Halftime 2025
let's talk about my favorites from the first half of the year
Yesterday, July 2nd, marked the 182nd day of the year, which means we’re halfway through 2025. Feels like it’s been a lot longer eh?
With the year 50% done, I like to take a look at what we’ve been served at the theater so far and what has stood out. I’ve found this year to be a little underwhelming during Q1 and Q2 but there have certainly been some good movies to be found, if maybe less than I’d hoped for.
As always, these are my favorites, not necessarily the best movies of the year so far. They’re listed in a loose order, but as with most things in this newsletter, it’s very unofficial.
There are also a couple of big ones that I’ve missed (apologies to the MATERIALISTS heads out there) so they won’t make the list by default.
Let’s review
Movie: Sinners
Where To Watch: out on MAX this week
This was the first movie of the year that I was really looking forward to (besides maybe Mickey 17, but I think I was looking forward to this one more if I’m doing some honest self-reflection) and it really delivered for me. Everybody in this movie is absolutely cooking. On X-Games mode, if you will.
I usually am NOT rockin’ with the “same guy is twins” performance thing but Michael B. Jordan gives both of his characters enough personality and charm that I didn’t care in the slightest. Hailee Steinfeld, I have always been familiar with your game (shoutout TRUE GRIT and EDGE OF SEVENTEEN) but did not know you had it like THAT. Jack O’ Connell I was NOT familiar with your game and that is on me my man. Incredible stuff from Wunmi Mosaku and the absolute king Delroy Lindo. Shoutout to Miles Caton, a first time movie role taker that was lights out next to heavyweights like MBJ And that score, ethereal. I was levitating at certain points.
Never thought a scene featuring a man unable to roll a cigarette would make me emotional, and yet here we are. Easily my favorite of the year so far and it’s not all that close tbh.
Movie: Friendship
Where To Watch: still in some theaters, rent wherever you rent, will be on MAX soon
I think this movie could easily be pretty polarizing. If you aren’t really into Tim Robinson’s whole deal™️ then this movie is probably not for you. I think calling it a feature length I Think You Should Leave (something I’m guilty of) is doing it a disservice. It’s definitely got that energy, but it’s also very much its own thing.
I do happen to like Tim Robinson’s whole deal, and so this movie really struck a chord with me. It’s the funniest thing I’ve watched this year and maybe in the last 3-5. Every 10 minutes or so somebody says one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard in my life. One of the funniest jokes in the whole thing is in the movie’s closing moments. There is a 5 minute stretch where Connor O’Malley shows up that made me laugh so hard I wasn’t making any noise.
Some of my friends and co-workers have seen this movie and it feels like a bit of a secret handshake. We’re referencing lines and bits from it to each other and people who have not seen it are likely going “what the FUCK are you talking about.” That’s how it should be.
Movie: The Phoenician Scheme
Where To Watch: still in theaters
Sorry to be a self-parody, but I love the new Wes Anderson movie. There’s lots of really funny stuff here. It starts with a literal bang and goes from there. There’s a particular basketball scene with Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks that I loved, they’re some real #ballknowers.
Obviously Michael Cera was always going to fit right into the Wes Anderson troupe but he really delivers here, love his performance. He gets to be funny and also kinda hot?
This was the most “in the real world” an Anderson film had felt to me and that’s not a complaint. I love that the scope of his movies continues to grow after all this time. This is already getting lumped into the “minor” Anderson tier, but I think a minor Wes Anderson movie is usually better than a lot of other stuff.
Movie: Black Bag
Where To Watch: Peacock / rent wherever you rent
To me personally, there is nobody more consistently delivering a solid, good, sometimes great movie at a consistent clip more than Steven Soderbergh. BLACK BAG is a perfect example of that, a lean, tight 90 minute marriage drama disguised as a spy movie with no wasted movement or dialogue. Great stuff from Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender and a really fun turn from Marisa Abela.
This one’s for the Wife Guys™️
Movie: Mickey 17
Where To Watch: MAX
Not the strongest entry in Bong Joon - Ho’s filmography but still a very enjoyable movie that is spectacular at times and a little middling at others. There were so many ideas packed in here that some were more baked than others. But damn if he doesn’t try and we need more filmmakers trying.
There is nobody doing it like Robert Pattinson. one of, if not THE best of his generation.
Toni Collette also cooking in this. Glad This movie made it into the world when it looked in peril for a moment.
Movie: The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Toons Movie
Where To Watch: MAX
I’m a simple man. Daffy Duck and Porky Pig get into some hijinks, I’m gonna show up every time.
This was a really fun theater watch and there are some incredible visual gags and jokes in this. It’s over quick and you’re having fun the whole time.
Movie: Predator: Killer of Killers
Where To Watch: Hulu
Apparently we’ve entered the animation run of the list. I knew this was coming out but I had frankly forgotten all about it until I saw it pop up on my Hulu page and this thing was a real heater. I really like the PREDATOR franchise and it seems to be in good hands with Dan Trachtenberg.
Movie: One of Them Days
Where To Watch: Netflix
They really should make 2-3 of these movies a year like they used too. A studio comedy that’s actually funny and in a just world, Keke Palmer would be the most famous person alive. Shoutout to Katt Williams who is his usual killer self and a big shoutout to SZA, who has apparently never acted before but you could have fooled me!
Movie: It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley
Where To Watch: TBD
This one is a bit unfair because I saw this at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and it’s not quite out yet. It’s been purchased (I believe by HBO MAX) and should be available sometime on that service later this year. I know that’s really annoying but when I think about the movies I’ve seen this year, it truly is one of my favorites.
I remember somebody handing me a mixed CD my senior year of high school with the song “Mojo Pin” on it and thinking “WHO is this?” and then looking up “Grace” on iTunes (on a desktop computer) and having it blow my lid off.
This is not a unique experience. As a quirked up up white boy it was essentially my birthright to discover that album and learn what music can be. Even in high school I remember thinking what a loss it was that this guy’s life had been cut so short in such a tragic way when I found out he was dead, but also, being in high school, I didn’t really dig into his life that deeply. I just knew he made an album that I really enjoyed.
20 years after that mixed CD, “Grace” still blows my lid off and I want to dig into that life that was cut so tragically short. This movie does a pretty excellent job of filling you in on what you might have missed. I won’t pretend that it stretches the boundaries of the music bio-doc formula, but it does do it extremely well. There’s some really unique footage that I was impressed they found. Couple that with some never before heard voice messages from Jeff himself, actually interesting stories from those who knew him, some creative use of animation, and several truly emotional moments (the scene where Jeff’s mom listens to the final voicemail he ever left her hits like a hammer) and this thing rises above the crowd of other documentaries like it.
A singular voice and artist. I wish he was still here.
Movie: F1
Where To Watch: in theaters
Every once in a while you want to watch a movie that doesn’t make you think too hard. Sometimes you wanna see loud car go fast. And brother loud car go fast in this movie.
It is maybe one of the most cliche filled scripts you’ll see this year. You know exactly what’s going to happen basically from the beginning, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable. The race sequences are worth the ticket price alone imo. That said, you better love corporate synergy, because this bad boy has more company logos than, well, an F1 race. Does anyone feel a sudden urge to use Expensify?
This is a true Summer Blockbuster and one that I really enjoyed. See it on a big ass screen with loud ass speakers.
Honorable Mentions
Movie: Never Enough: A Visual Album by Turnstile
Where To Watch: TBD. Very limited release, hopefully on YouTube or physical media or something soon.
I have been listening to the band Turnstile for over a decade now and I have enjoyed everything they’ve done to varying degrees. While I was a little slow to warm up to their latest album “Never Enough” I certainly enjoyed it.
This visual album/movie/whatever you’d like to call it gave me a new appreciation for it on several levels. It’s remarkably creative. I felt like I was watching Koyaanisqatsi mixed with a Windows Media Visualizer, with some ballet thrown in for good measure. I particularly loved the “Light Design” section.
It rocked hearing an album I enjoy loud as hell in a theater. I got emotional a couple of times tbh. It really is Never Enough!
Movie: 28 Years Later
Where To Watch: in theaters
This movie has been met with effusive praise and some harsh criticism. I think I fall somewhere in the middle. It’s a movie I really enjoyed but wanted to enjoy more.
It really subverted what I thought it was going to be. I kind of assumed the whole movie was going to be the first act with Aaron Taylor - Johnson and his son trekking in the woods.
The most enjoyable subversion was the Ralph Fiennes character. Thought he was going to be a General Kurtz type figure and he’s anything but. One of Fiennes greatest strengths is a reserved, quiet tenderness. It’s on full display here and I found it wonderful
I did stumble against some of the narrative choices and they seemed in opposition to each other. The kid’s choice to take his mother off island doesn’t make any sense upon any sort of scrutiny and his journey back to the island is miraculously easy.
I loved the revelation with the iPhone and that life outside the UK continues unencumbered. The causeway scenes were some of my favorites of the year so far, especially the one under the moonlight.
Also loved the gonzo ending scene. Jack O’ Connell having a hell of a year!
Movie: Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Where To Watch: Netflix
DOT 2 loses some of the grittiness of the original for a slickness that feels different but that kind of fits the locale and heist the movie is going for.
It takes a lot longer to get to the heist than in the first one but it’s a great time once it gets going. It’s probably got a couple too many plot lines and twists but it really doesn’t matter when you have Gerard Butler swaggering around as Big Nick and being a stereotypical American and pronouncing “croissant” wrong.
I love this universe and will happily watch any DOTs they want to put out. Also, this was the first “normal” thing I did during the LA wildfires so I have a soft spot for it. Felt good to go to the movies for a second when it felt like the world was ending.
Movie: From The World of John Wick: Ballerina
Where To Watch: in theaters, will come to Peacock
Barely a plot to be found and the actual John Wick aspect feels a little forced but I had fun watching Ana De Armas kick ass for 2 hours.
There you have it, my favorite movies from the first half of 2025. Some good stuff to be sure, but I’m honestly surprised at how underwhelmed I’ve felt by some of this year’s early offerings. I still have hope though, there’s a lot of great stuff on the calendar for the rest of the year, including some things I’m really excited about.
Thanks for reading Working Title! We’ll be back next week with the June Movie Roundup.
"the absolute king Delroy Lindo" <-- Truer words were never written.
Greats picks and spot on with Turnstile!