Film Dweeb Year in Review: 2025 in Film
2025 was a year of shifting priorities and new discoveries for Film Dweeb. While I didn’t film a podcast episode this week, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year that was, from my favourite movies to changes in my viewing habits, the state of the box office, and the future of this platform.
My Favourite Movies of 2025
This year, five films stood out for me:
· Eddington: A diversion from Ari Aster’s usual fare, either being horror or total hallucinogenic nightmares. What seems to be a straightforward western becomes an absurdist satire of modern post covid America. It doesn’t get any more astute than this and Aster should get nominated for best director. Cynical, ultra-violent and hilarious at times. It will be appreciated for decades to come.
· Sinners: The best looking movie of the year, possibly the decade. A celebration of music and culture surviving the brutal south, using vampirism as an allegory about encroachment. Meanwhile, the final boss is the Klan, who seem like small fries compared to the bigger issue. Some got it, some didn’t. I absolutely loved every frame of this movie.
· One Battle After Another: If it wasn’t for Eddington, this would have been my top pick. Paul Thomas Anderson pulls out all his big guns for this one, eschewing the style of his recent ventures into subdued minimalism like Phantom Thread and The Master. This is blockbuster PTA, shooting in Vista Vision in the American southwest. It’s loud, it’s funny, it’s ridiculous. Another commentary of modern American life but with a more hopeful tone. It serves both as a warning and satire about fighting for or against a revolution.
· Frankenstein: A gothic epic shot on a grand sweeping scale with romance infused into every detail. Del Toro does his research, and his passion for the subject has never been projected on such a massive scale. It’s a visual feast with a great performance by Jacob Elordi as the monster. When a visual guy like Del Toro is given a big budget to play with, you better take advantage of it. It doesn’t hurt that the movie is actually very good.
· Weapons: I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, seeing I wasn’t that big a fan of Barbarians. Cregger’s first film descended into near comedy and collapsed under its own weight. Weapons on the other hand, still has similar aspects but the screenplay drew me in, and I was engaged for the entire run time, dying to know how it ends. And boy was that a satisfying ending. I’m now a big fan of his.
These films pushed me to think differently about storytelling and visual language, and I’m excited to revisit them in the coming months and years.
Shifting Streaming Habits
After years as a loyal Shudder subscriber, I’ve taken advantage of a Criterion Channel promotion and am diving into a backlog of titles I’ve missed over the years. It’s been refreshing to explore classics and lesser-known gems, and I hope to share some of these discoveries in future posts. I’ve never seen any of Jim Jarmusch’s early movies so that’s the first run I’m going to check out.
Box Office Recap and The Business
The 2025 global box office was dominated by a major franchises, mostly sequels and remakes. The big dominant genre was kid’s movies. People aren’t going out and spending $200 unless they can all go together. Everyone else is waiting for streaming probably, but the conversation around them has been just as interesting as the numbers.
This is one of the first decades without the assistance of China, and why would they need us when the top movie of the year made $2.1 BILLION almost exclusively in China alone. Ne Zha 2, an animated children’s movie epic that’s over 2 hours long.
It’s a sign that the global shift is happening. Hollywood isn’t the big boss anymore. With the imminent sale of Warner Bros to Netflix, and Paramount Pictures direct line to the White House. It’s like Aliens vs Predator: “Whoever wins, we all lose”.
Check out the global box office top 10 for 2025. Avatar Fire and Ash is coming up at number 11. That could very well change to number 10 before the new year.
Speaking of Avatar 3 and its messaging. There’s a clear disconnect between those who identify with the protagonists and those who don’t. The films have been wildly successful, but is it the spectacle or the story’s messaging that resonates with audiences?
One criticism is that the franchise lacks “cultural impact”—there are no TV shows, few spinoffs, and only a handful of comics and toys. Compare that to franchises like The Matrix, which, despite its influence, never became a Star Wars or Star Trek-level fandom. What does this say about what audiences really want? Is it the story, the spectacle, or something else entirely?
Content Reflections
Some of my videos this year didn’t perform as well as I hoped, but the Eyes Wide Shut deep dive unexpectedly took off. For now, I’ll stick with a similar formula, but I’m planning to expand both my video output and the website with more content in the future.
The Future of Film Dweeb
Film Dweeb is evolving as part of the Watson Street empire. I’m aiming to be more consistent, provide deeper insight as a filmmaker, and integrate more creative projects. One exciting development is the launch of The Temple of the Eye, a tentative name for a course on how to create an image—teaching the fundamentals of visual storytelling and filmmaking. I hope to share more about this soon.
In the meantime, if you’ve watched any of my videos or interacted with me on the website or social media. I just want to thank you for your support, and look forward to what’s ahead.
Dweeb out for 2025!