There is so much more to the year than just the top films but I will admit my ever encroaching cynicism in that I straight up did not see aot of the big movies of the year like Minecraft or Superman. I'm just over it. I did see (and enjoy) Thunderbolts* but highlighting a moment felt too much like praising a token superhero film (and I'm not sure how many life-changing moments there were.)
However, there is one obvious winner and it is the Music Through the Ages Dance Jam from Sinners. I famously did not think Sinners was great at all, but I did really vibe with the first half and this scene obviously earns my respect. Even Sinners haters need to admit this scene rules.
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This doubles for musical moment of the year.
Runner up was "Frank Drebin" "Hey, me too!" from The Naked Gun. I busted up on that. Or the snowman scene.
Actor of the Year:
Is it possible to say Jack Black? Dude has had multiple big releases and maybe the line or song of the year with "Chicken jockey!" and "Lava Chicken." Pedro Pascal was in Fantastic Four, Eddington, The Last of Us, and Materialists, but it does feel like 2024 was more his year. Josh Brolin was in a ton of movies, too.
But I want to say Josh O'Connor. He was lauded in a mainstream gig, Wake Up Dead Man, had his indy credentials in The Mastermind, and is set to be in a Spielberg movie next year. Coming off great work in Challengers, it feels like he is a rising star and we're going to get him while he's hot!
Actress of the Year:
When you look at top movies, not a ton for the women this year. Superman, Minecraft, Captain America are all kind of male-focused. You have your Wicked, Lio & Stitch, Scarjo in Jurassic World: Rebirth, and Florence Pugh in Thunderbolts*, which does all give a nice balance, but none of these featured acresses that really dominated the year.
Except for Julia Garner! A very impressive run of Fantastic Four, Wolf Man, and Weapons make this clearly her year and deservedly so! These were all radically different roles, genres, and box office, and it's the kind of range we're looking for. 2025 was Julia Garner's more than anyone else!
What else?
Yeah, I was totally out of the loop on mainstream movies this year. I actually only saw one out of the Top Ten movies of the year (Sinners) and four out of the Top 20. I'm just largely over a lot of current blcokbuster filmmaking, things like Jurassic World aren't grabbing me like they used to. That's a fun slow decline. I watched all the original trilogy in theaters, came back for the 2015 movie (TEN YEARS AGO?) and at least caught the other two on streaming. Now I just have no desire at all for this nonsense. Disney and animated sequels are generally out for me, although I did hear that Zootopia 2 and Elio were good. But playing on my phone is better!
I probably shouldn't be running a film site anymore, right? I literally don't like movies. But hey, I really dug The Naked Gun (2015).
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