A nuanced film about the complexities of life under a dictatorship. Set in 1977 Brazil with time jumps to its modern era, the story follows engineer “Marcello” as he attempts to flee Brazil with his son before a government-backed capitalist finds and kills him. 

The movie harkens back to a 70’s Hollywood political thriller with a dense plot, rich characters, and storytelling that trusts the audience. The movie is visually striking, and Filho follows side stories while bending genres.

Actor Wagner Moura, playing two roles, has the most on-screen charisma of any lead performance I saw in 2025.

Watch it.

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A frenetic thrill ride beginning in the Lower East Side tenement buildings of NYC to become a globetrotting misadventure, ping-ponging across Europe, Africa, Japan, and New Jersey. Loosely based on real-life Ping Pong shark Marty Reisman, the movie is a mash-up of The Hustler and True Romance.

The plot borders on ridiculous, but the film is fueled by Timothy Chalamet’s charisma, ensnaring us into his madness. Hyper-stylized, with anachronistic needle drops, the movie feels contemporary until you see a car or a rotary phone.

Safdie assembles a cast that includes reality show stars, rappers, and Gwyneth Paltrow. 

See it.

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Nominated for Best Documentary Feature 

A visceral ride-along to its obvious and tragic end in the ongoing battle between a local Karen and the rest of her suburban Ocala, Florida neighbors. 

Gandbhir only uses police body- and interrogation-room cameras, court recordings, and 911 call audio to piece together the lead-up, chaos, and aftermath of the crime without reenactments, talking heads, or other documentary filmmaking methods. The result is like a ninety-minute Instagram Reel. 

Beneath the crime-blotter rubbernecking is a brutally honest depiction of contemporary American life with its toxic stew of racial animus, late-stage capitalist sprawl, shoot-first culture, and inept public safety infrastructure. 

Stream it.

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IMDB Film Details

Train Dreams is haunting and poetic, capturing America when the old ways transitioned to the new. Bentley’s story is difficult to place on a historical timeline, leaving only visual hints, such as the introduction of chainsaws to logging or an astronaut orbiting Earth.

Logger Robert Grainier's melancholy journey allows us to witness the lives of those on the Northwest Frontier, from homesteaders to foreign workers to blue-collar philosophers to a feminist intellectual. Robert experiences trauma from white supremacist violence and tragedy from an unforgiving land. The film's message? Rugged individualism was a boondoggle that has always ensnared us.

Watch it.

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This Norwegian award-season juggernaut builds a universe within a family, their ancestors, and the good bones of an old house. Stellan Skarsgård plays the prodigal patriarch, a sensitive and selfish filmmaker returning to Norway to reconnect with his daughters after their mother’s death. And make a movie with an American movie star.

Trier shape-shifts tones, languages, and characters, crafting a layered viewing experience. Meta-awareness pervades the film, with commentary on modern cinema, the rise of fascism, and the liminality of art, life, and love. Not vignettes, not linear either – funny moments coexist with tension, sadness, and sweetness.

Rent it.

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See all #Larrys2025Faves

Bad year for movies. Or a bad year for me seeing movies. Award season rules push studios to cram releases at year’s end, and it's hard to keep up. I will catch up with films I missed in Jan-March.

My list, ranked, with microreviews:

1. One Battle After Another: Brilliant, has a tragic flaw 2. Sinners: Juke Joint Cinema 3. Pavements: Larry’s100 Review 4. Weapons: Campy, creepy, freaky 5. Baltimorons: [Larry’s100 Review] (https://larrys100.writeas.com/the-baltimorons-2025-duplass-brothers-productions-directed-by-jay-duplass-4) 6. The Ballad of Wallis Island: Tim Key is brilliant 7. KPop Demon Hunters: Trust the phenom 8. John Candy: I Like Me: Sadder than you’d think 9. Fantastic Four: Didn’t suck 10. Nonnas: More sweet than savory

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