. So this idea that dating has become down now to just status and just are you this are you that money is important if you have it, we can be together. If you don't, we can't. I also will then base my all of this stuff. This is what I found to be the overarching thing of seeing when you're looking at 2025 in America, what is dating like? And you don't really see too many movies that kind of like come out here and say, this. And so I really appreciate it because I've also experienced this. I have gone on dates where the very first question that was asked of me before we even sat down was how much money do you make? That's fucking ridiculous. But yeah. Oh dude. Yes, I like it. No, there were like, it's it was mostly like the questions that like she would ask these people like that were her clients or the way her clients would respond. And then I would hear from the other side, too, like there was the one guy who ended up being like the the douchebag guy. But the way that he kind of broke down, how he goes about like women and, you know, and she's trying to like, narrow down the gap and he's like, oh, I don't really want someone too old because then they want kids and I want something that's like this or that because then they're like this. And she's like, so you're really just looking for, for someone in their like, you know, mid to late 20s and he goes, no, 27, you know, like, yeah. So all of that being said, I thought it was a very I felt that movie on a certain level personally where I was like, all right, this is, this is represented. And then I also really love the dynamics of the Pedro Pascal character that has all this money, and yet he cannot fall in love like he like he even has like that line, he's like, I finding I find falling in love to be the hardest thing in the world. I that's that's a crazy like line and like to say and but to know that that's probably a truth for a lot of people. And then you have on the other side the Chris Evans character, who that was the first performance by him where I was like, dude, I, I believe you. I love this work you're putting together. But I just thought his sincerity and his honesty was such a refreshing take on and on. On playing that character. I feel like a lot of actors could have done something with that that, but I thought he brought something to it that was just really, really honest and sincere and that was really great to watch. So I really like this movie. If you can't tell, I'm a really big fan of Celine song. I really love past lives and, so this was just another one. I was like, all right, I like your work. And I thought Dakota Johnson was great. I thought she was great. There is like one movie this year. Well, it's this one. I'm I'm it's Chopin. I'm. I'm ruining the answer when I woke up to just a, a nick total text where there's. It's all this passion. It's it's a long text about what the movie meant to you, how you even said from the jump, like, this is not the best movie ever made, but you. Oh, yeah, I did a lot with it, and I had no plans on seeing it. And I went, all right, you know, I'll go check it out. And I thought it was, you know, I thought it was totally just like, fine. Kind of my same thing with past lives. But I did like, I thought it took a lot more risks than past lives in terms of like, I mean, look at the title of the movie, like the Pedro Pascal guy. One thing I liked about him was that he did have all the money and you don't have any money, but maybe I have love to give. I have money, but I don't really have any love to give. But I do have money. I dug all that and it looked great, like it was shot really well. Like. Oh yeah, really like really beautiful. Really elegant. Kind of. Yeah. That was the thing that kind of jumped out at me most. So I, thought this might make your list. Did not expect, you know, number six. But, hey, this is what I'm talking about. Put movies on your list that you like. This is it, you know. And. Yeah. And I've also learned my lesson from my top 25 of the century, which is still. I worked on you, man. I worked on this, I know I did, I fucking, I listen, no, I made this list that aren't like even right now and I oh, but like what what is your favorite TV of the century so far? Like tiny, filthy. I don't even know. I mean, we had one chance. I worked on it for a fucking year, folks. I'm like, don't make don't make your list what other people want. Make it what I over. So I literally thought like it was a give me that blow would be your number one. I'm like but it's your I know. Oh okay. But oh all right. That's why shame was my number one anyway. Hey you know you I have noticed that particularly with lists, with all due respect, that is the one thing on the pod that you tend to overthink a lot. And you like, I can see your wheel spin and you're like, no, no, it's this, this. But it's just it's just meant to be fun, baby. Like some of our most popular episodes are the 90s list. We do. People love those. So that's a 2026 thing I want to do is finish the 90s. We have 90. Oh yeah, 91, 92, three and four. Those people love those. But I always tell you when we're researching those like, don't overthink it, don't I don't even want you to find new movies to watch. That's what I'm always saying. Like if we do 1994, I don't even want you going out and finding new movies. I want you to come up with the ten movies that you really, really like from 94. Maybe you put Dumb and Dumber on the list because you loved it as a kid, and you still love it now. I like, well, it's one of the highest ever made. Exactly. But that's what I'm always going for. Like, in my opinion, you have seen as much 1994 movies as you need to for us to do that list right now. Like we could do it right now. That's what I'm always encouraging for every list. You don't have to do this, like research it to death. It's like, you know, we're five and a half years and all. Fucking yell if you want me to yell. No, I like talking about it. It's good to have an open dialog. Well, I actually don't have much to say because my number six, I intentionally said all that I to say is I'm so happy to still hear Steven Soderbergh presence. I love this movie. I was wondering, oh yeah, yeah, it was this. Not I thought you had a look on your face. I was like, that did not make his list. No, I, I do. The way you were setting that up, I really thought you were going to say lurker. Like I thought because you were like, I watch it on my laptop and it's so I'm like, oh boy, what's going to happen? But so that's two we have lurker and Presence. Yeah. I said basically all that I had to say. And also like it's pretty crazy that he, Soderbergh made this and black bag relatively at the same time and released him just a few weeks apart. It's like, okay, here you go. But I, you know, preferred presence of the two and have watched it a few times, actually. I just think it's a lot of fun and very, very different. Very different. I realized that in order for me to be right, we have to have the same movies in the next five movies. So we need to be. They don't have to be. That will never happen. And a lot, never, never have I. Yeah, I don't think, I don't think, I don't think that's going to happen I don't know. Well here we go. Top five of 2025. This is the list you can throw out our top ten films of all time. Our top 25 of the century so far. This is the only I'm kidding. It's the only list that matters. Oh I do, you can throw my top 25in the episode. I work so hard on. I fucking I could see you overthinking it. I kept saying over it. It was make your list. I know it did. It was overwhelming. It was overwhelming. All right. Your fifth favorite film of 2025. Okay, I guess. How do I say I want to say this? I'm not a big crier. I've never really been a very big crier. I don't know what happened, but in November, I just started crying and it's been great. I honestly, if it's been, it's been and I'm not saying there's a, there's hasn't been like a single thing that's really happened that's kind of instigated this. But all of a sudden is find myself more open and crying has been coming out and it's been very nice. But there's two movies on my top five list that I have wept in, and one of them is in front of you. Yeah. And yeah. And, that's not this one yet, but there is another one that I just thought was one of the most beautiful, poetic. It's getting a lot of attention on the more like indie indie film scene, which I'm just happy it's getting any attention. But, train dreams. Lovely, lovely. Love this film is just, it's just beautiful. It's it's it's beautiful. And in every sense of it, from the cinematography, this is where it comes down to me. Between this and no other choice couldn't be vastly different types of cinematography, but, both of them told their story so beautifully and this is just, you know, a guy that's just it's his. It's it's a life lived. And he's on his own for the majority of it. And, but it's what the takeaways are from these moments in his life. And this is the type of thing that will always hit me the hardest. I knew it would the second I saw it. I remember on this palette recommending it to you, and I was like, dude, you have to see this when it come out, when it comes out, you're going to love it. And I and I want nothing. But like, this is the one movie I still want to try and find to see in theaters, because to see this on the big screen, because this was a movie that kind of came to Netflix and like, you know, if you're in LA or if you bigger cities like you don't get like a small little run. But I didn't get a chance to see it on the big screen. And man, I would love to because it would be so beautiful even with the aspect ratio. Yeah. So I saw this at a festival, a smaller festival that happens near where I live every year. It's a small festival, but they have a lot of money so they can pool, you know, people and I this was the first one I saw and then I went to Christ. I can't remember it. The small, the Colin Farrell one that was, second. But I like this one much more. And he was there. Joel Edgerton was there. Clint Bentley, the director, was there after. And you could tell everyone in the audience, like we didn't the the tenor of the Q&A in the way they were talking. Everyone was just like, what a hell of a little film. We just saw that no one in this room expected, because when you go to a festival, it's my favorite thing about them. You have absolutely no idea what the movie's about. I had no clue. I knew Joel Edgerton was in it. I love Joel Edgerton. Yeah, I was actually really glad that they dropped this on Netflix. And again, we're going to see Oscar nominations, but it would be so lovely if he got nominated. They're not going to nominate him and someone else that I'll save. In case you, you know, mentioned that film. They want to both because they're both small smaller movies. But I rewatched this one on Netflix like a week and a half ago and just went, God, it's just lovely. Yeah. Lily Tomlin doing the voice over. Oh, they used to make movies like this all the time in the 70s. Not all of them were big. Probably the most popular one was, Jeremiah Johnson with Redford, but they used to just make a guy up. Movies about guys like living off the fat of the land, you know, trying to get money where they can, maybe falling in love, a tragedy or here strikes. Maybe you make a friend and it's just. It's just a life lived without. That's it. The conflicts. Just the conflict is just life. There's no, like, big anchor of conflict. And what is it? Our 35 minutes, maybe with with some few credits moves along just great. It's a great, simple film. And that voice over, I mean, you're right, love. That is God. His voice is perfect for the tone of that movie. It almost feels like it feels it. That's the thing about it is that it feels like it's the companion you want to have along with you when you're watching this journey. Yeah. Like there's yeah, there's something that's like, like, you know, this person, like, in your life, like you have heard, like maybe it's a maybe it's like a grandfather or something. An older type of person is an older type of voice, but it's something so familiar, you know, in a way. And I and it's, it's, everything about this movie I thought was absolutely, I don't know if I want to give it the wa y w and p. You gotta you gotta have another viewing of that. But, Yeah, I loved it. Absolutely loved it. And yeah, I by the end of it, I was, I was, I was, I was crying so much and not because it's inherently sad. It's you know there's yeah. That's I find the same thing my crying in movies now too. I actually don't usually cry when something sad. It's usually more of something like there's contentment or there's pride and I don't know, but yeah, I, I love that it tickled your. Well, we, we have a word like a term for funny bone, but like, what's the cry thing. Like the cry bone. I mean, some of the cries tap into that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So as we gear into the top five here, I'm just going to say this is where I'm really coming into play of like, I'm not joking. These are these are the movies I thought a lot about to order. And we're just going to rock and roll with them. Number five have no idea why this is not getting the just attention it deserves from the Academy. Begonia, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. One of his best films, yes, I Did right by the film they nominated nominated Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, but the fact that those two and this newcomer, Aiden DeBose, they'll be the fact that they are not in serious contention just to be nominated for Oscars is ridiculous. Like, ridiculous. This is almost like too much of a good thing. Like, everyone's just used to. Yorgos. Like releasing these odd, somewhat absurd, always kind of brilliant modern day, you know, oddities. But they're also kind of classics. They the Oscars really seem to only like his period dramas, the favorite and poor things, even though those movies are highly sexually charged and weird, that weirder than shit. But I hope a screenplay nomination. I hope one or both of them gets nominated for lead. But I mean, this thing was shot in VistaVision. VistaVision, just like other big movies. And those movies, for better or worse, are making a much bigger deal about it. And this just did it. This is like, yeah, we were in like, this house basement and shot it in this division. And it's this amazing movie that is so much better with the second viewing. Oh my God, it is so much better. But I'm looking. I bought the 4K, they churn this 4K out quickly and I bought it. Looks great at home. Just the richness of the colors. And wow did I love this flick. Dude, I loved it. Yorgos does it again man. I mean he does. He does it again. It's perfect timing because it's my number four. Oh sweet. Oh, I love it. We're there. We did it. You just kind of have to kind of wonder where like Yorgos because some some of these he doesn't write himself. And this was one that was written by Will Tracy. This was a script just floating around. Yeah, yeah. Yorgos has this thing about him where all of these movies feel like him. Like the weirdness that he puts into these movies. It feels like something that's completely something that he wrote himself. And this was just a wild idea. The best moviegoing experiences of the year in terms of, like, an actually really well-done movie. Yeah. And you're right. I can't believe this isn't getting more attention on so many different levels. I thought this was Jesse Plemons best performance I've ever seen him give. Maybe I should have said that up top. I now, after having seen it three times, twice in the theater, once on 4K, I concur, and it is completely and utterly baffling that the man is not. I'm just I'm not talking about winning. I'm talking about being in contention for a nomination for Best Actor. I don't I don't think it's going to happen for him. That is absurd. It's absurd. It's you. If you go and watch like, every single thing. He believes in so much and it's all motivated by something very specific. He has his own humor to things, he has his own, and everything is just a complete like. He's just owning everything and it has so much fun with it all. And, and yeah, that he didn't. Elvis another just the perfect, perfect cast right there. And then Emma Stone I mean, proving once again that she's just, I, you know, I really love that she's gone so hard into this Yorgos career. Because, you know, I mean, she's one of those actors that kind of had her pick of the litter after La-La land. She's already had, like, she's all, she's on par right now for having, like, one of the greatest acting careers of all time. Yeah. The fact that she has now gotten to this point where she's in her prime, she's doing all of the work that everyone wants to be doing. She could be cast in whatever she wants, and yet she's choosing these Yorgos movies, and she'd rather get down and dirty and get into the muck. And I love that. I absolutely love, her career choices that she's been making. And, she's becoming one of those people where, you can always count on just an unbelievable performance. Always a joy to watch. So that's. Oh, so that was my number five. You're number four. Brings me to my number four. Wow. Another one. I mean, this is sitting on the biggest streaming platform in the world. Not enough people are talking about it, which is say very few. This just kicked me in the ass and recharged all my creative interest. It is nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater, the movie. It's about the making of breathless, Jean-Luc Godard and his merry band of misfits, making breathless. It is absolutely fantastic, one of those movies. It uses a lot of visual effects, but you can't tell they're making the film look like film stock. They're making it look dated like they shot it in 1960. It's in black and white. It's primarily in French. I mean, this was just it did. God, I went to see it. I'm so stupid. I had no idea this was a Netflix movie. I had no idea. It was always going to premiere on Netflix, and they were just playing it in one theater, like in the heart of Washington, DC for a week. And I went, well, Jesus. So I made the trip, went out to see it, and oh my God, I went on like a month long binge of French New Wave after and rediscovered all those greats and some of them I loved so much. Like I've always been so taken with Melville, who's in it, you know, because he's in breathless, I just oh yeah, I love it. I love this movie. Rewatched it again yesterday. That was my second viewing and went, yeah, I just, I really get all this. The frustration that everyone's feeling about Jean Luc, who is just like this mad cat lunatic, you know, one of my favorite things is they've been shooting the first day for two hours, and then he goes, okay, that's it. I have no more ideas. And they're like, what do you mean? Should we rehearse for tomorrow? No. And he just leaves like we're the filming locations, goes home. I have no more ideas. Just. Yeah. Clearly made by someone who loves breathless, loves all the filmmakers it's depicting. And, Linklater had a somewhat more high profile movie this year that, again, I don't want to mention yet, but, just two great movies in one year, just like Soderbergh. And it kind of quietly knocked me out. And I really loved it. It's it's crazy to me that Richard Linklater is just knocking out these absolute bangers and just like, I mean, people are talking about it, but not not a lot of people are talking about this movie whatsoever. No, I got a text from you that was that basically said, and this was always a movie that I was like, ready. I was looking forward to Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague because I was like, oh, we got two Linklater movies come out in the same year. Forget about it. And and you're like, dude, do yourself a favor. Go, go and see this movie in theaters. So it wasn't playing it at AMC. So I paid. I paid cold hard cash. Same here. I had to go to a landmark and I loved it because it was, everyone there got it. Yeah. So everyone was chuckling at all the names that were popping up, and I was like, oh, this is so nice. I'll wear it like, I'm really like this. This is the perfect movie crowd. And it was so charming. It was just a complete love letter to the art of filmmaking done through this, you know, homage to or not homage, but documentary. Does slash fiction take on breathless? This is why it's such a big movie for me is and Same Thing for you is because it completely rejuvenated my artistic creativity. And, it hasn't stopped since. Yeah. So this is a very, very cool thing that, means a lot to me. It's great to be able to say that going seeing one movie there was like before it and then after. And so I will be eternally grateful to this movie because of the, jump kick start that it gave me. And I loved my time with it. It's a beautiful, sweet fun there. It doesn't ask much of you except to read. Yeah. That's it. That's literally it. You're going to have to read the French. Yeah, yeah, it's Zoey Deutch is amazing. And everyone is as Jean Sandberg. She's so good. And Richard Linklater's just, you know, like one, like, this is the crazy thing about his filmography for just this year is that one he directs one movie that's basically an entire play on film. And then it's really cool, that one Blue Moon is real time. Yeah, real time. And then the other one is all in French for the most part, which is language he doesn't speak. It's just like, who are you, man? Who are you? And they're not like, ask. They're not begging for a lot of attention. He just releases them very quietly back to back. And you're like, all right, dude, like he's still doing it. I mean, this is his whole career. The dude releases Dazed and Confused to, like, almost no attention. And now it's remarked, is, you know, this, masterpiece of 90s stoner cinema. But no one was saying that shit at the time. So yeah, this game. Yes. I don't think this is going to be the last time we reference this film in relation to our own creativity, and I will always love it for that reason as well. Your number three, top three. All right. Top three. This was the movie that, that that you and I saw together in LA when you were here. And it was a great choice because we were trying to decide what to do with our day, and we were we were either going to see in theaters, hamlet together, or we were going to just go back to the hotel and chill, because Jay Kelly had just dropped on to Netflix. Yeah, man. This movie got me. This movie fucking got me. It's, it's as a movie. It's solid. It's it's, it's got a lot of humanity. I am a complete sucker for these life lived movies. But I didn't think that that's what this was. I didn't know what this was. I never saw a trailer for it, so I had no idea. You know, you just see George Clooney in something, and you're like, all right, well, I think I have an idea what this is probably going to be. And, yeah, we're getting this sort of journey through this guy's life of the, the, mistakes that he's made and, and, and there's no real consequences. There's no real there's no real stakes to this movie there. There's just a realization of an old man that he kind of wants to try to right some wrongs, but can't. And there's there's just nothing, really, that he can do about any of it. All he can really do is embrace what he actually did do with his life and what's left of it, a movie to kind of sum that up, you know, from start to finish, it's actually a pretty cool job. I think it's a hard task to actually pull off. I loved every single scene in this movie. I loved every single scene. I loved everything with Billy Crudup. I loved everything with, the when he's on the train, the audition, when he goes back in time to see his younger self. I was just taken with every single thing that this movie did. And then you, we get the ending and that's just something that that, I mean, I'll share just a little bit. I it got me in a way that was very, very, hard for me to talk about or, so it's a, it's a, I have a big issue with time in life and, and this movie really just summed it up with its ending in a way that I just couldn't stop crying. And fortunately, I had my best friend with me to be able to just sit with me. And you didn't. You didn't, you didn't judge. You did. I remember I think we were in the credits and I forgot exactly what you said, but you were like, so we gotta talk about this. Well, okay. It was. It was. It was much more of a normal reaction, much more of a of an emotional reaction. Well, what? Yeah, what happened was the ending hit, and then you put your head down and I knew you liked it, and I did not know it hit you with, like, the emotion. So I went, well, fuck. It's like all the podcast gear set up. So do we just want to keep this, like a little attention? And then when I saw your reaction, I was like, oh no, this is not like, this is not podcast time. This is we got to shit sitting here time. And it was really cool to see that reaction from you. And I knew based off that reaction alone, it had to make the list. I didn't know it would be this high. And this was also, yeah, we made it right, the right decision that day. Jesus Christ sure did. But then my God, I don't know if I would have liked this as much. We're not watching it with you. And just I mean, this is the movie we watched together that the famous actor like going back over its life. Like we don't need to be watching some hamlet. We need to be watching something like J. Kelly. And also, I kind of realized a week or so later, like, I guess this is my favorite Noah Baumbach. I mean, I do, I think it's my favorite, Noah Baumbach. And then for the hardcore movie nerds, this is Baumbach's Wild Strawberries. This is his version of Bergman's Wild Strawberries. He's not a an old, curmudgeonly professor. He's a famous actor. But it's still the kind of same thing you're looking back at your life. Even the way he would enter into his own flashbacks and be like conserving them. So whereas whereas I thought Marriage Story was his, scenes from a marriage not done as well, but I also liked that he kind of to me, it was much, much more obvious with J. Kelly that he was doing, you know, my marriage story to me felt a little, a little self-important for my tastes. I guess that's what I'll say. This was just a little carefree, but also clearly based on your reaction, had emotional depth to it. Yeah. And and I don't expect everyone to have that either. Yeah. And that's not then it doesn't seem to be really the case because we're not really hearing too much about this movie outside of Adam Sandler's really, really beautiful performance in it. This was just it was a truly, like, personal thing that hit me in a way that it was, and it was so great for you to have been there because, like, I needed to actually voice out a lot of that and I hadn't. And so for again, for a movie to be able to kind of come around and just kind of force you to, you know, embrace some things that upset you or make you sad or make you feel a certain way in a good way. Not in this. It wasn't like a movie where I felt it was just something I was like, well, I, I need to talk. I need to actually get this out because it's, it's in my way. And so again, this is why we fucking even do this podcast. Yeah. It's because this is what movies can actually do. And and so yeah, so for, for this movie to be as lovely as an actual movie as it was again. Yeah. Like, I'm, it's so high up for me because of the experience, because of you being there and all of it. So again, like really bringing this 2025 list as like, this is why this movie meant a lot to me. But, it's also just a I think it is my film even know about the movie too. And I like him more than you do traditionally. Yeah. But, yeah, I remember looking at you at one point and, and, I don't know, we were like an hour in, and you were, you were like, like, cautiously, I think I like this. Yeah. It's like like I'm like waiting. Waiting for, like, the shoe to drop, right? Yeah. Yeah. This is, this is like so like, not like. That's not like best thing I've ever seen, but like. All right. I like what it's doing here. That's perfect. It's so perfect because this is your one of like your. We talked about that cry bone place for you. Yeah. Because I thought I was going to have to dig into the, the Wylie. Well and use that example about how when you turn on Wally, like, you just like start crying, not because it's necessarily sad, there's just something going so I yeah, like I'll, I'll cry in life I don't, I don't mind I'm open in that way. Movies can definitely get to that. But it's extremely you are much more of a open crier. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's I mean, go listen to some of these podcasts. It's extremely rare for me to for a movie to hit me. Not because it's just sad, but you just start crying and you don't know why. And like, there were several times in this movie, I'm like, why are you crying? Like, it's not all bad. Yeah, this is the one. I thought you might think I'm joking on. Well, came out of nowhere. Song sung blue. Holy God, I'm getting chills. Just bring it up. This movie you talk about movies that I make fun of all the time for. Yeah, we say don't exist. This is, you know, medium budget movie that these kind of things don't really exist anymore. So that's kind of true. But I never heard of it. I never seen the trailer, knew nothing about it, and I'm going in. And even the way it started, I'm like, oh my God. Like, we're so close. On Hugh Jackman's face and he's giving this speech about how, you know, he's done stuff and messed up his life. And I went and he looks kind of old and like weathered. And I went, Jesus Christ, we're going to the shots, going to zoom all the way out. And then we're going to go to 20 years earlier and see like how he ruined his life. No, no. That is the first scene of the movie talking about how he ruined his life. All this stuff been sober for 20 years. He's got, you know, made all these mistakes and you just picked up with this guy who then goes on to meet this woman, played by Kate Hudson, and very early on, shortly after the meeting, he's like, you know, part of being in AA is knowing who you are, knowing your limitations. I don't want to be famous. I just want to entertain people and make a living doing it. And that's about it. The 25 minute mark. And right then I went, I like this movie similar to what I said to you about J. Kelly. Like, I think I like this in my head. I like this movie. This is a practical movie about a fucking Neil Diamond cover band. It's a true story about a Neil Diamond cover band. Two people who fell in love making Neil Diamond music, and a lot of crazy, real, actual, real shit that happened to them along the way. I don't know why, but like 50 minutes in is probably the first time I just started crying and it really never stopped. I'm not a Neil Diamond fan. I can name one song before I saw this movie, Sweet Caroline. Okay, everything about the movie, I. So I'm ranking it so high on purpose because, you know, I don't even know if I'm going to buy this. Like, I already own Begonia. That's my number five. I don't know, but it's just so rare for a movie to tap into that. Like genuine good emotion. Like there's nothing like life just happens in this movie. That's what it is. Some of it really, really sucks. Some of it is unexpected. Some of it are these little wins. But this is not a movie built on like the world is going to end type of conflict. And it it just worked. I thought it was so simple and just so beautiful. Two more quick things. The movie's directed by Craig Brewer. That's why I went, because that dude made hustle and flow and I will watch anything he makes. I still think hustle and flow. He hasn't made a movie even remotely is good sense until this one. And you can just dislike the dude knows how to craft a musical set piece like he really does without it. Yeah. Diculous. And yeah, and then there's a documentary with the same title song, Sung Blue that I watched after seeing this movie. And I mean, there are scenes from the documentary that were just dropped right into the narrative film. And then I went back and saw Song Sung Blue again and just had a great time, like, I. Yeah, cannot recommend it highly enough. I think you can play the song with the whole family and just have a good time. Well, that's, that's this is this was the biggest shock, I think, of the entire year was to get this text from you. Okay? And that's how I preface it. I was like, dude, I'm not joking. I can't even believe I'm sending this text message. But here it is. And, because this just goes against everything that you I mean, even just even though I agree with everything you're saying, because I saw this movie as a result of you praising it and, it is an absolute just like it's it's perfect for what it is. Yeah, it's it's it's a completely well done, wrapped up piece of business that is going to be perfect for the family. But it's also it's real. It's not. It's not you like, you see, I'm trying to think of like because when you when I saw the trailer for it, I was like, oh my God, look at this thing. I know I watched the trailer after I saw the movie and I went, this is not this is not really the movie. Like, it is not this glossy and all that. Like it's not Kate Hudson. I'll say this. I didn't know she was capable of what she does in the movie. I had no idea that she was capable of that and I thought she was fantastic. I completely agree, I think it's the best performance have ever seen from her. Yeah. And I just it's just another reason. And we just. I just feel like we don't talk about this enough, but like, there's, I think like a very strong argument to make that Hugh Jackman, can do any fucking thing, anything. And not only will he do it, he'll do it better than anyone else can, I believe. Like, every single thing he said and didn't. This. And these are not perfect people. These are people who live in the West Concern area. And they're just, you know, blue collar people who they just want to be able to sing Neil Diamond at the local watering hole on the weekends and make a little money for it and maybe not have to do like a day job. And it's because these two people knew who they were so well, and the movie knows what it is so well. That's why I liked it. But I do want you to tell it's true. This story you shared with me about what Neil Diamond kind of means to your family is that that was like, that's exactly what this movie did. That's exactly what I did. So. So my, my grandmother, she, she her she was the biggest Neil Diamond fan. She love Neil. She was always the first one up in the house. And she would be doing all this, you know, getting the house ready for the day. And she'd have, like, you could always hear her singing, and sometimes I didn't know what she was singing. But then I always caught her a lot of times singing Neil Diamond songs and, and then so subsequently, I knew my Neil from my uncle. And so Neil was always just someone that I've just known, like it's like, oh, Neil Diamond's music is just, it's it's. And the thing about Neil Diamond's music is that it's really there is a feeling that exists in every single Neil Diamond song that just promotes that joy Bowen like, you like whatever it is. Which is exactly what this movie. I was not aware of that, but that is what I felt on first. Yeah. And I was like, this is just like fucking fun. It's meant to just finance and release a little joy. That's all this is. And, and but then when you actually, like, listen to some of his songwriting, it's cheesy. It's, but it's also fucking true. Like, there are some things that he says in his songs that are just they cut right to the core of trying to be poetic or trying to be anything. It's just simple and it's just all about a complete, like embrace of the love of life. That's really what Neil Diamond's music is all about. He talks about heartbreak and a lot of his songs. He talks about, you know, he covers all the gamuts for, you know. So singer songwriters talk about. But he just, you know, has a way of just expressing to like the n degree, the amount of love that this world has. And, and so it's very, very hard to not hear a Neil Diamond song and just all of a sudden kind of just want to be in a good mood all of a sudden. My favorite song of all time is a Neil Diamond song. It's called Hell Yeah. And it's fucking great. That's later. Love learning. I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah, I didn't know that about you. That's great. I heard that song when I was first, in college, about to move to California. And obviously that hit me in a way. And I think, you know, you watch a movie like J. Kelly, if you know me at all, like, that is sort of like I have a viewpoint on life in terms of making it mean something that, that that song spoke to me when I was young and spoke to me. Now I'll put on that song and I will cry. That's that's always Terminator two and Neil Diamond's Hell Yeah! Our instant cries, and they're great. They're both great. And so song So Blue is is great. That was an instant cry for me. I'm glad you went out to the theater to see it. This is a movie that it's kind of straggling along in theaters right now. I, I thought Hudson SAG nomination was really nice, but I, I feel like Renetta Ryan's there for the Oscar would get in there before her, but if she's nominated, that'd be great. But, this is one I just wanted. I just wanted to put it on Netflix so people can, like, put this on with their families, because I'm not saying it's a, there's real shit in it. Like there's real shit, but it's. Oh, yeah, but there's some real fun. I yeah, I came out of nowhere. It takes a turn. Yeah. Came out of absolute nowhere. Hadn't even heard it. First time I heard about it was a Golden Globe nominations. I never even heard of this movie. Never seen anything. And I remember saying to you, that's kind of a stupid title. And you went, well, yeah, it's a Neil Diamond song. And I was like, okay, I shouldn't have said the thing because that makes sense. I mean, if you don't know, you don't know. If you don't know, you don't know. All right. Number two, I know you. I, I kind of gave it away. It is the Nouvelle vague. Yes. I love it. And and, and really, I mean, I could interchange J. Kelly and Nouvelle Vague right here because the reasons why these are so high on my list. Yes, they're, they're, they're, they're good movies, but they're, they're not like knockouts. I think Begonia is a a better well made movie. I think train Dreams, which is Begonia is five. Begonia is a better made movie than Song Sung Blue. Yes, but this is where I like. But the individuality of the live. Yeah. This is where that pokes through the, you know, the individual spirit ness of each list. Yes and yes. And the film and the fact that this film like film man, film, the fact that this movie could completely enjoy fully reinvigorate my creative spirit. And I was worried that that was like a, like a 24 hour fluke. You know, I actually like waiting. I'm still kind of waiting for that shoe to drop a little bit. And, and it hasn't. And I saw this in, November. I think we saw it. Yeah. Early November, because, yeah, it had to be because, Fong was still in town, and, and I went to go see him right afterwards, and I was like, we need to go and celebrate. I don't care where we got to go, but I was just, like, jumping for joy at this movie. So this will always be a North Star for me in terms of just like a, a checkpoint reminder. Oh yeah. Like that. And so that's why I'm putting it at number two, because it's something I can hold dear. And when I rewatched it yesterday, I was it was still it, it was like revving me up again. And I went, yeah, yeah. All right. It's still there. Oh, good. Yeah. I haven't seen it the second time. No worry about it. Just all the little like, pretentious things he says, you know, films should not be precious. Films should not be this. You should set it up. You should just do this and go and go. And then it's it's like, yes, that is what it's about. Like not every movie Jean-Luc Godard made, I don't even know if everyone's seen all this movie. Some of them are batshit like, his later ones are just like still images are, you know, they're crazy, but damn, the man had a point of view that you know, and it's really cool. Oh yeah, that expressed here. I have a feeling where we're going, but I don't think I don't know if you know what my number two is. I honestly, I, I can't know like at this point I, I'm really I'm really I'm really don't know I'm very curious. Song Sung Blue did come out of nowhere. I hadn't heard of it. My number two is, a movie. I'm ashamed to admit that I judged. I didn't like the poster. I didn't like the font of the poster. It came out in theaters. I ignored it when I checked it out later. It knocked me on my ass and I haven't really recovered from it. We talked to me about this. This is called if I Had Legs, I'd Kick. You directed by Mary Bronstein, starring Rose Byrne in the performance of 2025. Yes. That's male. That's true. Female. Supporting, leading. I don't care. This is the best performance of the year. It sounds like she's going to be nominated, which is nice. They split the Golden Globe. Her and Jessie Buckley. Jessie Buckley is very well liked. She has a lot of steam going for her. For Hamnet. It'll probably come down between the two of them. Hamnet to me is about, you know, it's it's kind of this category we've fallen into, like grief porn. No one likes grief and film more than I do. I love watching people recovering from something very difficult going through it, something difficult. I'm not trying to compare it to hamlet, just, you know, that's about the the loss of a child in if I Had legs, I'd Kick you. Rose Byrne's character has not lost her child. Quite the contrary. The child is almost glued to her. It's like this appendage. And the way the movie is literally the way it is shot. It's perspective, things that the cinematography is omitting. The supporting characters who I don't even want to reveal because all of their performances are these complete about faces that I didn't know they were capable of. I mean, I saw dashes of Woman Under the Influence in here. I saw, yeah. And and just the, the final scene was so astounding to me, even in it's shot of destruction in one camera move that it did literal. Just one literal camera move. I kind of put my hands up as to be like, oh my God, please cut to black, please. And it did. And the final line of dialog is such a fucking hammer. And it cut to black and I went, wow, there it is. Like I didn't think I was going to put it this high, but I just, I put it on the list and I'm like, no and no. Put it higher than that. Like again, Begonia but better made movie. Like all told, all the things about a better main movie. But this performance and just where it went, I got I loved it. Yeah. If I had like, Side Kick You, this is the movie I really try to champion on this podcast. Like something that you're going to have to go find, like, I just, I cannot believe I didn't fucking see this and I love this. The sound even in the end, is like so intense. And yeah, I mean, this thing knocked me away. I put it on like a week ago. Watch it again. And when Jesus Christ just a me kind of movie. Like, I love this thing. I love this movie. Yeah, I, I and I didn't do enough of, I, I, I, I didn't sell it to you well enough. I don't think especially for it to be now be your number. No. Like, I know you sold it well, but you saw it before me, and you seeing it was actually what motivated me to go check it out. You're like. It's not. It's probably not what you think it's going to be like. It's. It's weird. Yeah, it's definitely. And it is weird. There are some weird some weird shit about it. It's never going to confuse you. Like you're going to know what's going on. But man, I mean, again, just we're talking about like, the majority of this movie is a woman in a hotel, a motel, this shitty motel, like going through it that's like the majority of the flick or her office and. Oh, man. Yeah, really, really blew me away. And I just her performance. I've always loved Rose Byrne, but it's just, man, it knocked me out. Well, this is something. This. Yeah. You're right. When you say like, this is the and I knew it when I saw it, I was like, there's not going to be someone who's going to do something better than this in terms of an entire body of work for one full movie. And I and I was listening to her talk about it. And, you know, obviously there's so much more that goes into it. But she said the one of the biggest things that she was always keeping track of was, where she was at in each scene in terms of sleep that you sleep. Yeah. After I watch it. This is such a good note. It makes so much sense. And this is something that, like, it's always useful for actors to track. And so for Rose Byrne to kind of track her sleep. So, you know, to go from where? No, I'm operating pretty good. I actually had a pretty decent night's sleep. I might have had, like, you know, four hours because she's sleep deprived. Yeah. Oh, the whole time. And so four hours is probably really good. But then there's like, you can, you can even see her, like where she's like, like in one of her therapy sessions. She's trying to stay present. And then she just keeps, like, waking up from her open eyes and. And she's changing the subject because she wasn't paying attention. So your cognitive like, you know, mind is just not there. And so for her to kind of like, play with that is just one of the many like, choices and interesting things that she did with that. But you kind of got to give yourself these, these especially with her with a role like this. It's sort of like where the what the hell do I do? You do have to kind of as the actor, give yourself some anchors to like. All right. I don't know what's one thing I can kind of really lean in on. How much sleep have I had today? Okay, let's start there and then we can build off of that. But yeah, it's it's amazing performance. Yeah, I love that. It's your number two. I know, I really, I mean, I, I'm not doing it to be cute. Like, it really punch through for me. And it really knocked me out. I, I just loved her performance so much. And the movie like the second time I was able to appreciate it as a movie. That first time I was just like, damn, this woman is got me like, I'm locked in. And as we enter our number one, we're either he's either going to hit me with some really nice move, or she's either going to hit me with something really nice here, folks, or this asshole fucking loved Marty Supreme. And I'm going to be so, so pissed off. But why don't you do us the honors? I have a feeling of where we're going. Because from here on in, let's say at the same time, from here on in, it's one battle every Dustin delivery. Springsteen. Kidding. Oh, I thought Springsteen. Oh what's badly I'm doing Elvis for some reason. Oh well it's bad. Yeah. I was gonna say oh, Badlands. And it took me there, man. That's kind of Dylan, I guess. I don't have a Springsteen, I don't know. Anyway, one Battle after Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is undoubtedly our favorite movie of the year. He did well this year, did he, folks? He did it for me again. Let's go through of 2020. Our number one shared favorite film of the year, Small Acts 2021. Mine was licorice Pizza. His number two is Licorice Pizza. That's okay. Is number one coming out of nowhere? Malcolm and Murray, 2022 a year. We can kind of just skirt over because mine was Bardo, which about ten people have seen in his was a movie that went on to win Best Picture that year. And I was really upset about it. But he rephrased and named it Babylon. But at the time of the recording, that's true. It was the best picture of the year. 2023 share number one, Oppenheimer 2024 share number one and Nora 2025 share number one one. Battle after another. And it's a lock, baby. It's a lock. So the thing is I'm like a broken record at this point. Like it sounds ridiculous, but the the Oscars have just never 2023 was the first time it happened where my favorite movie of the year goes on to win Best Picture. That's never happened in my lifetime. Like sometimes they've gotten close and even okay, go look at if I was doing if I was podcasting in 1999, I did say that my favorite movie of that year for the time was American Beauty, and that one that went on to win. That's a weird fucking movie to watch, now, let me tell you. But Eyes Wide Shut, it's my favorite movie of 99. So like the one that, like, holds like Oppenheimer holds, Nora holds. If this is going to be the third year in a row, I mean, of my favorite movie of the year and your favorite movie of the year, winning Best Picture, this would be your fourth year in a row, asshole. But, yeah, it's just a great thing. Like, I, I, I'm starting to feel a little more confident, even, that it seems like the town is even aware that there's, like, there's just nothing else. I mean, what else would it be? There's no even, like. I mean, you have to go back kind of to Shakespeare in Love like that was in the background. You got to go back to crash. Crash was there. I did not enter 2005 Oscars. Going Brokeback is walking away with this. I didn't I thought they would give it to ang Lee for director, but I mean crash was like their it was still a big surprise. But this I'm looking at, I'm going you're talking like if Hamnett came in won this even noting that her movie won picture in director just two movies ago. That's what I mean. Like it wouldn't be. It would be ridiculous. So, I'm hoping for what I'm saying about the Oscars is that if if this wins picture and or director just won, I'm walking away satisfied. You can give the acting to whoever you want. PTA has been nominated for so many Academy Awards. He has never won one. He needs at least one. If I'm not jinxing anything, if the man walks away holding three Oscars that night because he also won one for Adapted screenplay, I'm going to be overjoyed. It's going to be another ecstatic post. Oscars. Just as a movie, the movie rules, I love it. I just watched rewatching this morning for my count them ten viewing. Yes, ten viewings. I obviously am a very big fan. And no, I mean, I mean, I almost died seeing this movie. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, it just is. And you're right, I think that I think that's why for this year, you know, I I'll joke with you know, it's a lock, but I think more than almost any other year, I, I'm more confident in the lock of it because it just is so universally accepted that people like it. Like people seem to like it. Yeah. It's I can't remember another movie like even Oppenheimer, which was one where I feel like everybody was sort of just sort of like, yeah, that's probably going to be the one. But but this is one where, like, everyone's seen it, everyone likes it, and, and everyone has like the exact same. They're like, oh yeah, that's the best. That's the best movie I've seen in a while. Yeah. You know, millions of, Americans can't be wrong. That's right. Listen to us. No, it's not us. I was nervous even when I saw it. I saw it opening day, and I'm like, all right, he's getting, he's getting close to things that are that they're going or going on. He could be pushing buttons, but just the way he handled it, I'm. I'm going, I think. I mean, come on, this thing is, you know, it's a celebration of movies like it, it loves. It's a movie that is in love with being a movie. Like, it's the way it's shot, the way it's set up, the all the everything that's practical. Very little if zero special effects like, it just really works and it moves so well. It is so ingeniously plotted that about every 30 minutes, something big happens. It's so good. It's just it's it really is. It's just that there's not even, like, it's really hard to talk about, like, what's your favorite thing? Like the whole thing. Like the absolute whole thing, the performances. Everyone is on point. That's why there's so many, you know, I don't yeah. It's funny, I don't like I don't know if it's going to win any acting awards, but I mean, the fact that it's up for so many, you've got, you know, all everyone's pretty much except for for Regina. Well, yeah. She and I talked about this. I put it at the very end of our last episode. I live read my reactions to the SAG Awards, like, literally at the very end of our last one SAG nominees, rather. And I said, like, it would be really cool on nomination day. This is an absurd, ridiculous stat. But if one battle ends up getting five acting nominations, at least one in each category, that is extremely rare. You're in network territory, Bonnie and Clyde, from here to eternity. That does not happen a lot. Doesn't win anything. I don't know where. It's still a little too early. I mean, does it win in the acting? I don't know, but you know, Leo for actor Chase, infinity for actress Penn and Benicio for supporting actor and Teyana Taylor for supporting actress. That's five each. And, you know, represented in each acting category. Very, very rare. I'm here for it. Yeah. And yeah, I mean, this is going to be we're going to be talking about a lot as we were in the fiscal, you know, the end of the fiscal year. We're crunching the books now. We got this episode. It's a great time of year because we got the top ten of the year. And then the Oscar nominations back to back. But I really like these lists. I think they speak to us. We did indeed have we had we had four is wrong. We had four. I should have gone with my first guess. Yeah, I really did think it was going to be four. Did I think it was going to be those? Yeah, I guess I don't I didn't know, you know, it's fun to hear. You know what the other we kind of don't know. And then the placement is fun like I didn't I knew J Kelly would be on here. Didn't know would be that high. That's awesome. I knew, yeah, I knew Begonia and Nouvelle Vague in one battle after another. And then I hit. Well, obviously I dated her, but you never confirmed who's on your top ten. You were like, it's circling, but, that that that of all of these, though, of all of these movies, the one that I recommend to our audiences. Lurker, that's the one from our top ten that I recommend. And a correction for the court. We did have five. I'll read what we had in common. We had press. Oh yeah, we had presence. Lurker Begonia nouvelle vague, one battle after another. All right. Five. Pretty good for you. Go through them real quick. I'm sent real quick. My number ten. No other choice. Number nine. Lurker number eight. Sentimental value. Number seven. Cloud number six presents five. Begonia. Number four. Nouvelle vague. Number three. Song sung blue two. If I had legs, I'd kick you one. From here on. In one battle after another. Number ten. Highest to lowest. Number nine presents number eight. Lurker. Number seven. The mastermind. Six materialists. That's right. Come at me five. Train dreams four. Begonia. Begonia three J. Kelly, two Nouvelle Vague and one one battle after. And great. We're going to do some honorable mentions here. I had five from myself. I'm going to start because yeah, you have one that is on my list and that's Train Dreams. That was that was a crossover for me. Wanted to make my list again for all the reasons you mentioned, but what's one from you? All right. But this this is a story here, because this is part of the reason why this movie made my list. This was a Tuesday in Los Angeles. I have no idea what this city was thinking about being as busy as it was on this day, but I went to the mall. I sat in my car for ten minutes. No, no one was getting out of here for hours. So I was like, what am I like? I couldn't even back out. So I was like, I'm stuck here. I'm just completely stuck here. All right, there's an AMC right down the street. Let's go and see another fucking movie. I guess it's the house made for me. Oh my God. And dude, I went to the Cheesecake Factory for two hours and I got hammered because I had nothing else to do. So I go in to this movie, I sit down, I've got these three girls behind me. Everyone in this theater is ready to have a good time. And man, I'll tell you what, I had the fucking best time hooting and hollering at this movie with this audience drunk as shit, just completely going on this ride of this movie that knows, knows exactly what it was doing. It was an absolute blast to be like this lifetime horror erotic thriller type thing. And I absolutely loved it. I was thrown by every stupid turn of the movie, and I say that with a lot of love. It was a stupid movie, but it was so much fun and by the time it was over, I was like, did I just not have like one of the best moviegoing experiences of 2025 right now? I think I did. So the House maid is on my list. My no. I mean, my first one to mention two is something that was just unbridled fun, which is Final Destination Bloodline. I love that I know you like I saw it twice in the theaters, salted Imax. I bought the 4K alien. I put it all all the time. Best Final Destination movie. This movie goes so, so hard and it is so I love it. So yeah, I had a really fun one for my number five too. I mean, I didn't like officially ranked them, but this was the like the lowest honorable mention because it's pure fun value like for you to that's exactly what this one is. And then this one I know you're going to disagree with. But I really enjoyed my time with this movie. I forgave all of the things about it that you brought up that I cannot argue. You brought up at least four different points of contention about this movie, and I was thinking about it. I go, they all check every single one of that checks out, but I don't care, I loved it. Weapons. I'm a weapons. I'm a weapons girl. I'm there. Hey, this is one of the three we're going to get to it after honorable mentions. But there were three quote unquote movie events of the year, and this was one of them. Oh, yeah. I mean, this is what people are talking about. People are still talking about it. When it dropped on HBO. Yeah, I rewatched it on HBO, and I was just kind of shaking my head and laughing. I'm like, yeah, it's entertaining, I get it. But this is just this. It doesn't, you know, I think there are some problems with it. But again, it was a movie that seemed to entertain everyone, and it seems like Amy Madigan might get nominated for an Oscar. It's crazy. It's crazy. I imagine that for anyone who goes to a movie theater with me to see a horror movie, I'm probably the best person to go with because I am literally crawling on on the chair like, I don't, I can't, I am so scared. And when that woman came out of that house in the middle of the night for that long, take to go cut off, Jennifer Garner or Julius, Julia Garner's hair, the fact that we were holding on that for so long, like, as if she came out of the house. Because as soon as I go, no, fuck that shit. No! Get it? Stop, stop! But then we're just watching this long of her I. Michael, we're not cutting. We're not cutting. I'm literally saying this in my chair. Why are we cutting? What? Why? Someone stop! She cut the hair. She snipped it, and she cut there. Yeah. And then, it also just shot out to, How do you pronounce his name? Alden. Aaron. Right? Yes. We love him on this. On the spot. Loved him in that movie. I thought he was really great. He might have been my favorite part. Well, no, Amy Madigan was, but, yeah, I've always really liked him taking it serious for a little bit, but still with a little humorous edge to it. Another one that kind of came out of nowhere. Sorry, baby, this is mine. It's my number three. Yeah, yeah, starring Eva Victor and this great role. And I'm just calling myself out here, this great performance, I did not I don't know what the hell I was doing. I was flying out to LA. When I watch it, I don't know what I was doing during the credits, because I didn't realize until yesterday that either Victor, the star of the movie, wrote and directed it. I didn't realize that it's like her movie. No. So if anyone saw After the Hunt Luca Guadagnino's that Shit like College Campus set somewhat me to movie. This was a much more refined home grown on the ground version of it that I kind of put on thinking, this is not going to be for me. Just like if I had legs, I'd kick you. And then basically because of her performance and the writing, the way it carried out, the writing, all of the scenes it set up. Yeah, really, really liked it. It again is it has some humorous moments, but it also has it knows how to cut there. There's some real shit going on. Oh yeah. I always appreciate when a movie knows how to deal with real shit. But then also this knows how to live life. I'm like, maybe the day after something bad happened to you, something funny happened. It just made room for all that. It's just. It's, It's it's just completely honest. Yeah, yeah. And and honest can be very, very slow paced. This movie has this very specific pacing to it, but I loved it. I loved the relationship between her and her best friend. So good. And then. Yeah, and just the way that it was kind of broken up into these time like eras and how like, you know, like some of them, there's a lot of things that happened and like some of there's this one thing like I love is like the year of questions. And it was just there in the courtroom, but imagining like and in her situation, how many more questions is probably happening for her before the courtroom. Oh my God. Yeah yeah, yeah. Yes. So I just was like looking at this movie and I go like, this is, this is like indie cinema right here, like this is this. And there and there were actually like a few good movies that I'm like very, very happy with the In the Spirit Awards. I'm very much mature to to that I like because for the past few years it seems like, you know, there's a lot of those movies that are in there, but they're the exact same movies that are up for the bigger awards. You know, even though like a Nora one, you know, that was a big showing at the Indie Spirit Awards. But even then there were like some things where where this year it's it's pretty much just like true Indies. Yeah. We're not going to see a lot of, Oscar crossover, which is what I like. I think that is the main, the main thing the Indie Spirit Awards do is propel, where we had a few years there in the mid 2000 to into the 20 tens, when the acting winners of the Indie Spirit Awards were identical to the Oscars, except when it was exactly. But there were some years when they were just exactly the same, and I'll go, and this is not, I think, 2013 Dallas Buyers Club and Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave, that stuff like the week because this this is the only way that this industry is going to start to make any kind of significant change is when you leave these big movies to whatever this new template is going to be like, these streaming platforms of whatever Netflix is going to do, the studios, all of that. But there needs to be a place where these movies are getting championed. And I'm sure that, you know, these these movies are also very hard to make. These are like these Indies like sorry, baby, twin lis, urchin, you know, all these other types of movies that, that I think have a lot of value. These are the movies that we need to see on some kind of pedestal to go like, well, this is what's being made. That's that's nobody's seeing. But there's a place for. Because it's this is this is how we get this art made now. Yeah. Number two was this flick called resurrection. That again kind of came out of nowhere for me. It premiered at Cannes, directed by Baygon. And it it fuzes like cinema and the senses like literally our senses. It scored to M83. So that was the only selling point I needed. And when I when it was done, I went. My movie was batshit. It was like crazy. And then when I put it on my list, I went, well, I liked it. Okay, it's not going to crack the top ten, but it just went right up there to like 12 or 13 and I go, oh, I didn't I didn't know that was going to happen, but it did. I'll watch it again. But like really weird trippy. Nothing American about it at all. And then my number one, which really almost made my top ten. It was just an accident by this guy, Jafar Panahi. Sorry if I'm not saying that correctly. An Iranian director. If you don't know him, go do some research on him. This is a guy who's been in prison for making movies. He's been told he will be in prison again if he still makes movies. He's told that he could be put to death. He's got the, regime on him, and he's not allowed to make movies. And this is one that was made in secret. It won the Palme d'Or at con. I didn't think it was the best film ever made, but knowing that they have to make it in secret and then it just exposing things about that country that, you know, American audiences probably won't be very privy to, like, you know, corrupt cops walking around with a credit card reader so that if you want to get away from them, if you want them to let you go, you tap that credit card and you pay them an amount today dictate and that it like I've listened to interviews with the director that happens all the time. Like it just happens in real life. Like, oh, you want to go way here you go. Like make a little donation to our police fund. How about 100? 200. Be better. And they have the scanners, like, in their back pocket. Just a credit. Good tap here. It's. I mean, you know, it it was very eye opening in the way he makes his movies, relatively, if not fully in secret, is deserves honorable mention in and of itself. Yes. It does. Yeah. Absolutely does. And and it is is a solid movie too. Yeah. And, yeah, I mean, I, I love seeing his name for Best director because when you think of. Yeah, you brought this up to me in a text or like when you like what other director is willing to die, literally to die to make their movie. And that's what this is exactly doing? Yes. I'll wrap mine out. I'm throwing out Bradley Cooper's. Is this thing on? I, oh, I enjoyed it. I, you know, we, you know, fans of us in the party know that that Alex and I are not very keen on maestro, but, this was a very, very. It's a nice little surprise. It was just a small, personal story done really, really well. I enjoyed every second I was with it, but not in the way of, like, this is the greatest thing ever, but just being like, what a what a solid piece of business. That's how I thought of it. This is just a solid piece of work right here. Good to see Bradley Cooper. Kind of like going just taking things small, like kind of just like, you know, taking a step back and like, let's get to get down to, like, you know, personal stuff and then no other choice because that has to I can't I can't not let that be known because that movie is, fucking amazing. Good. I'm so. Okay. Good, good. I was I was kind of waiting. I thought, oh, that was a little closer, but cool. Cool. I'm so glad it made the list. I like our top ten. I like the honorable mentions. It's been fun. Pleasant discussion. What are we, like, two hours and 20 minutes and two hours? Ten minutes. And now, quickly, we're just going to. I like to use this time to touch on these films and not make our lists. We're not even recommending them. But I've been asked about every movie we're going to mention. It's going to be a little bit rapid fire. I just want your opinion. You don't have to go, like, deeply negative. It's not anything like that. But 2025, the movie events of the year. There were three separate ones. It was centers in April. It was weapons in the summer. And then avatar three in December. Doesn't sound like avatar three is going to make as much as avatar two, but I have been asked about our opinions on it. And, you know, I was like, this is just the way of water two. And, okay, I it didn't have that the same anticipation or punch that way water did. Like we did a whole podcast on way of water because we were so excited. So I did go and see it again and I liked it more the second time. But I am very confident to admit that I really don't think I'll be revisiting this movie. I mean, if number four gets released eight years from now or something, maybe I'll revisit it to touch base, but otherwise I'm like, all right, cool. I did the Imax 3D thing. I'm good. I mean, same thing here. I you can't deny the experience of seeing that in the theater there. Yeah, there is nothing that especially the second one and the third one like nothing looks like that. Like you like that is that is a, there's a way of seeing a movie that just truly has never been done before. So the reason to go is because of that. But, yeah, I, I avatar three was not was not, high up on mine Android I, you know, I had it had a decent time if you just go because the thing about James Cameron is the guy knows how to do action. He does. He just does. Not tonight. He just does. It's just so. So if I'm going to be sitting through, like, a story that's sort of, But the visuals are what they are and the action scenes are going to deliver every single time. You could do worse. That brings us to the biggest movie of the year. And I'm going to keep this quick. I've been asked a lot. My thoughts on Ryan Coogler. Sinners. Here's what I'll say. I saw the film the day it opened at the Air and Space Museum and Imax. I, because of stupid circumstances, had to actually pay for two tickets. I went alone, but I made a mistake and had to pay for two. Couldn't get one refunded, so I'm like 50 bucks in. So that's what you know, I had to spend my money. And, so I'm ready. Like, they did 70 millimeter VistaVision. All this, like, I'm ready and primed. I am just going to keep it general and say that the movie was not for me at all. It, And when basically after this movie debuted, it was I knew it was going to be the biggest movie of the year. I had no idea their response would be so resoundingly positive, and that seemingly everyone would like it. So I made the decision very early on in the year that we're not going to talk about it because I don't want to shit on people's parade. And like I said, going all the way back up to, you know, talking about movies that I'll use this podcast to promote movies that people either don't know about or they're like, oh, I didn't like that. And I'll go, oh, here's why we did, but I'm not going to use this pod to just shit all over a movie or even just be negative about a movie that everyone seems to like. I did go off on the brutalist last year, but that's because I think the director, the writer director of that movie, was talking about that film in an extremely arrogant way, and speaking about that film as if it is one of the best movies ever made. It's not that film also made decisions in its third act that, I'm that I'm allowed to go off on, like, handling sexual assault like that. I'm always going to go off on a movie like that. None of that stuff is present in centers. I just, you know, to keep my feelings general. I thought that thing was completely derivative and didn't have. I had seen pretty much everything in it, many, many times and other movies. And as I have learned over the course of this year, everyone I throw in my actual life who I could shake hands with, all of those people who love movies, none of them like this. I understand that the masses seem to love it, but Igor, friend of the pod. Igor. Absolutely not a fan. My dad, not a fan. I'm not going to speak for you, but not a fan. And there are a lot of other people that I have. But ultimately, I want people to go to the movies and have fun. But that. That's why you have not heard this movie mentioned at all on this podcast until basically right now. And I'm not going to do a line by line debrief of everything I didn't like about it. It's fine. But I was nervous about its placement. Its Oscar placement, and I think it is meshing well and going to fit very snugly into I think this movie is going to walk away with two. It's going to walk away with the original screenplay for Ryan Coogler, and it is going to walk away with a brand new Oscar achievement in casting. It is going to walk away with those. It might get song because it added in a new song. Score is a little tougher only because he's one he won for Black Panther and he won for Oppenheimer. He's amazing. Lewis Gorton is amazing, but he already has two. I don't know if they're going to give him a third, but I also don't know if people voting for these things, you know, know that he already has two. But I'm saying, kind of like the brutalist. This could easily walk away with three Oscars. And, you know, good on it. The people who love the movie. Good. You're going to be able to say it's this Academy Award winning movie. That's fine. But it's very, very rare that the top two movies of the year, at least by Oscar standards, in this case one battle and centers are extremely rare that those are both marketed by the same company. In this case, Warner Brothers and I think Warner Brothers. It's it feels like they're going, yeah, this is going to be PETA's year. He's paid his dues. But you know, Ryan, we're going to get you original screenplay. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but that's that's my little, like, speech about sinners. If you like the movie, go like it. Just please tell tell me I have to like it. Yeah, I I I, I agree, I, it wasn't, it wasn't I, I had no idea. I remember, I saw it and I remember just thinking I was like, oh, that was, that was entertaining. And then and then and then I just started hearing that this was like the, the best thing ever. And I was like, yeah, I don't know if I feel that way, but, but yeah. And you can you cannot deny the success that it has. Yeah. What you said is perfect about like, this is not what we tried to do on this pod. Like, there's a lot of, you know, there's already so much hate going on in this internet filled world. Oh, yeah, it's straight up shit on thing. Yeah. And we've never wanted to do that. I mean, we will talk about something if we don't really. You know, feel that way. But even then we, we, we, we choose our words very carefully when it comes to that. Because at the end of the day, this is art. So many people go into making movies. It's so hard to make a movie. It is so hard to make a good movie. And so and like we always say, if you like it, then there's no then, then it can't be bad. So yeah, you know, for whatever reason, do you like a movie? And clearly there's a lot. But yes, we just don't feel that exact same way about this one. So we're going to let that one just live. It's just going to live. That's fine. It's just going to live over there. I would be being much, much, much, much harder on it if it was going to really be close to winning picture director. But, be nice because there's no read. There's no reason to be behind it. You know? It's all good. It's all good. Hey, I'm just glad people went to the movies. I'm like, oh, people showed up for sinners. And I mean, like, oh, they showed up like a lot of people. And hey, I love people talking about movies. It for two months out of the year, I didn't have to hear about everyone talking about a TV show. It's like, cool. Yeah, talk about weapons. That's awesome. All right, round robin here. And, these can be brief. I've kind of touched on them as we've gone, but, we've been asked about them. Eddington. I watch twice. I had a slightly better perspective of it the second time, but still, my ultimate thought is that it is a movie of some really quality set pieces. I don't know if it works as a cohesive 2.5 hour thing. Yeah, I, I liked I liked the satire element that it took with it. Yeah. And I thought, what Queen Phoenix once again proves why he's just one of our living goats like that, like Hugh Jackman is another thing where it's sort of like, is there anything these guys can't do? Like, like, like you think you've seen them do everything. And then to see why Queen Phoenix play like a relatively chatty kind of like, you know, this kind of person and like, it's just like, man, it's so good. But yeah, ultimately I yeah, I didn't find the, totality of the movie to really land. Yeah, yeah. Agreed. Frankenstein. I mean, damn, these people, this town just loves Guillermo del Toro. I don't get the hype for it. I really don't get the hype for it. It's going to get a shitload of Oscar nominations. But, you know, you're. I wanted if you had any thoughts. I mean, a Jacob Elordi I thought was just amazing. He worked for you. Yeah, I love it. I mean, we'll talk about he's he will be nominated. So we'll talk about him more as that goes. But I'm, I'm really glad he worked for you. But that was kind of like that was the main thing you walked away from with the movie. Like you didn't really love the movie, right? Yeah. Yes. Yes. Di my love. I think we were both like, oh yeah. Because Lynne Ramsay like one of our favorite. And this had a great performance by Jennifer Lawrence, but, it just did not carry with it remotely the power of her other work of more of in color. If we need to talk about Kevin, you were never really here for sure, but I definitely enjoyed this one. I, I found myself laughing. I needed to see it again. I was actually talking with Mickey about this. Okay. We were talking about. She liked this movie, and we both had mentioned that she goes, were you laughing during the movie? I go, I was the only person. And I was, oh, yeah, I was, I was laughing. Yeah. So no, I and I, and I thought it was I, Jennifer Lawrence, I thought it was so amazing. That was the best performance of ever seen her. Do I love when she just goes in there and like really just like dives in the muck and she really did. Yes. I don't hold this up with Lynne Ramsay's other works, as well, but I definitely did, I enjoyed it more than, I did, and that's for sure. Yeah. Okay. That's fair. Again, another one we touched on briefly, and you can be as brief as you want. You can even be silent. Hamnet is it's just like I get exactly what you're doing. I get exactly what you're doing. Everyone understands what you're doing. That was not a movie for me. I'm not really into her filming style, like Nomadland was not for me. I thought that movie was wildly overrated by the Academy and all that stuff. But if Jessie Buckley is going to win Best Actress for this, like, hey, I like her as a as an actor, just as a performer. But with Rose Byrne sitting right there, that would who would obviously get my vote. I'm just this is not a movie for me. And I frankly found, you know, I'm not trying to speak for you. The ending, the emotional like climax of the film to be so damn cheap. And it's a musical choice, like, just. Yeah, yeah. Honestly, while other people in the theater were sobbing, I was just rolling my eyes going, you made a movie about an important subject. The loss of a child is a very important subject, but it does not mean that I have to like or appreciate or love or weep during every single movie made about the loss of a child. And this one did not get me. I think if I had legs, I'd kick you is much, much better at getting to the heart of what this movie's trying to get at. But anyway, yeah, that's my hamlet. That's not for me. It wasn't for Nick. It wasn't for Nick. We'll leave it at that. Wow. I got some text for him about it. Yeah, not from him. And he doesn't want to go to negative. He's been. He's being nice. Did you end up seeing the secret agent? You told me you were going to go see it. No, because I, I was going to see that last night, but I got. I'm a little under the weather, and, I didn't want to. I just canceled to Brazil. I didn't want to see it. Wildly fanatical film culture. So I think that's why we're hearing about it. Kind of like I'm still here from last year. Was it? I'm still here. I'm still there. Which ended up winning. And you were so dumbfounded. You were like, I've never even heard of this movie. And I said, it's good to win the fourth international foreign film. You need to see it there. You, like you did. You're like, no, it's going to be, you know, Amelia Perez said. It was. So I think that's the movie just wasn't really that much for me. The secret agent, I mean, I mean, Wagner Moreau's good, but yeah, you got it when Brazil is in there. So this could win international even if, it was just an accident in there. No other choice. Look for the secret agent because Brazil, they rep real, real hard. But, And I think he'll be nominated for actor Blue moon we mentioned we both liked. We've also talked about that as it went on throughout the year. So I'm really glad I'm I hope when I reference Train Dreams and I don't know if George Bush didn't get nominated. I really hope Ethan Hawke is nominated for this. Will he win? I don't know, but it would be great. I mean, he deserves to have that train behind him. And it could be like the deserving actor who isn't in the most hype, high profile movie of the year. But we all know he deserves one. But I don't know. We'll see. I yes, I agree, I, I don't think anyone stop stopping the Timmy train. Timmy is. Let's talk about it. Marty. I mean, I you know, I'll share because I'm. I'm pretty hard on Timmy because I don't I don't, like his personality. And I think his accomplishments are an actor are wildly overrated. I typically see the same performance. I'm just speaking personally. I was that was kind of. I thought the movie was okay. The movie definitely played like it was written and directed by the same guy who made Uncut Gems, and it had that sort of energy. I never cared what he was doing, like, ever. I didn't care about his struggles. I, I was I think a lot of people are, moved by where the movie goes. I, I was not I really, though, loved all the supporting performances. Abel Ferrara as, like, this badass knife dude, man. Do it. A cameo as the as a direct like all of them, even her Odessa Ozai and I thought was really good. I like it was great. Gwyneth Paltrow was great. Kevin O'Leary and what do I favorite movie lines of the year? I was born in 1601. I'm a vampire. I loved that. I was like, yeah, this dude. But the movie as a whole, I thought it was okay. That performance did nothing for me, and I really I'm not on. Believe me folks, I would tell you even if I don't like the performance or the person personally, I have no problem saying, you know, they're locked for the Oscar or they're going to be up there. I'm not I'm not feeling the wave of this for two reasons. One, the character of Marty, not even the actor. The character is an unbridled asshole from first frame to last. And best actor does not go to not go to asshole characters. Check my work. I've done it. Look at the last century. Asshole characters do not win Oscars. They're villains. Villains. It's different. You can be Alonzo Harris. You can be the Joker. You can be Daniel Plainview. That's different. There's only one asshole in the past 25 Oscars character that is one. And that's the main character from Manchester by the Sea. And he has really good, honest reasons of behaving why he behaves. Marty Supreme is an asshole because you just he just wants to win. He's just an asshole. I'm telling you, I, I so that that's reason one. Reason two the Oscars loathe and detest the type of behavior he has been exhibiting. When you go especially for Best actor, supporting players can do it. But when lead actors go around saying they deserve this, they've been doing good work and the level of arrogance that he's been carrying with himself, and he clearly got to talking to because his speeches that because he's winning in his speeches are very humble. So someone has gotten to him. But I'm not convinced that he is walking away with Best Actor at all. I could absolutely see someone like Hawke sneaking in quietly. I could absolutely see them giving, just slowly sliding it across the table to Leo, and he just picks it up as he walks away. Very quiet, very like quiet. Not a big fussy thing. And, hey, I'll be honest with you. Like, if if Timmy wins SAG and then, you know, we're on that train, like, I'll be honest with people and I'll look everyone. I'll look you dead in the eye when we're doing the live stream and go, no, it's his night. He's going to win it. But if I'm not feeling it, then I'm going to be honest about that, too. This is more than I ever wanted to say about this movie. I, I thought I thought it was. I thought it's tough. You know, when you're going into the promotion of this movie, you know, setting yourself up with a giant bar, I think is very difficult because when when a movie is being touted by its own promotion as being, like, the greatest thing, it's tough. It's like it's it's, well, you really got to deliver. I enjoyed my time with the movie. I thought that I like I like the pacing. I liked the, I, it was a movie to me that was kind of like scene by scene. There was a lot of good stuff in there. But to your point, the supporting characters are are the things that I think shine through more than anything, and that I will absolutely concede. I was really wowed by them. They made me laugh. Kevin O'Leary, you know, Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank talk about people I don't have respect for, like IRL in real life. He's one of them. But I went, Jesus. I mean, know that guy? I believed I believed everything for them. Like, every time Marty show buddy turn around, he'd be like, are you fucking kidding me? How the hell did you get into my house? Like, I need to believe that. Yeah, I did too. He. Yeah, he's. Yeah, he was an amazing in it. I mean yeah, everyone all and just like, just the unique faces that are existing even in like the backgrounds. Oh yeah. Like when you're, like, when you look at, like the aliveness of that movie. Because that's what I really took away from it is just the, the kinetic energy. I had a good time with the movie, but I but yes, as a whole, it didn't really quite land in any sort of way. Well, you and my dad are fully on the Timmy train. I'm getting it from both sides. Text messages, fucking railing me up all the time. Well, here's the thing. Is that, I just think he's going to win. I know, I know, I, I yeah, I, I that's that that's all I would if you were a vote. He's a man on a mission. Would you be on a mission if you were a voter, would you vote for like, hawk over him? Okay. He's shaking his head. Yes. This is an audio audio platform. The listeners can't see you shaking your head in agreement. Yes. Still do. I like you to speak for me. Happy to do it. Happy to do it. All right. I mean, that's that's pretty much all I got. This is a fun, you know, longer episode. And I like our list. I think we're our personalities are represented well I yeah, I really like this for. What are you watching? I did say no double downs. And you felt it seemed like you felt a little. Why don't you tell me what you were initially going to do before I said anything? What you would have done for this? Well, initially, what I was going to do is I was going to do this one movie that I have been trying to see for ever, and, and I, I because I feel like though I've had, I've had bad opinions about this. There have been a couple movies this year where I felt like this was going to be like a really good movie. Yeah. And then I see it and it's not. And this is one of them. I have a feeling that I'm really going to like Peter, who jars Day. Well, this well, this is I mean, this is good for like an upcoming. What are you watching? This isn't available anywhere. I don't I think it's for like 20 bucks or 20 bucks too much. And even even even the American Cinematheque was, putting up a limited release. And they were charging. Yeah, they were charging $20 for it. And I was like, I can't I the movie is like an hour and 13 minutes long. It's not, it's very short. Yeah, yeah, but it's up for the Indie Spirit Awards. It is in the category for best Full Length feature. And so so I have been just like this movie has been like like I've been trying to see it for months. And, so this was the one that was really trying to get in before, before this pod because I was like, maybe it will make it. So I'll use my what are you watching to be the end of my 2025 list to recommend the movie that I hope that maybe I could say I need an amendment. Yeah, talk about the limbo thing. Like I don't I don't understand the marketing decision of no one's heard of this movie until the Indie Spirit Awards, but the the few people who have seen it, it's getting rave reviews. It's very short, but then you only put it out to like, rent for $20 when I'm using like common sense going a month from now, this is going to be on a street. I don't know which one, but it's going to be on Hulu or something for free, so I'm not gonna I don't know. I never understand these decisions, but it's certainly not up to the director. The director is not making these decisions. It's whoever's putting the movie forward. So that's good. I like that a lot. I was struggling with trying to find one like that, like a 2025 one, but also what I like to do as the years rounding out. And it looks like certain people are going to get nominated for Oscars. I like to go back, look back at their careers and like, what? What haven't I seen, man? The first thing I've seen Teyana Taylor in, I've seen some dancing. I've seen her in music videos. But the first acting is one battle after another, and then I'm looking at her IMDb. She has a bunch of credits. She was in a movie two years ago called 1001, directed by Avi Rockwell. This is on Peacock. Wow, man, she's the lead of it. What made me watch it is she got nominated for the Indie spirit for lead actor. You know, they combined gender. So she was nominated and I was like, oh, this is cool. Just a struggling mom in New York trying to raise her son. Covers like 20 years. And you know, we'll get these different time stamps. That's the son grows up and it is like we're just in there. We're in Queens. We're in the Bronx. Forgive me for not remembering exactly where. And, you know, goes through the 90s up through the mid 2020s. And I'm like, oh, God, is this it's not a horror movie. It's not a movie that it's going to. I'm just going to say it. I thought, this is going to be like a kid getting gunned down by cops. It's not that. And I feel like it's okay to say that because that was in the bottom of my stomach the whole time. Like, is this going to oh my God, please don't let it do that. That's not where this movie is going. But there are dangers in the streets. Moreover, she's fantastic. She's, you know, a woman in the streets, like struggling to get by. It's an R-rated movie. And I loved her in it. And I went, wow. So she's had this acting talent for much longer than I knew of. So really recommend 1001. And I'm just I'm really pulling for her to win the Oscar. I just really am, man. I mean, even the nomination would be great, but her win in that globe, I was like, okay, okay, this is kind of cool. And well, you know, we'll see how the tide turns. But she's a woman who's been through it. She's a woman who's lived it. And she I mean, right now, you know, I like to do the jackass of the year at the end of the Oscar season. Like, who's behaved the most poorly. Some people just seem to seem to be, like, enjoying every minute of it. If Ethan Hawke gets nominated, he's just like, here for the show, and then she's just loving it. She's like, this is so like she's looking around like, this is so amazing. I can't believe I'm, you know, I've been invited to the big show, to the big party. So cool. Yeah. Cool. Cool episode, great apps, great time. One battle. Good. Great. Grand. Wonderful. No yelling on the bus. Slow down. Articulate. If I cry, it's tears of joy. Yeah, I was rewatching this morning, but he's a god. He's in there for the party to conference. And he looks right. And there you got this grand wizard here, Mr. Benjamin Franklin himself. Fucking slave owner. Look at slave owner. Oh my God. All right, we got what do we have coming up? We're going to have Oscar nominations, Oscar predictions, Oscar reactions. Don't forget I watched Halloween every single damn week in 2025. So I'm going to do a recap episode of that. In the middle of all this madness. We'll take an Oscar break to do some Halloween discussion, but let that please let us know what you're like in from, 2025. Can can. Friend of the pod. Can I got your email. Still haven't replied I'm sorry. On fresh on January 1st he sent me. His favorite of the year's favorite was one battle. But I like hearing from Kenny Writes. He writes our email a lot, so thank you for that. Please let us know what you liked from the year at WRI w underscore podcast. But as always, thanks for listening and happy watching. You. Hey everyone, thanks again for listening. Send us mailbag questions at What Are You Watching podcast at gmail.com or find us on Twitter, Instagram and Letterboxd at wri w Underscore podcast. Next time it's the most wonderful time of year. The Oscar nominations. Oh I'm excited. Getting excited, getting a little nervous. We'll see Oscar nominations coming soon. Stay tuned. I'll be right. I'm a fool to do your dirty work. Oh, yeah. I don't want to do your dirty work no more. I'm a fool to do your dirty work. Oh yeah.